OK imago

Why Our Baby Did Not Freeze...

• Action: 10pm Board overnight train from Istanbul to Ankara with my husband and baby 2 moth old girl.
• Thoughts: Woohoo! We made it!
• Speech: "Chris, Iona, this is awesome!"
• Blankets etc: There are sheets and 2 enormous blankets on the bunks. The train compartment is toasty warm. Train conductor comes in, sees baby Iona and gives us another enormous blanket, I toss them all in the corner.
• Action: 2.30am Train is stopped, Iona wakes up, chortles with delight as we're doing a diaper change.
• Thoughts: We've been stopped for rather a long time, Iona's fed, when we start up again it'll be easy for her to go back to sleep. There's no way Chris can sleep through Iona's happy squeals...
• Speech (Chris, sleepily): "Hey little Iona, are you wide awake?"
• Speech (me): "There's quite a kerfuffle outside, Chris, there's all these train personnel in the hallway messing with the electric board."
• Blankets etc: Train compartment is pretty warm but getting cooler. Electricity is out. Conductor comes in with a torch while I'm breastfeeding and gives us 2 more enormous blankets. Maybe I will need one after all...
• Action: 4.30am I have moved all our blankets except the 2 for Chris onto the bunk I'm sharing with Iona. Iona's also swaddled with all her burping cloths, her snowsuit, her hat and is pressed against me.
• Thoughts: Fuck I'm cold and poor little Iona's face (the only part of her exposed) is getting cold.
• Speech: Groan, shiver.
• Blankets etc: If I make Chris come down to our bunk then maybe we can share body heat...and those 2 extra blankets? Could we even all fit?
• Thoughts: 6am Argh! It's so cold! Iona's asleep but if she wakes up or needs a diaper change how in the world can we keep her warm?
• Speech: Chris! We have a problem!!! Iona's going to get really cold and our train won't get in for 2hrs...I don't know what else to do?
• ...Action: Chris (dressed in running shorts, T-shirt and short white socks) awakes and gets a primitive look in his eyes. He leaps from the top bunk, races outside into the freezing train compartment and down the train screaming for a train conductor. A few compartments full of frozen Chinese tourists crack open and women swaddled in parkas and blankets watch Chris race about. Chris locates a train carriage which does have electricity and a few conductors. He explains we have to move into the other compartment right now.
• Blankets etc: A wagon full of people, who look more like plaid blankets than people, follow semi-clad Chris to the warm wagon.
• Action: 8 am We leave our toasty compartment in the new warm wagon and head out to find a cab.
• Thoughts: Mmmmm, my husband, my hero...
• Speech: "Hey look Chris, all those Chinese tourists are smiling at you!"
• Blankets etc: It's good to be home...