The Necklace of Goddess Athena

by Effrosyni Moschoudi

  “Would you believe it? She met him right here, in Pallada! He’d come to attend an exhibition to find new suppliers. He has a large gift shop back on the island, you see. It’s in Kamares, Olga’s hometown. They fell so madly in love that within six months she was back in Sifnos getting married.”

  “That’s amazing! How strange to fall in love here with a man from her hometown! But how come she didn’t know him already? Isn’t Kamares a small community?”

  “It is. But he’s not from Sifnos. He was born and raised on the island of Folegandros.”

  “How did he wind up in Sifnos then?”

  “Well, apparently, there was a shortage of single women on the island and so, he went to Sifnos, hoping to meet someone and settle down.”

  “Except, in the end, he had to get all the way to Athens to fetch his Sifnos bride!” Anna exploded with laughter and her friend joined her.

  “That’s why I said you can't escape your destiny,” commented Mrs. Sofia when she managed to catch her breath.

  “Well, I’m not sure if I agree with that,” replied Anna, her face turning serious. “People make their own destiny, Mrs. Sofia! We always have a choice . . . that’s what I think.”

  “But, what about the difficulties of life, Anna? What about the grief? What choice do we have then?”

  “Although we can't avoid them, we can still choose how to react. We always have the choice to remain strong, to fight, don’t you think?”

  “Maybe it is so, psyche mou . . . But thankfully, I don’t have to worry about the storms of life any more. Life seems to be more behind me than ahead of me these days. I’ve grown too old to even worry about tomorrow,” said the old lady, averting her eyes to stare at her lap.

  Anna leaned forward. “What’s wrong, Mrs. Sofia?”

  “It’s nothing really . . . Just the mumblings of an old woman . . .” Mrs. Sofia waved dismissively and tried to look amused. She never spoke aloud about the thoughts that kept churning in her head, more and more often these days. “So, that’s the story with our Olga! Aren’t happy endings great?” She fixed Anna with a gaze full of excitement.

  Anna mirrored her expression. “I bet her mother is happy these days!”

  “Would you blame her? Her only child had been away for so long.”

  “It’s hard for parents when their children are far away . . .”

  “Oh, I know that only too well!” Mrs. Sofia gave a firm nod.

  “Of course! How’s your daughter in England?”

  “She’s fine, thank you. Haven't seen her in about fifteen years, mind you! But she’s well and happy, and for a mother that’s enough. Well, at least I have my son close by.”

  “Does he live in Athens?”

  “He lives everywhere! He is an engineer for the Merchant Navy, but he visits me often. I’m expecting him again today. He’ll be here late afternoon. You should come back then and meet him.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll have left by then. But not to worry, I’m sure I’ll meet him another time soon. I’ll be visiting often from now on, I promise.”

  “I hope you will, agape mou.”

  “Mrs. Sofia, isn’t it strange how I’ve known you for so long, and yet, I’ve never met either of your children?”

  “Ah! You couldn’t have possibly met my daughter, that’s for sure! She met her husband on Corfu where he visited on holiday one year. They’ve lived in England ever since. That’s over twenty years ago. As for my boy, he’s spent most of his life on Corfu. I had to send both my children there when they were still little, as you know.”

  “I bet that was hard.”

  “Yes it was but we had no other choice. Both my late husband and I worked for long hours. At first, we had my mother staying with us to mind the children, but she missed the island terribly. She had the farm there and longed to return. So, in the end, we decided she should take the children there with her. What were we to do? If she hadn't gone back, the farm would have deteriorated and wound up derelict, and then all my parents’ hard work would have been wasted. If we’d kept the children here, I’d have had to stop working, but then, we wouldn’t have been able to make ends meet. This is why they had to go to Corfu with their grandmother. They were happy there and had plenty of food and lots of love from my mother. We visited them as often as we could and sent them money regularly. I’m grateful that my children have had such a blissful upbringing even if I missed them over here. God rest my mother’s soul for what she did for them! She wasn’t young at the time either.”

  “You chose well, Mrs. Sofia. And you know? Perhaps it was your mother’s sacrifice back then that made you who you are.”

