Chapter 1
It was an amphitheater and we were all making allowances for the folly of each other. The natives and the passionate newcomers vulgarise the cultivated. Some of them were hooligans. Shouting as if on a football field. They had nothing but that on their brains.
And mother said nothing she disliked the theatre and thought of it as a pastime that she was not intended for. Give her gossip and show off the people in real life. I was for both. She was much younger than her and had some life.
She wanted to be interested in a holiday. I began to like her and want to go to the theatre and have the usual stuff on holidays. I began to hope. That we had things in common.
We the plebs of the culture I thought there it was outside this arena and they were trying to read their lines from their heads. I thought it was a bit slow because they ambled along. The crowd was pleasant to them. They have not thrown tomatoes or eggs?
"What is that mum? Why are they not throwing stuff?"
"You don't know?" She twinkled in some delight. It was nothing to do with her I had paid and she came to indulge me. When I did not pay but the compliments of the hotel she disliked theatre intensely. She sat down and wrote something. Then screwed it up.
"Tell them to come in."
"Who ?"
"The cleaning woman." She whispered. She had such dramatic lines I thought.
She knew would never tell. She was always in on a joke or a secret, I was the outsider. Always this woman who did not or need not be told
" and the new tastefully attired." And you would never feel at home because of such a do and the deal might be off anyway.
"What deal mum?"
She fanned herself in something like a ladyship manner.
"Never mind go and fetch me a cola."
"I did not reply but left immediately she wanted to leave and could not change that. So much was happening that in the hotel room would be bored and wander restlessly about what and who had done such a surprising thing.
We went and mum said and said it will be her death of her. This newfound culture and hope never happened. Greek was not her main fondness and the play was a Greek something called a tragedy.
Uncle was gloating he was gingerly making his excitement. Even said we like to offer everyone a diet cola on the house. He was so into this genial role and his wife said do not count the chickens before they are hatched. But who knows he said who knows it might be us in there with the best. We can then have anything we like.
"Don't you care about that?"
We were at the theatre and our cousin the prodigy was seconds from becoming the envy of us all. She appeared first blushing and looking radiant.
She behaved like a girl from the Proms and she disliked the attention or did she lap it up as if the waves were there to be crossed.
"I am here to do anything and answer any questions." Sheer bliss wrote on her face.
I wondered where I got the impression from.
"Thank you very much and did you enjoy yourselves?"
I loved the theatre I would have enjoyed them playing the apes. But said something less restraint.
The lads in there broke their ambush on the cola and the girl said her piece and added to the list or something she left.
There was a general gushing and she was moving round and round as if forwards and onwards. There was something on my mind about the ten commandments but nudged it away. The thought never left me as if the mark of some Cane went and Able sat there beside me.
"Oh, this." They smacked their lips. " is big." they all clapped and sat down into the show which was very well directed I thought despite it being in Cyprus. I cannot remember the show but it was done so nicely.
The things which you say in front of her she will tell and what an unkind thing when she did not get that man, The eligible one, and got someone else instead her mum.
Then the horror on uncle's face as he sat down and said we are ruined.
The whole thing was over before I could make head or sense of it. What had happened?
They are still rowing when the show starts. Then sit in some discomfort as the girl who organized the show came in a towering glee.
So many killings in that scene I thought.?
There isn't any sense in that.
"I think there are not enough murders." Mother said.
"I do not know what to say." She said afterward, "Why did they kill each other at such random and there seems to be nothing gained."
"Well, you have a point."
"Nice to know." She said pointedly.
Mother should by the time we are through with each other have at least a GCSE.
The thoughts came and went.
The family was overwhelmed by the seriousness of the young woman's achievement.
"How delighted her parents would have been if they not working."
"Her mum is a housewife."
"Cooking."
"Hash."
They all did some even did worse.
She introduced the show and then left the stadium and there were smiles all around. What has happened what was the announcement? I did not know what had happened there seemed to be something grown up about the seventeen-year-old as if she had seen the light and the light was making shows and more shows.
There were whispers and the damn thing did not get the drift. I was baffled.
It was just glossed without teeth. That and there was not much happening except it was somehow exciting.
"Love gave her that much."
"What love?"
"Her partner made her into a manager."
"Well, it was truly a seventeen-year-old with the breadth of vision to create a dull piece out of a masterpiece."
"Will you stop thinking now say no more?"
I had no idea back then how important that seventeen-year-old girl would be to us. My family nearly disintegrated because of her pain.
"Cover it with fine linen?"
"Of course, I can but the thing has got out of hand."
"Paper book of occurrences and things went pat in the dark."
"This is a private family matter."
"It was a privilege to be part of it all."
"Jealousy that is what it is." said mum.
The show was two hours and a bit and then what happened?
Uncle said, " is it too long for you?"
"Not at all uncle." Uncle was so proud that day that females could sit and not spend money for two hours. Then we all flocked to the coke stand and there was a what on his face.
"We can go if you are tired."
"I want to see the end," I said much put out the thing did not make sense to me. It was not in English. That was it yet it had a curious factor in the original amphitheater and all that. Somehow the ghosts of the past seemed to live in the whole show.
I thought someone was grieving and I had no idea why?
"Well we are we want to leave but..." uncle was tutting as if much dissatisfied. " All the money wasted."
"What uncle?"
"Have another cola."
"I'm fine."
"In fact, I insist it is on me."
"Will you stay still?" Said his wife.
He came back without the cola. But looking a disaster.
"No people will talk. I am not giving them that satisfaction." Said, auntie.
"When is the announcement to appear?"
"What announcement?" asked uncle he was sweating.
"We are touring with it are we not dearie?" Said his wife.
"That is right." He said desperately.
The good taste of the show was retold and the standard of the colas too when someone went for a second drink he was charged double. So I sat it out dumb and numb feeling something not right as if the whole thing was phony. But did not feel it enough I was not bright enough.
"And the organizer of the show is?"
"Well thanks, guys whoever said culture is dead is now able to see how wonderful we are."
The clapping did not cease.
"She has had it hasn't she?"
"She has."
"Someone." Whispered, "Quiet."
"You mean there is some more?"
"Of course, the interim is over the second act begins."
"This is it eventually the cola runs out and a gang of youths brings in the beer. They are told to leave. But they are told in such a manner by the organizer. Did we pay good money for this? The girl that they meekly stay. Oh, what a beauty. The guards are called they are dismissed as if she still holds power.
For some reason, this makes me sad... That was the last time uncle would ever be insouciance and happy. He went downhill after that. He took to something evil and rotten that destroyed them all.
"Is everything okay?" Asks the uncle in a concerted manner.
"Oh fine."! I sighed and the thing was it was odd. It was very odd how happy. She looked how proud yet something was not right, A young girl is responsible for so much.
I knew then that he was proud. All his troubles would be over after all that was family.
Where is her mum? "She is around." He said. Her mother is that proud. She will not come from her seat. I was at the edge of my seat. I looked all over the stadium and could not see her had she got smaller my auntie of twenty odd stone? There was something wrong where was her family? They were not there.
"The funds raised will go to charity I love..." She said and there were cheers for that.
"And there will be a raffle."
"We are leaving."
"I never win at raffles let us," I say.
