Chapter 1
Back in Cyprus in the back of beyond in the land of plentiful troubles and in the mid fifties. Long sleeved dresses but all the bodice showed off them girls to advantage and they were never to be backward again.
"The stronger rob the weaker then laugh at them."
"You buried me so deep that no one can find me except dogs."
"Un-rape me." Zeks has been a child woman since the age of eight. She had been done in the earthquake of Cyprus her cousin fell on top of her than. Sheer ill wind she had no chance of escape as Gold had gone out visiting that day. She had come home to find Zeks a woman.
"My child." cried her father.
"Reaped and not re-sown. I am now this not now."
"We have no time for silly business."
Cousinly lover turned brother and now this worn out woman.
"Spit me out."
"Spat out there."
Life is not about anything really important. A bite of food a bit of love and then the terrible tears.
Anguished and estranged a stranger to happiness. Zeks was put to work. She became a go-go dancer or something where she had to show her tits. She had big tits to show.
There was the new zeal take everything off and do not behave. Be in the nude.
Elvis had jinked them all. No one would listen to the Imam or to reason there was no need. Let us dance and live for a change.
Come dine with mirth and sit along life and make this a star and that one a clown.
So of course people made mistakes there were abortions and such stuff.
"Life is about the rich taking stuff from me. My brother is now got rich because of me." She said wrinkling her nose. She put a bit of powder to make the shine go away. She was that much into putting powder into her chin. She was then left without powder and did not care anymore.
Girl became wife and there was a lot of hassling and towards them both earning for the brother the stronger the one who had the power. When they got wed they did not get what they wanted. Wrong partners and then the things were over done. How do rate yourself one of the things which we did before she said.
There was before and after marriage she said.
We did not white wash anyone here. They appear as they were in the limelight of their youth. I think age has made a difference to them but dad's still the same. But more so.
Now what the hell is this wardrobe coming from?
When auntie was going to leave she asked and thought and then realised that Gold did not have a wardrobe. So she wrote her check and then she sat down and waited.? No she had a lot of packing to do which took her two years to finish.
The thing was she wanted to use the wardrobe properly and show Gold how to make clothes but Gold did not. Zeks did what she could but she did not have the knack.
She bought a wardrobe because she was going away. Everyone rich here doing my head in spending money when there is no money. My dad said it was a waste of money. He started to call everyone names.
There was a rotten smell.
Zeks spent most of the time near the river watching them fish.
Did not stir there was not much down in the river bed. The deep river did not bend a wind of change a wind of chance the fish leapt and then did not die not immediately. She saw them suffocate pleasure filled her whole being. How long would they last out of water? They lasted a lot longer than thought.
Maybe she too could?
"Where is she now?"
"Back in London in the 1960's."
She was not subdued my auntie and said she was not amused. She also called him a bully and like a bullet he went off again to some woman in town.
They clamour and he caved in. Somehow having a partner made her more desirable.
When he returned he fought with her and they went to settle the thing in some shady corner.
Zeks watched the replacement as if that mattered less to her than it had.
When he came back he was alright. I saw that auntie was not she looked pale and white as a sheet..
He had asked this other girl to marry him. Someone called it his hen house so many hens one cock.
She had been doubtful but now she was determined. She had made up her mind she was leaving all of him behind.
"He is too much for me." She kept on saying.
"Too much like a bad job?" asked her rival.
"Do not think he will marry you Miss." Said the older woman.
"He has to." Said Zeks.
"He was having sex with her mother and her cousin and then best friend also her neighbour who was married to someone else. But he was going to marry his sweet heart."
Gold was walking towards their usual place and then sat down to prune some oranges as she sucked the orange dry. She had no teeth. She looked so ugly.
Her toothless was something which made her look even more evil. I shivered there was spite in her and something getting worse there was this desire to kill. There was this aloofness and hate flowed from the orange into her.
She had enough of jealousy and pretence. That type, This one was a animal. She then sat down and spat out the worst possible cursing.
"That is why you never will be happy because you do not make believe. "
She believed most of her life that she was beautiful.
"I adore the truth." He said, " even from a roaming idiot like you."
She dressed in smart suits back then. When love left her she dressed like a slob.
Mother was not beautiful.
Her mother was a killer. Her grandmother had saved her life.
Responded to beauty as a fool.
Thought and fear did not affect her. She said because she was housed inside her parents house she safe. Where else can one be safe. But her mother was a killer. Killed eight of her children.
"She pinched me black and sore. I still have the marks on me." Said Zeks.
In England in the flowering powerful times when she was in sole charge she showed me the non existent marks.
"See there see."
Auntie the perfect was always in there with the truth.
What had happened was she was going leaving to Australia and did not know how to repay so she bought the wardrobe said adieu.
"Good riddance to you all bad rubbish."
Separation which turned out well. Strained relationship went and became the trauma of the future. Stranded.
Sailed away. Sailed and then when she saw it made us all happy I was too bewildered to know what to say. She was leaving us all. Never to be seen again. Good bye.
Someone knocked her round broke her nose.
There was no point in her he said she did not even know how to hold a saw or a wood and was pointless. Zeks began to wail her dad then came over and told the boy he had to move on.
Zeks was making such a racket the sound came over the hill into the orange grove and made it to the lemons and then swept along the clean valley. The sky was just quiet then the pigeons got unsettled and she was still covered up with blood.
"Bloody nerd and you broke my nose." broken hearted she wept.
But she did not care she just did not care.
Hens need to be treated with care.
"Go." said the family.
But otherwise they were sincere towards each other. Gold could not cook she did but was a bad one. So everyone ended up drinking all the wine in there. The wine did not make them hungry a bite of cheese and wine made them cheery as anyone.
After what he done to her beloved Zeks. Gold went to the bank and got money to buy his fare too. She would live happily afterwards when he left. It would mean they would keep everything. Their two acres and all that.
Sailing across the world and he could not feed so he asked for Zeks. She would cook him a dinner fit for England. Gold sent her over too. She could not deny him anything.
