Chapter 20
20
OLD PERITHIA
‘You need to go slow,’ Christos directed as Molly drove the truck into the outer edge of this old previously abandoned village.
‘Are you in pain?’ she asked, taking her eyes off the road momentarily.
‘No. It is steep here and there are… many… holes,’ Christos said, his voice juddering in response to the bumps and lumps on the cobbled, broken-up ‘road’ dipping down past a beautiful old church bell tower.
‘OK,’ she answered. ‘I’m going to park over there where it looks a bit flatter and then you can show me which place the doctor is.’
‘OK,’ he agreed.
She looked at him and then checked herself. He had said earlier that she looked at him a lot. She had to stop that. Although she was looking out of concern now and not just because he was shirtless again. She was still worried he had come out of this fall a little too well – it had been quite a drop and it was miraculous that he wasn’t more hurt.
‘So,’ Molly said when she had got out of the truck. ‘Which way is the doctor?’
‘This way.’ He began walking down to more broken road and cobbles.
But, despite the awkward driving conditions, this village felt like it was from a beautiful bygone era with its stone homes – most looking abandoned still – with traditional doors and wooden shutters. There was a taverna at the entrance, a restored building with an outside covered terrace, with people enjoying food and cold drinks. There were tourists here, taking photos, looking at the information board, the snippets of conversation about the flora and fauna and some apparently famous home-made ginger beer. They all seemed too wrapped up in enjoying the peace to notice a bleeding man.
The cobbles led sharply downwards and Molly was starting to wonder if everywhere on this island had a dramatic pathway. She was struggling to stop her shoes slipping and she was definitely walking at a much slower pace to Christos – and he was the one who was injured.
‘It is not far,’ he called.
‘Well, can I just say that this is a crazy place for a doctor to live. How does he even make it out of this village to see patients?’ Molly called.
‘He has a helicopter obviously.’
‘Really? Well, I guess that would work.’
‘No, Molly, not really. This is just how Corfu is, ups and downs, and when you live in a place with ups and downs you learn how to manage them.’
Before she could think too long about the depth of his words they had arrived in a stunning area with a group of tavernas each as beautiful as the other. There were vines spiralling over the wooden slats of roofs of outside eating areas, wooden chairs with cushion pads, cats circling for scraps from dropped knives and forks, the scent of rich home-cooking. This part did not look abandoned. This part looked as vibrant as anywhere could. And suddenly, unlike before, everyone eating and drinking had turned their attention to the man with no shirt on, a seeping wound on his body.
Christos waved a hand at the diners, almost as if he was enjoying being the centre of attention, and then he marched towards a shop with jars of honey, other products relating to bees, and wooden souvenirs on display outside. But then he turned, stood in front of a tiny door and knocked on it. Was this really the house of a doctor?
‘Maria!’ he yelled. ‘ Pou esai !’
It took a few seconds and then…
‘Christos Baros!’
There was much squealing from a pint-sized woman possibly in her mid-sixties and lots of rapid-fire talking in Greek and apparently no rapid request for a doctor unless it involved a lot of laughing.
‘Auntie Maria. Where are my manners? This is Molly,’ Christos introduced. ‘Molly, this is my mother’s sister Maria.’
‘Molly,’ the woman said in her deep gravel voice. ‘You finally bring me a girl, Christo! It is not before time! But this one, she is so beautiful, I can see why you have waited for this perfect treasure.’
And Molly was standing right here while she was being described as something someone might have pulled up from the depths of a shipwreck. But, more importantly, she was being referred to as a girlfriend…
‘Hello,’ Molly greeted, stepping closer. ‘I’m Christos’s co-beneficiary. It’s nice to meet you.’
‘Christo, I do not understand these words,’ Maria said.
Christos said something in Greek and Maria clapped her hands together and laughed. Molly really really wanted to know what he had said.
‘It is very nice to meet you too, Molly. And now you must come in for coffee. And I have made portokalopita . It is orange pie.’
‘Oh, that’s very nice of you but we’re really here for the doctor,’ Molly said. ‘You will see that Christos has?—’
‘Oh my God!’ Maria exclaimed. ‘What has happened to you?!’
‘It is nothing,’ Christos answered. ‘A small flesh wound and?—’
‘Nothing that I cannot fix. Go inside. Both of you. I will be back.’
There was absolutely no way Molly was going to be able to do anything other than what she was told.