Excerpt
Two weeks later, after having everything in order, he received a
call for an interview at the Canadian Embassy. He managed to do well
at the interview without any assistance from the translator in attendance.
After all, he spoke good English, and that, of course, was a plus
in helping him get his visa. He arranged for his parents to come to
Athens and see him off.
The night before his departure, he went out with Magda. She
hugged him passionately.
“Hermes, I think I am in love with you. I look forward to hearing
from you while you are away and seeing you when you come back.
I may even convince my parents to let me come and visit you sometime.
Do you want me to visit you in Vancouver, Hermes? Perhaps
next summer?”
He smiled at her and kissed her lips.
“You can visit me in Canada anytime, Magdalene. I think I am
in love with you as well. I feel sad that we will part. I promise to be in
touch.”
They parted, and he went home to get all his stuff ready. When
walking in, he saw his mother and father sitting with his uncle and
aunt, waiting for him. They were excited to see him, and he hugged
them and said hi. Then he left them there to go upstairs to pack. He
puts a few things inside his suitcase and frequently stops to look
around, as if seeing for the first time the room he has lived in for
the last four and a half years. Up until now, he’s been so busy taking
care of all the details of going to Canada; it was only at this moment
that he felt that he was ready to leave, that tomorrow is his last day
in this country. He will leave his country, his parents, relatives, and
friends for two years, and most painful of all, he will leave behind
Magdalene, whom he admits that he loves very much.
Libros Libertad 