Refugee - 30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty - Voices Off.

They went to collect Firas from the camp and Amelie made a rendezvous with Bazyli’s friend who had the apartment. Nikaia was a long walk from the port and to find streets, even when you have the address, is difficult. The Greek alphabet is nothing like English, so street names become almost impossible. Amelie had directions, which should help, and the guy's phone number if they got completely lost.

If you looked at the city from the air, you would see what resembles a patchwork quilt. Hundreds of streets crossing each other at right angles, making little squares of houses which were all different. There were no large, tall buildings here, just a mish mash of quirky little dwellings all jumbled together, but neatly arranged by the grid system of streets.

They reached the street eventually, after several wrong turns and asking for help, and they found the apartment. You would naturally think of an apartment being in a large building, but not here. Jordan knocked on the door of what, as buildings go, seemed like an after thought by the builder. A narrow construction squeezed in between the others that adjoined it on each side.

Nikos answered the door, looked at the three of them and smiled. “So you found it?”

Obviously, they had or they wouldn't be standing there knocking on his door.

“Follow me.”

And they did, along a dark narrow corridor that ended in a staircase. After a couple of steps, it turned a corner, then another, until they reached the top. This turned out to be the second floor and the roof.

Across an open space was another door and to the right a window. It looked like a brick-built hut thrown together in one corner of the roof terrace. Which is more or less what it was.

“Come in,” Nikos invited, and they followed him into the room.

Looking around, the only person who appeared not to be surprised by what they were seeing, was Firas. The apartment was one room, about twenty square meters, with a large mattress, maybe it was two mattresses, hard to tell, on the floor. A sink and cupboard against one wall with a shower and toilet next to the sink behind a curtain. It was basic.

“The roof you share with the family,” Nikos explained. “You can use it, but it's not part of the rental.”

“The bed stays?” Jordan asked.

“What you see is what you get. You won't find better for this rent, and the family are very nice.”

Jordan looked at Amelie who raised her eyebrows in an expression that summed things up. Firas jumped into the conversation having had a good look around, “It's fine.”

“So it's good for you?” Nikos asked.

“It's good for us,” Jordan couldn't help smiling. It was very different from the hotel room he was in at the moment, but it was somewhere to live he could afford.

“Okay, great. I'll introduce you to the family. You pay the rent, and I give you the keys. You move in when you want. I've already moved my stuff out.”

That was what happened, they met the Kamborakis family. Mum, dad, two daughters, and a son. Nikos did the translating, Jordan handed over the rent, and it was a done deal. He would move in tomorrow he told them. Which only meant leaving the hotel and fetching Firas. Amelie said she would stay at the hotel.

“Look who picked the short straw,” he joked.

She smiled, but made no reply.

*****

Bazyli seemed to know everybody, and if he didn't know someone directly, he knew a person who did. Or he knew a person, who knew someone, who knew that person. You see, he was very well connected. This served to greatly facilitate things for Firas and Samir.

Amelie took a day away from Jordan and Firas to allow her the time to write the history of the boys, from Syria, through Turkey, to Greece. It took her all day, but it was something that needed to be done. There were two reasons behind this, and two slightly different versions of what happened. The first account she wrote was to send to a person that a friend of Bazyli’s knew. He was well positioned in the immigration service. Here Amelie was careful to write the history without implicating Jordan in the illegal part of their entry into Greece. The second version was more detailed and more accurate; this was for Jeff and Alec to read.

Amelie discussed this with Jordan, and he agreed with her they needed to be open about everything and that was the only way the Canadian sponsorship could work. If they read it and for whatever reason felt unable to go through with things, then they would just accept that and move on. Better it was all up front than discovering things later, which would make it look like they had been lied to and used. The two of them felt justified in not telling the whole story to the Greek authorities, because it was obvious the boys should be granted asylum and not just allowed to stay until they reached eighteen, not knowing what the future might be.

Usually there would be a scheduled interview to determine whether or not asylum would be granted, and usually the reason for a decision was not given. But, knowing someone, who knows someone, and presenting the case with the prospect of moving to Canada would hopefully smooth things through.

So Amelie spent most of Tuesday working on this, then she emailed the boys histories to Bazyli, and Jeff and Alec. Tomorrow morning they would collect Samir from the hospital; Doctor Jukas was happy to discharge him.

*****

Jordan and Firas were on the roof watching it get dark, Saleukos had joined them. He was almost exactly the same age as Firas and spoke some English, so they could all converse, sort of. Jordan couldn't help noticing the glances the boy gave Firas, but Firas seemed not to pay any attention.

There was a lot of light pollution from the city, so it was difficult to see the night sky and the stars. They talked a little about Piraeus, the neighbourhood, school, and even about Saleukos’ sisters. However, he soon realised Firas was off in a world of his own, hardly even listening. Saleukos excused himself and retreated downstairs, leaving Jordan and Firas alone.

“Let's get some sleep,” Jordan turned back towards the room on the roof and their front door.

In bed together, there was after investigation only one very large mattress, Firas finally decided to get talkative.

“Jordan.”

“What?”

“Are you and Amelie like boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“No. We've only known each other a short time, and besides she lives in Canada.”

“But you like her?”

“Yes, I like her.”

“And she likes you?”

“Firas, where is all this going?”

“We’ll, you could both live together in Canada, or in America. If you wanted.”

