Chapter 14
Emilia strode along a main road that led inland, in the direction of the island capital, Plaka. She had left her hotel early to go to the notary’s office for the will reading, but she felt so anxious she couldn’t help hurrying along.
Why am I feeling so uneasy? Surely, I am not worried about what Auntie left me. What is it then? Emilia sped past shops and busy hotel entrances, the road traffic immense with all kinds of vehicles, including big trucks and luxurious tourist buses. Suddenly, it dawned on her. The only reason she was anxious was because she found her cousin Aleka toxic. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing her again.
She caught her own reflection in one of the shop windows and felt amazed. Her silhouette was reflected dark on the glass pane, and, seen like this, her figure was rather reminiscent of that of her youth. Really, if you think about it, my figure hasn’t changed that much over the years. Excepting the flab here and there, my frame is still as thin and athletic as ever. Maybe, Esmera was right. A bit of exercise and a healthy diet really go a long way…
She stopped before the window of the next shop, pretending to browse at the shoes on display, but what she was really doing was peering at the reflection of her face and body. Andreas seemed to like me… He was clearly flirting when we said goodbye. Perhaps, there’s still some market value in this old gal! Her thoughts segwayed to Esmera’s magical gift. She said I should use it a few times before deciding how I want to stay. Why go for the first guy I meet when I can go for a 30-year-old hunk with his whole life ahead of him?
She shook her head at her last thought, then pretended to fix her hair in case of any onlookers. Chastising herself, she continued to ponder. But Andreas is so sweet… Just the fact he’s such a huge animal lover is making me melt…
Finally, she turned away from the window and resumed walking. Without thinking, she fished her phone from her bag. Should I call Andreas? Would I sound desperate to phone so soon on the pretence that I’m checking on the doggie? She couldn’t get him out of her mind.
Don’t do it! her inner voice responded, so she dropped the phone back in her bag. She looked over her shoulder to check the number on the building she’d just passed by. The notary’s office was very close.
###
Emilia rang the doorbell and a young lady with a smart brown bob and stylish red-framed glasses opened the door. Emilia introduced herself and was led to a hallway to wait, having been told Mr Roidis was on his way.
Five minutes later or so, the doorbell rang. The assistant opened the door and Aleka walked in.
Emilia twisted her lips. Here we go. Whatever she says, ignore her. Don’t let her get under your skin.
Aleka walked over to Emilia with a smug grin plastered across her face. ‘Hi, Cousin. Me and Takis didn’t see you leave the cemetery. We were looking for you. We went for a bite to eat after. Shame we couldn’t find you so you could join us.’
‘Erm… that’s okay. I wasn’t in the mood for eating anyway.’
Aleka pressed her lips together and shrugged both shoulders in a what-can-you-do kind of way. That’s when Mr Roidis opened the front door and walked in. He gave a bright smile to see them all, and Emilia felt thankful for the timing. She’d been feeling increasingly nauseous sitting so close to her cousin. And what had it been? Less than a minute. In her own lexicon, under ‘Energetic Vampires’, it read, ‘Aleka, Aleka and Aleka’.
‘Good afternoon, ladies. Come, please, this way,’ said Mr Roidis cheerfully, snapping her out of her thoughts.
He led them to his office that was decked with dark brown leather. The two bookcases that lined two adjacent walls behind the desk were chockful with hard-backed tomes with golden lettering.
Emilia was thankful for the distraction that the professional, classy space had provided her with because it meant she’d remained standing while Aleka hurried to take a seat. This gave her the choice of which seat to go for, and she took the one furthest away from her.
Mr Roidis opened a desk drawer and took out a leather-bound folder. He opened it ceremoniously to reveal a document and put on the prescription glasses that sat on his desk. Dragging his chair forward, he looked up to gaze at Emilia and Aleka in succession, a benevolent smile on his lips.
‘Well, shall we begin?’ he asked, quite unnecessarily, seeing that Aleka had just dragged her chair closer to his desk and was leaning forward to boot. She couldn’t look more eager.
