Page 22 of The Silent Sister

Cassia and Eugenia cleared away the plates after they’d finished the main part of the meal.

‘That was delicious, wasn’t it, girls?’ Eugenia turned to Michaíl. ‘You’ll have to tell your butcher friend it was a delicious piece of pork.’

‘ Efcharistó, Theía Cassia.’

Eléni smiled and rubbed her tummy.

‘I hope you’ve got room for some Vasilopita now.’ Cassia stood and fetched the cake from the kitchen.

‘It smells of oranges.’ Maia clapped her hands.

‘Yes, it does,’ said Michaíl. ‘And St Basil’s cake is very special. Inside is a drachma coin and whoever gets that piece will get good fortune for the next year.’

Cassia cut the cake, remembering where she’d put the coins with the help of the two almonds she’d placed on top of the mixture before baking the cake.

‘A slice for you, Maia, and one for you, Eléni. Be careful how hard you bite, in case you’re the lucky one with a coin.’

Eugenia passed a piece to Michaíl.

There was a shout from Maia: ‘I’ve got it!’ She held up the drachma.

Eléni hung her head. Her bottom lip quivered.

‘Have you tried yours, Eléni?’ Eugenia was in on the secret. ‘Let me cut it for you.’ Inside was another coin. ‘There you are! You’re going to be lucky, too.’

The little girl grinned and ate her cake.

The meal had been a big success and everyone was in a jovial mood. The girls played with their new toys and the adults agreed they couldn’t eat another thing after devouring the Vasilopita .

‘It’s been a great day, hasn’t it?’ Cassia sat back in her chair.

‘The best. Efcharistó. ’ Her sister reached across and patted her arm.

Michaíl was the perfect host and kept filling up their glasses with tots of ouzo.

‘I have to drive home, Michaíl. You’ll have me drunk.’ Eugenia winked at the old man.

He smiled and then his expression turned serious. ‘I have something to tell you both.’ Michaíl paused. ‘I wanted today to be a happy day because what I’m going to tell you makes me very sad.’

Concerned, the women looked at each other.

‘A few weeks ago, I found out I haven’t got long on this earth.’

Both Cassia and Eugenia gasped.

‘My chest has been giving me a lot of pain and my cough, it does not go. I visited the Dr Alexatos, here in Fiscardo. He is sure I have lung cancer. It is what is causing my breathing problems and my cough. He blames my strong Karelia cigarettes. From what I’ve told him about the coughing up blood, the loss of weight, the pain, he says this is the end. ’

‘Oh, no! I’m so, so sorry, Michaíl.’ Cassia’s eyes brimmed with tears. She went and put her arms around the man who had given her a home and had become a father figure to her.

‘You mustn’t fret. I’ve had a good life. I mustn’t be greedy. I’m ready to meet my maker.’ His red-rimmed eyes told of his true feelings and a different story.

Eugenia sat quietly with sadness in her eyes. ‘I haven’t known you long, Michaíl. But you’re a good man. The girls adore you.’

The old man’s face was wet with tears. ‘I cannot manage the taverna anymore. My sister lives in Patras. I visited her a few weeks ago to say goodbye, but she says I must go to her to be looked after. I’m sorry . Taverna Zervas will close.’

No one felt like celebrating after Michaíl’s bombshell news. Eugenia and Maia got ready to leave not long afterwards.

‘Come on, Maia. Let’s get you home to bed. Say goodbye to everyone. What do you say to Michaíl for your spinning top?’

‘ Efcharistó, Kyrios Michaíl.’

Maia hugged the old man. ‘You are very welcome, agápi mou.’ His voice cracked.

Cassia walked with them to the door of the taverna.

‘I’ll call and see you tomorrow, Eugenia. Thank you for everything you brought today. Your melomakarona is the best around.’ The sisters hugged. ‘I’m sorry it ended like this, but poor Michaíl must have been desperate to tell us while we were all together.’

‘I know. Poor man. What will you and Eléni do? You can always come back and live with us.’

Cassia bent down to kiss her niece goodbye and didn’t give Eugenia an answer. Her plan to tell both her sister and Michaíl her news would have to wait. Now was not the right time.

* * *

It was a clear, sunny day when Cassia and Eléni set off the next morning. Cassia decided to walk to Eugenia’s and take advantage of the crisp, cold air to give her time to think. On the way there, Eléni spotted a large boat in the bay. ‘Tom.’ She pointed. ‘Baba.’

‘No, agápi mou . Not yet. But I expect he will arrive on a boat like that soon.’

Tom may not have received her letter yet and in any case, Michaíl’s news had changed things.

She wouldn’t leave the island until he’d left for his sister’s, dreading how emotional leaving was going to be for him.

Cassia would have to see someone she cared about decline and get weaker as the disease took hold.

How would she explain to Eléni that Michaíl was very ill and was going to die?

She brushed away her tears, cold on her cheek from the breeze coming in from the sea.

