Page 47 of Cilka's Journey
“Antonina Karpovna,” Cilka calls out as the brigadier is about to shut the door and leave. “Please, Antonina Karpovna, Klavdiya Arsenyevna has asked that you stay until she returns.”
“Can we make our beds?” one of the women asks.
“No. And I have to tell you something.”
The women pause, all eyes on Cilka.
“It wasn’t the guard who did this, it was me.”
“Why did you do this?” Elena asks.
“Because Klavdiya made her, obviously.” Josie jumps to Cilka’s defense.
“Is that right?” Elena asks.
“Still, it was me who did it,” Cilka replies.
She flicks her eyes to Hannah, who is red-faced as she presses around the edges of her mattress, seeming to find her pills safe.
Antonina walks down toward Cilka.
“What’s this all about? Why weren’t you at work?”
“Well…” Cilka says, struggling to hold on to a voice that threatens to break.
She is saved by the door opening and Klavdiya stepping inside the hut, imposing in her uniform. She looks around with a wicked smirk on her face.
“Get this place tidied up, you lazy bitches.” To Antonina, she says, “Come with me,” and the two of them walk to the end of the hut where Josie has been putting her mattress and sheet back on the bed. They stop beside the bed. Josie stops what she is doing. Cilka stands beside her unmade bed.
“Is this yours?” Klavdiya asks Josie.
“Yes, Klavdiya Arsenyevna.”
Klavdiya yanks the sheet away from the mattress, turning it over, revealing the sewn patch with writing. She shows it to Antonina and asks her, “What is this?”
Antonina looks at the sheet with writing thrust at her.
“I don’t know. I haven’t…”
“I’m sorry, Josie, you have the wrong sheet. This is mine,” Cilka blurts out.
All eyes turn to Cilka as she reaches out and takes the sheet from Klavdiya.
“These are the names of medications we use in the hospital. I wrote them to practice spelling them. I didn’t want to make mistakes in the patients’ records.”
“Cilka, no,” Josie says.
“It’s all right, Josie, I’m sorry you picked up my sheet. Please, Klavdiya Arsenyevna, this is mine, I’m the one to blame.”
Klavdiya turns on Antonina.
“You are responsible for what goes on in this hut. What have you got to say for yourself? When was the last time you inspected this?”
“I only did it today, this morning, when I returned,” says Cilka. “Before you came. Antonina Karpovna couldn’t possibly have known about this. She inspected our beds only yesterday.”
“Is that right?” Klavdiya asks, looking at Antonina.
“I haven’t seen this before,” Antonina replies, looking at Cilka with concern.
