Chapter 12
New York
"Love is the joy of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the gods."
Plato
I breathed in the fresh air, I could smell the sweet scents of nature and flowers. Birds sang their beautiful songs in the distance and the sun warmed my skin in a delightful way. My hands rested lightly on a railing made of marble that looked as if it were veined with gold, just like the marble in Ariston's house. A gentle, warm breeze blew my golden wavy hair and the silk of my fine gown behind me. I could hear trees rustle in the distance.
I was on a mountain, the clouds moved slowly beneath me in the distance as I looked out over the ocean far below. I smiled as a pair of warm, granite-like arms wrapped around my waist, my skin tingled from the electricity of his touch, making my entire being come to life. I felt his body behind me and I relaxed against it. With the addition of Ariston's arms, I truly felt at home in this breathtaking place.
Ariston moved my hair away from my shoulder and kissed it. I gasped and my pulse raced with the storm that flowed throughout my body, making me tingle. He then made a trail of kisses from my shoulder up to my neck. My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it was going to break right through my ribs. I placed my hand into his hair and grabbed a fist full of his warm curls as I surrendered to the passion and desire I was feeling. I turned around in Ariston's arms to be embraced by the sky blue of his ancient eyes, they were swimming with a deep love and desire, and lust if I dared say. His mint and vanilla scent surrounded me, drawing me in even more.
"I love you, Mera." Ariston said with such intensity that I knew his words to be true.
"I love you." I told him in the same way.
His lips came crashing down on mine with such passion. I clutched to him, my hands in his hair, his arms were around me, holding me in such a way. My heart was pounding in my chest as we continued to kiss.
Ariston picked me up with the greatest of ease as he continued to kiss me. Next thing I knew, he laid me down on a bed of soft silk with him on top of me, kissing me. My god he feels amazing. He kissed down my neck while his hands roamed over my body.
"Take me." I whispered in a breathless plea, clutching onto his frame.
His lips returned to mine with a dizzying passion as his hand traveled up the outside of my leg, underneath my gown to,
I sat up straight in my bed, my heart pounding and my breathing ragged. I smiled at first, then frowned with great disappointment when I realized it had been a dream. Oh but what a dream it was!
My disappointment quickly turned to shock. It was not the dream itself that shocked me, it was the fact that I remembered it. Never once in my life have I remembered my dreams; I always wake up knowing that I have had a dream, but never being able to remember what it was about.
"Ariston." I whispered his name into the morning light, wishing with all my being that he were with me, in my bed, to pick up where my dream left off. I felt dizzy as my cheeks burned.
I laid back down in bed and thought over the dream again and again. A while later I sighed, getting out of my warm bed. I went into the huge bathroom attached to the bedroom, like the rest of the house everything was black and white. I brushed my teeth and took a shower.
I dressed in a light gold day dress, with white pumps, and put my hair up in a high ponytail, then went out to find Margret. She sat on the black leather sofa, dressed in a sky blue dress with a ruffled hem and halter-top straps. We said good morning and she slipped on her white flats, then we were off. We had a quick breakfast at a cafe before we started shopping.
I felt as if I was going to burst with all theses emotions and thoughts going through me, each fighting for dominance. Between missing Ariston, desiring him, loving him and wondering what he is, it was hard to focus on the task at hand.
By noon I decided that I would do all I could not to think of Ariston, I would just enjoy shopping with Margret. I still felt him though, as if he were standing right next to me, laughing when I made a joke. I felt calmer when I felt him near, even if it was only in my imagination.
The shopping was amazing, and I felt alright about picking things out, since Margret and I would be sharing everything and she was not only buying things for me, but for herself as well. We shopped past lunch, so around 2pm we stopped at a restaurant and had a delicious meal.
We shopped until all the stores closed at 8pm, filling up the limo to the brim with bags and boxes, and getting back to the penthouse over twelve hours after we left it in the morning. When we entered the living room, we collapsed onto the black leather sofa and let out a long sigh and smiled.
"What a day." Margret said.
"You said it." I replied and we laughed.
