by Karen Nappa
"Do they speak Greek?"
"Mamá , Sophia, Connie, Maya, and I do, but Mamá and Sophia are the only ones who are likely to do it here. I think Sophia and Connie still speak it at home when they don't want their kids to understand, but that won't be an issue today. Mamá and Sophia? I don't know. I generally put a stop to it if I can. The younger generation doesn't understand it, and neither does Maya's husband, Jack."
They pulled up to a large, well-kept house in Armour Hills, and Sonja looked up in shock. "You didn't tell me they were rich! Derek, how could you? I would have dressed up more and brought something better than pie!"
"Relax, baby. You look great. The pies are great. They're not rich. My brother-in-law considered the house a good investment. He's got a business that supplies restaurants with dishes and silverware and stuff. It's not a big deal."
Sonja thought for a moment. "Your brother-in-law, Connie. As in Constantine Dimitriadis?"
"Yes, that's Connie." Derek's voice sounded puzzled. "What's the big deal?"
"You mean Dimitriadis Restaurant Supplies? That's who Suzie and I use at the café. I've never met the owner. We only deal with the local rep. Carol was using them when I started there. I think she knew Mr. Dimitriadis. I had the impression he was fairly old."
"That was Connie's father. He retired about five years ago, and he and his wife spend their winters in Greece, or you'd meet them, too. It's Connie's business now. Maya works there, too, in the advertising department. See, you've already got a connection." Derek made it sound like she knew these people. Sonja knew better but decided it wasn't worth sharing her train of thought. Derek took the box of pies as he helped her out of the car. "Relax, baby girl. Everything is going to be okay."
"I hope so."
As they stood at the door waiting for someone to answer, Sonja turned around to get a view of the street. A movement by the streetlight on the corner caught her eye. She tried to get a better look, but it was hard to see in the dusk. She nudged Derek. "I thought I saw someone over there under the light at the corner. Can you see anything?"
Derek looked in the direction Sonja indicated and shook his head. "Sorry, baby girl. If there's anyone there, I can't see. Are you sure you saw someone?"
"I think so. I only bring it up because you said Angie stalked you and she's here in Kansas City now. Maybe I'm seeing things from nerves over meeting your family."
"I hardly think that would produce hallucinations. Let's not spoil our day. I'll keep a close eye out when we leave."
A beautiful teenage girl came to the door. "Hi, Uncle Derek. You're late, or maybe everyone else is early. Nobody wanted to miss the arrival of you and your friend."
"Happy Thanksgiving, Emily. This is Sonja Madden."
Sonja extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Emily. Happy Thanksgiving."
Emily shook it and returned the greeting. She led them into a two-story entry that opened into a formal living room on the left and a dining area on the right. Sonja could see an elegantly set table from where she stood. Emily turned to her uncle. "Everyone's in the back of the house, as usual. Please come through, Ms. Madden.
"Please, Emily, call me Sonja. I'm not used to formality."
"Right there, Uncle Derek. That shows she's an improvement over the whack job you brought from St. Louis the other year." She turned toward Sonja. "She insisted we kids call her Miss Mendoza." Emily said 'Miss Mendoza' in a prissy voice that had Sonja struggling to contain a laugh.
"Emily, you know better than to speak that way about someone, even if it is true." A woman had come into the entryway where they were standing.
"Thank you, Maya. I was just about to say the same thing," Derek said, greeting his sister. "This is my friend, Sonja Madden. Sonja, this is my baby sister, Maya Rivers."
"A pleasure to meet you. Please call me Maya. Happy Thanksgiving. Please come in. Emily, take Ms. Madden's coat and your uncle's while you're at it."
"So good to meet you, Maya, and I'm Sonja to everyone," Sonja said. "I brought pies for dinner. Maybe you could show me where to take them?"
Another woman, much older, appeared from the same direction Maya had come. "Derek, what are you doing keeping your friend standing here like this?"
"Mamá, they just got here. No one is keeping anyone standing anywhere," Maya said. "We were heading toward the kitchen. Derek's friend brought pie."
