Chapter 4
In the office the next day, my mind keeps flitting back to the house on the street not far from the beach in Greece. Down a backstreet just outside Roda on the island of Corfu, it is only a few minutes’ walk from the sea and a long sandy beach. A dozen houses stand in a row, the one for sale slightly grubby on its exterior with a wild garden full of thistles, and a broken gate hanging forlornly at the entrance. It stands in stark contrast to the white painted houses either side of it, that are well looked after with flowers in pots outside their colourful front doors painted in red, blue and green.
The inside is probably a bit of a project too, but then it is being auctioned at a low starting price so there would be more than enough money left over for renovating if I got it at a good price. On my last visit, before Evie arrived, I walked past the villa several times en route to the beach and would stand just staring at it. The lady next door appeared one day as I was lost in a daydream.
‘You buy the house?’ she asked, looking suspiciously at me with her dark-brown eyes.
‘I’d love to,’ I told her. ‘I could come here whenever I liked.’ I sighed longingly, imagining what I could do with the place. I’d have the exterior rendered in a smooth white, maybe some flowers climbing the walls or trailing around a wooden arch beyond the gate. I can still barely grasp the fact that I am in a position to actually buy it.
‘You not want to live here?’ She frowned slightly. ‘It is a good street to live,’ she explained in her strong Greek accent.
‘A holiday home, maybe. I’m not sure I could find a job here to actually live,’ I told her. ‘Or that I would be ready to leave my family and friends back home either.’
‘Hmm,’ she said, before going inside and closing her front door.
I thought I’d upset her then. Maybe she would have preferred a permanent neighbour, rather than someone who just came over for holidays, but to my surprise she returned with a map of the island.
‘You visit here. It is a nice place,’ she said, having circled a monastery and a Byzantine castle in the hills. ‘There are nice things in the mountains, not just the beach.’ She spoke of the place proudly.
‘Thank you. Oh, and my name is Claudia. What’s yours?’
‘Phoebe,’ she answered.
I imagined her to be around seventy years old, small, and sprightly looking, and wearing a long dress, her dark hair plaited. She had pretty dark-brown eyes, and small features, and I pictured her as a vibrant, young woman, reminding me that life slips by so quickly.
I thanked her once more for the map and stood for a while thinking about the little white villa, although the walls were more of a dull grey right now. I closed my eyes and imagined gleaming walls and a traditional blue painted front door. Inside, there would be a modern bathroom, maybe a glass sink, set against open exposed brickwork. I would display art on white walls and have a tasteful mix of modern and traditional Greek furnishings. Windows with wooden shutters would be flung open in the evening so I could listen to the sound of the crashing waves at the nearby beach that would lull me to sleep.
‘Do you live here alone?’ I asked her, before wondering if that sounded a little nosey.
‘Nai. My husband. One year ago, he passes over.’ She crossed herself and I offered my condolences.
‘I have a daughter who lives in Athens and a granddaughter.’ Her face broke into a smile when she spoke of them. ‘She lives in a village,’ she told me, pointing somewhere towards the mountains.
The narrow road that the house stood on curved slightly upwards, and had maybe a dozen villas in total with a nearby taverna, a small bakery and a bus stop at the end of the road that headed into the centre of Sidari, a busy tourist resort. There was a path behind the houses on some grassland that snaked down to the beach, passing some shops and restaurants, before arriving at the main high street of Roda, lined with colourful shops and tavernas. Imagine, no more apartment rentals, I thought to myself, lost in an improbable daydream of owning this house and turning it into my dream holiday home.
‘Did you want anything, or not?’
A colleague pulls me out of my daydream and back into the office to the sound of people tapping away on their computers.
‘Sorry, what?’
‘From the machine. I’m in need of some chocolate,’ she says cheerfully.
‘No, I’d better not, thanks though.’ I smile at the new office apprentice, who has already made a good impression with her hard-working attitude and cheerful manner.
I answer an email, then an incoming call from a bloke who wonders why he can’t call in and collect his passport this afternoon, as the last one went missing in the post. I try to explain that it is in the system somewhere, having only recently been applied for, with assurances that it will arrive in due course.
