44. Intern Irving's Decisions
Irving Goldberg returns from the 6 weeks externship under the great Wilder Penfield profoundly altered. Dr Penfield shows Irving genius up close. Seeing a world-beater like Penfield in action gives Irving the feeling to himself become a world-beater thus giving his life a purpose. Penfield's research - stimulating the surface of the living brain in patients awake on the operating table and observing the movements of muscles and directly asking what comes into the mind with local point brain surface stimulation - has much potential for a breakthrough in understanding the neural basis of consciousness.
Irving returns to the Bronx with a plan first to speak with Leo Davidoff to apply for a neurosurgery training residency under Penfield and second, to separate from nurse Sheila. She has been Irving's genie to propel him where he is now heading. But she will be a drag as he moves into the big time. He needs a more cultured girl, Jewish, and he has already spotted one in Brenda's friend, Lorna Greenberg, who has grown into a strikingly fashionable young woman in her senior year at Hunter College. Irving recalls a Sunday lunch with Stan, Brenda and Lorna, and to him she appeared dazzling. That's for me! he thought. Besides her, Sheila looks a hag.
Saturday in Apartment 1A, Irving back from hospital in his corner seat by window, his lunch before him on the bridge-table, cooked, prepared and just served by Sheila. She is seated, around corner of table on his left, steak knife poised to cut the juicy red sirloin steak.
Irving has separation on the mind, he can't eat. All of a sudden:"Sheila, I want to stop; we are not for each other!"
At his words she feels despicably discarded. Among the Irish nurses this happens. The Jewish doctor plays with you, sucks you dry and throws you onto the garbage. Suddenly it is too much. Noiselessly sobbing, right elbow on table, face in open palm of hand, her shoulders heaving with the emotion, she loses all control.
She straightens, face smeared by running makeup, and reaching up with left hand tears the top off her blue dress from white frilly collar down, baring her skin, a plump left breast tumbling out, while her right hand turns the steak knife.
Irving springs out of chair, "Sheila, no!" and grabs her right wrist. Pushing the table out of way, he wrestles her. The knife has barely scratched the fair-white skin but bright red blood wells up. Still holding onto the wrist he drags her into the kitchen, runs cold water and cleans and band-aids the wound.
The sight of blood stimulates something primeval. Wordless they stand facing. Then Sheila with both hands rips her dress and panties off, and Irving flings off his clothing and they go at each other in near frenzy: kissing, biting, embracing; then dropping to the floor with him on top; and with gasps and cries, he breaks her inside - takes her virgin - and his juice jets into her.
Sheila lies beneath Irving feeling his still solid part firmly in her vaginal grasp, his juices mixing with hers; and, slowly, seeping through her, a contentment: I am Irving's vessel; we are creating a future.
They lie together silent now, his firmness receding and pulling out of her and as it unstops her front, a mixture of blood and fluid drips out.
A little later, Sheila sleeping, Irving awakens, gets dressed and leaves.
Over the next 2 weeks, Sheila walks about automatically. She does her hospital duties, and after work stays in 1A, sitting alone on sofa trying to forget - moments they'd shared, how much she cared; his face across the table in the corner at his window seat.
Then, a day comes and she realizes her monthly has not come. Irving has left part of himself in me, a tiny part now, but with nurturing it will grow. She is a one-man woman and he just got away but her torch burns brightly. True to herself as his genie she no longer feels the fierce anger. She rubs the small mark from the knife and feels strangely good. "I shall love him till I die. I'll bring up the part of him in me." From that moment she is recovered.
Later she visits Sister Barbara at church. They sit alone in quiet. "Sister, I missed my monthly friend."
"What will you like, dearr woman."
"My man - he's not of the faith, he's Jewish - left me; he don't know."
"Ach, the Catholic man is just as bad. But you must tell him so he pays for you to have it."
"No, Sister. I was not right for him in first place. I wanted to make him succeed at what I knew he was capable of. And he succeeded and two weeks ago told me he wants to leave me. I accept it. He's right. But I want the baby - his baby. He will be my only man so it's my last chance."
"Ach, dearr woman, I underrstand. We have it much in Eire - I could tell you a story ..." Sister Barbara stops and smiles wistfully. "Well, better not. So what is yourr plan, dearr woman?"
"That's why I come to talk with you, Sister. I want it but I can't stay and let him and others see. It would not be fair to him or the child. So where can I go to have it?"
Sister Barbara thinks a minute. "I shall help ye. Me poor old mither in Eire was a country midwife - now she is old and needs assistance herrself. I shall write herr and we will arrange you go live with herr and have the baby. She needs to get paid a little herre and therre. You underrstand, dearr. ...?"
Sheila is prepared since everyone knows Sister Barbara always needs a donation.
Oh, thank you Sister." She quickly takes a 100-dollar bill with Ben Franklin's picture on front and presses it into Sister Barbara's hand, and the Sister puts it into her nun's inner part.
"Alrright, dearr. It'll take a couple weeks arrangin' but rest assurr - me old mither won't diappoint ye."
Three weeks later, Sheila and Sister Barbara are standing dockside, just before Sheila's boarding a freighter that will make first stop at Donegal a port in the north part of the Irish Free State where the Sister's old mother, who lives in nearby countryside, will meet her. Sheila is bringing several cartons of canned food, uncooked rice and spaghetti and thousands of dollars US money in cash.
"The best to me poorr old mither."
"Thank you again, Sister. I shall write you weekly."
Later, leaning against the rail on deck as the freighter passes the Statue of Liberty and heads out to sea along the south shore of Long Island, Sheila thinks What an astounding life! I feel that the atheists are right on one point - there is only one life and we better do as much and try to be as happy as we can until the forever-future curtain descends. She turns back toward the cabin area and heads into lunch that turns out to be Mulligan stew. She eats for the two - herself and Little Irving, as she has named the growing body inside her.
For next, click 13.45 A Wedding Ends Slim Novel 13
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