No Longer Needed

by Brenda Grate

  “Welcome to Greece, beautiful lady.”

  “Thanks,” Jen muttered and stomped up the stairs behind Emma.

  Chapter 24

  “What kind of a shitty room is this?” Jen said.

  “It’s the best I could do online from Canada,” Emma shot back. “I was trying to be economical, so I didn’t book a five-star hotel. I thought you’d be able to handle a cheaper hotel.”

  Jen swung her arm dramatically around the tiny room. “This isn’t just cheap. It’s a hostel. There isn’t even a washroom.” Disgust twisted her face. “I don’t share a washroom with other people.”

  Emma crossed her arms. “Well, it looks like we’ll have to. Deal with it.” She pushed Jen out her door, handed her the key to her own room and closed the door in her face.

  Emma slumped onto the bed and stared around the room. She really wasn’t any good at this travel thing. She’d booked them a hostel without even realizing it. The man had been friendly enough, but she understood how Jen felt. The room had barely enough room to turn around in. There was a double bed with a sheet and a thin blanket.

  I guess you don’t need blankets here in the spring.

  A utilitarian-style sink was attached to the wall in the corner of the room with a mirror and a bare bulb over it. A garbage can sat beneath that, the extent of the toiletries station.

  A simple desk and chair along the wall opposite the bed left about a foot of room between the footboard and the chair. A large wardrobe sat beside the bed leaving about a half foot of space to move on that side.

  On the same wall as the headboard, a sliding glass door led to a large balcony, which Emma felt sure was larger than the room itself.

  After a short rest, Emma changed into shorts and a tanktop. She stepped onto the balcony, into the blanket of heat and took a deep breath.

  “Hi.”

  Jen peeked around the barrier from the adjoining balcony.

  “Sorry for being a bitch earlier,” Jen said. “The room is fine, comfortable actually, and the air conditioner works great.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Sure, it’s small, but it’s clean and very economical. Plus, I really like the owner. I don’t plan on spending a lot of time in the room, anyway. I want to explore.”

  Jen gave her a cheeky grin. “Did you see it?”

  “See what?”

  “Lean over your balcony railing a bit and look to the right.”

  Emma approached the edge. It didn’t look safe and they were a long way up. She clutched the railing and turned to her right.

  The Acropolis sat on top of a plateau above the city, like a wise old sage that had seen everything come and go and come again. The ancient columns soared toward the sky, their whiteness stark against the blue of the late afternoon sky. Emma blinked and rubbed her eyes. She had a hard time believing it was real and that she stood looking at something that had been there for centuries.

  Scaffolding had been erected around many parts of the site. The Greeks were making sure one of their national treasures would last. Emma blinked, tears filling her eyes.

  It’s a dream come true.

  “Isn’t it great?” Jen crowed. “Wow, The Acropolis. I’m so glad I came. Can we go tour it tomorrow, Mom?”

  That’s the second time she’s called me Mom today. She hasn’t called me Mom since she was ten.

  An hour and a half later, after they’d had time to change and freshen up from the long flight, they met in the hall outside their rooms to go for dinner.

  “Where do you think we should eat?” Jen asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m as new to Athens as you are,” Emma said with a smile.

  Jen grinned. “Let’s explore!”

  Emma grabbed Jen’s hand and pulled her toward the stairs, only too happy to accommodate her daughter.

  They reached the bottom of the stairs and Yanni called out, “Viva Canada!”

  Emma laughed, and Jen reluctantly smiled back. She seemed uncomfortable with Yanni’s enthusiasm, but Emma didn’t care. She was happy to be in Athens, away from home and having the first adventure of her life.

  Yanni gave them a few recommendations and directions. Then they set off, determined to find some great Greek food and see the night life of Athens.

  The streets were full of laughing, happy people, either shopping in the rows of shops near the square, or discussing which restaurant to eat dinner in. Darkness fell around them and, to Emma’s delight, spotlights turned on around The Acropolis, making it a beacon on a hill in the darkness. The lights had a golden hue, which gave the monument a more antique look than it had under the bright sky.

