Stars On The Atlantic

V

It was nearly eleven in the evening onboard the R.M.S. Lusitania when Jerry escorted Amybeth back below deck to the third-class cabin she shared with six other female travelers."Et voilà, Madame. Hopefully the tour was pleasant enough." Said he as a goodbye."Thank you, Jerry. I enjoyed myself very much today. Sorry, I should have said 'thank you, Doctor, for having successfully cured my seasickness.'"Jerry blushed. "Is there any chance I shall see you again? I enjoyed my time with you as well. I mean, such a fine lady like you traveling by the sea on her own should at least have an escort."Amybeth chuckled. Then, with a faked snooty tone, she replied to the boy saying: "Oh my, don't you think it is somewhat inappropriate for a fine lady like me to be around a sailor who swears like he speaks?"The boy rolled his eyes. "If you want to make your arrogance sound more convincing you should at least wear a necklace or something pretty around your neck."Amybeth's smile dimmed a little. She gave a little punch on Jerry's shoulder and said: "Stop saying nonsense, how could I afford such luxury as a necklace?" She then waved him goodbye after giving him a swift hug.

However, after Jerry departed and the cabin door closed, she went through her personal belongings in her bundle bag until she pulled out the Celtic Cross which she hadn't worn for years. She held it in her hand and stayed still for a few minutes."You said you'd always be there," she murmured. "But you aren't. You never will be again." Her voice gradually broke up, and she shoved the Celtic cross back into her belongings and climbed up to her berth to sleep.

It was a few hours before she finally started to feel sleepy. But not sooner had she started dozing off than she heard a gentle rattle against the cabin's door. She rose, alerted, and carefully walked to the door. The other occupants of the cabin were sound asleep. Holding her breath, she pulled the door open and came face to face with Jerry. The boy was smiling mischievously as he held one hand behind his back.

"Goodness gracious, what in the world you think you're doing here at such an hour? If an officer sees you wandering around the ladies' cabins this late, he'll..."But Jerry didn't let her finish her sentence."I am simply here to ensure an efficient and responsible treatment to my patient. Now that I have successfully cured you from seasickness, let's see if I can help with homesickness as well."Having said this, he drew from behind his back a loaf of bread and handed it to her. Amybeth took it over. It was still warm in her hands. From its colour and its scent, she immediately recognized its type. It was a loaf of Irish soda bread.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, hardly believing her eyes.But Jerry simply said: "Goodnight, Amybeth," and walked away. Amybeth then returned into her cabin. In the darkness of the room, she stood against the door, holding the loaf of bread against her chest. And she sobbed silently.