Page 29 of S.O.S. Mizzay

Missy flipped him the bird.

Cobble looked appalled, but her family laughed.

Yup.That was their dynamic. Free expression all the way.

“Well?” Cobble finally managed to ask again once the chuckling and teasing died down.

“You want to tell him?” her Dad asked her Mom.

“I’ll be happy to.” Missy’s mother grinned, and that was good. It seemed that Cobble had managed to take her matriarch’s mind off Missy’s upcoming trip to Africa. At least for the moment. Missy had no illusions that her mother wouldn’t corner her, just like Cobble would, at the soonest opportunity.

Her Mom began. “Theo and I are from Greece, as you might have determined from our accents. Myfather is also Greek. He was a child during the devastating civil war there in the late forties, just as Theo’s parents were.

“Pappous—my father—met my mother who was an American journalist covering the political turmoil in our home country during the sixties. They fell in love, got married in Mykonos, and had me,” she told Cobble. “After an idyllic childhood with feet in both Greece and America, I met my wonderful husband when we both attended college in Athens. We fell in love, got married, and had our boys. Nik and Atticus were five and seven when we emigrated to the United States. To Brooklyn, to be more precise.” She looked at Cobble’s now empty bowl. “More soup?” she asked, before continuing.

He gave a smile. “If it’s not too much trouble. It’s really good,” he added.

“Thank you. An old family recipe.” She snagged his bowl, coming back less than a minute later, putting a new, steaming helping in front of him which he dug into.

Her mother sat back down. “So anyway, the boys grew up learning English while in Greece. Not only because of my mother being from the US, but also because we always planned that once Theo received his advanced degrees, he would end up teaching over here.”

“You teach?” Cobble asked, raising a brow as he paused his spoon halfway to his mouth.

“Yes. I’m a professor at a couple of local colleges,” Theo confirmed, shrugging.

Missy knew Cobble’s mind was scrambling. His brain was clearly confused, asking the question, “preppers”andmembers of society?

“But back to my story about Missy,” Eleni reminded them, clasping her hands in front of her on the table. “The boys were already schooled inproperEnglish.” She sent a comical glance toward Missy. “But Missy was born in Brooklyn, so she learned to speak not only from us, but from friends, neighbors, and American relatives living in the city.”

Cobble nodded, amused. “It makes sense then. But…how old was she when you moved from New York to here?” he asked.

“Missy was five,” her father explained. “But she’d already developed her speech habits, and we were unable to curb them.” Dad sent Missy an affectionate glance, silently letting her know he wouldn’t change her for the world. “Now, add to that, her spending summers until she graduated high school staying with her great aunt—my mother-in-law’s sister—and family in Brooklyn, and…hence you have the amalgamation that is Missy’s speech.”

“Youze are all just jealous you nevah managed to pick it up,” Missy taunted, poking at them in an over-the-top, lighthearted battle that had been going on for years.

Everyone laughed, quips were exchanged, and a few napkins got thrown, but Missy reveled in it. She’d missed her family, and the three or four trips she made to visit every year, never quite managed to top off her heart before she had to leave again.

“Okay. That explains it all,” Cobble snickered as he finished his second bowl of soup in record time. Before he could curb himself, he gave a huge yawn.

“Oops. Sorry,” he apologized. “It’s been a really long day.”

“Maybe it’s time for you to get some sleep,” Theo suggested.

Cobble glanced at the clock on the wall and shook his head. “Another half hour won’t hurt. I don’t want to get my system out of whack by hitting the sack too early. I need to get my hours in synch with yours if I’m going to be allowed to stay.”

“Of course you’re staying,” Atticus chimed in. “Dad?” He looked to the patriarch for confirmation.

“Yes. Absolutely. You’re very welcome here, Cobble,” Theo stated seriously. “We’ll make sure you stay anonymous and safe.”

“Thank you, sir,” Cobble said sincerely, pushing his bowl away. “I appreciate it. And I plan to make myself useful to you while I’m here. I’ve picked up a lot of good skills in the last four years, including carpentry and gardening,” he told them.

“We’ll appreciate the extra hands, then,” Theo told him. “And it will be nice to have you on site. Especially since none of us except Eleni are here all day, every day.”

Cobble raised a brow in question and looked around the table. “You’re not?”

Missy put a hand up in front of her mouth to hide a snicker.Yeah.People had preconceived notions about survivalists being off the grid and anti-social. Her family’s homesteadwasfairly well tucked away and protected, but none of her people could ever remotely be considered, hermits.

“Nope,” Atticus spoke up again. “I’m actually a sergeant on our local police department. Nik is a prominent attorney in the city that’s an hour from here, and you already know that Dad is a professor,” he apprised.

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