I tried to rise from the bed I was lying in, using my elbows as leverage, but found that I was getting dizzy from the mere effort of sitting up, so I laid back down and asked, "Where am I?"
The man dressed in green replied, "You're in the hopital St. Lazare. How do you feel? Here, now. Let me help you up. My name is Dr. Leclerc, by the way." As he helped me to sit up, I asked, "How did I get here?"
Dr. Leclerc replied, "Some man brought you in here several hours ago. He said his name was Andre Navarre...do you know him?" "He's the watchman at the old opera house where I work. Is he still here? I'd like to see him to thank him for bringing me here," I replied softly.
Dr. Leclerc shook his head and said, "No, he left after he finished giving the police his story. The police inspector is here, however. Since you're awake, I'll tell him you're up to answering some questions he has for you. I'll bring him in, but I want you to lie back down. I'll also bring in the nurse and have her give you some water."
I laid back down as he left, and just as he had promised, a nurse who was also wearing hospital green came into the curtained area where I was, carrying a small glass of water and a straw. She gave them to me, and after helping me to unwrap the paper surrounding the straw, she told me to drink the water slowly, and then she left, pulling the curtain closed behind her as she did so. I wonder how and when Andre found me. It looks like I should have taken his advice and let him call a taxi for me, I thought ruefully to myself as I slowly sipped from the glass.
As I was taking another sip of water, the curtain opened and a man came into the area I was in and closed the curtain behind him. As he turned around to face me, I could see that he was of medium height and build with curly black hair and that he was wearing a tan trench coat. As he pulled the chair out that was next to my bed, he said, "Bonjour, madame. My name is Inspector Ledoux, and I have some questions to ask you." He then pulled out the clipboard that he had tucked underneath his left arm, and then for the next several minutes asked me questions and wrote down my responses. After he finished writing, he said, "Madame, I will now repeat what you have told me. Before I file this report with my superiors, I would ask you to please feel free to correct any errors I might have made. You say that on the night of 2 January, 2002, you were working late at the opera house, which was cutomary for you. You left the opera house sometime between nine and half-past nine, which was also customary for you. You had just turned the corner near the Cafe de la Paix and you were about to descend the stairs going down into the metro when you were hit over the head by person or persons unknown. You did not see who attacked you or what was used to attack you, is that correct?" I nodded my head in agreement, and he continued, "The only thing you can remember that might help us in our investigation is that you remember seeing three men just before the attack, is that correct?" I nodded my head again and he continued, "Can you describe these men?"
I shook my head and said, "No, monsieur l'inspecteur, I can't. It was too dark to see anything in any detail. Besides, I'm not even sure if these men were involved."
The inspector held up his right hand that still held his pen and said, "Nonetheless, madame, I have to ask. These men may or may not have anything to do with this. Did you recognize these men, or their voices perhaps?"
I shook my head slowly for the mere movement was making me feel dizzy again. I replied, "There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary at all. There's always a few people around the Cafe de la Paix, even that late at night and at this time of year besides. I only wish I could help you more."
Putting the clipboard down for a moment, the inspector said sadly, "So do I, madame. This is a real puzzling case for me for my men found that there was nothing missing from your purse, so robbery has been ruled out, at least for now." He paused for a moment again, and then shook his head and said, "I must say that this investigation may take awhile and unless you can remember more, this case may never be solved. Are you sure that you don't remember anything else that might help?"
I put my head back and thought for a moment and then said, "I think I remember one of them saying something like 'this is the one she was telling us about'..."
"But you can't be sure?" the inspector asked. I slowly shook my head again. "Nevertheless..." the inspector said as he wrote down what I had just said. After he finished writing, he looked up at me and asked, "Who is the 'she' they are referring to, do you know?" I slowly shook my head again. Continuing his questioning, the inspector asked, "Do you have any enemies that would do this, madame?"
Surprised that he would ask such a thing after telling him my story, I replied, "I haven't been in Paris long enough to make very many friends, let alone enemies, monsieur l'inspecteur."
"You know of no one that might do this to you, then? You get along with everyone you know, even at work?" the inspector persisted in his questioning. I began to nod my head and then stopped. Inspector Ledoux must have noticed this, for he then asked, "What is it? Have you thought of someone?"
