ALYA…


Note to reader: This story is a work of fiction and none of the characters portrayed here are real – names and places are the product of the author’s imagination, any resemblance to actual events and persons living or dead (or soon to be dead) is mere coincidental.


Alya is a single Lebanese girl who lives in Bostonia. Alone in the city, Alya usually spends her nights grocery shopping… at Saws.
Zeus, Alya’s neighbor, is a famous painter, a swimsuit model, he wrote his first opera at the age of 5, his hobbies include equitation and sailing. In brief, a living legend is what he is.
One day Alya invited Zeus to come along with her to Saws to buy grocery. At the deli corner he participated in the following conversation:
Alya (to the grocer): “HIIII! HOW ARE YOU?!”
He automatically reached for a container to weigh her some olives (because she always asks for the olives), she shook her head frantically and said: “no. not today, I just want a pound of smoked ham please…”
Then she glanced at Zeus, thought for a second, returned her gaze to the grocer and said rather loudly “THIS IS MY BROTHER! He’s visiting me here… he might stay… in Bostonia I mean.”
She then turned to Zeus and gave him the I’ll-explain-to-you-later-just-say-HI-now look… Zeus said hi, and the grocer greeted him warmly, then turned to Alya and asked her “soooo… how’s the baby?”
… with not a bit of hesitation she replied “fine, thank you so much for asking, he’s growing, you know how babies are, a lot of work, you know.”
“I know, I know… and how is your husband?” asked the grocer.
“He’s great! He sends his regards…” said Alya.

Alya, later on, explained to Zeus that earlier this month, she was with another friend at Saws and introduced him to the grocer as her husband with whom she recently had a baby… and that she didn’t want the grocer to ‘judge’ her since now she’s out with another guy, so she had to say that Zeus was her brother.
“didn’t you see how he relaxed and started talking to me after I said you’re my brother?” she said to Zeus.
“well… yeah [is she insane?] makes sense now. of course you wouldn’t want the grocer to judge you… who would… what if you come with someone else another time though… you’ll be introducing him to your whole family…” Zeus said.
“well… more brothers… not that I care, you see, but what would he say, married with a baby, and going around the market with another man… it’s not right.” she said.
“you realize this is Bostonia, not… Batro-mania, the guy doesn’t know his own name, let alone one customer brandying about her fictional family tree…” Zeus said.

Two aisles later, Zeus asked her “who was the husband? Ferruccio?”
“no, not even… it was Jerruccio… we were here together once, and I felt inclined to explain myself to the grocer” she replied.
“explain yourself? You totally live in your own head, you know that.” Zeus said.
“no. it’s just that I created this whole character at the deli corner and I don’t want to be a liar. So either I’d look like a liar, or he’d think I’m a whore. This way – by introducing you as my brother – he will know that I am a married woman with a child, having her darling brother visiting her to see the newborn baby. Don’t I look amazing for someone who just gave birth – I mean I am not one of those moms who take till the kid goes to college to lose the baby weight… look, it’s fun to make up characters during the day. It takes the edge off. At every place I am someone different… I live several lives.” She said.
“yes. I know. We all do the same… to some extent. but not at a deli… the other day, for instance, I was at a dinner party, and I pretended to be a postdoc in cell biology. I don’t know why… maybe because a while ago, I went out with a bunch of cell biologists, and since then I can’t get over the fact of how fascinating their lives are… to know all what they know… to see all what they see. How meaningful their existence is. And what am I? Just a famous painter, composer and swimsuit model, and my hobbies include equitation and sailing… so depressing.” Zeus said with a tinge of sadness.

A week later, Zeus met Alya in the lobby of their fabulous apartment building at the Cremway. She was discussing with a neighbor, an old man of about 75, how her upbringing in the Soviet Union taught her so much about equal rights and emancipation although she never supported communism at heart… the man looked captivated by their conversation, and told Alya that she should come over for tea to meet his wife, and that he will take her up on her offer to play the harp at his grand daughter’s wedding “it would mean so much for us, a famous Russian harpist playing at my little Dee Dee’s wedding…”
Later, Alya asked Zeus about anyone giving harp lessons, and exclaimed “how difficult could it be after all? in any case I could just say that I’ll be out of town that weekend…
Do you want to go to the Cape? My family owns this marvelous summer house by the beach, it’s…”

(how much rentals are this time of the year at the Cape? she wondered.)