Irenes Sister

Vina Delmar

renenin Kardei
Vina Delmar

his is a story of 19_, the year that the schools did not open on time, the year that plague descended and caught us as terrified and as defenseless as though we were inhabitants in some medieval city faced with a new and terrible sickness. I was a child at that time. y friends and I did not understand. !e asked "uestions but the grown#ups were as confused and as frightened as ourselves. $It%s infantile paralysis$ they told us. &It kills you or else it leaves you crippled forever. Don%t go too close to anybody and don%t touch anything that a strange child has handled$. 'ear held us so completely that we forgot how to laugh or to play. I can remember lying in bed at night waiting for the disease to strike at me. I had no idea what form it might take and lay very "uietly praying that when ne(t I wished to move my legs or arms I would be able to do so as I had always done in the past. )here was among us, however, who had no fear of the terrible plague. )hat girl was Irene *rane. In my mind%s eye I can still see her as she was back there in those difficult days. +he was a yellow#haired child with a happy ring to her laughter and the greatest capacity for fun of anyone I%ve ever known. +he was the school beauty, popular with teachers and pupils alike and she was not the most intelligent of our group that was easily forgiven for one does not e(pect to find genius in a flower. Irene had a sister who was a year younger. ,er mother called her *aroline, but outside the house she was known simply as Irene%s sister. It was natural for her to be Irene%s sister -ust as it was natural for us to be a nameless group of girls known as Irene%s friends.

u 19..%lerde / okullar0n 1aman0nda a20lmad030, veban0n musallat oldu3u ve sanki yeni ve korkun2 bir salg0nla kar40la4m04 orta2a3 4ehirlerinin sakinleriymi4i1 gibi bi1i korkmu4 ve savunmas01 olarak yakalad030 bir y0l0n hikayesi. 5en o 1amanlar 2ocuktum. 6rkada4lar0m ve ben anlamam04t0k. +orular soruyorduk fakat b7y7klerimi1 de bi1im kadar korkmu4 ve 4a4k0nd0lar. 5i1e &bu 2ocuk felci si1i ya 8ld7r7r ya da si1i sonsu1a kadar sakat b0rak0r. +ak0n her hangi ibir yabanc0ya yakla4may0n ve yabanc0 bir 2ocu3un kulland030 herhangi bir 4eye dokunmay0n$ diyorlard0. 9orku tamamen bi1i sarm04t0 ki g7lmeyi ve oyun oynamay0 unutmu4tuk. :eceleri yata30mda yatt030m0 ve hastal030n beni yakalamas0n0 bekledi3imi hat0rlayabiliyorum. ;e 4ekilde olaca30 hakk0nda hi2 bir fikrim yoktu ve sessi1ce yat0p bir daha ne 1aman kollar0m0 ve ayaklar0m0 hareket ettiriyor olabilece3imi dileyerek ge2mi4te her 1aman yapt030m gibi dua ediyordum. 5ununla beraber, aram01da bu berbat vebadan korkmayan bir ki4i vard0. < k01 =rene *rane%ndi. <nun tekrar o 1orlu g7nlerdeki halini hayal edebiliyorum. :7l747ndeki o mutlu i1lenimiyle sar0 sa2l0 bir 2ocuktu ve tan0d030m herkesi e3lendirebilecek en b7y7k yetenekti. <kulun g71eliydi ve 83renciler gibi 83retmenler aras0nda da pop7lerdi ve grubumu1un en 1ekisi olmasayd0 bile bu kolayca affedilebilirdi 1ira insan 2i2ekte 1eka bulmay0 bekleme1. =rene%nin kendisinden bir ya4 k727k bir k01 karde4i vard0. 6nnesi ona *aroline derdi, ancak evin d040nda k0saca =rene%nin karde4i olarak bilinirdi. 5i1im isimsi1 k01 grubunun =rene%nin arkada4lar0 olarak bilinmemi1in do3al oldu3u gibi onun i2in de =rene%nin karde4i olmak do3ald0.

Irene was the center of our small world and we revolved about her brilliance and asked for no recognition for ourselves. Irene%s sister, conscious of her inability to compete with the beauty and enhancing manner of Irene was perfectly content to be only a pale reflection of our yellow#haired commander. <nly once were we unable to think with Irene. )hat was when she said > $I%m not scared of that infantile paralysis. !e won%t get it. ?ou%ll see. ;one of us will.$ !e were ashamed of our fears but there they were -ust the same. I can remember the day that we all went over to :inny +mith%s house for games and light refreshments. 'or our health%s sake, the grown#ups looked upon the party with some doubts, but for the good of our morale they consented. &6fter all$, they said to one another ,$it%s the same group of girls who see each other almost every day anyway. It%ll be all right.$ &It%s the same group e(cept for Irene%s sister &+he hadn%t been invited because she was not in our grade at school and :inny +mith hadn%t known that Irene had a sister. &It doesn%t matter &Irene said. $*aroline isn%t feeling well. +he has an upset stomach ,I guess.$ )he games were fun ,the food was wonderful we thought .It had been a beautiful day in which we all seemed to forget for a while that something strange and terrible walked everywhere about us beyond the pleasant comfort of :inny +mith%s house. !e were -ust collecting our hats and coats ,ready to leave ,and thanking :inny for a lovely day when the phone rang. I can still see :inny +mith%s mother as she stood talking on that phone. I can see the look of horror that appeared on her face. I can still see the tears that were in her eyes when she hung up the receiver and turned to face us.

