"The Counterfeit Coin" ""Counterfeit money never goes away"" "A wise proverb, like most of them ... and a real one, ... like the counterfeit coin I got ahold of yesterday noon now, how did I get scammed, is another story" "It's a bit painful to admit my stupidity   and my shortsightedness ... major shortsightedness, dear god but I guess, con artists, who have to live somehow ... don't design their works of art for people with great eyesight" "... and considerable intelligence like most con artists, my counterfeit coin has a flawless appearance ... and that's my only excuse and, also, my only hope that I might find someone who is more shortsighted and less smart than me   to pass it on" "It's counterfeit" "Unfortunately, until this joyous moment comes, when I'll manage to get rid of its dubious weight ... it will linger at the bottom of my pocket   telling me its story a weird story ... sometimes serious, sometimes, funny ... and occasionaly, dramatic" "Let's hear the story from the beginning ..." "Don't expect me to tell you an adventurous crime story   with mafia gangs, bank robberies .." "... with shootings, and weird mysteries ..." "In Greece, unfortunately for crime novelists, you won't find such things" "The artist who became con artist was called Anargyros" "Anargyros, was a simple, peaceful man he was old school   just like his favorite fedora hat which represented his dignity" " Goodmorning" " Goodmorning Mr. Anargyros" " Did you sleep well?" " Why?" "Did I snore again Ms. Dimitra?" " Good people snore when their conscience is clean" " I see, I snored again like a freight train." " Thank you, goodbye!" " Goodbye, May Holy Mother bless you!" "This is how Anargyros woke up every morning at 7.30 carefree, cheerful, ready to work at his shop" "His big dream, being a engraver, was to carve a church chancel on silver because, Anargyros was a good Christian" "He would cross himself every morning, as he passed outside the Church ... and he gave charity to the blind beggar, as usual" "At 8 o' clock, sharp, Anargyros arrived at the loud morning market where, in some small alley, his little shop lied" ""ANARGYROS LOUBARDOPOULOS ENGRAVER"" " Goodmorning Mr. Anargyros" " Goonmorning" " Coffee?" " We talked about it." "Coffee and Cigarettes:" "No More" "Small shop, but Anargyros had a great talent ... seals, signs, miniatures, carvings on rings, watches and countless other detailed carving works his naive honesty made him work like a dog for twenty years now under green, tin lampshades" "in that sunless, sad little shop of the alley" " 'Morning" " Oh, Mr. Papadopoulos!" " No Papadopoulos!" " Pap, Mr. Pap, excuse me!" " I forgot, you expats in America shorten your names" " There you go Mr. Pap, your watch is ready" " A tragic thing, coming back from America after all these years   only to find my father's watch, instead of my father" " At least you found something" "Look, how beautiful the monogram is, do you like it?" " Ah, my late father ..." "Old Pap!" " Excuse me, he was a "Papadopoulos", not a "Pap"." "He hadn't been in America" " OK, Mr. Anargyros ..." "Well, not even in New York City can one find artists like you" " You're wasting your talent here in Greece" " You think so, huh?" " If you came to New York City ..." " I know, I would turn from "Loubardopoulos" into "Loub"" " Yes, but you would make lots of dollars" " Dollars!" " Dollars.... dollars!" " So, how how much did we agree on?" " 100,000 but I only want 60,000" " 60,000?" "Why?" " Because I used less gold than I initially calculated" " So, there are still honest people in Greece?" " How could I cheat you?" " Well done, well done Mr. Anargyros!" " So, we said, 60,000" " Yes Sir ..." " Which means, $2" " Dollars!" " Here's $10." "So long, my friend." " $10?" "Have a nice trip Mr. Pap!" "Thus, Anargyros, through his honest work, had managed to save for his old age from time to time, he would turn his savings into gold coins at Mr. Miltiadis' brokerage office" "The time had come when his coins would become 100" "This would become his 100th gold coin" "That's when "Satan" showed up   disguised as Dinos, a wicked broker who worked at that office   and found out about Anargyros' 100 gold coins" " So you have a hundred gold coins, Anargyros?" " A hundred" " And after all these years you haven't spent one?" " Not one" " I'm here to make a proposal Anargyros ..." " Relevant to my 100 coins?" " Yes" " No no no, no way" "I don't like your face" " Anargyros, do you want to turn 100 into 1000?" " 1000 gold coins, maybe 2000, maybe 3000!" " Are you serious, Dinos?" " Do I look like I'm crazy?" " No, but you sound like a lunatic" " Anargyros, didn't you make last New Year's Day Pie coins?" " The fake ones?" "With these miraculous hands, Anargyros!" "if these hands can create such perfect fake coins." "Why not create some real ones?" " What are you saying, Dinos?" " Let's make counterfeit coins!" "A little gold on the outside." "Cheap metal on the inside" "You'll create them and I'll circulate them" "Sleepless nights have gone by thinking about this, but I didn't dare tell you because there was not enough capital" " We're gonna be rich Anargyros!" "What'd you think?" " Leave me alone" "I was right about you from the first moment" "Turns out, you're a major crook!" "And you work at Mr. Miltiadis' office ... oh the poor man, if he only knew" "Maybe I should tell him about his scammer employees" " Stop your nonsense Anargyros, we're gonna be rich!" " it's ok, we'll talk again - there's nothing to talk about!" "get out!" " We'll talk again, Anargyros" "I'll find you at the little tavern where you frequent..." " step back, Satan!" "Don't be a fool, Anargyros" "Since the beginning of mankind, millions of people die working day and night, for only one goal:" "to earn a little money, Anargyros" "You, don't need to earn money." "You can simply create money!" "You can make "gold" coins with your own hands" "These miraculous hands, Anargyros" " Let me, let me be, Dinos stop tormenting me!" "I'm in no mood for seeing these "miraculous hands" in handcuffs" "Step back, you devil" " Stop hesitating, Anargyros, what is "honesty" afterall?" " Honesty means having a clean conscience, Dinos" "Returning home at night, lay back, sleep like a baby   and snore like a train" "That's "Honesty"." "Sleeping with a clean conscience" " But, with money, you could let your conscience sleep by herself ..." " ... while you sleep with the hottest woman around - huh?" " Anargyros, don't women mean anything to you?" "These elegant, spectacular, sexy women who live in Athens?" " Women... ah..." "Step back, Satan!" "Satan, however, didn't step back, but forward, pulling out the big guns ..." "Hold on a minute, where are you taking me?" "what are we doing in Psychiko?" "There's nothing here" " Relax, Anargyros, we've arrived, here's the house" " No!" "I'm not going in!" "No way!" " What are you afraid of?" "they won't bite!" "You'll just meet a very pretty and classy lady" " Oh Saints, help me." "What did this devil get me into!" "An old Devil's craft, since Adam was drifted into sin by using Eve ..." " Dinos explained the plan in detail, Mr. Anargyros, I'd gladly provide my basement for this purpose" " Your basement is great Madam, you, are great." "But I don't accept." " What are you afraid of, Anargyros?" "No one is going to find about this" "Ms. Fifi lives here all by herself since she got divorced" " she doesn't even have a maid." "Do you understand?" " I understand, but you don't understand what you're asking you want me, an artist, to become a con artist!" "Me, an honest man." "An honest artist" " Here we go again ..." "Anargyros ..." "Oh God ..." " Don't push him, Dinos." "It's clear, it's not a matter of fear." "It's an ethical matter." " An ethical matter!" "Well done, Ms. Fifi." "Well said!" "Let him hear it." " It's over now." "Let's not talk about it anymore." " What a pity ..." " Let's talk about something else ..." " What else Ms. Fifi?" "I should be going ..." " Oh no, please." "It's your first time at my house." "I wouldn't let you leave like that." "Please, sit, Mr. Anargyros ..." " I sat!" " That's better ..." " You're so naive, Anargyros." " We talked about it Dinos, this conversation is over." " Don't persist Dinos   we'll just have a drink, gossip." "There's so many beautiful things in this world." "Don't you agree?" " I agree." "Dinos doesn't." " Here you go, Dinos ... and we'll spend together a beautiful evening." "That's how they spent many more beautiful evenings ... with laughter, whiskey, and lots of intimacy   until Anargyros became mellow, like a ripe fruit about to fall ..." "He became a frequent visitor at Ms. Fifi's Villa it's been a month since he couldn't wait until Dinos would take him there, every evening" "Love blossomed in his heart, like a wild morning glory while Ms. Fifi was weaving a spider's web like a pro, according to the master plan" " Anargyros will come by himself later." "I told him that I'll join later." " Sure honey, delay as much as you can" " Yeah but ..." "Don't encourage him