by Sara Alexi
'I want to hear about your son,’ she says, ‘but first, what happened to poor Stamatis? He lost his first wife and then he lost his son.'
Vasso leaps up. 'Oh my goodness, they are early,' she cries, and Juliet and Stella look at her wide-eyed, trying to make sense of what is happening.
Vasso, leaving her chair rocking, runs out into the middle of the road and chases a passing taxi into the square, her sturdy heels clipping against the tarmac.
The yellow car comes to a stop by Marina's corner shop and Vasso suppresses her haste and smooths her hair, patting underneath to give it some lift.
The door of the taxi opens and she can hear the chatter of thanks for the lift and the tinkle of coins and then:
'Mama!'
And, just for the moment, in the self-assured way he moves, the fall of his hair and his good looks, she sees Spiros and her heart misses a beat, and then she is in his arms.
'Thanasi, my love, you are early, you said–'
'I’m here!' He kisses her forehead. He is so much taller than her now. His arms engulf her and she breathes in the warm, dark, musky scent that is the same as his baba's and she wants to cry for her loss and cry for the joy of having such a son.
'Ah, Mama, no need to cry! I have brought you a present.' And he releases her to open the back door of the taxi.
'I am seeing things!' she cries. Another Spiros, but an older version, with white hair, the same good looks, the same assurance and easy manner, climbs from the back of the car. She is just as quick to be in this man’s arms. His grip is frailer, bonier, but it comes with the same musky scent, which is mixed with something else, as if his clothes have been stored slightly damp. She will wash them for him. She will do everything for him she can.
'Were you not expecting me, Vasso?' Stamatis asks. But Vasso cannot speak for her tears.
'Mama, I hate this to be the first thing I say to you, but I am hungry,' Thanasis says as the taxi leaves. 'First a train, then a bus, then a taxi. It’s a long way from Athens.'
'Well, you are in luck. I was sitting at Stella’s.' She does not want to let go of Stamatis.
'Does she still make Baba’s lemon sauce?'
'She does.' Vasso leads them both, an arm around each.
Outside the kafeneio, Thanasis hugs Stella and everyone is silent at the obviously emotional reunion. Only about a year after Vasso moved home to her mama's house, Stella and her first husband took the house for rent at the end of the lane, and Stella became like a second mama to Thanasis. Not only a second mama but a great friend as well – the sort a real mama cannot be. Vasso knows, without resentment, that Stella holds secrets that Thanasis has told to her that he would have found awkward to share with his own mama. She is so glad that, in his difficult teenage years, Stella was there for him.
'Thanasi, Stamati – this is Juliet. Juliet – Thanasis and Stamatis!' Vasso pulls herself together to make the introductions.
Juliet’s eyes are wide. Her mouth opens and closes a few times, which makes Stamatis laugh, and then she shakes Thanasi’s hand and pulls him in to kiss him on both cheeks. Stamatis kisses first her hand and then her cheeks, and they are all preparing to sit together when Mitsos, Stella's second husband, comes out and the handshaking and hugging begin again. Then Mitsos goes in to bring plates of food for the new arrivals.
'With Stella's lemon sauce?' Thanasis shouts after him.
Stella pats his knee and gives it a little rub.
'So, Vasso, you dark horse.' Stella cannot sit still in her seat. 'You were expecting them?'
'Of course,' Vasso says, but gives nothing away.
'And is it just a casual drop-by sort of visit?' Stella pushes.
'Not exactly. I did tell you that I have some news, did I not?'
Thanasis puts up his hand to silence everyone.
'Can I just say that I am the most in the dark of anyone? I’ve come back from my last day in the kitchens. You know the hotel where I was chef is closing, right?’ – he addresses no one specifically – ‘It was in the wrong location, and was never going to succeed. Well, anyway, when I got home, not only was my suitcase packed but the whole house was empty. I’ll be honest, Papou, I was scared. I thought we had been evicted.'
'Would I have been so happy if I’d been evicted?' the old man asks.