We decided to have dinner in her penthouse. We changed into comfortable lounge clothing, tank tops and yoga pants of an incredibly soft material. We ate Caesar Salad, steak with vegetables to get back some of the protein and energy we lost today, and finished it up with hot fudge sundaes. It was delicious, her cook is amazing, but she could not hold a candle to Ariston. After we ate, we sat on the couch, deciding on a movie to watch.
"Margret, could we leave tomorrow morning instead?" I asked her.
I felt bad for asking her, I know how she loves shopping, but I do not think I can bear being away from Ariston for another day. Everything seems to remind me of him, and everywhere I am I look for his face even though I knew it was impossible. Margret looked at me and smiled.
"Ariston?" She asked. I nodded.
"How can you stand being away from Jack for so long?" I asked her. "Sometimes I think I might go mad."
"It is not easy." She told me. "I miss him greatly, but I am consoled by knowing that I will be with him again. I will call and see what I can do."
"Thank you." I said with a smile.
She took out her phone and dialed, I sat there and looked through the movies while she made arrangements.
"The soonest we can leave is 1pm tomorrow, is that alright?" Margret asked, I smiled.
"Perfect." I told her.
"Alright, yes, I want two first class seats on that flight. Thank you." She said as she hung up the phone. "Have you decided on a movie?" Margret asked me.
"I am between The Court Jester and The Corpse Bride." I said. She looked at me and we both smiled.
"The Court Jester." We said at the same time, then laughed.
The Court Jester is a true classic that was made back in 1955, starring the great Danny Kaye. Margret and I laughed so hard we cried as we watched the movie.
"The pellet with the poison is in the vessel with the pestle, the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true." I repeated a line from the movie to Margret after we finished watching it, and we both laughed.
"There's been a change, they… broke the chalice from the palace." She quoted with an accent and we laughed again.
"Sleep well, Margret." I said.
"Sweet dreams." Margret smiled, and we went to our rooms.
I changed into a silk knee length, navy blue slip. I brushed my hair out and laid in bed staring up at the ceiling. I tried to sleep but it was useless. I would think that after such a long day I would be able to fall asleep quickly, but it seems that tonight I have no such luck. I sighed and sat up.
I unplugged my cell phone and found Ariston's name in my contacts and pressed send. I had to hear his voice, even if it was only his answering machine.
"Hello." My heart lurched in my chest, and I smiled at the sound of his beautiful voice when he picked up on the second ring.
"Hello, Ariston." I said.
"Mera." He sounded relieved to hear my voice.
"I am sorry for calling so late." I said.
"Do not be, I was up reading." He said. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, I just wanted to hear your voice." I told him.
"It is wonderful to hear your voice as well." I could almost hear him smile, my smile grew. "How is your trip?" He asked. "You sound tired."
"I am; when Margret says 'shop until you drop' she means it literally." I said and heard a laugh from him, what a sweet sound. "I have never done so much shopping in my life, and there is still tomorrow. She buys me so much."
"You disapprove of this?" He asked, seeming truly curious.
"She has already given me more than she knows. She is the sister I never had, and yet she still sees fit to give me such gifts. You have no idea the things she has bought me." I told him. "I do enjoy her gifts, I just cannot bare the thought of her thinking that I am only friends with her because of her money." I told him in all honesty.
"I am sure she knows how you feel about her," He assured me. "Margret buys you those things because it brings her joy to know that she has helped you. She buys them for you because she loves you as a sister, and loves sharing what she has been blessed with."
"How do you know that?" I asked him.
"Because that is how it is for me." Ariston answered, making me melt. "Except for seeing you as a sister that is." He laughed and I joined in. "What did you do after you shopped?" He inquired, I smiled, loving that he wants to know about my day.
"Margret and I collapsed on the couch and watched an old movie." I told him.
"What movie did you watch?" Ariston asked.
"The Court Jester." I told him.
"The Court Jester is one of my favorites." Ariston said.
"I have watched that movie so many times that I can say it word for word." I told him with a smile. Ariston laughed.
"Now that I would like to see. Which is your favorite scene?" He asked. How could I ever pick only one?
"'The vessel with the pestle' is one of them, and when they knight him, and the song of how he became a jester." I chuckled thinking of those scenes and he laughed with me.
