Ch 10: Tony, Tim, Reunion, Surprise Visitors
Although when they were planning the time they'd need to be in Greece the "early bird" weeks looked like more than 2 months, in reality the weeks flew by with everyone busy with their various pursuits, whether those pursuits were for work or fun.
As those weeks wound down and the group prepared for the arrival of the rest of their family and friends for their annual reunion, Tim felt both relief and a little sadness, although they wouldn't leave for 2 ½ weeks after the reunion. This had been quite an adventure for most of them, actually living in Greece, with most of the children old enough to remember the extra weeks on the beaches and in the pools, revisiting favorite sites in Athens and seeing new things around the country. One of Tim's favorite things was that he could work here without feeling out of touch with the agency. Of course, having the Piraeus office nearby helped.
One week there was renovation going on at the Embassy, too close to the section with Tim and Nikki's offices. Finding the work was too noisy for either of them to concentrate, the two of them spent the entire week working from the Piraeus office, located in a former 2 story home, with the office downstairs and 2 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.
Nikki worked upstairs in one of the bedrooms so she'd have privacy for her work while Tim first worked in Observation until Tuesday when the team brought in a suspect. Tim tried very hard to ignore his inner field agent who desperately wanted to work the case, interrogate the suspected criminal and feel the satisfaction of successfully closing a case. Instead, he moved to the conference table in the kitchen where he quickly realized he'd also forgotten how comforting it was to hear the low buzz of people working around him. He knew he'd miss it again when they returned to the Embassy. For the rest of the week, he worked in the second bedroom upstairs.
Over the weekend, he was apparently too quiet as Tony and Geordie both noticed. With a nod to their eldest brother, Geo backed off. If it was something to do with work, Tim would be more likely to open up to Tony than to him.
When Tony asked Tim, only he called him "McSeniorGuyinCharge", what was going on, Tim made a face, "That! I'm a paper pusher, a string puller, a damn bureaucrat, not an agent! What am I contributing? How the hell do management people ever get used to this?"
"Does 'this' bother you at home?"
"Sort of. I'm closer to the teams at home, at least I'm on the same floor and it's part of my job to oversee them, I'm still allowed to discuss cases with them, to hear what they're doing or not doing and why. You know, as an SAC, if we were short agents on a Priority 1 or even a Priority 2 case, I'm allowed to go into the field and I maintain my qualifications.
"Now I listen to their theories and I think about all our cases and how we'd pull our stories together." He huffed, "It's also part of my job to let them do their own damn jobs. I'm not a field agent or an investigator anymore, Tony, and sometimes I hate that. It makes me feel old and useless. I do understand more about Boss now, why he pushed, why he yelled and grumbled, he needed to be involved, he needed to still be an investigator. That also applies to Leon to some extent. I've lost that and I don't know what to do about it."
"You could step back, you know, go back into the field. Although your wife and children wouldn't be happy about it."
Tim nodded, sighing. He wished there was some sort of happy medium, where he could still be an investigator but he guessed that could only happen through the CCUs and as much as he promoted their work, it was field work and the synergy that he missed so much.
He huffed again, telling Tony that Pete, Roger, Stan and others they knew had it right. They continued to lead and manage their teams, resisting promotions that would remove them from the field. Tony nodded, he'd long thought the same thing and had wondered how Tim handled sitting in an office all day. But then of course he'd forgotten that Tim had been forced to leave when Vance first took the directorship and even though the two men had worked through that fiasco, it happened.
He shook his head, "Probie, you need to adjust your thinking. You were an excellent field agent, always ready to learn new things, to adjust to something new or different. You may not be in the field anymore but you're still a criminal investigator. Now, your job is to guide younger investigators," he smiled, "to make sure they're trained to Boss's, our standards and to help them maintain those standards, to use their brains, their experiences and yes, sometimes their intuition, to help them solve crimes, to protect our service personnel and their dependents, to stop terrorism before it stops us. You're not useless, you've moved on to higher and tougher goals." He paused, "You skipped grades in school, right?"
