LiTTLE CHERiNE Book 03 - post061

It took a few days for Eleftheria to begin to adjust to her new life. This was not the time to speak to her of more wonders, or of our plans regarding transferring her to a different reality. We do not have a reality where the Cherinians have grown strong enough to risk having someone like her blow the whistle on them, nor can we tell her about the dead boy her son wants to adopt as a brother, so I do not know what we will do. Pano willingly resumed his reading lessons and he is gradually learning other subjects, such as arithmetic, geography and so on, so we are not in a hurry to settle them as a family.

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1585

I am not surprised that Jacob is happy to spend time here. If he had stayed home, he knows it would have taken a number of years for us to consider linking him, whereas, thanks to his visit he has been to the void and has danced with our Cherinians. Our biggest problem is linking him while he is so young and, it would help if he finds a nice girl our Cherine is willing to link - and she must be from our reality, not from here. I was amused when I learnt that he told Wendy that he hopes the girl he finds is Greek, as he likes it here. I refrained from pointing out that it will not be all that nice if he has to work in Greece.
Eleftheria has not adjusted in quite the way I was hoping she would. It is obvious that she sees me as a threat, because Pano shows that he loves me. On the other hand, she does not have to work and she has accumulated a nice wardrobe, with accessories and some jewellery - things she had never owned in her previous life. She is grateful, but we’ve noticed she acts superior to women who have less. Prime Robert senses how it upsets me and smiles. He insists I’m asking for miracles, that she has a good heart and will grow into becoming a Cherinian - but then he added with a laugh, that it might take some years for it to happen.
I had the balcony enclosed in glass, as I like to sit there and it gets unpleasantly cold and windy in the winter. My habit means I do not intrude on the process of Pano learning to be family with his mother, so she is glad I am so reserved. This morning she knocked at the sliding glass door and I looked up as she came out onto the balcony.
“It is time I take my son to meet my parents. Would anyone object if I take him?” I’m guessing she meant me.

1586

I grinned, amused. “Not one of us would and you will have a car and driver to take you and some money so that you can pay for whatever you need. You are a brave woman Eleftheria, but I think you have not given the matter the consideration you should. Tell me, if you go, aren’t they going to want to know how you support yourself and your son? What will you tell them?”
She paled and sat down. “I…they will see me with money and think I am a boutana.”
I pursed my lips. “Working as a shop assistant is not a good job for you - when you last did it, your son had few needs. As he becomes a teenager, there will be much he needs and I think you want to be the one who provides for him. What would you like to do?”
“Anything?”
“Yes.”
“When I lived in the village, everyone used to say that I have a good voice for singing.”
“If you do, Wendy can help you improve enough to find a good job at a taverna. From there it will be a matter of you making a name for yourself.”

Wendy grinned at my efforts to hide from Eleftheria my negative feelings as I listened to her singing. “Eleftheria, you are very lucky, over the last few years the heavy Greek folk music you like has been growing in popularity. Basically you need some training, but give me a month and if you devote yourself to learning what I can teach you, you’ll be good enough to hold a job.”
For a week, my bonus was that I had Pano spend much of his free time with me. Just as I felt we are growing close again, he decided that his mother sings like an angel and he wants to be present at her lessons so that he can listen to her. He is so proud of her that she looks like she could float on a cloud of happiness.

For a long time now, I have forgotten why I came here. I no longer feel listless and I do not get struck by fits of depression and my life is worth living - even when I am unhappy. It is how I remember being years ago. It is remarkable that I healed without the help of a healer, just by changing my focus. Maybe it is time I return to my reality. Since I arrived here, my Teller family have been back a couple of times and presently they wish to stay here for a while, as our Cherine is devoted to her alternate and with her help is growing more self-confident and stronger in her gifts.
Eleftheria got a job at a taverna in Kallithea and, for her first night, we filled the taverna. Socrati got some of the men to dance and Alki bought tons of carnations for throwing at Eleftheria. She had to change her name as there already is a very popular singer with her name, so she has chosen to be known as Niki Dessas.
After three weeks the owner told her she has five days off as he is closing for renovations. We immediately arranged for Tasso to drive her to the village. Eleftheria spent some of the cash Robert gave her for buying gifts for her parents and friends - needing a suitcase for carrying them. Proudly dressed up and with her hair freshly done, she and Pano drove off.
While they were gone, I asked and was offered a bedroom of my own in the Teller home. I gathered my things, cleaned the apartment and left a few gifts to make their stay, when they return, more comfortable. I told everyone that I will stay until Pano has his brother.

