“I won’t take up too much of your time, pinkie promise.” She waved her pinkie in the air dramatically. “But I couldn’t possibly let this momentous event pass without saying at least a few words. First, I must raise a glass to Mr. and Mrs. Emeraldine, our generous hosts this evening. I’ve been to one or two shindigs in my lifetime and I can say with confidence that this one takes the cake. Helen Emeraldine—you throw one hell of a party!” At this point in the evening, cocktails had been freely flowing for hours, and even the most proper guests laughed and nodded along. Susie just had a way of endearing herself to all, even as she sat at the table with Meg as her date beside her. “And then, on to the main event—the gorgeous giraffe in the white getup and her brilliant new husband. Raffey, you are one of a kind. A woman with the biggest heart, smartest mind, and longest legs of anyone I have ever met. The world is a better place with you in it and, Robert, you make this spectacular gal even more special. Thank you for showing her what love can be. To the most dynamic woman I know and the first man to keep up with her. May you together be forever unstoppable!”
Everyone in the room, even Bernard and Helen, smiled and lifted their glasses a second time, and while Ruth did not typically appreciate the spotlight, she couldn’t help but enjoy being celebrated in this way, especially by her parents. To be the reason for their joy for the first time. Given all that her family had been through, they deserved this joyful moment. But even though it was absolutely perfect, they never forgot even for a moment how much better it would have been if Harry had been there too.
Chapter Seven
On July 17, 1935, the newly wedded Dr. and Mrs. Robert Apter boarded the SS Manhattan, the official steamer of the Second International Neurological Congress, to make their way to London for the main event. Robert had signed them up for the complete tour—with several stops in England on the way to London, and an extension in Brussels and Paris after the congress. While many newlyweds would look at three weeks of travel with a host of American neurologists—punctuated in the middle by a multiday meeting in a large university hall—as a downright rotten way to spend their honeymoon, for Ruth, it was a dream come true. She might have protested the extension, as it would add an additional week away from her patients, but she supposed it would be romantic to have a moonlit stroll with Robert in Paris, perhaps even a kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower. It would certainly be a much better visit than past trips when her mother dragged her to the family’s pied-à-terre for endless days at the ateliers of every major couturier.
As an added benefit, the travel to the Continent and the days of touring with other US delegates offered an unprecedented opportunity for her to connect with some of the greatest minds in the field. Ruth didn’t expect to attend the congress itself, so she seized the opportunity to meet and speak to the men during her days on the ship.
She felt fortunate that Robert treated her as a colleague even in this setting. During their elaborate dinners on the ship, he always included her in his conversations with the other neurologists. Instead of relegating her to insufferable discussions about cabin and dining room décor or the merits of the ship’s chef with the other wives who were taking advantage of the European holiday this conference offered them, Robert welcomed Ruth into debates about the role of early childhood trauma in the developing brain, and explanations of the study of cerebral spinal fluid in disease diagnosis.
The most interesting dinner companion during their pre-congress travels was by far John Fulton. Ruth learned that he was transporting several chimpanzees in the ship’s cargo hold for a presentation about the prefrontal lobe. She marveled at the idea of bringing monkeys on a transcontinental voyage, but more than that, she had learned from Robert that the brain’s prefrontal lobe might be important in developing new approaches in the treatment of insanity. She made a note to encourage Robert to attend Dr. Fulton’s presentation at the congress. She would have loved to observe it herself, but that was too much to hope for.
When the first morning of the Second International Neurological Congress finally arrived, Robert roused her with the rising sun. “Wake up, wake up! We need to eat so we can get our exhibition properly installed before the day begins.”