The Guardian's Legacy

by Luciana Cavallaro

  ‘Yo, Nik! Coming up to the staffroom for drinks?’ Harry called out.

  ‘I’ll be there in five!’

  The staff common room got rowdier as teachers drifted in. Nik sat with two colleagues from his department and a few from the English department. He was chatting away with Christina about the lesson she was going to teach on Homer’s Iliad, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

  ‘Hi there, Harry,’ Nik said.

  ‘How did you go with the coin people?’ Harry turned to Christina. ‘Young Nik here has a thing for coins.’

  Nik ignored the dig. ‘I found quite a few websites on coins, which is surprising.’

  ‘Any of them useful?’

  ‘As a matter of fact the British Museum had a lot of helpful information.’

  Harry blinked. ‘Ah … good.’ He caught the attention of another teacher, mumbled an excuse and moved away.

  ‘Is he always such a twat?’ Christina asked, turning up her nose.

  Nik shrugged. ‘He has his moments.’

  ‘What were you searching for?’

  ‘Oh nothing much, I was just after information on ancient coins.’

  ‘Did you find anything interesting?’

  ‘I did, though how useful it will be, who knows,’ he replied smiling. ‘Sometimes it’s handy to store inane facts.’ He tapped his head with a finger.

  ‘I don’t believe learning new content is worthless,’ she commented.

  Nik gave her a slight smile and drained the rest of his beer. ‘Would you like another glass of wine? I’m getting another drink.’

  ‘I will, thank you.’ Christina reached for her bag.

  ‘That’s fine, I’ll get it.’ He took her glass and stood. As he walked away, he noticed one of the female English teachers lean across to speak to Christina. Nik knew of the interest the single female staff had in him and, although they were nice to talk to, none of them attracted him. His mother despaired at his single status, but Nik didn’t want to be with a woman to satisfy his family’s desire for a daughter-in-law, and he felt it was unfair to lead someone into a relationship with no future. He wanted a permanent and long-lasting partnership, like his grandparents’ and his parents’. He stayed another hour before he said his goodbyes and left for his parents’ place.

  When he arrived, Nik let himself into the house and headed straight for the kitchen, where he found his mother putting a dish in the oven.

  ‘Hi, Mum.’ He kissed her on the cheek.

  ‘Nik, you look tired,’ she said, as she pushed a strand of dark wavy hair from her face. With her olive complexion, green eyes, and statuesque body, she was an attractive woman and always smiling.

  ‘Busy day at work,’ he said, as he reached for an olive from the jar sitting on the kitchen bench and popped it into his mouth. His mother slapped his hand.

  ‘Make yourself helpful and scoop some into that bowl.’ She handed him a small ladle. ‘How are those boys treating you at school?’

  Nik shrugged. ‘They’re fine. No different from when I was growing up.’

  ‘Now you get a taste of your own medicine,’ she said with a laugh.

  Nik chuckled. ‘At least I know what to expect.’ He placed the bowl filled with olives on a platter next to the prepared cheeses and grabbed a piece. ‘Besides, some teachers I had were boring, didn’t change the way they taught the curriculum, while others were brilliant and innovative, and incorporated interactive strategies to engage us in the learning. That’s what I do in my classes.’

  ‘Your students may think that is boring to them.’ She waved a pair of silver tongs at him. ‘No matter what, students believe their teachers are dull, even today with all that fancy technology you use.’

  ‘That’s possible, but not true. My lessons are always interesting and the students enjoy them,’ Nik said, grinning. ‘How was your day at the surgery? Did old Mrs Kosta come and see you?’

  His mother worked at a practice where a lot of migrants, not just Greeks, went to see her. Mrs Kosta lived a few houses down from his grandfather’s place and knew the family from the day his grandparents moved into the street. He watched his mother pile the platter with cured ham, Italian salamis, crusty bread and pickled dill.

  ‘Poor dear, she wants a little attention. No harm in that.’

  Nik raised a brow. ‘Isn’t that the case with all your patients? I’m sure many of them make appointments so they can complain about their families and gossip.’

  ‘Don’t be cheeky. They are lonely and many cannot speak English. They want to talk to someone who understands them.’

