Page 12 of The Silent Sister

Cassia continued to travel to Fiscardo selling whatever foodstuffs she could, together with her lace and embroidered items. Sometimes she would take Eléni with her and the little girl would practise drawing while Cassia worked hard to try to sell her goods.

On one occasion, they visited the post office on the way.

‘Shall we send your beautiful drawing to Sophia?’ said Cassia. The previous evening, Eléni had taken great care over a drawing of Cassia, Eugenia, Maia and herself that she’d got Cassia to label. Cassia signed it From Eléni, with love and the little girl had drawn kisses underneath.

Eléni beamed and held her hand to her heart.

‘Sophia is going to love it,’ said Cassia.

The woman in the post office was interested in Eléni and Cassia knew in a small village like Fiscardo, every detail, especially the fact Eléni didn’t speak, would be relayed back to her mother.

‘Wave goodbye to the lady, Eléni,’ said Cassia as they went to leave. The little girl gave the woman a big smile and waved her hand as she was told. ‘She’s just shy.’

It had been a good day and all the goods Cassia had taken to the market had sold.

She couldn’t wait to give Eugenia the money she’d made.

It had been her best day ever. She’d run out of spanakopita in the first hour.

Perhaps all the comments that hers was the best around meant her reputation was spreading.

Hand in hand, she and Eléni walked along the road to the place they now called home.

Cassia felt more positive about the future than she had done for weeks.

Eléni was more settled, sleeping through every night with Callista at the foot of her bed.

‘Did you enjoy today?’ Cassia asked. Eléni dropped her hand to place it on her heart and mime a smiley face .

As they walked, Cassia looked out across the bay.

The sun was lower in the sky at this time of year, but the effect of the sunshine reflecting on the water still made the sea glow like an aquamarine jewel.

It never failed to lift her spirits. Even though the talk in the market was all about the mass exodus of islanders leaving for America or Canada, she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

Things were going to get better. She was sure of it.

They just had to get through the winter months.

Eugenia was going back to the hospital as a nurse the next week, so it would bring in more money.

As Eugenia’s house came into sight, Cassia noticed another vehicle parked alongside the old truck. Eugenia had a visitor. She heard laughter coming from the living room as she and Eléni entered the house.

Maia rushed out to greet them. ‘My baba’s here. And look what he brought me.’ She held up a doll dressed in Greek traditional dress. ‘Come and play.’ The girls left Cassia reeling in shock as the implications of Georgios’s return sank in.

Cassia’s heartbeat raced and goosebumps prickled along her arms. Surely her sister wasn’t stupid enough to have him back after all the heartache he’d caused.

Cassia knew what it meant for her and her little girl.

He would never let them stay. She entered the kitchen and unpacked the few shopping items she’d bought in Fiscardo.

Eugenia came into the room, shutting the door behind her. Before she could say a word, Cassia turned to face her.

‘You must be mad! After all you said! I thought you swore you’d never take him back. So, he just turns up and all his dalliances are forgotten.’

Eugenia’s eyes filled with tears. ‘But I still love him. He’s promised he will never leave again. You should have seen Maia’s face. I’ve got to give it a try.’

Yes, the sight of a new doll was what my niece was reacting to, not a father she could never have recognised after he left her at two years of age.

‘And you believe him? That means me and Eléni are out of here then, doesn’t it? He’s never going to let us stay. Have you even told him about us yet?’

At that moment, all Cassia could think about was what she was going to do. Panic raced along her veins. Where would they go? Where could they live? What would another upset do to Eléni?

‘I’ve told him you’re staying until you can find somewhere.’ As she spoke, Eugenia didn’t look at her sister.

The door opened. Georgios went to his wife’s side, placing an arm around her.

‘That’s right. The sooner we’re back together as a family, the better. It’s time you stood on your own two feet instead of sponging off my gorgeous Genia.’ He kissed Eugenia on her cheek.

Cassia didn’t sleep that night. Images of her and Eléni huddled under a thin blanket in the cold, lying down by the quayside in Fiscardo, flooded her mind, interrupted only by the noises coming from her sister’s bedroom.

To make it worse, Eléni had the first nightmare she’d had since the one when they’d first arrived.

The scream was piercing, the bedroom walls reverberating with the sound. Georgios burst into the room.

‘What the hell was that? Can’t you control the brat? The freak may not be able to talk but she can bloody scream, though. Shut her up, will you?’

He left as quickly as he arrived, slamming the door behind him. Cassia’s heart hammered with rage.

