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Chapter 35 – Mountains to Climb
Ruby
As much as I loved Vander, as much as I loved the changes he wrought in my life and Jace’s, those same changes stressed me out. Certain things, like my home, my Yiayia, and my routines, steadied me in my world.
Vander stormed in three weeks ago and blew up my routines, wanted me to move out of my home to live with him, and I wasn’t sure where Yiayia fit in with all of that.
When Minty and Amber confirmed Bookstagram night, I jumped at the opportunity for a bit of familiarity.
Earlier, Gus and Alex met up with Vander and Jace for breakfast, then went rock-climbing, go-karting, and I don’t know what else. When I got home after work, they were all at my house, tired but happy, with Yiayia in her element cooking for ‘all my boys’.
We ate together, sans Amber, then Jace went home with Vander, and Alex went home with Gus.
“Are you going to be okay on your own, Yiayia?” I asked for the tenth time while we washed the dishes.
“Yes, poulaki mou. Go to your book night. You are staying at Amber’s tonight?”
“I think so.” Without the boys, we planned to let the wine flow a little more freely. “But I can take a taxi home, it’s no problem.”
“No, poulaki. You need this.” She patted my cheek with her tiny, wrinkled hand, her ruby ring glinting in the light. “Is good for you, these changes. Don’t fight him, poulaki. God made him for you.”
I rubbed the pad of my thumb over the smooth stones, taking comfort in the link between us. Yiayia was born in July, same as me, and my father named me Ruby in honor of her. “I’m afraid, Yiayia.”
“Bravo. If you wasn’t, is not real, and you need real, koukla. Too long you live in fish tank world. That is not a life!”
“It wasn’t a bad life, Yiayia,” I protested softly.
Yiayia pinned me with her dark eyes. “Was half life, koukla.”
“So, I need a man to live a full life?” I snorted.
“No. You need to be brave to live a full life. You have to face your fears to be brave.”
I huffed in exasperation. “Yiayia! All I’ve done for twenty years is face my fears.”
“Bah,” she dismissed twenty years of therapy with a wave of her hand. “Those fears is nothing compared to the big fear inside you. You beat that one, and then you be free, poulaki.”
“Okay, Yiayia.” I didn’t know what she was talking about. I didn’t want to know what she was thinking about, but I hugged her so she would think I agreed and stop worrying.
“Bravo, koritzaki mou. Bravo.”
She felt frail in my arms, and I teased her. “You need to eat, Yiayia.”
“No appetite, koukla. Old people, bah, we don’t need to eat too much. We live off our dreams for our children. Go have a fun with your sister.” Yiayia got a faraway look in her eyes. “She needs to face some devils, too. Poulaki mou.”
She raised her finger as if just remembering. “I have something for you to take tonight.” She made her way over to the fridge and pulled out a platter beautifully covered in cheese, olives, crackers, dips, raw veggies, and pita bread.
“Oh, Yiayia! That’s wonderful, thank you!” I rescued the heavy platter from her hands. “I always loved this platter.”
“Is whole set, will be yours when I die.” She swept her arms out to encompass the whole house. “All is yours. Yours and Amber’s.”
I laughed. “Well, don’t die anytime soon, Yiayia. I’m not living here without you.”
“Meh, is life, poulaki mou.”
Death and dying were her favourite topics. Next, she’d be telling me-
“Guess who die,” she challenged.
