To The End With You

C h a p t e r F i f t y- S e v e n

Photo: Big Pair with the wounded 1916

January 1916
I finish with surgeries for the day and now I just get to converse with guards. I was nervous to speak with them at first but now it's not so bad anymore. "Letters!" I hear our head nurse shout to us while waving a few of them in her hand. Olga runs up to her to see if her darling Mitya has written to her as I mentally gag at the thought of him. "Oh Vanya there is one for you too" head nurse says with a funny look on her face. I take the letter from her and look at who it is from, Igor Konstantinovich. "Who is it from?" Olga asks peering over my shoulder as I quickly hug the letter to my chest.

"No one" I snap at her with my flushed face. The head nurse smirks at me as she says to Olga, "A young solider has written to her". Olga looks at her, "Who?!" I bubble annoyed"Go look if your Mitya has written" I say harshly before walking away from her. I shouldn't have been so harsh, I don't know why I am hiding this, it's just a letter, a letter from Igor. My good friend, our good friend! I sit down at a bench alone and study the paper, To: Grand Duchess Valentina Nikolaevna. He has such nice handwriting. I open the letter and read it.
***
Dear Vanya,
How are you? I hope that I am not bothering you with such letter. I know I never asked if I could write to you, I apologize if I offend you with such behavior. I just thought to write since we are friends, right? How are you? I hope you and your sisters are doing well. Your brother is quite the solider, he caught a cold so he is not by his imperial majesty's side that much, until he gets better he is on bed rest. Your French tutor Gilliard said that I am very poor in reading French, I don't blame him for his criticisms! I think I shall be looking for a French tutor when the war is over, enough of my ramblings I have heard that my sister comes by to visit occasionally how is she? Do you still attend charity balls? Any new suitors? Well I must go now as your papa has entered the room, I wish you well Vanya.
-your Igor
***
I stare down at the letter as my face is flushed. I- I am - I got a letter from a friend. I should answer him immediately before he thinks I'm mad. I go inside and get myself some paper and a pen. I walk past broken hearted Olga as Mitya has not written to her at all. I sit down at the same table as Tatiana and think of what to write. I tap my fingers against the table thinking of how to word my letter. "Can you stop that?" Tatiana looks up at me. 

I look at her embarrassed, "Sorry" I say timidly. She keeps her eyes on me, "what is going on with you?" She asks me. "What do you mean?" I say trying to calm down my emotions. "I have never seen you behave this way before" she says studying me. "I'm just replying to a letter" I tell her, looking down at my blank paper. "Who is it from?" She asks. "Igor" I say. Tatiana smiles, "Oh Igor, how is he doing? He is such a scoundrel for not writing to me. How is he doing?" She says.

"He is well, he says Alyosha has a cold but he is getting better" I tell her. "Poor baby, I pray for him, I pray for all of them" she says. "Yeah I know" I say looking at Igor's letter. "Did he say anything about Dima?" Tatiana asks. I smirk, "No, did he write to you?". She gives me a disapproving look, "stop it with that foolish face Valentina." She demands. I chuckle, "he hasn't written about your Dimitri, whatever happened to your Dimitri Malama?" I ask her.

Tatiana shrugs, "He was nice but it was not to be, Dima is much more-," I cut her off, "wonderful?". She hides her smile. "When will he be back in St. Petersburg?" I ask her. Tatiana looks down at her lap, "I am not sure but I hope soon, I know he is doing lots of good things for Russia so I shouldn't be complaining". I look at her, "it's alright to miss someone". "Just as Olga misses Mitya?" She laughs as I roll my eyes.

"I do not understand" she says after laughing at my reaction, "Why don't you like him?". "Because he is horrible, he has no honor. He complained about his rank to Olga and knew it would help him move up ranks, he didn't even work for it. He also waved around Olga's letters to his fellow comrades while drunk. He doesn't even bother to contact her." I name some of the things I despise about him.

Tatiana looks off into the distance, "oh, I see now" she says quietly. "Olga frets over him too much, she can't even marry him, he isn't a prince or a Royal in that matter" I say in distaste. "Unlike you and Igor" Tatiana teases. I feel the room grow hot and look at Tatiana with wide eyes at the suggestion, "excuse you?!" I say. Tatiana laughs, "oh Vanya you are very flushed and getting loud" she continues to laugh at me. "Because you are being ridiculous!" I say to her.

"I'm the one being ridiculous?" She says looking at me. "Yes! For suggesting something so absurd" I say. "I don't think it's absurd and he clearly seems to like you if he has written" Tatiana says. "I don't have time for this" I stand up. "I have a family to save" I say getting my stuff and walking out of the room, leaving Tatiana by herself. She is ridiculous, me and Igor? I don't have time for that.