Authors: Denise Kahn
“Yes, indeed. But now, listen very carefully. I have left instructions for the women. They know exactly what to do.”
“We will follow your instructions.”
“Good. Hanna must stay in bed for five days. She must move very little. After that she will need time to heal and she must rest. Also, I am going to give you some pills to prevent any infection.”
“We will do as you say. I am in your debt,” Badr said. “I owe you, Doctor.”
“I am glad I could help. Remember, your wife must stay in bed and then rest for seven more days.” Ali thought she could use a little vacation time as well. “Do not let her do any heavy work. Now I must go back, I have other patients waiting for me.”
“Of course, messenger of Allah the Merciful, my men will escort you. May you ride with the wind at your back and the stars in your heart.” The men shook hands and Ali mounted the Arabian stallion.
♫
CHAPTER 14
When Ali arrived back in Alexandria he went straight to the hospital and headed for Dr. Simeon’s office.
“Ah, Ali, so nice to have you back. I trust the desert was eventful,” Simeon said.
“Always interesting, sometimes more than others,” Ali said, thinking of Hanna.
“We are having some people over for dinner tonight, important people from the community. Please join us, it would be good exposure for you.”
“It will be a pleasure, as always, Doctor.”
“Good. It is settled then, we will see you this evening.”
A dozen people were gathered around the dining room table. Among them, Sela, Valentina, Simeon, Ali and other prominent guests.
“Uncle Ali, what did you do in the desert?” Valentina asked.
“I went to help. Doctor work, you know.”
“Just like Granddaddy!” She exclaimed.
“Yes, beautiful one, like your Granddaddy.”
“Was it exciting?”
“Well, it’s always exciting when you help people, especially when they feel better. But there was something even more exciting!”
“Really? What?” She asked, her eyes growing bigger.
“I rode a beautiful Arabian stallion.”
“Oh! I want to do that too!”
“Well, maybe one day we will.”
“Oh, yes, please. Will it be soon?”
“As soon as possible. Of course we will have to ask your Mommy’s permission,” Ali said, looking at Sela.
Sela was sitting next to a distinguished man, English, Ali presumed. He also noticed that the man was holding her hand in his and looking at her with an air of proprietorship. Ali lowered his eyes, disgusted. It took all of his willpower not to go up to the man and punch him in the face. Why can’t she see his feelings for her? “I think that would be lovely,” Sela said. “It sounds like a lot of fun. You two will have a great time.”
Valentina clapped, overjoyed at the upcoming outing with her Godfather.
Why can’t
we
two have a great time, Ali thought. “Could I speak to you for a moment, Sela?” He asked her.
“Of course. Come, let’s go outside.”
Sela whispered something in the Englishman’s ear. He squeezed her hand and Sela headed outside. Ali followed her and she led him to the shed outside the villa. He closed the door behind her, giving them complete privacy. Ali stood directly in front of her. He suddenly grabbed her and kissed her hard on the lips. She roughly pushed him back.
“Ali! What the hell has gotten into you?”
“Am I not as good as that bastard?” He flared. “You prefer him to me? How could you do this to me? Don’t you know how much I have longed for you? How much I have loved you?” Ali screamed, furious, with all the pent up emotions suppressed through the years, his fury rising more and more with each moment. He shoved her across the little room. She landed hard on the wall and slumped to the floor. He stared at her and then fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands. He cried like never before, not even as a child. “How could you? How could you break my heart like that? How could you have slept with that man when all I want is to give you everything—my love, my heart, everything!” He whimpered. He raised his head and looked at her, the tears flowing down his face. “How could I have reacted like that and hurt you, you who I adore? Why are you doing this?” He sobbed and couldn’t seem to stop. The joy had gone out of his life. Sela picked herself up and knelt next to him. She put her arm around his shoulder. She of course knew what he was talking about, always had. She gently lifted his face toward her. He twisted away.
