“That feels good,” he murmured.
He moaned in pleasure from time to time in response to the warmth of being washed.
First, someone washed his hair. He was aware of a young woman’s clothed breasts right in front of his face. His sense of comfort was growing. He became confused for a moment and said “Dolly” out loud. He reached out and placed a shaking hand on the breasts. He heard a woman’s voice kindly say, “I am Eva.” Warm, wet, soapy hands gently removed his hand from her breasts. The English was heavily inflected. He looked at her. She seemed sad.
An older woman was with the one washing him. The women kept speaking in the language he didn’t understand. He felt them picking and searching, first through the hair on his head, and then his beard. Then he felt the fingers search through his pubic hair.
He heard another bucket of water being poured. The younger woman—What had she said her name was? —began to wash his torso, first leaning him forward to wash his back. She washed under his arms, his chest, and belly. Then she started to move towards his genitals. He was more aware now, and knew he was about to be washed down there.
He opened his eyes fairly wide, revived to more wakefulness, when he felt the slippery, warm cloth softly clean his genitals. It feels so good, he thought. He and the younger woman made eye contact. He saw a pretty face with piercing blue eyes—and sadness. His penis began to react to the gentle ministrations of cleansing.
“Sorry,” he whispered, too exhausted to talk at a normal volume.
“Dat’s fine. I am married. I see it before.” She smiled faintly; half of her mouth curled up ever so slightly.
He saw the sadness abate for a moment.
The woman washing him said more in the foreign language, and in English, the older woman told the men to help him stand. They washed his legs and feet and rinsed them with more warm water.
~~~
With bath complete, the men assisted Liam back to the much cooler room. He felt the stiff, scratchy material as the women dried him. He heard the young woman say something to the older woman, and then he felt his toenails and fingernails being trimmed. His head was being tossed around as his hair was being dried. He grimaced and groaned, then muttered “My head.”
“I’m sordy… you … have headache,” the woman said. “Ve almost done. Night see-irt, boots, coat. Den ve done.” She talked to him in soothing tones.
On their way out of the sauna and back into the house, the older woman suggested a stop at the privy.
A little girl was waiting at the back door. She looked at him with an eager curiosity. “He’s so clean now,” she said.
“Dis man … gonna be … you room,” the younger woman said.
“Yes, you told me, so I got all my things and moved into your room. I got the army cot and put my extra blanket on it. The man can have my room to get better in.”
“Tank you, Ellen,” the woman said in English.
“You spoke Eenliss, Mamma!” Ellen grinned. “Why is your face all red?”
The woman led him into a small bedroom and helped him get into bed. Feeling scrubbed and warmed, he had been brought into this clean, heavenly place with homey aromas and warmth, sensations he hadn’t experienced since he had been in the boarding house in Chicago. When the covers came around him, he felt so relieved he began to cry. The young woman, who was putting the covers over him, sat on the edge of the bed and lifted him into her arms, holding him as he wept.
“You are all right,” she murmured in his ear. “Ve take care you.”
She was a great comfort. He felt the sincerity in her arms as she hummed gentle words and rubbed his back. He did not fight it. His cough erupted. She rocked him and stroked his head and neck until it abated. Finally, he lay back down on the pillows. The woman took her handkerchief out of her apron pocket and wiped his face.
“I give it to you. You blow you nose.”
He gazed at her. He saw her do the same to him.
The older woman came in from the kitchen with a glass filled with a dark reddish liquid. He looked at her as she walked in.
“I can’t … thank ye … enough,” he said weakly to both women.
The older woman handed the glass to the younger woman, who lifted the glass to his lips. He drank thirstily. It tasted like berries of different kinds. It was a heavenly elixir.
When it was gone, he looked at the younger woman. “May I have more, Mrs.—”
“Mattson. Mrs. Mattson,” Eva said, getting up. “Yes. I go get.”
She returned with the juice. He drank that down as quickly as the first.
