by Tiana Laveen
Leonard’s eyes glossed over and Vangelis now understood what was truly going on. It was a complicated puzzle, but one he’d painstakingly unraveled as the man spoke, and unknowingly filled in the gaps.
“Look, I can’t promise you anything, man, except for the fact that I am sincere. I am very much in love with your sister, Leonard… this is not a joke to me. She isn’t someone I am playing or just passing the time with. This is real. I love her so much that I… I can’t be without her.” He clasped his hands and held his chin high. “I refuse to live my life without your sister. A monsoon could come right now and I would try to swim to her to make sure she is okay. So, right now, as we sit here, this is what it is.”
“So, that’s what you wanted to tell me? Man to man, face to face?” The man smirked as he cut into his thick blueberry pancakes then drowned them in syrup. “To let me know that whatever the fuck I say and do won’t change shit… and that you really care about her. All right.” He took a sloppy bite of his pancakes and chewed noisily. “I can respect that. You ain’t a small guy so I’m sure you’d give me a run for my money, but if you mess her over, play with her heart, I’ll break your fuckin’ neck.” The man reached for his orange juice and took a leisurely sip. “You might not be able to promise me anything, but I can promise you that. Real talk.”
“Let’s not resort to threats, Leonard. Things were going so well.” Vangelis smiled and tapped the table with his fingertips. “And if you think that scares me, it doesn’t. I don’t scare easily, so please, let’s not do this. Breaking my neck? This isn’t television and besides, then we’d just be two quadriplegics because I’ll break your neck right back. And we’ll be in wheelchairs, but I’ll still be with your sister so it would’ve changed absolutely nothing. Now, moving along.” He cleared his throat and leaned forward, not missing the grin on the guy’s face. “I also called you because I wanted to tell you that I want you back as a patient.” Leonard laughed lightly. “And I am thinking about asking your sister to marry me…”
The man drew serious and sighed. Flopping back in his seat, he tossed his napkin down on the table as if disgusted.
“Would you prefer I not tell you?”
“Nah.” Leonard held himself as if needing comfort, a mean grin creasing his dark brown face. “I shoulda known you was up to some sneaky ass shit today. A snake don’t ever stop slithering.”
“How is telling you that I love your sister and want to marry her sneaky? We’re not going to get anywhere if you keep doing this. I feel like every time we take two steps forward, we take three steps back a few minutes later.”
“Dosey Doe then!”
“I’m just going to ask you flat out. Do you think you’re going to lose your sister somehow if she meets someone and really settles down, Leonard? You’ve never witnessed her married before or living with someone; you never had to share her like that. Are you worried that maybe she won’t be there for you because you are having a crisis and don’t want to be alone during the storm? So you feel the need to eliminate any distractions?”
“What the hell are you talking about? So now my private business with my wife is your business, too?! You—”
“For your information, Leonard, your sister has not told me anything about any marital issues you’ve just admitted to having. I totally took a guess based on your behavior. You are fighting me too hard on this, and something isn’t adding up. This is personal for you. It’s really that simple.” Leonard’s complexion darkened as if he were suddenly embarrassed. “Is that it? You’re afraid you could lose your best friend during this difficult time in your life?”
The man blinked several times then shrugged.
“I honestly am real protective of her… but I guess it could be that, too. I never really thought of that until now.”
“I don’t doubt that your intentions are mostly coming from a good place, but some of it is from fear. That’s all I’m saying.” Vangelis scratched the side of his head to cure an itch. “Order whatever you want, by the way… if you’re still hungry, it’s on me so go right ahead.”
Leonard nodded and seemed to withdraw within himself. “I honestly didn’t think I was doing that.” The guy looked duly disappointed.
“I know you didn’t. Leonard, I think you and I could go seamlessly from just associates to close friends. This can bring us all closer together instead of further apart. I called you here to explain to you how I feel about Sahara but also to let you know I’m not going anywhere so you and I need to figure out a way to get along, for her sake if no one else’s. This woman is the love of my life. She just also happens to be your sister. She’s a hell of a woman to cause this type of fighting.” Vangelis chuckled.