=rene ufak d7nyam010n merke1iydi ve bi1 onun parlakl030 etraf0nda dolan0yorduk ve kendi kendimi1e hi2 bir tan0t0m istemiyorduk. =rene%nin geli4en tav0rlar0 ve g71elli3iyle rekabet edemeyece3inin fark0nda olan =rene%nin karde4i, bi1im sar0 sa2l0 komutan0m010n sadece soluk bir yans0mas0 olmaktan tamamen memnundu. +adece bir ke1 =rene%yle beraber d747nemedik@ &Au 2ocuk felcinden korkmuyorum. <na yakalanm0yaca301. :8receksini1. ,i2birimi1 yakalanmayacak$ dedi3i 1amand0. 9endi korkular0m01dan mah2up olduk, ancak o korkular hep oradayd0. ,afif i2ecekler ve oyun i2in :inny +mith%in evine hep beraber gitti3imi1 g7n7 hat0rlayabiliyorum. +a3l030m010n hat0r0 i2in b7y7klerimi1 partiyi bira1 47pheli buluyorlard0 fakat moralimi1in iyi olmas0 i2in partiyi kabul ettiler. 5irbirlerine &;e de olsa, her g7n bir 4ekilde birbirlerini g8ren k01lar0n ayn0 grubu, sorun olmayacak$ diyorlard0. &=rene%nin karde4i hari2 ayn0 gruptu.$ < partiye davet edilmemi4ti 27nk7 okulda bi1imle ayn0 s0n0fta de3ildi ve :inny +mith =rene%nin bir karde4i oldu3unu bilmiyordu. =rene &sorun de3il, *aroline kendini pek iyi hissetmiyordu. )ahmin edersem midesi bo1uk$dedi. 5i1ce oyunlar e3lenceliydi, yemekler m7kemmeldi. :inny +mith%in evinin cana yak0n rahatl030n0n d040nda, bi1imle ilgili her yere berbat ve garip 4eyin yay0ld030n0 unutmu4 g8r7nd737m71 g71el bir g7nd7. )am gitmeye ha10rland030m01, 4apkalar0m010 ve montlar0m010 al0p :inny%e b8yle g71el bir g7n i2in te4ekk7r ederken telefon 2ald0. ,ala :inny +mith%in annesini telefonda konu4urken kala kald030n0 hat0rlayabiliyorum. +urat0nda beliren deh4et ifadesini g8rebiliyorum. ,ala telefonu kapat0p, bi1e d8nd737nde g81lerindeki ya4lar0 g8rebiliyorum.

&Irene, & she said in a choked voice.$ )hat was your mother. ?our sister has infantile paralysis. ?ou can%t go home. ?ou%ll have to stay here.& )here was a horrible pause .)hen &It%s to late for us to be afraid of you child. ?ouBve been here all day.$ !e went away without touching Irene, some of us without speaking to her. )he plague had reached out and struck at us. !e hurried home afraid of each other, ashamed of our fear and unable to keep back the thought that tomorrow we would all be attacked by death or lameness. Irene stayed with the +mith%s I suppose. I don%t know. I hurried home and wrote at once to my father. It must have been an emotional, cra1y little letter in which I begged him to come and get me and take me to safety somewhere, anywhere. I did not know that the plague was widespread. I thought it was -ust in our town. 6nyway my father came and took me away. I went happily ,thankfully but I did not known as I went that it would be fifteen years before I ever saw that town again. I was a woman when I returned to visit and the first night I was back I was surprised to find that my hostess%s living room was decorated as though for a party. &Cust the old group$ she e(plained. $and their husbands. ?ou remember :inny +mith, Dila Day the *rane girls and that group.$ 6 strange feeling of terror ran through me at the mention of the *rane girls. I was a child again frightened before a terrible mysterious force that wanted to kill me. &I remember them all, $I said.$ ,ow are the *rane girls@$ &)he same as ever ,-ust e(actly the same. <ne popular and one a complete failure & &It%s cruel to say that & I protested.$ *aroline had paralysis . ,ow can you e(pect her to be#&

