Friends? (JAMES)

                                    

                                          



Sitting at the breakfast table alone, today, feels strange. "Elina, where's Anne?"
                          
"Oh, well she said she had to leave real early because she had this urgent meeting to attend or something?" She said with too  much too less confidence.
                          
"Or something?"
                          
"Well I couldn't hear her clearly so..."
                          
"And how is that?"
                          
"Well..."
                          
"Well what, Elina, what!" I raise my voice a little. " Elina look me in the eye and tell me the truth." Thinking it over again, "well skip that, come here" and when I don't hear her moving, "NOW!" And with that she come scurrying over. When she finally got to me, I reach out to her with both hands and when I finally feel her face between them, I pull it down a few inches away from mine and direct my eyes to the center of my hands so she'd feel like I'm looking her right in the face. "Now, Elina, tell me." I knew this position was completely uncomfortable since I was sitting and she was standing and, I am blind.
                          
One gulp, "well your wife called me to work at 3 o'clock in the morning but I didn't hear her well since I was half asleep." Oh so Anne's gone to 'work', hhhhhmmmm
                          
"What about your son?"
                          
"Oh I dropped him off at Giagiá's on my way here."
                          
"Giagiá?"
                          
"Yeah I don't know her real name but that's what she said we should could call her."
                          
"Do you even know what that means?"
                          
"Didn't even know it was a word." She tilts her head a bit
                          
"Well in Greek, it means grandmother,"
                          
"You speak Greek?"
                          
"I am Greek."
                          
"Oh." She pulls her head back a bit, "thought you were British "
                          
"Yes, my father is British and my mum is Greek "
                          
"Oh. Well could you please let me go now?"
                          
"Oh, sorry about that." I say, finally letting her go from our awkward position. 
                          
"Well my husband was Greek too."
                          
" and he never mentioned any word like Giagiá to you?"
                          
"Well I don't really remember much about him so..."
                          
"Oh okay."
                          
Silence.
                          
"I'm sorry about the awkward situation earlier."
                          
"Oh it's okay, you were just worried about your wife right?"
                          
"Well I wouldn't say 'worried' but lonely and curious would be the right way to put it." I say staring up at her.
                          
"Oh."
                          
"Will you have breakfast with me?"
                          
"Well I already had breakfast when I got here so..."
                          
"But will you just sit with me?"
                          
"Okay."
                          
Silence. Again.
                          
"Mr. Panos?"
                          
"Please call me James."
                          
"Eeeeerrhh how 'bout Mr. P?"
                          
With a sigh, "okay , that will do. So how can I help you Elina?"
                          
"Well, where are your friends?"
                          
"Well I only had four friends in my life: my mother but since I got married to Anne, she'd barely talk to me. My best-guy-friend, Ben but he's all the way in England right now. Then there's my wife and son who are currently out of the picture right now. So yeah, I practically have no friends."
                          
"Oh, well isn't Mrs. Panos your friend?"
                          
"No." I didn't mean to say it that way but it just came out...cold.
                          
"Well I'll be your new friend then."
                          
"Really?" A smile cracking on my face.
                          
"You know, this is the first time I've seen you smile. You look better like this."
                          
"Oh goodness have I lost my looks😱?"
                          
"Well you aren't that bad."
                          
"Elina, are you crushing on your boss?"
                          
"Oh no, I'm not, especially not when he's a married man." Putting emphasis on 'married man'
                          
"Hm and if I wasn't married?"
                          
"Then it'll be more appropriate but I still wouldn't."
                          
"Elina, are you flirting with me?" I say with a full on smile.
                          
"Oh please."
                          
"I can't help but imagine you blushing." All pearly whites in view.
                          
"Well it's quite impossible for a black woman to blush so I guess that'll make you a legend."
                          
She was a black woman too. Smile drops. 
                          
"I guess it does." And my fake smile takes place.
                          
SHE was black too.