  ‘Hmm … And how many of your appointments are patients who are sick?’

  ‘Ah Nik, it’s not as black and white as you think.’

  ‘You’re too soft, Mum,’ he said with a fond smile. ‘Who’s all this food for? I thought it was just me tonight?’

  ‘Niko,’ greeted his father, stepping into the kitchen.

  Nik turned. ‘Hi Dad, how are you?’

  ‘Good.’ His father was tall and lean, shoulders slightly curved, with thick black hair and a face etched with deep lines. The years of drug abuse made him look much older than his age. ‘A beer?’

  ‘Sure.’

  His father opened the refrigerator and grabbed two stubbies. He turned to his wife. ‘A glass of wine, my darling?’

  ‘Yes, my sweet.’ She smiled at him, and Nik turned away, rolling his eyes.

  ‘Your sister is bringing a friend to dinner,’ she told Nik.

  ‘Is Chara bringing her new bloke?’ asked his father, eyes gleaming.

  ‘Yes, and be nice to him,’ his mother said in a firm voice.

  ‘Of course.’ The corner of his father’s eyes crinkled with mischief. Nik hid a smile and took a mouthful of beer.

  ‘Your mother told me Papou left you a cryptic message yesterday? He did always have a flair for the dramatic.’

  ‘Leon,’ his mother lowered her voice.

  His father shrugged, his expression bitter. ‘Did you find out what he wanted?’

  Nik nodded. ‘He wants to go over old family records, and for me to help him.’

  ‘Ridiculous! He can do that on his own now he’s retired. He has plenty of time,’ Leon growled.

  ‘I haven’t said yes,’ said Nik.

  ‘Good!’

  ‘Nik is a historian, he may find it interesting to learn of the family’s heritage,’ his mother pointed out. ‘Besides, your mother was a beautiful woman and it would be nice for Nik to hear more about her.’

  Leon’s face mellowed at the mention of his mother. ‘She was kind, generous hearted, and way too good for the old man.’

  ‘Your father loved her very much.’

  ‘Yes, well …’

  ‘Help me fix the table,’ she ordered. ‘Chara and James will be here soon.’

  Chapter Four

  On Saturday morning, Nik drove to the farmers’ market and stocked up for the week on locally grown vegetables, fruit and organic meat. He bought fresh bread and rolls from an artisan bakery and made his way home. A few hours later he rang his grandfather.

  ‘Niko! Good morning, how are you?’

  ‘Hi Papou, I’m fine. And you?’

  ‘Good, good.’

  They both fell silent.

  ‘Are you home today?’ Nik asked, breaking the lengthy pause.

  ‘I am home now but going out later this afternoon.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Why don’t you come now and we’ll eat lunch together?’

  ‘Okay. I’ll be there soon. What can I bring?’

  ‘A nice bottle of red wine would be good.’

  ‘No worries, I’ll see you in a little while .’

  Fifty minutes later, Nik and his grandfather sat in the kitchen, each with a glass of red wine, and the table laden with various cuts of cured meats, cheese, olives, bread, sliced tomato and lettuce.

  ‘I need to understand why you chose now to tell me about the role of the guardianship,’ said Ni
k.

  ‘I had to wait until you were ready to accept responsibility,’ Papou said. ‘There is no handbook and each successor, whoever he or she is, show their readiness to fulfil their duty at different ages, some as young as seventeen, and others much later, not until their thirties.’

  ‘So I’m a late bloomer?’

  Iasos shook his head. ‘Thirty is a suitable age, mature, youthful and strong, both mentally and physically, to accept the role as guardian.’

  ‘There have been female protectors?’

  ‘Oh yes, the first guardian was a woman.’

  Nik stared at his grandfather, digesting this latest piece of news.

  ‘She was the reason the coin remained concealed and written out of history.’

  ‘Who was she?’ Nik asked.

  Papou tapped his nose with a finger. ‘Only the keepers may know.’

  Nik studied his grandfather for a moment. ‘I read that the first proper coins came from Asia Minor in the seventh century BCE, then a hundred years later, the Greeks learned the procedure of minting coins. Centuries before that, the Mesopotamians introduced the concept of exchanging legal tender for goods.’

