The Appetizer ©

Here it is, the day after the Bbq and I slept for 10 hours.
How cool is that?
Sara will be happy about me sleeping.
I woke up at 10:30 am yesterday and did my usual morning routine. Like brush my teeth and take a shower. Not to forget the ritual kicking of the cats in the ass (more of a tap on the ass). They come up every morning and turn to be kicked, and love the attention.
So I have weird cats.
I have one that gives me her tail so we could play tug of war.
I come down stairs and make sure everything in the house is at it should be, then I go outside and set up the tables and put the Bbq in the place I will want it.I then go next door to my parents place, we live side by side and check to make sure the food is ready to be served or cooked. I had the food next door because they have 2 fridges and 5 freezers.
Once I knew I was ready I went down stairs and brought out the massive cooler I got and loaded it with the blocks of ice I had made and put 48 beers in it and 4 bottles of white wine. That done, I settled down and thought about what it would be like and who was coming.Then I remembered the stories that I have been told, about, how my family got to be in this country. I am first generation here and most of my cousins coming will be also.
Our parents will be here also. They were not invited, but my mother the sneak, invited the parents to her place which is 6 inches away from mine and said to me that if there was extra food, that it would be nice if I could throw them a bone or two. I knew of their intentions and had made the extra. Who am I to keep them away from their grand kids and family?
I think it only be fair that I told you how I got to be born here.
My parents are Greek, Spartans to be exact. They were born in a time of conflict and war.For generations they have been fighting someone for their freedom and a right to be who they are. I won’t tell you the history, you could go get a book; my ancestors are fighting and dieing through out the history books for thousands of years.
There are proud and passionate people through out this country and wounds run deep and are never forgotten.Politics ruled at the time of my conception and the country was split in many directions.
In my mother’s house, 1 brother was pro King, 1 Brother was pro democracy and no King. 1 brother leaned towards communism. My grand mother was pro staying alive.
In a time where a woman had no say, she was respected by all forces involved. She clothed and fed them all and tended to their wounds, no matter what their beliefs.I was told that all her sons would come home for holidays and leave their guns at the door and have family functions and then head off to fight against each other.
More than once a commander would show up and tell her to keep one her sons home, who was on the opposite side, because of an up coming fight and they wouldn’t want to kill him because of all the help she had given them.
Neighbor killed neighbor.
It was a sad time.
My mother’s mother lived to be 99 and drank a bottle of wine a day.
On my father’s side most were pro democracy and some were communists. The only thing they agreed on was that the King had to go.After 2 world wars and the 300 years of occupation by the Ottomans (Turks) everyone wanted to make sure they were never put in a position to be dominated again. They all fought for the same thing, the good of Greece, but tried to do it by force rather than democratically.
Ironic isn't it, that the cradle of democracy to be brought back to a primitive way of life.When I went to Greece and walked through the cemetery, I got as chill looking at all the graves with my last name and noticed that most died around the same period of time. What was sad was that no matter what side they were on during this period, they were buried side by side, like family and were respected as such by all sides.
Politics sucks.
My mother came to Canada 7 months pregnant, using her maiden name so she wouldn‘t be caught and killed. That was me in there BTW.
They were hunting my father for trying to kill one of the Kings officials. He actually took a shot at him while he was riding off on his horse.
The man had gone to his uncle’s house because he wanted his daughter for his wife. My Great uncle refused his request because the man was a bastard and had killed many people and many of his family. The man came back with his soldiers and told the girl that he wanted that she had 2 choices.
1. Shoot her father in the head and marry him.
2. If she didn’t shoot her father the man would shoot her father and her and find another woman.
My father was going towards his uncle’s house on his horse when he heard the single shot. He got there and the handful of soldiers and the girl were leaving. He hid and went in after they had gone and found his uncle shot through the forehead. The uncle had taken it staring at his daughter.
My father took off after them and got off one shot. Thinking that he had killed him, he then took off to get away from the soldiers, but was seen.
He was smuggled out of the country and arrived here 1 week after I was born. He didn’t return back there for a visit until 35 years later. By then his mother had died. His father lived to the age of 105.
That same man, then butchered my aunt’s family while the men were in the fields and stuck their heads on pikes in front of their house as a warning.
Today most of this has changed but in rural Greece anything can happen. My mother’s brother, the one that was a communist and a big prick to boot, was murdered 3 years ago by someone unknown.
The police say who ever done it, was known to him because even though my uncle was armed, he let the other one come up to him and was shot in the front. His gun was not fired and laying next to him. They will never find the person because they can’t find someone that didn’t hate him. It could be anyone.
My personal opinion, for what he did to my mother and my grand mother, good fucken riddance.
Oddly enough my mother’s brother who was killed is married to my father’s sister. How’s that for a piece of a family history?
Those are the people that are sitting inside my mother’s house at this moment, 2 of my mother’s brothers that were on the opposite side are still fighting because 1 is still loyal to the King. LOL

My cousins rolled in about 3 pm and we all did the hugging and introducing, yes cheek pinching too. Most of them have non Greek partners that needed to be introduced. They are all welcome members of our family.
We all went out side and got seats and started talking for about an hour. The weather man had said a 30% chance of thunderstorms for mid day. Ha and when is he ever right. The streak of lightning sliced the sky above. He would be right for the first time and on my Bbq, bastard.
Did we care, FUCK NO, because we are all nuts. Then it started raining, not a drizzle but in sheets. I couldn’t see a thing. I was at the bbq and just stayed there getting soaked and loving it. The temp was 34 Celsius, and this felt great. In fact everyone was slushing around in it like kids but their kids were running for cover. It lasted about 15 minutes and I stood there smiling and pointed out to the female cousins how much I appreciated them wearing white cotton T-shirts and the 2 that wore no bras.
This woke up their husbands and they ran to sit on my side of the table to have a look too. We’re a fun loving bunch.
We set up the umbrellas so if it rained again the kids wouldn’t have to run for cover. I went inside and brought out the 40-60 pieces of chicken to cook first, it takes the longest and then I had 60 souflaki to cook.It was really hot cooking in the sun. My father came out to spell me for awhile so I could go for a quick shower to cool down and get another set of clothes to wear.
When I came back I finished cooking and it took 2 hours to do all of the Bbq stuff. We all sat down to eat, except for our party crashers who were inside in the air conditioned house. I sent them lots of food and beer. You know how it is, after they eat and drink, I’ll probably go inside and they will be all passed out. Ha Ha Ha.

I’ll leave it here and tell you tomorrow about the conversations that we had.


Walker