by Sara Alexi
‘Hey, Sophia, I asked if you are alright.’ Juliet’s hand on her forearm shakes her gently.
‘Oh, what? Yes. No. Well, yes and no,’ Sophia says. ‘I just realised something, that’s all.’
‘What?’
‘I just realised that all these years of listening to the nuns, or praying and trying to fit in, all this time, a part of me has considered myself better than them. A part that believed that I was not the judgemental one, not as condemning as they were. The same arrogance I had when I was a teenager is still with me, I guess.’ The laugh is not warm and husky. ‘But I just realised that in that very arrogance of believing I was better than them, I am just the same, just as condemning, just as closed-minded.’
‘Best freedom in the world, realising you are human,’ Juliet says, and her laughter is real. ‘It allows you to kick your shoes off in public and lick the caramel off the inside of your cup and not to be embarrassed about it.’ Her laughter settles to a content smile. Sophia is pleased for her, but cannot help but feel a little envious at her ease.
‘You have absolute confidence in your survival, don’t you, Juliet?’
‘So far so good. But it’s like most things in life. You get most of your confidence by doing it. It’s the fear of failing that holds us back, well, held me back. I think …’ She is about to say more but they are interrupted.
‘Yeia sas ladies. I am glad to bump into you, Sophia. All the papers have come through now, so if you would like to come to the office, we can go through them. Or call me and we can meet at my house if that is easier.’ It’s Babis, and he pulls a card from the breast pocket of his short-sleeved shirt and puts it on the table. ‘Can’t stop, I have an appointment. Bye.’ With this, he hurries away, his shiny shoes clicking across the marble paving stones, a file under his arm.
‘The abbess suggested I get a lawyer to help with the paperwork of the will and so on.’ Sophia’s words come out in monotone. It is hard to pull away from the thoughts she was having. Juliet doesn’t seem to realize how big it all feels. Or maybe it isn’t so big. Maybe most people have this sort of realisation and she has just taken her time to get there. Perhaps that is reasonable, seeing as she has been locked in a convent so long.
The sun is following its path and has found gaps between the leaves. Sophia puts a hand up to shade her eyes. Being part of the world seems to be triggering hosts of chaotic emotions. Do people get used to it, or are they all more stable than her? Maybe some people need more alone time than others, or maybe being with the nuns all these years, all the contemplation and meditation alone in her cell has made that her norm. Maybe she will never fit into daily life amongst people.
‘Come on, let’s go down the main street with the touristy shops.’ Juliet stands and pulls a couple of crumpled notes out of her pocket.
‘May I?’ Sophia picks up the bill that sits in a shot glass by the ashtray. She cannot get the waiter’s attention.
‘Do you need change?’ Juliet asks.
‘No, it’s right.’ Sophia counts the coins in her hand.
‘Oh just leave it on the table then and let’s go,’ Juliet suggests, pushing the shot glass towards her. Sophia drops the coins in it and leaves it by the ashtray. She takes a last look for the waiter as Juliet starts to walk away, worried that he will think they haven’t paid. He sees her but doesn’t focus. It seems the place works on trust.
The tourist street is bubbling over with things Sophia cannot imagine the use of. The jewellery she understands, but what is a fridge magnet for, and why would you want a t-shirt with rude words printed on it? The miniature donkeys carrying ceramic pots on either side of their saddles are sweet, but pointless, and you would need a home to put them in. Her breathing becomes shallow for a moment with this thought, but Juliet, the woman who moved from England, is by her side. Sophia just needs to trust herself and everything will come out all right. Her breathing returns to normal; her heartbeat slows.
‘I think you need these.’ Juliet hands her a pair of orange sunglasses with mirrored glass. Sophia smiles and tries them on, looking in a plastic mirror. The reflection is distorted, which fits. She has no idea who she is anyway, and how she looks is all vanity. She takes them off and hands them back. Juliet tries a pair of glasses that wrap around the sides of her face and sniggers as she puts them back.
