THE END
translation by Dimitris Thanasoulas She stood in front of the mirror, shooting numb glances at her own reflection. Her eye was blood-red; it was so swollen, she wouldn’t be able to open it the next day. Her lips were chapped from the punch and her teeth were bleeding. One of them was even moving. On top of that, whole locks of hair had fallen out. A relentless routine for twenty years now. She couldn’t recall a single quiet day. On her wedding night, when she refused to kiss him because he smelled of alcohol and tobacco, he beat her up till she fainted. Then, he raped her like an animal. In the morning, he picked herself up from the floor with difficulty. She had spent the whole night there. Blood was trickling between her legs. He raped and sodomised her while she was unconscious. She tried to crawl to the bathroom to wash herself. How would she hide her shame from the world? That was only the beginning. She lost three children in a pool of blood, almost beaten to death. Every time, she woke up in hospital, only to angrily discover that she was still alive. Why did she survive? She wanted to die. Only the Virgin Mary knew how she had kept her beloved Manolakis. That child had been through a lot! She offered him the worst father ever. She would carry this crime to the afterlife like an albatross around her neck. A few days earlier, she had bidden him farewell as he left to study in London. May her lad be blessed. She hadn’t been a good mother; she hadn’t stood by him when the chips were down. That juggernaut by the name Pantelis left everything in ruins. Even flowers wilted with him on sight. As for bringing home the bacon, that was a different kettle of fish! He didn’t bring a single penny. He spent all his money binge-drinking and gambling. If it weren’t for her who sewed clothes for some quirky women in the neighbourhood, her child wouldn’t even have an egg to eat. Still, she was diligent. Yves Saint Laurent was not a patch on her work. She tailored gowns that even the best dressmaker would have envied. Skirt suits, dresses and casual clothes. She was inexpensive and a real go-getter, that’s why she was sought-after. Since her husband snatched the money from her hands a few times to spend on booze and play cards, one day she secretly went to the bank and opened an account. She kept depositing money into it, so that her child would want for nothing and be able to study one day. She revealed to Pantelis only one third of her earnings — wisely so. Apart from the sewing, which secured her a good income, she also read the coffee grounds and the cards. Her clientele consisted of aristocratic women. In both departments: clothes and soothsaying. No matter what, she never squandered the money she earned from the latter. What she did was such a sin; such things belonged to the devil, not the Church. Still, she had to raise her child. “May the Almighty turn a blind eye. I hope He does me a favour!” she often said. After all, she didn’t fool any of her clients. She didn’t perform any magic or cast any spells. She told the future. And she always hit the nail on the head. The only thing she couldn’t see was her own future. In the mirror, her bruised face looked hideous. No, this time, she wouldn’t do anything to conceal it. She was a soldier in an unfair battle. In a foolish battle. These were her medals for all the years she had frittered away. Besides, she was the one who brought up the child; he hadn’t even bought him a pair of trousers. She took a deep breath. She held her rent hair with a scrunchy. She went to her bedroom and slipped her trench coat over her nightgown. She took her bankbook, ID and some useful documents out of the hiding place, put on her sunglasses and threw into her bag her tranquillisers, her purse and her little icons. She didn’t take any keys or belongings, she didn’t even switch off the lights. She pulled the door shut and hurriedly walked away. The end. Το διήγημά μου εκδόθηκε στο διεθνές περιοδικό Acheron My short story was published in the international magazine Acheron Ευχαριστώ την Εύα Λιανού Πετροπούλου για την ευκαιρία που μου έδωσε Thanks to Eva Lianou Petropoulou for the opportunity she gave me https://www.calameo.com/read/006971538a7ef9c6d28a8?fbclid=IwAR1-i-8e-09dbt6a-2CiIxsKERifdNh1ri3B-9-Feb0ql58xLIe6Jn4IcWE
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