The Silent Minority

purpose for it would go on strike. Others are doing it for me. Here, the law of reciprocal action takes effect in the most natural way."

  "I don't understand."

  "When I helped the elderly lady with the wood I did not do it wanting back anything for my gesture. I just did it because I thought that was the right thing to do. Now, the law for reciprocal effect may be slow sometimes but surely it will close its cycle by a visible or symbolic effect without man being aware of it. Sometimes it will happen even in the beyond, but it surely will happen.

  "Now you help me for a reason. You don't really know what; you are just doing it because you feel this is the right thing to do. You don't expect anything for it. In fact, you lose rather than gain in material sense. You see, the time I helped the elderly lady was the time where she used that time for reflection. She was gathering the good thoughts and erasing the bad ones of her life. That was her concern, and for her to live a little longer was meaningless. So those who say that when you help a stranger you actually are helping yourself are absolutely right.

  "So here I am regenerating myself in order to help others while you are helping me without knowing that you actually are helping yourself. This is how things work... or at least how things should work. And so here you come for the case. I tell you I would never give it to someone else, although many big lawyers offered their serves free for publicity purposes. I knew you would come."

  "Then we will make it official. How do they treat you here anyway? Have you any complaints at all?"

  "Not at all."

  "Very well then. I will register as your official attorney and from tomorrow we'll start working."

  APHRODITE

  Michael was waiting at the boarding area in Athens airport to take his flight back home. The announcement came from the P.A. speakers for the passengers to start boarding.

  He leisurely joined the back of the queue but he noticed a young lady right in the front of the queue. She had long black shiny hair down to her waist. He was sure this was the girl with whom he had coffee in Patmos, although he could not see her face.

  He boarded the plane, and the moment the seatbelt sign went green he set off up and down the aisle looking for her. When he could not find her he assumed he'd made a mistake so he left it at that.

  When they reached his home airport, he noticed the girl again right in front of another row waiting for her passport to be checked. It took a while for him to pass the checking point and he quickly went to the baggage area. She was not there, but as he was lifting his backpack he got a glimpse of her from the corner of his eyes as she moved into the customs area. He moved fast but the line was full so he went to another line. She finished first and was walking towards the exit when he finally caught up with her.

  "I knew it was you!" he said. "I saw you in Athens Airport and I looked everywhere, but now finally I caught up with you."

  "Oh yeah? And where did you look?"

  "I was going up and down the whole aisle. I could not find you!"

  By this time they reached the waiting area where relatives and friends came to pick up their loved ones.

  "Did you look in business class?"

  "No; are you a business woman?"

  "No, but my father is, there he is with my mother waiting for me."

  "I am sorry it never occurred to me..."

  "Of course it wouldn't occur to you." She walked towards her parents and he said quickly, "Tomorrow at one o'clock I will wait for you in front of the general post office for lunch."

  She turned and looked at him but he had no idea why. He was annoyed with himself for not thinking of something more original.

  I don't even know where this place is! He thought.

  Michael found a nice modest hotel. He had a shower and went to bed, but his mind kept returning to the girl. Did she like him? Would she come tomorrow? What if she didn't? Why wouldn't she?

  He just could not take it anymore, so he dressed and went out.

  He wandered in town for a while. He thought of ringing some friends but changed his mind; right now too many things occupied his mind between the girl and the Teacher's case. Whenever he tried to think about the case, his mind would drift away to her and would be lost in thoughts without achieving anything.

  This cannot go on, he thought, so he decided to go to the movies.

  After that he went to eat something and finally he went to his hotel room. It took him some time but finally he fell asleep.

  In the morning he had a shower and shaved, put some fresh clothes on, and off he went.

  Today he decided not to think about her any more. Either she comes or not, he thought. If she comes that would be good, but if she doesn't come she probably didn't like me anyway, so it's not be worth worrying. He went to the rendezvous prepared for the worst.

