Little Cherine Book 03 - BPost022

That I took my decision as being necessary is proven by the fact that I left my home and my loved ones exposing myself to being captured or killed. I gained from that experience and I’m grateful I had the foresight to take the course I did.

Previous Post 021

1611

Despite my arguments, you have all refused to take decisions on your own. For every single detail you all run to me for a decision or advice. You want a leader, you want the comfort of someone else making the decision and being responsible if it is the wrong one. You all are helping turn me into a politician!

Alki, even you, my strength and father, you who would follow your own path and resist anyone telling you what to do, you gave in to me too easily. My wives, my Cherine the fighter, my Dominique the independent and spoilt society girl, Claudia the Claw, you all bowed your heads and gave me responsibility for everything.

I am a protector - that is my instinct and my gift. Apart from that I am a bit of a nerd, a wishy-washy type of guy who just wants to do his job well and be with his family. You all tried to change me and you succeeded. I even found myself having to interfere in your personal love life!

I could not see it, but subconsciously I sensed it; my dream was dying. Cherinians, whether of Earth or of the void, you cannot be true Cherinians unless you grasp life with both hands and make yourselves responsible for your own lives. We may, according to one of my wives, one day have dog Cherinians - but I promise you, we can never have any sheep Cherinians.

So, I have called you to declare this day as the day Cherinians form a movement to rebel against their leader. There is a fine line that must be drawn, when do you obey and when do you make your own decisions. We will cross that line many times, but if we are wise, experience will show where it should lie. Will you all join me and fight this tyrant leader you created so that he is forced to become a good leader - even if it means he becomes crazy again?”

“How can we fight you Robert?”

“Nicko, you are not fighting me - I wish to join you in this rebellion. There is another Robert, one that you all helped create, he is the one we fight. All you need to do is take your own life back into your own hands. If what you wish to do may affect other Cherinians or normal humans, by all means, this Robert is bound by the trust you placed in him to help, advise or order. Where it only affects your own life or that of your own family - the responsibility must be yours. At most, as a friend, I could advise, later on - once you have got over this tendency of accepting my advice as being the word of God.”

I continued in this vein, answering questions, ranting and raving and insisting on forming a secret society that will be the watchdog for Cherinians, protecting them from politicians. It was with glee I heard comments about me being crazy and when Cherine slipped her arms about me, reaching for a kiss I knew the weight in her heart had dissolved. I picked her up and carried her with me, needing to feel her warm body and heart next to mine.

I insisted that since Socrati had fought in EOKA he should be the leader of the Cherinian Secret Society against Politicians. Since no one else wanted the position and they still did not take it seriously, he was unanimously voted in.

“Before we leave for the club to celebrate, may I have another moment?” Soon as the room was silent I carried on. “It seems a bit of a joke right now. I am aware of your feelings. What we have done today though, it does not belong to the present. This Society must be accepted as having the force of a High Court. They are not allowed to make any rules or laws, only to force them to be repealed. Any leader, myself or a future one, under any type of government, must repeal any law or rule that the ‘Society’ does not accept. Those who join and run the Society must be fearless and refuse to sacrifice the slightest right of any citizen, whether Cherinian, or later when we are in the majority, of any Normal human. Our future depends on you taking this position as a sacred duty to all humans of all worlds. Solomon and Ordinx, I ask that each of you appoint your own representatives to join Socrati.”

Socrati began to radiate his unease and I was pleased, it meant he now was beginning to take his position seriously. A few more of them had thoughtful looks so I began to have hopes this is going to work.

That night, quite a few of us, as good partisans, had too much to drink. I did not show any annoyance when Claudia and her sister also drank too much. I forced her healer to let her suffer the after-effects. If I could have, I would have made them even worse, but it turned out not to be necessary. She threw up, felt the room was tilting in all directions and had a horrible hangover. I finally relented and let her healer cleanse her body.