Tim nodded and Tony continued, "Did you miss what you'd done in the previous classes?"
When his brother shook his head, Tony mentally crossed that idea off and then again paused in thought, "I wonder if part of the problem is that you not only don't have any peers on the continent but that you have to be careful about treating your friends, the closest people to being equals, Pete and the others, as peers. Because while they are your peers to some extent, they're not in charge of several offices on one continent or in charge of all kinds of people and also because you are their superior, their boss.
"They're still able to concentrate on bringing down criminals, whereas you have to deal with Legal stuff, Human Resources, Accounting, pray the Intel Analysts don't burn out or realize just how important their work is, hope the lab techs, James' staff or James himself don't leave for greener pastures, that the Medical Examiners also continue their employment and of course whatever Vance needs you for on any given day."
Tim was laughing by the time Tony finished and he smiled, wrapping an arm around his Probie's shoulders. "I'm very proud of you and sometimes I'm also very afraid for you, that you get too much put on your shoulders because people know you'll get it done, no matter what it is. Because sometimes you have an idea and it bugs you until you write it all out and the next thing you know, Vance or SecNav or even SecDef wants you to implement it. When all you wanted to do was to put the damn thing in writing so you could get it out of your head!"
As that described something Tim had recently completed as well as his cross-training mania, he sighed. "I can't seem to help doing that."
"I know, Tim. But you know what else you do? You play! You ski in the winter, hike and swim in the warm weather, you get in the water or down on the floor and the ground to play with your kids, heck, all of our kids, you laugh with them, make up stories and show them how to use their imaginations. And look how lucky both of us are with our wives and families! Who would have ever thought that the three of us, four counting Boss, would ever find our perfect mates? Or that you and I would end up with so many choices in life, financially speaking."
He paused before continuing with a smile, "If Vance hadn't messed up, you might never have reconnected with Artie and then where would we all be? I'd probably still be afloat, Dad, well he wouldn't be dad, he'd still be Boss although he probably would have shoved us away or disappeared by now, he certainly wouldn't have married Mom. There are so many other things, Tim."
Tim nodded, "You're right, Tony. I need to be here in the present, not wallow in the glories of the past, which we know rarely felt anything like glories!"
They both laughed at that and Geordie, hearing their laughter, joined them, discreetly patting Tony's back and giving Tim's shoulder a squeeze.
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Although Tim and several family members and friends had stayed in Greece for a period longer than the present stay, back when he was cross-training Asian-based Field and Cyber Crime agents, this felt different.
He'd still felt like a visitor then, perhaps because of the travels and temporary homes they'd stayed in during previous training sessions. Now he felt more at home and less like a temporary visitor. He supposed that could be attributed to time, with more visits to their Greek family and possibly to the fact that he and Artie now owned property here where someday they'd live in their own house on their own land, in this country.
He no longer had to think about he wanted to say and then translate that into Greek, now he just said it, his wife telling him he was now truly bilingual. As he'd always felt deficient in trying to learn new languages, he was absurdly proud that with a lot of help from Artie, Yaya, Susannah, Peter, Rhode, Gaia, Nik and even Sophia, he'd finally succeeded in becoming bilingual!
Then he realized that although the 'early bird' weeks were almost over, Artie's project was nowhere near done, their currently projected completion date was nearly a year in the future and that was dependent on several things, including the weather over the winter months. He and the children would likely return many times, for weekends and probably for the twins' February school break. Laughing, he shook his head, remembering their plan to visit Morocco wasn't scheduled until the spring/Easter break. He hoped by that time Artie would be able to take a full week off. If not, maybe they'd move that trip to the June half-term break, that might work better.
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Finally, the great day arrived when most of those coming for the annual gathering would arrive. Three of the largest vehicles were emptied of personal items and at least the interiors were cleaned, ready to transport family members and friends from the airport to wherever they were staying in Varkiza.