  “What do you mean, Anna?”

  “Well, when the time came to take on someone else’s children under your wing, you didn’t hesitate either.”

  “Oh yes! Ksenia and Manos. My darlings . . . That worked out well, too. I’m truly grateful!”

  “Were there any problems along the way at all?”

  “Not really! It all worked out just fine with God’s help, and I also had Olga manning Pallada beautifully. By the time she left, Ksenia was a teenager and already very sensible for her age. I was able to trust her on her own at home with Manos if I had to work in Pallada. Business has been good all through, and I could hire temporary staff anytime I needed it.”

  “It’s such a relief to hear that!” Anna felt the guilt subside in her heart as she gazed at Mrs. Sofia’s happy face. A strange light had ignited in the old lady’s eyes when she spoke of Ksenia and Manos, the same one as when she’d spoken of her own children earlier. Anna realized then that, far from being a problem to Mrs. Sofia, raising Eleni’s children had been a breath of life to her. It had been an opportunity to avoid loneliness, a chance to fill her heart with even more love and contentment. Somehow, these gifts from life had kept her strong and agile, despite her years.

  “It’s truly a remarkable thing, what you’ve done for these children.”

  “I’ve done nothing different to what any other decent person would have done. I knew their parents, I owed it to them.”

  “Mrs. Sofia, it’s been wonderful to sit and talk with you again,” said Anna after a small pause. With a sweet smile, she stood up.

  “Are you going already?”

  Anna pointed to the clock on the wall. “Well, it’s getting late. The children expect me back home for lunch. They asked me to take you along, you know. Will you join us?”

  “Oh! Thank you Anna but I can't! Please thank the children for me, but I’m too busy to stop for lunch today. I had a bite earlier and—”

  “Oh, Mrs. Sofia, please come!”

  “I’m sorry, kyra mou, I really can't! You know how it is. My Aris is coming this afternoon, and I haven't had time to prepare everything yet. There was a lot to do in Pallada this morning. I need to carry on with the dinner preparations, you understand.”

  “Oh come on, there’s plenty of time to prepare for dinner!”

  “Not really. His favorite meal is quite fussy to make! Not that I mind, it just takes time. Besides, I haven't even started yet on the dessert I’m making!”

  “Ah Mrs. Sofia, as always you’re bending backwards to please your guests, aren’t you?” said Anna. She’d sampled her cooking a few times and knew how much she loved treating dinner guests with delicacies. “Aren’t you tiring yourself a bit too much though, if I may say so?”

  “Kyra mou, if I don’t treat my own child, then whom am I going to treat?” Mrs. Sofia gave a dismissive wave. Preparing anything other than a hearty meal for her son’s homecoming was out of the question.

  “All right, I won't insist any more. I’ll drop in to say goodbye before going back home, okay?” Anna turned to go.

  Mrs. Sofia nodded and opened the door for her. “You do that! I hope you’ll meet my Aris next time. You’ll see what a fine lad I’ve got! And he’s so tall! All the way up there, bless him!” Mrs. Sofia gave a beaming smile, extending her arm with exaggeration as high as she coul
d over her snow-white hair.

  “I’m sure he is! I also hope to meet him soon,” said Anna, as Mrs. Sofia followed her outside the room. “It was so great to see you again. I missed you so much!” Anna flung her arms open wide and gave her old friend a hug.

  “I missed you too, psyche mou . . . And I’m sorry we drifted apart. Life does that to people. But it only takes meeting again to realize how much you’ve missed an old friend.” Her eyes welled up.

  Anna gave her a gentle pat on the back. “Isn’t it strange how life works? You missed your own children growing up, but you raised someone else’s. You’re an angel, Mrs. Sofia!” Anna squeezed her in her arms one more time before turning to go.

  Mrs. Sofia smiled as she watched Anna walk away. The old woman thought that indeed it was strange she had raised someone else’s children instead of her own. But then, it dawned on her that all children are the same in God’s eyes. If we were to see them as God does, they’d all have the same little hands that seek yours, the same eyes that thirst for your attention, the same lips that say ‘I love you’.

  Slowly, Mrs. Sofia closed her door and returned to her little kitchen. She had preparations to do and was running late.