The next shop sells things made from olive wood. Smooth bowls, plain chopping boards. At Juliet’s house, she has noticed that all the wooden spoons are split and worn as if they are very old. She buys a new one whilst Juliet is playing with some bamboo wind chimes.
‘Here you go.’ Sophia gives her the wrapped spoon.
‘What? Ah, Sophia, you needn’t have. Is it a spoon? It feels spoon-shaped, and goodness knows I need a spoon. Do you know everything was just left in that house when I bought it, spoons and all? I boiled them, so don’t worry, but you are right, I needed a new one.’
They have reached the end of the touristy part. If they turn left, they will come out at the harbour front where the car is. They make this turn of one accord.
Juliet unlocks the car and they open the doors. The heat rushes out at them and they stand there, not daring to get in. After a minute, Juliet reaches in and puts the key in the ignition and gives it a half turn so she can open all the windows. They gingerly get in. Once moving, the breeze cools them down.
‘I really need to get the air conditioning fixed. The first year I was here, the air-con worked in the car but I had none in the house and I would go out for a drive just to cool down.
‘By the way, this is the street Babis has his new office on. Do you want to stop now? I can stay in the car if it’s private. Just that it will save you a journey.’
Sophia had been letting her mind go blank as the wind blew in her face. It takes her a second to answer.
‘Okay, yes, if you don’t mind. That’s a good idea.’
Juliet pulls up in front of a block of flats. Several plaques by the door announce the businesses that are run from inside.
‘I’ll wait for you here,’ Juliet offers.
‘Oh no, come in. I would prefer it, actually,’ Sophia says.
Chapter 27
Babis is on the phone. ‘Yes that’s right, your house is safe... No, there is no need to sell it ... No, there is no need to strengthen it ... Yes, all the houses, the whole village. There was never any fault, it was a mistake. No, I assure you … Yes, that does include your mama’s house … Yes and your uncle’s. Yes, please not to worry. Okay, goodbye.’ He puts the phone down with a sigh and looks up as Juliet and Sophia enter the room.
‘I hear congratulations are in order,’ Juliet opens. ‘Well done. What a low trick.’ Babis straightens some papers on his desk. ‘Who was behind it? Gerasimos or the mayor? I still haven’t really understood …’
Sophia looks around the office, which is new and crisp-edged. She cannot help but compare it to the offices in the convent: full of heavy, dark, old wooden furniture. This modern look is so much brighter and fresher.
‘Anyway, it’s great,’ Juliet continues. ‘So thank you, Babis, for saving the village. Maybe that sounds dramatic, but it’s true, as far as I am told.’
‘Ah well, you know, you do what you can, ladies. I am the lawyer for the people, I must act with their interests at heart.’
Instinctively, Sophia goes no further into the room. She does not trust him.
‘Please, come, sit.’ Babis flattens his tie down the front of his shirt and sits back in his big black swivelling leather office chair. It makes him look very small and he does not seem to have complete control over its dipping and swivelling. He comes to a standstill by placing his forearms on his desk.
‘Oh, yes, right,’ he says abruptly and pushes his chair back. He swivels round to take a file down from the floor-to-ceiling shelves of paperwork behind him, most of which are empty. An intricately carved wooden horse with plastic tack adorns one shelf, an orange and transparent glass cockerel on another. Pushing hims
elf back, he grips the desk’s edge to regain control. Juliet glances at Sophia, her eyes sparkling.
‘Please sit,’ he repeats to Sophia, who is still hovering. ‘Right, it was your baba who made out the will, signed by them both. Let’s see.’ He turns over one of the loose sheets of paper that is covered with official looking stamps. ‘Okay, so basically, he has left everything to you in the belief that you will do what is best for Vetta, Sotiria, Angeliki, Sada, and Sophia.’ He looks at the list of names again. ‘Oh, that last one is you. Five girls, eh, that cannot have been easy.’ He looks up and smiles. Sophia shifts in her seat. The air conditioning is on full blast and it is blowing on the back of her neck. It is too cold to be pleasant.
‘So that means the house then?’
