However I don’t board the W7 bus. I don’t break my stride in any respect. I simply stick with it strolling and strolling and strolling till I discover myself outdoors quantity 6 Wolseley Street. I received’t be made a idiot of by a person once more. I want solutions and I want them now.

28

I hammer on the knocker, no doorbell in sight. The curtains twitch, then the corridor mild comes on, the door opens. I’m immediately greeted by a gust of Mediterranean cooking. A slight, aged girl wearing black is staring up at me. Her hair in a neat white bun, her creased, tanned face etched with bewilderment.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” I say evenly. She doesn’t reply. “Is Aliki residence?”

“Aliki?” she asks, confused. I nod fervently. “Who arrr you?” she calls for in a heavy accent, on a regular basis concerning me dubiously. I inform her I’m a buddy of Connie’s; she furrows her brows. “Constantina?” she says nearly accusingly.

“Sure,” I reply. Connie did say that her grandmother calls her by her full Greek identify. “Constantina.”

“Constantina no in.” Sure, love, I wish to say, I do know that. She’s just a few blocks away fucking my ex-fiancé’s brains out.

“Aliki in?” I discover myself saying in an accent just like hers.

“Aliki, sure, she in.” She provides me a small, tight smile earlier than hollering, “Aliki mou! Eineh mia fili tis Constantina’s, seh theli. Ela etho.” Effectively, all I may fathom from that sentence was Constantina. However, judging from her expression, I anticipate she’s simply advised her that there’s an insane wanting girl on the door who needs to see you.

“Okay, Mamma,” a voice yells within the distance, “I’m coming.” Inside moments Aliki’s on the door, drying her fingers on a tea towel. “Hello,” she says brightly, throwing the towel onto her left shoulder with a miniscule reflex frown. “Can I allow you to?” She doesn’t know who I’m. There’s a little bit of grease on her olive pores and skin, she wipes it with the again of her hand. She’s very a lot as I anticipated, small and plump with brief, darkish brown layered hair, giant darkish eyes and a giant pleasant smile. Very mumsy.

“Hello, Aliki,” I say a little bit too chirpily. My coronary heart dances in my chest, its rhythm cascading down into my abdomen. “I’m so sorry to trouble you.” I croak, then clear my throat. This isn’t going to be as straightforward as I believed. “I’m Audrey.” She seems at me a little bit hesitantly for just a few moments. To present her credit score she has solely ever seen me from a distance and I’ve all the time been within the automotive. All of the sudden, her expression brightens. She’s recognised me, her lips half.

“Audrey!” Lily bounds in direction of me. I bend down and he or she wraps her little arms round my neck and offers me a giant, tight hug. “We’re not going for a pizza now; Yiayia’s making me pasta with tomato sauce and halloumi cheese, mmm, my favorite. Granddad simply rang and mentioned you had been in poor health.” She pauses and knots her superb eyebrows collectively. “Are you all proper, Audrey? You don’t look in poor health.” She touches my cheek, “You’ve acquired mascara formed tears. Mummy has them too typically. Have you ever been crying?” I didn’t take into consideration the potential for smudgy, teary make-up. No surprise Aliki’s mum was taking a look at me as if I’d simply crawled out of the woods.

“Come on, Lily,” Aliki says, taking her hand. “Let Audrey come inside. It’s chilly on the market and we don’t need her chilly to worsen, can we?” She winks at me and waves me inside. I step into the massive, sq. corridor, cluttered with bins of bric-a-brac and bin luggage. They should be in the course of a transfer.

“I’ve come at a foul time, haven’t I?” I look at my watch with out registering the time. “I don’t wish to spoil your dinner.”

“No, it’s okay.” She closes the door behind us. “Mum and I’ve already eaten. We had bangers and chips earlier, can’t beat good outdated British grub, are you able to? Mamma,” she shouts, “are you able to watch Lily’s pasta?” The petite girl reappears on the kitchen door and nods ardently.

“Mamma, that is Audrey.”

Mamma furrows her white brows. “Ah, sure,” she says after a second, “Danny’s gayfriend.”

“Oh,” I protest. “Does she assume I’m a lesbian?”

“No,” Aliki giggles, “she means girlfriend, it’s simply her accent.”

“You hungry Oddry?” she asks, then seems at her daughter. “I makey some extra soshinga and chips Aliki, mou?” I’d forgotten how hospitable the Greek Cypriots are, however the very last thing I would like is a plate of sausage and chips. Aliki seems at me and I shake my head.

“I’ve already eaten,” I lie, hoping that my abdomen doesn’t let me down with gurgling noises. The meals does odor good. “However thanks.”

“I’m going purchase you chips from the Fishatigo,” Mamma insists reaching for her coat on a close-by armchair. “You very skinny, you eat and be huge and robust like Aliki.”

“Oooh, oooh, I really like chips from the chippie!” Lily says excitedly, “Can I include you, yiaya Despina?”

“Oh, Mamma,” Aliki says, aggravated. “Cease attempting to power feed individuals, Audrey mentioned she’s eaten.”

“Ah, okay. I put the kettlon on, then, and make a pleasant cub o’tea,” Despina broadcasts, clasping her fingers collectively and nodding at me cheerfully.

“Oh er…” I start.

“No, Mamma, go away the kettle alone. I feel Audrey would respect one thing stronger.”

“Oh-rite,” she grumbles, “Come, Lily mou, come.” And with this, Lily fortunately follows her great-grandmother into the kitchen with the promise of being allowed to grate the halloumi cheese.

“Please, sit down.” Aliki gesticulates on the couch coated in an enormous burnt orange throw. “I’ll simply get us some glasses for this.” She plonks a bottle of 5 Kings Brandy onto the walnut espresso desk and totters off.

I stare on the tawny liquid within the acquainted broad-shouldered bottle and smile sadly. It’s one in all Dad’s favorite tipples, particularly when he’s in Cyprus. He was significantly impressed with its historic namesake. “It was created by the KEO Firm to commemorate the banquet of the 5 Kings, Audrey,” he advised me as he stuffed two tumblers on the balcony in Cyprus just a few weeks in the past, “and hosted in London by Sir Henry Picard in 1363 for the kings of England, Cyprus, Scotland, France and Denmark. What an honourable identify for a brandy, eh? Yiamas.”

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