  He was there ten minutes before one and waiting until seven minutes past when he decided to go. When someone bumped into him he raised his head and there she was, saying, "We have to stop meeting like this."

  "Don't say that," he said. "If we did not bump into each other the first time we would never have met."

  After some formalities Michael asked, "Is there any particular cuisine you like?"

  "There are quite a few nice restaurants in the lane back there," she replied. "Let's walk there. We will find something."

  There were some nice restaurants, mainly for white-collar workers and businessmen. Michael allowed her to choose the one she liked and they settled down.

  "You seem to know the places around here," he said. "Do you live nearby?"

  "No, my father's offices are not far from here. I come often to visit him or to work so I know the place."

  "In what line of business is your father?"

  "He is in real estate business but more into land development lately. How about you? Are you still in the bakery business or in the television industry or what?" she said, laughing.

  "Actually right now I am on a special mission that I cannot explain, but I will go back to law very soon."

  "So you are into law now too?" She was unable to hide her amusement.

  "Not right now but very soon."

  "Criminal law or..."

  It was as though an electric current hit him. He got up and said, "Criminal law..." as though he was figuring out something. "You don't mind if we have the meal a bit later do you?"

  "Well... no but what do you want to do in the meantime?"

  "I want to go somewhere. Come on, I will get a taxi. We will be back in less than an hour."

  "Can't we go with my car? It's at the corner near by the garage."

  "Okay, let's go."

  They hurried to the garage, and as she unlocked her car he asked, "What kind of car is this?"

  "It is a Boxster. My father gave to me for my twenty-first birthday."

  "A boxer?"

  "No. A Boxster. It is a German car."

  "Like a Mercedes?"

  "It is a Porsche. Gosh, don't you know anything about cars?"

  "Not much."

  "Can you drive at least?"

  "Oh yes, but only the automatic ones."

  "That is something! Where are we going?"

  "You follow this road. I will direct you."

  Finally they arrived outside the television network. "We'd better stop here," he said.

  They parked the car outside the establishment and walked to the checkpoint at the main gate.

  "Hello," said the boom-man. "I know you. You are the guy that brought in the Teacher. Are you still working here? I haven't seen you for a while."

  "I am in a special mission," Michael said.

  "I need an I.D. for the young lady."

  "Don't worry, she is with me," he said and ran towards the park holding her hand.

  "You can't do that! The boom-man yelled behind them.

  "It's okay, don't worry," Michael called back.

  They reached the spot where the ex-vice-chairman died and Michael bent down and started to search the area. Suddenly h
e saw what he was looking for in the bushes.

  I was right after all! he thought.

  He again grabbed the girl's hand and started towards the gate in a hurry. The boom-man was not there, for the moment they rushed in he had rung the management office.

  When the managing director heard what had happened, he rang back, asking if he was sure of the intruder's identity. The boom-man said surely he was the one.

  The managing director rang the presenter to see if he knew anything about it. "Is he here?" he asked.

  Then the managing director rang the boom-man again and said, "Take me to the place they went."

  The boom-man left his spot and went to the main door to find the managing director but as soon as he opened the door he saw him together with the presenter and the CEO.

  "Are you sure he was the one?" asked the managing director as they meet.

  "I am positive sir." The boom-man took the others to the park. "I saw him bending over here as though he was looking for something," he said.

  "This is the place where the vice-chairman of the WCFET died. I wonder what he is up to and where are they now?" said the managing director. He looked about, but they had already gone.

  They were in the car driving back to the restaurant.

  They sat in the same table in the same chairs and, after a big deep breath, she said. "Now what was that all about?"

  "It is part of the special mission I told you about."

  "It has something to do with the Teacher the boom-man mentioned?"

  "Yes."

  "And what this has to do with you?"

  "I am investigating something."

  "Are you a private investigator now?"

  "Sort of, but not officially."

  "Is the Teacher the guy that the whole media was occupied with a few months ago?"

  "That is the one."

  "And what do you have to do with him? He