1612

That afternoon I sat at my computer, brought my diary up to date and did one haunting picture taken from a bleak and gloomy world of my imagination. I did not sign it as I did not want it associated with my name. As I stretched to un-kink the muscles of my back, I sensed the girls were all waiting for me, so I went to them.

They had decided to hold court and judge me. I guess I should have expected it.

Alexis stood up to read the charges and gave me a grin - and got censured by the others.

“Robert Teller, father and husband of all present, you are charged with the following:
* Demeaning your wives and not showing them the correct respect they deserve by calling them, in private and in public, your girls.
* Demeaning and insulting your family by telling others that they do not obey you.
* Demeaning and insulting your family by not being open and honest with them.

How do you answer these charges?”

I thought about it for a moment. “I think you forgot the most important charge of all.”

“What is it?” Alexis innocently asked me, before Cherine could stop her.

“You forgot to charge me with loving you more than myself and the whole wide world.”

It melted a few hearts, but Dommi spoke up, “Alexis, add that to the charge sheet.”

“You want to charge him with loving us!!?”

“Yes Laura, I do.”

“I suppose I am expected to answer whether I am guilty or innocent? Okay, to all the charges I answer that I am both innocent and guilty.”

“Then it will be noted as a guilty plea.”

“Not so fast Rosie, we cannot do that.” Cherine bit her lip, “Dommi, I think we should treat his answer as a plea of innocence.”

Sam said, “I agree.”

“Alexis, write down that he answered ‘innocent’.”

“Dommi, I know that this is your court, but what you suggest is wrong, instructing her to write my plea in any way different from my answer would be wrong and I could get the outcome thrown out on a technicality. You could add to my answer that the court will treat my answer as a plea of innocent.”

“That is what I meant!”

“Who is the prosecutor and who will be my defence attorney?” They stared at me in dismay. “What!? You did not provide for an attorney to help me defend myself? Is that legal?”

“Who do you want?”

I thought of asking for Dommi - that would have thrown them for a loop, but I did not want to spoil it for them. “Seeing as to how Laura sort of stood up for me, I ask the court to appoint her as my defence attorney. May I retire with her? I need to get her advice and brief her as to my wishes. I trust that all communications between my attorney and myself will be treated as privileged - confidential - by all of you?”

Laura sat opposite me in the kitchen while I made a cup of coffee.

“What are you going to do Robbie?”

“First of all I need your advice. How serious are they? Are they doing this to have fun at my expense or do they have a serious grievance?”

“A mixture of both I think. Robbie, is it fair of you to ask me that kind of question?”

1613

“You mean that as you were a party to this I am trying to get ‘inside’ information?”

“I suppose so.”

“That was the only question my love.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Drink my coffee.”

“I meant when we go back in there.”

“Perhaps I should just change my plea to guilty?”

“No, you mustn’t do that!”

“You mean I would spoil their fun? Okay, what if I fight and win?”

“You can’t, you are in the wrong.”

“You really are not much good as an attorney are you? It is your job to presume I am innocent and look for ways to prove that I am.”

I drank my coffee slowly and we returned to the others. They all rushed to take their places again.

“Are you satisfied to rest your case on your accusations or have you appointed a prosecutor?”

“We do not need a prosecutor.”

“Who will question me then? My attorney advises me that for the judge and jury to do so could prejudice you against me.” Laura blushed, but kept quiet.

“I think we should appoint Claudia.” Cherine told Dommi. Claudia jumped up with a cry of protest.

“No. He already thinks I am the nasty one - I won’t do it.”

It caused a problem. None of them wanted the role. I let them feel how it saddened me.

“Dommi, I would ask that you postpone these proceedings for a time.”

She agreed and some of the girls made as if to get up.

“Sit down!” I stared at them while they settled back again. “I expected this and do not mind, I even hoped to see you put up a good fight and beat me. What I did not expect was that you would all turn out to be cowards. How dare any one of you think that my love is so shallow that I would hold it against you if you were the prosecutor?”