too much ok?" " Are you jealous my love, of this stupid little man?" " Like hell." "I'm even jealous of my shadow" " Are you sure he can make those coins?" " He's a talent I tell you." "He's spectacular!" " Don't worry then." "He's so stupid that I'll have him do it without letting him touch me" " Ok love, good luck." "And remember!" "No touching!" " Your flowers are beautiful Mr. Anargyros" " Your house is beautiful Ms. Fifi" " Yes, unfortunately ..." " Unfortunately?" "Why?" " Because Ι'll have to leave it according to the divorce outcome ..." " Is it your husband's?" " Yes, as is the furniture, the paintings, everything" " Even this?" "(reindeer's horns: slang for a cheated spouse)" " Yes." "Come spring, I'll have nowhere to stay." " And all thanks to Dinos ..." " Dinos?" " Yes, he's the cause of my divorce." " Dinos caused your divorce?" " Exactly, divorced from my ex-husband, an extraordinary man." "Good-hearted, rich..." " I fell a victim to Dinos." "He lured me with his beautiful words ..." " I know all about Dino's words." "A great story-teller!" " That's how he got me." "In the end, I became his lover." " I'm only human Mr. Anargyros." " We're all human Ms. Fifi" " One day, my husband... he ... caught us ..." " Redhanded." "That's also human Miss ..." " I deserved it but ... how am I supposed to live in poverty?" "in the end I'll end up a ..." " Don't say it!" "Oh God, don't say such things!" " ... a secretary - oh, what a disaster!" " ... or a manicurist" " How dreadful!" " I think I'd just kill myself" " Please don't, oh my God!" "... don't... don't ...." " I beg of you, don't cry Ms. Fifi" " Tell me something comforting ..." " Hard work is a noble and beautiful thing madam!" " Hard work?" " Certainly!" " How can you say that, when you spent all your life only to make 100 golden coins?" "that barely covers my perfume and flower costs" " 100 golden coins for perfumes and flowers?" " Yes ..." " For these 100 coins, you were deprived of everything in life" " Everything ..." " All pleasures of life." "Women, love ..." " I even quit coffee!" " And now you talk of hard work ..." " What else am I supposed to say Ms. Fifi?" "... don't you think I desired travels, luxuries, women, love, even coffee?" " Then ..." "Save me Mr. Anargyros." "Save me from hard work and humiliation, from eviction and suicide ..." "Save me, and I'll become yours!" " But how?" "with my 100 lousy coins?" " Not with them." "I mean the other ones ..." " ... the counterfeit ones!" " The counterfeit ones?" " Make coins for me Mr. Anargyros!" "Lot's of them!" " But I'd become a crook!" " Yes, a crook." "Aren't my eyes worth it?" " My God, I'm getting dizzy" " Me too, we'll travel together ..." " Venice, Paris ..." " Venezuela, Congo, Salonica ..." " We'll live in 5-star hotels ..." " Together!" " Yes!" "We'll dance in luxurious cabarets!" " Together!" " Together!" " But I don't know how to dance!" " I can teach you!" " Everything you missed all these years,you're gonna enjoy now!" " Everything you missed all these years, you're gonna enjoy now!" " Now!" " Dancing is an intimate embrace, an erotic prelude ..." "Just like this!" " This is how I got seduced by Dinos." "It's not my fault, I'm very easy to seduce" " It's Dinos!" " For God's shake, Dinos!" "Why are you doing this to me!" " Don't move!" " I won't" " Mr. Anargyros has just left!" " He did?" "When?" " A couple of minutes ago." " Where did he go?" " That way!" "If you run fast you won't miss him!" " I'm on my way!" " He's running?" " He's running ..." " Let him run" " And now?" "Where were we?" " That's where we were!" " Take me in your arms, Mr. Anargyros ..." " ... take me in your arms" " I'll take you ..." "I'll take you ..." "Let's take our camera away from here to avoid a PG rating" "Although, minors these days know a whole lot more than adults" "Let's look around the room" "Let's show vases, flowers, paintings, etc ..." "Just like in American movies, in similar situations" "Although this current situation is an educational one, because it shows us (cough) ..." "It shows how easily a poor fellow like Mr. Anargyros can be tricked ... and how a woman can trick the Devil himself" " How did you change your mind just like that?" " Don't ask how." "The important thing is that I did ..." " We must make coins!" "Lots of coins!" "5,000!" "10,000!" "20,000!" " Lower your voice Anargyros!" "They'll hear us!" " ..." "Did Ms. Fifi persuade you?" " She did her part!" " What do you mean?" " Forget about that!" "Let me think!" "... These "miraculous hands" are not enough to make the coins." "We need tools!" "... very expensive equipment!" "I hope my 100 golden coins will be enough ..." "Thus, Anargyros' 100 golden coins started vanishing one by one" "Turning Ms. Fifi's basement into a counterfeit lab" "Lab bench: 5 coins" "Press machine: 12 coins" "Metal lathe: 27 coins" "Furnace: 6 coins" "Precision scale: 9 coins" "And much more counterfeit equipment, as seen in criminology museums" "Total: 100 gold coins" "Poor Anargyros spent all his savings for Fifi" "That's how he invested all his capital, all his art, all his love" "It was hard work." "Starting from hard metals" "First: build the molds" "Next: carve out the preforms" "That's where he put all his talent" "All his talent   and Fifi did the same" "Afterwards, he weighted the metals,  he adjusted the gold carats lit up the furnace" "In a nutshell, he carried out all his bizarre alchemies" "And the big moment arrived." "... The big moment." "after all this effort, distress, fear ..." "The first coin finally came out" "A brand new, all round, shiny coin!" "A counterfeit coin, that, alas, costed a hundred gold ones!" " What's gotten into us." "Why can't we speak?" " A coin!" "Oh my God!" " We are rich!" " We are rich!" "We are rich!" " Calm down, Anargyros ..." " We are rich!" " We don't want you to die on us now, Anargyros!" " May I touch it?" "Perfect!" "No difference from the gold ones!" " Anargyros, do you have any gold coin left to compare?" " Not even one." " Do you know how much this costs?" " Yes, a hundred gold coins." " No, twenty years in jail." " It looks perfect to us because it's our creation" " Our child!" " I suggest we do an experiment before we continue production" " You should do it." "You work at a brokerage office" " No no!" "I would look suspicious." "That's my job!" " Who then?" " You, Anargyros ..." " Me?" " You Anargyros." " Me!" "I'm dead certain about it!" " Let's go Dinos" " No!" "I'll be watching from a distance" " I'll be here waiting." " Fine" " Wait!" "Look what you're wearing!" " You're right, what am I thinking!" " There you go ..." " We are ri.. we are rich my friends!" " The coin!" " Be confident, Anargyros!" "Confident!" " But this coin, sir, is counterfeit." " Counterfeit?" " Yes sir." "Listen!" "... the real ones sound like "dang dang dang dang" ..." " So, it's the sound!" " Yes sir." " Why are you so pale?" " Me?" "It's the gold coin that is pale!" " The coin is counterfeit." " Counterfeit?" " Counterfeit." " ... counterfeit ..." " Counterfeit!" " You think they've tricked me?" " Are you kidding me?" "You are shaking a leaf!" " I'm shaking?" " Yes, you!" "Wait a minute, you look familiar ..." "Don't you have a shop near the market?" "Didn't you make this ring for me?" "Gold is your trade and you're playing innocent!" "Should I call the cops now?" "Get out of my sight!" "Get lost you crook!" "Anargyros couldn't feel his legs when he heard the word "Cops"" "Meanwhile, Dinos disappeared, so, Anargyros wanted to break the news to him" "But what he saw almost gave him a heart attack!" "Apparently the cops were onto him after he started buying all these tools." "because that was Dinos' responsibility ..." "That's probably the cop who investigated the case!" "The man in grey suit and hat!" "That tall guy!" " Anargyros!" "Someone came and asked for you three times today." " How did he look like?" " A tall guy." " Tall guy?" "Grey hat?" "Grey suit?" " Exactly." "What's going on?" "It looked weird to me as well." " I'll explain, I'll explain ..." " So, did he ask anything?" " Of course he did" " What?" " Where your house is" " Oh god, and you told him?" " Of course" " You told him!" "Oh man, you burned me!" " What's wrong, Anargyros?" " Oh God oh god!" "We're done!" " The police!" "They're after us!" "They got Dinos!" "handcuffs!" "handcuffs!" " What are you talking about?" "When?" "How?" " They were investigating us!" "... a tall guy!" "Grey hat, grey suit!" "Now, I'm next." "And then, you!" "We'll be locked up!" " Save me Anargyros!" "Save me!" " Haha!" "It's every man for himself now!" "The evidence!" "We must destroy the evidence!" "To the basement, quickly!" " Don't abandon me Anargyros." "I did it all for you!" " The damn thing is so heavy!" " It was for our love, Anargyros!" " Gosh, it stinks!" " I'm gonna pass out!" " 100 gold coins wouldn't cover your flowers and perfumes huh?" "here's what's happened to my 100 golden coins!" "One cast: 5 gold coins" "Another one: 10 gold coins" "Coins, coins, coins!" "All of it!" "Get up!" "Stop