A Greek Post Office Box

The day after I signed the contract
for the house
I went to the Post Office to get a PO Box.
We had bought a small house on a
small Greek Island and needed this
box as our address.

The man in the Post Office was very polite and
we sort of knew each other from last summer as
he lives in Vlychos and
we were there swimming almost
every day for four weeks.

He said he was sorry but
there was
no PO Box
available
and
the only thing I could do was to
put my name on a list for the
next free one.
He made me write my name
on a blank page
in a book that looked very
informal and unofficial, it did not
seem very hopeful.
I was thinking of directing my mail to a
neighbor instead.

Later in the port I had coffee and met
Mr. Gavalas
who was the person who helped us find our house

Last night
after signing
the contract and
after paying Gavalas his commission
my friend Demian and I had a party
celebrating the contract together with
some of Gavalas friends,
drinking Retsina and
singing and playing the guitar all through the night.

Gavalas heard about my problems with
the Post Office and he said we
should go back there.
Gavalas of course knew my man in the
Post office and his boss
and after describing in detail that:
I had just bought a house on Hydra
I was his friend
We had partied all night together
I could play the guitar
My friend was a Swedish artist who could
sing and play the guitar
We loved to drink the local Retsina.

Then it was very natural
for the man in the Post Office to make me sign
a contract for a PO Box
and
when I left I had the key to
PO Box 21 in my hand.

No one seemed embarrassed and the guy who
refused me the first time
now gave me the key
without loosing face.

Of course, they didn't know that I was a
friend of Gavalas and that I could play the guitar and
that I had been drinking Krasi with
Gavalas last night.
I should have told them of course.

So, if you want to write me,
I now have a proper address.





Published in Chiron Review #70, 2002