"One of my favorites is 'the Duchess dove at the Duke, just when the Duke dove at the Doge. Now the Duke ducked, the Doge dodged, and the Duchess didn't. So the Duke got the Duchess, the Duchess got the Doge, and the Doge got the Duke!'" Ariston quoted it perfectly and I started laughing.
"You know the Italian court." I quoted.
"What better place to court Italians." He finished the line and we both laughed. "I am glad that you are having a good time."
"How is your weekend? Are you still grading papers?" I asked him, just as curious about his day as he was about mine. He chuckled.
"No, I finished those a while ago." He said. "I have mostly been reading a new book called 'The Way Of Kings' by Brandon Sanderson. Have you read it?" He asked.
"No, I have not, is it any good?" I asked him.
"It is very good, I am enjoying it." He said. "Also, my daughter stayed with me, she just left a few hours ago. It was wonderful to see her."
"I am sure it was. How is she?" I asked him.
"She is well, she said she is thinking of buying a house near here. She loves Blueridge." Ariston told me.
For the next three hours we talked and laughed, one topic of conversation leading to another and to another. He is so wonderful to talk to, just hearing his voice was enough to bring me an indescribable joy.
"As much as I would love to keep talking with you till dawn," Ariston said. "I think I should let you get some sleep. You will need your rest, especially if Margret is planning on taking you on another day of shopping." I laughed, knowing he was right but not wanting the conversation to end.
"I suppose you are right." I admitted.
"Sweet dreams, Mera." His voice sounded so beautiful, deep yet soft, and like a caress.
"Sleep well, Ariston." I wanted to say 'I love you' so badly, but that is not the sort of thing that should be said for the first time over the phone. I want to see his eyes when I say the words, so I will know how he feels.
"Goodbye." He said.
"Goodbye." I said.
I could not bring myself to hang up the phone or even so much as move it from my ear. The chance that I could hear his voice once again was too great a prospect. A minute later I heard his chuckle.
"You are still on the phone aren't you." He said, already knowing the answer.
"I am." I said. "I do not seem to be able to hang up."
"Nor I." He sighed with a slight chuckle.
"I will see you Monday." I said.
"Until then." He said in a voice that meant 'tis a thousand years till then.'
A minute later I knew he was no longer there. I looked at my phone just to be sure, then sighed and laid in bed. I felt much more at ease now, since I not only got to hear his voice, but was also blessed enough to talk with him. I closed my eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.
My dream last night was no less detailed and intense than the one I had the night before. I can still feel his hands on me, his lips, his breath on my skin.
After taking a shower, I dressed in the new clothing Margret and I bought yesterday. I choose a white denim pencil skirt with beautiful pumps, a violet silk blouse that is almost the color of my eyes, and some simple accessories, along with a white trench coat and a black Gucci clutch. I put my hair up with a beret that held blue and purple stones in it, and wore the bracelet from Ariston. Looking at it, I began to realize that the white stones were diamonds. I shook my head and smiled at the way they sparkled.
I put my iPod and phone into my clutch, hung the coat over my arm and went to find Margret. I could smell the food, blueberry pancakes. My stomach growled and I smiled, thinking of the last person to make me blueberry pancakes. Margret was dressed and eating at the table in the sunny breakfast nook.
"You're up!" She greeted with a smile.
"Good morning, Margret." I said.
I sat across from her and the maid prepared me a plate of blueberry pancakes, with fresh raspberries and blackberries on top of it and orange slices on the side. The pancakes were stuffed with huge blueberries, just the way I like them. They tasted like heaven, and with the juicy blueberries there was no need for syrup.
"Come on; I think we only have time for Saks left before we leave." Margret said after we ate.
I have to say that I LOVE Saks Fifth Avenue, they have an amazing selection. I walked through the jewelry department while Margret shopped formal wear. I looked down through a glass case at a necklace, a double strand of pink pearls, I have always loved pearls. It was beautifully stunning, I had never seen pearls that color before.
As I looked at the set of pearls, I saw Ariston's face next to mine in the half reflection of the glass that was between the necklace and myself. It looked like he was looking over my shoulder. I gasped and looked up, but no one was there and when I looked back his reflection was gone. Ariston was there, I saw him, I thought to myself. However in the back of mind I wondered if I were losing what was left of my sanity.
