Edge of Tomorrow (59 page)

“Where are you taking us, Hatch?” his mother
asked sweetly.

“To the airport, Mom. I thought you might
like a chopper ride, General. For old times’ sake,” replied Hatch
with a smile.

“That sounds great, son!” boomed General
Lincoln. “Not a Huey, I hope!”

They both laughed, and Syd smiled as she
watched the exchange between father and son.

“No, just a plush Bell 430. We’re going
to dinner on an island in the Cyclades called Syros. There’s a
favorite restaurant of mine there I’ve always wanted to share with
you two. What better time than your
50
^th
anniversary? I would like
Syd to see it, too, so the timing is perfect. That’s why I chose
Athens as the place to meet you during your cruise,” Hatch bubbled,
obviously happy to see his parents.

“Sounds adventurous, dear,” smiled his
mother. “Are we dressed all right?”

“Your just fine, Mom. The General may want to
lose the tie. It’s an informal fun place frequented mostly by
Greeks. The authentic Greek food is wonderful! Syd and I are going
to spend the night there, but the chopper and limo will get you
back to the ship if you wish. Then tomorrow, we can spend the day
doing whatever you want to do,” replied Hatch.

Staying the night on Syros was a surprise to
Syd as well, but now she knew why he needed the helicopter in
Athens. She was looking forward to the evening with great
anticipation. She just hoped the Lincolns would like her.

• • •

As they climbed into the Triple Eye chopper,
the General remarked, “My God, Hatch! This must be fancier than
Marine One!”

“It is, General. I rode in Marine One a
couple of years ago with Clinton. It’s shabby compared to this!”
laughed Hatch. “But you know government budgets.”

“Don’t I!” laughed General Lincoln.

On the ride to Syros, the subtle
interrogation of the new girlfriend began. Hatch smiled inwardly as
Syd deftly handled the barrage of questions that were supposed to
pass as casual conversation. She described her background and
profession without going into excessive detail—leaving out her
extra-curricular activities with the MOSSAD, of course.

At one point, the General remarked, “I don’t
know how you can abide those towel heads, Syd. They cause a lot of
unrest in the world, them and their damned Allah! Their crazy
antics extend well beyond the Middle East.”

“I respectfully beg to differ with you,
General. The number of Muslim extremists causing havoc in the world
as a percentage of all Muslims is a small number. It’s not fair to
paint an entire people with the terrorist brush. I, if anyone, have
more reason to hate them most—Iranian terrorists blew up the bus my
parents were in, killing all aboard. I certainly despise those who
did that, but not those ‘towel heads,’ as you call them, who are
innocent. I remember last year that a general lost his command and
career as a result of sexual harassment of a high-ranking female
general. I certainly don’t hold that against
all
generals!”

General Lincoln stared at Syd with amazement
as she made her little speech. Hatch wanted to stand up and cheer!
Someone had the guts to talk back to his father, instead of
knuckling under. He waited with amusement to see how the General
reacted. He was surprised when his father broke into a large
smile.

“Hot damn, Hatch! I like this woman! She has
a real fucking backbone!”

Carrie said curtly, “Watch your language,
Larry! Must you always embarrass me?”

“Sorry, Syd! You have a sharp mind and a lot
of spunk! I’m used to people agreeing with me, even when they
don’t,” exclaimed the General with a chortle.

“Thank you, General,” smiled Syd. “You will
find that I speak my mind, particularly when I’m sure of the facts.
‘Towel heads’ are at the center of my life’s work.”

The General patted her knee and said, “I
sincerely apologize to you, Syd. Why don’t you call me Larry,
dear.”

Hatch could not believe his ears! No one
called his father “Larry” except Carrie. Hatch had never called him
Larry, of course, and very seldom “Dad.” Syd had worked some kind
of magic and “Larry” was eating out of her hand.

Maybe dinner tonight will
be more fun than I thought. I was ready for a disaster!
thought Hatch.

