| Chapter 7 Reims, France ~ April 20th, 1916 �Mama�sp..ash!� Sara giggled. Satine was once again brought out of her distant memories, and her attention was drawn to her daughter stepping carefully into the bathtub. Sara�s tiny mouth was open in concentration of not slipping while climbing into the tub, and finally Satine lifted her up and placed her standing waist-deep in the bubbly water. Sara laughed, and repeated the word with better pronunciation. �Mama�spl..ash!� Satine let the corners of her mouth curve into an irrepressible smile and she placed her hand on Sara�s silky soft cheek. �You want me to splash you, darling?� she asked playfully. Sara anticipated the slight, graceful wave of her mother�s hand, and she squealed in delight as the water sprayed her face. �Mama!� was all she could say, enjoying her mother�s company. More memories of Satine�s past easily sifted through her mind� And the stars shining through the darkness, Falling in the air� Reims, France ~ August 10th, 1914 Dressed in a knee-length, professional-looking, maroon colored dress, Satine walked into the large building. Her protruding stomach caught a few people�s glances, but the men in the room were still drawn to her everlasting beauty. Satine stared straight ahead at the wooden desk she was directed to and finally reached the chair. She took a deep breath, and sat down waiting for the woman who said she�d meet with her. Memories of June filtered through her, as she closed her eyes briefly. She sighed, not being able to push the loneliness away. Her thoughts came through her again. A nurse. But the baby�She could find someone to care for the baby�Yes, a far away friend, perhaps�She needed her Christian. Yes, she would go through the necessary training, and become a nurse. She wouldn�t dare tell Christian of her decision, but it felt odd keeping something from him. On the other hand, if he found out she was taking such a large risk just to be with him again, he would be so upset, and Satine knew things wouldn�t go the way she planned. She needed Christian. It was as simple as that. There was a bond between them that nothing could break, but the yearn and pull to touch that bond again was all too much for her to walk away from. �Miss�uh, Satine I presume?� �Oh! Oh, yes�that�s me. Good afternoon.� An older woman stood behind the desk, looking up from a file in her hand. She smiled at Satine, and took a seat, clearing her throat. �I�m Melinda Jefferson, and I�ll be talking to you about your interest in becoming a nurse.� Melinda Jefferson�s face was that of a kindly woman who seemed to have been through a lot in her time. There were wrinkles around her eyes as she smiled at Satine, and her hair pulled into a high, loose bun was slightly graying. �So, Miss Satine, all we have to do today is look through your qualifications which I�m sure you have, and we�ll be through soon enough,� she said with a happy raise in her voice as she opened Satine�s folder. Satine cleared her throat, smiling nervously as she placed her hand unconsciously on where her baby began to kick a little. �Uh�there seems to be a problem, Miss Satine,� Melinda said matter-of-factly. �There�s not record of your education in this file�� She trailed off, looking to Satine for an answer. This is when many different thoughts began running through Satine�s mind. She didn�t know�An education�How much did they need� But in that brief second when Satine didn�t know what to do with herself, she pulled out something she knew she could get away with. It was the one charm that always seemed to work with men, and perhaps it would work its magic on Melinda Jefferson as well. �Oh�oh God�� Satine began, welling her eyes up with false tears. �I didn�t know�I-I�Oh no�� she began to stutter, and tears easily fell from her eyes and she dramatically threw her face down into her hands, and sobbed heavily. �Miss Satine? Oh dear!! Please�shh�oh, tell me what the matter is,� Melinda attempted to comfort her, reaching over the desk to place her hand on Satine�s knee. Satine couldn�t help but smile a little into her hands, realizing that Melinda had fallen into her trap. She then slowly raised her head from her hands, sniffling a little. �M-miss Jefferson, I-� �Oh, call me Melinda, please.� Satine smiled sadly, trying her best not to break into laughter at the smoothness of her plan. �Melinda. I just�I didn�t know that I had to have a�a�� �A what, dear?� �An education, and I�ve wanted to become a nurse my�my entire�l-life, and�� Satine again scrunched her eyebrows up and more tears came falling down her cheeks, her acting skills shining like the sun. Her arms flopped onto the desk, and her head landed like a rock onto her arms as she shook her shoulders in sobs, stifling her wails of false agony. Melinda reached forward again, her eyes full of sympathy, and began patting Satine�s head. �Oh, dear. Well, you know what?� Satine smiled once again into her arms, and then changed her expression quickly, looking up at Melinda Jefferson. �Wh-what�what�s going to h-happen to me?� she said pathetically, pushing the pity to the edge, her eyes brimming with a new set of tears, ready to fall when need be. �Well�you�re going to become a nurse, alright? I�I�ll figure out something,� Melinda said sympathetically, tilting her head at Satine�s sad display. Satine wiped the tears from her face, and blinked away the ones that she had prepared again. �Oh, I can�t thank you enough, Miss Jef-�oh, Melinda. You really are a wonderful person,� Satine spoke gently, tilting her head back at Melinda almost in an overly kind fashion. �You have no idea what this means to me.� And those last words were the only true ones spoken by Satine to Melinda Jefferson. ******** Later that evening, Satine walked to the mailbox for the first time in two months with a smile on her face. She would begin training at the nurses� union in three days, and her performance in persuasion was something she could finally be proud of. She stroked her ever-growing stomach lightly, and found herself a bit winded when she reached the mailbox. Carrying a growing person around all day was not something Satine was completely used to. She opened the mailbox, and retrieved only two letters. With Christian away, less bills and business letters seemed to come to their house. Satine tucked her hair behind her ear, and smiled at the first letter. It was from Satie again. She decided she�d read it inside, along with the other letter. And soon enough, she found out the second letter was from Christian. Butterflies flew through her stomach and she took a step backwards. Satine exhaled sharply, and smiled. When she reached her kitchen table, she sat down, taking her time opening Christian�s letter. Satine took a deep breath and unfolded it. Satine, my sweet angel, As I write this letter, Send my love to you. Remember that I'll always Be in love with you. Treasure these few words 'till we're together, Keep all my love forever. I'll be coming home again to you, love, And 'till the day I do, love, P.S. I love you. You�you�you�only you� I love you. Yours forever, Christian Satine wiped the undeniably true tear that fell onto her cheek, and took a deep breath in and out. After a moment, she lifted Satie�s letter off the table, and opened it carefully. She unfolded the letter, and after reading through the core of it, and reading what she was waiting to hear, a smile spread across her face. �Satie is coming to take care of our baby,� she thought. �Satie and�dear Chocolat.� The names echoed through her mind, comforting her worries about the care of her child. Satie and Chocolat had been roommates and friends for as long as she knew them and got along wonderfully, increasing Satine�s joy. �I�m coming to you, Christian,� Satine whispered, picking up Christian�s beautiful letter, and grazing her lips on its rough surface. �I�m coming�� Song used ~ �P.S. I love you� � The Beatles |