“Yes. Father Debakis at the Sacred Trinity Greek Orthodox Church has taken care of everything. I’ve known him since I was young. Throughout my ordeal he’s been in constant contact with me. I owe him so much, and Iris Themis too. She’s from the humanitarian council at Sacred Trinity and has arranged to take me to their homeless shelter where I can stay until I find a job and a place to live. All I have to do is phone her at her office.”
“Splendid. As you know, you’ll need another checkup in six weeks, either here or at another hospital depending on what’s convenient. It will include a blood test and physical exam for lumps. But you can contact me at any time if you have concerns.”
Zoe dreaded her next checkup, but she couldn’t think about that right now. Instead she stood up to give him a hug. “Thank you for helping me get my life back. You’ll never know what it means.”
After she left his office, she hurried through the hospital and walked along the corridor that led to the convalescent center. She had a room on the second floor. Having lost her family, this had been her home for twelve months.
In the beginning, Zoe didn’t dream that she’d ever leave this place alive. At first the man she’d been dating had called her often, but the technology company Chad worked for transferred him to Boston and the calls grew fewer and fewer. She understood, but it hurt her to the core. Even if he’d told her he was crazy about her, if he could leave at the darkest moment of her life, then she couldn’t expect any man to accept her situation.
Though there were family friends from her old neighborhood who phoned her every so often, the inmates had become her choice friends. With all of them being Greek American, they shared stories of their family histories and had developed a camaraderie so strong she didn’t want to leave them. It was here that her whole life had passed before her.
Once inside her room, she sat down on the side of the bed and phoned Iris. They planned to meet in front of the convalescent center in a half hour. One day Iris and the priest would receive their crowns in heaven.
Zoe had emerged from her illness wanting to help people the way they’d helped her. College could wait. If she could go to work for the Giannopoulos Foundation, that was what she wanted to do. Of necessity Zoe would have to approach Alexandra Kallistos, the woman who managed this center, but any experiences with her were unsettling. The other woman was standoffish. Whether that was her nature, or if she just didn’t care for Zoe, she didn’t know.
Earlier today when they’d passed each other in the hall, Ms. Kallistos hadn’t even acknowledged her. Maybe it was because Zoe was taking up a bed someone else needed, but the therapist had insisted she still needed to be here. Because she’d lost her parents and required more time to heal mentally, the arrangements had been made for which Zoe would be eternally grateful.
Ms. Kallistos had an office at the hospital and was officially in charge. All the staff, doctors, nurses, therapists, lab workers, X-ray technicians, orderlies, kitchen help, volunteers and housekeeping people reported to her. She was a model of efficiency, but Zoe felt she lacked the bedside manner needed to make the inmates comfortable enough to confide in her.
Alexandra was a striking, brown-eyed, single Greek American woman probably in her early thirties. Her dark brown hair flounced around her shoulders. She wore fashionable clothes that made the most of her figure. But she seemed cold. Maybe that wasn’t a fair judgment, but the thought of approaching her for a position made Zoe feel uneasy.
If there was a problem, maybe Father Debakis would have better luck in bringing up the subject of Zoe working here.
August 10, Athens, Greece
Vasso Giannopoulos was nearing the end of the audits on the Giannopoulos Complex in Athens, Greece he co-owned with Akis, his younger married brother, when he heard his private secretary buzz him. He’d been looking over the latest inventories from their convenience stores in Alexandroupolis.
“Yes, Kyria Spiros?”
“Ms. Kallistos is on the line from New York. She’s calling from the hospital in New York, asking to speak to you or your brother. Do you want to take it, or shall I tell her you’ll call her back later? I know you didn’t want to be disturbed.”
“No, no. You did the right thing.” The Giannopoulos Hospital and Convalescent Center were located in Astoria. But why she would be calling when he was scheduled to meet with her tomorrow seemed odd. His head lifted. “I’ll speak to her.”
“Line two.”
He picked up the phone. “Alexandra? This is Vasso.”
“I’m sorry to bother you, Vasso. I thought I could catch you before you fly here. You’re very kind to take my call.”
“Not at all.”
“Everyone knows that you and your brother established the Giannopoulos Greek American Lymphoma Center here in New York several years ago. This is the fourth time that I’ve been contacted by a major television network to devote a piece to your lives.
“The managing director of the network wants to send a crew here to film the facility and interview some of the staff. More importantly they want to interview you and your brother for the featured documentary. I told him I would pass this along to you. I know you’ve turned them down before, but since you’ll be here tomorrow, would you be interested in setting up an appointment?”
Vasso didn’t have to think. “Tell the man we’re not interested.”
“All right. When can I expect you to arrive?”
“By two at the latest. I appreciate the call. Yassou.” As he rang off, Akis walked in the office. “Hey, bro. I’m glad you’re back. Alexandra just phoned. One of the networks in New York wants to do a documentary on us.”
“Again?” Akis shook his head. “They never give up.”
“Nope. I told her to tell them no.”
“Good. How soon are you leaving for New York?”
“I’m ready to head out now. I plan to meet with some of our East Coast distributors early in the morning. Then I’ll go over to the hospital and take a look at the books.”
“While you do that, I’ll finish up the rest of the inventories for the northern region. Raina will help. She’s a genius with accounts. You won’t have anything to worry about.”
“How’s her morning sickness?”
“It hardly ever bothers her now.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Before you leave, I have a question.” Akis eyed him with curiosity. “How did your evening go with Maris the other night?”
“So-so.”
“That doesn’t sound good. We were hoping she might be the one who brings an end to your bachelor existence.”
“Afraid not. She’s nice and interesting, but she’s not the one.” He patted Akis’s shoulder. “See you in a couple of days.”
Vasso hadn’t been dating Maris that long, but already he knew he needed to end it with her. He didn’t want to lead her on. But Akis’s comment had hit a nerve. Both of them had been bachelors for a long time. Now that Akis was married, Vasso felt an emptiness in his life he’d never felt before. His brother was so happy these days with his new wife and a baby on the way, Vasso hardly recognized him.
August 12, New York City
“Vasso!”
“How are you, Alexandra?”
The manager got to her feet. “It’s good to see you.”
“I walked through the hospital and convalescent center first. Everything seems to be in perfect order. My congratulations