  The sides of Papou’s mouth lifted into a slight curve. ‘You’ve gone to the effort to do a little research.’

  ‘There’s nothing on the coin you showed me but I found a few similar examples.’

  ‘And that is it. You’ll find no further information on it.’

  ‘Then how is it these others you mentioned are aware of the coin?’

  ‘For as long as guardians existed, there coexisted a small group of people who coveted the coin. Many tried to seize it, and individuals died protecting the coin.’

  ‘If I take on the role, what’s the next step?’ asked Nik.

  ‘We begin your training.’ Papou leaned over and placed a hand on Nik’s. ‘My dear boy, if you agree to be my successor, no-one, not your parents, friends, or girlfriend, can ever learn what I tell you, or what you must do.’

  ‘I don’t have a girlfriend,’ he said.

  Papou patted his hand and smiled. ‘There is time … the right woman will appear when you least expect it and render you senseless.’

  ‘Is that how it happened when you met Yiayiá?’

  Still smiling, his grandfather sat back and nodded. ‘It was the best moment in my life, the first time I saw her, and the second when she agreed to marry me.’ He took a sip of his wine.

  Nik peered into his wineglass, the burgundy liquid mesmerising as his thoughts ping-ponged from one subject to the next. ‘What is the likelihood there’s a current threat to steal the coin?’

  Papou shrugged. ‘There is always the possibility. That is why it is important to protect the coin.’

  ‘Did you encounter any problems?’

  ‘The difficulties for one guardian to the next are different. Some were negligible while others experienced challenges.’

  Nik shook his head. A wry smile crept across his face. ‘That’s not an answer.’

  ‘It’s the explanation you’ll get.’

  ‘Right … only the keeper will be told everything.’

  ‘Exactly.’

  Nik eyeballed his grandfather, torn between wanting to hear more and equally uncertain that he wanted to know. His grandfather sat relaxed, the years of experience and knowledge etched on his wizened face. Nik’s left knee bounced up and down as he tried to read his grandfather’s laconic expression.

  He drew in a deep breath. ‘I will do it. I will be the coin’s next guardian.’

  ‘You have made an old man overjoyed and proud.’ Papou beamed, reached for the wine bottle and topped up the glasses. ‘Here’s to you, the newest protector of the goddess’s turtle.’ Papou raised his glass in a toast.

  Nik squelched down the butterflies in his stomach, both excited and hesitant at the prospect of his new role. He was eager to learn more of the coin’s and his ancestors’ history, though he doubted there was anything sinister or dangerous to being a guardian. The coin appeared to be harmless. Besides its priceless value, he couldn’t understand the need for secrecy.

  ‘When do we start?’ he asked.

  ‘Tomorrow. Now let’s enjoy the food.’

  Nik reached for a bread roll, split it in half and filled it with the cured meat, cheese, sliced tomato and lettuce. He took a bite and glanced at his grandfather, busy filling his roll.

  ‘Who was the original owner of the coin?’

  ‘Herakles.’ Papou bit into his roll, not fazed by Nik’s gobsmacked expression.

  ‘No way! He existed?’

  ‘He did.’

  ‘I thought the legend of Herakles was to do with remedying wrongs, a moralistic analogy?’

  ‘It is, but the story didn’t come out of nowhere. Myths developed from the acts and deeds of actual people. How else do you think they originated?’ Papou took another bite.

  ‘Does that mean the Bible …’ Nik couldn’t finish the sentence.

  ‘To a certain extent. A lot of the stories came from ancient oral traditions and over the ages were reinterpreted and rewritten to suit the propaganda of the time.’

  Nik put his roll on the plate, grabbed his glass and gulped the rest of the peppery wine.

  ‘Homer’s Iliad?’

  ‘You’ve been to Mykenai and Troy. What do you think?’

  Nik’s mind whirled. He needed to digest what his grandfather had divulged. The mythologies were devised from actual events and people? Was that difficult to conceive? He imagined in a hundred years, or a thousand, people could say the same for what had transpired in the past two centuries.

  ‘I don’t know, Papou. It sounds far-fetched, even for you,’ he said. ‘Mythologies originated to teach illiterate people the outcome of decisions and deeds. Besides being significant stories, they were a guidebook on how to live an honourable life.’

