When the train stopped at Central Station, she stood on the platform for a full ten minutes trying to work out how to get home from there. In the end, she boarded another train into the city and took a bus, then a taxi and finally arrived home.
The front door was locked and no one answered the buzzer. She found the hidden key and let herself in. Where on earth was Kristo? He didn’t normally work on Saturdays, unless there was a drama on a site somewhere. Perhaps that explained Nico coming to the airport … But why not the twins? She walked around the kitchen and living room looking for clues, went upstairs and checked the bedrooms. Mysteriously, even Yia-yiá was missing. She never went out anywhere if she could possibly avoid it.
Maggie walked out onto the back deck and looked over the bay. The flat blue of the winter sky now had a dramatic backdrop of thunderclouds blossoming on the horizon. She heard the thud of distant thunder. White yachts at anchor in the bay bobbed nervously as the breeze quickened. She took a deep breath of fresh sea air and felt it fill her lungs. She realised that there wasn’t a single place she had seen on her travels as beautiful as the view from her own house. The breeze ruffled through her hair, and she had an image of herself as a chick emerging from its shell. A fat raindrop fell on the deck and she went back inside and slid the glass door shut.
She heard a car door slam out the front and, a moment later, the front door close. She switched on the coffee machine and turned with a smile to greet Kristo, only to find Nico standing in the doorway. She felt her smile vanish, her greeting falter. ‘Why are you here? And since when do you just let yourself into my house?’
‘It’s not your house. It’s my brother’s house. I came to the airport at bloody six in the morning – where were you? I waited for a whole hour.’
‘I didn’t see you. Where have you been, anyway? Kristo said you were away.’
He smiled. ‘Bangkok. Why? Did you miss me? If you’d taken my calls I would have told you myself.’
‘I don’t need to know where you are. Where’s Kristo?’
‘He’s in the hospital. Heart attack. Everyone’s there. I came to get you.’
Maggie gripped the bench for support. Kristo was indestructible. It wasn’t possible. Nico was lying. He was lying to get her into his car. Her instinct was not to let him know her suspicions. She needed to find out what was really going on. Kristo’s phone sat on the bench. He was never without his phone. She picked it up. There were a dozen missed calls and messages from various people.
‘What happened to your hair?’ Nico was staring at her, his expression unreadable. She didn’t want to read it and could only hope that he was repulsed. After a moment he said, ‘It’s sexy. You look younger.’
She ignored his comment. ‘Is he all right? Which hospital is he in?’
‘North Shore. He’s okay.’ He leaned against the bench and folded his arms, watching her. ‘You don’t believe me, do you? Call the girls. Anyone.’
Maggie tapped Kristo’s code into his phone and pressed Elena’s number.
Nico watched her. ‘Lets you into his phone, does he? A man with nothing to hide. I’ll wait for you in the car.’ He walked out of the kitchen and she heard the front door close.
‘Mum? Where are you? Theíos Nico went to the airport to get you and you didn’t arrive.’ Elena’s voice was husky, on the verge of tears. ‘We thought you’d decided not to come home.’
‘Ellie, darling, that would never happen. I’m home now. Is Dad okay?’
‘He’s fine. He’s being monitored. It was a shock for him. We’ve all been so upset and you weren’t here. We didn’t know what to do.’ She began to cry. ‘I never thought of you or Dad dying. Ever.’
Maggie wondered privately how someone could get to adulthood and retain such a childlike view of the world but she said kindly, ‘I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon.’
Maggie put Kristo’s phone in her bag. She locked the front door from the inside and let herself out the side door into the garage. She slipped into her car and pulled the door closed quietly. Out the front, Nico sounded his horn.
Maggie took a deep breath and pressed the door remote. By the time the door rolled up, Nico was standing there, blocking her path, his face dark with anger.
‘I’ll take you!’ he shouted. ‘Don’t be an idiot.’