I replied, "For a moment, I thought of someone who might be responsible for this attack but then again, on second thought, I don't think she would dare stoop this low."
"Who might this person be? Come, come, madame. This may or may not be important. With a case such as this, any little thing may be of help," the inspector said as he looked up at me from his report.
I slowly shook my head again and said, "For a moment, I thought of Carlotta but I don't think she would dare do such a thing!"
Returning to his report, the inspector began to write again and after a short pause, he then asked, "And just exactly who is this Carlotta?"
"She's our diva at the opera house but she looks upon so many of us that work there with contempt that I don't really think that she would bother with someone as insignificant as me," I replied, with a wry smile.
He finally finished writing and, after he put his pen in his coat pocket, the inspector said, "Nonetheless, I'll be making some inquiries at the opera house. Is there anything else you can think of?"
I shook my head again and then said, "I can't think of anything else at all that might be helpful. As I said before, there's almost always a few people about even that late at night and so I took no notice of anything that might have been unusual."
The inspector stood up finally and, after moving the chair he had been seated on back next to my bed, he said, "Very well, madame. I will take this report and file it with my superiors and I will get back with you after I have finished my interviews at the opera house. In the meantime, if you remember anything more, please give me a call. Here is my card with my name and phone number on it."
"Thank you," I said as I leaned forward to take his card. I still felt very dizzy and laid back down again after taking his card. Just then, Dr. Leclerc returned. Turning my head towards him, I said, "Bonjour, monsieur le docteur. Do you have any idea when I can go home?"
Taking my wrist to check my pulse, the doctor replied, "That depends, madame. How do you feel?"
"I seem to be all right lying down but I still feel dizzy when I try to sit up," I said, trying to sit up by myself once more.
Seeing my efforts to sit up yet once again had failed, the doctor frowned a little and said, "It may be wise to have you spend another night here at the hospital. You were unconscious for several hours...perhaps for as long as eighteen hours. Even though we could find nothing in the x-rays we took, it may be a good idea, nonetheless, to have you spend another night here. Do you know of someone who can bring you some toiletries and a change of clothes from home? You may be more comfortable in your own night clothes than in one of our hospital gowns."
"Yes, I do. Is there a phone around here that I can use to call my family?" I replied.
"I thought you said your family was back in the United States," the inspector said as he frowned at me.
"My blood relatives are back home in America but I am currently boarding with a couple and their small child. I'm sure that they must be sick with worry over me," I replied as I tried to sit up again, unaided. It was my fourth attempt to sit up again since I had awakened, and it, like the other attempts, met with failure.
The doctor, finding that I was still unable to sit up unaided, spoke up and said, "There is a pay phone just down the hall that our patients are allowed to use, but I can see that you're in no shape to get up and use it just yet. I can have one of the nurses place your call, if you wish."
"That won't be necessary, monsieur le docteur. She can use my cell phone," the inspector said as he took his cell phone out of the inside breast pocket of his trench coat.
"Merci, monsieur l'inspecteur," I said as he handed me his phone. After showing me how to unfold the phone, pull out the antenae and which buttons to push, I called Mme. Fontaine. "Allo, Mme. Fontaine?" I asked as I heard someone on the other end of the line pick up the telephone.
"Roberta? Ou-est-tu?" Mme. Fontaine asked with both excitement
and alarm in her voice.
"Je suis ici a l'Hopital St. Lazare (I'm here at St. Lazare hospital),"
I answered. "Pourquoi? Tu es malade? Tu es blesse? (Are you ill? Have you
been hurt?)" she asked.
"Oui," I replied, and then I explained what had happened. I then asked her if she would be able to bring me my nightgown, toothbrush and toothpaste and some soap and a towel and a washcloth since I would be needing all of these things if I was to be spending another night in the hospital. "C'est serieux? (Is it really serious?)" she then asked.
I took a deep breath and paused a moment before I answered her question. Finally, I said in French, "I really don't know. I guess so. Anyway, I guess the doctor wants to keep me here for observation."