Unfortunately, there were two family members who couldn't make it this year, Ziva and her husband Brian. Both had too much going on and Ziva in particular had no one to fill in for her at the ballet school. Although most of the current US residents had seen them a few times, none of the UK or European residents had seen the couple in person since Tim's swearing-in ceremony in January and they were sorely disappointed. Ziva promised they would come for two weeks over Thanksgiving and they'd already planned a long weekend visit in October with the US family. While Ducky wasn't sure he'd be there, he had offered his home to the Metzgers and whoever else wanted to stay with them. Grandpa Mac had also emailed an invitation to stay at his beach house and that he'd give the key to Joe or Charlotte before they left Greece for home.
As Tim and his children cleaned out their van, he realized that he'd forgotten the pregnant and recovering 'early birds' last year, 2013, followed by the rest of the group in June. Now he grinned as he remembered meeting Liam and Chloe as well as the joyful and surprise reunion of Freddie and Abby and how much fun it was to be there with both groups. He had much the same feeling this year although this year would be even better as the folks already here were staying through the reunion and some for longer.
To save room in the vehicles for the new arrivals, Pappouli Peter and Yaya Rhode took charge of the children while the drivers were bringing the US, UK, French and Italian groups from the airport. With aunts Gaia, Cyndie, Bec, cousin Cassie and uncles Theo, Rob and Larry also asking to play with the children, they had plenty of adults for a trip to the beach. With the flights not arriving until noon, Artie, Bill and Matthaíos had decided to work their regular schedule, from daybreak to 1300, an hour past noon. Sophia had flown to Thessaloniki earlier in the week and was helping her former daughter-in-law Ana drive a rental vehicle from there to Varkiza with Sophia's older grandchildren. As the oldest was licensed to drive, he also helped his mother and grandmother. They'd left early that morning and would arrive shortly after the airline passengers. Although it was a 7 hour drive, Ana wanted to have a vehicle while in Varkiza, although she'd turn it in and fly home with the children at the end of their vacation.
Their usual enclave was in place, an ever-growing number of large beach umbrellas grouped together to provide a somewhat lower temperature, helped by several of the small portable air conditioners, along with the newest addition, a large sun shelter similar to one they'd rented on the island of Aegina. They were well protected! Of course, highly rated sunscreen and UV protective swim wear, including hats, also helped keep them from getting sunburned.
While the children escorted their adults to the beach, the 3 vehicles took their time getting to the airport, finding their family and friends just beginning to emerge from the Baggage Claims area as they arrived, perfect timing! Those who'd been in Scotland were first out the door. Grandpa Jack chuckled as he hugged and kissed his son, daughter-in-law, some of his grandsons and their spouses, "We were the last on and first off and for once our luggage followed the same pattern! How are you all, you look healthy, no sunburns, good! Where are the littles?"
Tony, welcoming his father-in-law, turned his head to say, "At the beach with all the adults who aren't here. Except for Nikki, Artie and Bill, they're working."
Heads then turned to Tim, who shook his head with a smile, "That was Nikki's decision, not mine! She said she was in the middle of something that shouldn't wait and to say hello to everyone. So, HELLO EVERYONE, from Nikki, Artie and Bill!"
As usual, they'd organized who was riding in which vehicle and read the list once everyone had emerged from Baggage Claims. Used to the process, the passengers sorted themselves into the right vehicle. Any luggage that didn't fit into the assigned vehicle was loaded into a second large van, this one driven by Lu and Jethro. The two larger vans carried the passengers, the third vehicle carried all the luggage that didn't fit in the vans.
Geordie rode with Tim and their group, the brothers rotating to help stash the luggage. They had Joe, Charlotte, their baby boy Tommy, Freddie, Abby and her niece Menolly along with Barry, Ned, Ava and Naomi, who had joined the group when the Paddington flight stopped in Marseille. Athena and Ducky, all four of the Powells, Jack and LJ rode with Jethro and Lu. The third vehicle, driven by Larry Porter, had Richard Baxter, Dick Barnes and Mac Fielding as well as Cyndie,Tony, Maggie and all the overflow luggage.
