The House by the River

by Lena Manta

  “She has a family?”

  “No, she was planted like seed. Of course she has! Four sisters.”

  “Oh, I didn’t expect that. So why doesn’t she have a relationship with any of them?”

  “That’s another issue. For months now, I’ve been trying to make her feel an emotion of some sort, and today, when she finally and unexpectedly behaves in a human way you rudely sent her away. Ah, Stathis!”

  “It’s the child I want to protect.”

  “The child is in no danger from Xenia. Please—I understand how much what happened to Leonidas upset you.”

  “That’s not the only thing that upsets me. It frightened me the way that creature reacted. Or rather didn’t react.”

  “Yes, but people change.”

  “And she’s changed?”

  “She’s begun to change. There’s already a small crack in her armor and it’ll soon be shattered. So long as she doesn’t meet someone unsuitable. Not now, at least.”

  Fate has its own plans for people, and they aren’t always the best ones.

  Petros Glinos had only been back a month from his long vacation in Paris. He had been bored to death there, just as he was in Athens before he left. He could have had a career as a model or even an actor, but the enormous fortune he’d inherited prohibited him from discovering an interest in any sort of work. His father tried in vain to persuade him to occupy himself in the family business. Imports were burgeoning and Mr. Glinos was getting old and tired, but Petros showed no interest in taking over. He occasionally showed up at their luxurious office, worked for a few weeks, and then, when he got bored, he would disappear for months, leaving his father bitter. The elder Glinos and his wife both asked themselves what mistake they had made in raising their son that he was so uninterested in everything. He was very handsome, but that permanently aloof manner of his kept everyone at a distance, even his parents. From time to time they heard of his multiple successes with women—his indifference seemed to provoke their interest—but Petros quickly tired of them and soon left them inconsolable.

  Polyxeni met Petros at a party and was immediately attracted to him. It wasn’t just his appearance but more his demeanor that caught her eye. There was also something else about him that was completely unexpected but hard to define. When they were introduced, Petros already knew who she was. He had seen her recently in an Italian film and really liked her. Up close, she was even more beautiful, and the look in her eyes clearly conveyed that she was available and interested, but also very independent and strong. This last quality intrigued Petros even more. He was tired of women who always tried to tie him down. When he kissed her hand, he gave her a meaningful look.

  “So, I see tonight is my lucky night,” he said.

  His voice was deep and velvety and matched his appearance perfectly. “Why do you say that?” she asked, smiling.

  “Because when I was invited, I never imagined that I’d meet you here. I just saw your latest film a few days ago and it made a tremendous impression on me because of you. You were . . . dazzling!”

  Polyxeni smiled at him again. “Thank you for your kind words. Apart from being dazzling, was I also good in my role?”

  “Your beauty didn’t allow me to pay attention to anything else—I’m sorry.”

  Petros suggested a dance and she followed him onto the floor. In his arms, Polyxeni felt her heart pounding. The intoxicating scent of his cologne was making her crazy and she had great difficulty preventing herself from resting her lips on his neck. His hand, resting on the small of her back, sent little flames throughout her body. His breath softly caressed her ear in the same way she wanted his hands to stroke her body. She was almost disappointed when the music stopped, but holding her by the hand, Petros led her to the verandah. The lights of Athens looked like a film set.

  The young man took out a cigarette case and offered her a cigarette, but Polyxeni refused.

  “I don’t smoke,” she said softly.

  “Now that’s something I didn’t expect.”

  “Why?”

  “These days, smoking for women seems to be nearly synonymous with their femininity. And you being an actress . . .”

  “Don’t believe everything you hear about women in the theater. The world imagines us as daring creatures—provocative, without any moral principles.”

  “And aren’t you?”

  “No. At least not all of us are. We work very hard and most of us don’t have time for a personal life.”

  “You’re painting a very tragic picture. It can’t be that bad. You, for example, are young, beautiful, and famous.”

  “Fame isn’t always good. You lose a lot of your freedom when you know that someone is following you even in your private moments.”

  “Why did you become an actress, Xenia?”

  “Because I’ve loved acting since I was a child. I caught, as they say, ‘the acting bug.’”

  “And are you happy with your choice?”

  “‘Happy’ is a very strong term. And you? What do you do with your life?”

  “I have a good time.”

  “Just that?”

  “For me, that’s what’s important,” Petros answered.

  “And how do you manage to always have a good time?”

  “Come with me and I’ll show you,” he suggested.

  “Are you in a hurry, or am I imagining it?”

  “Oh, don’t tell me you’re going to make this difficult,” Petros said impatiently.

  “Maybe I am. It seems that you didn’t take what I told you seriously and you continue to believe what you’ve heard about actresses. When you change your mind, we’ll talk again.”

  Polyxeni gave him a friendly but dismissive smile, then returned to the party inside. She felt as if she was suffocating among all the people, so she said her good-byes to the host and hostess and went home. If Petros Glinos thought she’d go to bed with him to liven up a boring evening, he was deceived. An alarm inside her warned her to stay far away from the dangerous charm of this man, especially after he made it clear that he was ready for an affair and nothing more. For some time Polyxeni had been aware that she wanted something permanent, something stable and meaningful. The affair with Giovanni had tempted her. She wanted something in her life that would absorb her completely. The years were passing and she wasn’t getting any younger. Perhaps it was time for her too to start a family. Unconsciously she touched the place on her hand where Vassiliki had kissed her. A child—why not?

