Reckless

“Do you want me to eject the painting career, and get a job with you here at the Grab-n-Dash?” he joked, all smiles. “I totally would, if it would make you happy.”

“No, I’d never ask you to work here. The people who come in here are animals.” I smiled when I pictured Eminickle and 2 Small Crew. Well, not all of my customers. Just the Tiffanies.

“You sure? I think I’d look hot in a…what color is that again? Your shirt?”

“I don’t know, but I think it’s radioactive, which means, if somehow I have cancer, my shirt is curing me. If it doesn’t kill me first.”

“Agapi mou,” he snickered, “this is the wrong place for you.” He reached over the counter again and cupped my cheek. Frowning, he realized how awkward and unromantic it was with the counter between us. “Wait, hold on a second. I need to do this right.” He backed up from the counter and looked around, examining the rack of candy behind him until he found what he was looking for. He grabbed two packages and moved the bouquet he’d brought for me to the side, then vaulted over the counter like an Olympic athlete, and dropped to one knee.

He peeled open the wrapper on one of those giant candy rings. It was red.

“Cherry!” I smiled. “My favorite.”

He slid the candy ring on my finger and looked up at me earnestly.

The waterworks in my eyes started up all over again. OMG, what the hell was he going to say?

“Samantha Smith, will you…”

OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!

“…move in with me?”

“Yes!”

He stood up and I jumped into his arms.

Home at last. My mom had no idea what existed between me and Christos. How could she? My dad was nothing like Christos. Maybe that’s why their marriage was the way it was. Well, my mom wasn’t a prize in the romance department either. She preferred tax day over Valentine’s Day, I was pretty sure. I suddenly felt a pinch of compassion for my parents. Maybe neither of them had any idea what true love could be.

Christos hugged me tightly and smooched me on the lips. I felt something in his hand pressing into my back. “What’s that?” I asked.

He held up a box of candy cigarettes. “For later, after we have celebratory sex in your new home.”

“You are the biggest dork I’ve ever loved,” I smiled through tears.

“The only dork you’ve ever loved, agapi mou…”

We kissed passionately for a long time, I think until my shift was over. I didn’t care. I loved my dork and his dork.

SAMANTHA

That night after work, Christos and I had dinner at the Manos house with Spiridon. We all sat in the kitchen while Spiridon cooked. He refused to let me do anything.

Spiridon made lamb kebabs. On the side was Tzatziki, which Spiridon explained was Greek yogurt with cucumbers and garlic, dolmades, which I had learned to love, and Kolokithopita, which were fried zucchini fritters.

I shoveled up some Tzatziki off my plate with a triangle of pita bread and took a bite. So yummy.

“We’re celebrating your moving into our house, Samoula,” Spiridon said from where he stood at the stove.

I wrinkled my nose. “What’s a Samoula?” I asked.

Christos chuckled. “It’s a Greek nickname for Samantha, right Pappous?”

Spiridon turned around and smiled at me. “Yes. Now that you’re moving in with us, Samoula, you’re going to have to learn not only to eat Greek, but to speak Greek, think Greek, and live Greek. You did warn her about us, right Christos?” Spiridon winked at his grandson.

“Are you kidding, Pappous?” Christos laughed. “If I’d told her what she was getting herself into, she would’ve run screaming back to Washington D.C.!”

“I would not,” I chuckled. I hadn’t even moved in yet, and already I felt completely at home in the Manos’ house, like I’d live here for years.

For the first time in my life, I felt a hint of what a home could be. Home was a grounded place. A place I’d dreamt of since I was a little girl, but never known firsthand. Home was a comforting, supportive environment.

I thought about my little corner of the art studio at the back of Spiridon’s house.

Home was also a nurturing environment. A place to help me grow, to allow me to become a woman. A place where I could gently set aside the girl within me and embrace the woman I was meant to be.

Sure, I recognized that my parents had done much to raise me. They had provided, they had directed. They had controlled. They had tried to make me a robot. A drone I never wanted to be.

I wanted to jump into life and discover things.

Christos had helped me do exactly that. It was as if he swam in a sparkling, magical ocean, and was constantly asking me to dive in with him and explore a vast, unknown world of exciting, enchanting possibility.

And now I had.

I was jumping in, all the way.

As the three of us ate together and filled our bellies with nourishing food while laughter filled our hearts, I felt like I was finally in the right place.

Finally home.

Christos had awoken me from a nightmare that had haunted me for my entire life.

Now I was alive.

I was awake, and I was never going back to sleep.

I was ready to live.

With Christos by my side.

After wiping his face with a napkin, Christos asked, “Do you still have those candy cigarettes?”

“I do,” I smiled. “They’re in my purse.”

“Good, because you’re going to need them.”

“When?” I asked coquettishly.

“Right after dinner,” Christos grinned. “Well, more like three hours after we finish dinner.”

“I have to wait that long?” I would never have had this conversation in front of my parents. I didn’t even think twice about how raunchy I must have sounded to Spiridon, who was sitting across the table from me.

“For the cigarettes, yes,” Christos clarified, “but no, we’re starting as soon as I clear the table.” He smiled his cockiest grin.

“Gosh, would you look at the time?” Spiridon said, standing up from the table. “I totally forgot I was meeting an old friend for drinks tonight.”

“Oh?” Christos asked. “Who?”

“Walt Childress,” Spiridon said.

“You mean Professor Childress?” I asked.

“One and the same,” Spiridon said.

“Really,” Christos smiled. “When was the last time you two hung out?”

“It’s been ages,” Spiridon mused.

I grinned, “Then I bet you two will have plenty of fun tonight.”

Spiridon chuckled, “If we don’t punch each other out the second we say hello, I’m sure we will.”

“You guys won’t fight,” Christos smiled warmly.

“Probably not,” Spiridon said. “We’re both too old to bother. I’ll probably be gone for awhile. Which means you two can have the house to yourselves.” He left the room while Christos and I cleaned up.

When Spiridon came downstairs, all dressed to go out, he said “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, you two.” He slid the sleeve of his jacket back over his watch and glanced at the time. “I’ll be gone, oh, let’s say, four hours? That should be long enough, no?” He winked at both of us.

I burst out laughing. He totally knew we were going to have sex. And I didn’t care! I couldn’t believe it. My