She replied that she would be more than happy to bring me the things I had asked for but then asked me which room I would be in. Since I had not yet been assigned a room, I was unable to answer her question. I finished by saying, "My only suggestion would be to ask at the information desk when you get here and they will be able to tell you which room I will be in." I looked up at Dr. Leclerc as I said this and he nodded his head.
"Alors, a bien tot," Mme. Fontaine said and
then hung up the telephone on her end of the line.
I turned the inspector's cell phone off and
handed it back to him and said, "Merci, monsieur l'inspecteur."
Taking the cell phone, he replied, "Merci. I'll file this report with my superiors as soon as I get back to the station. If you can remember anything more, please call me. I can only hope we can get this thing solved soon."
"Merci, monsieur l'inspecteur. I will cooperate as much as I possibly can. And thank you for letting me use your phone but tell me, do all police inspectors carry cell phones with them nowadays?" I said.
He replied, "Anymore, it is almost imperative that we carry these things with us at all times. In my case, I never know when someone will call me with information that will help me solve a case...and I always have many cases that I am working on at any given time."
I smiled and said, "That sounds just like our police back in America--overworked, and I would imagine underpaid as well." He smiled at my remark and then I added, "If I remember anything else, I'll give you a call."
"Merci, madame. That would be most helpful. The next time I see you, I hope to find you feeling better. Until then, adieu," the inspector. He then rose from his chair, took his clipboard and left the cubicle I was in, leaving me and the doctor alone.
After a brief moment of silence, the doctor said, "We'll get you into a room as soon as possible but I'm afraid that we have no private rooms at this hospital. You will have to share your room with two other women as this hospital is simply too small to provide our patients with private rooms."
"That's quite all right, monsieur le docteur. I don't expect to have special treatment," I said softly. The dizziness had returned and I found it more difficult to speak.
Seeing that I was feeling worse, the doctor quickly answered, "I'm glad you feel that way but the police prefer to give private rooms to crime victims in order to have more privacy in their questioning. I can see that you are still not feeling well. I will send a nurse and an aide to take you to your room but before I do that, do you have a regular doctor here in Paris?"
"Oui, Dr. LeBlanc. He's the opera company's doctor. I've only seen him once, though," I replied.
"May I ask the reason for your visit to Dr. LeBlanc?" the doctor asked as he took my pulse again.
"I was having a migraine...I have been having more headaches since I moved to France but I attribute them to stress as well as not eating regularly. I always seem to have a lot of work to do at the opera house and sometimes I don't eat like I should," I replied.
"Hmm. Have you had any more migraines since your last visit to Dr. LeBlanc?" the doctor asked as he recorded my pulse rate on the clipboard next to my bed.
"No, I'm glad to say that I haven't. I've had at least three people scold me for not eating regularly, so I have tried harder to eat regular meals. I guess it's paid off," I replied.
"Good! I'm glad to hear that. Do you have the doctor's address. I'd like to send him the results of the x-rays I took earlier today to add to your medical records. Speaking of headaches, do you have one now?" the doctor asked.
"No, I don't know his address and I just feel dizzy, especially when I try to sit up," I replied.
"Hmm. Well, just to be on the safe side, I thnk you should stay overnight. If you have any more problems, let me or the nurse know. I will talk with you later, madame," he said. Then he turned and left the cubicle, leaving me alone for just a few minutes. Shortly, a nurse and an aide came in to my cubicle and wheeled me, bed and all, to my room.
The nurse and her aide brought me to my room and they made sure that I was comfortably settled. After showing me which buttons to push on the side of my bed that adjusted the height of both the head and foot of the bed, the nurse took my pulse and checked myblood pressure. She recorded them and attached the record to the clipboard and attached that to the footboard of my bed. After showing me which switch to flip to summon her should she be needed, both she and the aide left me so I could get some much needed rest.
After a short while, Mme. Fontaine came and brought me my things as well as more company--her daughter Colette. The doctor had been correct when he said that I would have roommates and that my room would probably be small as well. However, Colette did not seem to mind for she seemed to revel in crawling beneath the beds and even tried to crawl onto my bed, with me still in it! Even though Mme. Fontaine and I were embarrassed by her antics, my roommates, both of them elderly, were delighted. One of them, a Mme. Renault even went so far as to say that Colette reminded her of her young great-granddaughter. After several futile attempts to get Colette to behave, Mme. Fontaine was forced to cut her visit short but she promised that she would return the next morning to help me check out of the hospital should the doctors release me the next day.
