writing from
Scars Publications

Audio/Video chapbooks cc&d magazine Down in the Dirt magazine books

 

This writing was accepted for publication
in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# /
ISBN# issue/book
And I Disappear
Down in the Dirt, v192 (the 2/22 Issue)



Order the paperback book: order ISBN# book
Down in the Dirt

Order this writing that appears
in the one-of-a-kind anthology

The Ice
that Was

the Down in the Dirt Jan.-April
2022 issues collection book

The Ice that Was (Down in the Dirt book) issue collection book get the 420 page
Jan.-April 2022
Down in the Dirt
6" x 9" ISBN#
perfect-bound
paperback book:

order ISBN# book

The Return

Don Tassone

    Roman was Greek. He was born in Athens, but his family moved to the United States in 1966, when Roman was eight. Two years later, when his parents became US citizens, Roman became an American too.
    Roman had warm memories of Greece. He remembered his friends and relatives. He remembered people seemed friendlier there.
He remembered his parents seemed happier there.
    There were a lot of Greek immigrants in Astoria, a neighborhood in Queens where Roman and his parents made their new home.
Most had been in the US for at least a generation. They saw Roman’s father, who opened a diner in town, as a competitor, and they were cool to him and his family.
    Roman faced several other challenges of his own.
    First was his name. “Are you Greek or Roman?” his classmates would tease. Some called him “Roman the Greek.”
    Second was his English, which was rough. His parents speaking only Greek at home didn’t help.
    Third was his weight. Roman was “husky.”
    He couldn’t do anything about his name. His father had given him that. “It’s noble,” he said.
    But Roman was a quick study, and soon his English improved.
    He remained “husky” until he turned 13. Then his body underwent a rather miraculous transformation. He grew tall, lean and muscular. His chubby cheeks gave way to a handsome face. Overnight, Roman became a hunk. The other boys became envious, and the girls began calling him Adonis.
    All of a sudden, Roman felt self-confident. Yet he was never arrogant. On the contrary, Roman was kind, generous and sensitive. This gave the other boys good reason not to resent him and the girls even more reason to find him attractive.

#


    Roman was the first person in his family to go to college. He majored in economics at NYU. He earned a master’s degree in finance from Wharton, then went into investment banking in New York.
    But for Roman, leaving for college wasn’t an altogether happy experience. As soon as he moved out, his parents divorced. They had been unhappy for years. Now Roman realized they’d stayed together for his sake. He hated to see them part, but he hoped they could each now find happiness.
    But they both fell quite ill. Roman’s father died when he was at NYU. His mother passed away when he was at Wharton.
    Roman was bereft. With all his relatives now nearly 5,000 miles away, he felt very much alone.

#


    Roman had dated a multitude of women. Women fawned over him. Some men dream of that, but Roman longed for a woman who loved him for who he was, not how he looked or how much money he made.
    He thought he found her on a Saturday morning in a Midtown coffee shop. It was crowded, and she was sitting alone at a table for two.
    “Do you mind if I sit here?” he said.
    “Not at all,” she said with a smile.
    She introduced herself. Her name was Linda. She was pretty but not gorgeous like most of the woman who had thrown themselves at Roman. She smiled a lot and seemed smart and self assured.
    They talked for two hours. As they got up to leave, Roman asked Linda to dinner the following Friday. She said she was busy.
    “How about Saturday?” he said.
    “Okay,” she said.
    They hit it off over dinner, again talking for hours. Afterwards, Roman drove Linda back to her apartment. She kissed him goodnight but didn’t ask him to come in. For Roman, that was refreshing.
    They began to see each other every few days. For the first time, Roman began to fall in love. He asked Linda to stay overnight.
    “Not yet,” she said.
    This made him want her even more.
    Exactly three months after they met, Roman proposed. Linda said yes. He was thrilled.
    They had a small wedding. The next morning, they flew to Saint Lucia for their honeymoon.
    In Saint Lucia, Linda was a passionate lover. But when they returned to Manhattan, her passion suddenly waned. She seemed to lose all interest in Roman.
    Concerned, Roman finally said, “What’s going on?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You seem so distant.”
    “Distant?”
    “Yeah, like you’re not into me.”
    Linda said nothing.
    “Do you still love me?” Roman said.
    “Of course I love you!
Why would you ask such a silly question?”
    “I don’t know.
You seem aloof.”
    “Why?
Just because I don’t want to have sex every night?”
    Now Roman felt bad for asking.