Tim and Geordie had Barry, Ned, Abby and Menolly, who was now taller than her aunt, sitting in the last row of Tim's van while the third row had Freddie, Joe, Charlotte and Ben Childers. Tommy, Ava and Naomi sat in the second row, behind Tim and Geordie. The cargo area behind the fourth row was full with the luggage carrier on top of the van also at capacity. Tim and Geo were very glad the rest of the guests, who were a surprise, would arrive Sunday.
Once the caravan set off, it didn't take long to get to Varkiza and they started the unloading process. Everyone helped, excited to finally be there!
As they left the vans, one member of each group was given a schedule of events, a light dinner tonight on the beach, with a reminder to schedule their jet lag naps! Other events were listed for the weekend and throughout the week.
During the week, they'd figure out what else they wanted to do, besides swim, sleep, eat and catch up with everyone. With Mimi away in Scotland, Rhode had taken on the older woman's usual task of exploring what would be happening in the country, Athens in particular, over the next two weeks. She had her list ready and would hand out copies in the morning when people would be rested and ready for fun!
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Saturday morning, before the day heated up, another parade of vehicles drove to the junior Gibbes' mountain top property, although they hoped to see all three properties. They were surprised and pleased to note the progress on the Remis property as the sooner that was finished, the sooner construction would start on the Gibbs' property. Moving down the road, the vehicles pulled into the third lot, Tim and Artie's main property and parked. Those who hadn't yet met Caretaker Alan were introduced to him and his dog Lykos, who was very polite to everyone.
They also had a peek at the current design for the lot, including the apartments, guest houses, the main house, the various garden areas and of course the outdoor pool. Seeing the design while they were on the property gave everyone a much better idea of what it would look like when complete, even if that was more than a year in the future and subject to changes.
Deciding to visit Aegina during the week, the group spent Sunday morning on the beach before many of them retreated to their lodgings for naps and lunches. With a slight breeze that afternoon, just about everyone reconvened on the beach for an hour or so before deciding to move to the pool at the apartment complex. Once there, they stayed put and there was a group dinner there that evening.
Monday morning, three vehicles quietly left Varkiza, driving first to the airport and then to Piraeus before returning to Varkiza. There the surprise guests began to exit the vehicles. The first group was Nikki's aunt Evelyn King and cousin Vince, his wife Tia, and their cousin Dina and her fiancé Andre, who was meeting everyone but Nikki, Bill, Jasper and Bill's parents for the first time.
While the Jardine-Gibbses were greeting the Kings, Ned's face lit up when he spotted his grandparents, Walter and Margaret Dorneget! As the senior Dornegets and Mrs. King were not air travelers, the three traveled together across the Atlantic on a cruise ship, now docked near Piraeus, while Vince and the others flew over on a Paddington jet with more of the Baxter family and the Vances.
While the Vance family was greeted by Pete and Trina Russell, the Kings and the Baxters, Richard's grandson Doug and his family, were met by Jethro and Lu, Tim and the Porters, driving the same vans they'd used to meet the others at the airport.
As the last of the Baxters appeared, they laughed at the applause when Doug gestured to all the newcomers and the vehicles, "That's all of us!"
Once the newcomers were greeted, they were delivered to their vacation lodgings, eventually reappearing on the beach.
Their lunch on the beach that day was special as the group celebrated all the June through September birthdays. When the construction crew shut down at noon that day, Artie, Bill and Matthaíos joined the party.
Although all those with birthdays were given paper crowns to wear, the crowns spent more time skittering along the beach, blown by the breezes, than resting on the celebrants' heads. Happily, the children made a game of it, the adults helping to chase them down, counting how many crowns they caught throughout the afternoon and none of them ended up flying elsewhere or disappearing into the Mediterranean. That was one party idea that wouldn't be repeated, at least not at the beach!
There were several celebrants, from Jasper, Cyndi Porter, Trisha Baxter and Grandpa Jack for the June birthdays, Tony, Leon and Barry for July, baby Donnie Mallard, McKenna Barnes-Gibbs, Damaris Costas, Gaia and Larry Porter for August and Jethro, Naomi Dorneget-Gibbs and Donald, aka Granducky, for September.