  She stopped and stared while Jen, good with a camera, snapped a few shots, including one of Emma’s face as she looked upward. The flash went off and she turned to Jen with surprise.

  Jen laughed. “Your face is priceless.”

  “I’ve just never seen anything like it in my life.”

  “Me either.” Jen linked her arm with Emma’s. “Thanks for bringing me.”

  Emma kissed Jen’s cheek, ignoring her daughter’s instinct to recoil from overtures of affection. “I love you, Jennifer.”

  She ignored her daughter’s wary look and pulled her toward a restaurant that emanated delicious smells, luring her like a child toward a house made of candy. The air seemed redolent of unfamiliar spices and yet they called to her from her childhood memories.

  “Come, let’s eat here.”

  “Is this one of the places that Yanni recommended?”

  “Yes, I think it’s the first one Yannis recommended.”

  Jen stopped. “Why are you adding an ’s’ on his name?”

  “My grandfather told me that with a name like Costa or Yanni, you add an ’s’ when you speak about them, but not when you address them.”

  “Oh.”

  A waiter stood outside the restaurant beckoning passersby to come and try the wonderful meals that waited inside. He smiled with great charm when he caught sight of Emma and Jen and threw his arms wide open.

  “Ladies. Come eat here. You won’t be regretful.”

  Emma laughed. His English was musical.

  She tugged on Jen’s arm and a waiter seated them at a small wooden table outside on the cobblestones. They soon had a bottle of water, menus and a small jug of rosé wine. They browsed the unfamiliar dishes while watching and discussing the people passing by.

  “What do you recommend, Mom?” Jen asked.

  “Well, one of my favorite dishes is dolmades.” She pronounced it ‘dolmathes.’

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s rice and meat wrapped in grape vine leaves. Although some places make it without meat. Sometimes it comes with a lemon sauce.”

  “Sounds a lot like cabbage rolls.”

  “Yes, but tastier.”

  “Well, since you know Greek food better than me, you order.” Jen put her menu down and let her gaze drift over Emma’s shoulder to the people around them. “There are so many kinds of people here.”

  Emma laid her menu beside her plate. She would get numerous side dishes so Jen could try a few different things.

  “Greece is quite the place for tourists,” Emma agreed.

  Jen leaned back in her chair and pulled her t-shirt away from her skin. “But I can imagine they’ll all be at the beach soon and away from the city.”

  “Definitely, as we will be.”

  The waiter arrived at their table. “Are you ready to order?”

  “Yes,” Emma said. “We’ll have the dolmades, giant beans, a Greek salad, the courgette balls, and saganaki.”

  “That sounds like a lot,” Jen whispered.

  The waiter heard her and turned with a grin. “Is your first time in Athens?”

  “Yes,” she said, blushing.

  “Well, your sister is smart to order many dishes so you can sample all the flavors of Greece.”

  Emma laughed. “I’m her mother, not her sister.”

  He acted shocked, clutching his ch
est and rearing back. “Not possible!”

  “Yes,” Emma said with an embarrassed wave.

  He stood back, took them in, moving his head back and forth.

  “No,” he decided. “Not true.”

  Then he scooped up their menus and left the table with a wink in Emma’s direction.

  Jen spoke as soon as he was out of earshot. “They’re very forward here, aren’t they?”

  Emma patted Jen’s hand. “They’re friendly. It’s not the same thing. I like it.”

  Jen scrunched up her eyebrows, but didn’t say anything else.

  They sipped their wine while they waited for the food. The silence between them comfortable for once rather than fraught with tension.

  “Look,” Jen said, pointing with her wine glass, which was nothing more than a water tumbler back home. “Someone is going to play … what is that?”

  “Oh, that’s great,” Emma exclaimed. “It’s a bouzouki.”

  “What’s that?” Jen asked.