I walked over to Claudia. “I call you the Claw as a play on your name and the fact that you are tougher in many ways than the others. I thought we already had settled the matter, that I had taught you that if you use your personality, your character, for the good of the family I would only admire those qualities in you? How could you say I think of you as the nasty one?”

“You do, I can feel it.”

I asked with a wonder in my voice, “You mean that with all the love that fills my heart whenever I look at you or think of you, you are able to feel behind all that love that I think of you that way?”

“No. You are always saying things that make me feel you think so.”

“Claudia, do you remember that man who was trying to rape you when we first met?” She nodded. “You are saying that I am no better than he is.”

“I did not!!”

“He was doing it to your body, but you are saying I am doing something just as terrible to your mind and heart.”

1614

“Robert that is not fair! You are exaggerating what she said to make her feel bad.”

“Am I Dommi? Claudia, if I did I apologise, I did not mean to. Examining what you said, I realise that it is in the very nature of teasing that we skate on thin ice. What do you tease me about? What do I tease Cherine about?

Is it not true that we always choose to tease the other about qualities that we are self-conscious about? I felt bad about making love to little girls, so, did you tease me about my having an ugly nose or was it about my making love to you? There would not have been much point in your teasing me about my nose as I would not have reacted.

Does that mean you were being cruel, teasing me about something I was in agonies about? I think not. I would say you chose to tease me about it for two reasons: because I would react to it and because you did not see my making love to all of you as bad. Your teasing me about it was in a way your way of showing me I was not facing the situation honestly. Does anybody disagree with my prognosis up to now?”

“There are some of us you never tease Robert, why is that?”

“That is a separate issue. When Theresa first came here and feared to love, would it have been right of us to tease her about it? Weren’t her fears something too real, didn’t she need to be shown only love?”

I realised I had given the perfect example for Claudia. “Claudia, when I said I was just as bad as that man, what I was saying is that if your fears are just as real as the fears Theresa had, then I am just as bad as him, with even less justification for I should have felt the pain in you.”

She shook her head in a negative answer.

“Then what you are saying is…?” She began to cry. I forced the others to leave her alone. “Tell me Claudia.”

“What can I say?”

“You could tell me that I was blind. Claudia my love, I was going to say that you took my teasing out of context, made a mountain out of a molehill. If that is so then it means I was blind, for you would have only done so if it truly did hurt you. Why couldn’t I see it?”

“I couldn’t see it either Robert.”

“What you can see or not see does not absolve me of my guilt. I am supposed to protect all of you, not cause pain. How could I have not seen?”

“I tried to hide it Robert, it wasn’t your fault.”

“I should have still been able to see it.” My voice was anguished and she felt the pain in me. “Will you excuse me ladies, I think I need to be on my own.” I took my cigarettes and left.

As I walked on the street I kept them out of my mind and they soon left me alone. I went to the local coffee shop and got one of their bitter coffees, diplo (double) as the owner knew I wanted it. I needed to give Claudia time without me there.

I knew that she does not worry or feel fear that I think her nasty. I knew she had, as is usual for that age, exaggerated her fears and I wanted to teach her that doing so can in turn hurt those she loves. To be effective, she has to think of myself thinking of myself as being as bad as that man. My sweet Claudia is being manipulated by me, but it may force her to confront herself and hopefully grow up a little.

A young man, about five years older than my real age brought his drink over.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

The owner rushed over. “This is my son. He is a musician.”

“Glad to meet you. Please sit with me, I’d enjoy some company. Where do you play?”

“At a taverna past Ekali. You should come there sometime to hear us.”

1615

“Is the food good?”

He laughed. “When you listen to us you will not notice. Actually the food is good. The prices are also reasonable, they do not get tourists so they have to keep the prices low to suit the pockets of their customers.”

“I think your father under-charges, his prices are too low.”

He nodded earnestly. “He has told me that you come with your family and friends and he gets afraid they will not have enough food for all of you.”

