The English Lesson (The Greek Village Collection Book 11) Read Online Free PDF Page B

England. Alone. See Katerina, her three birthday.'
    'Oh.'
    'I go Big Ben, I go Speakers Corner. I go and I want stay.'
    'I will go to see Big Ben and I will go to Speakers Corner and I will want to stay.'
    Toula cannot really take in Juliet's corrections with this strange churning inside. Her stomach seems to be turning over and her chest feels like it is quivering inside, but she is not cold. A tension around her temples beats with her heart and her breath comes in short gasps. But she feels light, as if she could dance. Right now, if she never sets foot back into that house, with its shutters all closed up against the sun and the perpetual ticking in every corner, sealed to the world outside as time passes, she would not care! In fact, she would celebrate.
    Picking up a spoon, she chases a honey-covered ball of pastry around the plate and when it is caught, she opens her mouth and eats in it one, whole. How many times did her own mama scold her for such behaviour? How many times has she refrained from such behaviour in front of Apostolis in fear of his disdain? Well, she is not a child any more and no one should be able to intimidate her and tell her what to do.
    She chews contentedly.
    'If you say "I go," it implies you are doing it in the now, but if you say "I will go," it implies a future action. One that hasn't taken place yet. There is still the possibility that it might not happen. Whereas "I go" is a done deal, as they say. A completed decision,' Juliet explains.
    A 'done deal.' That's a good phrase. When they sold the houses that Apostolis built, he would say to her, as she worked on the budgeting of the next build, 'Never count on the money of the last sale until it is in the bank. The deal is not complete until the transfer is done.’
    'So I say it right.' Her voice comes through the half-chewed honey ball. 'I go to Big Ben, I go to Speakers Corner, it is done-deal!' The laughter under her ribs escapes as a chuckle, her head wobbling away by itself. Even her hands have a little tremor to them as she lifts another honey ball to her lips. 'You must be quick if you want some of this, Juliet.' She pushes the dish towards her teacher.
    Juliet closes her mouth and picks up her spoon.
    Taking a paper napkin from the holder that is behind the bougainvillea in the toothpick holder, Toula wipes her mouth. Things like honey get caught in the creases above her lips these days, and in the downward fold in the corners of her mouth. But she is smiling so much as she wipes that the paper touches her teeth, drying them, making her lips stick and the whole process becomes lot more complicated than usual. When she is satisfied she is not dribbling like an old woman she says, 'So Juliet, my teacher, we change lessons.' The sun is in her face again, the cat—her cat—on the air-conditioning unit jumps down and slinks his way towards them, his white paw crossing over the path of his black paw, accentuating the litheness that all the animals have at this time of year. It is the result of a month of such intense heat. He stops and shakes, creating a cloud of dry dust, out of which he walks with an arrogant attitude.
    'Lessons every day now. My English more-better out-weighs everything else.'
    She must go to the travel agents, arrange tickets. Yes, she can manage that. Call her daughter to tell her she is coming. It will be good to talk to her, maybe it will cement her plans, give her confidence. She must also go into the guest room and take out her winter clothes. It will be so much colder in London. Is all this for real? Is she really planning to go to London? How would Apostolis survive? A naughty voice in her head says she doesn’t care if he survives or not, but the truth is it will be no difficulty for her to arrange for the shops to deliver groceries as usual or maybe… Yes, this is even better: when she goes, Apostolis can stay with George in Athens.
    It feels unreal and at the same time more real than anything she has ever