  She poured herself a drink and drank it down in one gulp. She hardly ever drank, so the alcohol quickly dulled her brain and made her whole body begin to feel numb. She lay down on her bed and immediately fell asleep.

  The next evening a bouquet of flowers arrived at her dressing room. The accompanying card had only two words written on it: I’m sorry. So, Petros Glinos was still interested. When she got on stage, she only had to glance out at the audience to see that he was sitting in the front row. The strange effect this had on her made her uneasy; she didn’t like losing her composure at all.

  After the performance, she expected him to come find her, but Petros was nowhere to be seen. She went home, ready to cry. What had she done wrong? After the bouquet with his apology, she thought he would want the two of them to go out. Why had he come to see her if he didn’t want their evening to continue? She escaped, again, with alcohol. She needed its warmth and the sleep that she knew was unlikely to come without it.

  For a whole week, Polyxeni didn’t see Petros at all. However much she searched the theater during the performance, however much she looked for him afterward, he was nowhere to be found. Every night she returned to her empty house, where her only company was melancholy and a bottle of whiskey.

  When she finally ran into him one night waiting for her outside in his car, she thought her imagination was playing strange tricks on her. He got out of the car and opened the passenger door for her. With only the slightest hesitation, Polyxeni slid into the seat. They
set off at a fast pace into the dark streets. They didn’t speak; she didn’t ask him anything, even where they were going. It didn’t bother her. It was enough for her that she was finally beside him, that she was breathing in his scent. She was surprised when she saw him stop in front of a hotel on the beach, but she still didn’t say anything. When he led her inside through a secret entrance so she wouldn’t be recognized at reception, she felt relief, but also a sense of humiliation that threatened to bring tears to her eyes.

  When they reached their luxurious room, Petros poured himself a drink and half reclined on the bed. Standing a little distance away, she looked at him without any expression.

  “What have we come here to do?” she asked.

  “Sweetheart, even though I shouldn’t believe everything I hear about actresses, don’t tell me you’re so naive that you don’t know what a man and a woman do in a hotel with such a big bed.”

  “I didn’t expect this of you,” Polyxeni retorted disdainfully.

  “Xenia, skip the melodrama, at least with me. We’re big kids now. I want you and I know you want me. So instead of playing at hiding, let’s get on with the main course that I know we’re both impatient for. You’re no naive little girl, nor am I an inexperienced young man who trembles at the sight of his beloved and doesn’t dare touch even her hand.”

  “From there to where we are, there is a middle way!” Polyxeni was now so annoyed that she shouted at him.

  “Which doesn’t interest me. When I lose time, I’m bored and it’s not worth it. I like you a lot, I want you, and because you’re an experienced woman, you don’t need the fairy tales I usually use for the others. At least you can admire my honesty.”

  “You’re crude, when you get down to it.”

  “I’m sorry you see it like that. But I have to tell you that I get tired of things quickly and you’ve already bored me. So, my love, either get undressed and we’ll have a good time, or leave. I won’t be annoyed with you but you can be sure I won’t bother with you again either. You’re not the only woman on earth.”

  For Polyxeni, it was as if he’d slapped her. Her sense of reason told her to leave immediately. But the whole past week that she had spent embracing a bottle came into her mind. She thought of the complete silence of her house, and she knew she couldn’t bear it. She watched Petros taking a sip from his drink and loosening his tie at the same time. She fixed her eyes on him. Her hands began automatically unbuttoning her coat, which she let fall to the floor. Still watching him, she continued with the rest of her clothes until she was naked under his gaze, which had already darkened with desire. She heard him breathing more deeply and was rewarded by a little satisfaction. So the gentleman wasn’t as cold as he wanted to appear.

  She approached the bed, took the glass from his hand, and finished the drink. He hadn’t even touched her but she felt herself melting as she’d done in Rome, in Giovanni’s hands. Petros reached out his hands and pulled her onto the bed while his lips covered hers. Polyxeni groaned loudly when they descended to her neck and he let out a small laugh.

  “I knew I was dealing with a volcano,” he whispered to her. “Now, let’s see how strong the eruption will be.”

  What followed was unlike anything Polyxeni had ever known. She shattered. Like glass, her body became a million pieces scattered all over the room. A thousand times she thought she had died and as many times she was sure she’d been resurrected. Every touch from Petros shot her into the sky, his every kiss made her sob. Her nails dug into his back. She scratched him all over. She heard him shout her name and at that final moment Polyxeni’s cry brought his release.

  Petros, who’d left her out of breath and nearly fainting, slid in beside her, as he too struggled to catch his breath. In the complete quiet of the room, sounds were distorted. Polyxeni stared at the ceiling, her eyes wide open, and tears welled up from the bottom of her soul. So love could be like this! Now she understood Martha completely. Petros was the man of her life and however strangely this story had begun, it must never end. Otherwise she herself would die.