"Is there anything you would like to try on, Miss?" Asked a woman with a nametag that said Alice.
I shook myself out of my shock and smiled. I looked down at the beautiful necklace, I really did like it.
"May I try this one on?" I asked.
"Of course." She replied.
Alice took out her keys and opened up the cabinet. She took the double strand out with great care and undid the clasp before holding it out to me. I took it and placed it around my neck and gently did the clasp. I looked in the mirror on the counter and smiled, it looked beautiful. I knew that if I asked Margret, she would be happy to buy it for me, but she has already bought so much. I bit my lip.
"How much is this?" I asked Alice.
"Let me see…" She looked at the tag. "$4,399. It is the last one we have in stock." I looked once more in the mirror, then sighed and took it off.
"Thank you for letting me try it on." I said with a smile as I handed the necklace back to her.
It really was not that big of a deal. I am used to not buying expensive things and my parents taught me that it is people that are important, not things.
I walked away from the jewelry and looked around for a few minutes, I found a few things I liked and tried them on before meeting up with Margret to show her what I had found. She loved them, and I handed the clothing to one of the women who were helping Margret.
I walked over to the shoe department. I have always loved shoes, what woman does not? I noticed a woman sitting with about twenty pairs of shoes around her. Her platinum blond, curly hair streamed down her back; she had perfect posture, something my parents and grandmother instilled in me from a young age. Something about the woman seemed familiar, but with her back being to me, I could not tell if I knew her. I walked past her and looked at a pair of beautiful shoes.
"Ah yes, these are lovely. I will take these as well." The woman said in a beautiful voice behind me.
"Of course, Ms. Crete." A man said.
Ms. Crete? Could it be her? I spun around to look at the woman's face. She had the same beautifully angular features, light skin and platinum blond curly hair as the photo Ariston showed me. I walked up to her, and she looked up at me with sky blue eyes and a soft smile on her lips. She holds herself with the same confidence that Ariston does. The strange thing was that she looks to be the same age as he is. Perhaps she is his sister, he said that he has many.
"Kallisto Crete?" I asked.
"I am. Do we know each other?" She asked kindly.
Oh my god, it really is her, Ariston's daughter. I can see him in her. I smiled and shook my head.
"No, we do not." I told her. "I know your father Ariston, he is my History Professor at Blueridge Prep. I am Mera Vandenberg." I held my hand out.
Kallisto stood up and smiled as she shook my hand, her skin is just like her father's, too warm and hard as granite. Her movements are like her father's as well, graceful, fluid.
"Ah so you are Mera, the one who drew my mother dancing with a smile." Kallisto said with a chuckle. "Father speaks of you often," She looked me over. "I see he was not exaggerating." I blushed.
"He speaks of me?" I asked.
She smiled and nodded, I could see in her eyes that she knew that I mean something to Ariston, that I was more than just his student.
"He does indeed." She replied, Kallisto glanced behind me with a smile before her eyes returned to me.
"There you are." I turned to see Margret walking over. Margret glanced at Kallisto curiously as she walked up.
"Margret, this is Kallisto Crete, Ariston's daughter." I told her. "Kallisto, this is my good friend Margret Petrova."
"It is nice to meet you Margret." Kallisto said, shaking Margret's hand. "I saw you in class when I filled in for my father a few days ago."
"I remember, it was a great class." Margret said. "You teach just like your father."
"Thank you." Kallisto said with that same smile, her mothers smile. "I was just heading out for brunch, would you two like to join me?" She asked.
"I would love to." I said, glad to have an opportunity to get to know her.
"Why don't you two go ahead, I want to get some more shopping done before we leave." Margret said to us then turned to me. "Just be sure to be back here by noon so we don't miss our flight."
"Of course, have fun." I said to Margret. Margret walked off and I turned to see Kallisto sitting on the couch she was on before.
"Kallon, see my things paid for." Kallisto said as she slipped a pair of colorful designer shoes on.
"Yes my lady." The man standing next to her said with a bow of his head. My lady?