“She is. You’re a good guy, Vangelis… I take back what I said about you being a snake. In other news though, I did see more of you than I ever wanted to.” They both broke into laughter at that. “I would say something else but that might sound gay so I’ll just leave it alone.” And like that, the ice was broken.
“No, tell me! What?”
“Man… let’s just say you trying to compete with us Black guys is all. We hold the title in that shit, okay? No wonder Sahara refuses to leave you alone.”
This sent Vangelis into a tailspin of laughter. Both men laughed so hard they began to choke, and reached for their drinks.
“Don’t tell anybody about this conversation, man. I don’t swing like that… but yeah, it was definitely more than I wanted to see.”
“I’ve seen more of you than I ever wanted to see, too, Leonard. You had a prostate exam from me, remember?”
They both erupted in laughter all over again, and it felt good… real good.
“So, uh, you want to marry my amazing sister, huh?” Leonard was smiling now as he finished off his juice. “All right. So when are you thinking of popping the question?”
“I’m not sure. I have a feeling though that things will fall perfectly into place…”
Mom’s dining room glowed with red and pink candles. Vangelis stood in the entryway feeling strangely out of place, like the walls were closing in on him. To his right sat the Toscano glass table he’d purchased for her ages ago, suddenly appearing out of the garage with a nice dried flower floral arrangement upon it. The house smelled delightful and if his nose wasn’t deceiving him, he could distinctly smell freshly cooked brizola, avgolemono soup, red mullet and spanakopita.
“Glad you came, man,” Nico said in a whisper, barely audible above Nikos Vertis singing, ‘Thelo na me nioseis.’ Vangelis tapped his foot to the music; it was one of his favorite songs. “You, uh, wanna have a seat? Mom just went to her bedroom to wake Dad up.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Vangelis found himself speaking softly now, too.
Minutes later, their parents entered the dining room area. He looked his mother up and down. It seemed it had been forever since he’d last seen her. She was wearing a denim dress and her hair was curled in loose, rich, jet black box dye spirals.
“You look nice,” he uttered without a smile.
Her expression was blank like some mime’s.
“Thank you,” Mom replied, her tone stiff like an over-starched skirt. She soon disappeared into the kitchen while Dad took a seat at the head of the table. Giorgos Alkaios performed, ‘Opa!’ the music playing from one of Dad’s mixed CDs.
“Thank God you’re over here.” Dad looked both angry and relieved all at once. He reached across the table and grabbed a piece of pita bread, tearing off a big bite and jamming it into his wide mouth. “Your mother has been all irritated. This needs to be settled.”
When Mom returned, it was more than evident that she’d been cooking up a storm. She set down plate after plate and bowl after bowl, far too much food for the four of them. She sat down, reached across the table for Dad’s hand, and bowed her head. They all followed suit.
“Oh Christ God, bless the food and drink of Thy servants, for holy art Thou, always now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.”
“Amen,” they all said before placing their thick, doily-like napkins over their laps. For quite some time, no one said much of anything. As the Greek music played, forks and knives clanked against expensive plates as they worked through the delicious food.
“Angel, I’m going to cut right to the chase.”
When his mother spoke, he quickly swallowed the food he had in his mouth.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“I’m not racist, and I am deeply offended that you’ve not only thought I was, but have told others about it.”
He slowly looked up at the woman who sat across from him.
“You’re not racist? Okay.” Vangelis shrugged. “Let’s see here… let’s take a look at a few things. You don’t want me dating the woman that I am in a relationship with because she is Black. That is the definition of racist because your concerns are based on her race.”
“Not true.”
“Denying it doesn’t make it any less true. Just because I say ‘Medical school is free nationwide’ doesn’t mean it’s a fact. Now, back on topic. You believe Greek women are better than Black women, better than Asian women, better than all other women. It’s one thing to take pride in your culture—that’s good. It’s another thing to act superior. You have a track record, or did you forget that?”