In a way, I enjoyed the relatively quiet time between Mme. Fontaine's visit and the supper hour. I spent that time getting acquainted with my two roommates, both of whom had been in the hospital for several days but were scheduled to leave the next day as was I. We chatted for awhile, and then after supper had been served, we ate, our conversation being interspersed with comments about our meal.
After the supper trays were taken away by the aides, both my roommates decided to rest. Eating something may have been a good idea, for I found that I no longer felt dizzy every time I tried to rise from my bed. Therefore I decided to try to get up, and if possible, to walk around a bit. Using my arms for support, I slowly managed to push myself out of bed. Though both my legs and feet felt weak from lack of use, I was able to make my way to the locker on the wall opposite from my bed and retrieve a pair of slippers that the hospital furnished as well as my nightgown and robe. I then went to the small bathroom that I shared with my roommates as well as the female patients in the adjoining room and changed into my nightgown and robe. After I finished changing clothes, I returned to mybed and turned off the small light that was just above my headboard and then left the now darkened room, using the light in the hall to navigate my way in the dark.
As I entered the hallway, I noticed that the nurses' station was located at the end of the hallway. I walked down the hallway towards the nurses' station, and as I did so, the nurse on duty that evening looked up from her desk and as I neared the station, she greeted me by saying softly, "Bonsoir, madame. How do you feel this evening?"
"Bonsoir. I am feeling much better, thank you. I thought that I would get up and walk around a bit...if that's all right with the doctor," I replied.
"Do you still feel light-headed, madame?" she asked, and after she saw me shake my head with no noticable ill effects, she added, "Then I would think that it would be a good idea to walk around a bit and stretch your legs. You were laying in bed for quite a while, you know. If you get tired, we do have a small waiting room at the other end of the hallway that you can sit and relax for a while. We also have a small television in the waiting room but I would ask that you please keep the volume down when watching it. The walls are quite thin and I would not wish to see the other patients be disturbed."
"Merci. I may wish to do so later on but right now, I must admit that it feels good to get out of bed and walk around. I'd like to try and walk down to the other end of the hallway anyway, just to see if I can do so without feeling bad again," I replied.
"As you wish. If you need me, there is a switch on the wall just above the sofa that you can use to summon me if you need help," she said as she returned to her work on the desk.
"Merci," I said and then I turned and walked down the hall towards the waiting room. I found that this hospital was arranged a little differently from other hospitals that I had visited. The nurses' station was at the end of the hallway instead of the middle of the floor, as is found in American hospitals. However, the waiting room was just like all waiting rooms--a real room arranged just like an American living room with two sofas and a love seat against the walls and the television on one of the endtables between one of the sofas and the love seat. I entered the waiting room and turned on the television, adjusting the volume down low so it would not disturb anyone. The television announcer had just finished the sports and was now giving the weather report. More rain and cold predicted for the next several days, so what else is new? I thought to myself as I switched off the television. I looked around the room to see if I could find any magazines to read and after failing to find any, I got up and walked back to my room, lay down in my bed and dozed off.
It was sometime later when I awoke with a start. I had thought that someone was standing over me but when I opened my eyes, I saw no one. Just your imagination, again! I thought as I closed my eyes but then I opened them again for I thought I saw something on the table between my bed and my roommate's that I had not seen earlier when I went to bed. I turned on the small light over my bed and noticed a piece of folded paper in the middle of the table. I unfolded it and read the note that was written on it. It said,
Please meet me in the waiting room, Erik
I folded the note and after placing back on the table, I got out of bed and put on my robe and slippers. I slipped the note into the pocket of my robe, turned off my light, left my room and walked down the hallway to the waiting room. There I found Erik seated on the loveseat. As I entered the room, he said softly, "Bonsoir, Roberta. Forgive me if I disturbed your rest."
"That's all right, Erik. I've been resting ever since I got here, it seems," I said as I sat down next to him, for he spoke so softly, I could barely hear him otherwise.
"How do you feel? I...overheard some of your co-workers say that you were in the hospital," Erik said softly as he took my hand and kissed it.