slacking, give me a hand!" "Oh, the smell!" " This thing is so heavy!" " Don't abandon me, Anargyros!" "I love you Anargyros!" " I don't give a damn!" "cut the crap and lend me a hand!" "I almost broke my back!" " Now?" " The hammer!" "Give it quick!" " Now, what?" " Now, if you hear the doorbell, that would be the police open, and throw yourself in as well" "oh the stink... the stink!" " What can I say!" "Mr. Anargyros hasn't shown for days!" "Oh, there he is!" "Mr. Anargyros!" "Poor Anargyros was done." "There was nowhere else to hide   Nowhere, except the church!" "Oh Saints, forgive me!" "I got lured by Satan!" "I'm weak ..." "It was bad timing, as they say ..." "I didn't harm anyone except myself ..." "My 100 gold coins are all gone It serves me right!" "But I repent now, I repent ..." "Excuse me?" "You said something?" "I deserve all that's coming to me ..." "I ... must go now   I must ..." " Time to arrest me, huh?" " Arrest you, of course!" "I've been looking for you for 3 days after I've arrived from America." "My name is George Phil" " Philippidis?" " No, Philipopoulos" " Mr. Papadopoulos referred you!" " You mean, Mr. Pap?" " Yes!" " ... and what for?" " He tells me you are the most talented, most honest engraver in Greece." " Me?" "the most honest?" " Yes yes ..." " Pap said so?" " Yes, sure." " I want to build a church in my hometown" " Yes!" " I want the chancel to be made of silver." " All of it." " I want you to be the one who carves it!" " All, silver?" "Me?" "Thank you, Saints!" "You did your miracle!" "What were you doing at the brokerage office yesterday?" " Exchanging dollars ..." " Dollars!" " ... and I saw a crook getting arrested ..." " Did he make counterfeit coins?" " No, no!" "He was a thief." "Stealing from his boss ..." " So he wasn't making counterfeit coins!" "Cause that's what I heard!" " No, no" " No!" "Are you kidding?" "Counterfeit coins!" " Who would make counterfeit coins here?" "It's Greece!" " You're right." "It's Greece!" "So, Anargyros went back to his peaceful sleep, and his snoring ..." "From con artist, turned back into an artist ... went back to his old, honest way of life ..." "There was only a tiny hint of melancholy lingering on his face that bitter aftertaste haunting our hearts when we get tricked by love" "We've all been fooled by love at some point ..." "Love we thought was real, but turned out to be counterfeit ..." "Counterfeit!" "Indeed, he still had the counterfeit coin!" "... the last evidence." "Anargyros tried to decide what to do with the coin  hismasterpiecethatcouldn'tfoolanyone ..." "So, he decided to give it to the beggar." "He was blind after all ... but, after a few moments he heard the blind man shout:" " Hey, Mister!" "This one's counterfeit!" "The "blind" beggar at the corner wasn't blind at all" "He was simply a professional beggar" "I'm eyeless." "Spare some change for the blind" "His exceptional vision was hiding beneath his dark shades" "He would be in big trouble if the neighborhood's cop ever found out" " I hear people, yet I can't see people ..." " Here again?" "I told you it's illegal to beg here" " Who is it, my child?" " It's me, the policeman." " Do you want me to send you to jail?" " If your heart tells you so, my child ..." " I don't have eyes." "Life is darkness." " Fine, fine... stop crying ..." " Eyeless" " Let's see, for how long will I turn a blind eye ..." "There, some change from me ..." " Thank you my child" "May God take away days from my life and give them to you as ranks" "Eyeless ..." "May God give you peace" "What a hot babe!" "Long live my pasha!" "The blind man was furious about the counterfeit coin he received" "What the hell?" "As if he was some kind of a blind man!" "Thus, the counterfeit coin became his nightmare ..." "He abandoned his cozy corner which provided a steady income ... wandering around Athens, trying to cash it out" " Madam, can you please cash out this gold coin for me?" " First, I'm not a "Madam"   second, this is a gold coin as much as I am a "Madam"" " What is it then?" " It's counterfeit." " Like I can see my young man." "... Eyeless." " Where'd you get it?" " God sent it to me" " God doesn't make counterfeit!" "Go elsewhere." " It's not my fault my sweetheart" " I'm not "your sweetheart"" " Like I can see..." "...Eyeless." " Excuse me" " Eyeless, spare some change for the Eyeless ..." " Eyeless!" "Eyeless!" " Eyeless" " Relax!" "We heard you already" " ... hey, dear colleague - yes?" " Here, here ..." " Are you interested in buying a gold coin?" "I'm selling!" " Sure, where is it?" " There, there ..." " This is counterfeit." " You are counterfeit!" "... Eyeless." "That's how he spent all his day, until the night came ..." "The night is more preferable for cashing out a counterfeit coin" "Unless it's full of lights!" "How he despised all those who turned Athens into a modern capital   with neon lights and bright billboards" "The poor lad tried every place in the city" "There was no use though ... some made fun of him some confronted him some fell sorry for him   yet, no one cashed it out for him" "After accepting his defeat, he returned to his favorite corner which, to his surprise, was now occupied by another professional ..." " Hey handsome, can I have a light?" "How shy!" "Go back to your mommy ..." " Eyeless, spare a dime for the eyeless ..." " You're out of luck buddy." "I haven't had one customer yet." " Customer?" "Why, madam?" "What kind of proffesion are you in?" " "What profession I'm in"." "I'm a nun ..." " let me be ..." " Oh, I see ..." "You're one of those who get undressed for cash" " Is that a problem for you?" "Are you a policeman, or a priest?" " I'm the owner of this corner so..." "get lost!" " Hey, what'd you think you're doing?" "Camping like a fakir!" " This has been my corner for centuries now." "Get your business elsewhere!" " Why don't you move your blind ass to the next corner?" " I'll say that once more:" "This corner is mine!" " Yours?" "Where did you inherit it from?" "The Monastery?" " No, from my grandfather ..." "This very corn..." "Shut up, a customer!" "Eyeless, spare a dime for the eyeless!" " Hey handsome, can I have a light?" "Go back to your mommy ..." " Can't you see you're messing with my business?" " Why don't you move further?" " Oh, so that's how you want to play?" " The road is public property!" "I have the right to move freely" " Don't make me grab my stick!" " How funny!" "Are we playing "blind man's bluff"?" "How are you gonna aim, you blind idiot?" " I'll smash your head!" " Unless you can see!" " Eyeless ..." "What can I do, oh poor me ..." "I'll spare you ..." " Oh!" "I ripped my stockings!" "... and it was brand new." "it's also ripped here..." "Big time ..." " Blind my ass!" "You can see!" " I can finally see the light" " Shame on you, taking advantage of society" " Shame on you, for being a slut!" " Slut?" "You dirty hobo!" " Shut up you filthy ... (cough)" " I had to intervene here to keep things a bit cleaner ..." "The prostitue became furious because the beggar called her a prostitute" "The beggar became mad because the prostitute called him a beggar" "This is how a war was declared between them   for many nights" "Whenever a passenger neared the prostitute, the beggar would start his begging, a total mood-killer" "Whenever a good samaritan stopped by the beggar, the prostitute started flirting with him, killing the mood for charity" " Eyeless ..." "Spare a dime for the eyeless ..." " Hey handsome, can I have a light?" " I hear people, yet I don't see people ..." " Or maybe, you don't have a light?" " Of course I do ..." " I said eyeless!" "I've lost my eyesight!" " Why don't we go back to my place to smoke in privacy?" " Why not?" " Spare a dime, Christians, and don't be lured by sin!" " Come, and I'll make you some coffee" " Sin and diseases!" " Shut your mouth you dirty tramp, talking about diseases!" " beat it or I'll tell everyone what a crook you are!" " Try, I'll tell the cop what sort of noble woman you are!" " if the cop finds out that you ..." " shut up you witch, here he comes!" " Eyeless, spare a dime for the eyeless!" "(quickly, unload the money)" "I've lost my eyesight ..." "Living in darkness ..." " There you go, my poor man" "(damn you, you'll give it back)" " Here's a thousand for you - (you'll never see it again)" "Thank you dear Madam, God bless you!" "Peace be upon you!" " Good evening" " Good evening   who is it, my child?" " It's me, the policeman - oh welcome" " What kind of person is she?" "I see her too frequently lately" " How should I know?" "Like I can see ..." "... Eyeless." " Fine, fine ..." "Here's some change for you ..." " Thank you, oh kind sir!" "May God take days out of my life and give them to you as ranks ... Eyeless." "Nevertheless, he would give his eye just to see her in jail" "That's how much he hated her" "The feeling was mutual, of course" "But, no one dared snitch on the other because the old saying can be applied here:" ""One thief will not rob another."" "... and he didn't just waste his nights because of her   he