Under a Greek Spell Page 19

  ‘Yes, Helen’s my sister. She was telling me about…’ I stop mid flow, as I realise that her tales from yesterday were about another hotel.

  Eliana continues. ‘This is strange! She told my daughter that she does not have a sister called Shirley.’

  The moment has come when I must come clean and confess to my ridiculous name deception. I clear my throat. Some words tumble out of my mouth. ‘Well, that’s just typical of Helen, I can’t imagine why she said that, maybe she misheard you…’ I smile sweetly, let out a little giggle and shrug my shoulders.

  Costas fortunately comes to the rescue before Eliana can question me further. ‘Anyway, we really need to go and catch the ferry.’

  ‘Oh yes, the reason I came out – please take these. There is two tickets to visit Delos with a guided tour. They were a gift from a guest and they are only valid until the end of the month.’

  ‘Well, if you are sure, that is very kind.’ Costas takes the tickets and gives her a hug. ‘We will see you later.’ He ushers me quickly to the moped. ‘I apologise for my grand-mamma. She is so funny and always muddling things up, but she has a heart of gold.’

  I feel really guilty now. Eliana certainly hasn’t muddled up anything.

  ‘Your bag can go in here.’ He points to the moped seat and picks up my shoulder bag, making out that it’s really heavy. He lifts up the seat and pushes the bag into the space under it.

  ‘Well, that’s my croissants nicely squashed, thank you, Costas,’ I retort as I climb on to the moped.

  He shrugs his shoulders and passes me the cool box, muttering, ‘I do not know why you need croissants. We have sandwiches.’

  ‘I always like to be prepared, Costas, that’s all. You never know, we may get stranded over there and need some more food, even if it’s just squashed croissants.’ We both laugh.

  He starts up the moped and we’re off. Considering it’s still quite early, there seems to be a lot of people mooching about the shops. When we turn on to the harbour front, we see that it’s really busy with people crowded around the marble fish market that Costas showed me on our tour of the town. We park up in the harbour. ‘It’s very busy today,’ I comment as I dismount.

  ‘It is busy because cruise ship is here. We have this all summer now, with two or three ships a day. So it is good for business.’ As we queue to board our boat, the Margarita, we see fish darting about in the clear water below, going about their daily business. Costas points to a couple and tells me their names but I don’t really pay much attention. I’m more concerned about getting over to the island with my breakfast still inside me.

  My last boat trip of a similar nature, with Richard, ended up with him trying to find a sick bag for me and only just making it back in time. Today, I’m prepared with a very handy brown paper Body Shop carrier that once held my purchases from the airport. I’ve also taken my seasickness tablet…

  ‘Oh, shit,’ I say out loud. ‘Sorry, I mean, oh dear. I’ve forgotten to take my seasickness tablet.’

  ‘You will be fine, Shirley, it is only a short trip,’ Costas reassures me.

  But I’m taking no chances. I rummage about in my bag to locate the tablets and my water bottle, and quickly take one. Fortunately, they’re fast-acting so I should be okay.

  The front of the queue begins to move and we start boarding. Costas asks if I want to sit on the deck, where it will feel cool once we get going, or downstairs. I opt for on deck so I can see the horizon, which Costas keeps reminding me helps with motion sickness. Despite this part of the boat being the most popular, we find a couple of seats.

  A familiar face heads towards us. I realise it’s Martin, the aqua aerobics guy from the hotel, with someone who I assume is his partner. ‘Hi guys! Fancy seeing you two here. Are you on a hotel trip or something? I’ve just seen a couple of others from our hotel. Ooh, what’s their names? The women from the North-East. They did aqua aerobics yesterday.’

  ‘Carol and Sandra?’ I offer. They’re the only two guests whose names I know.

  ‘That’s it, Carol and Sandra.’

  Costas looks a bit worried. ‘We are not on hotel trip, Martin, and please do not say anything at work. You know how strict they are about staff seeing guests, if you know what I mean.’

  ‘Yes, we know better than anyone, don’t we, Alexis?’

  ‘We certainly do,’ Alexis replies.