She started the car and edged forward. He stepped towards her, his body leaning against the grille of her Audi. Maggie felt the trembling starting in her legs. She sounded the horn. The expression on his face was terrifying. She got Kristo’s phone out of her bag. The last thing she wanted to do right now was to call the police. They might not come for hours. She and Nico would be in a stand-off until they arrived. And what could the police do? He would say it was an argument and they’d believe him and leave. Everything would be so much worse. Involving the police could make him more aggressive. She wanted to weep with exhaustion and have someone else take care of this situation. Who else could she call?
While she was distracted, Nico walked back to his car. She felt a wave of relief and eased out of the garage, closing the door behind her with the remote, anxious to get on her way. She watched with dismay as he reversed at high speed and swung his car across the driveway. She was trapped.
He opened the passenger’s door and gestured to her to get in. He was barely controlling his rage. She’d seen this many times, but never directed at her. Anything could happen now.
The next-door neighbours, Bob and Alice, might have a view of Nico parked across the driveway, but would probably not be able to see Maggie’s car in front of the house. Reluctant as she was to draw them into it, she found Bob’s number in Kristo’s phone and called. With a sinking feeling, she remembered that they played golf on Saturday afternoons. Still, she waited until it went to voicemail before she disconnected. She was on her own.
Shaking, she jabbed triple zero into the phone. Her request to the operator sounded disjointed, as though she didn’t know why she was calling.
Nico got out and approached her car. She hit the button to lock all doors.
He stood beside the driver’s window. ‘Who are you calling? You stupid bitch. You’re just making trouble for me. Making shit up.’ He kicked the door, his anger escalating by the minute. ‘Get out of the fucking car now!’
The operator asked if she was in immediate danger. Maggie began to say no but all the years of being afraid of Nico, all the game-playing, all the times she caught sight of his malign presence hovering in the shadows, rose up in her and she heard herself saying, ‘Yes! Please help me!’
Assured that a patrol car would be with her soon, she disconnected and it was all she could do not to start bawling. She had never felt so alone in her life. He had left her with no choice but to capitulate – or run him down. Now everything was out of her hands.
Nico walked over to the house and tried the front door, further enraged that she had locked up. She couldn’t think why he wanted to get inside. Perhaps to get Kristo’s tools? Why didn’t he just leave, given his plan wasn’t working? He was stubborn, that’s why. He had to win at any cost.
He paced up and down in front of her car, intermittently coming to tap on the driver’s window, demanding she open it and talk to him. Pretending that he had calmed down and was ready to discuss the situation. She ignored him.
She heard the wailing of a siren. She had expected a quieter arrival. Nico turned towards the sound, a look of shocked disbelief on his face. Before he could move away, a patrol car, lights flashing, pulled into the top of the driveway.
Two officers, a man and a woman, got out and came quickly down the driveway towards them. Nico walked up to greet the officers. She could see him smiling and pointing to her car and wondered what story he was making up. Everything felt unreal, as if she was watching the whole thing on television, except there was no way to turn it off. There was no stopping how things unravelled now.
The male officer continued to talk to Nico while the woman came over to Maggie’s car. Ma
ggie opened the door and got out. ‘That was quick,’ she said with a weak smile.
The officer introduced herself as Senior Constable Burke. She asked if Maggie was all right and could she give her version of events.
‘I’m okay. My husband’s in hospital. I need to get to him,’ said Maggie, her voice cracking.
‘I understand. This won’t take long. We just need to establish what happened here today, then you can go.’
When Maggie gave her details and explained what had occurred, it sounded like a misunderstanding. As if she was being stubborn and difficult. Without the full story, today’s episode didn’t make any sense.
‘Can you tell me specifically why you don’t want to go to the hospital with your brother-in-law? Has he been violent towards you in the past?’
Now was the moment. She could tell the truth or fall back on excuses. Everything could go back to the way it was. She knew what Rose would say. Tell them. Tell them. For God’s sake, stand up for yourself!
‘No. Perhaps I overreacted. I am very tired. Sorry to have bothered you. It was probably just a misunderstanding.’