• • •

Syros is a small island and is part of the
Cyclades. Ermoupoli, sometimes called the “Queen of the Cyclades,”
is its capital and main harbor. The landscape alternates between
mountains and low-lying farm areas. Archeological excavations have
shown that the island was inhabited in Neolithic time. Ermoupoli is
a sightseer’s dream—old mansions and white houses cascading down to
the harbor, Miaouli square ringed with cafes, and the Apollo
Municipal Theatre (a miniature version of La Scala in Milan)—but
Hatch had no sightseeing on the schedule that day. The place he was
taking them to was on the west side of the island, not far from the
bay called Finikas.

A waiting limo took the four of them
from the small heliport where the chopper landed to a quiet
waterfront inn—
Papadopolos Beach
Hotel
. Hatch had reserved two “suites” with an ocean
view. It was 7:30 P.M. as he showed his parents to one suite and
told them to freshen up while he and Syd did the same and changed
clothes in the other.

“You rented an entire suite so I could pee
and wash my hands?” exclaimed the General. “You have no concept of
the value of money, Hatch!”

“You’re right, General. I just didn’t want
you and Mom to have to hang out in the lobby while Syd and I got
settled. Besides, I got a two for one deal. I am thrifty,” laughed
Hatch. “Go relax. Call room service for a drink. They’ll put it on
my tab. We’ll meet you here in the hall at 2015.”

Syd and Hatch entered their rooms and Hatch
put their overnight bag on the bed.

Hatch chuckled, “Well! ‘Just call me
Larry, dear!’ I nearly fainted when he said that. No one—and I
mean
no one
—calls him Larry
except my mother. Even she calls him
General
in front of other people. You are
something special, Syd!”

Syd laughed with him and remarked, “I was
trying to be on my best behavior, but once I started, I couldn’t
stop. I must have hit a nerve.”

“Not even three-star generals ever talked to
him like that. I think he likes you. I expected tonight to be
stressful and a pain in the ass, but now I think, for the first
time, I might enjoy a meal with my parents.”

Syd unpacked their bag, shook out their
clothes, and hung them in the ancient closet. Their “suite”
consisted of a large bedroom with a balcony, a sitting room with a
balcony, and a small bathroom.

“How did you get a two-for-one deal on these
rooms, Hatch?” asked Syd as she undressed.

“Well, I didn’t. This is one of my
poorer investments. The family who owned this place—the Papadopolos
family—and the restaurant next door, one of my favorites, were
going belly up so I bought it a couple of years ago. They get to
live here rent free and run things, and I get free lodging when I
show up. It supports them, and actually makes a small profit now,
which we use to maintain the place. It keeps them off the street,
and the
taverna
next
door—
Papa’s Taverna
—draws
quite a crowd most of the time. Unlike the hotel, it’s open all
year round,” explained Hatch.

Syd’s heart went mushy and a tear formed in
the corner of her eye. She went to him and put her arms around the
man she loved and kissed his cheek.

“It’s not a poor investment, dear. You
invested in poor, needy people. Plus, you kept this historic inn
from who knows what fate? I can’t wait to see the
taverna
. By the way, who are you
here? Bob Kelly? Or someone I don’t know about yet?”

“I’m Hatch Lincoln here. I would never take
my parents to a place where I couldn’t use the family name. It’s
not widely known, however, that I’m the owner. Mr. and Mrs.
Papadopolos are still considered to be the owners except by a
handful of people—mostly their family members. If you keep rubbing
your near-naked body against me, we’re going to be late meeting my
parents,” chortled Hatch as he played with her bra-clad breast.

“I’m sorry, darling, I forgot how hot you get
when you see me in my underwear! I’ll get dressed now!”

“I get hot looking at you even when you’re
fully clothed!” he laughed. “I still can’t believe you love
me!”

“Me either, but believe it! Can I wear
my Italian skirt and off-the-shoulder blouse in
your
restaurant?”

“That would be perfect! Can you wear that
thing braless the way Teresa does?”

“Not on your life! Not in front of your
parents! And what are you doing noticing that Teresa goes braless?
Get real, Hatch! I’ll wear it braless just for
you
some other time,” she chuckled.