  ‘They were,’ Papou agreed, ‘and still continue to be valid to this day. As we begin your education, I will challenge your beliefs and perspective of the world. You will question the validity of what you will see, read and hear. But, as they say, “the truth is stranger than fiction”.’

  ‘How could Herakles own a coin when, according to historical sources, the first one originated in the seventh century? The legend of Herakles goes back further, before the invention of currency.’

  ‘That is the official date given by scholars. The goddess’s turtle came from the isle of Aegina,’ Papou answered.

  ‘I don’t get it,’ Nik said. ‘It wasn’t possible for Herakles to own the coin when it didn’t even exist in his time.’

  ‘As you will soon learn, nothing is impossible or improbable,’ his grandfather said, his eyes twinkling.

  Nik felt exasperated. ‘This is frustrating, Papou! You’re not answering my questions.’

  ‘As I said earlier, we start tomorrow. Come by at six.’

  ‘Why the late start?’

  ‘Six a.m., my boy. I’ll have a schedule drawn up with what we’ll cover.’

  ‘I was hoping for a sleep-in,’ Nik said with a grumble.

  ‘Wear your exercise gear.’

  ‘So much for a day of rest.’ He took a bite of his roll, studied his grandfather for a moment. ‘Why now?’

  ‘Why now what?’

  ‘Why are you asking me to take over the guardianship of the coin now?’ asked Nik.

  His grandfather swallowed and then reached for the wine, taking a sip. As he set the glass down, he wiped his mouth with a napkin. ‘There comes a time in a guardian’s life when the decision to induct a new protector must take precedence over one’s desire to remain the sole custodian or before one’s demise. My father wasn’t able to complete my training before going to war. I learnt much of the role from reading logs and diaries from those who preceded my father and grandfather. I did not want that to happen to my successor.’

  Chapter Five

  There was a slight chill in the air when Nik stepped outside, the red-orange glow of the sun anno
uncing a fresh day. He yawned as he unlocked the car, threw his bag with a change of clothes onto the back seat and got behind the wheel.

  When he arrived at his grandfather’s house, Papou was waiting in the driveway.

  ‘Morning, Papou,’ said Nik, as his grandfather opened the passenger door and got in. ‘I take it we’re heading somewhere.’

  ‘Good morning.’ Papou strapped himself in. ‘We’re going to Perry Lakes Stadium.’

  Nik put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. ‘They wouldn’t be open at this hour, not on a Sunday.’

  ‘I have a key.’

  ‘How is it you have the key?’

  ‘The person in charge of maintenance and I are old friends. I used to go there to run on the tracks.’

  ‘Is that what I’m going to be doing? Running?’

  ‘To start with.’

  The roads were quiet with minimal traffic as they headed west towards the old stadium. It didn’t take long to reach their destination. Nik was saddened to see how rundown the place was, yet it had been the finest complex in the 1960s, when Perth hosted the Commonwealth Games.

  ‘I thought the council sold the place,’ he said as he turned onto the road heading to the arena.

  ‘It has been sold,’ Papou acknowledged. ‘The contractors start demolition soon. My friend will let me know when that will happen.’

  Nik stopped the car, the way ahead gated. His grandfather got out and unlocked the gate. He waved Nik through and closed it before getting back in the car. Nik pulled up behind the old grandstand and turned off the engine, and followed his grandfather as he led the way onto the running track.

  ‘A few stretches to warm up those muscles and then I want you to run the circuit,’ said Papou.

  ‘Been a while since I’ve run the whole track.’ Nik clasped the back of his neck. ‘What if I start with one hundred metres?’

  ‘The whole four hundred metres.’

  ‘Right.’

  Nik stretched his legs with a variety of exercises and started around the track at a jog. He wasn’t sure how a workout would help to be a guardian of a tiny object. The adage ‘a sound mind in a healthy body’ popped into his head. Perhaps there was something to it. The ancient Greeks understood it was important: the two worked in harmony when in good physical condition. And the Romans followed in their stead. His grandfather was the epitome of fitness; many people his age did not look as good as he did.