Derek interrupted before the two women could say more. "Mamá, this is my very good friend, Sonja Madden. Sonja, this is my mother, Ekaterina Kiriakis, the matriarch of the family."
"Please, you must call me Ekaterina. Come in, come in. Let me get a good look at you."
"Thank you, Ekaterina. Thank you so much for having me," Sonja said as she walked further into the house. She stopped in the center, giving everyone a chance to admire her red, Marilyn Monroe dress, made more modest by a matching shrug that covered her shoulders and back.
"She's beautiful, Derek," Ekaterina said. "You should have brought her sooner." She turned to Sonja. "What kind of pies have you brought us?"
"Sweet potato. It's a family tradition in many parts of the African-American community. I hope you like them."
"I'm sure they're wonderful, dear. Come through to the back of the house and meet everyone else."
Emily vanished with their coats, and Derek and Sonja followed Ekaterina and Maya through the dining room into a spacious kitchen. Maya took the box of pies and put it on the counter. A younger version of Ekaterina clapped her hands in command. "Get our guest a glass of wine and some for your uncle, too, Christina." She turned to Sonja. "I am Sophia. You must be Sonja. Welcome to my home. I'm sorry I didn't make it to the door. I was taking the moussaka out of the oven. You've met Emily, my youngest. This is Christina, who is getting your drink. Here is Maya's daughter, Trina. She was just taking the men more food."
Christina brought them both glasses of red wine, and Trina brought a plate of dolmades to them.
"Derek, take yourself to join the men. You're just in the way here," Ekaterina said and shooed him into the next room where Sonja could see a large screen showing a football game.
Sonja took a bite of the stuffed grape leaf and savored it. "What's in this?" she asked. "I've never tasted anything like it. It's fabulous."
"Thank you," Maya said. "It's my own recipe. It has pine nuts and just a little minced chicken, in addition to the rice and herbs."
"You must try the taramosalata," Sophia said. "It's made from fish roe." She brought over a plate with a bowl of the salad in the center and slices of pita bread for dipping around it.
"Let me get you a plate, Sonja," Emily said. "There's a lot to try. We'll have half the meal before we sit down at the table. It always seems to happen that way."
Appetizer followed appetizer, and Sonja had to restrain herself so she would have room for dinner. In between bites, she answered questions about herself and the café. She also heard about the various interests of the three girls from themselves with Sophia and Maya adding things they thought their daughters might be leaving out.
"How did you and Uncle Derek meet?" Emily asked.
How to finesse the answer while remaining truthful? "We were both at a party celebrating the wedding of mutual friends. It was a great night."
"My Derek is axiosimeíotos—eh, very special. I'm glad he's finally thinking of settling down. He's been alone for too long," Ekaterina said.
"We haven't gotten that far yet, Ekaterina, but it's possible," Sonja replied.
"What about children? You look like you could still have them. Do you want children?"
Derek had come back to get a refill on his wine and overheard Ekaterina's question. "Mamá! Since when are you so rude? Sonja, ignore her."
Ekaterina replied, "Is it so wrong to want you to pass on the family name? I'm sorry if I seem rude, Sonja, but my son is over fifty now, and I would like some grandchildren from him."
"Mamá, we've had this conversation before. At my age, I'd be retired by the time c
hildren graduated from high school, and I rather doubt I have the energy to keep up with the average toddler as I am now. I think you need to consider the subject closed. Permanently. Anyway, you have six wonderful grandchildren, and they're getting close to old enough to give you great-grandchildren. I think you should put your hopes in that direction."
Ekaterina burst into a stream of Greek words that sounded both agitated and melodic.
"Mamá," Derek replied. "You know how I feel about speaking a language not everyone can understand. You're being very rude to Sonja."
"I want to be private." Ekaterina shrugged her shoulders. "This way, what I have to say stays in the family and doesn't offend your guest."
"Then you could have asked me to go into another room, Mamá. Anyway, the damage is done, and the subject is closed."
"You would deny your mamá this small thing?"
"Mamá." Derek's voice had the warning tone he used when Sonja was getting bratty. "Would you prefer that Sonja and I leave?"
