“Mum, I’ve got your tickets ready. Dad asked me to tell you to collect them for him. He’s got some meeting with the university administration tonight. Can you make it into town? We could have supper together if you want.”
“Sarah, what a lovely idea! Could we go to The Peacock? I am longing for one of their steak and ale pies.”
Sarah laughed at her mother’s enthusiasm. “I don’t see why not. Pick me up at six and we’ll take one car.”
“It’s a deal!” replied Lynn. She put down the phone with a cheerful smile that made the rainy day seem a lot brighter than it had just a few minutes before when she was worrying over the imminent departure for Greece.
She decided this meal together would be an ideal time to talk things over with Sarah. Collecting the airline tickets would be the perfect excuse to discuss her misgivings about the whole topic of the Easter holiday that wasn’t a holiday for her, and also Stavros’ strange behaviour of late.
Perhaps I shouldn’t burden Sarah about Stavros, she thought. That’s hardly fair. But I do wish I had someone to talk to.
She deliberated about calling one of the women who worked with Stavros. Over the years of staff gatherings and department celebrations at the university, she had become friendly with a few of the less imposing members of staff. Most of the women professors were of the plain and earnest variety whose conversation was limited to weighty intellectual matters Lynn already heard too much about at home, but there were some, the part-time instructors, retired school teachers who made up a considerable portion of the work force, who were friendly to a professor’s wife and of a similar age to herself.
Her thoughts turned inevitably to the remainder of the group she usually met at the end of term graduation parties. These women were the young and beautiful students whose very appearance demoralized Lynn. They fluttered around her husband and fell upon his every word in a way that Lynn found distressing and inappropriate. She felt invisible in their presence.
Years before, she and Stavros had had a series of arguments about the influence these young grad students had on his attitude to his wife. Stavros assured her, repeatedly, that she had nothing to worry about. He insisted the young women he taught were no match for the years of shared life experiences they had together as a couple. He admitted the attentions were flattering, but he also reminded Lynn that his work depended on maintaining a discrete distance between himself and his students. The least breath of scandal and his teaching career would be over.
This last argument convinced Lynn that she need not be concerned about the bevy of beauties who surrounded her husband for most of his teaching days. She knew only too well how hard and long he had fought for his present position as Head of Classics. Risking that, was not in his practical nature and discussing the topic with his colleagues, no matter how sympathetic, was also something she could not contemplate.
“Looks like I am on my own with this problem,” she complained to her mirror, as she combed her silver hair into place and applied some lipstick and mascara. “No reason why I should look dowdy, or feel alone, when I am eating out with my darling daughter.”
The 16th century Peacock Inn was not busy this early on a mid-week evening and Sarah found a table near the fire and away from the bar. They concentrated on the menu for a while then talked about the weather and Caroline and Mike’s latest exploits until the delicious food arrived.
For several minutes, they were too busy to talk but as soon as their appetites were satisfied by the hot food, Sarah looked up at her mother, wiped her mouth with a napkin and declared, “Now, Mum, what’s on your mind?”
Lynn was startled by this declaration and immediately denied any concerns.
Sarah was not convinced.
“Look, Mum, I can see that little vein in your forehead that always pulses when you are worried about something. Fess up!”
“Oh, my dear, dear, Sarah! I am a bit worried. Nothing new, however, I am sure you are sick to death of listening to my complaints about the Kyriakos’ clan in Greece.”
Sarah reached over and patted her mother’s trembling fingers. “I do know how hard it is for you to spend such a long time with Dad’s people, but you must admit it is partly your own fault. You should have learned the language long ago. That alone would have endeared you to his brothers and sisters although I think you are right about the older generation’s opinion. I can just hear them whispering to each other, ‘She stole him away from us, the demon English woman!’”
Lynn had to laugh at her daughter’s expression of mock horror. Sarah was right in many ways. Perhaps if she made more of an effort this year she could expunge some of the mistakes of the past. Then again, perhaps it really was too late now.
“Admit it, Mum! Things improved a few years back when Dad decided to shorten the holiday by taking you around to some of his favourite historical sites in Greece. Where are you both heading this year?”
Lynn knew Sarah was trying to distract her from the usual miserable complaints she endured around this time every spring. It was working to some degree and Lynn had to acknowledge it.
“Well, your father is hoping to take me back to Santorini for a few days. He wants to check on some ongoing work at Akrotiri.”
“There you are!” exclaimed Sarah. “That’s your favourite place in Greece, isn’t it? Dad promised to take the whole family there one day soon.”
“I know! I know! Why am I complaining when I get to tour such places with an expert archaeologist like your father at my command?”
Sarah dampened her enthusiasm when she saw her mother’s true feelings in her eyes, despite those more positive words.