Emilia heaved a sigh and nodded.
Mr Roidis steadied his glasses on his nose with a tap of his index finger and began reading.
I, Irini Samartzis, a legal adult with an address at Papikinou Bay, Adamas, Milos, being of competent and sound mind, do hereby declare this to be my last will and testament. I further declare that this last will and testament reflects my personal wishes without any undue influence whatsoever.
At the time of this last will and testament, I am widowed and do not have any children. The only surviving family I have are the children of my two deceased sisters – my nieces, Emilia Paschos and Aleka Leros—
Aleka grunted softly, causing both Emilia and Mr Roidis to turn to her with a start.
‘Miss Leros? Everything all right?’ asked Mr Roidis.
Aleka shook her head profusely, her mouth screwed shut, eyes half-closed. Instead of answering to the notary, she nodded once and waved dismissively.
Emilia couldn’t tell what was wrong with her. She wasn’t sure if she was annoyed or embarrassed on her behalf. Or, maybe she was both.
Mr Roidis cleared his throat and resumed reading:
...my nieces, Emilia Paschos and Aleka Leros.
I hereby nominate and appoint my notary, Mr Stergios Roidis, as Executor and Personal Representative of this last will and testament.
Immediately following my death, the Executor and Personal Representative will be authorized to exercise all provisions of this last will and testament and to use the assets from my estate to make necessary arrangements, without any unnecessary delay, for the payment of personal debts, obligations and funeral expenses.
After payment of all personal debts, expenses, and liabilities, I request and direct that my property be bequeathed as follows:
To my niece, Emilia Paschos, I bequeath my house at Papikinou Bay, Adamas—
‘Whaaaaaat?’ screeched Aleka, jolting upright with such force that her bag shot off her lap to bounce off the desk and fall on the tiled floor with a loud flopping noise.
Mr Roidis shook his head and took off his glasses. ‘Miss, Leros, what is it now?’
Aleka, still standing, put her hands on her hips, then swivelled to point to Emilia with a sharp finger. ‘The house! She left it to her? Please tell me I didn’t hear correctly!’
Emilia was too stunned to speak. She felt numb from head to toe and practically glued to her chair. She couldn’t tell for sure, but she had the impression her jaw was gaping, and her eyes had popped out. If she had to guess, she’d say she probably looked comical, like a puffer fish. No wonder she’d lost her voice. Through the haze of her dumbed down senses, she could hear Mr Roidis arguing with Aleka, the former now raising his voice, which was so unlike him, and practically ordering Aleka to sit back down and ‘show a modicum of respect’ to their aunt’s last wishes.
That seemed to do it. Aleka huffed, then adjusted the hem of her flimsy cotton top around the belt of her mini skirt. She sat down with a flop and turned to eye Emilia with disdain.
That seemed to help Emilia climb back out from that fuzzy pit of shock and awe. ‘Yeah, Aleka. Show some respect, for goodness sakes!’ she uttered, surprising herself. She turned away from the dagger look that Aleka threw her to meet Mr Roidis’s gaze.
He said nothing, but the look in his eyes telegraphed to her that he was pleased. He put his glasses back on and resumed reading.
To my niece, Emilia Paschos, I bequeath my house at Papikinou Bay, Adamas on Milos island. This is my current residence and the only house I own. I also give to her half of my savings at Cyclades Bank, the amount of which will be calculated after the payment of any personal debts, obligations and my funeral expenses.
To my niece, Aleka—
‘Here we go…’ grunted Aleka, her arms crossed over her chest.
‘Miss Leros! Please!’ said Mr Roidis. This time, Emilia simply shook her head.
Aleka rolled her tongue on the inside of her cheek and gave a quick shake of the head that signalled ‘whatever’.
Mr Roidis gave an exasperated sigh and continued,
To my niece, Aleka Leros, I bequeath my field at the area of Katifora, which was bequeathed to me by my late husband, Athanassios Samartzis, in his last will and testament, contract number 103/2015.
