excerpt
… likely, he’ll be on the buying side. We can’t know when he’ll go to the
other side, but it is what it is.”
“Of course,” Mario replied. “The market is for everybody after
all, for flippers, for serious investors, and for us. I shouldn’t complain
really. Well done Eteo, honestly, well done.”
With that, he got up, shook Eteo’s hand, and headed for the elevator
without another word, leaving Eteo absorbed in thoughts of
what his boss would do with the position he was buying.
When Eteocles and his family move to Athens to live in the suburb
of Peristeri, each Sunday afternoon they attend the local football
team’s games against other minor league teams from the city. It is a
very different experience for the boys to watch a football game from
the sidelines and cheer for their favored team, named Spitha, meaning
“spark.” Eteocles of course idolizes Spitha’s goalkeeper.
Today it is a gloomy, cloudy day, though very warm for September,
as they stand on the sidelines and wait for the game to start.
There are plenty of fans today as well as the usual hordes of vendors
offering the sweets and cheese pies the boys crave but never have
enough money to enjoy. The sun struggles to reveal itself between
the small gaps in the clouds that race across the top of the firmament,
driven by the strong gusts of wind. Their hurry doesn’t allow them
to pause and watch the football game down where Eteocles and Nicolas
are standing.
“Do you have any money?” Nicolas asks his brother, but Eteocles
only shrugs his shoulders. Eteocles usually saves a bit of his Sunday
allowance, but today he has spent it all on candy at the local store.
Soon after the game gets going, Eteocles’ favorite goalkeeper
makes a very good save, diving to grab the ball in a penalty kick. It is
a great reaction to a shot from very close distance and makes the local
fans cheer at the top of their lungs.
At that moment, Eteocles catches sight of a vendor who is selling
his favorite treats, pastry cones with cream on the top and cakes with
a soft, sweet cream between two layers of sponge that make him …
Hellenic Canadian Literature 