  Emma smiled as the player set up his stool, while another man set up beside him, holding a regular guitar. “It’s a traditional Greek instrument. My grandfather used to have one.” The instrument had a long guitar-like neck and the body was shaped like a tear drop.

  Tears came to Emma’s eyes as she remembered her Papous playing while her father taught her the traditional Greek dances. For a few moments, Emma was a tiny girl again with an audience of two adoring men.

  “Mom, you okay?” Jen asked.

  “Yes, just remembering my Papous and Baba, my grandfather and father. Papous played so well. I didn’t realize how I’d missed it.”

  They sat enraptured as the bouzouki player strummed his instrument, joined by the guitar player, who sang a plaintive song. Neither Emma nor Jen understood the Greek, but the emotions came through loud and clear.

  Jen reached across the table and took Emma’s hand in a firm grasp. Emma squeezed back, her heart light for the first time in a long while.

  They only let go when the waiter arrived with their steaming dishes. Jen gasped as he set plate after plate on the tiny table. They had to shuffle things around to make room.

  “Kalí órexi!” the waiter said as he trotted away to serve another customer.

  “Is that like bon appétit?” Jen asked.

  “Yes, exactly.”

  “Nice that you know some Greek,” Jen said as she cut into a dolmades. As she took her first bite, her eyes closed and a smile broke out on her face like the sunshine coming out from behind the clouds. “Oh my god.”

  Emma laughed, delighted. “Good, huh?”

  “Good doesn’t describe it. Wow. This is delicious.” She opened her eyes. “Okay, what else can I try?”

  They ate until they could no longer lift their forks, all the while enjoying the music and discussing the people passing by. Occasionally the waiter came to their table to encourage them to eat more. He acted like a cheerleader, encouraging them to pluck up their courage and eat just one more bite. Finally, Jen groaned and pushed back from the table.

  “I’m going to blow up if I eat anything more.”

  The waiter had just come back to their table and he grinned, irrepressible as ever. “I have just the thing for that.” He turned on his heel and disappeared into the restaurant.

  “Oh, no, Mom, make him stop,” Jen pleaded.

  Emma had a mouth full of salad and couldn’t speak. Before she was done swallowing, the waiter arrived at the table with a tray.

  “Here, this will make you feel better.”

  “What is it?” Jen asked suspiciously eyeing the decanter and two tiny shot glasses.

  “It’s tsipouro. It’s good for the heart!” he crowed triumphantly.

  “My heart’s just fine. It’s my stomach that needs help,” Jen grumped back.

  He laughed. “Tsipouro is good for everything.” He unstopped the bottle and filled the glasses, setting them in front of each lady. “Drink up.” He waited for them to lift their glasses and sniff at the contents. Jen made a horrified face, but desisted when Emma smiled.

  “Come on, darling, bottoms up!” She clinked her glass to Jen’s. “Yamas!”

  She took the contents in one shot and grimaced at the strong taste. It was one Greek thing she hadn’t experienced as she’d been too young for her parents to educate her in Greek alcohol.

  Jen took a big breath and tossed back her drink, spluttering as it went down.

  “Wow,” she gasped. “That’ll numb the stomach.”

  The waiter grinned, delighted with their spirit. “Now one more and you’ll be set.”

  Jen feigned a scowl at him. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”

  The waiter put a hand over his heart and looked to the sky, innocent as the day he was born. “Not me, pretty lady.” He ruined the effect when he gave her a wicked wink.

  Jen laughed and held out her glass for him to fill.

  Emma held her glass, happy to see Jen unwinding and having fun. She’d rarely seen this side of her daughter. She wished that they’d had more moments like these. It saddened her how many years had been wasted while she tried to pretend all was well in her family.

  They sat and watched the musicians perform while the waiter cleaned their table. He still hadn’t brought the bill but they were content to enjoy the atmosphere. Emma couldn’t remember the last time she’d lingered so long over a meal. She also couldn’t remember being so relaxed.