  ‘Anyway, Alexis, this is Stephanie. She’s the reason you now have a clean car. And Stefanos, who, of course, you know already,’ says Martin.

  There’s a couple of seconds of silence. And then Costas and I speak in unison. ‘Stephanie!’ ‘Stefanos?’ We look at each other.

  Martin cottons on that he’s put his foot in it. ‘Oops, sorry, guys. Have I said the wrong thing?’

  ‘Yes. I mean, no, my name is Stephanie. But I told Costas – I mean, Stefanos – that it was Shirley because … well, because my surname’s Valentine.’ I feel quite flustered but I’m also amused that I’ve been played at my own game. And I’m relieved that the cat’s finally out of the bag.

  ‘And I told Stephanie that I was Costas to wind her up, because I know she was not called Shirley,’ Stefanos replies, laughing. ‘Sorry, Stephanie, I checked your name on the breakfast list.’

  ‘Well, you two jokers certainly know how to cause confusion! And I thought my life was complicated,’ says Martin.

  ‘But you were wearing a name badge that said “Costas”.’ I look at him, puzzled.

  ‘Yes, it belongs to my brother.’

  ‘And he’s not wearing it because…?’

  ‘He has left our hotel and when mine broke Elena gave me Costas’s spare badge which they still had. Elena did not want to risk anyone seeing me with no badge. We lose marks on our inspections.’

  ‘Oh, right, fair enough.’ I pause while I absorb this new information. Then something else occurs to me. ‘Hang on a minute, what about your parents? They’ve heard me call you Costas.’

  He starts laughing again. ‘I am sorry, they were in on it too. And my grandmama too. And she was trying hard this morning to try and trip you up with your own name.’

  ‘Well, I guess we’re even! I’ll start again: my name’s Stephanie or Steph.’

  ‘Very pleased to meet you. My name is Stefanos.’

  ‘And I’m still Martin and as far as I know this is still Alexis,’ Martin adds for good measure. ‘And you two are as mad as a box of frogs – so we’ll all get on fine!’

  There’s no arguing with that. We’re all soon engrossed in conversation, with me feeling relieved that I’m Stephanie again.

  A couple of blokes on the harbour wall undo the ropes and throw them on board. The engines rev up, sending a horrible plume of diesel fumes into the air. The boat starts to edge away from the wall and soon it’s moving at speed. I reach into my bag for my camera and take a couple of photos of the fast-disappearing Mykonos town. I start to put the camera away, but Martin insists that he takes some pictures of me and Stefanos. Then I take a couple of Martin and Alexis and then another passenger insists on taking a photo of all four of us. I love that holiday camaraderie, when fellow holidaymakers offer to take a photo of you.

  Before I know it, the boat starts to slow down. It chugs towards the harbour wall and the ropes are thrown off to secure the boat to the posts. We all stand, ready to disembark.

  We’ve each got a ticket that includes a guided tour so we make our way to our designated meeting place. There are soon about twenty of us there. I spot Carol and Sandra from our hotel. They see me and make their way over.

  ‘We thought it was you, pet. We were just sayin’, there’s Stephanie with our gorgeous waiter Costas and the amazing Martin.’

  ‘Er, nooo, Carol, that’s what you said. I said it’s none of our business.’ Sandra doesn’t sound amused but Carol carries on.

  ‘Anyway, pet, ho
w are you this morning? You were knockin’ them back a bit last night.’

  Sandra rolls her eyes in exasperation.

  ‘Yes, I’m feeling better, thanks, after a couple of coffees.’ I can feel my cheeks going bright red. I don’t know why, as I don’t have to answer to anyone. But I carry on with my justification. ‘It was Stefanos – he kept sending me cocktails to try. I don’t normally drink a lot.’

  ‘Well, you seemed to be managing quite easily last night, pet. Anyway, I thought your name was Costas or have you got a twin?’ She turns her attention to Stefanos.

  ‘No, I am Stefanos. I just wear my brother’s name badge because mine is broken. It has all got a bit complicated.’

  ‘So, when we’re back at the hotel are we to call you Costas or Stefanos?’

  I pipe up and instantly regret opening my mouth. ‘Well, actually, he’s got a couple of days off so he’s offered to take me sightseeing.’