“All right!” Dad hit the table with his fist and food sprayed out of his mouth. “Let’s not start this shit tonight, Van!”
“Tell your wife that.” Vangelis sucked his teeth. “She wants to sit here and try to deny the allegations, but I only deal in facts.”
“What facts?! Those aren’t facts!” the woman screamed.
“You made a big deal out of my relationship with Harmony, saying that she wasn’t good enough for me and that she is biracial with Japanese and White so she’s probably confused. Forget about the fact that she was a successful attorney, forget that she even made more money than I did, contributed to various charities, but most importantly, I loved her. Then there was Tina, who was Irish. You ran her away before we got anything good going. You said the Irish were classless. Then there was Shosha. You said Jews were greedy and that you didn’t like her nose—it was too big. She had one of the smallest noses ever, much like a kid’s, but you wanted to hang on to that stereotype.
“There was Fiona, too… the woman I dated briefly in college whose mother was half Black and Greek, so that made her a quarter Black, and her father was one hundred percent Greek but you felt the Blackness in her messed everything up because her hair was unruly—your words, not mine. Remember all that, Mom? Is the picture I’m painting becoming a little clearer or shall I hand you a magnifying glass? But you’re not racist… okay. What are you then? Joan of Arc? You’re not going to pull this crap tonight, I am calling you out on your shit once and for all!” He tossed down his napkin on the table. “I didn’t even want to come over here, but you—”
“THEN LEAAAAVE!” Mom jumped up from her seat, her cheeks bright red.
“Stop it!” Dad yelled, pulling on her as the two went back and forth.
Vangelis’ heart was beating so fast, his chest damn near exploded. He’d had it! Vangelis slowly rose from his seat.
“I didn’t want to be here in the first damn place. I’ll get my coat out of the closet. Nico, call me later,” he stated solemnly.
As he made to go, Nico yelled out, “No! Stay!” Vangelis shifted his gaze from him to his mother, his father, then back to Nico. “Enough is enough, all right?!” Nico’s voice rattled like old, rusty chains around an apparition that was still enslaved to a master long gone. “Mom, for God’s sake…” The man slapped his forehead. “Can’t you see what you’re doing? You’re pushing him even further away. He’s right! You’ve been trying to push all of us, all of your children into doing things your way, regardless of what the hell we wanted!”
“That’s not true!”
“It is! It was your way or the highway!”
“Stop yelling at your mother!” Dad piped up, still chewing on his food.
“This is partly your fault, too, Dad. You enable Mom, just let shit happen when you know she’s wrong! We’re all sick of it!” Nico shoved his plate out of the way, rumpling the white tablecloth. Dad sat there with his jaws stuffed, his eyes big and an expression of total disbelief. It took a lot to get Nico this upset, but once he was worked up, it was hard to get the bull back in the cage.”
“See what you’ve done!” Mom pointed at him. “Now you’ve turned Nico against me. Get out!” the woman screamed.
Vangelis’ eyes narrowed on the woman and he didn’t move an inch. Instead, he crossed his arms and shook his head. This was outrageous, and yet, for some reason, he wasn’t upset. He’d expected this to happen. A resolution would have been a shocker.
“Angel didn’t turn me against you, Mom,” Nico stated. “Even after all of this, I’m still not against you. But you gotta listen! You gotta pay attention to what we’re saying. You have created hostility towards yourself. Resentment. All four of your sons resent you on some level. Doesn’t that matter to you? Wake up!”
“Nico you’ve never been able to take accountability for your own mess-ups.” Mom shook her head as if he were a sad case.
“Oh, really? Every time someone tries to point out some wrong you’ve done, you bounce it back in the accuser’s face. Now who is really not taking accountability for their mess-ups, Mom? Want an example? Look at my fucking marriage! It’s in shambles! It’s toast.”