5o3uk bir sesle &=rene$ dedi, & 6rayan annendi. 9arde4in 2ocuk felcine yakalanm04. Eve gideme1sin. 5urada kalmak 1orundas0n.$ 9orkun2 bir bekleyi4 oldu. +onra &+enden korkuyor olmam01 i2in 2ok ge2 2ocu3um. 57t7n g7n buradayd0n$ dedi. =rene%e dokunmadan, ba10lar0m01 onunla konu4madan oradan ayr0ld0k. Veba bi1e ula4m04 ve bi1i vurmu4tu. 5irbirimi1den korkarak, korkumu1dan utanarak ve 1aptedmeyi beceremedi3imi1 yar0n 8lm74 veya sakatl03a u3ram04 olma d747ncesiyle aceleyle evlerimi1e gittik. )ahmin edersem =rene +mith%lerde kald0. 5ilmiyorum. 5en aceleyle eve gittim ve 8nce babama mektup ya1d0m. 5abamdan gelmesini ve beni almas0n0 ve beni g7venli herhangi bir yere g8t7rmesi i2in yalvard030m duygusal ve bira1 20lg0nca bir mektup olmal0yd0. Veban0n 2ok yay0lm04 oldu3unu bilmiyordum. +adece bi1im kasabam01da oldu3unu d747n7yordum. ,er neyse babam geldi ve beni al0p g8t7rd7. utlu ve minnettar bir 4ekilde gittim fakat giderken bu kasabay0 tekrar g8rmem i2in on be4 y0l bekeleyece3imi bilmiyordum. Fiyaret i2in geri d8nd737mde art0k yeti4kin bir kad0nd0m ve d8nd737m ilk gece ev sahibemin oturma odas0n0, sanki bir parti i2in dekore edilmi4 olarak buldu3umda 4a40rd0m. &+adece eski arkada4lar ve onlar0n kocalar0. :inny +mith, Dila Day, *rane%nin k01lar0 ve o grup$ diye a20klad0. *rane%nin k01lar0n0n ad0 an0ld030nda garip bir korku 7rpertisi i2imden ge2ti. )ekrar/ daha 8nce beni 8ld7rmek isteyen gi1emli, berbat bir g7c7n korkuttu3u bir 2ocuktum. &,epsini hat0rl0yorum$ dedim. &*rane%nin k01lar0 nas0l@$ &Gncaden oldu3u gibi ayn0. 5iri pop7ler ve biri tamamen bir fiyasko.$ &5unu s8ylemek ac0mas01l0kt0r$ diye kar40 20kt0m. &*aroline fel2 ge2irdi. <ndan nas0l olmas0n0 bekliyorsun@$

&5ut it%s Irene who is the failure. +he is silly. Hemember how she used to laugh and play -okes all the time@ +he is still the same, but now everything she says sound a little silly. 5ut you can%t invite *aroline without inviting Irene so we#& &5ut is *aroline well@$ &<f course she is .+he had good care and good sense used on her and she is as fine as anyone. 6 lot finer ,I guess. +he went through so much pain and suffering that she has more dept and understanding than most people. +he is so strong and dependable. <f course she thanks her doctor and her nurse and her mother for everything and they say that it was *aroline%s patience and courage that helped them to help her. !ait till you see her. +he%s#& It was at that moment the doorbell rang that my hostess%s mother who was looking out of an upstairs window , called us .I%ll never forget her words .+he called, $Daughter, go to the door .It%s *aroline%s sister & y hostess looked at me and laughed. $!hat did I tell you@$ she said.

&'akat fiyasko olan =rene. < aptalI,at0rl0yormusun nas0l g7l7p, her 1aman 4akalar yapard0@ ,ala ayn0, fakat 4imdi s8yledi3i her4ey bira1 aptalca geliyor. 6ncak *aroline%i, =rene%n0 davet etmeden 2ag0rama1s0n, bu y71den bi1 deI$ &'akat *aroline iyi mi@$ &Elbette iyi. <na iyi dikkat ettiler ve iyi mant0kl0 davrand0lar ve 4imdi herkes kadar iyi. 5ence 2ok daha iyi. Jok fa1la ac0 ve 0st0rap 2ekti ve 4imdi 2o3u insandan daha 2ok olgunluk ve anlay04a sahip. Jok g72l7 ve g7venilir. Elbette doktoruna, hem4iresine ve annesine her4ey i2in te4ekk7r ediyor ve onlar da *aroline%nin sab0r ve cesaretinin onlar0n kendisine yard0m etmelerini sa3lad030n0 s8yl7yorlar. <nu g8r7nceye kadar bekle. <I$ 5u s0rada kap0 2ald0 ve 7st kattaki camlardan birinden d04ar0 bakan ev sahibemin annesi bi1e seslendi. <nun s81lerini asla unutmayaca30m. &9010m kap0ya bak. :elen *aroline%nin karde4i$ dedi. &Ev sahibem bana bakt0 ve g7ld7 &;e demi4tim sana@$ dediI