excerpt
After lunch, Hermes and his uncle went down to the café for a
cup of coffee. The small place was almost full, and the air was heavy
with cigarette smoke and fumes from the charcoal-filled brazier in
the middle of the room; it was hard on the eyes. Some of the patrons
were playing cards, two arguing over the backgammon game, and
others sat around the heater to stay warm. An old man recognized
Demetre and invited him and Hermes to come and sit close to him.
“That man is Gerry, your other uncle,” Demetre said to Hermes.
“I know, Uncle.”
The others made room for them to sit close to the brazier. The
mayor was sitting at a table farther across the room; he welcomed
them with a nod of his head.
Gerry yelled to the proprietor, “Foti, come offer us a drink.”
“Alright, alright, Gerry, what do you like to have?”
“Two coffees for our visitors, Foti, and don’t pretend you don’t
know us.”
The proprietor laughed at the old man’s comment and walked
away.
Gerry, who was Despina’s brother, took Hermes’ hand, “Come
now, look at what I found for you. When I heard you were here, I went
to the forest and gathered some mushrooms. We’ll cook them on the
brazier. As I remember, you are quite fond of these, aren’t you?”
Hermes was quite happy that the old uncle remembered he
liked this particular kind of truffle-like mushrooms. When cooked
on the charcoal, they tasted delicious. He smiled at the old man: “Yes,
you know me well, Uncle. Thank you.”
Hermes’ mind flew back to the world of his imagination, a
world exactly like this one, simple, pure, hospitable, without a trace
of vanity. His blood flowed in tune with the blood of those locals,
the beats of his heart were in harmony with the lion-like heart of
this island, and his soul lay back and rested. Then a shudder overtook
him as he remembered his thoughts at the monastery and the
groans of the dead people, he felt he heard. But then, again, his mind
rested upon the huge smile of the old man who was busy roasting his…
Libros Libertad 