“Listen to me, Ali. I love you, very, very much, but the not the way you want me to. I can’t. Please understand. The Englishman is just a lover. I don’t love him, not him or any of the others, and I’ve had my share of lovers over the years. They are just a pastime, a decoration on my arm, a passing fling. Ivan was the only man I ever truly loved, with all my heart and soul. I could never love anyone like that ever again.” Ali looked at her. She took his hands. “You and I could make love, and I’m sure you would be a marvelous lover and I have no doubt that it would be phantasmagorical. But then we would be different, we would have different feelings for each other and I would lose you and I couldn’t bear that. And it would be most unfair to you, because I
do
know how much you love me, and I would hurt you because I cannot love you back in the same way. We would lose each other, we would lose our friendship and that is not an option, it is too important to me.” She looked into his eyes. “Do you understand me?” Ali nodded, deflated, yet comprehending. She was right. What they had was too precious. Sela hugged him and they wept together, feeling their losses and appreciating the special relationship they would always have.
Sela went on tour but never went back to St. Petersburg. She doted on her daughter, played the piano, smoked, didn’t gamble anymore other than the occasional game of poker for fun and only with men. The years passed. Valentina grew up, Ali married a local girl, Fatma, and they had two sons. He did love her and she was a good wife and mother to their children, but he knew in his heart that he would never love a woman as much as he had loved Sela.
♫
CHAPTER 15
Simeon looked at the people gathered around the dining room. He stood. He had their attention. Sela and Valentina, Ali and his family and the servants that had been with the household for years were all present. It was time for his announcement. “The years here have been good to me, and to my family as well, but it is time to leave. In our hearts we are Egyptians, but in our souls we are Greek. We must leave this wonderful country we have called home for so long. Some of the best years of my life were spent right here in glorious Alexandria. I am thankful and grateful. I am announcing tonight that I am retiring and going back to my homeland of Greece.” The servants gasped, some covered their mouths and others started to cry. They had served the family for years. They had known Simeon’s wife, mourned her, watched Sela grow and blossom, loved Valentina and considered them part of their own lives. They were in shock. They were losing them and probably their jobs as well. “Maybe I will paint, or just drink ouzo and eat
mezedes
on an island,” Simeon continued. He turned to Ali. “You have been like a son to me, a bright light in our lives.” He looked at the others around the table and rubbed his beard. “I am proud to announce that Doctor Ali will be taking over my duties as director of the hospital. I know that I am leaving the responsibility in very capable hands.”
“That is wonderful, Ali!” Sela exclaimed. “Congratulations! You deserve it.”
“Every ending is a new beginning,” Simeon continued, “this villa we have called home will continue its life. You, who have been so faithful and loving to all of us here, who are only what I can call family, will continue on if you so wish. I am leaving it to Ali and his family. I know he loves this house and all of you as much as I do.” Simeon looked at the people around him. He made sure their lives were secure. He went to each one of his faithful servants and hugged them. He winked at Valentina and she hurried to another room and came back with a bag which she gave to her grandfather. He took out several envelopes and presented them to the servants. They contained money, a year’s wages for each of them. “I thank you for all you have done for me and for my ladies, through the good times and through the rough ones. You were always there and I will never forget your support and most of all your love. Thank you.” Simeon raised his glass to all of them and drank. “And now, time for celebration. Sela, would you play for us?”
“Of course, Daddy, I’d love to.” Sela went to the piano and started the festivity. Valentina, now eleven years old, followed her mother and caressed the vase. She started to sing, accompanied by the great pianist.
“Hey, you have a great voice!” Sela exclaimed, delightfully surprised.
“Oh, you’re just saying that.”
“I never joke about music. Do you like singing?”
“More than anything else in the world.”
“Well, then its time to get serious. What do you think? Are you interested?”
“Oh, yes! I want to be the best singer in the world.”
“It’s settled then. As soon as we get to Athens you will start lessons, but it will be a lot of work and great dedication. Are you up to it?” Valentina nodded, very sure of herself. Sela knew her daughter’s voice could be developed. The young girl had a magnificent voice—it was a gift, but would she have the will and the drive for this most demanding of careers? Sela wondered and knew that only time would tell.