"This way Mera." Kallisto said. We walked out of the store side by side. A white Rolls Royce was waiting for us. The driver opened the door and helped Kallisto inside then myself.
"Where do you come from?" Kallisto asked.
"Pescadero California, and you?" I asked.
"Thessaly, I live on my grandfather's lands there." She said.
We talked some more on the short ride to the restaurant. I saw in Kallisto's eyes that she was appraising me. I could not help but wonder what she thought of me. When we arrived at the tall building, we went into the lobby then into an elevator and went up to top level. The restaurant was on the rooftop. The hostess led us to a table that over looked Central Park and we took our seats.
"My father tells me you ride?" Kallisto asked.
"All my life. I usually ride Margret's horse Willow." I told her with a smile. "Ariston allowed me to ride Vrontos on Wednesday. I love that horse, he is truly extraordinary."
"I rode Vrontos when I visited father yesterday. Did you know I learned to ride on him?" She asked. I shook my head.
"No, I did not." I told her.
"When I was a girl my father taught me. He also taught my brothers to ride on Vrontos as well." She said with a smile. Unlike Ariston, there was not quite the same sadness in her eyes. "Father said that he told you of them and my mother." She said.
"He did, I am sorry for your loss." I told her.
"As am I, but I no longer mourn their deaths, I celebrate their lives as they wanted." She smiled. "I am thankful that I still have my father."
"He is a great man." I said.
"I know." She said smiling. I smiled thinking of him. "You are in love with him." It was not a question.
"Hopelessly so." I told her truthfully.
"So what is keeping you two from being together?" She asked as she buttered a piece of bread.
I was stunned. I had been wondering how she would feel about the possibility of my being in a relationship with her father.
"He always pulls away from me when we get close. He has been through a great tragedy, I know that he needs time to heal." I said after I shook off my shock. Kallisto shook her head with a smile.
"He does not need time Mera, he needs you. My father loves you greatly." She said with a smile as she looked into my eyes. My heart began to race at her words. Ariston loves me. I shook my head in amazement while such joy filled me. There is another thing she gets from her father, she is genuine. I knew deep within me that every word Kallisto spoke was the truth.
"And I him." I said. She smiled.
"I know. I am happy he has found you, he deserves every happiness after all he has been through." She told me. "Even though you do not need it, you have my blessing to be with him."
"Does it bother you that I am younger than you are?" I had to know. She shook her head, looking into my eyes.
"Do you know how long is has been since I have heard my father laugh?" Kallisto asked. "It was well before my mother and brothers passed. You do not know what he was like before you. It would have broken your heart, I know it did mine." She took a deep breath. "Yes, he would smile and perhaps laugh on occasion, but the sound was never more than a courtesy. He was… hollow, a shell of his former self. No matter what I did nothing changed." She smiled to me then. "And now to see him so happy again, to see his smile and hear his laughter, his true laughter… I cannot begin to describe the joy it brings to my heart, and it is all because of you Mera."
"I had no idea I have had such an impact on him." I said. Kallisto took my hand on the table with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.
"You have given me my father back. You have brought forth the man that he once was, and for that I will always be grateful to you." The sincerity and gratitude in her words and eyes was truly something to behold. I felt a lump in my throat.
A smile lit my face, a smile that came from my very soul. To hear from his daughter the difference I have made in his life and the joy I bring him truly moves me. It brings me such a deep and fierce joy and even pride to know that I did what I promised, that I helped him. I felt tears in my eyes. Kallisto squeezed my hand gently then let go.
We talked more during lunch, learning more about each other, after which she dropped me off back at Saks.
"Thank you for lunch… and for your blessing. I promise you that I will do everything I can to make him happy if he will have me." I told her, she smiled.
"I know you will, and I have no doubt that he will have you." She said with a smile.
The driver opened the door and helped me out. I waved to Kallisto as she was driven away, and she waved in return. I found Margret in the jewelry section, admiring a stunning necklace.
"How was lunch?" Margret asked, I knew she was not talking about the food.
"Amazing." I said with a smile. "Kallisto is wonderful, she is her father's daughter."
