In the Shade of the Monkey Puzzle Tree Read Online Free PDF Page A

past her and her whimpering baby, his hand tightening around the money in his pocket.
    After a few minutes, his legs give a little bouncy shuffle and he has to stop and look around him again. He is in Athens, the capital of Greece, the birthplace of all civilisation. Looking up, he marvels at the three and four-storey buildings, the washing hanging from balconies, lives being lived, city people inside their towers. He can hear Athenians talking inside, pans being rattled, Athenian babies crying.
    The sun is growing stronger, creeping across the sky, reaching one half of the street, dividing shadow from brilliance, the windows on one side black holes, those opposite glowing orange as if they are on fire. Theo wishes Mitsos were here to see it; it is the sort of thing that would thrill him. The street opens out to a small park with three benches each marking one edge and a kiosk on the fourth, a square of grass between them and corners of earth where city feet have taken shortcuts. The sun here reaches two of the benches. Around the perimeter, the road leads off in four directions, pushing the buildings back, opening up a larger patch of the blue sky.
    The kiosk is much like the one in the village: solid wood, painted brown, with a shelf running around just above waist-height and windows in three sides. Theo has no doubt that one side window will be where a public telephone sits and on the other side, magazines will be displayed in stacks. The oversized roof provides a little shade, and newspapers are piled on the pavement outside the kiosk. Familiarity adds to his joy and makes it seem like as good a place to start as any, and the openness after the narrow streets allows Theo to feel he can breathe a little. The tall buildings are amazing, but they do feel a little suppressive.
    ‘Hi, a local newspaper please.’ Theo smiles at the man entrapped in the booth.
    ‘ To your left, second shelf down. Cigarettes?’ There is no smile in return.
    ‘ No thank you.’ Theo backs away. He learnt this early in the kafeneio : a man in a mood needs no interference, just space.
    Sitting on the bench that faces the sun, Theo wonders if he should look for somewhere to live or find a jo b. With the warmth directly on his face, he smiles to himself and runs a hand through his hair, shifts his weight slightly, as one of the slats on the bench is split and pinches him.
    Athens. He still cannot quite believe it.
    He straightens the paper, deciding not be choosy. He will take any job and any place to live to get him started, find his feet, learn the city’s ways. He chuckles. All around him are apartments. He only needs one, just a room will do, how hard can that be to find?
    ‘ Right,’ he says to himself under his breath. ‘Let’s look at jobs. Here, “Person wanted for general duties around the house, would suit young man”. That will do as a start.’ Theo is amazed how quickly he has found something suitable. Life in Athens might be a lot easier than he imagined.
    Folding the paper to keep the advert on top, he returns to the kiosk and uses the public phone, hoping the position is still available. The thick, chipped, light brown paint of the kiosk shelf feels familiar and gives him confidence. This city world is not so different.
    ‘Hello, I am ringing about the job. Is it still available? It is, good. Oh, yes one minute.’ Theo taps on the glass window above the phone’s shelf and the man inside slides it open. Theo smiles and mimes writing. The man passes him a biro.
     
    Following the directions he has written on the edge of the newspaper, his legs are glad to be moving. He has energy to expend. The roads seem to wind round and back on themselves. Many times, he is distracted, looking up at the height of the buildings, inspecting new models of cars that drive by so quickly and admiring smartly dressed women as they pass. He allows himself these distractions. After all, that is why he is here, to live a little!
    Each street is