  Chapter 28

  Ksenia had cooked roast lamb and lasagna for lunch. Everyone enjoyed it and kept raising their glasses to congratulate her for her mastery in the kitchen. Anna looked radiant sitting next to her son. Her expression changed only for a few moments when she spared a thought for their loved ones who were absent. She regained her good spirits soon enough though, aided by the beaming faces all around the table.

  When Daphne and Ksenia served coffee and cake in the sitting room, Anna took an old photo album out of her shoulder bag. Everyone made happy noises and huddled around her. Anna started to leaf through the pages, and the youngsters listened to the stories behind the photos, their faces exultant. Many of them had been taken in the early years, before Anna and Efimios were even married, at the beginning of their friendship with Kimon and Eleni. Others were from later years of married life and parenthood. Everyone gasped when Anna turned a page and revealed the identity of a small boy with curly, blond hair. No one could believe this was Phevos, least of all him.

  Ksenia leaned in to study the photo closely and couldn’t believe that the boy with the ruddy cheeks was the man she loved. He was pictured playing a board game with a little girl she easily identified as herself. They were sitting on the carpet in Manos’s bedroom, which was her own room at the time. Ksenia shook her head, amazed. They knew now that Athena had caused Phevos to forget his earlier life here. But how could she have forgotten him? She didn’t understand but could only guess that Athena was behind this too.

  Phevos placed an arm around Ksenia, and she turned to face him, their mirthful eyes locking together. It felt wonderful to have shared a glimpse of their past together as children, despite the fact that they both had no recollection of it. Now, they had solid proof they’d never been strangers, after all. The night they met at the orchard, they were actually reuniting instead of meeting for the first time. That realization gave them a strong sense of destiny that made them feel powerful inside, full of love for each other, more than ever before.

  Anna moved on, turning the pages and telling stories of the past. Many photos had been taken outdoors, mostly on the seashore. As she spoke, she came to the realization that she, her husband and their friends, had always been drawn to the sea. She wondered then if they’d always known instinctively that it would play an integral part in their lives one day. Perhaps, what they did each time they visited the seashore in the past was pay homage to Poseidon for what was to come.

  ***

  Daphne had left the house straight after lunch as time was pressing. She needed to return to Pallada at once. Mrs. Sofia had been busy during her absence preparing the special dinner for her son’s arrival. They were both still running behind with their duties for the day.

  In the last two hours, Daphne had done all the remaining chores upstairs, and Mrs. Sofia was finishing the last room after a departure. Daphne was dusting the bookshelf at reception. It had been done recently and didn’t need any attention, but she had tried sitting behind reception and the idleness had turned her into a bag of nerves.

  Aris was due to arrive any minute now, and Daphne felt she had to keep herself occupied otherwise she’d go nuts with the anticipation. She sprayed more detergent on the cloth and dusted the same shelves over and over, singing a tune she’d heard on the radio earlier. She would have carried on forever if it weren’t for Mrs. Sofia’s hurried footsteps that made her turn around. She came down the staircase with a bunch of sheets in her hands and she looked vexed.

  “It’s a good thing those girls left today! I was at the end of my tether, I tell you. So glad I won't have to clean after them again!” With a heavy sigh, Mrs. Sofia threw the last batch of dirty linen on top of the pile in the corridor.

  “Was it that bad?” Daphne hurried to leave the dust cloth and the spray bottle behind the desk. “You rest, Mrs. Sofia. I’ll take these for you!” She picked up half the linen from the pile to take it away.

  Mrs. Sofia gave an exasperated sigh as she watched Daphne enter the laundry room. “Why would they be any different on their last day, huh?”

  “Oh, come now, Mrs. Sofia! I did their room a few times too, it wasn’t that dirty,” said Daphne when she came back to get the rest of the linen.

  “I’m not talking about dirt. There’s nothing my broom and detergents can't fix, don’t you worry,” she replied as Daphne disappeared into the laundry room again. “But there’s something about having to work in an untidy room that really gets me!”