  Petros sat up now and looked at her. “Why are you crying?” he asked quietly.

  “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand,” she said as she went to get up.

  Petros stopped her. “Don’t leave. I owe you an apology.”

  “Better skip it. Last time you gave your apology in writing, and this humiliation followed it. What could be next?”

  “Do you call what we experienced humiliation?”

  “I’m talking about the way we got here. And now? What do you want to happen from here on?”

  Her voice sounded steady but inside she was trembling as she waited for his response. She wanted this man and she would win him—otherwise she’d lose herself.

  Petros looked at her hard before he kissed her. Again she felt herself dissolving. Again she lost control.

  Martha looked at Polyxeni inquiringly before she smiled. It had been almost a month since she’d seen her friend, in spite of all the telephone messages she’d left for her. When Polyxeni had finally arrived that afternoon, she was disappointed to discover that Vassiliki wasn’t there. She had bought new clothes for the girl’s beloved doll and she was in a hurry to see the child’s smile, but Vassiliki had gone out with her father.

  “Will she be long?” Polyxeni asked Martha.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll catch her. But first, I want the truth.”

  “About what?”

  “Enough of that innocent expression! Tell me. What’s happening in your life that makes you glow?”

  “Martha, I’m in love,” Polyxeni confessed.

  Her friend looked at her with her mouth open. “It’s not possible,” Martha murmured, at a loss.

  “I said the same thing myself, but it’s true. It’s the first time I’ve felt like this. Now everything that you told me about love makes sense. He’s perfect. He’s the man I’ve waited for all my life.”

  “Good Lord! One thing at a time, my girl, because I’m dizzy. For a start, who is he?”

  “His name is Petros Glinos.”

  “How would I know him? What does he do? What’s he like? Does he love you?”

  Polyxeni looked down when she heard the last question and Martha grew serious.

  “What’s going on, Xenia? Why don’t you answer me? Does he love you?”

  “I don’t know. That’s the truth.”

  “I don’t believe you. There are things that a woman’s instincts tell her before she ever hears them from the lips of her lover.”

  “Neither instinct nor reason have remained standing, Martha.”

  “A classic case of love of the heavy variety. Is he good to you, at least?”

  “I can’t even tell you that. The only thing I can ever think about is being with him.”

  “You’re not telling me everything straight.”

  “I’m telling you how things are. Martha, he takes me in his arms and I melt. When I’m away from him I can’t breathe. When he looks at me I feel twenty years old again. My heart feels as if it’s breaking, I cry when we’re making love. Do you believe it?”

  “Hold on, Xenia, because I’m beginning to worry. You . . . all that’s fine, but what about him? What does he do?”

  “You mean aside from waiting for me outside the theater every night?”

  “I can’t believe the reporters haven’t caught on to this.”

  “Ah. We don’t go out much.”

  “So where do you go?”

  “To a hotel near the beach.”

  Martha was silent for a moment. “All this time together and he takes you to a hotel? That’s not very flattering toward you, Xenia. If anyone found out . . .”

  “But he doesn’t like publicity.”

  “Yes, but I don’t think that if you went out to eat, for example, anyone would be shocked. I don’t want to spoil this for you, but be a little careful, Xenia. Don’t surrender yourself unless you’re sure that he feels the same as you do. H
ave a little backbone!”

  “I’m afraid, Martha!”

  “What are you afraid of?”

  “That I’ll lose him. I can’t bear to lose Petros. Don’t you understand?”

  Their conversation came to an end as Stathis and Vassiliki arrived back home. As soon as she saw Xenia, the child let out a happy cry and ran into her arms.

  “Auntie Xenia!” she shouted. “When did you come? Why didn’t you tell me, Mama, that Auntie was coming? I wouldn’t have gone out—I would have waited for her!”

  “There wasn’t any reason for you to miss your outing,” Polyxeni answered tenderly. “I waited for you. I brought you a present.”

  Vassiliki opened her eyes wide at the sight of the little wooden trunk full of clothes for her favorite doll. With hands that trembled a little she touched her new treasure and then wrapped her arms around Polyxeni’s neck, kissing her tenderly on the cheek.

  “Thank you, Aunt Xenia! Everything is so beautiful. My Evalina will go crazy, she’ll be so happy.”

  While Polyxeni was busy with the child, Stathis, irritated by the young woman’s presence, stared hard at Martha. His wife looked worried, which only further provoked his anger over the visit. Who knew what trouble Xenia got into this time? He made up his mind to sort things out with Martha. This time he wouldn’t lift a finger to help her friend. He waited patiently for Xenia to leave, and only when his daughter went to try the new clothes on her doll did he open up the discussion.

  “So, will you tell me what happened while we were gone?”

  “What do you mean?” Martha asked, pretending to arrange some flowers in a vase.

  Stathis went up to her and took her hands. “My dear, for years you’ve known that you can’t hide anything from me. As soon as I saw your eyes I knew there was a storm going on inside you, and I’m talking about a real hurricane this time. Tell me.”