Her father has died and her mother was not very warm in her welcome, but she soon thawed with respect to Pano. The grandmother cannot understand why her grandson has such an atrocious accent (something between gypsy and Albanian), so Eleftheria told her that until recently she worked in a shop and lived in a poor area and Pano grew up with Albanian children as company. Since Eleftheria left, television has come to the village and the mother was not so upset about Eleftheria being a singer, more interested in learning how much her daughter gets paid. Eleftheria happily told her that the best part of the job is that she can spend most of her day with her son. Sorry, I’m only writing of all this because it feels so alien to me, if I became a singer, my mother would be proud of me and boast to everybody - if she didn’t have to keep mum about my being alive.
When they returned and we sensed them, it was decided that it is time we bring the little boy. Alki offered to explain to the mother, so everybody happily agreed. He first told Pano some of what he intends telling Eleftheria, and then arranged to meet her at their apartment, the next day.

“Eleftheria, your son owes a large debt…”
Her breath caught in fear and she rushed to ask, “How much?”
Alki smiled soothingly. “Not money, Eleftheria. I better tell you what happened to Pano during his first year on the street.”
She was shocked, but under all of it, she only cared about Pano and had little empathy to spare for the boy who was killed. She worried about how the murder must have affected him - in her heart she instantly decided that Pano is not to blame and she must help him see it. Alki was sensing her and sighed, since he knows how the mind of a Greek village woman works. Even if she agrees to the child being brought back to be a brother to Pano, she will always, in little ways, make him feel he does not belong, that it is only Pano who matters.
Alki told her what he knows about the manner in which she will treat the boy and added, “What Pano dreams of would help him grow and provide him with the love of a brother, a true companion for all his life. Your blindness and hard heart will turn their love into a curse and send the boys into a collision course when they are adults.” Despite his best efforts, she cannot understand why she is in the wrong, so she was taken back to the apartment.

Alki had an idea and asked his Robert. Robert agreed, but we must speak to Pano first. There are preparations which must be made and I had to agree to stay to look after Pano

1587

Through his contacts, Alki and Themi arranged for an orphanage to employ Eleftheria. They were told that she was in an accident and has lost her memory. Tasso rented a small dyari (two-bedroom) apartment close to the orphanage and a number of small items, clothing etc., were purchased so that she does not have anything which could joggle her memory. When everything was ready, Prime Robert and Dommi entered her mind and locked off all her memories since just before her death. They also implanted a memory of her son dying when he was a baby. They leached the memory so that it does not cause her too much suffering.A small development which has little to do with the story of Eleftheria, Alki was forced to purchase the taverna as the owner would not promise to re-employ her once she is healed. Since she has become popular with the customers, his intransigent attitude does not make sense - to me. When I mentioned my puzzlement, Dr Maria explained.
“Even a good singer can find it hard to get a job. The taverna owner does not want a singer who is undependable, even if it is for health reasons, so it is reasonable that he chooses another singer before he has too many evenings with a reduced number of customers.” She sensed me, for I had the sad thought that the owner would have expected her loyalty, but he does not offer any in return. I find it sad that the world has changed so much. Dr Maria shook her head and added, “It has always been so, Lillian, for most people. Profits come first.”
Candy cheered me up when she added, “It will not be the same for Cherinians.” I am glad we are so different.