“When we come, we come for the company, a drink and something to nibble on. Even if he just gave us bread, olives and cheese we would not complain. What is important is that he makes us feel welcome and never pressurises us to order.” I looked at his face and laughed. “Let me guess, you have had arguments with him, telling him he should use those tactics to get his customers to order and spend more?”

Red-faced but determined, he answered, “Yes.”

“I think he would lose his regulars and he would lose us. Every restaurant or taverna has its good points and its bad ones. The food here is reasonable, but not good enough to justify the tactics you wish him to use. People come here because they know they will get value and can spend just what they can afford.”

I turned the subject to his music. He told me he tries to earn extra money by teaching, but his real love is in writing music. He brought out an old guitar and played a piece for me. It sounded as if he were trying to turn bouzouki into classical music - it has been done by others and very well too. His efforts did not ‘speak’ to me, but I complimented him and tried to encourage him to further efforts. The more we talked the clearer it became that he has the education and the wish, but his mind is too small, locked in by blinkers he himself keeps in place. He does not know how to let go and allow the music to come to him - he is trying to force it out of himself.

The chat helped pass the time and I now have another face to greet whenever I come out. I like that. It makes me feel as if this place is my home when I am greeted and can greet with a smile a lot of known faces. I can never fully become part of the community as a stranger, a non-Greek, but I do not expect to or even want to; I just appreciate having a circle of friendly faces that smile and greet me - it will be sufficient.

Judging enough time had passed I returned home.

“Robert, we decided to cancel this court thing. It was a silly idea.”

“To cancel you need my agreement. Why do you want to cancel Dommi?”

“It has opened too many wounds we had not expected.” I felt her answer was not honest and just stared at her, not letting her eyes escape mine. “Shit!! Damn it Roberto, why can’t you just let things be?”

“Don’t want to. Tell me the real reason.”

“We broke the rules! You satisfied!!” She made to leave. I put my hand on her shoulder and pulled her back, pulling her to me. She buried her face in my shoulder. I caressed her hair

“Speak to me Dommi. You know I will not be angry.” She shook her head against my shoulder.

“Robert, it was me. I cheated. I broke your privacy sign and checked on you when you were out.”

“Cherine! How did you get Dommi to protect you?”

“She did it because she was worried about you. Please don’t be angry Robert.”

“I’m not. Cherine come here.” She came till she was standing right in front of me. “Put out your hand.” She did so and I slapped my hand across hers softly. “There! Don’t do it again.” I gave her a wink and she grinned.

Dommi pulled back from me. “I saw that! Robert…”

1616

“Shh, love we are a family. All of us are bound to make mistakes now and then. Those that are made out of love are easy to forgive.”

“Like you calling us girls?”

“Maybe. You girls have to decide on that.”

“We never minded until you spoke about it to everyone.”

“Guess what Dommi? I knew it. That is why I said guilty, but innocent. You want me to stop?”

“No. None of us do.”

“I’m glad. In my heart all of you will always be my girls, even a thousand years from now.”

“Maybe by then we will be flattered to be called your girls.”

“What about your other charges?”

“We had to make some up. It seemed silly to have a court case for just the one thing.”

“Can we discuss them? The charge that I say you do not obey me is true. It is also true that when we are facing a crisis I expect, demand obedience if you want me to be the leader. I never said anything without it being out of fondness and love. I never said anything to demean any of you. So, guilty and innocent. What puzzled me is your charge that I am not honest with you.”

“You aren’t Robert, but then none of us are.”

“I’m not interested in examining you, I want to know why I am not.”

“Jo told us how you wanted me to come with you and that it should have been me. Because the twins wanted to come you did not want to hurt them and took them. In that way you sometimes are not honest.”

“Does what you want never change? Yes I did want you. When the twins eagerly jumped in, I wanted them. What is dishonest about that? Even if I had not, what I wanted was not important enough to justify my hurting my babies. Any father would have done the same. That is what being a family is all about. I guess in a way guilty and innocent again.”

