"Why do I need a letter from the government or from anyone else for that matter? And why are you trying to drive me crazy?" Penelope raised her voice. "Anna!
Anna! Please come here!"
"Mrs. Theophilos, as a representative of the German occupation forces, I have the unfortunate duty to inform you that your son Nikolas Theophilos is dead ... I am sorry. I must go now."
The heavy iron and glass door slammed as he departed. Anna rushed in and took hold of Penelope as she was about to fall to the mosaic tile floor. She set her on the couch and sat next to her. Anna put her arms around Penelope, and stared at the wall speechless. All of a sudden, Penelope got up, raised her hands toward heaven, and shouted, "Oh ... God! Oh my God! Why?" She roared from the depths of her soul, her lamentation shaking the house from its foundation to the red tiled roof.
Anna, also sobbing, held Penelope tightly and both collapsed on the couch. "It is not true," Anna stated. "It cannot be true. I know Nikolas and I know that man, Dr. Tsipras. He is evil and he is lying. He must be!"
Hitting her thighs with the palms of her hands, Penelope started to mourn in the saddest Byzantine tone: "Today the heavens are heavy and dark. Today is a black day. Today death came to take my sun away and left me in darkness. Nikolas my son, don't let the sun set before its time. Anna is waiting to be your bride. Black is not the best color for a bride. You hear me, son?" She got up, tore her clothes off her body, pulled the curtains down, and placed everything in a large pot filled with water and put it on the stove to boil.
Anna did not interfere with Penelope's actions. She picked up the phone and made a call. In no time Nikolas's two sisters arrived. It took all three of them to calm Penelope down. They dyed their clothes black and wore them. They also dressed the house in black and closed the shutters. Only part of a window was left open for the swallows to come in the house to tend to their young. Anna suggested that they call a doctor, but Penelope objected. No matter how many times Anna told her about Dr. Tsipras and the fact that he was obviously lying, she would not calm down.
Penelope knew that it could not be true. She knew that her son was neither a coward nor a traitor, but just the thought that others might think so and that her son might be buried in dishonor was too much for her to bear.