also wasted every morning, trying to cash out the counterfeit coin he had been everywhere:" "barbershops, grocery shops, carpentries he went to at least 200 people from all walks of life" "The answer was always the same:" " Counterfeit" "There should be at least one idiot among two-hundred who could be deceived." " One, two, three, four, five   six, seven, eight, nine, ten   eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen ..." "But it's counterfeit!" "He was destined, it seemed, to be stuck with the counterfeit coin, and that prostitute" "But..." "How come he never thought of this:" "Give the coin to the prostitute" "It was a lightbulb moment" "A prostitute wouldn't examine the coin thoroughly and when she finds out ..." "It would be too late ..." "Moreover, that would be a rather pleasant revenge ..." " What the hell are you looking at?" " Why not?" "Is it against the law?" "I'm a man too ..." "Every now and then you lift your stockings then, you lower them then, you rip a hole in them ..." "It's tempting when you do it right in front of my eyes!" "... Eyeless ..." " Hey, handsome ..." " You too, back to your mommy" " smartass ..." " So, where were we?" " Go to hell you lousy beggar ..." "... I'm too good for you!" " You don't fancy me, your highness?" " Have you looked yourself in the mirror?" "with that dog-face, seeking romance!" " Oh those sweet words ..." "Thank you ..." "Who talked of romance Ms. "Crowded avenue"?" " So, what are you talking about?" " Money" " You'd better keep your nickels to buy some aspirin" " Nickels, huh?" "If you only knew how much I make per day ..." " Get off my back, dirtbag ..." "I'm not in the mood tonight ..." " Of course, who would show up this late?" "so, here's how much I earn per day ... about a ... gold coin ..." ""If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."" " Forget the horses and look at the coin." " What?" "Bring it here!" " Forget it." "Keep a safe distance" " Where did you steal it from?" " Me?" "Thanks to my honest labour." "I invest my savings in gold" " So ..." "You were speaking seriously?" " Do I look handsome now?" " Hot ..." " You'll give me change!" " Change?" "I don't have any" "I'll owe you ..." "I'll provide services ..." " Will you also make me coffee?" " A whole bucket, just for you" " Eyeless ..." " No, silly ..." "Let's go before that cop arrives." "He's giving me a hard time lately ..." " You're an amateur ..." "I've persuaded him to give me charity" " We can't be all smart like you, my little bird" " There we go, I'm her little bird" " Come on, I'll give you some birdseed..." " Quiet, not to wake the neighbors" " Where is your room?" " At the basement, go" " Is that a dragon snoring?" " No, my landlord" " Hey, have some patience" " I just can't wait ..." "Prostitution, let's not judge too harshly ... has its place in society, since the birth of society," "Many loveless, lonely people, outcasts ... looked for love in the paid illusion of a flesh without soul thirsty for a few moments of human tenderness" "All those incapable of love, bought this fake warmth" "In a sketchy decor..." "which looks the same in all parts of the world:" "A cheap room, a double bed a kitschy lampshade, usually red ... and a hint of imagination after all, it's all a matter of imagination" ""When the lights are out everyone looks the same"" "as for the payment, it's not so important ..." "The man always pays, even beyond prostitution:" "for the bakery, the butcher, the jeweler, the power company, the rent ..." "Prostitutes, at least, "ask for a fixed price"" " You wouldn't leave without giving me the coin ...?" " Huh?" "Relax, let me put on my clothes ..." "There's no rush." " It's morning already ... please hurry, I need you to go so that I can go back to sleep" "I'm so sleepy ..." " You're a nice girl you know ..." "What's your name?" " Maria" " How strange life is ..." "Until yesterday we hated each other ... and, now..." "I feel guilty for treating you so bad since the beginning." " That's water under the bridge ..." "Come, give me the coin, and you're OK" " Money, huh?" "Ah ..." "I wish I had loads of money ..." "First of all, I wouldn't be a miserable fraud ..." "You might ask:" "Why did I become "blind" ?" "A million idiots in Athens can't support a single smart one?" "As for you, I'd shower you in gold ..." "I'd give you anything you desired ..." "I mean it." "How about you, Maria?" "What would you do if you were rich?" " I would be sleeping alone" " You're right ..." "Let's get it over with ..." "That's life." "Cruel ..." " Where's the coin?" " My pocket has a hole" "You see, I shred my clothes because of my profession" "It probably fell on the street" "Don't waste your time, Maria ..." "It wasn't meant for me to fool you" " Fool me?" " Coin or no coin, same thing ..." " Why?" " It was counterfeit" " Counterfeit?" "So you tried to trick me!" "I slept with you for nothing!" "You scumbag!" "You filthy beggar!" " Watch your mouth." "Do you think you're better?" " What did I do to you?" "I'm just an honest prostitute!" " You started it first, as if you couldn't move a few blocks further." " Ugly bitch!" " Me?" "I'll smash your head!" "Dirty bump!" "Scumbag!" " You'll kill me, you crazy bitch!" "You're nothing but an ugly bitch!" "Woe to you if I start talking to the cop!" "You'll get locked up!" " What about you, pretend-blind?" "You filthy beggar?" "You low-life scum!" "Huh?" " What are you waiting for Mr. Policeman?" " Right away!" "Where are they?" " There." "Rid us from that filthy woman" " You dirtbag!" "Calling me a dirty bitch!" "I'll pull out your eyes!" "I'll blind you for real!" " Crazy bitch!" "This is my working equipment!" " Who is it?" " It's the police!" "Open!" "I said open!" "In the name of the law!" " Relax, you're not scaring anyone ..." "An early bird ..." " So that's your profession" " What did you think I was?" "A nun?" " Let's go to the Police Department" " put on some clothes!" " Thanks for worrying about me" " As for you, to think I gave you charity ..." " "The eye of Justice sees all things"" "... Eyeless ..." " So you're mocking me now?" "Come on, let's go!" "You too!" "Move it!" " Eyeless!" "So, the dark corner was now empty ... and constant, dull rain started falling ..." "But, there's no reason for melancholy." "Rain is not always melancholic" "Sometimes it's necessary to wash out the pavements" "Neither the prostitute, nor the beggar ever showed up only the coin remained there ... to be found by someone else." "because, "Counterfeit money never goes away"" "The story I'm about to tell you started a few months ago ... at some poor neighborhood which was buzzing with life ..." "There, lived also a young girl." "LittleFani,whowas livingahappy life" " Fani, what are you doing there honey?" " You're feeding the cats again?" " But the cat is hungry mommy!" " Yes, but this bread is for you." "Your daddy isn't working all day just to feed all the neighborhood cats." " Right sweetheart?" " Yes mommy!" " Little Fani!" "Fani!" " The doll!" "The doll!" " What will you give me in return?" " A kiss!" " My little angel!" "Here's your doll" " Mommy, mommy!" "Little Fani was so carefree." "With her mommy and her daddy living happily in a small room in the yard." "The father was a hard-working house painter" "With his small earnings nothing was missing from their small room which he painted white every month and it shined, just like family happiness does" "He hated being in debt ... and, if he ever owed, his brush was ready for action" " Mr. Panagiotis, I think I owe you some money" "Shall I paint the walls to make it even?" " Out of work again, Anastasis?" " Crisis!" "Crisis, Mr Panagiotis!" "Fill our bottle with olive-oil too and you'll get a first-class whitewashing for nothing!" "All right, I'll do it for you sake." "Fani, give me that bottle!" "Anastasis' brush was joyfully erasing the debts." "Just like that, the hard-working man was making ends meet." "Nobody ever said no to him." "Whitewashing for almost nothing was really appreciated by all shopkeepers." "So his brush worked wonders in all hard times and did justice to Anastasis even at the corner shop where Fani, his little angel, got her caramels from." "So, Anastasis had made it to whitewash all neighbourhood's shops in a row." "However, there was one and only man that couldn't be trifled with whitewashing and remained dark and dismal." "His landlord, Mr Mavrides (Mr Black)..." "I'm in no need of whitewashing!" "I don't want it." "I want the rent, the money!" "What a nerve!" "To turn me into a construction site for paying me off!" "But, Mr Mavrides, you own the whole block and you haven't had your house painted since the First World War!" "That's how I like it!" "Right!" "From the First World War!" "It's my right!" "It's my house!" "I can set it on fire if I like to!" "All right, Mr Mavrides!" "Don't get upset!" "You'll have a stroke!" "Help yourself to one of those, you jinx!" " The same thing every first of month!" " I've got no money, Mr Mavrides!" " How can I find it?" " By hook or by crook!" "Get