Chapter 21
21
‘What is this stuff on it?’ Maria asked, glasses on now as she inspected Christos’s injury. ‘It smells of pineapples.’
‘Oh, really?’ Molly remarked. ‘It’s supposed to smell of toffee and lime.’
‘It does not,’ Maria said. ‘But, it has done a good job. Temporarily.’
They were in the tiny kitchen of this small house that, with its thick stone walls, was so much cooler than outside but also so much darker, even with the shutters open. It was like a cave house, except with furniture and a large, speckled ginger cat that was looking at Molly like she might be its next meal.
‘We fix better,’ Maria said, picking up a bottle of ouzo and then a kitchen spatula.
‘Shouldn’t we wait for the doctor?’ Molly asked. ‘Before we do anything, you know, hocus pocusy with that alcohol.’
‘Hocus pocus?’ Maria said, eyes narrowing. ‘You call me a witch?’
‘No! Absolutely not!’
‘And what is wrong with witches?’
‘Nothing, I mean, I do not know any personally but?—’
‘Auntie Maria,’ Christos began, wearing an expression that said he was finding this all deeply amusing. ‘You must forgive Molly for her “inexperience”, should we say? She has not been in Corfu very long. She has only been in Greece before in nappies and does not appreciate anything but modern medicine.’
‘Modern medicine,’ Maria said, shaking her head. ‘Your Uncle Thanasis waited for this so-called modern medicine and look where that got him. A place with the angels before his time.’
‘I wouldn’t say that I was averse to alternative therapies, I just—’ She stopped talking when, without warning, Maria splashed the ouzo all over Christos’s side and it was Molly gasping in shock rather than her co-beneficiary.
‘Wow, I cannot imagine how much that burned,’ Molly remarked.
‘And now we add this!’ Maria announced.
With a hefty slap, the kitchen spatula, now covered in some kind of goo, was whacked onto Christos’s wound and then a hessian-type covering was added, completely covering it.
‘What is that?’ Molly asked.
‘You must keep it on for twenty-four hours. No more. No less. And do not get it wet,’ Maria said to Christos.
‘I will need to shower,’ Christos said. ‘I am covered in dirt and?—’
‘Sshh!’ Maria said loudly. ‘ She can shower you tonight.’
‘What?!’ Molly exclaimed.
‘Would you rather my sister did it for you?’ Maria asked with a raise of her eyebrows. ‘Or your sister.’
‘Absolutely not,’ Christos said as the patch was taped into place.
‘There!’ Maria said, finally sitting back and admiring her work. ‘After twenty-four hours you take off and you leave it alone. Let nature do its work.’
Molly wasn’t sure that the injury wouldn’t need to be medically assessed, with antibiotics prescribed by an actual traditional doctor perhaps, but she wasn’t about to say anything for fear Maria might slap something to her.
‘Now, we drink what is left of this,’ Maria said, taking the ouzo bottle in her hands again.
‘Oh, not for me,’ Molly declined. ‘I have to drive.’
‘We all have to drive here, koukla mou . We are halfway up a mountain,’ Maria answered, filling what looked like large egg cups.
‘I know but?—’
‘I was sorry to hear about Vaggelis,’ Maria interrupted, palming them both cups then cutting slices of a delicious-smelling cake.
‘Thank you,’ Christos said.
‘How is your mother?’
‘You have not spoken to her?’
‘I have been busy. There is the shop here now and we are still, you know, recovering from the fires.’
‘You are not speaking!’ Christos exclaimed. ‘You have argued, haven’t you? You know, I thought it was strange that you were not with her at the apartment. That she had not mentioned you sending cakes like these.’
Molly watched him pick up a slab of the cake and eat like he was starving. A sign he was possibly a lot more depleted from the fall than he was letting show.
‘It is her fault. She never lets anyone help her. I make an offer to come over and do one of her cleaning jobs. Your sister begged me. Angeliki is angry. She says she does not need help. She says I interfere. What can I do?’
Christos was shaking his head like this situation was not new to him. He took a second portion of the cake. ‘You two are impossible,’ he said through a mouthful of crumbs.
‘She just needs to apologise for the names she called me and then we can begin again,’ Maria stated.
‘Oh my God,’ Christos said. ‘I do not know what she called you but you know as well as I do that she is not going to apologise.’
‘Then we will not speak again. It is a shame but…’ Maria shrugged nonchalantly.
‘It is a shame,’ Molly began, putting a slice of cake on a little plate. ‘But, don’t worry because Angeliki has my mother for company now and?—’
‘Your mother?’ Maria asked, sitting up a little.
‘Yes, they’re getting on so well, like best friends. They know each other from years ago. The way they laugh together it’s like they’ve never been apart,’ Molly continued. ‘You never really believe that phrase “friends for life” but I’ve seen it with my own eyes now. So has Christos, haven’t you?’
‘Er… yes. Only the other night there was karaoke and?—’
‘Your mother was singing! I hope God did not hear!’
‘ My mother was singing,’ Molly corrected. ‘And God will definitely have heard. In fact he asked for a refund.’
Christos spat out a laugh.
‘It sounds like she is in a terrible place in her life. The shock of Vaggelis passing, I suspect.’
‘You should come down the mountain,’ Christos said. ‘Come for Vaggelis’s Trisagion service.’
‘I do not know,’ Maria said, shaking her head.
‘You do not have to come for my mother,’ Christos said. ‘Come for Vaggelis. Or… come for me and Magdalena.’
Maria groaned and looked away from him. ‘You and those eyes! But you know you do not need me! You have been independent since you came out of the womb!’
Molly watched Christos’s expression. Independence was something that shone from him. However, she was starting to feel, from things he had said and perhaps more from things he hadn’t said, that ‘independence’ possibly hadn’t always been his choice.
‘It will be boring without you,’ Christos said quickly. ‘That’s the truth. How can it be a perfect way for Vaggelis’s soul to depart this world if there is no Maria-style party?’
‘You want me to organise? Or has your mother done this already, alongside her five other jobs.’
‘She has five jobs now?!’ Christos exclaimed.
‘It would be six if your godfather had not died. She cooked and cleaned for him like they were married to each other.’
He shook his head. ‘She does not need to work so hard. I send her money.’
‘And I will send her crazy if I turn up and take over,’ Maria said, sighing.
‘Perhaps,’ Christos said, ‘she will go crazy if you do not turn up and take over.’
There was silence, as if they were both lost in their own thoughts. The cat yawned and Molly decided to make a comment.
‘No one will want my mother to take over and sing, right?’
‘Gah! And if Angeliki sings, Vaggelis’s soul will only be shooting in one direction. Down to the Devil.’
‘It is settled then,’ Christos said. ‘You will come to Kassiopi and we will give Vaggelis the send-off he deserves.’
‘I did not say I agreed,’ Maria said, drinking her ouzo shot.
‘Do not make me do the eyes again,’ Christos said, blinking his long eyelashes.
‘OK, OK,’ Maria replied. ‘On one condition.’
‘Go on,’ Christos urged.
‘You let me do the flowers for your wedding,’ Maria said.
Wedding? What wedding? Had she missed something because they had both been speaking English, presumably for her benefit.
‘Of course,’ Christos answered. ‘There is no one who knows nature better than you, Auntie Maria.’
‘ Oraia .’