Chapter 19
Eve of the Officers’ Course
The last day of my internship had arrived.
That was it – from tomorrow on, I would be a doctor.
It felt strange to think that from now on, the weight of responsibility would rest squarely on my shoulders.
Even though I knew it would take time before it truly did, I couldn’t help but feel anxious about the unknown.
That anxiety almost made me forget about the officers’ course I was supposed to leave for two days later.
“I already miss you,” I heard Lily’s voice as I entered the stairwell. She was waiting for me with a bouquet of flowers in her hands.
“Miss me? Why?”
“You forgot? The officers’ course.” It seemed the course was troubling her more than it was me.
“And what about you? Aren’t you starting school?”
“Big difference – I’ll be coming back every night to an empty bed.” Dozens of colorful balloons dangled from the ceiling, swaying in the breeze.
“What’s going on here?” I asked, surprised.
“A party!” she grinned, ear to ear.
“At ten the gang is coming over. We’re celebrating you guys leaving for the officers’ course. You don’t mind, do you?”
“I’m not sure there’s much to celebrate. This course means being separated from you, my love.” Already, my heart ached with longing – before I had even left.
“So tonight, we’ll stop at your parents, then at mine.”
“You think it’s wise to visit my folks right before I leave for the course? You know how nervous my mother is. She’ll probably start crying and not stop.”
“Relax – I already met them, and I think they liked me. At least your dad did.” She tried to calm me.
Like the first visit, the second went smoothly. As we were leaving my parents’ place, my mother slipped a cake into my hands.
“So you’ll have something sweet,” she said. I hugged her. To my surprise, this time she didn’t burst into tears. Maybe Lily’s presence had something to do with it.
“Mom, you’ll need to bake twenty-five cakes – enough for all my friends.”
“You’ll know who deserves a slice,” she replied with her usual seriousness.
For years, during my studies, my mother made me sandwiches every morning.
Not just for me, but for David and two other friends I studied with.
She wanted to make sure her beloved son – her “angel,” as she called me – never had to share his portion.
Another twisted byproduct of the Holocaust survivors and the lives they led.
“If everyone has their own sandwich, you’ll eat all of yours,” she used to insist. Of course, everyone was happy about her obsessive dedication to eliminating “hunger” from our group.
That night, the cake she baked was devoured at the party before it was even over. Even I managed to forget, just for a little while, that in a few hours I’d have to part from my beloved.
Lily, who had been the life of the party all evening, turned somber once we said goodbye to the friends.
Before David left, we agreed to pick him up on the way to Parkview Medical Center, where we were to report for the army.
Once the apartment was empty, I stood in front of her and looked into her eyes.
I thought of the blood pact. She gave me the same look back.
“My Lily, this is it. Tomorrow, we part physically, but I’ll be with you everywhere. You’ll be with me in places I can’t even imagine yet.” My throat tightened with tears.
“Take care of yourself – for your sake and for mine. I need you.”
“I’ll do my best, as much as I can.”
“And take care of David too,” she added suddenly, just before we fell asleep.
Two months later, during a night exercise at the officers’ course, those words came back to me.
David and I were crouched in a trench, waiting to charge a fortified position.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of gunfire.
Instinctively, I ducked and shoved David’s head down.
A tracer round from our own machine-gun crew whistled inches above his skull.
Our eyes met, filled with a mixture of shock and fear.
It took a while before we could breathe again.