"Much better, thank you. The doctor says I may be released tomorrow," I replied.
Still holding my hand, Erik said, "That's wonderful news, but tell me, what happened? Why are you here?" he asked quietly, speaking in English for the first time that evening.
Smiling, for I knew that he must be missing his usual English lesson, I replied in English, "Andre found me near the metro. Evidently, someone knocked me out." Seeing the puzzled look in his eyes, I quickly rephrased my statement and said, "Someone hit me on the head, leaving me unconscious."
Releasing my hand, he remained quiet for a moment, perhaps trying to interpret my words. Finally, he said, "That is terrible. Do you know who did this?"
I shook my head and said, "No. I didn't see who did it nor do I know why anyone would do this." He shook his head as well and we sat in silence for several moments. I looked at Erik and noticed that he wore his burn mask, and in spite of the warmth of the room, he was also wearing a black trench coat and black fedora hat. "Aren't you hot in that coat?" I asked, trying to break the silence.
"No," he said curtly.
Still attempting to break the silence and the somber mood he seemed to be in, I looked at my watch and saw that it was nearly ten o'clock. "What brings you here so late?" I asked, genuinely surprised that it was so late and that the nurse had not come into the waiting room to send him home.
"I was out setting my traps and did not notice the time. What time is it?"he asked.
"Nearly ten. Do you normally spend so much time catching rats?" I asked.
"No, I am afraid I am off my usual schedule," he replied curtly.
Now what? Did I say something to upset him? I thought to myself. Still trying to get a conversation going, I said, "Oh? Why? Oh, yeah. I remember now. You left a note saying that you had to take a friend to the hospital."
He remained silent for a few moments before answering me. Finally, he said, "Forgive me, Roberta, for ever since I heard that you were in the hospital, I have been angry with myself...and, just now...I was taking my anger out on you...It was completely unjustified. Please forgive me for being boorish again."
"I forgive you but why are you angry with yourself?" I asked.
He looked down for a moment, and then turning back to me, he said, "I have been angry with myself for two reasons, thr first, for failing in my duties as guardian angel to you and the second...for not being completely honest with you. You see...that friend I wrote about in the note I left you the other day...was...actually me." Seeing the look on my face, he quickly added, "You see, I am a diabetic, and sometimes...I am unable to keep my blood sugar levels within normal limits. When that happens, I am forced to go to a hospital to be treated. This usually does not happen very ofter, but it does happen occasionally."
I sat there completely stunned for this was the last thing I had expected to hear. "Why...why didn't you tell me sooner?" I asked.
He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I did not want to say anything for I did not want to...burden you with my problems. You are quite right, of course, to feel...angry with me for not tell you this sooner but I...did not want you to ...pity me. In addition, I find it diffucult to...trust people. My trust has been betrayed before...which...I will never allow to happen again. Up until now, I have been quite comfortable living like this...not trusting people, I mean but I find that...I...cannot distrust you. Nor can I lie to you, at least not for long, anyway. Please forgive me for not telling you this sooner."
I felt stunned and perplexed at the same time for, on the one hand, Erik had just admitted that he found it diffucult to trust me and yet, on the other hand, he had just laid bare his soul. What am I to do with you, Erik? You make me feel angry and protective all at the same time! I thought as I sat next to him. After a moment of silence, I took a deep breath and said, "I'm glad that you finally feel comfortable confiding in me. I must admit, I wasn't exactly expecting to hear this from you this evening. How are you feeling now?"
"Like you, much better. The doctor has adjusted my insulin dosage and my blood sugar levels have returned to normal," Erik replied, and then changing the tone of his voice and sounding much more stern, he said, "Now you know why I scolded you so on your eating habits! And now I find that I must scold you again! Why did you not take Buquet's advice to call a taxi?"
This time it was my turn to feel ashamed. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I thought things had settled down by that time. I'm still not fully convinced that the attack on me was related to the demonstrations going on earlier that day."
"Do not be too sure about that! I hear many things on my daily rounds, and believe me, there is too much anti-foreign feelings out there. Even I am careful. Why do you think I took you through the steam tunnels to the doctor's last fall? Do you think I took you through them only to keep the light from hurting your eyes? No. I took you that way to protect you from people like those who hurt you last night. You must allow me to do my job and protect you!" Erik said sternly.