"Of course not." She turned to Sonja. "I'm so sorry, my dear. I don't mean to offend you or to be rude. It's just a mother's wishes for her son."
Sophia interrupted before Sonja could think what to say. "Dinner is ready, and I hope we can leave this subject behind. Christina, get your father and the rest."
Ekaterina looked put upon, but she followed her daughter's lead.
Derek looked at the dining table. His sister had thoughtfully placed Sonja and him at the opposite end of the table from his mother. He made a mental note to thank her later. They were on either side of his brother-in-law, Connie, who had immediately started talking business with Sonja. That seemed safe, so he tuned it out in favor of a conversation with his niece, Christina. She was studying performing arts at Washington University in St. Louis. She had her heart set on Broadway, and Derek wanted to make sure she knew how hard meeting her goal would be.
"Yes, Uncle Derek. I'm getting a minor in education. Baba insisted I have something to fall back on, and I agree."
"I'm glad to hear it. I'd love to see you on Broadway, but I'd rather you didn't spend the rest of your life waiting tables while you tried to get there. Any upcoming productions at school?"
"We're mounting Angels in America in the spring. I'm working the stage crew, but you should come and see it."
"It's possible. Let me know when it gets closer."
"Sure. BTW, I like your girlfriend. And you did a really good job of standing up to Yiayia. I've never seen Mom or Baba do that. Mom just sort of waits her out or agrees with her but then does what she wants."
"I'm familiar with your mother's tactics. Here comes the lamb again." He helped himself to a generous slice. "Would you like some more?"
"No, thanks. I'm saving room for dessert. It will be nice to have something besides baklava," she said as she passed the platter to her brother.
Derek looked across the table to see Sonja talking happily to Emily and turned to his brother-in-law.
"She's a smart cookie, that one. Good head for business. Smartest thing her former partner did was take Sonja on. When I was still seeing clients, they were on my route for a while. I never met Sonja then, but I heard about her from Carol. Don't get me wrong. Carol was good. She built that place from scratch, but Sonja's even smarter. Adding the bakery was a great idea, and it sounds like they know it."
"Glad you approve, Connie, although her business acumen was not what first attracted me." Derek was, nevertheless, proud to hear Connie's praise of Sonja. It seemed she was a hit with everyone but his mother, and he knew she would come around in time.
When dessert came around, it seemed everyone had something to say about the sweet potato pies. Maya was first. "We spend alternate years with Jack's family, and they have these sweet potatoes with marshmallows and they are so sweet. I've never understood the need to add sugar to something that's already plenty sweet. I love the delicate flavor of this. You'll have to give me the recipe."
"I'll be happy to, but I didn't make these. Don't get me wrong; I do make sweet potato pie, but my partner Suzie's pie crust is better than mine, so these are hers. I wanted to bring the best."
Derek knew Sonja well enough now that he could tell she was blushing. He guessed it was embarrassment at all the praise and at not having baked the pies.
Sophia said, "It's perfectly all right, Sonja. I was busy this week, and the baklava came from Nazareth Sweets. They were open yesterday this week, since today is Thanksgiving, but I had to order in advance."
Ekaterina looked shocked. "If you didn't have time, you could have told me and I would have made the baklava, Sophia."
"Mamá, you had enough to do. Nazareth Sweets makes wonderful pastry. I've heard you praise their baklava yourself," Sophia defended herself.
"Yes, yes, they do wonderful pastry there. I just wish you'd let me help more."
Maya intervened, "Maybe we can all agree that the desserts are delicious, regardless who made them?"
All the young people chimed in, and the adults weren't able to get another word in on the subject. Derek looked over at Sonja, who looked both relieved that the spotlight was no longer on her and tired from the stress of the day. He would need to get her home soon.
It was almost 11:00 pm when they finally got up from the dinner table. Derek could see that Sonja was struggling to stay awake, so, even though he knew his mother and sisters expected them to stay for at least another hour, he made their apologies. "Mamá, Sophia, Maya, it was a marvelous meal as always. We would love to stay longer, but Sonja has to be at work in the morning very early. I think we'll have to continue this visit another time."
