Page 16 of Possessive Greek Chef

“The Mitilinis Ferry will put us in Mithymna. That’s my homeland. It’s a beautiful coastal town in Lesvos. From there, it isn’t much farther.”

“I wouldn’t care if it took a year to get there as long as I’m with you,” Aria says.

God, this girl will be the death of me.

* * *

The sun has setwhen we finally arrive in Molyvos. We’re just in time for dinner so I pull up to the restaurant and park alongside the narrow street. The sights, sounds, and smells make me feel like a child again. I look through the restaurant window as I open Aria’s door.

Inside, I see my mother standing at the hostess station. I haven’t seen her in several years, but she still looks like the woman who raised and cared for me. Time has had very little impact on her beauty.

I take Aria by the hand and point to the window, “See that woman right there? She’s going to lose her mind when she sees me so be prepared for a lot of screaming and crying.”

“Why would she do that?” Aria looks puzzled.

“Because she’s my mother,” I smile.

“And suddenly I’m a nervous wreck,” she confesses.

“Don’t be. She’s going to adore you just as I do.”

We step inside and the bell above the door announces our arrival. My mother puts on her most welcoming smile and looks up from the reservation book. Our eyes meet and she gasps audibly. She rushes around the desk and throws herself into my waiting arms.

“Yavrum! You’re home,” she shouts as tears well up in her eyes, “Let me look at you. Oh, my celebrity son. You look like one of the gods.”

“Mama, this is Aria,” I introduce them.

My mother brushes her hand across Aria’s cheek and says, “So beautiful and so young. My grandchildren will be movie stars.”

Aria hears her words and her face turns crimson. My mother smiles and adds, “She’s modest, too. I like this girl already.”

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Aria replies.

By this time, the entire family is gathered in the dining hall. My uncle, sister, and cousins all work in various positions in the restaurant. We greet them all and then take a seat at a table near the kitchen.

“These people are all related to you?” Aria asks, clearly overwhelmed by the fanfare.

“Yes. That’s how things are done here. The family works together. I think that my father expected me to come home and take over after culinary school but I had other plans, obviously. My mother and sister are more than capable of keeping this place running without me.”

“It’s nice that your family is so close and they clearly adore you. I wish I had that growing up. When I have kids, I want them to feel that kind of love.”

“How many kids?” I ask her.

“I don’t know,” she squirms.

“I think ten would be enough to make sure that no one ever gets lonely.”

“Ten?” she gasps.

“Imagine how much fun you could have making all those kids.”

“Let me tell you a secret. You can have the fun without making the babies,” she laughs.

“Okay, maybe just six then,” I grin.

My uncle fills our table with tray after tray of his new “signature” dishes and each one is better than the last. The wine flows and the music plays, reminding me of the many parties we had here before my father died. He was the one who insisted that the family remain close and all he ever wanted was for me to bring grandchildren home to join in the fun.

As the restaurant winds down for the night, my mother comes over and sits beside me. “My sweet, Yavrum. You look so good and healthy. How have you been?”

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