After their sumptuous lunch, the group either swam, waded, built sand castles, napped in the shade or walked along the beach, taking a break before returning to share the 2 large sheet cakes, with the names of the celebrants written on them. This was a 'no gift' celebration although the birthday folks received plenty of cards.
By the time everything was cleaned up, that day's travelers from the US, that is the younger Kings and Baxters, left for jet lag naps. While some people stayed on the beach, in the shade or in the water, most of the crowd moved over to the shaded pool at the apartment building or to the pool at the Lekkas' home. Although Peter and Rhode hadn't yet decided on a permanent way to provide afternoon shade, today they'd borrowed enough beach umbrellas to provide shade over most of the pool.
Tuesday through Thursday, everyone was on their own and several people took the opportunity to explore more of Greece. One group traveled north to Thessaloniki, another to the Peloponnese, exploring all the historical sites and the beautiful beaches. Some of their favorite spots were Nafplion, Olympia and Mystras. A few others flew to some of the less-crowded Greek islands, Crete, Kefalonia, Corfu and Lefkada. Those who hadn't seen much of Athens spent most of their time exploring the ancient city.
The following Tuesday, most of the group took the ferry over to Aegina for a day of fun on the island. Artie and Bill had decided to give the whole crew the day off, they could afford it as construction was several days ahead of schedule. They had a wonderful day with their spouses, family and friends and Matthaíos also had a great time, enjoying the time off.
Tony, Maggie, Geo, Bec, Tim and Artie rented a sailboat and spent hours sailing while the Barnes-Gibbs and the Midei-Gibbs children were happy playing with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
With or without scheduled plans for each day, the group as a whole had a wonderful time, exploring more of Greece, playing in the Mediterranean in the mornings with afternoons spent swimming in the shaded pools. There were many dinners on the beach just before sunset. The NCIS Athens team spent a Saturday on the beach with them, complete with a group barbecue for dinner and with the Vances also there, it was even more fun.
Although most of the visitors left after the traditional two weeks of fun, a few stayed on. Nik, Sergio and the girls were in Varkiza for another week, the two men finally admitting they were looking for a location for a second restaurant. They looked at a few places along the coast, including Varkiza, Piraeus and Nafplion as well as Athens but didn't find what they wanted. Joining them for dinner one evening, Artie and Tim questioned them about opening another restaurant. Would they run it or train people to run it for them? Were they planning to serve Greek and Italian food or perhaps add dishes from other cultures?
The two men chuckled and Sergio replied, "We don't know yet. Right now it's just an idea. We would like a second restaurant featuring more varied food and yes we would like to add more selections from other countries and cultures. However, we don't want to travel back and forth and would need trained staff at each location. Training takes time and finding the right people to train takes even more time and effort.
"Our initial thought was that we now have a trained crew for Bella Figlie, why not have them run the restaurant while we would, perhaps, open another restaurant here in Greece. Mimi's getting older and she and Donald feel obligated to spend time with each part of their families. If we were here in Greece, that would lessen their travels a bit. We're also thinking ahead to our own retirement at some point. For various reasons, we'd rather be here than in Italy. We have family here, while my birth family, with the exception of my younger brother, no longer consider me part of the family and have never accepted Nik or even met our daughters. I'd rather live here where we're welcomed and loved."
Nodding, Nik added "That part we've been thinking about for years. Mama would love us to live here and the girls are also in favor of it. We're hesitant to do anything about it just yet as we want to see where Katerina and Damaris end up."
She and Tim had talked earlier about something they wanted to offer and now Artemis said with a smile, "If you decide to open another restaurant, we'd like to contribute to the financing."
Also smiling, Tim added, "We also have rooms planned for you on our property. Either an apartment with 2 or 3 bedrooms, one of the guesthouses or a suite in the main house. We thought if you took one of the guesthouses, then there will always be room for the girls if or when they have their own families."
They relaxed as the faces of both men lit up, having been a little worried that their offers for financing and housing would seem presumptuous.
"Thank you, that's kind of you and will make our decisions a bit easier. Of course, the girls have more years at home with us; however, we would like to make the change, whatever change we decide on, before they reach college age. There's also Mama's years to consider, even though she is in excellent health."