♫
20
th
CENTURY
WWI
CHAPTER 16
The boy stood at the tallest point of his native island of Oniraki, on the western side of mainland Greece. Young Nico marveled at how he could see all around the island. It was surrounded by the cerulean sea where the waves were the stage for the dolphins dancing in their natural habitat. He loved watching them frolic about, and as he followed them with his eyes he saw the ships in the harbor far below. His parents were there, inaugurating their latest acquisition, the newest of the many vessels his family owned. The entire fleet was present, tied side-by-side, as they launched the new schooner. Nico was a happy child. He knew how much his parents loved him. He enjoyed school and his friends, and was proud of his family’s achievements and heritage.
He stared at the beauty surrounding him: the island, the sea, the harbor, the fleet confirming his family’s wealth and grandeur, and the people celebrating. But wait, something wasn’t quite right. At first Nico didn’t understand. Was it a fire? And then there was an explosion, and to his horror he realized it was right in the middle of the celebration. He held his breath and felt his heart stop.
“No!” Nico screamed. “Mother, Father!” He took off running and didn’t stop until he was close to the port. He was out of breath, his sides hurt, his heart pounded faster than it ever had, and he was sure his lungs were on fire. His heartbeat throbbed at his temples; the sweat beaded on his face and trickled down his back. The muscles in his legs burned, and he pushed the pain in his side with his hand in order to keep going. He had to find his parents.
Because the ships in the port were tied side by side they were now all aflame, and not only his father’s. There were more explosions, entire pieces of vessels hurtled in the air and then came crashing down. People were killed, dozens floated grotesquely in the water. It was complete chaos. He tried to find his mother and father, he asked everyone he encountered if they had seen them, but no one knew or hardly even listened. They were dealing with the devastation and trying to save their own lives from the wrath of the fires and explosions. He saw people burning alive, running in frenzied zigzags like crazy marionettes and then collapsing in charred heaps. Nico felt the bile rise in his throat and his chest constricted as the ghastly events unfolded in front of him. He searched through the dense smoke for a way to board one of the ships so that he could find his parents, but he was too late. It was too late for any of the people that had been in that area of the port. The inferno ravaged the harbor where the once proud and sleek vessels were no more that a large mass of burning wood. Nico saw more floating bodies and then his heart and breath suddenly stopped as he realized that his parents were among the corpses.
“Look! It’s the Malandros boy!” A man in the panicked crowd screamed. “This is your father’s fault!” Another raged. A cold sheet of fear spread itself inside the boy’s body and Nico shrank into himself, feeling lost and very frightened. What did they mean? Why was it his father’s fault? Others came toward him. He saw the hatred in their eyes and immediately understood their intentions. He stepped back cautiously, knew he had to get away, when suddenly his head exploded as he was hit from behind. Nico blacked out.
The forceful throbbing inside Nico’s skull woke him up. He held his head in his hands and slowly opened his eyes. He squinted from the light and the pain, and tried to understand where he was. The smell assaulted him. He looked around and then screamed and vomited uncontrollably. He was squeezed in between dead and burned bodies, while rats and innumerable insects, all vying for a piece of this feast, scampered and crawled over and through the cadavers. He pushed the still hot pieces of bodies he was pinned under as he tried to stand up, but he kept slipping on his vomit. With what seemed the last ounce of energy remaining in his horrified soul, Nico made his way out of the labyrinth of monstrous forms, scrambled out of the mass grave, and ran to the sea. He washed off the stench, blood and charred skin, but the sickly-sweet odor wouldn’t leave. Nico fell on the beach and scoured himself with sand as if it was soap. He did this several times until his own skin glowed red and stung like a thousand insect bites. He went back into the sea and washed himself over and over again. The water cooled the rawness and cleared his mind. The pain moved to his heart as Nico remembered the events of the last few hours. He had nowhere to go, no one to turn to. If they knew he was still alive he was sure the maddened crowds would try to kill him again. He had to get away; he had to leave his beloved island. He came out of the water and sat on the beach with his legs between his arms and his chin on his knees. He stared at the island he grew up on, the circular land surrounded by water slowly darkening by the fading sun. He remembered his distinguished father, his charming mother, a countess from Italy, the lovely mansion they lived in, and his beloved French nanny. Sylvie! Surely
she
wouldn’t want him dead. Nico jumped up with the first ray of hope entering his body since the horrific events had taken place. He headed toward his home, being very careful that no one should see him. He stayed off any roads, ran through olive groves, crossed creeks and kept away from open areas. By the time he arrived at the house his tattered clothes were dry. He silently entered through the back door and searched for Sylvie. He found the older woman sitting at the kitchen table weeping.
