I miss Greece badly, so tonight I went out for a walk, pretending that I was in Athens rather than Toronto. Smiling to myself while remembering. It was difficult. It was sunny when I left, yet there were no outdoor cafes open. After
all it's November in Toronto even though the temperature was up around
15 degrees Celsius during the day and higher in the sun. Athens is full of cafes.
I walked slowly, the way life moves in Greece, but most people on the street were in a rush. After work, in a rush to get home. Rush, rushing everywhere. In the super market, on the streets, not acknowledging anyone except once when someone tried to pass in front of me and nearly knocked me down. "Sorry, dear." And the man in the meat store remembered me and said, "oh, hello there." Made my day. No one has any time here.
In the supermarket there are no older people - all the shoppers and staff in their twenties and thirties. I thought of stopping for a soda at the corner bar, but it didn't feel inviting. Dark inside, tables empty only five people sitting at the bar, one with an open laptop. A plane passed overhead. I looked, but nothing else to see, no stars, no Acropolis. no parliament buildings, no Mt. Lycabettus. Everything was gray and black. People wearing dark colours. Grim faces. Stressed bodies.
I bought an over priced bottle of mineral water and bread and went home.
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