The Other Wife by Manfred Jurgensen

Author:Manfred Jurgensen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9781925280425
Publisher: Hybrid Publishers

In late September they took another journey, a short train ride to the northeastern city of Schaffhausen. Yvonne wanted to show Ted the Rhine Falls, the largest plain cascade in Europe.

Like everything else in Switzerland, with the exception of the Alps, it wasn’t really all that big, but impressive nonetheless. Their weekend sojourn was blessed with glorious autumn weather. After lunch at an old-fashioned restaurant they visited the old Munot fortress. From its top they enjoyed the view over the beautiful landscape and the quaint old part of town. Inspired by the embracing spectacle, Ted carelessly heaved a sigh of regret.

“To think I’ll have to leave all this behind in only a couple of months!” In an attempt to comfort him, and herself, Yvonne quietly took his hand. Why had he reminded her of the limited time they would remain together?

Ted was angry with himself for having shown his feelings so openly. He was also surprised and relieved by Yvonne’s spontaneous attempt to console him. Her immediate encouragement was out of character. He would have expected Yvonne to be annoyed by his thoughtless remark. So now he was confused about whether to be relieved or concerned. When had Yvonne last shown her emotions so publicly? Wasn’t his wife the expert in trying to suppress affections?

While they looked across at the gently sweeping scenery Yvonne said, “Isn’t this a rather more charming and delightful view than the Australian countryside?” True, compared to the wild-and-rough Australian terrain the rural area of her homeland was neat and orderly. The vista offered an inspiring panorama. Ted recognised it as the manifestation of European civilisation, where people had lived together for many centuries and created pastoral districts of controlled beauty and harmony. From up here the lush meadows looked idyllic. Ted couldn’t help but think if only all human togetherness could be as peaceful. No one knew better than he how Yvonne’s temperament could hardly be considered as congenial as the landscape below. Nonetheless, he presumed it would have been the social ideal of Yvonne’s broader cultural upbringing. Wasn’t that implied in the name of her birthplace, which the locals had idealistically baptised “field of love”?

It occurred to Ted that if this kind of norm and orderliness was also the model for a Swiss child’s education, how much must have gone wrong with young Yvonne’s body and mind! Ted remembered asking her how she got on with her fellow researchers in the laboratory. Her answer was quick and succinct: “I don’t relate to them. I always work on my own.” Whether that was true or not, it seemed significant she should believe it. Suddenly his eyes were opened to something he had long suspected but hesitated to describe in such radical terms: her body was not the only illness she could not fight. It seemed a curious way of putting it, but Ted could not express it any other way. An anti-immune pathology had taken over her life.

Ted was shocked by the enormity of what had been done to her.

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