When I finally found my way to the Volunteer Army, I fell ill with the Spanish flu1, which was rife here at that moment. My temperature was at 38C and not dropping; I was so weak that I was drenched in sweat after every slightest effort. I even was suspected so faking it, so I said to them:
— Well, just leave without me. It was I who searched for this opportunity, not you.
And they left.
Our preparations were finalized by a public service at the monastery2. The service was very sonorous. Suddenly, a young woman points at a nurse and whispers to me:
— This girl was expelled from the school for misconduct. And she behaved really badly!
I had to pass that to the general’s wife. And we decided to let her go.
All our preparations were very clandestine. But this girl’s father came to the general and made a scene there. He continued to shout and swear even in the street, berating our detachment. Alas, it seems that nothing was able to attract the attention of the Germans.
On the appointed day (after the 20th of August), five of us left with only limited luggage for Sevastopol. There we were scheduled to get our medical outfits.
The train left at midnight. The station was poorly lighted. All passenger wagons and even the freight cars were packed with Germans. Finally, we found an empty carriage and wanted to board. But from the inside came a German soldier and started to shout at us and threaten us. We got the message from his gestures more than from his speech. Luckily, the next carriage was empty. We boarded, and after that, our trip to Sevastopol was uneventful.
It was hard to find a room because the city was overcrowded. In the end, we settled in the living room of some Jewish family. All of us, together: one of the nurses was in her prime, around twenty years old; the other, older than forty, small and always busy. Both of them were pretty ordinary. Unlike the third one: she was tall, skinny, and unpretty blond with some gray hair, well over forty. She had a Dutch surname but believed to be French and spoke French as well.
She arrived with a famous literary Jewish family. Maybe she was Jewish as well, as when we got better acquainted, she asked me if the son from the family with whom she lived could join the Volunteer Army. I persuaded her not to pursue that idea. She was a very sophisticated, educated, lovely woman. The doctor left without saying anything to us in the morning, promising to come back before the night. We were afraid to get out and spent the whole day at home. Before he left the next day, we warned him that we would also go out. He let it slide. So, we spent the day walking around the city. He returned late. It continued the same way from that moment on.
I was very impressed by the large and lavish bazaar in the city.
However, we still haven’t got a clue where the doctor was spending his time during the day. His behavior surprised and irritated us. We didn’t come here for sightseeing.