‘Huh! The field? She gets the house and I get the field? Are you kidding me?’ Aleka shot upright again, and this time began to pace up and down before the desk, her eyes landing on Emilia’s face, dripping with vitriol, each time she walked toward her.
Mr Roidis stood and came around his desk to approach Aleka, huffing. ‘Look! I tried to be professional but you won’t let me. So this is a last warning, young lady. If you’re not capable of listening to your aunt’s last wishes with the necessary respect, then I am going to have to ask you to leave. I am sorry.’
Aleka screwed up her face. ‘Respect?’ Putting her hands on her waist, she continued while gesticulating madly, ‘I’ll tell you something about respect! Where was she to show respect to her aunt when it mattered?’ She pointed at Emilia, who still sat, incredulous, then turned back to Mr Roidis to add, ‘But she wasn’t here, was she? She was nowhere to be found when our aunt was dying here. I was the one who stood by her! I did her shopping, I left her food every day! And I had to endure the smell of her dirty abode, for crying out loud! Where was she and her sensitive little nose when all that was going down? I’ll tell you where she was! In Athens! Far away!’
‘That’s enough!’ Emilia heard herself say and, before she knew it, she was standing, facing her cousin. ‘I don’t understand why you’re so angry.’
‘Angry?’ sneered Aleka, looking squarely at her.
‘Yes! Angry at me, angry at Auntie… Why can’t you just respect her wishes? It’s appalling, your lack of respect. Don’t you have any shame?’
‘Shame? You should be ashamed, not me! Keeping your distance when the going was tough to come to the island now, prancing about like a tourist, just to collect! That’s what I call shameful!’
Something in those words had stirred Emilia’s own sense of remorse for not having been there for her aunt in her last days. But she didn’t know. They had drifted apart and no one had told her. Had she known, she’d have come over on the first available ferry.
Taking an in-breath through flaring nostrils, Aleka eyed her with smugness, seeing that Emilia had fallen silent. ‘That’s right! And that’s why I’m angry.’
Before Emilia could speak, Mr Roidis stepped closer and stretched out a hand to intervene. ‘Ladies, I really don’t think this is the right time and place. By all means, you can settle this between you another time, someplace else, and I hope you will do it civilly. But, right now, all I ask is that you will let me finish the reading to the end. I think you both owe your aunt that, no matter what you think about what she left you.’
He turned to gaze at Aleka toward the end of his sentence and she looked away. Huffing, she returned to her seat. Mr Roidis met Emilia’s eyes and pressed his lips together, his expression solemn. ‘Please, Miss Paschos?’ he asked, pointing to her seat.
Emilia sat and swallowed hard. She felt bad for sinking to Aleka’s level and chastised herself for her outburst earlier.
Mr Roidis sat behind his desk and resumed reading.
To my niece, Aleka Leros, I bequeath my field …
Mr Roidis began to read way faster than before and Emilia got the impression that he couldn’t wait to get rid of them both. The realization deepened the sense of shame inside of her. Unlike her, Aleka sat with her chin raised, as if she’d just been gifted the Athens Tower.
‘To my niece, Aleka Leros,’ he continued, ‘I also give half of my savings at Cyclades Bank, the amount of which will be calculated after the payment of any personal debts, obligations and my funeral expenses.
At that point, Emilia couldn’t help but check on Aleka, seeing that she kept quiet. She found her rolling her eyes, as if she were beyond caring by now.
Mr Roidis looked up from the document, and Emilia pressed her lips together. He looked back down and went on,
‘I hereby subscribe my name to this last will and testament, as of the date set forth below, at the address set forth below, in front of the attesting witnesses who also subscribe their names below as of the same date, at my request, and in my company.’
Mr Roidis looked up and said, ‘The document is signed by your aunt’s two witnesses, i.e. her carer, Mrs Chryssa Stathopoulos, and her neighbour, Mrs Popi Kapsali. And now… about the money that you’re both entitled to…’ He opened his drawer and took a moment to look inside, then fished out a single A4 paper.
