LiTTLE CHERiNE Book 02 - post057
“If he is and he does not have a Cherine in his life, he must be a very lonely man. He could not live with anything less.”
831
“That is silly. We have seen how many wonderful hearts there are if you only look into them.”
“I think he cannot do that.”
Cherine’s eyes widened, “You are frightening me, you make him sound so real.”
“No reason to be frightened. He is just a figment of my imagination.”
Listen you, Mr ‘A’, if you do exist, you can write your story any way you want, but be careful you don’t hurt any of my girls or I swear I will find you.
“Roberto I worry. How long till you are fully recovered? I’m thinking of the children I want to adopt. The agencies might find someone else.”
“Cherine must go with you. Keep the visits short as you can and we will bear it. Remember, she can jump back to us at night.”
“Are you sure? I do not like to leave you without your cub.”
“She is never more than a second away from me. It will be good for her to be with her mother, living new experiences for them to share. Socrati tells me the house will be ready next week. She will miss the work of moving back in and a few days missed from school will not hurt her. She is doing so well, she makes me really proud.”
As the day of departure arrived she was nervous. “But we have never been separate. Not like this.”
“You will only be gone a few hours. Soon as you are in your hotel room, jump back to say hello.”
I watched as she went through customs and disappeared into the departure lounge, my little girl walking hand in hand with her mother. I fought to keep my thoughts cheerful so as not to make it more difficult for her. My only weapon was to use the other girls, so I teased them and tried to get them all giggly. We waited until her plane took off and she was very distant.
“This is silly. She goes to school, goes to friends for visits. It is not as if she has never been out of the house and yet it feels empty without her.”
“I know love. We do without her for a few hours and she helps to fill the house of Alki and Marian with love and laughter. They will also be able to create their own World. It is worth the sacrifice.”
832
“When will I see this World”
“Soon as Robert is well enough to come with us.”
“Sorry Sam, she will never see the World.” They turned to me in dismay (isn’t it amazing how easy it is for people to imagine the worst of you?). “She will be a part of it, so she cannot see it. Meli, why don’t you take them all to your world. Let our new loves meet Daniel.”
“Not without you.” It was unanimous.
“You are being silly now. Meli goes there all the time. No reason for you not to go.”
They insisted in their refusal.
“Meli. How are things going with Daniel. Have they worked out the problem of him belonging to their circle, but being in another world?”
“They all go to visit him. Especially after dancing.”
“Lua, the girl who belongs to two worlds!”
“Not only her. What about Keith and Annabelle.”
“I’d forgotten.”
Our chatter was running out of steam. It had been seven hours and we were still waiting. We hoped there had been no delays with their connecting flights. As soon as she jumped back she got crowded by our bunch of excited girls and she threw each a smile as she petted and caressed them. When she was able to break away from them she was an excited child herself.
“It was so fantastic! They are strange!” She chatted non-stop about the trip, the plane, the airports and finally about the Ukraine. She’d had an adventure of her own and was revelling in the avid way the girls were listening to her. She did manage to do one thing that was very sweet. She talked in Greek so that Aganthi would not be left out. I listened to her carefully and noticed that something was on her mind that she was not talking about. Gently I eased myself into her thoughts and caught her hidden thoughts that were trying to pop out. I slipped out again, keeping my own thoughts neutral; when she is ready she will talk to me about the orphanage and what upset her.
Although it was not her turn, we had made love the previous night, the others all made way for her, sensing the deep need we had to feel and hold each other. She was my fire fox of old, biting, scratching. There was little tenderness from her that first time, though there was no lack of love flowing between us, just that it was a love that demanded we get as close to each other as we can, that we sense, taste and feel all of each other.
Our second time was a more lingering gentler time with that slow rise that gives so much pleasure also. Finally she slept upon me, her cheek to my chest so that she could hear my heart. I was so in love with the feeling of her upon me I could not sleep for a long time, just softly touching her limbs, caressing her warm, satiny skin. God but I love her!
She left very early to return with them to the orphanage. We all waited eagerly for her message and when we got the thumbs up we celebrated, sharing with Alki and Marian their joy. That afternoon they flew to Jordan. They were to sleep there that night and go by car to Iraq where they would be met and taken to see the child.
Cherine jumped back straight after supper and spent the night. Again she slept in my arms though I did not allow myself to get aroused, just both of us enjoying the feel of each other so close.
We got her thumbs up. She sent me the love that had filled Alki when he picked up the boy and held him. The child is still a toddler of about sixteen months. They had to stay there two more days to finalise the adoption papers and they left with the child.
833
They returned to give me back my Cherine. They left their son with us and flew off to the Ukraine again to collect their two little girls. It was a wonderful moment when they finally sat with their three children in their arms. The one little girl, Tania, of about three, is a restless little minx, curious about everything and not shy at all. The other one is only nineteen months old and has not been named yet. The orphanage told them the birth mother had not given them any idea of what to call her as she had been abandoned. They have given her a name for the sake of the documentation, but Alki is free to rename her at her christening. They decided to call her Theodora (gift from God).