A busy afternoon soon passes, and I am finally at home nursing a latte, made in my recently purchased coffee machine, and call my friend Evie.
‘Claudia, hi, how was your day?’ she asks cheerfully.
‘Oh, you know, the usual. I did speak to a guy with a very sexy voice, although all he did was complain about his passport taking too long to arrive.’
‘I’m surprised you still want to work there now that you’ve come into that inheritance,’ she teases. ‘I think I’d be off like a shot.’
‘Of course I still want to work. I haven’t come into millions,’ I tell her, even though it is a substantial amount. ‘Besides, I enjoy my job. I’d just love to buy a place abroad too. But maybe I ought to concentrate on getting a bigger place here.’ I pop a couple of blueberries into my mouth, attempting to ward off a sugar craving with my coffee. ‘Plus, the novelty of sitting around with a pile of money and no routine would soon wear off, even if I did come into millions. I’ve read about those lottery winners who miss their daily routine.’
‘If you say so. Although I’m not sure why you would want a bigger place over here. Are you planning on starting a family or something?’
‘Yeah, right. I haven’t even got a partner. And I’m in no hurry to find another. In fact, you’re right. Thanks, Evie.’
‘Pleasure. Although I’m not sure what for.’
‘For making me realise that I can do whatever I choose to. Why on earth do I need a bigger place here? I have no children, or even a boyfriend, so all that domestic stuff is definitely a long way off. And it’s not like I can only work from the UK.’
I seriously consider the fact that I could keep my flat here, the place I have worked hard to make a comfortable home, and buy somewhere in Greece. It could work, couldn’t it? I’d be more than content with that, and I would have some money left in the bank to secure my future.
I feel excitement stir in the pit of my stomach the more I mull it over. A holiday home in the sun.
Having seen the wildflowers bloom in spring, my mind goes into overdrive. I could rent it out when I’m not there for part of the summer, and still be able to eat outside into early autumn. Okay, it might be difficult getting flights after late October, but I don’t mind that, as by then I go into full-on excitement mode for Christmas. My brother, his wife, and my gorgeous nephew, George, will join us this year at my parents’ place for Christmas Day, as they do every year. Wherever we are in the world, we always all spend Christmas together.
‘I have an idea,’ I tell Evie. ‘Do you fancy a long weekend in Corfu?’
‘When? I feel as though we have only just come back.’ She sounds surprised.
‘At the end of the month?’ I suggest, just two weeks away.
Evie joined me for a few days last time, towards the end of my week, as she was feeling a bit burned out.
‘You do remember I’m married. And a mum,’ she reminds me, chuckling.
‘I know, but the girls aren’t babies, are they? And didn’t Nick say you should have a break occasionally? And he does have his golf weekends. Just saying.’
‘You’re right, of course, and, actually, the timing couldn’t be better. Nick is in fact off golfing that particular weekend and the girls are going to stay with my parents in Cheshire. They’re going horse riding.’
‘Yay. So, you have no reason not to come then?’ I ask her, fingers crossed she says yes.
‘Well, let me see, I was all set to paint the bedroom ceiling and… Too right I’ll come.’ She laughs. ‘Will the flights be pricey, though?’
‘Don’t worry about that, I’m paying. And don’t argue. I’ve invited you, remember.’
‘Oh yeah, and you’re loaded now, I forgot,’ she says, still chuckling.
‘We can still be friends though, right?’
‘Hmm, maybe. Unless you start frequenting high-end restaurants and walking around in haute couture outfits. Then you’re on your own,’ says Evie.
‘Don’t be daft. The bistro on the high street will always be more than enough for me. And the usual mix of high street stores for clothes.’
‘Okay. I guess we can still be friends then.’
‘Does that mean you will come to Corfu with me?’
‘Freebie weekend away. Hmm, let me think. Oh, go on then.’
‘Ah, so you are only with me for my money,’ I tease.
‘Don’t say that,’ she says, adopting a serious tone.