It was obvious that the officer didn’t buy this explanation for a minute. She reminded Maggie that the incident would be recorded and it was possible to come to the station and make a statement at a later time. ‘If you feel there is the risk of violence, or you feel threatened, you can take out an apprehension order. We can help you with that. Think about it.’
Maggie nodded. All she wanted now was for everyone to leave so she could get to the hospital.
‘So I’m guessing you’d still prefer to drive yourself to the hospital?’ asked Senior Constable Burke.
Maggie nodded. ‘Yes, I would. Most definitely.’
‘We’ll just move our friend here on, and you can take your time getting there. I’m sure your husband’s in good hands.’
Maggie felt like hugging her but it didn’t seem quite appropriate.
As the officer walked back towards Nico’s car, she stopped and turned to Maggie. ‘Take care of yourself, love.’
Maggie gave her a wave and watched the two officers talking seriously to Nico, who was no longer friendly and obliging but aggressive, arguing the point. Nevertheless, he got into his car and, once the patrol car moved out of the driveway, drove away.
There was a thunderclap overhead and splotches of rain landed on the bonnet. She gave herself a moment to sit quietly in the car and gather her thoughts. She’d had the chance to change this situation – why hadn’t she taken it? Had she just been weak, not wanting to make a fuss? Then she realised – it wasn’t the way she wanted Kristo to find out. Especially when he was in hospital. She had to tell him herself. Just not yet.
Arriving at the hospital, Maggie met Yia-yiá, Elena and Anthea coming down the corridor about to head home, having been there since the previous evening. Anthea was quiet but gave her a long hug. ‘We missed you, Mum. And Dad missed you too. What happened to your hair?’
‘I just decided to try something different,’ said Maggie briskly.
Elena fell on her mother, hugging her tight. ‘Oh, we’re so glad you’re here. We didn’t know what to do without you.’
‘You didn’t need me,’ said Maggie brightly. ‘Dad needed medical specialists.’
‘You make him the stress,’ said Yia-yiá grimly.
Maggie gave her a hug. ‘It’s lovely to see you too, Yia-yiá.’
The twins delivererd a tag-team account of what had happened. Yia-yiá, who was actually the only witness, interrupted and picked up the story. ‘He make a sweat on the head. He have pain here.’ She patted her shoulder and down the length of her arm. ‘I call on the phone. Zero. Zero. Zero. I say my son make attack. And they come.’
Anthea put her arm around her grandmother’s shoulders, and Maggie noticed how small and fragile Yia-yiá had become. The experience must have given her a horrible fright.
‘Yia-yiá saved him. If he’d been alone, he would have died,’ said Anthea, tearfully.
‘I’m picking up the general vibe that I’m to blame,’ said Maggie.
Anthea glanced at Elena and decided to break ranks. ‘No, you’re not. You can’t be expected to be with Dad every minute.’
Elena nodded her agreement. ‘It could have happened onsite. Anywhere.’
‘Mum, I need to talk to you,’ said Anthea abruptly.
‘Now? I need to see Dad. Can it wait?’ asked Maggie.
‘I’ve got some news,’ she said. ‘Dad already knows.’
‘She make the baby with vlákas,’ announced Yia-yiá.
Anthea nodded. ‘I’m pregnant.’ She watched her mother’s face for a response.
‘That’s wonderful!’ said Maggie, giving Anthea a hug. ‘Wonderful!’
‘Let’s wait in the car, Yia-yiá.’ Elena linked arms with her grandmother and steered her off down the hall.
‘I wanted to tell you myself,’ said Anthea. ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen with Aaron. Mum, I’m scared.’
Maggie wrapped her arms around her daughter. ‘Don’t be. One way or another, it will work out, darling. We’ll be here for you. Let’s wait until Dad gets home and we’ll have a proper celebration.’
Anthea nodded. ‘It is exciting, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ said Maggie. ‘Very, very exciting.’
