Tatiana and Alexander: A Novel(171)

Slowly she pulled out the second gauze, but as soon as he turned his back, she threw another three in the cardboard box. Penny saw and suppressed a giggle. "Don't get under his skin. He is very meticulous about how things are supposed to be done."

"He obviously doesn't have enough to worry about," said Tatiana. What would Martin think when she colored her hair and put on makeup? What would he think when she called him Martin? She found out the next morning when she said, "Ready to sail, Martin?"

He coughed and said, "Dr. Flanagan will be fine, Nurse Barrington."

The hair and makeup he did not comment on. Tatiana had colored her hair black that morning, after she said goodbye to Anthony. She didn't want him to see his mother looking like a different person, and so she took him to playgroup as usual and hugged him as usual and said in as calm a voice as possible, "Anthony, now you remember what we been talking about, right? Mama has to go on business trip for Red Cross, but I'm going to be back as soon as I can, and we'll go somewhere fun for our vacation, all right?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Where did you say you wanted to go?"

"Florida."

"That sounds great. We go there." Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

He didn't say anything, just kept his hand on her neck.

"You're going to be all right with Vikki. You know how much she loves to take care of you. She make you eat donuts and ice cream every day."

"Yes, Mama."

She watched him walk through the classroom doors, his backpack on his back, and then went after him. "Anthony, Anthony!"

He turned around.

"Just one more hug for your mommy, honey."

Vikki took the day off to help with the hair color and to see her off. Tatiana wanted to dye her hair and put on makeup because she didn't want to be accidentally recognized. It took them three hours to dye Tatiana's very long hair. "Remember, this is the toughest part. After this, you just do touch-ups at the crown, every five, six weeks. You think you'll be back by then, maybe?"

"I don't know." She didn't think so. "You better give me enough color for several touch-ups."

"How many?"

"I don't know. Give me enough for a dozen."

Vikki put mascara on Tatiana, some liquid black eyeliner, some cake makeup to cover up her freckles, and some rouge. "I can't believe this is what you go through every day," said Tatiana.

"I can't believe this is what it takes to get you to wear makeup. A suicide mission to the war zone."

"Not suicide. And how am I going to apply it without you? Easy, easy on the lipstick!" Lipstick made her mouth too full and conspicuous--not the effect Tatiana was going for. She glanced at herself in the mirror. She wasn't recognizable even to herself. "Well, what do you think?"

Vikki leaned over and kissed the corner of Tatiana's mouth. "You're completely incognita."

But Martin--Dr. Flanagan--said nothing when they met at the docks that morning, though he did clear his throat and look the other way. Penny was stunned, however. "You have the most beautiful blonde hair, and you went and colored it black?" she said incredulously, her own hair a short thin brown.

In a solemn tone, Tatiana said, "I don't think people take me seriously. I color my hair black, I put on a little makeup, maybe they take me seriously."

"Dr. Flanagan," said Penny, "do you take Tatiana seriously?"

"Very seriously," replied Martin.

It was all the girls could do to keep from laughing.

Vikki, who went with Tatiana to the docks, would not let go of her for some minutes. "Please come back," she whispered. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

Tatiana did not respond.

Martin and Penny stared. "Italians are so emotional," Tatiana said, walking up the plank with them and turning around to wave to Vikki.

Tatiana traveled in white slacks and a white tunic and a white kerchief with a red cross on it. She had gone to an army supply store and bought the best and largest canvas backpack, with many zippered pockets and an attached waterproof trench blanket/coat/tent. She packed another uniform for herself, sundries (toothbrushes for two), undergarments, and two olive drab civilian outfits--one for herself and one for a tall man. She packed the third cashmere blanket she had bought during her first Christmas in New York. She packed the P-38 gun Alexander had given her during the siege of Leningrad. She overstocked her nurse's bag with gauze and tape, and syringes filled with penicillin, and Squibb morphine syrettes. Into another compartment in the backpack, she put a Colt Model 1911 pistol and an outrageously expensive ($200) Colt Commando, apparently the best revolver, which fired not bullets but practically bombs. She also bought a hundred eight-cartridge magazines for the pistol, a hundred .357 rounds for the revolver, three 9-millimeter clips for the P-38 and two army knives. She bought the weapons at the "world famous" Frank Lava's. "If you want the best," said Frank himself, "you have to get the Commando. There is simply no heavier-duty, more accurate, more ferocious revolver in the world."

Frank raised his bushy eyebrows only once--when she asked for the box of a hundred magazines. "That's eight hundred rounds you got there."