Where the Wandering Ends by Yvette Manessis Corporon

Author:Yvette Manessis Corporon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harper Muse
Published: 2022-09-06T00:00:00+00:00

Thirty-One

Corfu

June 1950

It had been nine months since the Communist leaders took to the radio announcing they were ceasing hostility, effectively ending the war as thousands of partisans fled Greece, disappearing beyond the Albanian and Bulgarian borders. All along the north and even as far south as the central mountain region and Athens, life was forever changed for so many. Villages once teeming with life and laughter now sat empty and quiet. Some for a short time as families slowly made their way back home; some for forever as others realized there was nothing and no one left for them to return to.

And beyond the physical loss of lives and homes, the war had left a lingering toll on those lucky enough to survive. Even on Corfu, where the visible damage from the war was minimal and where cheers reverberated along the alleyways as the Communists were driven out. Still, wounds had been left simmering beneath the surface, changing the fabric of daily life for so many. Scattered across the island were families left forever fractured not only by the loss of life but by loved ones lost to opposing ideologies. And nowhere was the lingering effect of the war more evident than in Benitses, where the doors of Frederica’s paidopoleis remained open to continue caring for the littlest victims of the war and to help families left struggling.

Slowly over time, life once again began to resemble something close to normal in Corfu. The cafés along the Liston once again filled with islanders savoring their afternoon coffee as the music of the Corfu Philharmonic mixed with the squeals of children playing cricket in the expanse of Spianada Square overlooking Garitsa bay. Along the coast, hotels began to welcome visitors, and in Ipsos, the French businessman who had fallen in love with Corfu so many years before finally fulfilled his dream and broke ground on a grand luxury resort to be called Club Mediterranee. And beyond the Liston, as they had for generations before, the faithful knelt in prayer inside the incense-filled Saint Spyridon Church, praying for the saint’s protection and guidance.

Katerina and Mama exited the church of Saint Spyridon and walked out into the street. It was their weekly tradition to attend services and then stop at Olympia, the café where mother and daughter had found work cleaning the kitchen and toilets at night.

The owner, Manoli, with his jet-black brows and mustache, always reserved a table for Katerina and Mama. It was difficult to find work after the war, with so many in need. But Manoli, who had lost his own brother at the hands of partisans, felt pity for the young widow when she showed up in her black veil and mourning dress explaining that she was desperate for work and could not return to the village where her husband had been murdered.

Although Mama urged Katerina to go back to school and finish her lessons, and despite the fact that Katerina dreamed of one day continuing her education, Katerina insisted on working beside her mother.

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