Iris Woke Up

10

My parents visited Santorini on their honeymoon. They loved the island so much they stayed there.

I never expected Irida to be so enthusiastic when I told her I was born in Santorini. I never understood why she craved to visit the island. Volcanoes fascinated her. I never saw a volcano though.

What did I see? A caldera with a huge cliff, ugly white houses and a bunch of noisy tourists minding everybody's business.

My parents did not like the health services though. They were concerned something might happen and they would have to go to a hospital somewhere else; perhaps Athens. That led them to move to the capital of Greece two years ago.

I would throw tantrums for over a month because they never asked me. To my surprise, a thirteen-year-old's opinion did not matter to adults. The island was a terrible place to settle, but my friends lived there, everyone I knew.

I met Irida in Athens though. I remember secretly wishing she was gay the moment I laid my eyes upon her. Everyone called her Iris but I preferred the Greek "Irida". Ancient Greek names are amazing. It is implausible why anyone would change it to make it sound foreign. I respect my parents for giving me a Greek name. The Spanish alternative they came up with was the classic "Camila". I am grateful they did not choose that. I could not imagine the harassment I would have been through if my name meant "camel" in Greek. Children are unforgiving of lousy names.

The name Irida, I found, had various origins, which was captivating. The reason I admired the name so much.

I caught Irida staring at me with those gorgeous honey eyes regularly. My delirium was unbearable. That face was mesmerising. She was nowhere, and then she was everywhere. On the bus, on the road, on television. I stalked her on Facebook. I flipped out. The agony had to end.

The middle of the schoolyard. I approached her. A brave act. Being a non-Greek was not enough. I had to be discreet. All those hawks. Most kids at school were not homophobic, but a few opposed our - lifestyle.

My dad spent two months in prison for beating up a dude because he insulted - my kind. My father is a wonderful person.