“The innocent cancels out the guilty then.”

“Pity, I was looking forward to the court case. Would have been a nice challenge pitting my wits against all of you.”

Cherine pulled a face. “It might be better then we cancelled. You would have made us all look stupid.”

I tilted my head as I asked her, “Would I have Cherine? Really?”

Dommi laughed and hit my shoulder with her fist - she’s picked that up from Claudia, except that she often punches harder than my sweet claw does.. “You were going to let us win!”

I took her fist and kissed it. “After I’d had my fun and once Claudia had learnt her lesson. Since Cherine checked on my mind and, I presume, told you what I was thinking, I need to know Claudia, was I wrong?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

Cherine tried to change the subject. “I think Laura is the happiest of all of us that we cancelled.”

“She did not enjoy it?” I felt my eyes were twinkling, betraying my amusement.

“Robert, it may sound silly after all that happened and it is getting late, but can we go to Kefalari?”

“Dommi? Is there a reason?”

1617

“Smaragda phoned, asked if we could meet her there. I told her you had work and we might not be able to.”

I turned to the pack of them. “You want to go, do you like her?”

“If you do not look in her mind it is not easy to.”

“Wendy! What do you think you should do about it? After all, I have made reparations and no longer feel guilty, so you do not need to do it for me. We only go if you want to see her.”

Wendy said, “I would like to free the girl inside her so that we can like her if we want to.”

“Have I told you that you are a pretty wonderful bunch?” My heart swelled with so much love that I seemed to be out of my body, touching and becoming a part of each of them for a moment.

“That was lovely, how did you do it Robbie?” They had all stopped, staring at me with a joy and love that was wonderful to see.

“I have no idea Candy. Feels like it was a new gift. Shall we try it again later? That is if you want to go now.”

We found her there with her parents. I groaned inwardly, I would now have to sit with them and be the grown up, instead of being with my loves.

“Mr Teller, the magic show you put on was incredible. It is not only Smaragda who has not been able to stop talking about it.”

“Call him Roberto dear. You don’t see how he winces every time you call him Mr Teller?” his wife joked.

“Thanks. Kostandino, half the trick is in making people think they see what they see.”

“How can I think I see what I see?”

I laughed. “Okay, I phrased it badly. I see Smaragda carries her toy dog with her!”

“Oh yes, she keeps waiting for it to move.”

I chuckled in response and raised an eyebrow, “Shall I?”

“You do that sitting from here and I’ll know that you have paranormal powers. Is that why Themi is part of your group of friends? I wondered when I heard he resigned from the university.”

“Not because of the reason you think. He found a boy in a mental institution who had been very badly treated. When it turned out that the boy was not insane he became very upset. It made him decide he should devote his time and skills to helping those in need.”

“Yes, Themi would, he has a very soft heart. I hear he has daughters and a baby boy?”

“Daughters?”

“I think their names are Laura and Samantha?”

“Where did you hear that?”

He waved his hand casually. “I don’t remember, this sort of thing gets around.”

I’d seen Cherine frown and shake her head negatively and I felt a chill go down my spine. I kept my face from showing the change, but I was now wary of him.

“I know he adopted a little boy. Never heard about a second daughter though. I see him often enough that I would know if he did.” - Samantha is my daughter, not his. I decided a talk with Themi is necessary.

“Are you part of this mystery investment Alki and Elia have put together?”

1618

“I’m afraid not,” I laughed, “Alki says I have the mind of a child when it comes to business. I used to charge fifteen or twenty thousand to do a site, he took over and pushed it up to three or four hundred thousand. He has a very good sense of what the market will bear.”

“Dollars! I did not know people charge that kind of money for putting up a site.”

“There are sites that have cost up to three million. I do not understand how the companies justify charging that kind of fee, but I suppose corporate America sees things in a different way from us Europeans.”