“Sylvie,” he whispered. She screamed, startled, practically falling off her chair.
“
Oh, mon Dieu
, you’re alive!” She grabbed him and engulfed him in her large body.
“Just barely. They hit me on the head and left me for dead.” Nico swallowed hard as he remembered where he woke up.
“It is not safe for you here.”
“I know. I must leave.”
“Where would you go?”
“I don’t know, but no one here will help me. Everyone is very angry because of what happened at the port.”
“Yes, I know,” she said gloomily, “although I can’t understand why. Why would your parents destroy their own fleet? That’s so ridiculous!”
“What about Mikis? He is my best buddy, and our parents were friends for years.”
“No, they won’t help either. They can’t. I overheard the villagers threatening anyone who had anything to do with your family.” Sylvie started to cry. “Oh, I’m so sorry, this is so unfair.”
“It’s alright, Sylvie, I’ll leave the island and go to the mainland, to a large city.”
“But you are only fifteen!”
“I’ll be fine. I’m old enough. I’ll be sixteen soon. But what about you? Do you have any money? Is there anywhere you can go? Surely this must be dangerous for you as well.”
“You’re father was very generous. I’ve put some money away, for an emergency…” She started to cry again. “I never imagined…”
Nico hugged the woman that had been with him since he was a child. “Listen, Sylvie, I’m going to be all right and as soon as I’m settled I will send for you. Better yet, why don’t you come with me?”
“
Oh, non, mon petit
, my age would not permit such a thing. I will go back to France, to my family. I will manage. But you, do you have any money?” Nico looked down at the floor and shook his head. Sylvie got up and went to her room. She came back with a little wad of bills. “Here, take this. I’m sorry it’s not very much but it should get you to your destination.” She put it in his hand and kissed it. “I will miss you very much,” she said crying.
“
Moi aussi
. I will miss you too and I won’t forget this. I’ll pay you back, I promise.”
“I don’t want it, besides, you have given me your love. That is payment enough. You will always be with me in my heart and in my prayers.” Nico hugged this woman he adored, the only family he now had left. He didn’t want to leave her but he knew that both their lives were in danger. As strong and grown up as Nico tried to be, he couldn’t stop the tears from running down his face. He went to his room, grabbed a shirt, pants, and a frame with a photograph of his parents standing behind him. Sylvie was in the picture as well. He put everything in a canvas bag and ran back to the kitchen. She had packed a large loaf of bread, olives, a block of feta cheese, some oranges and a gourd full of water.
“Take this with you for your journey.” Nico nodded and put the supplies in the bag containing his clothes and the picture frame.
“I must leave now and I
will
send for you, I promise!” He said, hugging her.
Nico left the only home he had ever known. Sylvie followed him through the haze from the tears in her eyes. She believed deep in her heart that she would never again see the little boy she helped raise, and who spoke French as fluently as any Frenchman. “
Adieu, mon petit,
be safe,” she whispered.
Nico stayed hidden among the olive trees until the moon disappeared behind the clouds. He slowly made his way back down to the port and saw what he needed. He untied an old battered rowboat, silently climbed in with his bag, and gently pushed off. The sea was calm, and as he rowed away he watched the lights on the island get farther and farther away. He knew he would never again attend the private school or see any of his friends and teachers. Would he ever go back to his island of Oniraki, Little Dream? He wondered bitterly. They had blamed his parents for the devastation, for the deaths of so many of their fellow islanders, people they had been friends with since forever. They were wrong. Nico was absolutely sure of that and he swore he would get to the bottom of this. And now he had no parents, no siblings and no other relatives. All he had was enough to get him to Athens: A strong will, a quick mind and a little money in his pocket.