    What he didn’t know was that was Linda’s artful way of shutting down a conversation.
What he didn’t know was that Linda really didn’t love him and that she wasn’t so different from all the other women he had dated.
She was simply more clever.
    Maybe having children would bring us together, Roman thought. But when he brought up the idea of starting a family, Linda said no.
    Their relationship became strained. Living with Linda, Roman felt more alone than ever.
    To make matters worse, when he turned 30, his good looks began to fade. He put on weight, and he began to lose his hair, which began to turn gray. Overnight, Roman began to look old.
    Not that Linda was there to pay attention. She was hardly home anymore. She spent her days shopping, and most evening she went out. When Roman asked where she was going, Linda usually said she was spending time with friends.
    She seldom wore perfume. When Roman began to smell it in their apartment, he suspected the worst.
    “Are you having an affair?” he said.
    “Yes,” she said blandly. “And I want a divorce.”
    Grudgingly, Roman agreed.
    Linda hired an attorney who was friendly with a judge. Despite her admitted infidelity, Linda was awarded a generous settlement. She would be set for life.
    Roman was crushed by the betrayal of the only woman he had ever loved.
    His good looks might have faded, but he was now single and still a relatively wealthy man. Women expressed interest. Some even asked him out. But Roman was now suspicious of nearly everyone. He kept to himself.
    One day at the office, his boss asked him to help out with some of the firm’s pro bono work. With time on his hands, Roman said yes.
    As it turns out, he loved the work, helping mainly seniors. They were all so appreciative, and this made Roman feel good. It filled gaps.
    Over the coming months and years, he took on more and more of his firm’s pro bono clients. Some days, he spent as much time with them as he did with his paying clients. This was blessed and even encouraged by his management.
    Until it wasn’t. A new CEO took a dim view of anyone in the firm who wasn’t totally devoted to building the business.
    But no one told Roman. One day he was called into his boss’ office.
    “Roman, we’re going to be making some organization changes,” his boss said. “Frankly, we don’t see a role for you moving forward.”
    Roman was shocked.
    “You’re letting me go?”
    “Well, that’s a bit harsh.”
    “Why are you doing this?”
    “You’ve been an asset here for 25 years. But lately, you’ve really let up on building the business. You know that’s expected of all of us. You’ve fallen behind all your peers and even a lot of our more junior folks. It wouldn’t be fair to them not to be rewarded for their strong contributions.”
    “Do you want me to drop the pro bono work?”
    “It’s too late, Roman.”
    “Just like that?”
    “I’m sorry. I’ll get you the best severance package I can.”

#


    Roman spent his days walking in Central Park. He had dinner by himself, then watched the sun set over the Hudson River from his high-rise.
    He thought about his parents and how they never seemed to be happy in the US. He thought about how cruel the other kids were to him when they first moved there. He thought about how he’d been duped by Linda. He thought about how hard he had worked for the firm and how unceremoniously he was cut loose. These thoughts made him sad.
    But he had other thoughts too. He thought about how grateful the people were he had helped in the community. He thought about how loved he had felt by his parents. He thought about his small house in Athens when he was a boy and how he could see a mountain range from his bedroom window. He thought about a stream where his father had taught him to fish. He thought about his friends and relatives in Athens who, like his parents, made him feel loved. He thought about how happy he used to be.
    At night, Roman began to dream about Greece.

#


    When the global financial crisis struck in 2008, Roman knew Greece would be especially hard hit. The Greek economy was already in terrible shape.
    Roman knew the people there would need all the help they could get. Over the years, he had worked closely with the Athens office of his firm. Now he called the manager there, offering his help.
    The manager had a high opinion of Roman. He knew he’d been let go by the firm. But his clients were panicking. How could he say no to an offer of help from such an accomplished professional?
    “Thank you,” he said. “I can let you use a small office here.”
    “I would be very grateful,” Roman said, “and I’d be happy to pay you for the space.”
    “It’s on us. I’ll see you soon.”
    Feeling wanted, Roman bought a round-trip ticket to Athens, packed a bag and headed east.
    He had arranged to stay with his cousin Anastasia. They were close as children. Now she and her husband were empty nesters. She was happy to let Roman stay in a spare bedroom.
    Working from the office of his former employer, Roman began seeing some of the firm’s less affluent clients. He advised them on ways they might keep and smartly invest the little money they had.
    Seeing Roman in action and knowing how many people needed his help, the manager of the office announced Roman would be available for consultation for free to anyone in Athens, regardless of whether they were an existing client.
    Two things happened.
    First, people lined up to see Roman — eight hours a day.
    Second, other financial services firms and banks throughout Athens also began offering help free of charge.
    The manager of the office was amazed.
    “I wish I could hire you,” he told Roman.
    “Thank you. I’m just glad I can help.”
    But being employed was no longer important to Roman.
Feeling valued was, and he had never felt so valued.
    Roman stayed in Athens for several weeks.
He got reacquainted with his cousins and childhood friends. They all seemed so happy to see him. They all made him feel so welcome.
    Most spoke some English, but some spoke none at all. Fortunately, Greek came back to Roman quickly. The way he spoke did bring some smiles, though. Roman wasn’t sure why.
    “Your accent is endearing,” Anastasia told him.
    “My accent?”
    “Yes, you have a strong American accent.”
    One night, as he lay in bed, Roman thought deeply about his situation. He thought about the prospect of returning to the US. But what was there for him anymore?
    Then he thought about an older couple he had met with in the office that day.

They seemed so troubled when they came in.

They had very little money and feared they might lose everything.

Roman listened patiently. Then he told them how they could not only keep but grow their meager savings.
    The woman started weeping.

Then she got up and kissed Roman on both cheeks.


    “Thank you,” she said.
    She reminded him of his mother.
    Then the man got up and kissed him too.
    Now, thinking about that experience and others like it over the past few weeks, Roman knew he was in the right place. He loved helping these people, especially for free. It made him feel noble. He smiled thinking about what his father had told him about his name.
    Roman flew back to New York, sold nearly everything he owned and returned to the land of his birth.



Scars Publications


Copyright of written pieces remain with the author, who has allowed it to be shown through Scars Publications and Design.Web site © Scars Publications and Design. All rights reserved. No material may be reprinted without express permission from the author.




Problems with this page? Then deal with it...