I asked that we be honest with Pano and the Greek women explained to him the reasons we have taken his mother away. He found it disturbing, but he came to see it as being good for his mother, so he did not complain. He did ask why I am returning to the apartment, since he is old enough to live on his own. I wondered, is he hoping to have wild parties? In a couple of years, maybe…
Pano was helped to share with us as we monitored his mother. As he felt her changing, beginning to care about some of the children, he relaxed and stopped worrying about what we have done to her. Then we began to notice that Eleftheria is paying more attention to two little girls, twins of about seven years old. Prime Cherine gave an exaggerated dramatic sigh and told us that she is so glad none of us have to worry about either of our Roberts wanting the girls, even though they are at his ideal age, as they are a bit on the chubby side. The truth is, the girls are sweet and I do not think my Robert would worry about the chubbiness, once we send our healers to them, they will grow into slim little beauties.
Pano waited until we were alone and back in our home. “Lilliana, will the Cherinians want to make me and my brother Cherinians when we grow up?”
“The way you are changing into a thoughtful and caring young man, I would say, yes, definitely.”
“Can pappou Alki help my mother adopt the two girls…after she gets her memory back? I think it would be nice for the girls to have a mummy and maybe, I think, we can love them. Then when we are Cherinians we will have our own girls to love.”
“I am not certain that what you are asking for is ethical. We’ll see.”
When it was decided by Alki that she has changed enough to be a mother to the little boy, we took the precaution of first taking her to the beach in Cyprus, in the evening. As her memories opened to her, we could feel she was furious and wanted to rant and rave and swear, but she was too afraid of us. Socrati told her she is allowed to be angry and she can swear at us if she wants to. Being given permission collapsed her anger and she grabbed her son and squeezed him to her. Pano led her away from us and when they returned she looked bemused. It seems he is in a hurry and took the opportunity to suggest she adopts the twin girls - without giving his real reasons.

Back in their home, Dommi explained, “Eleftheria, we have not managed to examine many images of the little boy, for Pano is still traumatised by his last memories of the boy and he has blocked them from himself - and thus, from us. Pano has not even allowed himself to recall the boy’s name…if he ever did know it.
We want to help you share those traumatic memories of his and I feel I must remind you to also remain aware of his feelings and his fear. As is so often true when you have to deal with us, we cannot share them with you before telling you another little story. It will not take long.”
She told her about the car hitting Robert and his experiences at the hospital and how and why he became known as the Angel of Athens. She loved the story and appreciated some of the dramatic irony - with her being Greek, we would have been surprised if she had not.
Dommi ended off the anecdote with the following. “As you will see, Pano and the rest of the beggar children misunderstood the story about the Angel of Athens, and thought Robert is really an angel, one sent to rescue them from their misery and sufferings.” (By the way, as a comment from me, Sam; we and Pano decided, some time ago, not to share the story about Sargami, as it will only freak her out. Maybe we will once she is comfortable with being a Cherinian and has grown in her understanding of the universe.)
Sharing the memories of Pano means that she saw all that Pano saw, as he saw it, heard it, felt, tasted it and reacted to it emotionally, and some of what he saw was a little blurry, for those were the bits he did not understand. At least she saw the child and not Sargami.
As Eleftheria came out of the sharing, Dommi said to her, “It is difficult for any mother or father to see the pains which have shaped their children, but if we refuse to look as honestly as we can, we can never grow to understand them and someday they will drift away.”
She spent some time with her son, talking as they walked around the neighbourhood and when they returned, she said to Robert, “We are ready to meet the brother of Pano.”

Prime Robert left, and for us it seemed like only minutes passed and the body of a boy of about four or five appeared. A soft quilt was placed over him and he stirred. It was strange, he moved his arms, turned his head, rolled over and only then did he open his eyes. Luckily most of those in the room were children, for I think it would have terrified him to find himself among stranger adults.
Pano rushed to kneel by his side and he babbled about them being brothers and that he will take care of him. His mother was upset to hear him speaking like an Albanian once again, but I guessed Pano did it deliberately for the sake of his little brother.
“Who are you? Why am I here?”
“I am Panos, you have been asleep for a long time…”

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I hope you enjoy reading this story of fantasy, adventure and love - and should some of it be true for our reality, I hope you will love our Cherine.

Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου

(Alexander Zenon Eustace)
^{18th September, 2019}

* posted on PALNet - Steemit - WEKU - CreativeCoin: 18th September, 2019