‘Oh, Evie, I’m joking for goodness’ sake. You’re hardly skint.’ Evie and her husband run a successful haulage business, although she told me recently that the cost of everything has shot up. ‘Besides I have something to show you when we get there,’ I tell her.
‘Sounds interesting. Any clues?’
‘Let it be a surprise,’ I say, which I know will drive Evie mad as she hates surprises.
‘At least give me a hint,’ she pleads.
‘It may involve water,’ I say, throwing her completely off the scent. I was thinking of booking us a scuba diving lesson anyway, something we have both always wanted to try. And the rental apartment is near the sea, so it’s not a complete lie.
‘Okay, in that case, great! A weekend in Corfu sounds preferable to painting our bedroom. Maybe I’ll get a man in instead.’
‘I hope Nick doesn’t find out.’
‘Funny.’ I imagine her rolling her eyes.
‘And I know it seems like a long way for a weekend, so I’ll book a seven a.m. flight out, and an early morning flight back for Monday, to make the most of it,’ I tell her.
‘Sounds like you have thought of everything. You will at least let me pay towards the accommodation?’ she asks.
‘Absolutely not. You know how cheap the apartments are. Luckily, there is one available. We can stuff our face with cake and sit on the balcony watching the sun go down with a kumquat liqueur after a day on the beach.’
‘Kumquat?’
‘The fruits of Corfu. There were bottles everywhere in the gift shops. They were hard to miss, with that vivid orange. Don’t you remember?’
‘Surprisingly enough, I don’t pay too much attention to bright orange liqueur these days. Maybe once upon a time, but I think I’ll stick to the white wine now. But an unexpected return to Greece though, how could I possibly refuse?’
I think of the map of the island Phoebe had given to me. Maybe we can hire a quad bike and take off into the mountains to visit the castle and the monastery. Or just visit the local beaches. I guess there will be all the time in the world to explore properly, once I have my house there.
‘That’s my girl.’ I’m thrilled Evie is coming along.
If Nick hadn’t been going away golfing and the girls to their gran’s, I would have probably suggested they come out too, and happily paid for the apartment. I would also value my brother’s opinion on the house too, but know it would be difficult for him to get away at such short notice.
After the call, I fire up my laptop and book everything and look to see if there are any photos of the villa in Roda. To my disappointment, I can’t seem to find it on the larger property sites though.
I wish I had taken the phone number of the local estate agent from the board outside the property, but never mind. Just as I’m about to give up, and accept that I can do that when I get over there in less than two weeks, I see it.
My potential dream home in Roda is there! Up for auction online on Friday afternoon at one o’clock, with a suggested opening bid of forty thousand pounds. It’s hard to ascertain the exact state of the interior of the building, as the online photos are pretty dark. No doubt to disguise the reality, but even so, I find my heart beating that bit faster thinking of the possibility of that house being within my grasp. I have even met the next-door neighbour, so perhaps it’s meant to be. If only the auction was after my next visit, then I would at least be able to arrange to have a look at the inside of the villa. I’ve seen it from the outside though, and it looks solid enough, apart from needing a good coat of paint, and maybe there is a crack or two in the walls, but it is probably just the plaster. How bad can it really be?
For a moment, I wonder whether I’m being a little selfish buying a place abroad even though it’s only a holiday home, at least for the foreseeable future. With Josh moving down south, will my parents miss having their kids nearby, or is that a ridiculous notion? We’re both fully grown adults after all and they both have friends, along with their respective bowling and crafting clubs. Yet I know Mum likes inviting me around for tea, and how much she enjoys having a coffee and catch-up at our favourite café on the high street once a week. Or perhaps it’s me that would miss that. I’ve always felt close to my family and enjoy the thought of my parents being a stone’s throw away, and probably overreacted way more than I should have done when Josh decamped to Essex.
Still, children fly the nest, don’t they? And we never forget our childhood memories, which are wonderful even though I selfishly would have liked to have lived in a house full of siblings crashing up and down the stairs, and enjoying dinner around a huge table. I guess Josh and I were lucky to be raised in a happy home though, which I know isn’t the case for everyone. I have a lot to be grateful for.