“Yes, we could, but I don't want to.” Jordan was getting a little irritated at all the questions.

He turned away from Firas, he wanted to get some sleep. Tomorrow they would have Samir here.

“Do you like me?” Firas said to the back of his head.

“Of course I like you.” Then it suddenly dawned on him, where all this might be leading. But nothing more happened, Firas turned over and Jordan heard a muffled “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he answered, and then they must have each fallen asleep.

Jordan's sleep was disturbed by visions of Firas and Samir with Amar. During all this mixed up dreaming, Amelie was there looking down from the ceiling or the sky. Like some kind of Greek goddess, that wasn't quite real. A painting, or just an image in the clouds.

*****

Jeff and Alec had been together since their twenties, a lifetime. Alec had wanted them to adopt, but they were born at a time when that wasn't a very easy thing to do for two gay men.

“You don't have anyone to inherit when you're gay,” Jeff once commented.

“We could find someone to adopt,” Alec replied.

They talked about it, and fantasised a little about finding the person who would come into their lives and bring the enthusiasm of youth. Someone who would be a worthy inheritor of whatever they had accumulated together over the years.

Jeff eventually decided they were too old, even if they could have a child. “A boy doesn't need a dad who’s older than his grandfather.”

The subject was dropped, faded away into the background until they heard about Firas and Samir. They had not even thought about sponsoring two teenagers when they got involved in Mrs Westmuller’s refugee programme. It was doing something that could help someone or perhaps even a family. Now they were reading the tragic account a young lady called Amelie had emailed them from Greece. And they were in tears. There really was no decision to make; they would have contacted Amelie immediately if it wasn't the middle of the night in Greece. They of course wanted to meet the boys, but they had no doubt about doing it, about bringing them to Canada. No, the only important thing was if the boys wanted to live with them. That was the only real question. They sent an email reply to Amelie asking her when would be a good time for them to talk.

*****

Wednesday morning they were all at the hospital to collect Samir, and they decided to go for a meal together at the same cafe-restaurant they had eaten at with Firas. The one with the terrace and grape vines, and chocolate, vanilla, and coffee ice cream. Samir was very quiet, but then he never was a boy who talked a lot. Amelie had only met him the once, on their first visit to the hospital, so she thought him not talking was due to him coming home. But Jordan felt he might be reverting back to how he used to be, when he didn't speak a word.

He was relieved when over lunch Samir started speaking. “It's very different here,” he suddenly said.

“Different to where?” Amelie asked.

“The island, Rhodes.”

Then he was quiet again. Jordan thought he was daydreaming, if that was possible whilst eating. He seemed so detached, like he was there physically, but his head was off in the clouds. As he ate he seemed not to pay any attention to the food on his plate. In stark contrast to Firas who was obviously enjoying this dinner as much as the previous one a couple of days ago. Jordan was worried about Samir. He was pleased he had spoken, but concerned somehow he wasn't all right. Not anything like he used to be, if that made any sense. Because he used to be silent, but even then, he was there, now it seemed like no one was home.

*****

When the phone rang, Jordon knew immediately it was either Jeff or Alec. “It's Jeff,” the voice at the other end answered.

Jordan spoke for some ten minutes with Jeff and then another ten minutes with Alec. Mostly he actually listened as the two of them told him their reactions to the boys’ history Amelie had emailed. He handed the phone over to Firas, who also talked to both of them for some time.

“Alec is asking if they can speak to Samir?” Firas looked at Jordan.

“Do you want to talk to the two Canadian men, Jeff and Alec?”

Samir hesitated before taking the phone from Firas.

This time it was Alec who spoke first. “Hello, Samir,” he said in a soft voice. Then he talked as Samir listened. Of course, neither Jordan nor Amelie knew what Alec was saying. He was in fact telling Samir his own story, quite simply, quite normally. How he had lived his life with Jeff, how they met, what they liked, didn't like. He told Samir about the first boy he had fallen in love with. John was his name, he was just a few years older than Samir. He explained how they were always together, did everything together. He described their first kiss, and their first experience.

Samir listened and Jordan for the first time sensed the boy was actually there with them. Listening to Alec, he was really there in his body, not floating in the clouds. When Alec told Samir how John died from an illness for which there was no cure in those days, Samir cried. Amelie and Jordan didn't know why he was crying, but the tears streamed down his face and he sobbed.

Jordan was worried about Samir and he had tears in his own eyes. Amelie held Samir and so did Firas. After what seemed like an awfully long time, Samir gave the phone to Amelie, who in turn handed it to Jordan.

“What happened? Everyone here is in tears and Samir is sobbing his heart out.”

“I know, I'm sorry. I shared something with Samir from my past which has definite echoes with what has happened, with him losing Amar. I hope I wasn't wrong to do this.”

As he was talking on the phone to Alec, Samir began pulling at Jordan's arm.

“Hold on, Alec, I think Samir wants to say something to you.”

Jordan gave Samir the phone.

“I... understand Alec,” he gave Jordan the phone back.

“Well, I wish I understood,” Jordan told Alec.

“You will when I tell you the story. Listen, I think we need to be there with you. I'm going to see if I can get us booked on a flight to Athens. See you soon.”

The intensity of the phone conversation faded into silence as they dried their tears. Recovering his emotions, Jordan announced Alec and Jeff would be here soon, as soon as they could get on a plane.

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