Sitting up in his hospital bed, Kristo was pleased and relieved to see her; almost apologetic for suffering a heart attack. It wasn’t as serious as it seemed, he assured her, but there were two blocked arteries that they would put stents into, either later that day or the next morning. He would come home the day after. Apart from that, he was fine, and would be even better after the operation. She sat on his bed and they held hands.
‘Anthea told me her news.’
‘Yeah, I thought you’d be happy. Shame Aaron’s the father …’
‘Let’s give him a chance, shall we? He’s a good boy, really.’
‘I like your hair,’ he said, running his fingers through it with a smile.
‘I thought you preferred it long?’
‘I thought I did. Just what I was used to. You have a good head for it.’
‘I’d really prefer to be valued for what’s in my head,’ she said with a smile.
‘We’ve got a lot to talk about, Mag. Serious shit. I don’t want to do it here.’
She agreed. ‘Let’s wait ’til we get home. We can talk about everything.’
She could see that Kristo had been chastened by the failing of his heart; his ego dented and his confidence shaken by this life-threatening event, out of his control. She loved to see this soft, gentle side of him – the vulnerability he only occasionally revealed. She had seen it when the twins were born, and when they lost Kal, and more recently when they parted at the airport. She thought about how different things would be between them if she saw more of that and less of the bluster and bravado.
By the time Maggie brought Kristo home from hospital two days later, Yia-yiá had made enough food to feed the family for months to come, the fridge and freezer stocked with Greek delicacies. They still hadn’t talked about anything serious and it was made all the more difficult by Yia-yiá hovering around, constantly bringing him morsels to tempt his appetite. Unusually, Kristo asked his mother to give them some time alone. He had set up Greek TV streaming to the television in her room, so she was more amenable than usual to allowing them some uninterrupted time.
Maggie and Kristo sat together at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and enjoying the winter sun in a quiet companionable way that Maggie couldn’t have even imagined a month earlier. Normally Kristo was on his phone, loudly organising teams of people, demanding information and reacting to anything and everything. Now he was subdued, afraid of the effect his reactions could have on his fragile heart.
‘I thought you’d left me,’ said Kristo. ‘I wouldn’t blame you.’
‘If I was going to leave you, I’d tell you straight out. I would talk to you.’
&nb
sp; ‘There’s plenty of things you’ve been hiding. Stealing from the company, for a start.’
‘Kristo, I need my own money. I’ve tried so many times over the years to convince you and the boys that I need a salary. I felt I had to take matters into my own hands,’ said Maggie. ‘What are you planning to do? Do the boys know?’
‘Nah. I told Yannis I’d fire him if he told them. We need to make it right. I don’t know how. You need to work something out.’
‘I’m sorry I did it that way. That I didn’t tell you,’ said Maggie. ‘It was wrong.’
Kristo’s head dropped to his chest, as though he was being scolded or punished.
‘What are you thinking, Kristo? Speak to me.’
He shook his head. ‘I feel like I don’t know you. You have these secrets …’
‘I’ve kept secrets to protect the family. I don’t want to keep them any more.’
He raised his eyes to hers accusingly. ‘Nico told me he came to pick you up and you called the cops on him. He said you’ve gone crazy.’
Maggie felt the breath knocked out of her. It was the moment she had dreaded and there was only going to be one shot at this. ‘I don’t care what he’s told you. Nico has been harassing and stalking me for twenty years.’
Kristo shook his head like a maddened bull, gathering himself for an argument.
‘And before you start attacking me, Kristo, no, I’ve never been attracted to him. I don’t like him. I’ve never liked him. In fact, I hate him. I didn’t want to destroy the business. Or the family. That’s why I didn’t tell you.’
His eyes flicked away in disbelief. ‘Bullshit. He said —’
‘Listen to me! I don’t care what he said! Whatever he said is a lie because there is no way he will admit what he’s done. Now you have to decide who you believe, Kristo. I’m telling you the truth.’
‘He wouldn’t do that. He’s my brother. It doesn’t make any sense. You must have —’
Sixty Summers Page 29