“Your marriage is destroyed because of you!” The woman thrust her ring covered finger in his direction. “Cheater! Liar! Disgusting!” she snarled. “I raised you better than that! What kind of example are you for your daughters? Cheating on your wife with some floozy! Losing your job… it’s shameful.”
“Yeah, I put the final nail in the coffin of my marriage, Mom. I’m man enough to admit it. But the actual weapon of marital destruction was given to me long before I dealt the fatal blow. That weapon came from you… pressuring and manipulating and pushing, pushing, pushing! You can’t help it, but I could. I shoulda said no. You know why, Mom? Because I was guilted into marrying a woman I wasn’t really into… and I think she didn’t really want me, either. I learned to love her, but it wasn’t enough.” Tears streamed down Nico’s face. “She deserved better… I deserved better… our fucking kids deserved better! LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE AND JUST LOVE HIM! JUST LOVE US… Can you just do that?!”
He threw up his hands and shook his fists as angry tears streamed down his cheeks. “You’ve been sittin’ around here all upset, whining and moaning, and now that he is here, you’re still too prideful to tell Van that you love him and you’re sorry! Jesus!”
Mom was trembling now, as if she could barely stand. She stumbled back and Dad helped her sit back down in her chair.
“What is wrong with you, Mom?! You’re the only person I know that can tell me the physical properties of baking soda but won’t say you fucked up to save your own life! Next time you want to snub your nose at someone, look in the mirror.” Nico pulled away from his chair so fast, it hit the floor in a heavy thud. Seconds later, the man moved past in a streaky shadow, blazing through the room and slamming the front door behind him. Everyone was quiet for what felt like forever and a day.
Dad held Mom as she cried, shaken by the words uttered from a son who was the happy-go-lucky one of the group. With a trembling hand, she rested her fingers on the tablecloth and lifted her gaze to Vangelis. Their eyes locked. He felt sorry for her, so very sorry…
“Angel…”
“Yeah, Mom.” He turned to retrieve his coat in the closet, not even sure the next time he’d see her, but he imagined it would be a very long time, and he was mourning her already.
“It’s not that I didn’t want you to be with Harmony because she was Asian. It’s because I knew she wasn’t right for you… something was just off. I couldn’t explain it. I didn’t get upset because that one girl was Jewish. I got upset beca
use she didn’t seem like she’d respect you… treat you well. And the list goes on. As far as your lady friend now, Sara, her—”
“Sahara.” He slid his arms into the dark coat and zipped it up.
“Sahara… her being Black isn’t really the problem. If she was Black and Greek, I would have been fine with that. They exist. I do have a lot of pride in our heritage, Angel.”
He approached his mother, then snatched a tissue from the buffet and dabbed at the tears on her cheek ever so gently.
“I know you believe that, Mom. You have to tell yourself these things so you can live with yourself.” He kissed the top of her head and she grabbed his wrist, closed her eyes tight, and wept even harder. “I have to go, okay? I love you…”
Before he could get away, Mom got to her feet. Dad’s head was down, as if he wanted to disappear but didn’t have the strength to leave.
“I want to meet her… Please bring her to me. Soon.”
“And what good do you think that would do, Mom? You’ll just find another excuse to say she’s not fit but now under the guise of some trumped up personality flaw. You’ll convince yourself it’s not because of her brown skin… not because of the texture of her hair… not because of her full lips… not because of her heritage… not because she’s a descendant of African slaves… not because of this, or that, and this and that some more.”
He shrugged, mentally exhausted. “Bringing her here will change nothing. It will just subject her to more misery. I tell people all the time that I had a fantastic childhood growing up. That my parents were amazing, and you were… I cannot take that away from you. But now, I have to remember that mental and emotional intelligence are two different things altogether. Because of my emotions, I put you on a pedestal. That wasn’t fair to you, Mom. Because now you’ve fallen, and you’ve fallen hard.”
