Tuula shook her head. “It’s fine. Nothing for you to worry about.” She didn’t want to burden Lydia and Nils with her troubles.
Nils and Lydia didn’t leave.
“FruAnttila’s daughter is having problems at school,” Aino said eventually.
“Oh?” Nils said.
“Tuula, what’s this about? We want to know because we care,” Lydia assured her.
“It’s ... the children are bullying poor Ritva. And the teacher ...” Tuula’s voice broke, and Aino took over, relaying what she had just heard.
The tears poured down Tuula’s face. Suddenly, everything had caught up with her. When Juhani died, she had been inconsolable at first, but then she had pulled herself together for the children’s sake and had hardly shed a tear since. Not even when her mother died shortly afterward due to complications from pneumonia; nor when her sister, the last remaining member of her family who was still alive apart from the children, left with her family to travel into the war zones as a nurse.
“It’s barbaric,” Lydia snapped. “Is that how we treat refugees in this village? Children who’ve lost their father, then been forced to leave everything behind?”
“I apologize for crying like this,” Tuula said with some difficulty. “It won’t affect my work, I can promise you that.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second.” Nils looked pensive. He placed a hand on her shoulder, but then snatched it away as if her skin had burned him. She felt the same; his gentle touch had seared itself into her flesh. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Aino and Lydia exchange a glance.
Nils cleared his throat. “So the teacher allows this to happen?”
Tuula nodded.
“Is itherrNilsson?”
Another nod.
Nils took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. He disappeared into his office, then returned a moment later, pulling on his cap and jacket.
“HerrEklund, wait, you ...” Tuula stood up. She didn’t want to him to feel obliged to solve her problems. It didn’t feel right.
But Lydia grabbed Tuula’s hand and stood up too. “Let him go. If there’s anyone who can help your daughter, it’sherrEklund.”
He jumped on his bike and pedaled away so fast that the dry gravel whirled up around the wheels, leaving a cloud of dust behind him as he disappeared around the corner.
The three women returned to the bakery and continued packing bread. Nils walked in a short while later and went straight over to Tuula.
“I trust thatherrNilsson will not upset Ritva again. If he does, or if the children are nasty to her, please let me know right away.”
Tuula nodded cautiously.
“I’ve known Nilsson since we were kids. He’s just a coward who takes out his own shortcomings on the children.” He shook his head. “I hope he’ll leave your daughter in peace from now on.” He gave her a brief nod, and before Tuula could speak he retreated to his office. She could have kicked herself—she hadn’t even managed to say thank you.
Ritva had an easier time of it for the next few days. Although she still didn’t have any friends, she was no longer being bullied, and the teacher had stopped mocking her. Tuula wanted to thank Nils, but couldn’t find the right moment. He spent most of his time in the office, and she didn’t want to disturb him.
One day, however, she summoned her courage. She tapped on Nils’s door a minute or so after he came back from lunch.
“Come in.”
She took off her cap and opened the door. “I’m sorry to disturb you.”
“You’re not disturbing me,” Nils said, smiling at her. That smile—it lit up his whole face and made her go weak at the knees.
She pulled herself together. “I wanted to thank you for speaking to the teacher, and helping Ritva.”
“Has the situation improved?”
Tuula nodded. “She doesn’t have any friends yet, but the children leave her in peace.”
