Page 120 of Night of Shadows

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Nora is on the living room rug with Brontos and a coloring book. The page is a giraffe. The giraffe is purple. The giraffe is always purple.

Nora looks up. "Mama."

She gets up. She runs.

I drop to my knees in Eleni's foyer. My daughter crashes into me with both arms around my neck and Brontos hanging from one fist by the trunk. Her wool dress smells like ‘kourabiedes.’ Her hair smells like the lavender shampoo Eleni keeps for the bathtub. She’s warm. She’s alive. She’s mine.

I hold her.

She says, into my shoulder, "Did you do the thing?"

I say, "I did the thing."

"Was it brave?"

"It was brave."

"Like Brontos?"

"Like Brontos."

She nods, satisfied. She pulls back. She looks at me with the contained, grave seriousness she brings to all important inspections. Then she pats my cheek with her hand.

"Good job, Mama."

I do not cry. I have not cried all day. I have not cried in the corridor or in the elevator or in the car. I am not going to cry now in Eleni's foyer in front of my daughter. I am the woman who does not cry in front of my daughter, and the version is going to hold.

Eleni is in the kitchen doorway.

She’s in the navy dress.

She’s been wearing it since we left this morning.

She doesn’t speak. She doesn’t approach. She lets me have my daughter on the foyer rug for as long as I need.

I look up at her.

She nods. Once.

"‘Mitéra,’" I say.

"Maeve, ‘koritsi mou.’ Welcome home."

Chapter 34

Lex

The Gathering

My mother calls at 9:14 AM the morning after the grand jury and tells me, in Greek, that the family is coming to her apartment for dinner that night.

She doesn’t phrase it as a question.

"All of them, ‘agóri mou.’ The Konstantinos and the O'Briens. Cathleen flew in at six AM. Ronan came in last night. Stavros is bringing the lamb. I am making ‘spanakopita.’ You will bring Maeve and Nora at six PM."

"‘Mitéra…’"

"Six PM, Lex." She hangs up.

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