‘Well, no, there is more than the house. There is what is described as a net storage down in the port. That is prime property; you could sell that for a fortune.’ His eyes glisten. Sophia’s face is expressionless. ‘If you wanted to,’ Babis adds.
‘That’s Vetta’s,’ Sophia says.
‘No, that is officially yours now.’ Babis looks up from the papers.
‘That’s Vetta’s.’ Sophia repeats with a firm tone, and it is clear the subject is closed.
‘I see. Do you want me to make that officially Vetta’s? Technically she will have to …’
‘She lives and works there. Nothing needs to change,’ Sophia says.
‘Yes, but in order for it to be officially Vetta’s …’ Babis begins, but the look Sophia gives him silences his words and he returns to shifting through the papers.
‘Ah, here it is, I knew I had seen something more. Not that it is much use.’ He reads. Sophia waits. He seems to read for a long time. Juliet and Sophia exchange looks.
‘Right, so there’s the house and the net storage, and it seems your family has had land for generations up on the ridge. As far as I can make out, somewhere south-east of the town. It covers over a hundred and fifty stremas, which is a big-sized plot.’ He looks up at Sophia, his eyes wide. ‘But I believe,’ he looks back down at the papers, ‘yes, here is a note. There is no water. So it is worthless land, really. You cannot graze livestock without water and you would be hard pushed to get planning permission to build up there, and even if you did, what with no water and only donkeys to carry things up there, who would want it?’ He looks at her again, his eyes no longer so wide.
‘Why would my family have land up there?’ Sophia asks.
Babis pulls down the corners of his mouth and sticks his chin out and back. ‘Well, presumably they used to farm it when Orino still had water.’
‘What, travelling up there every day and back?’ Sophia asks.
Babis turns back to the file, turning over one page after the next. ‘Ah no, here it is, or should I say was.’ He laughs at his joke, but as it makes no sense to either Juliet or Sophia, he laughs alone. ‘There was a house,’ he clarifies. ‘Two rooms, and a well and … and that’s it. It says here that the roof has gone.’ He looks up at Sophia. ‘I imagine a lot more has gone as well now. It will probably just be a pile of stones.’
Juliet leans over to her and whispers, ‘Are you okay?’
Sophia glances at her quickly and nods. The surprise is that her baba left it all in her hands. She who was meant to be evil, crazy even. Why not leave it for Sotiria? Well okay, she moved to America, but what about leaving it to Angeliki to sort out? He condemned himself by leaving it for her, Sophia, to sort it, condemned himself because it proved he thought her the most capable and still, he let her be sent to the convent as if she was an evil monster to be controlled. Her chin lifts in defiance.
‘I would like you to arrange to rent out the town house,’ Sophia clips. This catches Babis by surprise; he had started to clear the papers away.
‘Long-term rent, you mean?’ he asks.
‘Yes, to create an income for Sada and me,’ Sophia replies.
‘If it is money you are looking to make on an island like Orino, you would make more by holiday letting it.’ Babis has stopped stacking the papers and is rubbing the fingers of one hand with the fingers of his other, one hand rolling around the other, a small movement.
‘How does that work?’ Sophia asks and Babis begins his explanations about licencing and arranging a housekeeper to clean and to show the guests in and out. He offers to advertise on the Internet, ‘… for a small commission, of course.’ He jigs in his seat as he talks, becoming more and more animated until he finally cuts to the bottom line of how much she can expect to make. He freezes at this point to await her response.
‘Fine, do it,’ Sophia says, still with no emotion.
‘Okay. I will need a setup fee. That will be separate from the fee for sorting out the will. I will need money upfront to pay the housekeeper and there will be expenses for me to go and find someone willing to do this job. The house may need some updating and repairs, so there may be costs for that, too.’
‘I have no money,’ Sophia says quietly. The words filter through Babis’ monologue and he stops talking abruptly. ‘I take it no money has been left?’ The look on his face answers this question.
‘And my fee for sorting out the will?’ he asks. There is a slight edge to his voice. Juliet looks out the window.