As they walked down to the smallholding, Eléni ran on when she saw Maia playing with the cats near where Eugenia was milking the goats.

Calix and Callista had grown now. They spent most of their time outdoors catching mice at night and sleeping in the sun during the day.

Eléni picked up the little tabby and began stroking her.

‘ Kaliméra . What a beautiful morning.’ Cassia caught up with Eléni and stood chatting to her sister as Eugenia finished with the last goat.

Eugenia will be all right, thought Cassia.

It’s hard for her at the moment, but things will get better.

She’ll make the best of what she has here on the smallholding.

They walked into the house, leaving the girls to play. ‘Did you get any sleep after listening to Michaíl’s news?’

‘Not much.’ Cassia’s tone grew serious. ‘I can’t imagine him not being around.

.. not — you know — but when he leaves the island to move to his sister’s.

’ Before last night, her main worry had been how she would break the news that she and Eléni would be leaving him, but he’d beaten her to it.

She couldn’t tell him now. She’d write another letter to Tom and tell him she had to stay until Michaíl had joined his sister.

‘I meant it. About you and Eléni moving back here. We’d manage between the two of us. The girls get on well now.’

‘No, it’s not fair on you. Two more mouths to feed.

It’s hard enough anyway.’ Guilt overwhelmed her.

If Michaíl hadn’t broken his news, she would have told both of them hers.

But there was no reason not to tell Eugenia.

The sooner it was out in the open, the better.

Her stomach churned in anticipation of how her sister would react.

‘Come and sit down. I planned to tell you yesterday, but Michaíl’s news came out first. I didn’t have the heart to tell you then.’

‘Now you’re worrying me. What’s happened? You’re not pregnant, are you?’

‘No!’ Cassia was shocked her sister would think such a thing. ‘Whatever makes you think that?’

‘Don’t think I don’t know about Tom. He’s besotted with you. And you have been looking tired and pale lately.’

‘You’ve got it all wrong. I admit we are more than friends now, but that’s only very recent. Nothing like that has happened. But what I have to say does concern Tom.’

Eugenia waited for her sister to continue.

‘The night before he left to return to Malta. He proposed to me.’

Eugenia gasped and hugged her. ‘That’s wonderful news. Isn’t it?’

‘He thinks if we emigrate to Wales, we could get help for Eléni. There’s a school for the deaf in his hometown.’

‘But she isn’t deaf!’ The implication that Tom and Cassia would not be staying in Kefalonia dawned on Eugenia. ‘Cassia. You can’t go! I can’t lose you for a second time. Damned men! It was Nikos the first time and now some Welsh sailor.’

She paced the floor, her eyes reddening.

‘Stop it. I need to tell you everything. I didn’t accept at first. I couldn’t imagine leaving Kefalonia, leaving you and Maia, leaving Michaíl — that was before I knew his news. Tom was disappointed, but accepted my decision and we left as friends.’

‘So what changed?’

‘I missed him. I missed him so much and realised I’d made a big mistake.

Eléni was distraught. She withdrew back into her shell.

I knew she blamed me. The only way is to get married — Tom says it would give me a stronger case for emigrating to Wales, plus the fact that his brother is married to a Greek woman.

Katerina. Tom says she’s really nice and so are their two boys.

They speak Greek as well. I wrote to him and told him I’d changed my mind. I hope he hasn’t changed his.’

Her sister shook her head in disbelief as she sat back down and took Cassia’s hands.

‘So he doesn’t know you’ve changed your mind yet?

Then please don’t tell him. All you’ve just told me is that you are willing to go through with a marriage of convenience for the sake of a little girl who isn’t even yours. ’

Cassia pulled her hands away. ‘But I love him. He’s a good man and I know I can make him happy.’

‘But can he make you happy?’

‘Yes, I know he can.’

‘But what if you get there and you realise you’ve made a huge mistake.

Away from your country, knowing no one apart from some Greek woman you haven’t even met.

Surrounded by people who don’t speak your language.

Tom will be away for months at sea. And what if Eléni never learns to speak? It will all have been for nothing.’

‘I think I’d better go.’

With that, there was a crash and shards of bright blue glass shattered onto the tiles. The wind had sprung up and sent the mati that hung from the door frame hurtling to the floor.

Eugenia grabbed her sister’s arm. ‘The mati ! I’m telling you. It’s a sign.’

‘You don’t believe that rubbish about a glass ornament protecting you from the evil eye, do you?’ Cassia shrugged herself out of her sister’s grasp, but it didn’t stop her from wondering what was to come.

‘Why can’t you be happy for me? I love Tom and nothing you say is going to stop me marrying him.’ Cassia’s voice rose and the two little girls came into the house after hearing the shouting. ‘You’re only jealous!’

If her sister couldn’t support her, then she couldn’t stay in the same room as her.

‘Come on, Eléni. We’re going.’