Always With Us (Nov25)

 

 

On the Easter Sunday along Egnatia manikins from the earlier era of window display pressed close against the glass, taunting the street. The old town near the water in Thess had plenty of affluent pockets, but none of it representative of the displays. One truncated lower torso bending back into the shop may have been a not so subtle Greek jest. Mostly the beggary was ambulant, while around the churches they sat fixed on the pavement and ledges. A chap on crutches was gifted a couple brass coins by the Alexandroupoli teacher that afternoon, who dropped one into the receptacle, followed by a second after a drammatic pause. Hobbling, dark, woebegone, the fellow had ignored the panama. Clearly no good had ever come from any of those. A gypsy, the Alexandroupoli indicated. Prior to that chap an earlier of similar age and colouration, though less broken, had approached, asking initially in Greek and quickly switching. How is your health? In the evening the frightful lady at the fast food corner by the hotel presented a truly shocking sight. Again, like the Alex man, very likely a junior, with the usual lag in comprehension. A slow-moving woman who gave off much body odour from beneath her jacket. In hand she carried a number of dirty, flattened prescription packs. Again the shared heritage was assumed, pleasingly even here. Standing close, however, it was a difficult confrontation. A single euro was hardly sufficient for her needs; admittedly, it fell far short of the cost of the food on the plate before us. The lady brandished the flattened packs, contrasting the steaming pile. Fair point certainly, there was no denying; a single euro was only one fraction the cost of the pasta & veg. The face shown was fitting. Deeply gouged furrows and frantically shaking jowls. With the Gazan photos the position was further sharpened; over there some children had been caught in that kind of attitude. The Arabs & Turks were near here of course; it was at Alexandroupili that the Macedonian conqueror had crossed into Asia Minor, the teacher reminded. The strong odour of the beggar that penetrated her winter garb was eclipsed by her person, by the force of her presence, as she stood appealing near two minutes for at least one euro more.

 

           Thessaloniki