“Think of it this way, Mum. Things are bad in Greece this year as everyone knows. You might find the annual gathering is not so well attended as in the past and it may not last so long this time. It must be an expensive event for the family with all the accommodations and meals to arrange.”
“That’s all true, Sarah,” Lynn realized. “I suppose I could help out. I could contribute some spices and herbs for the feast. They often use saffron with the lamb and it is very expensive. Do you think that would be a good idea?”
“I am sure the family would be appreciative of your efforts, Mum. Attitude is everything, as Dad always says about his students. If you can think more positively about the situation, who knows what might develop? Give it a try at least. What do you say?”
Lynn responded by reaching across the dishes on their table and giving her daughter a great big hug that she hoped conveyed how much she had needed a pep talk. The worries were still there in the back of her mind, of course, but they seemed more easily dealt with now that Sarah had shared them.
Lynn gave herself a mental shake and changed the subject to more cheerful topics.
“Now, when did you say Caroline was coming back home?”
“Ah, I’ve been meaning to bring you up to date about that. There’s exciting news. Caroline has been invited to attend the G(irls)20 Summit in Paris in June this year.”
“Wait a minute, isn’t that the conference for youth that takes place during the G20 when the world leaders meet? Stavros was talking about it being such a wonderful opportunity for young women.
How did she get chosen? Does her grandfather know about this?”
“She has been so active in women’s rights this year at the London School of Economics. She did an entire study on the improvements that would be possible in rural areas of Africa if women farmers had access to mobile phone information about crop prices and weather conditions and things like that.
I don’t pretend to understand all of it but David and I are so proud of our girl for caring for others the way she does.
As to your second question: Dad must have had some input into Caroline’s decision to apply. He may have intervened for her in some way. I am not sure about that but it’s just like him to do it without making a big fuss. That’s not to distract in any way from Caroline’s own achievements, of course.”
“Indeed! I have a remarkable granddaughter and that did not happen by accident, Sarah. If you and David had not been such caring parents, Caroline would never have grown into the young woman she has become. I wish I had had such caring when I was a child. I might have been a stronger person myself. My home circumstances were quite different, as you know.”
“I know you were looking after your mother at a very young age, Mum, instead of the other way around. You had no time to grow as a child before you were required to act like a grownup and then you were married and starting all over again with limited finances. I don’t know how you did it!”
“I just did what I had to do, Sarah. I’m not sure all my choices were the best.”
“Now, don’t underestimate yourself, Mum. You were a wonderful mother to me; always there when I needed you to listen to my problems. Not like some of my friends’ mothers who were working all the hours of the day while their kids ran rampant without supervision.”
“Oh, I was there at home all right, Sarah, but it was because I lacked the confidence to pursue a career like Caroline will, and you have too.”
“Who me? The travel industry is hardly a career to boast about. I chose to follow in your footsteps Mum, just because I knew how important it was to be available when my kids came home from school each day. You taught me that. I may not be a fancy doctor or a business expert but I will never regret the sacrifices I made for Mike and Caroline.”
“Neither should you, my darling! Both of your children are a credit to you.”
Lynn suddenly had an idea.
“Listen! What if you and David went to Paris in June to support Caroline and perhaps sit in on some of the debates and presentations? I would look after Mike and the house. Your father will be busy in June setting up his summer courses. He won’t even notice I am gone.”
“That’s a brilliant idea! It’s time we had a break together. It’s been a tough year in many ways.
I’ll look into it tomorrow and see what the possibilities are. Thank you, mother! Who else would have thought of something so unselfish?”
The meal ended on a positive note and Lynn drove home with a more optimistic attitude than she had
experienced for months. It could be that this Easter would be a breakthrough for her and Stavros. She decided there and then to make a perceptible improvement in her attitude and watch for the results to come flooding in.
The Kyriakos’ small house in the village of Horam was in darkness when Lynn drove along the leafy lane and into the short driveway. Stavros must be delayed at his meeting, she deduced. I’ll turn on lights and fix something quick for his supper. He’ll be tired and hungry when he gets home. These university meetings never seem to end happily.
Soon she was bustling around in the kitchen with the radio supplying local information interspersed with cheerful music. She started to hum along with a recording and realized it was unusual for her to do this.
“Aha!” she exclaimed, with a chuckle. “Evidence that my attitude adjustment is working, I think!”
Just then she heard the sound of her husband’s car negotiating the limited space left in the driveway. Neither of them ever parked in the single garage. It was always crammed full of items that would not fit into the small closets in their two-bedroom home. That is, one bedroom and one office, home, she mentally corrected herself. Just as well we have no children living here nowadays. They would have to sleep in a tent outside, I imagine.
