Mister Moneybags(50)

“Yes. Bianca said you gave Eleni the ax and that it devastated their family financially. It set off a chain of events that they never recovered from.”

“Let me tell you something about Eleni Georgakopolous. And I can tell you this because we’re both grown men, and also because I’m not with your mother anymore.”

“What?”

“That woman was like…sexual napalm. I’ve never in my life experienced anything like her.”

“Sexual what? Excuse me?”

“Eleni was my secretary, yes. And I was her boss. But we were also lovers, Dex. She was cheating on her husband with me.”

“What?”

“It went on for several years. She wasn’t the only woman during that time, of course—you know your dear old dad—but she was the only memorable one.”

It sickened me to think about my father and Bianca’s mother.

“Wait…you need to back up.”

“Alright. I’ll explain anything you need.”

“She was cheating on her husband…with you? And then you fired her on top of that?”

He shook his head. “No. I never fired her. Her husband found out about the affair and forced her to quit. They may have told their children a different story. I would have never fired her, because I couldn’t quit her. I would’ve never let her go. She was too addictive.”

“God, that’s f*cked up. This went on for years?”

“On and off, yes.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“What’s so hard to believe? If her daughter is as beautiful as she was, surely you can understand?”

“No. I can’t understand cheating on your wife—my mother—to begin with. But knowingly wrecking someone else’s marriage? That I definitely cannot understand.”

“Her husband never gave her what she needed.”

“She told you that?”

“Yes. There was so much more to her than he ever saw. He wanted her to just be this complacent wife. But she was a pistol with fire inside. The husband was apparently a good, hard-working man, but he didn’t get her, and he wasn’t… affectionate.”

“And you were…affectionate? That doesn’t sound like you at all.”

“Maybe adventurous is a better term. I gave her what she needed. You really want me to spell out what that means?”

“No. Spare me. Please.”

“What we had was very passionate—sometimes volatile. In the end, she decided she wanted to save her marriage for the sake of her children. That was when things ended between us. But apparently, from what you’re telling me, that didn’t work out for her after all. I assume any trust that was broken couldn’t be repaired. I’m sorry for any part I played in disrupting her family structure, but I don’t regret our affair. It was one of the most memorable times of my life. I still think of her from time to time, and that’s rare for me.”

“I don’t even know what to say. I want to be mad at you, but I suppose you couldn’t have known I would meet and fall for her daughter someday.”

“I certainly didn’t.”

“This is so bad. Bianca and I promised each other that there would be no more secrets. How am I supposed to tell her that her mother is not exactly the saint she thought she was? How do you tell someone that their entire view of their childhood is wrong?”

My father seemed to ponder my question then said, “Okay, listen. Now you may not agree with what I’m about to say, but I’m going to say it anyway.”

“What?”

“I think sometimes in life there are exceptions to the ‘honesty is the best policy’ rule. In a case like this, no one stands to gain anything from your telling her what you know. Think about it, Dex. What happens if you tell her and Eleni denies it? What then?”

I challenged him. “Or to the contrary, when Eleni finds out who I am…what if she confesses everything to her daughter anyway?”

“Then you play dumb. No one needs to know we had this conversation. I’m certainly not going to tell anyone.”

“I don’t know. I really don’t think I can keep this from her.”

“It’s one thing to tell the truth when it’s for someone’s own good. But nothing good can come from this. All I’m saying is to think about it. Don’t rush into anything. There is no logical reason to drop this kind of a bomb now. It’s been so many years. Leave it alone. That’s my very strong suggestion. If Eleni wants to come clean, let her. But it’s not your responsibility to explain.”

Staring up at a plane flying overhead, I said, “I am going to have to really think about this.”

“Try not to stress yourself out. Life is too short. I’m learning that more and more every day as I see friends dropping dead from heart attacks left and right.” He stood up from the rock and kicked the sand off his feet. “Come on. How about a game of golf?”





Carving the giraffe’s neck wasn’t easy. I followed as closely along as I could while Jelani demonstrated the correct movements of the knife as we sat under the lamplight in his basement. My mind just wasn’t in it today.

After only one night in Florida, I’d flown back just in time for my weekly whittling session at his Brooklyn apartment. While Jelani’s lessons were always a quiet, meditative experience, spending time here also made me feel like I was contributing to society by looking after him.