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“Look at your son, Kassandra,” Natakas says.
"Whose baby is that?" Kassandra looks at the baby in Natakas’ arms. She’s been helping him and his father out the past year. Natakas has always been interested in her, but she has repeatedly turned him down. After all, she is married to Kyra.
Kyra hasn’t been accompanying her on this journey, but Kassandra did send a letter out. Any day now, her wife would join her.
But the current situation she was facing was probably the weirdest one she ever encountered.
“It’s our son, Kassandra. Remember, we had him?”
Kassandra replies, “Uh, no. We have never slept together. We never kissed. I said goodbye to you and yet you and your father still returned. I continued to protect you guys.”
“We definitely had this son.”
“I’m pretty sure I would remember being pregnant and having a baby.”
At Kassandra’s continuing defiance, Natakas grows angry, “Every time I have flirted with you, you rejected my advances. You say you have a wife, but where is she Kassandra? What woman is separated from her wife for over a year? You see this baby? This could have been what your life would be like if you just accepted by advances.”
And now, Kassandra is downright creeped out.
It is clear that Natakas is unstable. She knew this with his persistent advances. But stealing a baby? Well, this was too far.
“Whose baby is that?” Kassandra repeats.
“Relax, I didn’t steal the baby. The boy’s parents were already dead. I was looting a nearby house when I found him. I brought him for you. For us, Natakas says.
“I will take the baby, but I don’t want to raise him with you. You’re unstable.”
Natakas guffaws at that, “Me? Unstable? Again, you’re the one who thinks she has a wife. She doesn’t exist Kassandra. You sent that letter to “her” months ago and she isn’t here.”
Kassandra rolls her eyes, “Well, she lives on the Silver Islands. That is on the other side of the Greek world.”
Natakas is angry again, “So you say! But look, we can have a family. Just you and I. And this baby. I will forgive you for rejecting my advances if you accept this offer.”
“No, thank you. I have a wife.”
Natakas boils in anger and starts yelling even louder, startling some birds in the trees nearby, “How dare you reject my offer? After all we’ve been through! I love you!”
The baby is crying now as Natakas stalks closer to Kassandra. Kassandra figures she should at least pretend to accept his offer if only to protect the child.
“Okay, Natakas. I’m sorry. Here, let me soothe the child. He can be our son.”
Natakas softens, but not completely, “Do you mean that?”
Kassandra nods, spotting a figure in a nearby tree, and continues her fake appeasement. She notices the figure point a bow at Natakas.
She continues speaking, “I really mean it. I’m sorry. You’re right, I was only pretending to have a wife. I just wanted to believe that I could live my life without you. But I cannot. Please, Natakas, let me soothe our son. Let him know his mother.”
At that, Natakas seems sufficiently pleased and hands the crying baby to Kassandra. Kassandra rocks the baby.
At the next moment, and arrow pierces Natakas’ head and he falls with a soft thud.
The figure from the tree lands and speaks, “You know when you sent me that letter, I did not expect some crazy man trying to force a family upon you.”
Kassandra chuckles quietly as she continues to soothe the child, “He simply could not believe you existed. He went on and on about how we’re destined together.”
Kyra rolls her eyes, “Looking like that? I know you’re into guys too, but you have higher standards than that.”
“You’re right, I do. Besides, you’re the most beautiful person of them all. No one could beat you.”
Kyra replies, “Sap.”
They remain in silence for a little bit while the baby stops crying.
Kassandra says, “Now what?”
Kyra responds, “Well, you heard him. This baby is an orphan.”
“How long were you in that tree for?”
“Almost for the whole thing.”
Kassandra replies, “And I didn’t notice you? Huh, I must be going soft.”
“Well, you have been following around Natakas and his family for about a year. That’s the longest job you’ve ever taken.”
“You’re right.”
Kyra responds, “Well, what should we name our son?”
“Our son?”
“Yes. Of course, we’re going to keep him.”
Kassandra says, “Hmm. How about Elpidios?”
Kyra smiles, “A strong name for a strong baby.”
Kassandra smiles back and leans in to kiss her wife. Holding their new son in their arms with the view of Kephallonia in the background, Kassandra can’t help but think that this is where she was meant to be in life. Even with the crazy, now dead, guy professing to be the one she’s meant to be with.