Stavros came straight into the kitchen and put his briefcase, laptop and coat onto the table top where Lynn had hoped to place his plate of western omelet stuffed with vegetables. She bit her tongue and stifled the complaint she would normally have delivered. This was one of her husband’s thoughtless habits. No amount of house space would ever provide him with more tidy personal habits, it seemed, but she knew a complaint was no way to greet him if she wished to stay true to her resolutions.
Turning on a smile so that her voice would at least sound happier, she followed him into the lounge where he was already installed in his favourite chair with a newspaper opened up and his face obscured behind it.
“An omelet will be ready in a moment, dear,” she suggested. “Would you like to have it in here tonight?”
Now this was definitely a concession. Lynn disapproved of sloppy customs such as eating in front of the television. She wondered if Stavros would notice the change. Apparently not. He simply nodded his head and continued reading.
So, the meeting did not go well, she concluded. I’ll say nothing until he has eaten and had time to relax.
With this decision, Lynn fetched a bottle of red wine from the cupboard and pulled the cork very carefully. A glass of wine would smooth out the day for her husband and make the evening more sociable. She had a few announcements to make and a congenial atmosphere always helped such occasions flow more easily.
It took an hour, and the addition of his favourite apple tart with pouring custard, before Stavros appeared to relax enough to initiate conversation.
“Sorry, love! I know I’ve been a bit of a bear tonight.”
“Usual reason?” Lynn inquired gently.
“Unfortunately! Things don’t improve, and financial concerns outweigh everything these days.
I wonder if it’s time to call a halt to the whole teaching career?”
It was not the first time Lynn had heard this question. Previously, her husband had changed his mind when he returned to his students the next day. She knew he loved the teaching aspects of his job and felt the administration and negotiation responsibilities were a waste of his expertise. In the last decade, however, his complaints revealed that many more of what he termed ‘secretarial tasks’ were devolving onto his shoulders in the ever-expanding search for cost-cutting measures.
“Are you really ready for that change?” she asked, with some apprehension.
Stavros looked directly into his wife’s eyes and replied in a serious tone of voice that alerted her immediately to the possibility of more than one announcement to be made this evening.
“I am closer to making the change a reality now, than I ever have been. How do you feel about that?”
Lynn was flustered. A thousand random thoughts flashed through her mind in a fraction of a second.
What would it be like to have her husband home all day, every day, when she was used to doing whatever she wanted, without interference?
Where would all the books and papers from his university office go in their home?
Would he rearrange her tidy kitchen? This last male tendency was something dire she had been warned about by female neighbours whose husbands had retired.
She had to come up with a suitable response quickly. Stavros was probably already reading the uncertainty in her eyes.
“Well, it’s up to you, of course. It would mean changes to our life here. What would you do with your time?”
“I would continue with my summer teaching in Greece, I think. I could write another book but this might be the chance to make a whole new life for us.”
Fear coursed through Lynn’s veins as she heard this pronouncement from her husband. Suddenly every small part of her daily routine acquired a rosy glow of sweet familiarity that she was in no way willing to relinquish.
“A new life…..? What do you mean?” her voice trembled but Stavros did not hesitate.
“I’ve been thinking about this lately. I think we should buy property in Greece and make it our permanent home.”
Lynn could not stifle the sharp intake of breath that revealed how catastrophic this idea was to her.
“I…… I can’t believe you have not bothered to discuss this with me first.” She was relieved to hear the anger in her words. Inside she was devastated, and the trembling had transferred to her whole body.
At least through anger she could disguise the weakness she really felt as she contemplated her husband’s true wishes and what they might mean for her.
“Well, I wasn’t sure until recently that this is what I want to do.” Stavros rushed to justify his choices.
He was shocked at his wife’s reaction. Surely she could see how beneficial this move would be for him; for both of them.
Before he could begin, Lynn burst in with a cold statement even he recognized as something far removed from her usual calm manner.
“What do you mean when you say, ‘what I want to do’? I thought there were two of us in this marriage. When did you decide to make major decisions without consulting me? For heaven’s sake, Stavros, you know how I feel about England and by now, even a blind man would be able to tell how uncomfortable I am in Greece!”
Lynn stood, knocking over the glass of wine in front of her, spilling the dregs which began to drip over the edge of the coffee table onto the cream rug. She stormed out of the lounge. Stavros heard her feet thumping up the stairs to their bedroom. He was aghast at his wife’s extraordinary over-reaction to his news. Yet, it was clear by the way she had ignored the red wine on her new rug, that this was no storm in a teacup but a fully-fledged hurricane.
A weather system with which he feared he was unable to cope.