Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

ailways on strike. The strike had taken them by surprise. Before they left Munich, Joachim had been unusuallyoptimistic. Witte with Teddy Roosevelt’s help had concluded an unexpectedly favorable peace agreement with Japan.The European state loan to Russia was finally on its way. Witte, against all odds, seemed to be stabilizing Russia singlehandedly.Konrad stared at Alexandra. Snowed in, a nice prospect! Specters of Siberia, trains stalled in snow storms for weeks.Nobody could tell how long the siege would last. So far the German crew had kept the train heated by keeping thelocomotive under steam. Food for the first class dining car had been brought in every day. Wagons Lits seemed to havecarried inexhaustible supplies of wine and alcohol. They were not really in want of anything. Not yet. People drank,played cards, chatted or read. Last night a roulette wheel had appeared in the dining car from somewhere, the bets werehigh and rising.The German conductor came walking down the corridor as he did several times a day to look after the needs of his firstclass passengers. He stopped. "Pardon, are you Frau Dr. Dadiani-Rost?"Alexandra extinguished her cigarette. "Yes?""We have a medical emergency, a woman in labor. Can you help? We took her to our staff compartment, she is travelingsecond class and speaks only Russian."Alexandra glanced pleadingly at Konrad who frowned, but kept silent."Yes, give me a few minutes to collect my equipment. I shall be back."With great efficiency Alexandra retrieved her new German doctor’s case and a white frock coat. Konrad watched her.She had recovered her poise, her anxieties were blown away. Changing to Georgian she said, "I will see what I can do, Ihave never delivered a baby by myself. If there are any complications, I will try to have her taken to the nearest hospital."She gave him a kiss and left with the conductor. Konrad watched as she walked down the corridor with quick, determinedsteps. For the first time he witnessed how in a critical moment she could instantly mobilize her powers.Konrad stared out the window and cursed Mother Russia in Russian. How often had they discussed their return. Heshould have listened to Joachim’s repeated advice to remain in Germany, but every time Alexandra had been unyielding.She simply had to return to St. Petersburg. Why had he given in?Half an hour later Alexandra was back. She closed the compartment door behind her. Her face was flushed but hermovements had lost all nervous tension. "I calmed the woman. She was screaming although her time is still hours off.She is very tight and badly frightened. Someone will have to give her an anesthesia. This is going to be a difficult birth.So I postured before the station master with all my titles." She laughed. "It is even easier to impress Germans thanGogol’s Russians. He was cowed, ‘Jawoll, Frau Doktor, Jawoll’. I requisitioned a locomotive to take the woman toGumbinnen. The engine will arrive in a few minutes!"She rose onto her toes and gave Konrad a kiss. "Liebster, listen—I decided go with her. She is alone and speaks noGerman. Please, will you calm Otto and Elisabeth when they wake up? I will be back as soon as I can." She threw her furcoat over her white uniform, put on her boots, and was gone again in a few minutes. The engine that would take her washissing and blowing steam outside. A group of bored passengers had gathered to watch the distraction. They carried themoaning woman into the engineer’s cabin. Alexandra climbed in behind her. She did not even turn around to wave toKonrad before she disappeared in the snow flurries of the night.Konrad put on his coat and went out to walk in the snowstorm, back and forth along the now deserted platform. He had toget over his guilt about letting himself been persuaded to return to St. Petersburg.They had arrived in Eydtkuhnen late at night. When the Russian railroad engineers refused to change the undercarriagesto the Russian gauge or service the engine, two diplomats and a high Russian government official had tried tocommandeer a Russian train on the other side of the border. The railroad men, armed with pickaxes and waving redflags, had threatened to attack them. The telegraph was dead too. For a while there had been talk of turning the trainaround and heading back to Königsberg, but the negotiations had come to nothing. The German railroad administrationpromised to keep the train heated and supplied, the strike would surely be put down by the army soon. Such strikes hadnever lasted longer than a couple of days, they were chaotic and unorganized. However, this time the Russian bordertroops had been sent to the Far East, and the remaining soldiers were in sympathy with the workers. The strike groundon. This was the third night. Thank God, the snow would not stay long, it was only the end of October.Cold and wet he went back to their compartment and lay down. He tossed around. Too hot. He opened the window a bitand once more stared into the night.The weeks after their return from Italy had been a series of dinners and farewell parties. Katharina was due any day now.The thought of her filled him with sad nostalgia, but also with the vague notion that this affair-à-trois would remain his andAlexandra’s precious memory, a secret treasure to be retrieved in times of need, whenever their marriage would bethreatened or go stale.He understood, the woman in labor was Alexandra’s first crucial test as a doctor. She had kept her head, resisting thetemptation of improvising a delivery with her limited experience. He smiled. Requisitioning a locomotive, something thediplomats had not succeeded in, was truly Alexandra. How much he loved this woman. With the vision of her climbinginto the engine cab in her fur coat and boots, elegant, alert, he fell asleep.123