the money by tomorrow, or I'll summon you and have you evicted!" "You won't have my head, I'll have yours!" " The rent, Miss Maria." " I have it ready for you." "Please, come in." "The old miser!" "For 30 lousy drachmas you'll end up homeless!" "I'm sure of that." "The other day he took Pantelis to court." "His furniture was taken outside, in the street, Anastasis!" " In the street!" " The rascal!" "Spoiled my appetite!" "Damned old stiff!" "No children, no pets to inherit his wealth" "Will he take all that money to the grave?" "He is also a loan shark!" "He sucks people's blood!" "By God, Mr Anastasis!" " He sucks people's blood!" " I know!" "He can even kill for a drachma!" "Come, my Fani!" "Eat up now!" " No more, mummy!" " Eat up, my sweetie, please!" "Eat it or I'll call Mr Mavrides and he'll eat it and you as well!" "Does he really kill people and drink their blood, dad?" "Sure he does!" "He makes a mouthful of children who don't eat up!" "Haap!" "Come now, eat!" "Eat!" "He's gone!" "Eat or he'll suck you all in!" "So, Mr Mavrides became Fani's boogeyman or sandman or whatever stupidity grownups traumatize children's souls with." "Every night she had a horrible nightmare:" "You won't have my head, I'll have yours!" "The rent!" "I want the rent!" "You won't have my head, I'll have yours!" " What is it my child?" " Mr Mavrides!" "Calm down, now!" "It was only a dream!" "Mr Mavrides!" "In other words, Fani was so scared of him that she imagined Mr Mavrides not as human anymore but as a fairytale dragon killing people and sucking blood." "Well well well now!" "Who's this nice little girl?" "Good heavens!" " What's this smell?" " Our meal, Vasilis dear!" "It's ready." "I know that." "But what's the menu?" "Smells like meat." " It is meat, dear." " Why?" "We had meat the other day Again?" "It's not the end of the world, Vasilis dear!" "I thought of making your favourite roast beef." "It's not my favourite!" "How can that be?" "At 42 drachmas a pound!" "How can it be my favourite?" "Just think of it!" "42 a pound!" " How much did you get?" " A pound." " A pound?" "Why?" " How much should I get?" "300 drams would suit us fine!" "There's only two of us!" "But we have a visitor today, did you forget?" "Your nephew, Kostas." "That phoney lawyer?" "How about that?" "Does he have meat at home daily always fishing for clients, this good-for-nothing?" "He's family, Vasilis dear!" "You never pay him for his services to you as a solicitor." "Pity me if I had to pay my nephews!" "Why spend money over Kostas?" "Meat!" "Just think of that!" "42 a pound!" "No more, Vasilis dear!" "That's enough!" "Stop it!" "I can't stand it anymore!" "Now, wait a minute, woman." "What's with you?" "What's with me, Vasilis dear?" "I can't stand hearing you anymore!" "Why meat, how much for meat..." "Why take this, why choose that..." "I can't stand it." "Too much simmering for me all these years!" "Come now, Evanthia, stop crying." "No, let me!" "All these years I've had this need to speak out!" "Or did we ever have a child to inherit us?" "You didn't even give me that, out of thrift!" "You big penny-pincher..." "Come on, woman." "Why grudge me?" "Do I not love you?" "Did I ever flirt around?" "No, Vasilis." "You are a good man." "Good but..." "money...." "If not for this handicap of yours, we'd be so happy." "What's with all our fortune, and owning the whole block and all the rents we collect?" "Look in the yard!" "The whitewasher and his wife are richer, without a dime but with their girl, their little angel!" "She really looks like an angel, a pretty little girl!" "I really feel like stroking her head when I meet her" "But she always starts shrieking!" "Why, Vasilis dear?" "What's she got against you?" "I wish I knew!" " Your nephew, Kostas!" " Okay, let him in." "Hello, Kostas!" "Welcome, dear boy!" "Good morning, auntie!" "I'll be right back!" " Good morning, uncle!" " Welcome, dear Kostas." "How are you, uncle?" "Can you smell it?" "Nice and roasted meat!" "Come, have a seat!" "Rent controls!" "Why rent controls?" "It's a public necessity, uncle!" "A housing shortage issue!" "So much for a lawyer to speak like that!" "Three dimes for a rent, 42 drachmas a pound for meat!" "Merchants raise flannel prices, shoemakers revel in theirs!" "Public necessity indeed!" "Then not only rent controls but also 'meat controls', 'flannel controls' and 'shoe controls'!" " Have another orange!" " Thanks." "Now... for evictions..." "Two are next in line:" "A greengrocer and a whitewasher." " What?" "Are you having them evicted?" " Since they don't pay..." "No, Vasilis dear." "It's a sin!" "They're poor people." "Hold it, woman!" "They are staying for free by the damned rent control!" " Should I treat them to it?" " Don't be cruel, Vasilis dear!" "No court yet." "Ask them once again!" "Please, do it for the little girl!" "Don't I deserve a favour, then?" "Well, all right!" "For your sake." "Don't proceed evicting them." " I'll try once more." " All right, uncle." "Come on, kitty!" "Now, that mum and dad are out I'll feed you a plentiful of bread!" "Eat it now!" "Why don't you?" "You're a bad kitty, you know that?" "Eat up or I'll call Mr Mavrides and he'll eat it and you as well!" "Good morning, Mr Mavrides!" "You still owe me for the stamps, Ms. Maria, don't forget that." "Come on, kitty, eat it!" "Well well well, they left you all alone here?" "Anybody else here?" "Shush, don't shriek!" "Why start shouting whenever you see me, honey?" "Are you playing here with the kitty?" "Good Heavens!" "Hey, lass, why hide under the bed?" "Come out, honey, I won't eat you!" "You're lying, you'll eat me!" "What's that talk, now?" "Why, sweetie?" " Anyone told you that I eat people?" " Yes, and you suck their blood, too." " Who says I do?" " Mum and dad, and everyone else." "Nobody loves you in this yard" " because every month you come asking for rent." " really?" " Is that why you don't love me, too?" " Yes." " Because I'm afraid you'll eat me!" " Don't worry, I won't." "I'm very fond of you." "Is this your dolly?" "This is it." "Dad gave it to me and I gave him a kiss." "What about me?" "If I let go off the rent, would you give me a kiss?" " No." " Why?" "Because you'd never let go off the rent." " You're a miser!" " A miser?" "Is that what your parents call me?" "Yes and my dad says that you're a damned old stiff who will die and take your money to the grave!" "Your dad should bite his tongue, all right!" "You won't have my head, I'll have yours!" "Don't eat me, Mr Mavrides!" "Help!" "He's eating me!" " Fani!" " Mummy!" " What's going on, sweetie?" " Is that so, madam?" "I'm a miser who'll take his money to the grave?" " Who says such things Mr Mavrides?" " You, your husband and the whole yard!" " This child told me." " Did she now?" "A child and a moron always speak the truth!" " No, Mr Ma..." " What's all this fuss about?" "Hold your horses, Mr Mavrides, harassing my wife and child!" "Daddy, daddy!" "He's here to eat us all and suck our blood!" " Hush, baby!" " There you have it!" "Are you not ashamed, you rascal, to frighten your child saying" "I eat men and suck their blood?" " Why?" "Are these lies?" "You could kill for a drachma!" "Because I demand my rents, eh?" "I shouldn't have listened to my wife and I should have taken you to court!" "How charitable of you!" "Your lousy rent!" "All right then, take us to court!" "Pity we have no money to throw it to your face!" " See you tomorrow, in court then!" " As you wish, old stiff!" " You rascal!" " You miser!" " You tramp!" " You grabber!" "Quiet!" "This is a court, not a yard!" "Yes, Your Honour!" "I came here for justice!" "Quiet!" "To throw me out for 30 lousy drachmas, Your Honour!" "Quiet or I'll lock you up both!" " Please, uncle!" " You mind yours!" "Anastasis, stay put!" "If you don't pay what's due, I cannot help you." "But I don't have it, Your Honour!" "We don't have it, Your Honour!" "The only I can do is to set a deadline for the end of the month." " Thank you, Your Honour!" " Let's go, Kostas!" "You're good-for-nothing!" "You never said a word!" "I want my money by the end of the month!" "I'll work and pay you off!" "Quiet!" "You see him, fighting over 30 lousy drachmas, Your Honour?" "Will the miser take it to the grave with him?" " Who died, dear?" " You don't know, lady?" " No." " The one in the coffin!" "Get lost, you little brats!" "Unfortunately, the one in the coffin was Anastasis..." "In this rotten world of ours, most of the time the wrong things happen." "So instead of the old miser taking his money to the grave the poor whitewasher passed away first." "'The Lord works in mysterious ways.'" "Shortly after starting work in a construction site, he slipped and fell in a pit,  a horrible end for a lifelong hard labourer." "So, little Fani became an orphan." "She and mother cried their hearts out and their life abruptly changed course." "Their small white room suddenly turned black, and mother started washing clothes for a living  and ended up sick with a high fever." "Hush, now!" "Little Fani, like an angel with her