Free The Explosive Nature of Friendship by Sara Alexi Page B

all they are married, maybe they have times when they are close. He decides not to. He tries a different angle.
    ‘What do you think Marina needs most in the world?’
    ‘ In all honesty, she needs what no one can give her.’ Stella does not hesitate in her reply.
    ‘ What’s that?’ Mitsos answers, with hope in his voice.
    ‘ She needs a memory of a husband who was good to her, who thought about her and who provided for her. With a memory like that she would feel like a different person. She would feel valued and loved and lovable. As it is, she sees herself as unlovable, worthy of neglect and unworthy of being put first. You can see it with her children. She sees them as having so much value and herself as having none. She does everything for them she can, breaks her back for them and just considers it the “right” thing to do. Over the years she has neglected herself more and more, and that has all come from him.’ Stella pauses and Mitsos stays quiet, taken aback by her passion. ‘Sorry. Did you want such a full answer?’ She smiles, but she is turning her head to look inside her shop. Stavros is still at the girl’s table but the dancing has stopped. He is giving her an apron and pointing to the grill.
    Mitsos leans over and pats her hand kindly.
    ‘And you would know, Stella.’
    Stella lets a tear fall.

    At home that night Mitsos sits on a chair in his kitchen. It creaks every time he moves. The sky outside is dark and the white almond blossom glows in the moonlight. He recollects Stella ’s words. ‘What she needs most is a memory of a husband who was good to her, she would feel valued and loved and loveable.’
    These words have an unsettling effect on him. It is almost as if he can think of a way to make everything right again but it just won ’t form into something concrete. But as he cannot – and would not want to – raise Manolis from the dead, her memory of him will remain the same. He dismisses these niggles as a deep desire for something that cannot be fulfilled.
    An owl hoots outside the window. He opens the door to let in any breeze there is; it is still very warm. The owl is on one of the nearest almond trees. It blinks at him through the opening. He kicks off his sandals and pulls off his shirt and trousers. He stands naked in the moonlight, slightly sagging, slightly wrinkled, and yet he has the surest of feelings that his life is only just beginning. Something is around the corner.
    He slaps his chest and then laughs at himself. He yawns and lies down on the day-bed. The air is now pleasantly warm; he will need no sheet, no pyjamas tonight. He stretches his legs out and rubs the stump of his arm. It still itches all these years later. He smiles again and stretches some more. Something is definitely coming.

Chapter 8

    Adonis sounds his horn as he pulls in through the gates. Mitsos is wandering around the orchard. He has just been up the hill to collect the eggs and he still has the bucket with him. One hen has been broody for a week and now there are no eggs in her box; she is hiding them to sit on. But he knows this hen, she will not sit for long, they will go cold and then she will start again with new eggs. Each time the eggs will be lost and will go bad somewhere, waiting to be stepped on.
    He raises the bucket in greeting. Adonis leaves the car door open and walks across to Mitsos.
    ‘Broody hen, eh?’
    'How ’s the little man?’
    ‘ Have you tried in amongst the pine trees up at the top? He's fine, sleeping.’
    ‘ First place I looked. Do you want to take some back with you?’ He lifts the bucket.
    ‘ Leni will be pleased. What do you do with them all?’ Adonis peers in the bucket at the speckled brown eggs. Mitsos is content that Adonis managed to escape the farm way of life. His schooling lasted until he was sixteen and then he immediately got a job in town. He completed his national service as soon as he turned eighteen. A better job and a flat in the nearby town