"Derek, no. It's still early," Ekaterina said. "Please stay longer. I didn't mean to upset you."
"Mamá, it's not about that at all. Sonja's café opens at 6:30 am. It's past her bedtime." Derek's voice was kind. He didn't want to upset his mother again.
"Thank you so much for having me, all of you," Sonja said. "It was a wonderful meal, and I really enjoyed getting to know you. They both circled around exchanging hugs, kisses, or handshakes with each member of the family.
Ekaterina surprised Derek by saying to Sonja, "Please accept my apology for earlier. I can see that you and my son adore each other. I can ask no more than that."
"Thank you, Ekaterina. The last thing I want to do is come between you and Derek. I look forward to seeing you again soon."
As the door closed behind them, Sonja gave a sigh of relief that turned into a yawn.
Derek said, "I knew we should have left earlier, but I could tell you were having a good time."
"It's okay, Derek, I mean, Daddy. I don't have to go in tomorrow. Suzie and I talked, and it was so quiet last year that we decided to close tomorrow. I can sleep as late as I want."
"Good to know." They had arrived at Derek's car and he helped Sonja in. As he walked around the back of the car to the driver's side, he noticed he had a broken taillight. He was sure it had been fine when he had picked Sonja up. He supposed there could be teen vandals in the neighborhood, but that seemed unlikely. Maybe a rock had hit the car and he hadn't noticed. He would have to get it fixed.
Sonja was already asleep by the time he got into the car, so he started the engine and headed toward her apartment. The roads were semi-deserted since most people were already in for the night. As they left Armour Hills, traffic picked up a bit, and then he realized there was a car coming up behind him too fast for safety. When it caught up, Derek expected the driver to pass, but instead, the car slowed down and followed them. What was up with that? The car stayed behind them all the way to Sonja's but went on past when Derek parked outside. He hadn't been able to get a good look at the car other than that it was a dark-colored, late model sedan. He couldn't tell if the driver was male or female. It could be a coincidence, but something niggled at the back of his head about it.
He was sorry to wake Sonja up, but there was no help for it. "Baby girl, it's time to get up." When she didn't respond, he reached over and
nudged her. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead."
"W-what? Where am I?" Sonja was groggy and confused. "I'm sorry, Officer. I'll move the car. I was just too tired to keep going."
"Sonja, baby girl. Wake up. You're having a dream," Derek said.
"Where am I? This isn't my car." Sonja shook herself more awake.
"It's okay, precious. You're with me. You're safe."
"Derek? I'm sorry. I guess I woke up to an old nightmare." She smiled ruefully. "I'm glad it's you, here."
"Me, too. Let's get you out of the car and up to your apartment to bed."
"Will you stay? Please, Daddy?" Sonja couldn't help the slight tone of wheedling in her voice.
"Not tonight, precious. I've got to go in to work tomorrow to get caught up on my reports. If I stay here, I might be too distracted and not go in at all."
"Okay, Daddy. Will you at least stay long enough to read me a bedtime story?"
"I'd love that, baby girl."
Derek kept his arm around Sonja as they went into the building and over to the elevator, but she was fully awake now and eager for her story. If he couldn't stay over, at least he would read to her. She loved listening to his deep, full baritone. Once they were upstairs, she got ready for bed as quickly as she could. In less than fifteen minutes, she had fed Snuggles, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and was in her favorite nightshirt getting into bed with her favorite bear in her arm. "Ready for my story, Daddy."
Derek chuckled. "That was quick. Where's the book?"
"Right here, Daddy." Sonja picked it up from her nightstand. They were reading A Cricket in Times Square , an older book that Derek remembered from his childhood. Sonja was really enjoying the story of Chester Cricket and his adventures in New York City with Tucker Mouse and Harry the Cat. They were just getting to the spot where Chester was starting to be homesick for the fields of his home in Connecticut and Sonja couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. Tonight, was not the night for that, however. Once in bed, Sonja could barely keep her eyes open. She was fast asleep before Derek had finished the chapter.