37
1945
Tuula and the children stayed with Nils until the end of the week. Matias improved after fluid replacement treatment and rest, but Nils had had to drive him the short distance to the doctor’s because he could barely stand. Tuula still couldn’t get her head around the idea that someone bore them such ill will.
When Aino and Heikki returned home that weekend and Tuula told Aino what had happened, Aino’s face lost all its color.
“How much longer can we stay here?” Aino whispered. They were sitting in the shade of the tall oak tree, on rickety wooden chairs that Heikki had bought cheap. They were enveloped in the warm scent of roses. The well was clean now, and there was nothing to remind Tuula of what had been down there.
“What do you mean?” Tuula said.
“Things are completely different in Sm?land. They live in a bigger community that’s more anonymous. There’s the odd insult, but no hassle. Nothing like this.” Aino took a deep breath. “Nothing approaching pure hatred.”
They suddenly heard a scream in the street. Then the door flew open, and Ritva tumbled into the courtyard, sobbing helplessly. Tuula leaped to her feet as the child flew into her mother’s arms.
“Sweetheart, what’s happened?” She ran her hands over her daughter’s body. Was she injured? Her hair was all over the place, her blouse was open, and one sleeve was torn. Then she saw it—a gash across her chest. It was bleeding, and Tuula quickly took off her own blouse and used it as a makeshift dressing.
“Ritva, what happened?”
The child just kept on sobbing.
“Ritva, what happened?” She realized she was shouting in sheer panic.
Aino took Ritva in her arms and tried to soothe her. After a few minutes she was calm enough to talk.
Some boys had followed her to the grocery store. They had wrestled her to the ground, torn her blouse, and yelled at her that she stank. One of the boys had slashed her chest with his pocketknife, then run off.
“They didn’t do anything else?” Tuula had to ask the question.
Ritva shook her head.
Tuula was beside herself at the thought of what else might have happened. She and Aino exchanged meaningful glances, both hoping that Ritva didn’t understand why. They took her upstairs to the apartment, where she sat in silence, gazing blankly into space. Aino inspected the wound while Tuula fetched warm water and rags.
“It looks clean and it’s not very deep. Do you have a dressing?”
Tuula shook her head.
“I’ll go and get one from downstairs.”
Shortly after Aino had left, there was a knock on the door. It must be Nils—she was supposed to meet him at the café.
She opened the door to let him in. “I’m so sorry, I ... Something’s happened.”
“What is it?” Nils looked worried.
“Some boys attacked Ritva, I completely forgot we were meeting up, and ...”
“How is she?”
“Under the circumstances, she’s okay. I think she wants to be left alone right now,” she added quietly.
Nils stopped and turned to her. “What did they do?”
“They cut her with a knife. She has a gash across her chest. Thankfully it’s not too deep.”
Nils went white. “They attacked her with a knife? We have to go to the police!”
Tuula nodded. “You’re right.” But all she wanted just then was to be with her daughter.
Nils drew her close and hugged her for a long time. Something inside her let go, and for a second she allowed herself to feel weak and vulnerable. She hadn’t wanted to break down in front of Ritva, but now the tears came. “I can’t stay here,” she said eventually. “My children ...” She didn’t finish the sentence, and Nils let her cry, held her and consoled her without saying anything.
Tuula realized that she had reached the end of the road. People talking about her and disliking her was one thing, but the people she loved most were suffering the most. The children above all, but also Nils. His business and his career were being affected, and the situation was no longer tenable for anyone.
“I have to leave.” She wiped her eyes and looked up at him.
“Let me come with you.”
“But what about the business?”
Nils sighed. “I didn’t want to worry you when everything was so chaotic, but my father has given me an ultimatum. He told me to choose between you and the business; otherwise my brother will take over.”
“And what’s your decision?” Tuula could hardly breathe.
“Naturally I choose you.” His eyes filled with tears. “I choose you and the children.”
She swallowed hard. She couldn’t help thinking about what he’d said at the cottage, that he and his father had never had anything to fall out about. Not until she came into the picture. He’d had a good relationship with his whole family before that. “We can leave tonight,” he went on. “We can go as soon as you like, start over somewhere else, as a family.”
Tuula’s chest was flooded with warmth, but there was pain in it too. She wanted nothing more than to be with Nils and the children. He loved them, she knew that, and they had grown close to him. But if he went away with her, he would be leaving his own family, losing everything he had here. What if he regretted it in the future? What would happen if he fell out of love with her when real life took over? Could she really do that to him?
