“You look just like her,” she said, and Nikos blinked in surprise, wondering if she were referring to his mother, whom he did look like. But that couldn’t be.
“Come inside,” she said, stepping aside so he could come in, and Nikos did as told.
“Are you Pavlos or Nikos?” she asked as she closed the door behind them before she came over and helped him remove his jacket, placing it on the rack.
“Nikos,” he said, slightly overwhelmed by the warm hospitality. He was surprised that she even knew their names when he had spent twenty-three years of his life not even knowing she existed.
“Aris talks about you both all the time,” Ava said as if she could see the question on his face. “Would you like something to drink? Water? Tea? Coffee? I make some delicious sweet tea.”
“I’ll take some tea then,” Nikos said. Ava smiled before disappearing into the kitchen, and Nikos found himself alone in the living room, and he couldn’t help but look around.
He walked over to the collection of photos on the wall. He saw photos of Ava, some where she seemed to be younger, and he could see that she had always had a naturally youthful appearance and would probably continue to look that way in the years to come. He was surprised when he even saw a photo of his Uncle Lefteris, whom he had not seen in years. He wondered what his relationship with this family was to make multiple appearances on the wall until it occurred to him, who his father was. Nikos wouldn’t have been surprised if his father had asked Uncle Lefteris to watch over his family here to make sure they were safe.
Nikos looked at another photo of his Uncle Lefteris and the young Black girl, who stood next to him, holding a high school certificate in her hand, and she was practically in every photo on the wall, and Nikos immediately knew it was his sister. Nikos chuckled with hollow disbelief, taking a closer look at the young girl with locs. He had heard she was a model in passing from his brother’s wife, Mia, and he could see why. She was beautiful, looking like a replica of her mother but with lighter skin and their father’s green eyes. He stared at her photo the longest until his eyes fell on another familiar person—Aris.
Nikos knew that Aris knew many years before him and Pierce that their father had another family in America, but he hadn’t realized how close he was to them until now. Aris was everywhere on the wall, and surprisingly, the photo that stuck out to Nikos the most was Aris sitting in front of a birthday cake with a birthday hat on his head, and though the hat had clearly been forced on him and he wasn’t smiling, the smile was in his eyes as Ava and their sister stood on either side of him, both smiling at the camera. It occurred to Nikos then that he had never seen his brother so comfortable before, and it was no wonder he had called him to visit Ava on his behalf. Aris wasn’t just checking up on Ava because it was a task given to him by their father, but because this was his family. There was even a recent photo of Mia on the wall.
“I hope you like it,” Ava said as she entered the living room with a glass of tea in hand. Nikos took a seat on the couch, accepting the glass from her.
“Thank you,” he said, and she nodded before taking a seat across from him while he sipped the sweet tea.
“Wow,” Nikos said. “This is good.”
And he wasn’t just saying that to flatter her, but it was really good and very tasty, and he usually wasn’t fond of sweet things.
“It’s my grandmother’s recipe,” she said with a smile. “So why did you come to visit me?”
After taking a few more gulps, Nikos placed the glass down on the coaster on the table. “Aris asked me to check on you because he was worried.”
Ava sighed, shaking her head fondly.
“I’m sorry that Aris bothered you with nonsense,” Ava said. “I can’t so much as sneeze without them both being worried. But I’m fine.”
“It’s okay,” Nikos said. “I didn’t have to go out of my way, and Aris will feel better knowing you’re okay.”
Ava smiled warmly. “Your brother always said you were kind, and I can see that’s true.”
Nikos sheepishly smiled before an awkward silence fell over the room, and he didn’t know how to fill up the space.
“I guess this must be awkward for you,” Ava said. There was still a warm, inviting smile on her face that made him feel comfortable enough to speak honestly.
“I thought it would be more awkward than this because I wasn’t expecting someone as kind as you,” Nikos admitted sheepishly. Then again, honestly, he didn’t know what he had been expecting. But it wasn’t this. Maybe he expected the typical mistress, some lonely, angry, bitter woman, especially since she was the other woman. Still, he hadn’t expected to walk into a warm home and be given hospitality. He had a feeling his mother would not be so welcoming if his father’s lovechild ever stepped into her home. She wouldn’t be welcoming at all.
Before Ava could say anything, they heard voices at the door and keys jingled. A second later, the door opened, and a man and a young woman stepped inside. Nikos stood from the couch.
“Uncle Lefteris,” he said, and the large man eyed him for a second before a look of recognition appeared on his face.
“Nikos,” he said, placing the bags in his hand on the couch before he walked over and pulled him into a burly hug. Nikos felt like the air was being squeezed out of him, but he was happy to see his uncle after all of this time.
“You’ve gotten big,” Lefteris said as he pulled back to look at him. “I’ve heard about what you’ve been doing for the family, and I’m proud of you.”
Nikos was surprised, and though he couldn’t say he was proud of his recent actions, the respect in his uncle’s eyes made him take pride in them.
“Thanks,” Nikos said as his uncle clapped his back, laughing. Nikos laughed too, and when his uncle stepped back to pick the bags up again, his eyes connected with the young girl, who frowned at him.
“And who are you?” she asked, the attitude clear in her voice as she crossed her arms together. It was so unlike the welcoming he received from Ava that it startled him.
“Nina, stop with the attitude. This is your brother, Nikos,” Ava said, introducing them to each other. “Nikos, this is your younger sister, Nina Montgomery.”