Keith and Annabelle had joined us for this special occasion. They have become very close to Alki, from working together, and with Marian as she looks after Annabelle after school when she is not with us. It never fails to amaze me how mature Annabelle seems. When not in school she seems to prefer adopting the age of about seventeen. I am certain it has caused more raised eyebrows than if she had remained her true age, but I realised she is actually doing it for Keith, as he feels more at ease loving her.
Aganthi was silent the whole evening. I felt what worried her and took a few minutes to phone and ask Tasso to come around the next morning.
We told Tasso the whole story, which he knew most of already, and what we want.
“Tasso it would be better if you deal with her parents. If they agree to you taking the kids for a monthly income, fine. They must sign all the documents so that they can be adopted. If they refuse, then we cannot avoid it. You will tell them that they have Aids. Get them to go to a clinic of their choice for tests at our cost. Then tell them their children all have Aids. Explain they got it from Aganthi, from selling their daughter to any man who had a thousand Drachmaes. We are ready to open a case with the police and have them charged. A statement will also be made about the father raping his children. The fact that the children all have Aids is proof enough.
Either way, we will give them the same monthly income, enough for them to survive. Explain that they are only getting this money because Aganthi pleaded for them. They will get the money from you or whichever way is safe for you. I never want to meet them, for I might become angered and kill them. If they ever try to find or contact the children, I swear I will kill them.”
Tasso, his eyes cold and hard nodded. “It will not be necessary for you to kill them, I would do it. I have children Roberto, I too am loving them in ways I should not but that is needed. But I love them. I am careful to only give them pleasure and love. These are animals, you are too kind.”
I told him of what Aganthi had said, of her willingness to return to that awful life, to give up all we can offer her, out of loyalty to her parents.
“Tasso, it reminds me of something that upset me years ago. I was still not working and broke and I lived in a slum area. I had joined an animal welfare organisation, helping them care for animals they found, even having to have them put down. It was painless, an injection and they went to sleep and their hearts stopped. I then had to take their corpses and put them in the furnace. It was heartbreaking for even as they were held and injected, they showed they knew what is happening to them. I would hold and pet them until their hearts had stopped.
One day some kids came to where I was working, painting on the pavement with coloured chalks, for money to be tossed into my box, and they asked me to go with them. They led me to an empty lot that was more of a rubbish dump, telling me they had found a wounded small dog. It was bleeding and they told me there were pieces of brain scattered around. I decided that if it was still alive they must be exaggerating.
I found the spot where they had seen it. They were right. Blood and tiny pieces of brain were all over the cardboard sheets. It was easy to trace where it had gone.
The poor faithful animal had returned to its owner, the very same person who had taken a plank of wood, put a huge nail in it and had beaten the dog over the head, trying to kill it.”
I stopped, overcome even now by the memory.
“Aganthi has shown the same loyalty. For her peace of mind I have agreed to provide for them. I will not cure them, let them die as payment for the evil they have done. It is only for her that I am able to do as I’ve offered.”
“Rest my good friend, it will all be done as you ask. Have you anyone to adopt them?”
“No. Bring the little ones here. I need to heal them first. They will also feel better being with their big sister.”
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)9th October, 2018
* posted on Steemit: 9th October, 2018
@nikosnitza
If you wish to have your name added above, I would be honoured.
se auto diskoleutika!! ta koritsakia apo to orfanatrofio einai iu aderfes tis aganthis?
gian na doum,e ti tha kanei o Tassos me toys goneis tis.... :))
eides apektises kino!!! oxi oso prepei alla gia arxi kalo einai kai ta 150 plus... poli xeromai gia auto!!!
ta dio mikra einai i adelfi kai o adelfos tis Aganthi. Epeidi ta eviaze o pateras, kai gia hari tis Aganthi, o Robert zitise apo ton Tasso na pari ta pora apo tous goneis kai na tous prosferei eisodima gia na min aisthanete i Aganthi oti prepei na gyrisei stin zoi pou zouse, gia na min peinasoun.
Tora prepei na vrei goneis pou tha ta agapisoun, gia ta dio mikra....
Min pisteveis pantote ta matia sou.....
:)
Aaa, katalava. Ohi ta paidia apo ta orfanotrofia pou iothetise o Alkis einai apo to Iraq kai apo tin Ukrania. Ekeini i istoria den teleiose akoma...sou edosa na katalaveis oti etsi einai, alla nomizo den to prosekses - thimase otan gyrise apo tin Ukrania i Cherine, o Robert eipe oti aisthanthike oti kratouse mystiko i Cherine pou tin stenahorouse, kai kryfo-koitakse stois skepseis tis, alla apofasise na min milisi, na afisi stin Cherine na apofasisi na milisi?
auto me tin oykrania to thimame!! :)))
giati na min pisteyw panta sta matia moy??? tha ginei kati sinamtiko e???
Milousa gia tin hara sou oti eho pio pollous voters...
:)
elpizw kai me perisoteroys!!! :)))