wings cut off,  took on the streets with a little flower basket in hand" "She stole the flowers from the cemetery every morning from the graves lying next to her father's..." "Have a small bunch from the orphan!" "'Have a small bunch from the orphan!" "'" "People simply passed by, indifferent." "Fani thought of going back to the neighbourhood, to the shopkeepers who knew her and would sympathize." "But no gain!" "Neither the grocer... nor the butcher... no one bought even one flower." "Then she started realizing how cruel society is she was only 9" "She tried coffee-shops, parks, big avenues kindly offering her flowers to strangers" "Have a little bunch from the orphan!" "Some bought..." "Some didn't..." "Autumn passed and winter came." "And Fani exhausted from fatigue, cold and hunger every night returned to sick mother's bedside and counted her miserable income..." " Were you cold, baby?" " I sold flowers today, mummy." "Ah, honey..." "There..." "Get half a pound of bread and 100 drams of olives." "Okay, my little angel?" " Yes, mummy." " Good girl!" "Also drop in at Mrs Mary's flat and tell her I'll go and wash her clothes tomorrow." "Are you crazy, Sofia, to get up and start washing again with a fever?" "Don't you worry, we are here for you." " I brought you some soup." " Thanks, Mrs Polykseni." "And some meat for little Fani." "Little Fani?" " Thank you." " Poor darling!" "How come I got such a nasty cold, Polykseni!" " It'll go!" "Have you got a fever?" " I have." "Oh, yes you have." "Now have some soup." "I have to get up and wash clothes 'cause I have to pay the miser's rents!" "Was the greengrocer evicted finally?" "The greengrocer was summoned and paid his debt." "He did, eh?" "How will I pay?" " What day is it today?" " The 18th of December." "Oh, my God!" "Almost the 1st of the month, and he'll also want the January rent." "1st of the month!" "Why not say New Year's Day?" "A hopeless New Year's Day, dear Mrs Polykseni!" "Hush, now!" "Don't cry, mummy!" "I don't want you to!" "I'm not crying, angel." "I'm not." "Your dinner, Fani!" " Wait, kitty!" " The darned cat!" "I have no more meat left for you, dolly!" "(New Year's Eve traditional carols)" "What a great New Year's Day with all rents left unpaid!" "Black New Year's Day!" " What is it again, Vasilis dear?" " New Year's Day is the worst for me." "How can I ask for the rent on such a day?" " What are you scribbling there?" " What else?" "Issuing rent receipts." "For the love of Christ, dealing with rents... on New Year's Eve?" "The day of Saint Vasileios?" "Your name day?" "My name day all right!" "That's another thrill!" "All relatives will come over for the pie with the golden coin in it." "You see, there has to be a golden coin so I get some name day wishes." "They really wish me to bite the dust and inherit my money!" "Stop nagging, Vasilis dear, and give me some money" "What?" "You will go shopping?" "You are capable of emptying a shop alone!" " All right, you go then!" " I will, then!" "I will, woman." "'Saint Vasileios is coming from Kaesaria.' (carol verse)" "He should have stayed there and save us the trouble!" "'Saint Vasileios is coming from Kaesaria' carrying gifts  and offering joy to all children of the earth." "All but little Fani..." "She remembered her dad when he brought her the doll and received a kiss." "Those were happy times!" "They seemed so distant now although only three months had passed from the death of her beloved father." "Tragic irony of fate had Fani find the coin in the street." "At first she thought it was a button but when she saw it glimmering, she became curious and kept it." "I found this in the street, mummy." "It's a... coin." "A gold coin!" "God's mercy upon us, Fani!" "We're saved!" "We'll pay off the miser and have the rest for New Year's Day, my baby!" "Now, go change it at the grocer's, Mr Panagiotis, okay?" " Right away, mum." " But be very careful, honey!" "Be careful!" "Don't let them cheat you!" "Keep your eyes open!" " Where did you get it?" " In the street." "It's no good, child, it's counterfeit." "Counterfeit?" "What's 'counterfeit'?" " How much do you owe?" " 40 drachmas." "If it were genuine, you wouldn't have found it in the street, child!" "Real coins are not found in streets." "She tried them all." "The baker, the greengrocer... even the corner shop who sold her sweets." "It's of no value, Fani!" "Why don't you give it to me for the shop window and I'll give you a caramel for it?" "Fani recalled her mother's words:" "'Don't let them cheat you!" "'" "They all wanted to cheat her." "Embittered as she was, she started back to her small room." "While the miser was walking on New Year's Eve,  how was it possible!" "With a pound in her hands?" "Little Fani!" "Why are you in tears, honey?" "I hope you won't start shrieking again?" " No..." " Not afraid of me anymore, eh?" "Not anymore, I'm a grownup now." "Good for you, dolly!" "Now, tell me" " Why are you in tears?" " I found a coin in the street." " A coin?" " Yes." "Mother sent me out to change it so as to pay off your rents." " And you lost it?" " No, I didn't." " A coin." "Let me see!" "Why didn't you come straight to me?" "I'd change it for you, child!" "Great luck on New Year's day!" "What's 'counterfeit', Mr Mavrides?" " Counterfeit?" " Yes." "No one would change it for me." "They said it's counterfeit." "Let me check it in the light spot." "Ha!" "Counterfeit!" "Mr Kostas wanted me to exchange it for a caramel." "Mother said we'll have a New Year's Day with this one but now we'll be left with no food." " No one would change it, eh?" " No one." "Your mum is still sick in bed?" "Yes, she is." "All right." "I'll change it for you." "Is a coin worth all this money?" "Keep the rents out of this." "If I let go off the rents, would you give me a kiss?" "I would." "Give it, then!" "What are you waiting for?" "Since my daddy died, no one gave me anything apart from you." "No one loves me anymore, nor do they give anything for free." "the greengrocer, the grocer, the butcher..." "Nobody buys flowers from me either!" "Are you selling flowers then?" "I pick them up in the cemetery, from rich people's graves that are near the grave of my poor dad." "You won't have to again, Fani." "I'd like to be your dad from now on." "You'll have all you need from now on" "My little daughter!" "Would you like it if I called you that?" "If I took up the place of your daddy in your heart?" "How's that, honey?" "Do you want me to?" "Bah, I'm in tears..." "There..." "Now, run to mummy and give her this piece of meat to cook." "Come back here!" "Here's some spaghetti, too." "Take this, too." "Take this and this..." "Now run along, Fani." "Shall I tell her you gave me all these things?" "No, it was Saint Vasilis (Santa Claus) who carries gifts to children every New Year's Eve." "Vasilis, still here?" "Haven't you gone shopping yet?" "No, I was just about to." "Wait!" "I also need the gold coin for the pie!" "Does it really have to be a gold one?" "But you know, Vasilis dear, there's no other way!" "It's the custom for the year's good luck!" "That's how we got it from our fathers and grandfathers." "All right, no shouting!" "So, you want a gold coin?" "Here's your gold coin!" "Happy New Year, dear Vasilis!" "Happy New Year!" "I guess there's no better New Year's gift than the gold coin in New Year's cake." "unless the gold coin is counterfeit..." "This time the coin was found by two persons at the same time becausetheknifehit the coin right between two pieces of the cake," "Aliki's piece and Pavlos' piece..." "This was considered a great sign of good luck for a couple of newlyweds in love like Pavlos and Aliki were." "And the new year started full of dreams and hope in their humble penthouse love nest." "This coin is all our fortune..." "Indeed!" " We have nothing else besides that." " What about our love, Pavlos?" " Say 'no regrets'!" " Regrets about what?" "That we eloped." "Aliki, I'm poor." "I could never provide anything up to your former life." "Why poor?" "You're forgetting this." "Our coin!" "Say we'll never give it away." "We'll always keep it, as a token of our love." "I swear, my love!" "We'll never ever spend it." "Our pretty little coin?" "So, what's there to eat today?" "No idea!" "As my legal spouse you're now responsible for that!" "Agreed?" "Yes, of course... but when we eloped the other day I hadn't in mind that we need to eat." "We were lucky enough yesterday!" "We went to wish that stingy uncle of yours a happy name day and he kept us for dinner." " And we also won the coin..." " Any other uncles for today?" " Let me see..." " Well, I've got a very distant one..." " How distant?" "Oh... he's living in Kalavryta" "Darling..." "Let's spend it then!" "Oh no!" "We swore never to." "Give it to me." "Yesterday I saw a savings pot over there." "There it is!" "Where did you ever find this really?" "What sort of savings pot is this?" " It's a model." " What model?" " I once sketched a bank ad..." " An ad?" "You know, a hand dropping a coin in the pot and it is written below "Save your