Eyes: The Story Of A Blind Heroine

Chapter 3

Leilo's Café was a beautiful little place, a silent sanctuary tucked away amid the hustle and bustle of the city. The sounds of industry, cars and the rumble of the subway, seemed to have faded into the background, replaced with the gentle tinkling of wind chimes, running water and birdsong. The place smelt of freshly brewed coffee, cakes and newly painted wood. Quiet harp music played somewhere, emphasising the peaceful atmosphere. I just loved the vibes of this place! I thought, hoping against hope that I'd get the job. It was so quiet, serene, exactly the kind of thing I felt I needed.

Just as the bell above our heads chimed, announcing our entrance, I heard a slight commotion behind the counter, followed by light footsteps. A new scent now joined the array of smells in the shop, that of cinnamon. Gentle, yet herbaceous, it wafted towards me from the vicinity of the footsteps.

"Aha! Good morning! Miss Summerville? Bright and early, I see!" She had one of those voices that was hard to describe. It was low of pitch, husky, but smooth, somehow. She had a beautiful Greek accent that, in my opinion, enhanced the music of it.

"Er ... Yes," I replied, feeling that ever-present snake starting to wriggle in my stomach again. Then, remembering my manners, I quickly added in, "Good morning, Ms Castelanos."

"Please," she said graciously, "take a seat." I didn't have to be able to see to know that she had a warmth radiating from her face. It was reflected in her voice. "Also," she said, "you are under no obligation to call me Ms Castelanos. Everyone just calls me Leilo or miss Leilo, if you insist. One of my staff calls me miss C." This was followed by a quiet chuckle.

"Thank you," I replied, "Er ... miss Leilo." That was as far informal I would allow myself to go.

At the beginning of the interview, I felt like I was being juudged by invisible eyes, although miss Leilo and I were completely alone in there. However, the more we talked, I felt my guard go down. She asked me general questions about my people skills, my computer skills, which I had mentioned in my CV, about my education, what my intentions and goals were for my job, my future plans. I could feel the snake in my stomach start to settle where it felt it needed to go. She was so nice, I thought to myself. Who cared about these stupid rumours spread about her turban and "shady" glasses? Hell, I couldn't see the problem!  (See what I did there? Get it?) Anyway, yes, miss Leilo might have an eccentric fashion sense, but I was already beginning to like her. I wondered how she would be as a boss.

After the interview was over, she took me on a tour through the café. I hoped that this was a good sign. She clearly loved her café, I thought as she let me take her elbow and lead me through the building. As she guided me, she talked. "As you know," she was saying, "this shop is themed after Greek mythology. How knowledgeable are you on that?"

"Ma'am," I said, "Greek mythology carried me through my childhood, into the present, and I still love it. I'll admit that some of the myths are ... somewhat grim, but that's part of the package with every mythology, I suppose."

"I agree," Leilo said, "there are beautiful myths, along with the more ... grim ones. Now, in the café, there are figurines depicting figures from there, gods, goddesses, heroes, monsters ..."

"Monsters? Like Cyclopes? Hydra? Gorgons?"

"Yes," Leilo replied, "especially gorgons. There are three famous ones. Stheno, Euryale and ..." She paused.

"Medusa?"

Leilo stopped so abruptly, I almost stumbled right into the sharp edge of a table I didn't realise was near me, but it only grazed the right side of my abdomen. Huh? was all that went through my mind.

"Sorry about that," miss Leilo apologised after some time, "Are you all right?"

"Yes ..." I replied, "yes, I'm okay."