Excerpt
At the end of her five day week, Tyne had only one day off before
beginning two weeks of night duty on St. Francis. It was not her favourite
shift – not because of the work, but because she had trouble
sleeping during the day. She was happy to learn that Moe would be
on holiday during those two weeks and would be going home to
Lethbridge. Her exuberant roommate could not be quiet, even when
she tried. Curly, on the other hand, could go in and out of a room
on fairy feet, and never make a sound when either of her roommates
was sleeping. Tyne sometimes attributed it to Curly’s diminutive
size, but she knew that Carol Ann Shaughnessy was simply a quiet,
thoughtful girl who put other people’s interests ahead of her own.
Tyne was often awake, however, by the time Carol Ann came in
from duty shortly after three o’clock. It gave them several hours to
spend together, more time than they had ever been able to share
in the past. They took long walks in the park, and went downtown
only to window shop because they could not afford to buy. And one
evening, Curly invited Tyne to her home for dinner.
The Shaughnessys lived in a modest but pleasant home in southwest
Calgary. Tyne had been there often, and always enjoyed her visit
because of the camaraderie between Carol Ann and her teen-aged
twin brothers. Curly’s mother was a nurturing type of person, as
gentle and petite as her daughter. Mr. Shaughnessy, a big man with
an even bigger smile, maintained his jovial Irish temperament, and
enjoyed the company and the anecdotes that the two student nurses
brought to his table.
At the nurses’ residence, one evening after they returned from
dinner in the cafeteria, Carol Ann asked Tyne to accompany her to
the chapel in the hospital. Tyne readily agreed. She had been lax in
attending mass since her tour of night duty began, and she often
missed the prayers led by the nuns in the dining room each morning.
As they entered the chapel, Tyne marvelled as she always did at its
beauty. Marble floors, marble steps leading to the altar, and marble
Libros Libertad 