Page 14 of Chosen Road

I turned away. “Yiayia, I can’t talk about this right now…”

“Okay, okay,” she cut me off. “Tell Yiayia what I can do for you, eh poulaki? What I can do? You want roast beef?” she asked then continued before I could answer. “I make you roast beef with lemon potatoes, and for my Gus, I make pastitsio. Okay?”

I sighed. I didn’t have much of an appetite, but I did love her lemon potatoes. “Thank you, Yiayia.”

“Bravo. Tell Yiayia about your work kids.”

Without giving away any delicate information, I chatted away about some of the challenges I felt she could stomach, while Yiayia offered sympathy and even made a few suggestions that spurred me to think of new possibilities.

Half an hour later, hydrated and somewhat unburdened, I was ready to greet my son and my nephew. I heard Alex before I saw him, and as usual, it sounded as though he was talking to himself because Jace was so quiet.

The kitchen door swung open.

“Yiayia,” he began, but cut himself off when he saw me. His eyes lit up and he veered over to me, throwing his arms around my neck and squeezing my head against his skinny chest.

I laughed. “You’re going to pop my head right off one of these days, glykouli mou.”

He laughed and pulled away, patting me roughly on the head. “You’re okay, Momma. Can we get skateboards? We’ll be so careful,” he promised, his eyes going round as he drew out the word ‘so’.

I held out my arm and Jace leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Hi, Thia,” he murmured.

“Hi, agori mou. How are you doing?” I smoothed his curly hair away from his forehead.

“I’m okay, Thia.”

“Did you ask your mom about getting a skateboard?”

He rolled his eyes and laughed. “I was thinking maybe you could ask.”

“Hmm. You’ll wear a helmet?” He nodded. “Wrist pads?” He nodded again, beginning to look hopeful. “Knee pads?” I decided to push my luck.

“Until we’re really good at it?” he countered.

I pretended to think about it while Yiayia muttered about boys needing to be boys. “Butt pads?” I raised my eyebrows in challenge and his face fell.

“Uh, Thia, I can’t wear a butt pad-”

Alex guffawed loudly and tackled his cousin. “She’s joking, Jace!”

They bounced off the table as Jace laughed and tried to take Alex down to the floor.

“No wrestling in the kitchen!” Yiayia scolded.

Picking up the broom she herded them out. “Pack your schoolbag to go home! Momma is tired and you got to go home.” She turned to me. “How about he sleep here tonight?”

For some reason the idea of being home alone with Gus sent me into a tailspin and I didn’t want to examine the reasons why. “No, that’s okay, Yiayia. Better we stick to his routine for school.”

She opened her mouth to speak then seemed to think better of it. “Okay, koritzi mou. Promise me you take care of yourself, too.”

“I do, Yiayia. I promise.”

I gathered my chatty son, hugged my nephew and my yiayia, and headed home.

Gus

“Dad! Momma said Jace and I can get skateboards!”

“Uh, no, I agreed to talk to thia about getting you guys skateboards,” Amber corrected him.

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