Sniffing, he placed it on the desk in front of him and said, ‘Your aunt had no significant debts. I paid her last phone and electricity bill, and all dues toward her carer, Mrs Stathopoulos. So, after all that, funeral expenses, inheritance tax, accounting costs, and my own fee as agreed with your aunt, the remaining amount to be split between you is 43,655 euro. This equates to 21,832.50 euro for each one of you. I can make you copies of this expenses report that shows the resulting amount to be split between you.’
Seeing that both Emilia and Aleka had fallen silent, he stood and left his office, presumably to make photocopies for them.
Aleka turned to Emilia and spoke first. ‘Wow. I had no idea Auntie had so much money in the bank.’
Emilia felt a sense of bitterness consume her. Surely 21,000 odd euro would be enough to make Aleka happy, even though she’d lost the house. She’d always been grabby about money. As for her, she wasn’t sure.
What would she do with all that money? And the house? She felt a flutter inside her heart at the thought of it. It had felt like a second home when she was a child. Aunt Irini was forever minding her and Aleka while their mothers worked at a local cheese factory.
Aunt Irini had never worked. Her husband, Uncle Thanassis, had spent decades in his youth travelling the world as a senior officer of the Merchant Navy. Surely, the money Emilia had just inherited had come from his savings from all those years. Her aunt and uncle had hardly ever travelled, from what she could remember. They had always seemed content living in their tiny home on the shore. Auntie never had fineries or needed shopping sprees to keep that sweet, content smile on her face. Neither had her uncle. She missed them so much as she remembered these things. The memories had swept her away into the past. The sound of the notary’s footsteps on the tiled floor when he walked back in finally broke her reverie.
Aleka was sitting quietly, just drumming her fingers on her fancy leather bag that she kept on her lap.
Mr Roidis approached to give each of them a copy of the expenses report. ‘You’ll find that everything is clearly marked and straightforward on there, but feel free to phone me, obviously, with any questions.’
He seemed expectant as he eyed them both, and Emilia took the hint that it was time to go. She and Aleka stood at the same time, and Emilia expected him to lead them both outside in his gentle manner, but he surprised her when he said, ‘Miss Paschos, I’d like to speak to you about your ferry tickets before you go. I’ll only keep you two minutes. Just let me escort Miss Leros to the door one moment…’ His voice wavered as he gestured to Aleka to follow him out.
Aleka shot Emilia a strange look, but Mr Roidis continued to smile at her amicably, and he’d spoken so matter-of-factly, giving her no reason to suspect that ‘ferry tickets’ may have been code for something else.
Emilia, however, knew better. As she watched the other two move toward the door, her brows knit tightly. Surely, there was nothing to discuss about ferry tickets. Back in Athens, when she and Mr Roidis spoke on the phone, he had asked her to buy just one ferry ticket. A single one. Enthralled, she waited for him to return.
When he did, he smiled to his ears and closed the door of his office. ‘I know I am not about to sound professional, but I’ll say it anyway. What an awful woman your cousin is! I feel obliged to apologise to you, my dear, on her behalf. Her outburst earlier was simply appalling.’
Emilia muttered a thank you and waited until he sat back down behind his desk. ‘As you may have guessed, Miss Paschos, there really isn’t anything to discuss about ferry tickets.’ He leaned back in his chair and gave a luxurious sigh. ‘And now, I am sure you can see why I advised you not to buy a return ticket. I do hope you will stay on Milos, Miss Paschos. Your aunt Irini would have loved you to live in her house instead of you selling it. But, before you decide, you really must read this letter she has left you…’
Emilia watched speechless as he opened his drawer and handed her a sealed envelope.
Mr Roidis must have guessed her surprise. His voice went down a few notches, and he gave her a warm, compassionate look to add, ‘I do not know what it says in there, but after my long chats with your aunt in her last days, I have a good idea of what it says… and I get the feeling her last words to you will convince you to stay.’