Margret smiled as she looked at the gold necklace, it was intricately designed with butterfly's. I looked at the beautiful jewelry in the glass encasement.
"If you are looking for that necklace, someone already bought it." Alice said.
"Who?" I asked curiously.
"A man, he said that 'his love' would absolutely adore it." She smiled a sad smile.
"I hope she does." I said with a smile and meant it.
"You should have told me if you found something you liked." Margret said with some annoyance.
"Margret, it was $4,400." I said.
"So? The necklace I am holding is twice that and I am still going to get it." She said, then turned to Alice. "Do you have another of the necklace my friend liked?"
"I am afraid not. It was the last one." Alice said with an apologetic smile.
"Tell me next time." Margret said to me.
"It is really not that big of a deal." I told her with a smile. "Thank you though."
We went back to the penthouse. All the things that Margret bought were already packed in the suitcases she bought to bring them home in. The maids packed the things we just bought while Margret and I ate lunch, I was surprised that I was hungry again an hour after I ate. We got to the airport just in time for our flight
I yawned and closed my eyes on the plane ride to Maine, my weariness finally catching up to me.
I walked down a beach, enjoying the wind in my hair and warm sand between my toes. An ethereal presence walked beside me, her straight platinum blond hair was braided back, and here and there emeralds glimmered in her hair. The woman was a few inches shorter than me. I knew who she was by her beautifully angular features that were shockingly like her daughters.
"You are Ariston's wife." I said to her.
"I was." She said, her voice sounding so much like her daughter Kallisto's as she turned her forest green eyes to meet mine. "But I was never meant for him. Even though he could not see it at the time, I was never what he needed, not truly."
"He loves you." I told her.
"I know, and I will always love him, but he loves you more." Elianna said with a smile. I did not know what to say to that. "My daughter spoke the truth Mera, Ariston loves you, and he needs you even more than you need him. You are destined for each other, your love was in the weave since long before either of you were born." Elianna raised her arm and pointed at the shore, I looked where she pointed and stopped in my tracks.
Fifteen feet from me sat Ariston next to another version of me on a blanket. There was a picnic of beautiful plump fruits out. Ariston took a blackberry and placed it in my mouth. It amazed me how happy he looked, not a trace of sadness in those sky blue eyes of his, only joy and love. He spoke to me in Greek and I replied to him in Greek, sounding just as fluent as he did. Ariston laughed at what I had said.
I leaned in and kissed him. He placed his hand on my cheek and we savored the kiss, until a voice made us stop and turn our heads. The sweetest little voice I have ever heard.
"Mi̱téra, patéras!" Those words I know, they mean 'Mother' and 'Father' in Greek.
I turned my head to see a little girl, not older than four, who looks just like me except with Ariston's sky blue eyes, running up along with an older boy of perhaps six or seven. The boy looked like a mixture of Ariston and I, he had Ariston's dark curls but my light skin and violet eyes. They were beautiful and I knew with a certainty that they were Ariston's and mine, our children that we are yet to have.
I watched with tears in my eyes, my chest feeling as if it would burst from joy as the boy ran to me and the girl ran to Ariston. We hugged them and laughed and kissed them. I could not get over how happy we looked. A family, we are a family.
"All this and more can be yours," Elianna said. "But you must tell him the truth, you must tell him how you feel. There is no time to waste, you are going to need each other for what is to come."
"He does not need time Mera, he needs you. My father loves you greatly." Kallisto's words murmured through the air around me.
I looked at Elianna and she leaned up and kissed my cheek.
"You have my blessing Mera," Elianna said with a smile. "I want Ariston to be happy, he deserves it after all he has done and all he has been through. Do not hold back with him anymore. You love him and he loves you, holding back is a waste precious of time when you already know you are going to be together forever. Be with him, love him and care for him as I cannot." I nodded as a tear escaped my eye.
"And tell him of this dream when you feel the time is right." Elianna said, worry crossing her features as she looked at me. "Tell him even though dark times are coming, not to be afraid. Tell him 'the sunset looks like rain.' He will know what it means."
"I will, I swear." I said. "I will love him with all my soul and care for him all of my days."
"Thank you." She said with such fervor.