“In lil bit, I bring you soup,” she said. “But now, I go clean sauna. I look … all you pocket for tinks … I brink to you, I burn rest. I can’t fix anymore.” She spoke haltingly.
“Thank you, Mrs. Mattson.”
“You call me Eva.”
She pronounced it AY-vah. He was close to sleeping but he nodded. He lifted a hand as if to touch her in gratitude, but it dropped back down like dead weight. He drifted off quickly.
~~~
Eva stood for a moment at the threshold of the bedroom door studying the man. Now that he was cleaned up, she realized he was quite handsome. My God, where has he been? What has he been doing? she pondered, with the fight wounds on his face. She turned to the station workmen in the kitchen, whom Saimi had insisted have a bite to eat.
“He had two bags with him,” one of the attendants said to Saimi as he finished his bowl of soup. “They’re in the front hall.”
Saimi and Eva walked the station attendants to the door.
“Thanks for the meal, Mrs. Laivo. I called the doc, and he said he would be here first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Tank you verdy mutts,” Eva said. She let the men out and closed the front door, securing it from the blowing wind.
~~~
Back inside the sauna, Eva cleaned up and put the wet towels in the laundry basket. She gingerly went through the man’s pockets. In one trouser pocket, she found a large amount of money that shocked her, a man’s silver wedding ring, and a woman’s gold chain with several charms on it: a gold heart, a Christian cross, and a tiny Statue of Liberty. In the other trouser pocket, she found an old pocket watch. Eva sat for a moment, feeling alive with curiosity as she studied the stranger’s effects. Perhaps she could pick up a clue to his identity. She went through every pocket once again to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. Finding nothing more, she put the found items in her coat pocket and looked at the heap of filthy clothes on the dressing room floor. She bent to pick them up, trying her best to keep from touching them more than she had to. She wrinkled her nose in disgust from the stench of urine. She opened the sauna stove and put each piece in one by one, watching them turn to ashes in the flames. She added two more pieces of firewood for the boarders who were waiting for their sauna.
~~~
That night when Liam woke up, the clock in the bedroom read eight o’clock. The woman named Eva was sitting next to the bed in a wooden rocker. A bedside electric lamp was illuminating her lap while she mended. He heard a child’s voice in the background. He also heard a man’s voice speaking the foreign language he’d heard the women use earlier. He closed his eyes and lay still. He smelled Vicks rub. He stirred some more and coughed, opening his eyes to see Eva looking at him. Her eyes were piercing blue and mesmerizing.
“I brink you tinks … from pocket, dey on table. All money dere.” She pointed.
“Thank you.”
“I put Vicks. You koff … it stop …vit Vicks.”
She leaned forward and put the back of her hand on his forehead. He could tell by her expression that he did not have a significant fever. He noticed the feel of her hand on his forehead. It touched him deep inside.
Eva put her mending in the basket on the floor, then got up and went into the kitchen.
He heard her speak with the male voice. They didn’t speak English. To him, the man in the kitchen seemed irritated. Suddenly the voice showed up
in the doorway of the bedroom, with the little girl next to him.
“So, you are the man my vife is ’tendink to. Vhat is you name?”
“I’m Liam Dady,” he spoke hoarsely.
“I am Victor Mattson. My vife says you vill pay for room,” Victor said. He stood stiffly in the doorway.
Liam heard Eva snap angrily, yet quietly at Victor in their language.
Eva, holding a small bowl, pushed past Victor and said something else in their language in the same tenor.
“Yes, I will pay, Mr. Mattson,” Liam said.
“Have a good rest, Mr. Dady.” He then switched to Finn. He and Eva had another exchange. Both seemed to still be in conflict.
Liam watched as Eva gave Victor an angry glare. Victor turned and headed out of the room with the wee girl.
“I don’t want to cause trouble for you, Mrs. Mattson,” Liam said. “I’ve angered your husband by being here.”
“I sordy for him. He yust—I don’t know vhy hees—”
“Don’t worry, once I’m well, I don’t have to stay.”
