Emilie 2
The trips back to his town were becoming routine for Rupert. The long train ride, the horse drawn carts, even the times he had to walk for miles was no longer much of a bother. He always felt so refreshed, the air clearing his mind of the smoke and fog of the city. It was relaxing, and he felt like he was getting all the exercise he had missed out on, travelling on buses and trolleys in the city. And there was always that feeling of coming home. He savored that, as he drew in the familiar smells, heard the sounds. He felt as though he could close his eyes, and his feet would find their way back to the little town, without any problem. He wouldn’t even mind how tired he got, or how sore his legs would be from walking. It was all worth it as he approached the town, knowing the smiles he would get, the greetings from his friends who were more like family than any of the ones in Paris.
And she would be there. With her shining face, her smile like sunlight after the dark city. People thought Paris was so bright, with it’s electric lights, but none of those people had seen Emilie smile. Rupert’s heart beat a little faster as he thought about her. It was funny, in all his years of studying, Rupert could diagnose someone easily, mend broken bones, stitch wounds back together. He even had a knack for treating diseases he was unfamiliar with, but he had never been able to explain the way he felt when he thought about Emilie, at least not in medical terms. Yet it felt like an allergic reaction, almost, whenever he saw her, or even thought about seeing her. Shortness of breath, flushed face, rapid heart rate, dilated pupils. If Rupert had been examining himself, he would ask about drug use, about the history of heart disease in the family.
But no, it’s was just love. At least that’s what Rupert believed, and he hoped that Emilie felt the same. If he judged by the way she had kissed him last time, a stolen moment between them when he had managed to escape from his mother and aunts, to meet her behind the barn. They had been meeting like this for weeks, whenever Emilie got the chance to get away from her chores, Rupert hiding from the attentions of his family. They usually spent hours simply talking, until they were forced to return to their responsibilities. But last time, Emilie had kissed Rupert. It was not his first kiss, but it was the best one he had had. The rest of the time Rupert was in town, Emilie had been dropping hints about how people were asking about her future, how Rupert’s mother, a strong figure in Emilie’s life, was pushing her to start thinking about marriage. Rupert knew he had to make a decision, and when he returned to Paris, to the cold faces, he knew it was an easy decision to make.
He wanted a life of sunshine and smiles. Coming home to a warm house, dinner on the table. No where to rush, no where to be in an hour. He wanted the country life, and he wanted a life with Emilie.
But how to ask her? The customs in the country were so different than those in the city, that Rupert never knew what to do next. And with Emilie being an orphan, it wasn’t as though she had a father or brother to talk to, about arranging a marriage. Rupert wasn’t sure what to do next. He had never courted a girl properly before. Had certainly kissed a few, at parties and social gatherings in the city, but they had never been someone he cared about, not like Emilie.
The more Rupert thought it about, though, the more he started doubting himself, maybe Emilie really didn’t want the same thing. She probably didn’t want to marry a man who was constantly moving around, leaving town every other week, someone who was Jewish. It was a fact about himself that Rupert viewed with quiet indifference. He certainly didn’t feel Jewish. Didn’t count himself among the many who went to services regularly, practiced the rituals and ceremonies. He had never felt connected to that part of his family, but that didn’t mean Emilie believed the same thing. Was his religion, as unpracticed as it was, a turn off for her? It was becoming an issue for many, as Rupert was starting to learn, through newspapers, radio news, and rumors. It was almost unbelievable to Rupert, to think that someone could be considered less because of their religion. His only belief was science, the way a body worked and moved, how it got sick and died. Miracles had nothing on modern medicine, and prayer was a way for the ignorant to make themselves feel better about disease.
Still, Rupert’s self doubts were starting to cloud his thoughts, and he wasn’t sure how to proceed. It didn’t help that, when he arrived home, Emilie was nowhere to be found, and his mother refused to give him an explanation. Usually Emilie was the first to greet him, offering to carry his belongings, though he always waved her offer away. And it wasn’t like his mother to be so tight lipped. Eventually, after being fed and offered seconds, Rupert finally learned that his aunt had received word that Rupert had been seen with another woman, in the streets of Paris.
Rupert was confused by this, having no idea what his mother was talking about, until he remembered the young medical student he had been working with. She was a dark haired woman, who was trying to get through school, despite being pushed away because of her gender, and because she was Jewish as well. Rupert had taken pity on her, and started to help her, eventually forming a friendship with the woman. But anything more? Rupert couldn’t imagine it, without wanting to grimace. The woman was far too young, barely a friend, and not the sort of woman Rupert found attractive. She was sharp and bright and in far too much of a rush. Perfect for Paris. But not right for him.
After hearing this ridiculous claim, Rupert learned that Emilie had been hiding in the barn, on the hay loft, waiting until he went to bed before she returned to the house. Rupert sighed. The women in this house could be far too dramatic for his taste.
Making his way out to the barn, Rupert got nervous again. How could Emilie ever suspect him of being with someone else, when he obviously loved her so? He would just have to make himself clearer, he supposed. Say it out loud, announce his intentions.
“Emilie?” Rupert called out, when he entered the barn.
A moment of silence, before she finally spoke. “I thought I told them not to tell you I was here.” She said.
“You know my mother.” Rupert responded, looking up at where her voice had come from. He heard a movement, and saw her swing her legs over the edge of the loft. She was looking down at him, not coming down just yet.
“I can’t imagine what you want from me.” She spat at him, crossing her arms across her chest.
“I know, but I just want you know the rumors weren’t-” Rupert began.
“Oh, come to pretend they’re not true? That you aren’t hiding some affair back in the city?” Emilie said.
“No, Emilie, I just wanted to tell you-”
“Tell me what, that the city is so much better than any dirty town, that the sins of the streets are much more fun than milking cows and shearing sheep. Fine, go back there. I don’t care.” “Emilie, that’s not what I’m trying to say. I wanted to ask-”
“Ask me what? Because as far as I’m concerned you have no right to ask me anything. You dirty dog, just get out of this barn. Just leave me alo-”
“Emilie! Will you marry me?” Rupert yelped up at her, cutting her off.
“What!” Emilie jumped in surprise, sending herself forward off the loft. Luckily the barn was only a very small one, the loft nothing more than a low storage for supplies and tools. And Rupert moved quickly to catch the girl, the two of them landing in a heap on the dirt floor. Rupert groaned, his body pressed hard into the ground.
“Oh, Rupert, I’m so sorry.” Emilie said, shifting her weight so she wasn’t on him. “You just, you surprised me… I didn’t expect you to say that.”
“It’s, ouch, it’s alright.” Rupert said, slowly moving, testing out his muscles. “But… I mean do you have an answer?” He said, looking up at her.
“Oh, gosh, yes! Rupert of course I’ll marry you!” She said, leaning forward and kissing him gently, before sitting back. “I’m sorry. I just get so nervous, with you gone, not knowing who you’re with.”
Rupert brought his fingers up to Emilie’s face, brushing her cheek gently. “Emilie, believe me now, what I say is true, for the rest of my life. I will never love anyone the way I love you. You’re the only one.”