  An image of Crispin filled her mind and her heart with longing. Why did he have to do it? She’d really wanted to pay him as they’d originally arranged, although Emma had never actually agreed to it. She wanted more than anything to invite him to the little house in Greece—after Jen had gone home of course.

  But Emma was done with giving in to make a man happy. She needed to set boundaries and enforce them or she’d just go back to the same kind of relationship she’d had with Alan.

  Emma sighed and Jen looked at her inquisitively.

  “I’m okay,” Emma said. I’m really enjoying myself.”

  “Me too.”

  We’re going to have a great trip together.

  Chapter 25

  Massive pillars towered in front of Jen, taking her breath away. She’d studied Classical History for part of her degree, so seeing the Acropolis in person was something of a dream come true. She’d enjoyed learning about it in school, but a book didn’t even come close to the real thing.

  I’m actually standing on the spot where the Ancient Greeks stood.

  “Isn’t it incredible, Jennifer?” Emma sounded as much in awe as Jen was.

  “It sure is.”

  They pushed forward, up the marble steps, having to pause as tourists that were less in shape than them puffed their way up ahead.

  The ancients must have been in incredible shape.

  Jen figured a few weeks of making this climb every day would give her buns of steel. Forget videos.

  They soon reached the top and the crowd fanned out around the ancient site. There were small and large groups of tourists, each led by a guide who shouted to be heard over the chatter.

  Jen stopped near the first information display. She read the details of the building and what had been done to restore it. Halfway through reading the piece, Jen realized she’d zoned out and wasn’t taking anything in. Her thoughts were pulled to her worry about school and what to do about her future.

  What do I do about law school?

  How Jen wished she could just step inside the Acropolis and out the other side into a new life. She wondered if the ancients had the same kinds of problems she did.

  The girls in that age worried about what husband their father might choose for them. I’m sure that has to be a thousand times worse than my situation.

  Angry at herself, Jen stepped to the edge of the flat plateau and gazed out over the city. Her mother stood near the main edifice, taking tons of pictures. Jen would have to go through them and delete the bad ones. Her mother was good at a lot of thin
gs, but taking pictures didn’t fall into her realm of skills.

  From the distance, Jen watched Emma. She’d never looked so well. Emma wore a bright-colored sundress with a light sweater tossed around her shoulders since they’d set out early that morning. She had already tanned slightly. Her dark curly hair hung just past her shoulder blades. It looked glossy and fresh. The smile that lit up her face made her look ridiculously young. Jen couldn’t believe her mother was forty-five. She definitely didn’t look it. Not today, anyway.

  Just a few months ago, Jen and Brad had both been home at the same time, so they’d planned a family dinner. Alan had gotten home late, as usual, but Emma had tried to keep things light.

  “Alan, please wash up and come to the table. The kids are here and waiting for us to start dinner.”

  Emma’s impatience didn’t show on her calm face. Jen had been away at school for a few months and she was surprised to see just how much her mother had aged in that short time. There were lines on her forehead that hadn’t been there before.

  Jen hadn’t taken the time in the past to really see her mom, but now that she did, it saddened her.

  Brad had stepped up behind Jen and put his arms around her, dragging her to the table. “Come on, Sis, it’s your favorite.”

  “What are we having?” she asked, craning her neck to look back at his grinning face. She hadn’t seen Brad look that happy in a long time. Determined to corner him later and demand an explanation, Jen let him lead her to the family dinner table.

  They sat in their usual places, and Emma had put out the good china. Alan still hadn’t come back from the washroom. They waited, the smell of the food tempting. Jen hadn’t had home-cooked food since the last time she’d been home.

  “What’s taking him so long?” grumbled Brad.

  “He’ll be here soon,” Emma said in a soothing voice.

  Jen’s hands clenched under the table, irritation warring with love for her father. He could inconvenience the whole family without a problem, but inconvenience him and there’d be hell to pay.

  Finally, Alan stepped into the dining room and sat at the head of the table. He clapped and rubbed his hands together.