  “Oh, is that it? I’d have thought you’d be immune to untidiness by now. They weren’t the first ones who spread their belongings all over the place.” Daphne returned to reception to find the old lady still standing on the same spot, looking all hot and bothered. “Come on, you must be used to it by now!”

  “You can't get used to untidiness, psyche mou! It either bothers you or it doesn’t. And these girls were, by far, the worst I’ve ever seen. They didn’t even leave both their shoes in the same place, for goodness sake! I’d find one sandal in the room and one in the bathroom. I mean, who does that? They left their underwear anywhere you can imagine! Coins under the bed, wet towels on the floor . . . whatever they dropped, they just left there! And that includes empty cans of lager and souvlaki wrappers!”

  Daphne returned to her a gaze full of sympathy. “Well, Mrs. Sofia, you don’t have to worry about them any more, they’ve gone now.”

  “Yes, thank goodness for that! Dear me, just imagine the state of their houses! Agie mou Spyridona!” Mrs. Sofia crossed herself and shuddered.

  Daphne found this hilarious and burst out laughing.

  Still wincing at the thought, Mrs. Sofia shuffled to the couch and sat down with a heavy sigh. She’d been standing for hours and her back was playing up. When the sound of Daphne’s laughter stopped abruptly, she darted her eyes at her. The girl’s face was all lit up. It had the glow of the sky at dawn as she faced the entrance. Mrs. Sofia darted her eyes there and, suddenly, there was no back pain any more, no tiredness and not a hint of bother for little things like messy rooms. With a squeal, she sprang up and strode all the way to her son’s open arms.

  “My boy, levendi mou!” she cried out when Aris embraced her. He bent over to kiss her as his body followed softly the sway of her cradling hug.

  Daphne stood close by, the way one stands near an open fire to warm up on a cold day. Scenes like these continued to remind her of her own mother. Their joy radiated toward her, engulfing her like a large, comforting blanket.

  When his mother finally let him go, Aris walked up to the young girl with a beaming smile on his face. “Hello, Daphne!”

  “Hello, Aris, welcome back!” Daphne gave him a sweet smile and offered her hand.

  This time, as well as shaking her hand, Aris leaned in closer and kissed her c
heeks. Blushing, Daphne bowed her head.

  “So, how are you?” he asked, pretending he hadn't noticed her reaction.

  “Great! And you?” Daphne looked up again and flashed him a smile. She yearned to meet his eyes too much to care about her crimson cheeks.

  Mrs. Sofia saw they still held each other’s hand after their handshake and guessed they hadn’t noticed. They seemed too busy gazing into each other’s eyes. Her son was now asking Daphne after everyone’s health. Mrs. Sofia brought a hand over her mouth and gave a soft chuckle, then turned to go and give them some privacy.

  “Oh, I almost forgot! I have a present for you,” said Aris bending over to open his backpack. It rested on the floor by his feet. He took out a duty-free shopping bag and offered it to Daphne.

  “But why? It’s not my birthday!”

  “I know. But I saw it in the shops at a few ports and I couldn’t resist. It reminded me of you . . .” His voice trailed off.

  “Thank you,” she said, taking the bag. There was a perfume bottle in it. She took it out and stood looking at it for a few moments, her eyes twinkling. “I’ve never had perfume before.”

  Her smile, albeit awkward, gave Aris the encouragement to take it from her hands and help her. He opened the box and sprayed some perfume on her wrists. A couple of squirts were enough for them to be enveloped in a delicate fusion of flower and herbal scents. Aris put the bottle back in its box, placing it in her hands again.

  “Thank you, Aris, this is beautiful!” The sweet fragrance was exquisite. Beside herself with elation, Daphne leaned in and kissed Aris on the cheek. Her hands trembled as she held the box and he noticed. Smiling, he placed his hands over hers and gazed into her eyes. This was the moment he’d been waiting for, except now he was as tongue-tied as she was.

  “It’s nothing, Daphne. As I said, it reminded me of you . . .” He faltered again, despite his best intentions not to.

  Daphne tilted her head. “What do you mean?” For the first time, she noticed the picture on the box. “I don’t have such long ears, do I?” She gave a giggle. The way he looked at her and held her hands made her feel as if she could fly, just like the model in the picture who had wings on her back.