The Golden Earrings

I was born in 1935 so was 6 - 7 during the war. I remember those events very well. No matter how young you might have been, these things are imprinted on your memory for the rest of your life.

After the harvest had been gathered, valuers came and asked “How many does your family consist of?”

They would then leave you what they considered was sufficient to feed the family and take the rest. The Italians stored the barley in Konsolas’ house. My father had baptised Nikos, Konsolas’ son and they had been good friends. To avoid the family starving by allowing the Italians to have all the barley, my father went to Konsolas and said “My good friend, to avoid the brigadier, the Italian officer, taking all the barley, suggest that he comes to my house for a present instead of taking all of it.”

Konsolas replied, “We cannot do that until you bring some of your barley so people can see that you brought it and then we can work out what to do.”

So my father brought some of his barley and Konsolas had already told the officer he would be given some gold and jewellery. My father had a small suitcase containing rings, gold pocket watches and their cases and gold sovereigns from America, some of two pounds, some of five. He showed them to the officer and said “Take what you want but leave us enough barley so that my children will not starve.”

The officer replied “I shall take the sovereigns and the watch cases. I have two daughters and I shall have them made into necklaces.”

The cases were gold and beautifully painted. They had painted on them little martins and roses. The Italian takes them then looks around the kitchen and sees me, a little child. “I also want the earrings worn by that little girl”, he says.

My father looks as if the heavens had fallen on him!

“You are a father! You must understand! How can I take my daughter’s earrings out of her ears? Take whatever else you want.”

“No!! I want those earrings!!”

My father came and hugged me and said “My child, would you rather we all go hungry or give him the earrings?”

“We shall give them to him!” I said.

With shaking hands he removed the earrings from my ears. He gave them to the Italian and said to me “Don’t be sad, my daughter. At the first opportunity, I shall make you new golden earrings. These were not good enough for you anyway!!”

The Italian left and our barley was safe.

Time passed and I was still in the elementary school when the war ended and my father and other men in the village heard from Athens that the company they had worked for before the war had built a new factory and wanted them all to go and work for the company in Athens. So, he went to Athens. Even though he had given me another pair of earrings, he never forgot what had happened. He never forgot his promise. He never forgot because it hurt him so much.

As soon as he had his first wages in Athens, he had earrings made for me from gold coins. When a woman from the village was returning to the island from Athens, he gave her many things to deliver to us. And he said “You will give my daughter these also.”

I remember it was night time when she arrived and we went to collect the things our father had sent. After she had given us everything, I don’t remember exactly what things, she turned to me and said, “Come, Hadjiena, I have something special for you from your father.”

She opened the little box, showed me the new earrings inside and put them on me.

The holes in my ears were not good and as she put them on me, my ears bled. But I was so excited I felt no pain!!