‘I will pay you when the first rent comes in,’ Sophia says.
Babis pushes all the papers together and stuffs them back into the file. Some crease and get stuck, but he just pushes the harder and forces the file to close, pulling the elastic binder over it. He gives Sophia a long, hard stare before his eyes glaze over and he looks at his watch, muttering something about another appointment.
Sophia begins to stand.
‘Just a minute, Babis. What happened to you being a lawyer for the people? That was short-lived, wasn’t it?’ Juliet asks, remaining seated.
‘I have an office to run,’ Babis replies and stands. Sophia stands. Juliet remains seated.
‘If you had any sense, your reputation would be more important than your office.’ Juliet still doesn’t stand. Sophia slowly sits back down, obliging Babis to do the same.
Sophia looks at him long and hard. For a moment, she can only see the boy he must once have been, the boy before he lost his baba. He twitches under her gaze and is a man again, but a young man whose mama has gone to Athens to stay with her sister and not come back. There are so many people alone in the world, each trying to survive. Some with dignity like Juliet, others choosing to grab like Babis, but it is all a choice. It seems Juliet’s grace leaves room for her to enjoy her life a great deal more than Babis’ grabbing gives him. It is all down to fear. Juliet is not afraid; Babis is filled with fear.
‘Babis,’ Sophia says. ‘I am terrified I am not going to be able to survive in the world. Living with nuns prepares you for nothing. I am like a child.’ Although she says it for effect, the words ring true. She waits for the next words to come to her. ‘But if I let this fear take hold of me, I will cower and lash out at everything around me. It is not the way.’ Sophia looks into her lap and shakes her head as if consolidating her thoughts. ‘I think the only way is to not give the fear we feel any power, to trust and give room to people so they can show that they are good, don’t you?’ She looks directly at Babis. ‘All you have said about renting out my family home as a holiday let sounds expensive and complicated and my instinct is to be afraid and choose the route that I can understand more easily; just rent it out to some family, my instincts say. But if I choose that, I would not be trusting you, I would be giving in to the fear. I choose to trust you, Babis. I choose to believe that you will make the right choices, make the right purchases, and do all the right things to let the house out to its best advantage. That is a big trust, don’t you think?’ She still holds Babis with her eye contact. He nods, sideways and down. ‘How much would your fee be?’
He breaks her stare abruptly and looks instead to the ceiling, his lips moving. He takes his pen, scribbles some numbers, and then turns the paper to Sophia.
>
‘And how much rent could you get each month if you let it to tourists?’ Sophia asks. Juliet is no longer looking out of the window; she is staring at Sophia. Babis scribbles some more and turns another piece of paper towards her. She tries to show no reaction, but the amount is several times what she expected.
‘You believe you could get that?’ she asks. Babis nods. ‘Then I believe you, too. I offer you the first two calendar months’ rent to cover your fees and your costs and your own fear.’
His jaw drops open just a fraction and then he springs to life. ‘My dear Sophia, I would not dream of asking for such a sum. If you are fearful, I can understand that. Let me take that fear from you. I will do all that is necessary to have your place fully booked. I have no fear. Let us settle for just eight weeks’ rent to cover the setup charges and work forward from there …’ He smiles, his hand smoothing the cover of the file, his fingers finding the folded corners and straightening them out in that glorious moment when his mind must be swimming in the knowledge that she has just agreed to double his fees.
‘I can leave it in your hands then?’ Sophia stands, followed by Babis, Juliet showing no hurry.
They say their formal goodbyes. Babis reassures her not to be afraid, and they leave.
The air outside is still and hot. Initially, it is delicious after the air conditioning, but before they even reach the car, the sun is burning them.
They have not spoken since they left the office as Juliet starts the car and begins the drive home.
‘You know what, Sophia? I think you should train to be a lawyer.’ Juliet takes a second to think. ‘Or maybe even a boxer.’
Chapter 28
Sister Katerina hands Sophia the secateurs.
‘I deadhead them every day.’
