Love, Lies & Espionage Character Profile: Nonna Costas

Nonna (Nora) Costas is a 75-year-old grandmother to Emily Wilcox, on her mother’s side.

A large woman with a wrinkled face and white curly hair. She’s prone to a smile. Her clothes are that of many of those raised in the 60’s with rompers and large dress gowns. For every part of her that is a classic homemaker, Nonna had the personality of a feisty Greek woman. Born from her own parent’s love of their home country.

Nonna’s parents emigrated from Greece during World War II. Her father, like Nonna’s own daughter, was a worrier. The closeness of the Nazi’s nearly paralyzed the man and he feared for his family’s safety. He had six children at that point. Luckily, or not so luckily, he was a scientist, and after German elite came knocking on his door, Nonna’s father contacted the U. S. and demanded extradition. At that point, Pearl Harbor had just been bombed, and the military was more than happy to play ball.

A few short years later, Nora Costas was born. Her mother always missed Greece and so, every day, she spoke of it, breathed it, lived it. That love was born into Nonna.

Nonna would dream of the day she’d go to Greece. But life has a way of getting away from you. At nineteen years old, Nonna married her high school sweetheart; they lived on a small farm in Pennsylvania, within shouting distance of her entire family. It was a good, but hard life.

But Nonna would fail to do what most Greek women did – have babies. She had three miscarriages, one of which almost killed her, before eight years later she would have Sarah. Nonna and her husband would spoil their daughter rotten.

It was much to Nora’s surprise that Sarah would inherit her grandfather’s sense of anxiety. A worrier to every degree. Even as life took it’s own cruel passes at Sarah, Nonna stayed by her daughter’s side ready to charge in and protect her precious only child.

At the time of Love, Lies, & Espionage, Nonna’s husband had passed on. She had moved to Greece and enjoyed her grandchildren (and great grandchildren) at every holiday and over most summers. Nora never abandoned her free spirit or her dreams. She knew things would come when they were meant to.