8Maria Christina went directly to the winter room and washed and dressed her sister and put a piece of bread in her pocket, then went about her other duties the rest of the day with a great deal of care, but without any feeling whatsoever. It was Panorea who told Zoitsa her mother was with God and Pappou. Zoitsa did not embrace the idea as she had with Pappou and wanted to know “Why?” It was a simple question that no one seemed to be able to answer to her satisfaction.
The next day at Agios Demetrius, Matoula’s coffin stood alongside Irini’s. For Papa Yiorgos it was the most difficult service of his life, and when he faltered or simply stopped in the middle of reading the text, one of the other priests would continue, but not until they waited a moment for the pastor to recover.
Tatamare
