CHAPTER NINETEEN

I was very sick the following day. My eyes turned yellow, and the doctors said that I had jaundice. That would mean having to stay in bed for two weeks. It completely destroyed the plan Catherine and I had made to go to the lakes up North. It would have been beautiful this time of the year. September is always a great month to enjoy the changing colors of the leaves in Northern Italy.

Then another unfortunate thing happened. As I was resting in my room, Miss Van Campen entered and walked directly to my closet. When she opened it, she found many empty bottles of alcohol. I guessed she must have seen the doorman carrying several of the bottles downstairs. I had just asked him to get rid of them for me. Of course, she always hated me. And now she had an excuse to be angry with me.

"How long have you been doing this?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I've had many important visitors. I kept this alcohol in my closet to offer them when they came."

"You mean you haven't drunk any of it?"

"I can't remember, maybe sometimes ... yeah, I had a little bit with them!"

"You should be ashamed of yourself, drinking yourself sick like this. If you think that this is going to keep you away from the front longer, you're very wrong!"

"What?"

"You've caused yourself to get jaundice by drinking too much. As a result, we'll send you back as soon as you recover from this."

"Do you really know what jaundice is like? Have you ever had a patient kick himself in his balls just so he won't have to go to the front?" I was angry now.

"I've seen many patients hurt themselves."

"But specifically, have they ever kicked themselves in the balls? That's what this illness feels like."

She hated me even more now. Without saying anything further, she walked out of the room. Ten minutes later, she came back with the doorman, "I'm going to show these bottles to the head doctor when I tell him about you!" She then instructed the doorman to collect the bottles and take them to her office.

As of that day, my sick leave was cancelled. And I was to return to the war as soon as my jaundice was gone.

(end of section)