Take-Aways

A day of lamb, rain, smells of jasmin, rose and orange blossom, family and friends. Ping-Pong, Rummicube, tea, laughs, fire in the fireplace. Happy. In the little house, mum and dad sleep in their own bedroom at the back of the house. My brother in the attic after coming home at 7am. Aunt Kallia in the living room, next to the fireplace. Me, Alessia and Lida in the big room with the windows on two sides, the balcony and the view on the whole plain. Cousin Erifili and Sotiris in the guest house downstairs. Breakfast; a long white table full of treats, fruitsalad, cheese, honey, bread, easter brioche (Tsoureki), coriander and parsley, Easter cookies, painted easter eggs, an earthy brown red colour that comes from boiling them in oignon peels. Chat, stories, magazines and books. Ping Pong. A flying visit to the cousins at the old house, in the old neighbourhood, a visit at the neighbours, eating kokoretsi. Then lunch. Easter lamb. Talking of old friends, family, grandfathers long gone. Grandfather, the doctor, the pilot. The character. I wish I remembered him more. I wish I knew him more. Long and lean. A peasant with noble instincts. A man ahead of his time. Driving to Kastania. The river, the gorge, the huge trees, the fog and the rain. Visiting another noisy family. Friendly. Kastania with the tall houses, the early century stone mansions. And now, back home in the dollhouse. Around the fireplace, in the warmth, they play rummicube, they laugh, my dad imposes the rules but takes his time to play, I write. Perfect. Tea and cookies. Family, friends and friends that are family.