Anna went to Nikolas's room and lay on his bed, hugging his pillow and feeling his presence in the room, savoring beautiful memories. She looked at his picture in a white officer's uniform and inhaled deeply: "Oh how I wish I could talk to you! How I wish I could touch you!"
Suddenly there was a loud knock at the front door. Anna covered her head with the pillow. She felt as though her head was a hollow drum and someone was pounding on it.
Penelope opened the door. "Yes?"
"I am Dr. Vassili Tsipras ..."
"Please come in."
Anna jumped up from the bed when she heard Vassili's voice. Concerned, she ran to the window and opened it, looking down to the street below. Shocked, she had to look twice to be sure the woman in the waiting taxi was her mother, sitting next to a German officer. Startled, she withdrew from the window, closed it, and quickly drew the white lace curtain. This could not be just a coincidence. They must have followed her.
"Did you say Dr. Tsipras ... Tsipras … ?"
"Yes."
"Why, your name is familiar... Let me see ... Oh, yes, my son told me the name of a doctor who treated him once at the Evangelismos Hospital. Are you the one?"
"Mrs. Theophilos, yes, I knew your son. He was unfortunately, not a good sailor, or a good Greek. I regret to tell you this, but it is my duty to inform you that his country will not remember him for his great service in time of war. Glory will not place a wreath on his head, which will also not make you proud to be his mother. I am sorry to have to tell you that he left his men behind and tried to get away on his own but he did not make it."
"Please stop right now! I said stop it, Doctor! My son is a captain and I am proud of him, mister. What is the meaning of your visit?
What are you trying to say?"
"Mrs. Theophilos, I could have telephoned you to tell you all this, but I did not. I came in person instead. You see, it is like this … " Vassili cleared his throat. "Ahem ... You see, there isn't really an official government in our country at the moment ... to take care of some simple things―like to send a letter to a family or a loved one, because their son is no longer able to, or just to put it that way, he is not around to do so, and the last thing your son asked was that I contact his mother to tell her he was sorry and ask forgiveness."