“Don’t vordy ’bout it. You stay lonk … you vant.” By now, Eva was down to a whisper.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she put a clean linen towel on his chest and began to spoon-feed him broth. He tried holding the spoon himself, but the tremor in his hand was too great. He knew very well what the tremor was from. With her feeding him, he finished the meat soup with potatoes and carrots quickly. Eva put the spoon in the empty bowl.
“You vant more mehu?” she asked.
“The juice? Oh, aye … I mean yes.”
She stood, taking the empty soup bowl and spoon back into the kitchen.
The child’s voice came to his attention again. The caregiver in him responded to it in a gentle way. Eva came back into the room with a larger glass of the sweet juice. It was refreshing to him and reminded him of strawberries. He looked past the swaying skirt entering the room and saw the girl peering in from the doorway. Her eyes were big, blue, and wide, and were plastered on him. He mustered a little smile and she retreated further into the kitchen, but not before she returned his smile with her own shy one.
“Sees my lil girl.” Eva sat on the edge of the bed again and helped him drink the juice.
“You called her Ellen.”
“Vhat you name? I hear before but I can’t remember.”
“Liam … Dady. Liam Dady.” He was trying to swallow.
“Vat name … is dat?”
He didn’t understand the question.
Eva seemed to realize this. She tried again. “Vhere you from? I from Finland.”
“I’m from Ireland. Belfast.”
Liam noticed she stopped short in the questioning.
“I have … piss pot,” she said. “You need it?”
“Yes, please,” he said, smiling inside at the word she used. He sat up. He felt weak and a little lightheaded. She grasped his shoulder as he peed in the pot. “Thank you,” he said. He lay back down, noticing Eva getting embarrassed by his exposed genitals, which in turn, roused him. He was grateful for the blankets.
“I get some tinks for Ellen. Sees sleep vit me.” Eva went to Ellen’s drawers and took some clothing, then grabbed another blanket and a felt bear. She turned off the bedroom lamp. “I go to bed … over dere. You call … you need tinks. I vake for you… dats fine. You sick.”
“Thank you…” He hesitated, then said, “…Eva.”
She gave him a brief, penetrating glance before walking out the door, leaving it wide open to the warm kitchen where there was a small night light on a shelf. It’s probably for the wee girl, he thought.
Liam lay awake for a few minutes, thinking about what the last few hours had been about. The husband doesn’t like me, surely. What’s going on between those two? he asked himself. It’s not very happy between them. Maybe they’re just having a bad night. I will probably end up leaving when I get well. One good thing is that the Vicks is helping, but I still feel like shite. The alcohol is wearing off. I feel the DT’s comin’ on. He thought about how Eva looked at him while she was feeding him the soup. She looked like a war refugee. She’s angry and sad. Then he fell sound asleep.
~~~
Victor, while on his way to bed from the parlor later that night, stopped in the night-quiet kitchen and tiptoed to the bedroom door where the stranger slept. He gazed for a while at the man he didn’t much like. Eva is paying too much attention to him. I’ll have to keep my eye on him, and insist he go when he is better. I see how Eva is reacting to him. He remembered his reaction to Vilho Hautala, when Olga went to him. It was like that now—stone cold jealousy for this invader of his realm. Victor went to his room, where he knew Eva would ignore him. That thought made his stomach churn.
~~~
Eva lay facing away, at the edge of the bed, not wanting Victor to touch her. She pretended to be asleep. She felt him get in and roll to his side, facing her. She could tell he wanted her, but she would not acquiesce. After a few minutes, she could hear his breath deepen. He was asleep. She took a deep breath, let it out, and saw the stranger’s face in her mind. Her eyes were wide open in the dark.
~~~
The next day, Liam was awakened by Dr. Andersen, a portly white-haired Scandinavian. The doctor was clean-shaven and wore round wire-rimmed glasses. Even though it was Sunday, the doctor was here. Liam wondered if that was because it was an urgent case.
“Good mornink,” the doctor said. “The ladies say your name is Liam.”
