To My Dearest Roseanne

Chapter 9

The blue bus of PKS Bydgoszcz that served as Mr Orville's primary means of transport was heading straight through the green fields of Mierzwin that were colonised with all sorts of emergency services from the fire department to porta potty cleaning trucks.

It was Saturday evening, so obviously Mr Orville wasn't on the bus. In fact, only a handful of passengers were present. Mr Fantastic, the bus driver, always had a calm day on the road, but getting through Mierzwin was a pain in the ass for him. Usually, driving a bus was a fantastic experience for him. That's why he used to call himself Mr Fantastic. But that Saturday evening, he had to make his way through the labyrinth of vans and cars that were left by dozens of officials who fled on site due to the morning explosion.

"Ah, what an explosion it was! So bright I had put on sunglasses!"

At least that's what he said to local reporters when they stuck a microphone in front of him.

"Finally some action, baby!"

It happened exactly as he was driving under the electrical lines. The rain of sparks covered the entire road until the surrounding air suddenly combusted into a waterfall of blue flames. Random passengers freaked out, but Mr Fantastic just stepped on the gas and managed to drive out of the ghastly cloud. He wasn't a fantastic driver for no reason.

In the midst of reminiscing about the morning adventure, he stopped his loyal machine at the bus stop in Mierzwin and opened the door. Only one passenger stepped in. A young girl had dark, brown eyes, an elevated forehead, and brown hair tied in a single braid. She was wearing some fancy dress, like from a circus.

"Excuse me..." she said shyly, "How much is the regular ticket to Bydgoszcz?"

"19,50 Po coins. We recently raised the fares," said Mr Fantastic.

The girl took out a stylish wallet from her purse and handed in a 50,000 won banknote.

"Whoa, lady! We don't accept Monopoly money here!"

"I'm sorry... Do you allow payment by card?"

"Sure we do."

The girl inserted the card into a terminal and pressed the pin number. After a while, the ticket was printed out.

"There you go," Mr Fantastic said.

"Kamsahamnida."

"Say what?"

"I mean thank you, 'dziękuję', sorry."

"What is it with folks these days?"

The bus resumed its journey.

***

The bathroom doors were locked. In consequence, Roseanne made a split-second decision and kicked the door. Nothing happened.

She kicked the door again and again, as adrenaline was building up in her muscles until the lock finally broke. What she saw inside made her heart stop beating for a moment.

Liz was lying motionlessly on the bathroom floor, like a doll thrown off the balcony. She was unconscious. Roseanne dropped to her knees and held her mother. Then, she noticed a large cut on the cheek as a result of the fall.

"Mom, wake up, please. Wake up!"

Roseanne felt that she was slipping into a dark, bottomless void of despair.

Stay cool, you need to stay cool, goddammit! she was screaming inside her head.

She learnt first aid during military prep. Roseanne made sure that her mother had measured breathing and a steady pulse. Thankfully, there was no need for CPR. Subsequently, she rolled her body in a safe position on the side. After doing so, she called an ambulance.

Enzo peered into the bathroom, looking confused at Roseanne. Even though he was a dog, he knew something bad happened to Liz.

***

Surviving an emergency room in the Land of Po is an ordeal even for healthy people. Unconscious Liz was hooked up to a pulse oximeter and rolled out of an ambulance. Roseanne spent an entire night by her until some slob of a doctor looked at her.

Roseanne was afraid that her mother suffered a stroke, but there was no indication of that on CT scans and in blood work. However, low iron levels cropped up. Slob of a doctor deduced that Liz must have fainted or she might have slipped in the bathroom.

"The patient will have to stay for an observation," the doctor declared without any emotion. "Is your family insured?"

"Yes, we have insurance," Roseanne said almost with spite.

She gave the insurance number to a doctor digit after digit.

"Oh, you are insured!" his attitude immediately turned to positive. "We will give your mother the necessary supplements and see what happens."