Nik looked at his niece and her husband. "Tell me, we haven't wanted to ask but do you know if there are contingency plans for Mama, Donald and our Lekkas family for next winter?"
"Yes, Yaya, Peter and Rhode have been working with Varkiza officials to set up a formal plan. The officials contacted the owners of the commercial building people stayed in last winter. The new agreement with the owners is that at the first prediction or sign of any big storm, those who are able to will rent caravans, what we call recreational vehicles, or something similar and will be able to use the facilities again. They've set a limit for how many people will be permitted to stay inside while the parking garage and the outside parking area will also be available for storm refugees. People have been asked to bring their own bedding and Yaya said her neighbors have been collecting blankets and foam pads, yoga mats and inflatable beds, all of which are already stored in the building. They've also agreed to the same conditions in case of fires threatening the region although in that case no fires or outdoor stoves will be allowed. With drought and wildfires occurring more often, there's a great need for shelter from that as well. To that end, I believe the owners are having a cistern built at the edge of the parking lot, to help fight any nearby fires.
"Of course, there is a chance the building will be sold or leased before winter, although that doesn't seem likely. Even so, the owners have agreed they'll write the use of the building as an emergency refuge into any contract they sign so people would still be able to stay there and will have access to the restrooms on the lower floor along with the fitness center, which has showers, two more restrooms and a pool. If there are no wildfires, they can use camp stoves at the outside edge of the parking garage, I believe the stove must be within 3 feet of the open air, although as I said, those sheltering from wildfires will not be allowed the use of camp stoves or fires of any kind. Of course the recreational vehicles usually have a small range and oven and the hope is that everyone will either share the kitchenettes or prepare enough food to share. We're happy they took the initiative to set things up now. There might not be as much damage as there was this past winter but better to be in a safe place and not have to worry about it."
"Good, thank you! We thought of offering the guest cottage to Mama and Donald and hoped the Lekkas' family would come with them, they could rent one of those big vehicles and also stay on our property."
"That's a great alternative!"
Sergio chuckled, "In Mama's cottage, there's a 6 foot sofa that makes into a bed in what we call an office. When Mama visits, the girls love to sleep over in her cottage and they share that bed. Artemis, if none of your younger siblings are along, Peter and Rhode could also sleep on that. There's enough privacy, although the four of them might be stumbling over each other during the day."
Tim grinned, "Still, that sounds warmer and less crowded than the commercial building!" He told his wife later that he didn't remember Sergio referring to Mimi as 'Mama' but it made sense, considering Sergio's abandonment by his mother and most of the rest of his family. Artie told him Sergio had been calling Athena 'Mama' since they'd first met. As Tim had called her 'Yaya' since first meeting her, he smiled at Athena's loving ways, extending her mother and grandmotherly love to Sergio and him, one who'd been abandoned by his mother and other who had no memories of a mother or grandmother.
Nik nodded, "We'll see how things go."
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Barry, Ned, Naomi and Ava also stayed longer than the two weeks and the girls especially enjoyed playing with their cousins and getting to know their grandparents, aunties and uncles better. It was fun to see them every day rather than for a weekend or only when everyone else was also there.
Tony and Maggie's girls were always happy to have more cousins to play with, although almost two months shy of her first birthday, Madelyn didn't have any age peers among them. Still, she had plenty of people to play with and to cuddle with and that's all she wanted.
Tim was surprised when he looked at the calendar one Friday and realized they were leaving for home, Jaxton, on Wednesday of the following week, five days from then!
While they'd originally planned to leave on Thursday, they'd received notice of a welcome party Thursday afternoon for the children and their parents, who were starting Reception. He made a face, thinking of packing. After nearly 8 weeks, that would take most of the time they had left! He sent a reminder to Cynthia, blind copying Nikki, that he would be returning to work in London the next Friday.
He was startled when he heard a loud exclamation coming from Nikki's office and then laughed when she appeared in his doorway. "Wednesday? Next Wednesday? That's only 5 days, it'll take me that long to pack!"