  ‘So we see. Is this a service you offer all hotel guests, Costas – I mean, Stefanos?’ Carol is obviously keen to milk the situation as much as she can.

  Sandra shakes her head. ‘She just can’t leave it alone. Is your sister not with you, pet?’

  ‘Er, no, she’s been called in to work at another hotel on another Greek island for a couple of days. Long story.’

  ‘Oh, right. Well, if you want to join us later for dinner you’re more than welcome, isn’t she, Carol?’

  ‘Oh yes, the more the merrier, especially if the waiter sends over cocktails for us to try.’

  Martin and Alexis find this particularly funny. They’re laughing at Stefanos’s predicament.

  Our tour guide clears her throat in readiness to speak. She doesn’t look very impressed by our separate conversation, and our frivolity. ‘Good morning, everyone. I’m your guide, Alissa, and I’ll be taking you round the site today. Delos is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Does anyone know which mythological god was born here?’

  Stefanos half raises his hand.

  ‘Yes, the gentleman at the back.’

  ‘Apollo.’

  ‘Yes, this is correct. In the ancient times, the myth of god Apollo, god of light, and goddess Artemis having been born here rendered the island sacred. So no mortals would ever be allowed to be born or die on this land. Even during the years of the Delian Alliance, women on the brink of childbirth and people close to dying would be carried to the island of Rineia. Please feel free to ask any questions as we go along. If you’d all like to follow me – and don’t forget to drink plenty of water.’

  I suddenly start to feel quite sick. It must be a delayed reaction from the boat. I pop my hand up in the air. ‘Sorry – where are the toilets?’

  ‘They are behind you. We will start the tour now so you will have to catch us up. We need to get going before the next group starts.’ There isn’t an ounce of compassion in her tone. I rush to the toilets, with Stefanos in hot pursuit.

  ‘Are you all right, Stephanie?’

  ‘I’m sorry. I feel really sick. It started when we were waiting to get off the boat. I thought it would pass.’

  ‘It is no problem. I wait outside. Shout if you need anything.’

  He’s so kind, not like our tour guide. I splash some water over my face and that makes me feel a bit better. Whatever it was passes; maybe the seasickness tablet has kicked in. I rejoin Stefanos and we catch up with the group.

  ‘Oh, good, the rest of our party has joined us,’ Alissa snipes.

  ‘Stupid cow,’ I mutter under my breath.

  ‘So, ladies and gentlemen, here we have the House of Dionysus, with a striking mosaic in the middle of the court that depicts the god Dionysus with open wings, riding a tiger that wears a necklace of vines and grapes. He was the Olympian god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, festivity, madness and wild frenzy. Does anyone have any questions?’

  Martin and Alexis snigger and whisper that Dionysus is definitely their god. Alissa strains her neck in their direction; they promptly start snorting and sniggering even more.

  Someone at the front asks a question that I can’t hear. Alissa answers. ‘Dionysus was the son of the god Zeus and Semele of Thebes. There is more information about Dionysus in the guidebook.’

  Stefanos whispers, ‘In other words, she does not know any more information so please do not ask any more questions.’

  We stop at different points of interest and she tells us all about whatever it is that we’re observing. It all looks pretty similar to me. Parts of broken walls and pillars, interspersed with sparse vegetation and the odd mosaic here and there. It’s baking hot and Stefanos was right about needing a hat.

  We’ve stopped at our next point of interest and Alissa has decided to encourage more audience participation. ‘Now, does anyone know what these are?’

  I’m about to say ‘Seals,’ but fortunately Stefanos beats me to it. ‘The Terrace of the Lions,’ he says.

  Of course, it’s the correct answer and that ruffles her feathers even more. That’s not part of her very wooden script – someone knowing the answer. Her face is an absolute picture, and her praise is equally wooden. ‘Yes, well done, that is exactly what they are. These are replicas of the surviving ones, which you can see at the end of the tour in the museum.’

  ‘Um, it will be interesting to see if they look any more like lions than this lot, that’s all I can say,’ I mutter. ‘You seem to know a lot about Delos,’ I whisper to Stefanos.