I nodded my head, sat back against the back of the loveseat and said, "I see what you are saying but I just can't believe people would do this this, especially here in Paris of all places."
He put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I know that the crime rates here in Paris are not nearly as bad as New York or Washington, but you really must be more careful. Since you seem to be unwilling to call a taxi, then at least allow me to escort you home after work. I know some...routes we can take that will be safe." Seeing the look on my face at his actions, or perhaps feeling uncomfortable with them himself, he took his hand off my shoulder.
"Do you really think that will be necessary?" I asked.
He nodded his head and said softly, as he put his hand on my cheek for a moment and said, "Yes, I do, and I think that even Buquet would approve my plan,"
"I'd like some time to think about this," I replied, and then I added, "By the way, I notice that your English is getting quite good. Soon you won't be needing any more lessons. I only wish I was making as much progress with my singing as you are with English."
He took his hand off my cheek, lowered his head and smiled slightly, obviously embarrassed by my praise. Then he raised his head and said, "We can discuss this further after you are out of the hospital, but for now, I must leave and let you get some sleep. It must be quite late."
I looked at my watch again and said, "It's nearly ten-thirty. I guess you're right. I'll have to go back to my room and get some sleep." I yawned and then added, "I must be more tired than I thought."
He rose from the loveseat and then, taking my hand, he helped me up as well. Still holding my hand, he said, "I don't expect to see you tomorrow, even if you are released tomorrow, as you say the doctors will do but I hope to see you back at work the day after. If you are back at work then, I will see you at the usual time--seven-thirty. Until then" He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. "A bien tot," he whispered and then turned and left the waiting room, quickly and quietly as usual. He's still the same! I thought, shaking my head. Then I returned to my room and went to bed, still thinking of our conversation and his offer.
The next day dawned just as dreary as most of the winter days did that year. The doctor made his rounds early, as many doctors do. He was glad to hear that I had been up and walking around the night before without getting dizzy or lightheaded, and so he declared me fit to go home. As he gave me this good news, he said, "Very good, madame. But if you have any more problems with dizzy spells or any headaches or pain in your neck, please don't hesitate to call either myself or your regular doctor. Head injuries, even mild ones such as yours, can sometimes be more serious than they appear to be initially."
"Believe me, with my migraines, I won't delay in coming in to be seen if I have any more trouble," I replied as I lay in bed.
Just then, Mme. Fontaine came into the room but was without Colette. I looked over to where she stood and said, "Bonjour, madame. Ou'est Colette ce matin? (Where's Colette?)"
"Elle est chez nous avec Yves (she's at home with Yves)," she replied as she walked over to my bed.
"Ah, c'est vrai! J'ai oublie que cette aujourd'hui est dimanche (I forgot that today is Sunday)," I said as I rose to get out of bed. I was glad to get up and out of bed, for even though I had been up late the night before, I had spent so much time in bed that I was sick of just laying around.
Turning to the doctor, Mme. Fontaine introduced herself and then she turned back to me and asked if I needed to take any medications home or get any prescriptions filled before I was to leave the hospital.
Before I could say anything, the doctor spoke up and said, "Right now, it doesn't appear that she'll need to take any medicine at all. In fact, she seems to have made a good recovery. I would, however, recommend that she return here for a check-up in about a week, just to make sure everything is all right. She may make an appointment at the out-patient clinic before she leaves. Other than that, she is free to go anytime."
Mme. Fontaine nodded her head and said, "Merci, monsieur le docteur." Then she turned to me and said, "Alors! Tu es prete, cherie? Il faut depeche! Le taxi nous attend! (ready to go? The taxi's waiting!)."
"Il faut changer les vetements (I have to change first)," I replied as I went to the bathroom, carrying my things that I had retrieved from my locker. I emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, fully clothed, with my nightgown draped over my left arm and holding my slippers in my right hand. I went to my locker and took out the bag that held the rest of my things, and managed to stuff my nightgown and slippers into the bag. Then I got my jacket and purse out of the locker as well and put on my jacket. "Maintenant, je suis prete (I'm ready)," I said as I gathered my things. Then I turned to the doctor and asked, "Would I be able to call the clinic instead of just stopping by?"
