Eléni & M Move to Athens - Part 26

This new series has its history in the form of several short stories, several poems, and a 13-part series that is linked at the bottom via Part 25 of this series. Anthi Psomiadou has graciously agreed to play the role of a fictional character also called, Anthi, as she already did in the first series, but in this series with the significant name, Anthi Kanéna, which she promptly chose, perhaps for my soul.

To perceive is to suffer. Aristotle

À toi (To you), Anthi! Toujours à toi (Always to you), Anthi! I kept saying to her mind each time that I raised a shot of tsipouro or a glass of red wine. I was totally in love with her, which is surely obvious by now. I knew that I could not live without her since there would be no reason left at all. I sensed that Goddess Athena understood it when she looked at me from time to time, blowing me a kiss with sad eyes. I was the initial instigator of her return, even moving to Greece to meet her and be by her side. But I had become brokenhearted at some level, almost like her facing the future, except that I could not sleep for any number of years and come back to find Anthi, freer or free and still waiting for me. We only had our dreams and I was afraid that they would not be enough. Even Anthi had expressed it more than once. But what can she do? Love is rarely even-hearted between two accidental lovers. At least one of them is always tied to someone else.

“I know how you feel, my love,” Anthi said in my mind. “I feel it as well. I cannot wait to be with you tonight again. I want you to eat my heart. I tasted yours when I was inside. I did not tell you because I was afraid that I hurt you somehow. Am I the cause of your sudden pain, my M?”

You could never be the cause of any pain, my Anthi, my love. You are the light and you have my soul. Life is the cause of our pain. It is rarely just with its heartless and maddening determinism. Even the soul, any soul, cannot beat its unfree will. It is relentless and uncaring. We do our best to survive by falling in love, but the timing is often off, like me missing your beautiful boat. But how could have I caught your bountiful boat when we were separated by an ocean, and a sea for good measure? And when I was born not far from Greece, you were still a future unborn dream. Even the gods have limited powers. No entity, divine or beyond, can undo or change the past. I have grappled with it many times, and even in fiction I always came short since I never wanted fiction to beat reality. Reality always wins. Reality always has the last laugh. It is cruel and pitiless, yet it contains loving angels like you. Your are only the cause of my love.

Our feast began with the keto marzipan. Delphine wanted to start with it, and we all decided to follow suit with our princess. It was a unanimous success, though I would have preferred to eat Anthi instead. I told her mind as much and she smiled and lit my heart. Our Athena prepared and grilled the meats, all covered with pure virgin olive oil and rosemary. Grandma cooked a few of her other Greek cuisine specialties. Patrick made an incredibly rich Romaine lettuce salad, topped with avocados and shallots. Anthi and Eléni roasted two chickens, spiced in and out as if they were going to come back to life. I did not think that the keto marzipan was sufficient for such a feast, so I also blended keto turmeric smoothies, containing high-fat coconut milk, coconut water, ginger, black pepper, erythritol, frozen berries, and turmeric, of course. Grandpa did not want to be left out, so he concocted a secret recipe of various olives in garlic and the best olive oil I had ever tasted. He smiled like I never seen him before while making it, exclaiming that we were going to salivate for it for days. He was right. I even considered it a dessert. I kissed and hugged him and he was very pleased. Even Delphine wanted to help, so she helped Grandma to bake cookies made from walnuts and almonds, and erythritol, of course. Our house had become keto. Whoever still doubts that it can be easily done, these are not even a tenth of what can be accomplished à la ketogenic. There are more keto recipes than Greek islands.

We were joyous with both songs and spirits, dancing around the table but always finding a seat. Grandpa and Grandma blessed us all, wishing us love, luck, and a long life. Athena, with Glaukopis on her right shoulder, raised a glass to peace and love both during the day and during the night, looking at everyone in turn but stopping on us, Anthi and M, I mean me, mentioning that tonight will be a special time given the alignment of Hermes, Aphrodite, Ares, Zeus, and Cronus (which had become, after the Romans took over, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn). The little owl fell in love with the little Anthi. Glaukopis looked at Delphine and told her, Je t’aime (I love you). Delphine was so impressed that she kissed it near its beak. Glaukopis was so glad that he flew and perched on Delphine’s right shoulder, fitting there like an epaulette. Midnight came and went without any sign of sleepiness. The influence of our goddess was without fail until 1:05, and we were all in bed by 2:05; I checked.

Upon falling asleep, I found myself at the top of what looked like Mount Everest with Anthi against my heart. I hugged and kissed her, unable to stop until Athena appeared, smiling with tears of joy in her eyes. She touched our heads and told us that we could spread our arms and fly like birds. We looked at the sky, Anthi and M, I mean me, and flew, first next to each other and then Anthi in front and I behind her, looking at her ass. We were suddenly naked. I remember that we were clothed before. Luckily, I kept on flying without moving my arms, as I approached Anthi and kissed her ass. The clouds around us were shaped like sheets, with the words, Σε αγαπώ (I Love You), appearing and disappearing as if they were blinking. We love you too, we shouted, thinking that it was Athena’s doing, but slowly realized that it was us writing the words with our intense love. Je t’aime, we wrote, and then, I Love You, stopping on a fluffy cloud that looked like a sofa. I kissed Anthi’s ears, whispering how much I loved her in each ear twelve times: I love you more than anything in this world and anything beyond. And then, I kissed her nose, trying to smell it, not realizing at first that it smelled like her pussy. I suddenly wondered, what would her pussy smell like. Would it smell like her nose? I then, kissed her hands, licking her fingers, which tasted like keto marzipan. All of a sudden, Anthi became as small as an owl and stood on my right shoulder, her head barely reaching above my head. Then, I became as small as a mouse and Anthi swallowed me whole. I felt warm inside her and saw her heart. It was mostly red, but the letter M was carved on it in blue. I smiled and kissed her heart and suddenly saw something I could not identify. I looked at it intently and then it disappeared. I suddenly found myself outside again but at Anthi’s feet, noticing that her toenails were painted blue with streaks of white. I kissed them and heard her laughing, and then saying: Do not forget the little one on the right, my M, I love her and you love her too. I suddenly felt intense love for that little toe, kissing it repeatedly and calling it, my little Anthi. Suddenly, Anthi began to sing: I don’t want to set the world on fire. I just want to start a flame in your heart. I listened to her, feeling joy and being consumed like a roasted chicken. No chicken, please! I heard myself say. I want to be a hazelnut. I am your hazelnut and you are mine, Anthi replied, sitting on top of me, moving to and fro to the music of the song, I don’t want to set the world on fire.

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I thank Anthi Psomiadou for her continued support via her numerous comments, suggestions, and insightful additions, which seem to influence my writing beyond any imperceptible measure. I am afraid to leave Crete. I became used to it, and I finally have grandparents, and they are Greek. Athens awaits with surprises that I am not keen to face or undertake. I may be wrong, of course. Only Goddess Athena knows.

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