For years now,I have been going to an indoor swimming pool because I love to swim and also because the feel of water makes me calm and alive.The hours that I swim are between 1p.m. and 3p.m.,since this is the time which I am free(due to the afternoon private lessons)and also because during those hours there are few swimmers coming to the pool.During this time there are also no young people,which means peace and quiet. Three years ago,I noticed a little boy who came to the swimming pool with a private swimming instructor.I took notice of him first of all because during these hours there are no children but also because this little boy looked puny,fragile,scared and not very willing to follow his coach΄s instructions. I calculated(wrongly) that the little boy must have been between 7 and 8 years old.One time,when I was swimming, I approached the little boy and spoke to him in a down-to-earth way,telling him that he shouldn΄t be afraid,and that he should feel comfortable with water because it was an ideal way to exercise. The child listened calmly to what I had to say while his woman instructor showed tension and even some hostility.It was then that I realised that the boy was under special supervision and control.

My suspicions were soon confirmed when one day as I was leaving the premises of the swimming pool,I saw the child being escorted not only by his female instructor but also by a man who had all the characteristics and the appearance of a “body guard”.Many times,this “body guard”would wait for quite some time outside the locker rooms where swimmers change their clothes and shower.There is a special changing room for children.I finally mentioned this to the girls at the reception(I have known for many years),and they revealed to me the real identity of the little boy. He was the only son of one of the most powerful men in the Greek Government, a politician who a few months ago had to resign under the weight of accusations concerning a scandal related to illegal financial transactions between a very rich monastery and state officials.Both this powerful politician and his wife came from working class families ,and became famous due to their “talents” and “capabilities” as reporters and news announcers. Their socio-economic rise was realised by moving ideologically and politically from the left to the right,becoming pillars of the conservative political bloc and major players in the political and economic life of Greece.The culmination of the success for this couple came about when the husband (father) reached the pinnacle of power in the nation΄s conservative government while his wife(mother) became the top anchor woman in a large private television station which endorsed government policy.

This couple today,has 2 children,a boy who must be about 13(in the swimming pool he looks about 10) and a little girl who must be 2 years younger (from my information). I am telling all this for a very simple but also a very important reason.About 2 years ago,around Easter,I noticed at a news.stand,the front page of a widely read magazine(writes about the lives of the rich,the successful and the powerful in greek society)which had the photograph of the wife of that powerful politician with her young daughter,who looked bright, dynamic,happy and healthy.The puny and frightened little boy was absent from the picture.In essence ,the wife and husband did not wish to show to the world the other child because he did not fit the specifications of the “show case” of the “perfect” and”successful”greek family.Meaning that the young boy could not be part of the “virtual reality” of the greek family and of greek society. The name of the greek magazine is “Life&Style”,dated April 2007.