  ‘Yes, we studied it at school. I found the whole thing very boring then. It is funny how you change when you get older.’

  Alissa has answered a couple more questions and is now continuing with her spiel. ‘The Terrace of the Lions was dedicated to Apollo… Is that someone’s phone ringing?’

  That’s a bit of a random thing to say. Then I hear a phone ringing that clearly no one is answering.

  ‘Sounds like it’s near us,’ Martin says, looking in the direction of my bag.

  Oh my God, it’s my phone. ‘Oops, sorry! It’s mine. I’ll switch it to silent,’ I shout to an unimpressed Alissa.

  I look at my phone and whisper to Stefanos, ‘That’s all I damn well need – a call from Richard.’

  ‘Do you need to ring him back?’

  ‘No, he can wait, like I’ve done for the last few months.’ It’s bloody typical of Richard. He always seems to ring me at the least convenient moment when my phone should be on silent, like at the dentist’s.

  As interesting as the tour is, I’m beginning to feel a bit tired. Without realising, I yawn out loud.

  Alissa hears me and responds in a nice loud voice. ‘That covers almost everything here, so we’ll move on to the remains of the amphitheatre and the final points of interest on the tour.’ She glares in my direction. If she had the power, I’d be turned into a statue that she could talk about on her next tour: ‘And this, ladies and gentlemen, is a rather irritating tourist who annoyed me earlier!’

  We trail off behind her and I yawn again. I’m brought out of my yawning spell, however, when Stefanos whispers in my ear, ‘I hope you are not tired later.’

  I nearly faint on the spot from his lips touching my ear. I take a deep breath in and muster up enough strength to reply. ‘I’m sorry, it’s just that after a late night and all this sun and walking, I can’t help it. What’s happening later, anyway?’

  ‘I thought after the meal we could go to a bar, then the night club on Paradise Beach and then who knows?’ he whispers in my ear again.

  I don’t think I can take much more, it’s all too—

  ‘Stephanie, Stephanie, can you hear me?’

  I can hear a couple of male voices but I’m not quite sure where I am. One of them is saying, ‘I know some first aid. Let me have a look at her.’

  I slowly open my eyes and see Martin and Stefanos looking down at me. ‘Hello, Stephanie, thank goodness you wake up,
’ says Stefanos.

  I notice more concerned faces peering down at me, and an exasperated Alissa, who’s clearly not impressed with me stealing the show. ‘Oh, good. Dehydration, no doubt. I think your friends will give you some water and stay with you. I’ll try and finish this tour, so, everyone, if you’d like to follow me, it looks like Stephanie is fine.’ Alissa says all the right things, but her tone is questionable.

  I smile as humbly as I can and attempt to say sorry, but she’s already gone. The others all follow Alissa.

  ‘Stephanie, does this happen a lot to you? It is lucky I catch you,’ Stefanos asks.

  ‘No, Stefanos, I’ve only ever fainted once before in my life, when I was five, at the hairdressers. Thank you for catching me.’ I want to answer, ‘Only when a gorgeous Greek sex god of a man is nearby,’ but I think better of it.

  ‘The pleasure was all mine. I will always catch you.’ With that, he kisses me gently on the lips and helps me to my feet.

  My heart soars off somewhere, and I need to sit down before I faint again.

  ‘Come on, we will walk to the museum and sit where there is shade.’

  We cut across the site and I perch myself on a seat in the shade. ‘I’ll send Richard a text while we wait for the others.’

  Just noticed I’ve missed a call

  from you. I’m in Mykonos

  with Helen so if it’s nothing

  urgent you can ring me when

  I’m back in a couple of weeks

  ‘So you not ring him?’

  ‘No, I’m not ringing him. If he desperately needs me, he’ll ring back. I’ve spent the last few months trying to ring him and he’s not been in the slightest bit interested. He can stew.’

  ‘Is “stew” not something you eat?’ Stefanos asks, looking concerned.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to eat him! It just means he can wait.’

  ‘Do you not think you can make your marriage work again?’

  ‘I don’t think so. I want children and he doesn’t. Even if he’s suddenly changed his mind, I think it’s too late as far as I’m concerned. Things have—’