Juliet is sitting on her hands on the edge of her chair, looking from one to the other. On first meeting, Juliet appeared elegant, aloof, which amuses Vasso now, because really she is so eager for life, so ready to drink in the world, that she has no time for holding back her emotions.
The dogs around the village have started their evening telegraph of news and the square has grown quiet of children’s play. There is just the older generation sitting at the kafeneio and outside Stella's eatery now. It is as if they have the village to themselves.
'It runs in the family, then, this teasing nature,' Stella says, and Juliet nods in agreement.
'Stamatis, maybe you should tell Thanasis?' Vasso offers and the old man fidgets as all eyes turn on him. Mitsos brings out the last plate and pulls up a chair.
'Well, several things have happened all at the same time' – he looks at Mitsos as he speaks – 'which made me do some thinking. For one, the people who were renting the taverna on Orino left and so, with a new tenant, I put the rent up.'
Juliet leans towards Stella and whispers, 'What happened to Argyro?' Vasso looks over and smiles and leans across Stella to tell her. 'Ran away with a rich foreigner, who turned out to be both poor and a drunk. They live in a rented flat in Corinth, and she washes floors for a living, apparently.' She pulls a face to express how distasteful she imagines Argyro’s new situation to be.
It seems their whispers are far from quiet as Thanasis joins in.
'She got what she deserved. Or maybe she made it happen so she could really have something to moan about.'
'Now, paidi mou' – Stamatis addresses Thanasis with the term of endearment – 'let us not be unkind. I wish her well as – well, let’s face it, she has given me the best gift she could. She has given me my freedom. I could not have moved with you to Athens had that not been so.'
'I do not know how people live in Athens with such high rents,' Thanasis says. 'If it was not for Papous renting out his taverna and coming to Athens so I could live with him I could not have survived on the wage I was paid.' He looks first at Juliet and then Mitsos.
'I always thought renting here in Greece was cheap,' Juliet interjects.
'Depends on your wage, and where you live.' Thanasis shrugs and Vasso pours Juliet some more wine. 'But will someone please tell me what is going on?'
'Okay.' Vasso taps her glass with her fork to get everyone’s attention. 'So, Stamatis increased the rent on his taverna and the lease on the taverna Spiros and I had in Saros has come up for renewal. So…'
'So Vasso phoned me,' Stamatis takes over. 'And made the suggestion–'
'–that they come down here and open a taverna together!' Vasso finishes with triumph.
Thanasis looks from Vasso to Stamatis as this news sinks in. Grinning, he throws his head back, arms in the air, and looking up at the sky he mutters words of thanks to the stars. With one arm dropping behind Stamatis and one behind Vasso he rocks forward and pulls them both towards him in one huge embrace. 'Is it true?' he asks, his joy evident. 'Is it? Shall we all be together?'
'Yes.' Vasso's eyes shine as she looks into his face. 'We can be together, and you will both have work.'
'And Stamatis will live with us?'
'Of course!'
'Oh, this is wonderful,' Juliet adds.
'This is how it should be,' Stella informs anyone who cares to listen.
'Bravo!' Mitsos raises his glass to Stamatis, Stamatis lifts his in return, and then everyone is lifting theirs too.
'Yamas!' they cry into the stillness of the village, and somewhere high in the hills a dog answers.
Vasso looks up into the night sky, at the stars that appear endless and without nu
mber. As she stares, she notices one that is moving, glinting in the bright moonlight. Perhaps it’s an aeroplane. As she watches, she wonders what it must be like, travelling so high and at such a great speed; and as she ponders this, she decides that life moves fast enough with her feet on the ground, and the truth is that she has no wish to go anywhere.
Also by Sara Alexi
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About Sara Alexi
Sara Alexi divides her time between England and a small village in Greece. She is working on her next novel in the Greek Village Series, to be released soon!
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PUBLISHED BY:
Oneiro Press
The Rush Cutter’s Legacy
Copyright © 2015 by Sara Alexi
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.