Liam said a lethargic “Hello.” The doctor smelled like a hospital. “Yes, I’m Liam Dady.”
“Let’s give you a look, Liam,” the doctor said. He took his stethoscope from his bag.
Dr. Andersen didn’t talk much as he efficiently examined Liam. After a time, he asked, “Where have you been, young man? The ladies said you were quite a mess.” He was kind but also business-like in his bedside manner.
Liam answered, “It’s a long story. But I’m grateful I’m here.”
The doctor palpated Liam’s abdomen once again. “You’ve been drinking quite a bit. For how long?”
“Four years.”
“You must stop now. Your liver feels a bit enlarged to me.”
“I … think it’s time.” Liam felt the urge to let tears flow again. He was unable to hold them back.
“I know these women very well, and they’ve told me that even though Eva’s husband does not like it, they are willing to keep you on for a while. Do I have any reason to think they would be harmed in any way?”
“God in Heaven, no, Doctor. They’ve probably saved my life.” Liam was still unable to hold the tears.
“Hold your hands out for me,” the doctor said.
Liam did so and showed obvious alcohol withdrawal tremors.
“You’re going to go through withdrawal. It’ll be a little rough for a few days. But it will be worth it. I’ve gone through it myself.”
“I’m aware of the probabilities,” Liam said with resignation.
“You also have a severe case of bronchitis. That will pass, too. So will your exhaustion and the bruises from fighting. You were a pugilist?”
Liam smiled faintly at the astute physician. “I’m not proud of it.”
Dr. Andersen cleared this throat. He spoke quietly. “One thing to know is that Victor Mattson has been rumored to have a drinking problem himself. He’s teetering all the time. Eva is not happy. I don’t know how long their marriage will last. Try not to get in between them.”
“Why would you think I would?”
“Eva is very animated with you here. She’s had melancholy to varying degrees ever since they arrived from the Old Country. Now, I can see a bit of life in her.” Dr. Anderson sat up abruptly. “All right then, I’ll see you in a couple of days. You’re in good hands. Sleep a lot and drink water and juices. I’ll tell the ladies, but not anything they don’t already know.” Dr. Andersen winked at Liam, patted his hand and stood to leave. “Don’t worry,” he
said, nodding at Liam’s tears. “It gets better. Soon you will be over the withdrawal.”
Liam let out a sob and nodded his head in the affirmative. The doctor left the room. He heard murmurings in the front hall for several minutes. After a while of straining to listen to what they were saying, he dozed off briefly. Upon waking, he realized that he needed to use the chamber pot. As he sat on the edge of the bed, using it, Eva came in. His genitals were in full view. She stopped dead in her tracks, red-faced. Liam just looked at her and said, “Sorry.”
He lay back, too tired to pull his night-shirt down or cover himself. Eva gently took care of it, and got him back under the covers.
“You like ekks dis mornink?” she asked.
“I’ll try some eggs. I’m still not very hungry. The juice would be good, if you please.” He suddenly realized how much he was being waited on. “I hope I’m not being a trouble to ye, yer husband especially.”
“I am fine. Don’t vordy. Doctor says you stronk … and younk. You get better. Don’t vordy …’bout my husband.” She walked into the kitchen, taking the chamber pot with her. Liam watched through the open door as she set the pot down at the back door, presumably to dump later, and washed her hands at the kitchen sink. He heard her moving around, and soon she came in with a small plate of scrambled eggs and a glass of mehu.
When she returned to the bedroom, she sat at the edge of the bed. He pushed himself up to sitting. He tried to hold the fork and plate but he was shaking, so Eva had to take them back.
“Everytink all right. You get bedder.”
“I feel helpless. I’m usually the one who’s supposed to help others.” Liam’s voice trailed off as Eva started to feed him.
He managed a few small bites of egg and drank the large glass of the mehu. When he finished, Eva held the empty glass and half-empty dish, hesitating, he noticed. He also realized she was looking in the direction of his pocket items. He looked at them, too, and then looked back at her.
Eva and the Irishman Page 37