That's Amore! - Janelle Denison [48]
EFI WAS ACCUSTOMED to the way Greeks like to celebrate. It didn't take much. A normal dinner was often reason enough to overindulge in wine and food and to dance until you couldn't dance anymore. But when it came to the really big events, like her wedding, the Greeks knew how to celebrate in a way that made her giddy with wonder.
If they were back in the old country, she knew that traditionally the men would be walking up and down the town streets singing and calling out for everyone to join in the ceremony the following day. Of course, doing so in Grosse Point, Michigan, would probably get them arrested for disorderly conduct at best, public drunkenness at worst, so the group's activities were contained to the bride's and the groom's respective family homes.
Even Aunt Frosini's dark, scowling presence couldn't detract from the events. Thankfully she hung back from the main crowd, content watching everything unfold before her.
Efi thought there was probably some sort of civil safety ordinance about having so many people in one place. Everywhere you looked there were people. A good many of them had stayed in their house from the night before, others came over at the break of dawn to join in the festivities. While each day of the week leading up to the actual day of the ceremony held some sort of significance, from the krevati on, there would be nonstop eating and drinking and dancing until the family saw the bride and groom off after the reception … and sometimes it didn't even stop then, but continued on with the family minus the couple of honor.
Efi had participated in events for other family members, but it was different now that she was the object of attention. From being told how beautiful she was, how much she glowed—followed by the requisite three spits, of course, to ward off the evil eye—to be waited on hand and foot lest she break a nail or something in preparation for her big day, everyone went out of their way to make sure she was happy.
Even her father had closed his shop for the weekend, something she hadn't known him to do except on Christmas day, and even then he often went in to fill some special orders for his best customers and for the family.
Of course, he wasn't here amongst the women. Instead he was probably at Nick's parents' house helping organize the men's celebration.
At somewhere around 10:00 a.m., the telephone began ringing and never seemed to stop. A constant stream of good wishes poured in from family and friends, near and far.
Only, as Efi watched her mother take this particular call, she got the unsettling impression that the caller wasn't a well-wisher. Penelope's face drained of color and she gripped the phone so tightly her knuckles were white.
"I don't understand," she said in her thickly accented Greek. "Could you please repeat what you just said?"
More than a few people in the room seemed to tune in to the situation and motioned for the others to hush.
Efi moved to stand next to her mother, resting her hand on her arm.
Slowly Penelope hung up the phone, her hands trembling.
"Your grandfather's been arrested."
No MATTER HOW RESOLUTELY they asked the family to stay put, it seemed the entire household of female relatives, along with the males from the Constantinos house, stood outside the metro Detroit police station, cars double-parked, others letting their passengers out at the curb in the front. Efi had a denim shirt and jeans on over her nightgown, her youngest sister Jenny not even going that far, putting a hoodie on over her pj's, which nowadays could have been considered clothing.
"Damn fool of a man," Efi's mother grumbled as they waited at the front desk for the officer to get her grandfather's paperwork.
"Ladies, ladies!" a female police officer was shouting to get the attention of Efi's many relatives where they crowded the small lobby. "All those without business, you'll have to wait outside."
"We have business," one of Efi's aunts insisted. The female police officer looked an inch away from putting them all into holding cells until they settled down or