• • •

When the four of them entered
Papa’s Taverna
, they were greeted
boisterously by Spirodion Papadopolos—called Papa Papa by the
locals—and his wife Margi. Syd had learned from Hatch that they
were both in their late sixties, but they looked younger and were
obviously quite fit and in good health. They both hugged Hatch, and
Margi kissed him on both cheeks. Hatch introduced his father and
mother, and then Syd. The four of them were shown to a large round
table with a view of the docks through an open window. Papa Papa
took their drink orders after much jubilant discussion.

The restaurant had a long bar along one side.
The rest was evenly divided between a hardwood dance floor and
tables and chairs. There were windows along the wall facing the
docks, and they were all open. Hatch explained that Greeks
preferred open air dining, especially in the summer months. The
current temperature was a balmy 69 degrees. The entire place was
decorated in what Syd assumed was Greek rustic.

Syd knew now—thanks to an earlier
conversation with Hatch while she dressed—that General Lincoln was
72 and his mother, Carrie, was 70. The General had retired in 1992
as an Air Force four-star general and, therefore, had a good
pension. Hatch had paid for the cruise they were on: it was a
50
^th
wedding anniversary
present. They currently lived in the Florida Keys in a community
for seniors. Hatch saw them occasionally when he was in Florida.
Hatch’s brother Vernon was 46, married to Connie, 44, and had two
daughters. They were Lily, aged 20, and Amy, aged 18. Both of the
girls were attending Yale.

Hatch excused himself for a moment and went
to the bar to greet some other members of the Papadopolos family.
Papa Papa was behind the bar fixing their drink order as Hatch
approached him after shaking several hands and receiving several
hugs.

“Did it arrive?” asked Hatch eagerly in a low
voice.

“Yes, sir! It sure did,” beamed Papa
Papa.

He reached under the bar and retrieved a
small package wrapped in brown paper.

“Unwrap it for me, please,” said Hatch as he
lit a cigarette.

Papa Papa removed the brown paper and handed
Hatch a satin-covered ring box. Hatch stood so no one could see
what was in his hand and opened it to reveal the ring he had
ordered over the phone. The diamond was only three carats—still
rare and hard to find at that size, however—but its color and
clarity were exceptional, and it had been emerald cut by one of the
world’s premier jewelers. It would have been larger, but Hatch knew
that Syd would never wear anything larger. He was probably
stretching the envelope of her acceptance as it was. Four smaller
diamonds were set along the sides. He snapped the box shut and
slipped it in his pocket. Papa Papa’s eyes were bulging. He had
never seen a diamond that big, or a more beautiful engagement
ring.

“What a ring!” he whispered in his heavy
Greek accent. “You could buy another place like this for what that
cost! Is that for the lovely Sydney?”

“Yes, if she’ll accept it.”

“When are you going to ask her?”

“Tonight, I think. This thing is already
burning a hole in my pocket,” Hatch replied as he took a drag on
his cigarette, and blew a cloud of smoke into the haze collecting
on the ceiling. There were many other smokers in the room.

“There will be much singing and dancing
tonight! I will send Stavros to fetch Otus so we will have
another
bouzouki
player!”

“She hasn’t said yes, yet,” warned Hatch.

“How could she not?”

• • •

While Hatch was at the bar with Papa Papa,
the General was taking the opportunity to probe Syd’s philosophy
and background some more. They had a lively conversation going, Syd
giving as much as she received. General Lincoln liked her. She was
somehow entirely different from all the other women Hatch had
introduced to them. She did not seem shallow and air-headed. She
had depth and charm.

She’s not just a piece of ass like the
others he brings around. I wonder if he knows that. He must! This
woman is intelligent, witty, and has spunk! She’s a keeper!

“Syd, what do you think of the new
president?” he asked her, still digging.

“I think it’s too soon to evaluate him one
way or another,” she answered, knowing for a fact that he had asked
Hatch—or ‘Bob’—for help at least twice in two weeks. She knew that
Hatch thought that he was most likely spineless, but then, Hatch
had a great dislike for politicians who did not step up to the
plate and take a swing. “At least, he chose a woman for a running
mate, even if it was only to get him elected.”