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We eat like horses, and I learn what a real Greek-style lunch is. I trymoussaka,dolmadakia,and for dessert,portokalopita,an orange cake with cinnamon. It’s tender and very tasty.
By the end, I feel like I’m about to explode, but the three Greeks talk as if this is a common meal for them.
Christos is a chameleon. I’ve been with him in public, both in Barcelona and in his New York office, and I know how powerful and imposing he is in his daily life. But here, with his parents, he seems completely relaxed. I think it’s because he’s among those he truly considers his own.
When she called me, Mom asked to talk to him, and they talked for about five minutes. In the end, my boyfriend wanted to talk to my dad, too, and that touched my heart.
Mike never made any effort to be nice to my parents. Even before the wedding, I never saw him giving them the time of day.
“Zoe, we need to plan a trip to Greece when this is all over. My son’s island is beautiful.”
“She’s doing a photo shoot there, so it’ll be sooner than you think.”
“Excellent. Let’s all go together,” Alekos says, inviting himself, and I feel like laughing. “God knows we need a little break from this chaos the world has become. We can go on your plane, son.”
“I would love to, but first I want to see my parents. I talk to my mom every day on the phone, but I want toseeher. I don’t know if that makes sense.”
“Of course it does, sweetheart,” Danae says, taking my hand. “Nothing replaces being face-to-face.”
“I was going to surprise you, but I don’t want to make you anxious,” Christos says.
“Surprise me?”
“Yes. When we get back to Boston, we’ll stop by to see your parents. I’ve already arranged everything with Macy. You just won’t be able tohave a hug because the doctor is still firm on the isolation, but your father will set up some chairs in the garden and we’ll be able to talk.”
“I thought they were still at the clinic. I mean, they were until yesterday.”
“Yes, but when I arranged the clinic, I also asked Yuri to rent a house in case they wanted to get away from the hospital environment for a bit if your mother was well enough to do so.”
I open and close my mouth, amazed. “Is there anything you didn’t organize?”
For the first time since we met, I have the impression that he blushes. “It wasn’t a big deal. I . . .”
Before he finishes, I get up and walk over to where he is, and without stopping to think about what I’m doing, I kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks.”
I get ready to go back to my seat, but he pushes back his chair, pulls me onto his lap, and kisses me on the mouth in front of his parents. “Now, I consider that a thank you.”
I hear Alekos laugh, and I turn away, red as a pepper.
I avoid facing any of them, but I feel the Lykaios family’s eyes on me all the time.
Totally taking me by surprise, Alekos and his son say they are going to clean up the lunch table. Like us in Boston, Christos’s parents only have a maid to clean twice a week to avoid people circulating inside the house, which lowers the risk of getting infected.
Christos has washed dishes at our house, and I have always admired that, as it has to do with how he was raised. I can’t stand people sitting around waiting to be served, but my boyfriend is a man of action in any area of his life.
However, I didn’t imagine that it would be like that in his parents’ house, nor that the oldest Lykaios would take the initiative to send us out for a walk while they took care of everything.
“Do you feel better now that you know you’re going to see your mother?” asks Danae.
“Yes, I do. Life is a very strange thing, isn’t it? I’ve spent the last few years worrying about her cancer, and then this goddamn virus comes along and trips us up. My anxiety right now is about Mom taking a turn for the worse and needing to be admitted to a real hospital if the clinic Christos has provided isn’t enough.”
“Let’s have faith, child. I know we are all uncertain about the future, but we need to stay positive. Getting sick mentally can be just as dangerous for the body.”
“I know, but when I talk about anxiety, it’s not like people usually have it, but something that paralyzes me. That’s why I keep doing therapy twice a week, online.”
I look at her as I speak. I’m not going to pretend to be someone I’m not to win her over. I had depression when I came back from Barcelona, and I thought it was a one-time thing because of everything I’ve been through, but my therapist told me it could happen again.
“There’s nothing wrong with seeking help. I don’t know everything about your life, Zoe, but I’m sure you’re a special girl.”