“Tuula, I mean it. I want to build a life with you. I don’t care about the business.”
“But you love the business.”
“I can start something new, once we’re on our feet.”
“You can’t replace your parents.”
She saw something in his eyes. Pain. “No, but I’ll have a new family.” He smiled as the tears ran down his cheeks. He rested his forehead on hers and they stood there, weeping together and holding each other.
Tuula couldn’t persuade Ritva to go to school the following morning, and even though she was a woman of principle—everyone has to go to school—she couldn’t bring herself to force her daughter to go. Ritva was allowed to stay home as long as she read her schoolbooks.
Matias went with Tuula to the bakery early in the morning, and during her coffee break, she quickly took him over to daycare.
She got back just as everyone was due to start work again. Oddly, they weren’t sitting outside drinking coffee—where were they?
The packing room was empty, so she continued through to the bakery. The whole staff was gathered there, standing or sitting in complete silence. Karl Eklund, Nils’s father, stood in the middle of the room. He glanced at Tuula when she came in, but didn’t acknowledge her. Tuula went and stood by the wall. Nils was over by the baking tables. She could see that he was trying to look calm, but he folded his arms, then let them fall to his sides, then changed position again.
“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” Karl Eklund said at last. “We’re going to have to dismiss two people, effective immediately.” A low hum of conversation broke out. “Some spirit vinegar has gone missing from the storeroom.”
“That’s not true, Father,” Nils protested. “I did the inventory—no spirit vinegar is missing.”
“It is,” Karl snapped. “I carried out the inventory myself. Either you were careless, or you were trying to protect someone.” He looked around the room. “I know who the guilty parties are.” He paused, either to let his words sink in, or to make them nervous. “It pains me to do this, but I have no choice. The first person is Tuula Anttila.”
Tuula wanted to laugh at the ridiculous accusation, but she also felt a mixture of anger and relief. She wanted to leave the village, and now she had no choice.
“And the second is Aino Lahti.”
Tuula inhaled sharply and looked at her friend. That wasn’t fair.
“Where’s the proof?” Lydia spoke up.
“The proof?”
“Yes, where’s the proof?” Nils folded his arms.
“Do I really need to say it out loud? We all know the Finns can’t handle alcohol. It was a mistake on your part, Nils, both to employ Finns in the first place and then to leave something like spirit vinegar out for the taking. They get desperate when they don’t have any money.”
Tuula had to make a real effort not to laugh. The idea that she and Aino would want to get drunk on spirit vinegar—she’d never heard anything so ridiculous. But she managed to restrain herself; if she so much as smiled right now, it wouldn’t go down well.
“That’s just plain old prejudice. Has anyone here seen Tuula or Aino stealing?” Lydia looked around the bakery.
“Enough!” Karl roared. “This is my decision, and I won’t tolerate anyone contradicting me!”
“I’m just asking, has anyone seen either of them stealing?” Lydia faced down the bakers, the packers, and the drivers. No one said a word.
“Lydia, you don’t have to ...,” Tuula whispered.
“Enough, I said!” Karl’s face had reddened with fury. “Or I might decide to let a few more people go!”
Aino took a deep breath. “You know what, herr Eklund? No one else needs to go.” She took off her cap and headed for the changing room. “We’re done here. Tuula and I will pick up our things and leave.”
Tuula followed her friend.
“Wait. Please. Aino. Tuula.” Nils was coming after them, but Tuula didn’t turn around, didn’t stop. She had no desire to make a scene—for his sake.
When they emerged from the changing room a few minutes later, Karl Eklund had left. The others were working away in silence as Tuula and Aino walked through the bakery and the packing room.
Lydia was swearing to herself as she slammed the loaves into boxes. “He won’t get away with this,” she muttered when she saw Tuula and Aino.
Tuula heard footsteps. Nils. She turned to face him.
“Tuula, Aino—I’ll speak to my father. I won’t allow this.”
Tuula shook her head. “We can talk later. Go and reassure everyone else—they’re bound to be worried after what just happened. Look after them—Aino and I will be fine.”
Nils looked devastated. “I had no idea this was going to happen.”
“I know that.” Tuula gave him a warm smile.
Nils glanced around, then moved closer to her. He placed both hands on her shoulders. “I know what you’re planning to do. And I’m coming with you. I can’t stay here under my father’s dictatorship.”
She took a deep breath. Looked at Aino, who was waiting by the door.
“Come over this evening,” she murmured.