16
The encounter
London, March 2010
Eleni was in the middle of cooking an elaborate meal, one of those which she knew in advance Chloe would turn her nose up at. Yet cooking had always been for her a soothing space she could immerse herself in when the going was tough. Just like my father, Eleni thought, and cringed.
Chloe’s yell made her turn abruptly and drop the wooden spoon, which landed with a bang on her naked toes. Drops of hot olive oil splashed on her foot and made her jump. ‘What’s the matter?’ she said to Chloe, thinking for a moment that she had fallen off her high chair. Chloe normally loved sitting on her high chair watching her mother cook. Eleni would give her various scraps of food, cuts of vegetables and fruit, pieces of bread and cheese and the occasional fancy crisp