He looked troubled, suddenly his thoughts returning to his own worries. “The world is changing very fast. My accountants and legal advisers have been pushing me to go public now that Greece is part of the Union.”

“You do not like the idea?”

“Our companies have been within our family for three generations, it is a difficult decision. There is a lot of money to be made by going public.”

“How would you use this lots of money? Open new factories or just invest in other public companies?”

“Perhaps that is what my husband needs to think about. He would no longer be independent if he went public.”

I said, “I know very little, not enough to advise. There is one thing I do know. If you are not used to the corporate world, it does not matter how good a businessman you are, get out. It is a totally alien world where you not only have to watch your back all the time, but have to also know what to protect yourself against. I presume you are also aware of a growing trend? For instance, if you have a good year or a bad one, at least all the profit after taxes is yours. Once it is a public company, the board of directors will grant themselves a bonus, taking a large share of the profits for themselves. I dislike the idea, a bonus is only supposed to be something the owners of the shares grant, not just taken according to how greedy they feel like being. If you do go public, you can maybe pass a resolution forbidding such bonuses? I don’t know whether it can be done.”

It did not take long for him to excuse himself and he left. His wife sat there without speaking a few minutes.

“You would rather be sitting with the children? I notice your eyes keep on straying to them all the time.”

“Perhaps that is why Alki said I have the mind of a child, I enjoy their company.”

“I do not think you have the mind of a child. I think you are more shrewd than you pretend to be - as you just proved to my husband, and that you can be quite a dangerous man to cross.”

“Me!?” I laughed. “Compared to men like your husband and Alki, how could I compete?”

“Men are often blind, seeing only what they expect to see. You had a number of very powerful men at your house and I watched them. They all spent their time watching you.”

“I have also found that men of wealth or power are fascinated by men who are not interested in power or money - which is true of most artists.”

She smiled, but I noticed her eyes did not, they were withdrawn and thoughtful. “I’m sorry, I did not intend to make you uncomfortable.”

I tried to change the subject - and blundered. “None of them thought Smaragda would come to the party, they told me families of your social standing are very careful about who their children meet. As most of the children at my home are adopted they insisted she would not come.”

“I am aware of that Mr Teller.” The way she said my name made me realise I did not know her first name. What puzzled me was why she was showing her claws. In what way did she perceive me as a threat? I had the feeling she was giving me a message which I am not equipped to understand.

“I believe one of the girls here is called Samantha? My daughter told me she met her.”

“That is correct.” I called out, “Samantha?” She came to us.

1619

“The lady is interested in you. She thinks Themi is your father.” Sam quickly looked in my mind.

“Uncle Themi?”

“I do not understand, I can see she looks more like you, but you are too young to have a daughter of her age.” (Sam was looking about twelve).

“I guess I am. She is family, but was orphaned. I was very lucky to get her, she feels like a daughter now.”

“But you are not married?”

“Dominique and I decided not to marry, but we are a couple. Luckily we both love children so we are comfortable doing what we are doing.”

She exclaimed, shocked. “I remember! You are the Angel of Athens!!”

“I thought you had realised that a long time ago.”

“Maybe the title was deserved.” I looked at her startled. “I mean with your magic tricks and adopting so many children. They are all adopted?”

“Not the case unfortunately. Mostly it was a case of being appointed guardian by families who could not afford…may I speak openly? Cut out the crap as people of my social standing would say?”

“Please do.”

“What is going on? Why your interest in me and my family?”

“That is not obvious? A man like you calls at my home, talks me into letting him in to meet my daughter and somehow convinces us to come to a party we would never go to. You want something from our family and I want to know what. I have a feeling this group of children are a clue. Smaragda said you made her fall, did you?”

“She was not near me when it happened.”

“Why your concern then, why did you call on her?”

“I saw blood and was worried she had been hurt.”