money inside"!" " Did you get paid for that?" " I did!" " No kidding?" " Of course." "I spent it all but I still have the pot." "Don't worry, Pavlos!" "I believe one day you'll be famous." "Your paintings will sell like hot cakes!" "And I'll be your wife." "The famous artist's wife..." "I love you, Pavlos!" "I love you!" "Just a moment!" "Say that once again." "I love you!" "Come, come here." "Sit up there quick." "What's wrong with you?" " Come, say it." " I love you!" "Don't move an inch!" "That's it!" "This 'something' I've been searching all my life!" "The subject!" "This will be the greatest painting of my life" ""I love you"" "A woman's expression saying "I love you"" " I love you." " Don't move, sweet Aliki!" "That's how Da Vinci painted Gioconda!" "He was in love with Mona Lisa but didn't know if she felt the same." "And this expression..." "this enigma... he didn't know whether it was tenderness or irony." "That's what he painted." "That's what Gioconda's smile is." "The uncertainty!" "But I won't paint uncertainty." "I'll paint certainty." "I'll paint 'I love you'." "I love you!" "I love you, too!" "So, Pavlos worked on the portrait struck by inspiration and passion." "No other model in the world could give him the true expression of the subject he wanted to paint but Aliki." " Tired, my love?" " No, Pavlos." "A bit to the right, please?" "You lost your posture." " Is that better?" " There!" "And, above all, don't lose your expression." "'I love you!" "'" "I love you." "Same thing took place every day and the portrait was held back..." "Poor Pavlos was so much in love and Aliki was so sweet every time she said 'I love you' that painting stopped and love took over..." "Great endless love, which poets, the silliest of people,  believe is fed only on kisses and vows and it is located in the heart..." "A human body also has a stomach, unfortunately an organ with urgent needs, even for lovers..." "Grocers, butchers, greengrocers are not necessarily of poetic nature." "They refused any more credit when they found out poor painter's deeply rich father-in-law couldn't bear the sight of his daughter since she run away from home without his consent." "The only one poetically inclined was the tavern owner whose dream was to see his tavern walls  decorated with Plaka alleyways and a huge moon painting..." "He particularly insisted on the moon." "It definitely had to be yellow." "Yellow!" "Yellow like kefalotyri cheese!" "But moon isn't yellow, old Yannis." "The moon is rather silver!" "No, it's yellow, my dear." " Do you know why?" " Why?" "From too many nightouts!" "Whatever our old Yannis wishes!" "Yellow it is!" "And I'll stick to our agreement." "Free lunch and dinner for a month!" "Cheers!" "So, old Yannis' yellow moon became the young lovers' honeymoon..." "A long month of immense hardship referred to as 'bohemian life' in romantic novels..." "'Bohemian life...'" "The rich girl that followed the poor artist to the penthouse... lived this bohemian life with the purest romantic will looking through the prism of love..." "I love you!" "A genuine 'I love you'  without any lies... without any inhibitions... without any doubts... but also without any new shoes, to replace her sole pair." "A thing Aliki didn't consider at the night of kidnapping, leaving behind 32 pairs of shoes in the closet of her room." "That's more shoes than the shop window exhibited." "I love you." "'I love you!" "' without a marble bathtub with running hot water... but with a tin can of water half-boiled on a shabby primus stove shivering in freezing winter..." "I love you!" "'I love you!" "' with piles of debts and unpaid bills likewise." "Then, one day the unfeeling companies cut off water supply..." "Besides water, they cut off the gas... and, as if that wasn't bad enough, they cut off the power in the end..." "For the first time Aliki seriously thought about that 'I love you,' that 'I love you!" "' that started flickering like a candle flame... that 'I love you' that started freezing little by little  every time she had to pose for the portrait." "I love you!" "No, Aliki." "This isn't the expression." "You spoiled it." "You must hold the same expression and the same posture!" "I love you..." "No, darling, for God's sake." "That's not it." "How can I work without your assistance?" "Come on darling, try once more." "Try find the right expression." "'I love you!" "'" "'I love you!" "'" "Aliki!" "What's wrong, darling?" " Have I made you so unhappy?" " No, Pavlos..." "It's nothing." "I'll be all right." "I don't know... why tears come to my eyes." "But I do know why." "Our life is not easy at all." "Come, come!" "I love you, Pavlos!" "I love you, please believe me!" "I love you, too, that's why I can't stand seeing you suffer." "Come on, that's enough." "Come!" "Let's go out and have fun." "Wait and see where I'll take you to!" "Time to smash you, my pretty pot!" "No Pavlos, no!" "Is it because we swore never to spend the coin?" "This is nonsense!" " When my wife is starving..." " It's no use, Pavlos." "Soon your wife will be starving again and you will, too." "What are you trying to say?" "I mean... that instead of painting me why not finish old Yannis' tavern?" "Making these silly yellow moons on all the walls?" "He likes them and he is paying for them." "Of course he is!" "Even more if I brush the doors and windows with leftover paint." "I'm no house painter, Aliki." "I'm an artist!" "So, don't paint doors and windows, Pavlos." "Plenty of other jobs can earn you money." "You said about that ad sketch of this pot, didn't you?" "I don't feel like drawing any pots or moons." "I'm no tradesman, I'm an artist!" "But that's no reason for starving to death." "I don't care about myself, Pavlos." "I care about you, you've grown so much thinner lately." "What will become of you?" "What the use of fame if you get sick and I lose you?" "I don't work for fame, Aliki." "I do paintings because I just feel the need to." "Perhaps, I shouldn't have dragged you into this." "An artist should never get married." "You don't love me, Pavlos!" "No, Aliki." "Of course I do." " Where are you going?" " I wish I knew where..." "Well done!" "I'm finished, old Yiannis." "Everything painted." "Tables, windows, all done." " Anything else?" " All's well." "Paying time!" "Come on, hurry up!" "Let's see... 1, 2, 3 4, 5" " Thank you very much." " Goodbye!" " Hey, come back!" "Don't forget your clothes." " Cheerio!" " Take care!" "Aliki!" "Aliki!" "Aliki!" "Aliki!" "Aliki!" "..." "I'm going back to father." "I don't want to stand in your way." "An artist should never get married." "Forgive me for leaving 'I love you' unfinished." "Leaving 'I love you' unfinished..." "I love you!" "I love you, too." "Aliki returned to her father's, giving no explanation for her break up with Pavlos." "This was a page finished, a strictly private affair." "Her father opened his arms and never asked about anything too and the divorce proceedings was simply a lawyers' thing finishedwithinafew monthstime ." "In the summer, Aliki joined her father in their mansion  and found the pace of her old life again..." "Her marble bathtub... her trusted nanny... her lush wardrobe and all this great luxury she missed for this short period time while in the artist's shabby penthouse..." "What she didn't recover though...  was her smile..." "Has father come back from the factory?" "Yes, half an hour ago." "He's in the garden with Mr Dimitris." "That's why all that fuss about wearing my white dress?" "I brought you up from the age of 5, Aliki, since your mother passed away... so I consider you as my own child." "You can't spend your whole life like this!" "It's time you answered Mr Dimitris' proposal." "He's a good and earnest young man that will help you forget soon." " I have nothing to forget!" "Please, Mrs Katerina, drop this conversation." "All right, my baby." "I'll drop it." "The Bank will give you credit." "You can be sure of that." "The manager himself told me." "They all hold you in great esteem." "If I manage to import the new machines," "I won't need anyone's help." "I'll push production on three shifts and flood the market with merchandise." " When are you leaving?" " I'm ready to go." " Where to?" " Paris, London, Rome..." "A month trip at the most." "Ah!" "There comes Aliki!" " Hello, Aliki." " How are you, Dimitris?" " You're wanted on the phone, sir." " Coming." "Excuse me." "You can go on with your chat." "I have some more calls to make before lunch." "Your poor father does his best to leave us two alone." "Shouldn't we make him happy, Aliki?" "We could make him so happy, living with him in this house." " Why insist Dimitris?" " Because I love you, Aliki." "I've always loved you, ever since you were a little girl." "And because I always believed the day of marrying you would arrive." "I love you, too, Dimitris." "But as an old childhood friend." "Shall I prove it?" "There..." "You see?" "I can even kiss you." "Like kissing an older brother, if I had one." "An older brother or a childhood friend who solved your math