He nodded his head and said, "You can do that if you wish, just make sure you do so within the next few days. The schedule fills up very quickly, especially nowadays for, I'm sorry to say you are not the only one to be found unconscious on the streets of Paris the last several days. Our city's crime rate has just soared the last few years."
"That sounds just like America," I said, shaking my head slowly, and then changing the subject, I said, "I'll give the clinic a call when I get home, I promise."
After helping me with my things, Mme. Fontaine, the doctor and I left the room. We stopped at the nurses' station and waited while the doctor finished filling out his end of the paperwork and, after he gave me the copies of the paperwork I would need in order to check out of the hospital, Mme. Fontaine and I took the elevator down to the ground floor and went straight to the chashier's station. After giving the cashier the paperwork, I checked my purse to see how much money I still had. The inspector had been right when he said that nothing had been stolen out of my purse, however, I still found that I did not have enough money to cover the deductable that I would have to pay. After the cashier returned from filing the paperwork, I explained the situation and she then got out another form for me to fill out that would give authorization for me to make payments on the deductable. As she then put the information into the computer, the cashier looked up from her desk next to the window where I stood and said, "I notice by the information you gave on these forms that you're a foreign worker but your French is so good that I wouldn't have known otherwise. May I give you some advice?" I nodded but I was puzzled as to the turn our conversation had taken. She leaned towards me and said softly, "I'd seriously consider becoming a French citizen if I were you. You don't know how many foreigners have come in to this hospital lately with injuries like yours!"
I nodded my head and said, "That's what the doctor told me earlier but aren't most of these attacks made on North Africans?"
She shook her head and said, "Not at all. Many of these victims have been white. As for you, I think your French is good enough to allow you to pass for a native-born Frenchwoman. Further, I would assume that you have to show your papers every time you want to conduct business transactions as well as getting a job or housing or anything, really, right?" I nodded and she continued, "Not only would becoming a French citizen end all of that but I understand that your new American president is considering revoking American citizenship to exiles living abroad. Are you an expatriate?" For the first time that morning, I felt faint. Seeing the look on my face, the cashier then said, "You didn't know? It's been in the newspapers for the last several days. I thought all you expatriates knew this!"
Holding onto the edge of the window to keep from falling, I shook my head and said, "I've been so busy at work, I haven't had much time to keep up on all the news."
"I'm truly sorry to have given you such news but evidently from what I've heard, this only applies to her political opponents," she said.
I could only shake my head in disbelief. "How could she do this without congressional approval?" I asked softly, more to myself that to the cashier.
Hearing me, she replied, "From what I understand, she did it by presidential decree."
That figures! Government by decree! No wonder America is in such bad shape! What's next? An absolute monarchy for America? I thought as I stood there. Then I said, "Thank you for all the trouble you've gone through with my paperwork. I'll think about your suggestion." I gathered my things, including my copies of all the paperwork I had accumulated that morning and Mme. Fontaine and I then left the hospital.
As we walked outside, Mme. fontaine asked, "Is everything all right? You and that cashier seemed to be talking for a long time." I said nothing for I was still in shock over the news the cashier had given me. Seeing that I was not going to answer her question, Mme. Fontaine changed the subject and said, "I'm parked down the street not far from here. Do you feel like walking?"
"You drove? I didn't know you could even drive, madame," I replied.
Smiling now that she had finally gotten a response from me, she said, "Yes I can drive quite well, thank you but don't tell Yves. He still thinks I can't even put the car into reverse, let alone drive the car all the way over here to the hospital by myself without getting into an accident."
"I won't say anything," I said trying hard not to giggle. These Frenchmen! I thought as we made our way to the car.
When we finally got to the car, Mme. Fontaine helped me put my bag into the trunk and after we both got inside the car, she started the engine and said, "My poor Roberta! What a time you've had since coming here to Paris. Maybe the surprise we have waiting for you at home will make you feel better."
"Surprise? What surprise?" I asked as she put the car in gear and began to drive home.
"Now if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise,
now would it?" she asked as we drove back to the family's apartment.