She nodded at Samantha to leave us. “You offered to cut out the crap, so why don’t you. We have all seen what you are able to do. When my daughter fell down I saw her face and felt sick. Apart from the blood I saw her front tooth was broken. By the time we got to the car and I took another look the tooth was whole again. Magic Mr Teller?”

“I have no idea. Perhaps the tooth was covered in blood so a glimpse made you think it was missing.” Even as I spoke I realised I was being too clever, my answer would only make her more suspicious. I should have professed total ignorance and kept my mouth shut.

“Thank you for the theory, a mother does not make that kind of mistake. I do not.”

I shrugged and kept quiet.

“I will find out about you.”

Heavily I said, “You are looking for hostile reasons where none were intended. I think it would be better we do not meet again. If you will excuse me, it is time for my girls to get to bed.”

“Whose bed Mr Teller?”

“Their own. Are you just making insinuations or accusations?”

“Neither, just wondering. I saw your bedroom, the strange layout. Is that where they sleep, a private harem Mr Teller?”

1620

I stood up. “You want to make an accusation that is your right. I will not sit here listening to this kind of talk.”

“Sit down!” I looked at her, surprised at her tone. “You will leave when my daughter is ready to leave. We can discuss the weather now if you wish.”

“No thanks. You would probably blame me for that too.”

She laughed. “You are not a good sparring partner. Your emotions show on your face.”

I leaned forward. “I’m puzzled. If I have all these remarkable powers you seem to be accusing me of, why would you challenge me? Surely such a person would be extremely dangerous to go against?”

“The more a powerful a man is, the bigger his weakness is.”

“And mine is?”

“That is obvious, your love for these girls.”

“That would only make such a man even more dangerous.”

Softly she asked, “Does it Mr Teller?”

“I will answer a question you asked. The time your daughter fell, she had come to us because of dolls the girls had. They tried to talk with her and she acted very high and mighty and as she walked away I wished something would happen to cut her down, make her realise she is not so special. That kind of thought is not characteristic of how I normally think. I do not know why I felt that way. It may have been because I know some of the misery my girls have been through. Anyway, she fell and I felt guilty about wishing something bad would happen to her. I have confessed, in a way, to your daughter.”

“I know. Telling my daughter something is a secret was the wrong thing to do. She has been brought up understanding she must tell me if a stranger tells her a secret.”

I nodded. “A good idea, I may borrow it.”

“Are you now going to wish something would happen to me?”

I was shocked and she saw it. I sat for a moment, more miserable than scared. “I’m very sorry I met you. You are likely to try and destroy just for the pleasure of it. I have met very few persons like you. Nothing apart from your child and husband matter to you, you would try to destroy my girls without caring what misery you will cause them, just because you imagine a threat. I will not allow you to hurt them, but meeting someone as cold and hard as you damages me.”

“I will be honest. I intend finding out everything I can about you. If you leave us alone I will not use whatever I find out about you. If I feel any danger I will use it.”

Without looking at her, lounging in my chair, staring into the distance, I crept carefully into her mind and looked around. She was not afraid, it was bullshit, she knew I did not intend any hurt to her daughter. She saw me as a mystery, perhaps having some special abilities she might manage to blackmail me into using for her own purposes. Once I had all I wanted I left.

“We really must go now.”

“Smaragda, say goodbye to your friends.”

Cherine had been sitting frozen, her face pale with anger and I had been forcing her to keep quiet. She saw what I saw in the woman’s mind and she compressed her lips into a thin white line with her anger. Smaragda came to say goodbye to her and I was pleased to see her empathy make her treat her gently, even kissing her cheek goodbye.

By the time we got home Alki, Marian and Tasso were there. Savva arrived a little later. Instead of telling them I let them re-live what happened through my mind.

“You handled that very badly Roberto.”

“I know Alki. What I do not know is how I should have handled it. I thought our bedroom was locked during the party, how did she get in?”

Next [Book 03] - Post 023

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)
^{11th August, 2019}

* posted on Steemit: 11th August, 2019



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