Nico rowed all night and reached the shores of the mainland. His arms ached horribly, and he thought a million ants were stabbing his back. He crawled out of the boat and painfully pulled it ashore. He slumped down on the sand. It was still dark and he fell asleep exhausted. But he didn’t sleep for long as the sun slowly crept out of its nocturnal hiding place and its warmth caressed his young face. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. It was early and no one was about. He ate only an orange, not knowing how long his food stash would last him. Nico then headed toward the village he had seen from the beach. In the main square of the still sleeping village he spotted a lone two-horse cart with enclosed wooden sides and roof. He heard goats bleating inside while two men chatted next to the horses in front of a small grocery store.
“Have a good trip. Have fun in Athens!” One of them said.
“I intend to. I just need to get some wine for the trip.” The other man replied, going into the store.
Athens! Nico saw his opportunity and quickly untied the rope holding the doors together in the back of the cart. He entered quietly, closed the doors behind him, retied the rope, and crouched behind the wall of the front. Through the slats of wood he saw the man exiting the store and climb onto the driver’s bench behind the horses. He shouted a command and they took off. Nico took in his surroundings. The goats were chewing and staring at him. Next to him a mother was feeding her kid. He smiled for the first time since the accident and relaxed. He positioned himself against the wall and promptly fell into a deep sleep.
Nico felt something rough against his cheek. He opened his eyes and almost screamed. The mother goat was licking his face. At first he was scared, and then he realized that she probably thought Nico was one of her kids. Nico pet her and then gently took one of her teats and drank heartily. “Thank you, mama goat,” he whispered. He thought of his own mother, of the great man his father had been, of the devastation of the last twenty-four hours and of his life on Oniraki. That was all in the past now and Nico knew he had to go forward. I will succeed, he swore to himself, I will!
Six days later they arrived in Athens. They stopped in the heart of the city, in Omonia Square. The man jumped off the bench and went into a store. Nico pet the goats that had been his companions for the past few days, kissed ‘mama goat’ and quickly got out of the cart. One thing he had learned for sure: He would be able to smell a goat a mile away, and would never eat their meat again.
He walked up a boulevard and noticed a shop filled with books. It was the largest bookstore he had ever seen in his life and he was fascinated. He looked at his reflection in the glass window. He remembered his upbringing; the way his lovely mother shopped the best European clothes for him, the education his parents provided, the sumptuous dinners and the prominent invited guests that had been a normal occurrence. Seeing himself in the window he grimaced at a beat up scarecrow wearing rags. His face was at the top of his almost unrecognizable self. He wondered what life had in store for him. His eyes filled with tears, but he was not one to give up so easily and he had an idea. He turned into a secluded alley, took off the filthy clothes he had been wearing since the fire, put on the clean ones from his satchel, combed his hair with his fingers, spat in his hands and ‘washed’ his face. He shoved his dirty garments and his bag into a corner in the alley and walked back to the store.
Nico stepped inside apprehensively, almost afraid that he was not allowed to be there, but no one said anything or seemed to notice. He stood in the middle of the store, motionless until he realized that something was pulling at him, like invisible hands. But there wasn’t anyone near him, and then he understood—it was the aroma of the books.
They
were the ones pulling him. He looked around and lovingly touched some of the works. They had a personality, a heart, a soul all their own, great wisdom and knowledge. At that very moment young Nico was flooded with emotion. For a few seconds he forgot the devastation at Oniraki, the explosions, his parents among the dead floating bodies, the suffocating stench of the mass grave of rotting cadavers and the beasts of all sizes feasting on them. He knew he had found the path to what would be a lifelong passion and his destiny. He stood for a few minutes staring, and then decided his life would be surrounded by books. Nico boldly went up to the manager, making himself taller, with as much maturity as an adult, or so he thought, and spoke to the portly man in the corner (who had been staring at him the entire time).