problems when you were at school." "Remember?" "I'm not a schoolgirl anymore, Dimitris!" "Still you have a major problem to solve." "I could help you with it even right now." "No problem is troubling me." "No, Aliki, it's obvious in your face." "In this melancholy cute face I've been studying for three months now no matter how hard you try not to reveal your secret." " You're still in love with the artist." " No more of that talk, Dimitris!" "Let me finish..." "You still love him." "You're worried that you lack the strength not to run back to him." "That's why you have to make a bold step, to react and secure yourself." "Marry me, Aliki." "So there are men who can settle for a thing like that?" "It's the worst kind of love." "The desperate kind, Aliki." "I could accept anything so as to have you." "After that, you'll be my wife." "I know my wife will be honest in her decision for a new life." "A whole new life, ahead of us." "Let me think about it, Dimitris." "On one condition, though." "We'll never talk about the part of my life I spent with someone else." "This is something not belonging to you." "Aliki and Dimitris got married  and the newlyweds left immediately for their honeymoon the schedule of which was combined with Dimitris' business transactions." "For ten days in Paris, Aliki bought dresses hats and loads of other pretty things." "For ten days in London, she picked up some gorgeous furs." "And the last ten days in Rome, Dimitris, after finishing business, bought her a most elegant and most expensive bracelet." "So honeymoon came to an end, and Aliki returned to Athens sadder than she was before leaving." "She inadvertently remembered another happier honeymoon she spent with Pavlos in a humble neighbourhood tavern." "Where would you like to go tonight, my love?" " Do you know what I feel nostalgic for?" " What?" "Something nowhere to be found around Europe." "A small Athenian tavern." "Shall we dine at a Plaka tavern tonight?" "That's a splendid idea, Aliki!" "I'm so glad you show initiative for a change." "To Plaka, Yannis!" "I know a very nice, detached little tavern" "I'm sure you'll enjoy." " Welcome!" "Any preference?" " This table..." "It's a nice little tavern!" "You were right, Aliki." " What will you serve us?" " Old Yiannis will take your order." "I hope the cuisine is good, too." " Oh, Dimitris!" " What is it, dear?" "My bracelet!" "I must have dropped it in the car." "Your bracelet?" " Will you, please, have a look?" " Right away." " Good evening, dear Aliki!" " How are you, old Yannis?" "Thank God, I'm all right." "You?" "So am I." "How's Pavlos?" "A good question!" "He's been very sad ever since your breakup." "At first he used to come here every night and sit alone and miserable at this very table." "Every night!" "Getting drunk..." "Don't you see him anymore?" " What's his life like nowadays?" " He lives in poverty." "I pleaded he painted more moons on my walls to no avail..." "He has this fixation with painting in the penthouse." " Day and night!" " So, he paints?" "Yes but what's the point?" "Who buys paintings these days?" " Perhaps someone now at the exhibition." " What exhibition?" "He is exhibiting his work at a gallery for a week now." "It's in the papers, didn't you know?" "No, I didn't." "I'll go buy a framed picture for the tavern to aid the poor guy, cause... he's in dire straits!" "I can tell you that he's starving." "No other way of helping him, proud as he is, you know how he is" "Yes, I know." "I looked thoroughly, Aliki." "No bracelet." "I'm sorry." "Now I remember I wasn't wearing it tonight." " What will you have?" " Two glasses of wine to start with." "Yes, sir." " A cigarette please, Dimitris?" " With pleasure." "What's bothering you, Aliki?" "Nothing, nothing..." "We had an agreement before our marriage, Aliki." "I was never to talk to you about something not belonging to me." " Tonight we'll make an exception." " What do you mean, Dimitris?" "Looks like the painter is having considerable success..." "There's a rave review in the paper about his first exhibition, going on for a week now." "Yes, I know..." "Yes, I read it myself accidentally" "I can't see the connection with our agreement." "Besides the review, the paper has a photo of a portrait titled 'I love you.'" "A portrait with your face in it." "I'm not sure if the artist has the right of exposing you." " Jealous, as always, Dimitris." " Terribly." "And I think as a husband I am entitled to demand that he withdraws the portrait from the exhibition." "That would be thoughtless." "If it bothers you so much, you can withdraw it by other means." "Buy it!" "You're right." "Simpler that way." "We'll go to the exhibition tomorrow." "Together!" "I'd look totally ridiculous alone." "As you wish." "There it is." "Not as good as the model, for sure." "You're much more beautiful, Aliki." "No 27." "'I love you!" "'" "That's strange." "It's the only one without a price." "There must be someone to ask about the price." " It's not for sale, sir!" "Perhaps the model was sold once, but this one, no." "This is absolutely mine." " So, that was the painter?" " Yes, that was him." "Let's go, Dimitris!" "Now, you shouldn't imagine that after this incident any novel-like tragic incident occurred." "Life has even more tragic finales." "Time crushes everything." "The years went by fast." "It is, alas, inevitable." "Aliki submitted to the conventional life most rich married couples share." "where wealth is gradually taken for granted finally becoming an indifferent thing." "She also became a good mother giving birth to a son looking exactly like his father." "So people considered her marriage as happy like with all logical marriages not based on passionate love." "Passionate love remained in her heart..." "No calendar ever managed to erase it." "She never again met Pavlos who developed into an acclaimed and famous artist..." "Pavlos became what he always wanted to be." "A true artist, a 'bohemian.'" "Free from any engagement that would force him  to make compromises in his life and art." "Aliki always followed his steps from afar reading with pride and secret joy about him in the papers which mentioned his name again and again." "Would Pavlos have remained a true artist  had he taken over a family burden on his shoulders?" "Or would his talent have been buried  in some graphic design studio sketching commercial ads?" "Pavlos remained a true artist, a bohemian, who never cared about being broke, and being broke was his permanent condition." "since great artists' works become priceless usually only after their death..." "Such was the case when he remembered his forgotten gold coin in the pot, the coin that had united him and Aliki" "How many memories it brought back!" "And the coin?" "The coin was still there." "No use keeping it any more, though." "Hello!" "Can you please change this coin for me?" " It's counterfeit, unfortunately." " Counterfeit?" "All right then..." "Counterfeit?" "He couldn't help it." "He would be just penniless for yet another day..." "He didn't care, as he could enjoy the autumn sunshine... and head to Zappeion Park to browse around a new painting exhibition..." "Pavlos!" "Aliki!" "How are you, Pavlos?" "Long time, no see." "Yes, it's been too long." "We never happened to meet." "Is it too late for me now, 7 years later, to apologize for what I said to you in that gallery?" "Your first exhibition." "I feel terribly guilty for the things I said." "Well..." "when I saw you with...." "He was my husband." "Yes, I know." "You must have hated me that day." "I didn't hate you, Pavlos." "How could I?" "I didn't hold a grudge against you either." "I could never hold a grudge against you." " How's life?" "Are you happy?" " I am." "Happy that you became a famous artist." "What you always wanted... and what you truly deserved to be." "Yet, I often wondered if this is worth of being alone in life." "'Artists should never get married,' eh?" "Remember?" "I always do." "Everything was so beautiful then, the penthouse..." "the hole in the blanket!" "The pot with our one and only coin!" "I broke the pot and the coin was counterfeit." "Counterfeit?" "The coin we swore on our love never to spend was... counterfeit!" "But our love was real, Pavlos." "And my portrait?" "what became of my portrait?" "It's the only thing I have from you, Aliki." "I never sold this portrait." "It's always been in the penthouse, over my bed." "When I feel lonely..." "disheartened..." "I talk to that portrait as if it was alive and listening." "I tell her... my dreams, my worries, my bitter sorrows..." "No matter what I say ... she'll always answer..." "I love you!" "I love you, too!" "We lost track of time, Pavlos." "I'm late." "My husband and child are expecting me." "I'm sorry." "Nobody is expecting me." " Goodbye, Pavlos." " Goodbye, Aliki." "That was 'I love you'." "It didn't end and it never will..." "A great love starting with a counterfeit coin which is, now, useless..." "In this story, however, it's not the coin that is fake ..." "It is money, in general, that is fake ..."