The Fake President

For several minutes he said nothing, as if contemplating over the things he just mentioned. “What business is your family in?” Apollonia tried to get him out of his reflection. “Computers and grocery stores basically.” “Computers like IBM or Hewlett?” “Not really, desktop computers, Windmill, know them?” “Sure, are you telling me your family owns the Windmill Computer Company?” “look, I had to tell you because you asked” he sounded a bit irritated, “but don’t draw the wrong conclusion from it. I do not aspire to be a travelling bum living of my parent’s fortune. I will do something constructive with my life, it will have to do with people, what exactly I don’t know yet, but one of the reasons I am travelling is to understand how societies function, how they cope with the challenges of life. But what about you, tell me about you”. “She looked into his eyes for a moment, “first let me apologize if I gave the impression that I thought of you as a bum, I love what I hear and I feel that you are sincere,” she put her hand on top of his that rested on the bar and held it there. “One of the reasons I became a lawyer and am fighting against established authority within the E.C., who’s policies so often are to the detriment of the less fortunate members, is because opinions are seldom based on verification of facts. It is so easy to say, Those Greeks should spend less, should collect taxes, nobody pays tax there, why should we pay their debt?” She started to become excited. “I told you I come from Lagonisi on the coast, a small village with about six thousand inhabitants. It is probably the most expensive and luxurious place on the peninsula. My parents owned a small building on the corner of center street. Downstairs was the grocery store that sold a bit of everything. We lived upstairs, Mom, Dad my two little brothers and me. Live was hard, but with mom cleaning hotel rooms and dad working twelve, fourteen hours each day, we managed, they could even pay for my education.” She drank from her wine, slowly becoming a bit emotional. “But then some sub-committee in Brussels introduced rules and regulations for stores selling food and the Commission decided to implement them. Of-course there was a blind disregard for the different customs based on old traditions in South European countries, who never had a problem with selling fish, fruit and bread in one small space. My father’s little shop could not afford the investments, the bank could not help, and he lost his livelihood, his Greek pride and the will to live. Six months after losing his shop he died.” “My God, I’m sorry Apollonia, what about your mom, your brothers.” “Mom continued living because she had to, still cleaned hotel rooms but never smiled again. The boys became sardine fishermen, waking up at 5 each morning, but it doesn’t pay much. It is the same all over the country, all over Southern Europe actually. There used to be small shops on each corner of every city village or hamlet. Now the Wall-Marts, Carrefours and Tesco’s of the world have crushed them. Men and woman in Brussel with serious faces and large expense accounts are dreaming up rules and regulations in support of the conglomerates while on the top floor wealthy E.C. members are hesitant to throw a lifeline without conditions that garotte Joe Average.” Harvey was shocked, he certainly did not agree with everything she said, but there was truth to some of it. There was indeed a shady side to grow and consolidation of wealth at the expense of the small entrepreneur who could not defend himself. But it was an inevitable part of progress. Consolidation came with increased numbers of citizens participating in production processes, in economizing industrial, agricultural and transportation logistics and in serving millions of people travelling the globe. But he did see her point and made a mental note. It was getting late, they finished the wine, and he felt terribly attracted to her, but she was very intelligent and perceptive. She looked into his eyes without blinking, “Me too Yankee” she said not smiling, “I am very attracted to you, but if we kiss, I am lost and I am sure you did not come to Greece to marry. If I would sleep with you, I would be in trouble later when I found a husband. This is still Greece you know, and in many villages, they still hang the bedsheet out for the villagers to see that another Greek girl lost her virginity”. She stood up from the bar chair, lifted herself on her toes and quickly kissed his cheek. “Good night Harvey, it was wonderful meeting you, have a good trip and keep believing in yourself” “Can I at least walk you to your car?” “That you can, of course”. He walked her through the hall, to the parking lot where she stopped beside a red Fiat cabriolet. “Well this is goodbye then” he opened the door for her, she sat down, started the car and disappeared among the night traffic, making sure he would not see her tears. Harvey was standing there looking at the distance, his gaze frozen on the spot where she disappeared from his life. It was a warm evening tempered by a soft breeze rustling through the palm trees lining the driveway. The night flowers emanated a heavy scent. Harvey went back inside, walked to his room with the distinct feeling that he just lost something very precious.