He nodded, "I know, me too! I don't know if Artie and Bill will be working Monday and Tuesday. I do know Matthaios, Cassie and their parents are leaving Saturday, there's a family dinner Friday night."
She made a face, "Thank you for reminding me. This is going to be so strange, working in an actual NCIS office again! I'm going to miss the cafeteria."
"Me too. And driving to work. Taking the tube again will take some time to get used to. Living five minutes from the beach, having Yaya, Peter and Rhode close by." He shook his head, "I thought this might be boring or weird but the time's flown, our reunion was great again this year and working here has been good. And ride sharing has also been fun."
Nikki made a face, "Bill and Artie will be gone a few days every week."
"Yeah, I've been trying not to think about that. And the twins starting school, I have mixed feelings about that!"
His sister-in-law nodded, "I can only imagine. We've only got two more years before Jasper starts." She shook her head, "I know children need to learn and all that but I'm not sure I like a system where the babies start school at 4!"
Tim nodded, "At least with the twins we had the extra months. I wondered about the early age and apparently it's not uncommon. How old were you in kindergarten?"
She thought for a moment before sighing, "I remember my 5th birthday and my birthday is in the spring, so I was 4 and a few months when I started. How about you?"
Tim shook his head, "I didn't go to kindergarten, I was 6 ½ when I finally was able to start 1st grade."
"You didn't go?"
"No, I spent most of the year before first grade in the hospital."
"Oh, I didn't realize, sorry!"
He smiled, "That's all right. Did you know that in the US, kindergarten isn't mandatory in every state?"
Surprised, she shook her head and he nodded, saying, "It's only mandatory in 13 states and the District of Columbia. I guess a lot of people feel the same way you do, they want their child home longer."
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On Friday, Tim sent a reminder to their Embassy contacts, again blind copying Nikki, that the two of them would be vacating their offices at the end of the work day on Tuesday, adding the date. He thanked them for everything, specifically mentioning the cafeteria and adding that although they were looking forward to going home, they would both miss everyone. He was surprised when he had a reply from the Ambassador herself, saying they were welcome back anytime. He smiled, that was a nice touch! He made a copy for Nikki, deciding they should both have a copy in their personnel files.
The farewell dinner on Friday night was sweet and a little bit sad, as if a great adventure was over and the adventurers weren't sure they really wanted it to end. It was strange to have so few of them together at dinner, after spending nearly 2 months with varying numbers of family and friends. Tim said he'd been very happy here and it was good to know that before they actually moved here! The children said the same thing, that they'd had a lot of fun, learned a lot and would miss everyone.
Artie and Bill presented Matthaíos with letters thanking him for his work and documenting everything he'd done on the project, for either of them or the crew in general. The young man was surprised to also be given a letter signed by everyone in the crew as well as the Remises, thanking him for all his help and saying they'd miss him on the build, that they hoped he'd be able to visit before the project was completed.
Jethro and Lu didn't say much at dinner. While they'd also had a wonderful time, they were looking forward to being home, in their own rooms with their own furniture and re-establishing their daily routine. They guessed the difference was that Tim, Nikki, Artie and Bill had been working for most of their time here.
After many hugs between all of them, Tim drove the Costas-Caras family to the airport for their short flight home.
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From Friday night through Tuesday night, those leaving for home sorted, washed, dried and packed. Clothing, toys, books and kitchen items, making sure to leave jackets or sweaters in their carry-on bags as they knew the weather in London would be cooler than here and that some of them were almost always cold when they traveled, especially if they were tired.
Athena would fly to the UK with them, the flight would first stop in Edinburgh where she'd disembark for a visit with Susannah, Ian and little Alec. From there, she might visit Sorrento for a few weeks or perhaps she'd go home, although she wasn't looking forward to being home alone. She missed Donald. Although they saw and spoke nearly every day via Skype, she missed his physical presence. Young Donnie would have his first birthday while she was in Edinburgh and, while she felt guilty for thinking it, she hoped that her sweetheart would return to her after that.