‘How dare you?’ she shouted after him. She turned to Eléni. ‘Come here, agápi mou .’

She settled the little girl in her bed and held her in her arms, comforting her until she stopped shaking.

There was no way she’d stay under the same roof as that bully of a man.

It was then she feared for her sister, too.

Blinded by what she thought was love, Eugenia would live to regret taking her husband back; she was sure of it.

But Cassia knew there was nothing she could do to change Eugenia’s mind. She had to put Eléni first.

* * *

The next morning, there was no sign of Georgios. Eugenia was making breakfast when Cassia and Eléni came down.

‘Are you all right this morning, agápi mou ?’ Eléni nodded. ‘I’m sorry about Georgios, Cassia. He should never have said what he did. It was such a shock for him. He didn’t know what it was.’

How can she stand there and defend him? How would she feel if someone called Maia a freak?

‘Can you take me into Fiscardo this morning, please? We can’t stay another day in this house now he’s back.’

Eugenia’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Please don’t be like that. Stay until you find somewhere. Georgios is back at sea fishing for the next few days, so you won’t have to see each other.’

So that’s your solution, is it? Just avoid him.

But Cassia’s mind was made up. There must be somewhere in town where she could rent a room. How she would pay for it was another matter. Now Georgios was back, money would not be a problem, so Eugenia suggested her market-stall pitch should be transferred into Cassia’s name.

‘You can’t do that. What if you need to make money for yourself and Maia again? And what’s happened to your plans to go back to nursing?’

‘You’re thinking, “What will I do if my husband strays again?” Well, he won’t. I know he means to stay this time. I’ll go back to nursing when Maia goes to school.’

Cassia knew it was her sister’s way of saying Georgios had forbidden her to work outside the home. He already controlled her again.

When Eugenia insisted on driving Cassia and Eléni into Fiscardo, she didn’t object. They had very little to take with them. Because the atmosphere was cool between the two sisters, saying goodbye was brief. Maia got upset.

‘Why can’t Theía Cassia and Eléni stay, Mamá? I won’t have a friend anymore.’ Her eyes welled with tears as she clung to Cassia. ‘I want Eléni to have this.’ She handed over a well-worn teddy bear.

Eléni smiled and put her arms out to hug her friend. Cassia bent down beside her niece. ‘It’s very kind of you. Eléni won’t forget you. Who knows, once we find somewhere to live, perhaps your mamá and baba will let you come and see us. We’re not going to be far away, are we?’

It was for Maia’s benefit. While Georgios was back living with her niece and Eugenia, it was never going to happen. Afraid of breaking down in front of the little ones, Cassia turned and walked away in the direction of the market.

Although Cassia didn’t have any baked goods to sell that day, she used her stall as a base while she asked around for lodgings.

The stall next to hers was run by a woman who sold a range of traditional Greek breads.

She was about the same age as Cassia and they’d become quite friendly, chatting and swapping recipes.

‘Old Kyria Galanos has a room. Her son has decided to leave the island to find work. She says she is too old to go with him, but he’s going to send money home for her. She lives on Antipata Street, number fourteen. Say Rhea sent you.’

‘ Efcharistó, I will try there.’

Taking Eléni by the hand, Cassia walked away from the market and up a slight incline until they found Antipata Street.

The Venetian-style houses were painted in various pastel colours, typical of Fiscardo as a whole.

Two-storeyed with wooden shutters, the houses had an air of being well kept and ordinary without being opulent or suggesting wealth as her parents’ home did.

They arrived outside number fourteen. Cassia took a deep breath as they walked up to the front door. ‘Here goes.’ She knocked on the door and waited. A white-haired woman opened the door a fraction.

‘ Nai ?’

‘Kyria Galanos? Rhea sent me. I understand you have a room to rent.’

The old woman looked Cassia up and down, and then rested her eyes on Eléni. She narrowed her eyes and looked intently back at Cassia.

‘No. I know who you are. You are trouble! What with your communist views. Your mother told me all about you and how you split her family by going off with Nikos Makris. I do not want a child in my house either. Especially his child. I am too old.’ She slammed the door and left Cassia open-mouthed, standing on the step with Eléni.

She wanted to ask when her mother had spoken to her.

Recently, or when the row with Nikos had happened.

What if everyone in Fiscardo thought of her that way?

She’d been selling at the market for just a few months, and everyone had seemed friendly towards her.

What if behind the smiles they looked down on her as the old woman did?