29. Chapter 29
Chapter twenty-nine
On Monday, Dimitri is back on the boat so I have the day to myself. I opt to explore another local beach for the day, settling on Nicholas Beach. It’s close one to town and apparently can be accessed by a hiking trail. But seeing as I got lost trying to find the Kali Strata, I decide that I’m better off taking the boat taxi.
It’s a pretty beach, and while I absolutely enjoy the quiet time to read my book and message friends and family to catch up with what’s going on back home, I still find myself checking the time. Keeping track of how much longer Dimitri will be out on the water. How long until I see him again.
When I return to Gialos, I wait at the pier for him. Smiling as I see the Elena pull into the bay, I watch as he hops off the back, securing the lines quickly and efficiently. Muscle memory after so many years of practice, even though he had been away for a while.
He catches sight of me on the bench, his face lighting up in a smile. I wave, not wanting to disrupt him at work. Instead, watching as he helps the six guests off the boat; a quiet day today. Dimitri stands at the back, ready to offer a hand to those who need it as they cross the plank and thank him for their adventure at sea. With the last guest off, he jogs over to me and I tilt my head up for his kiss.
“Hi, beautiful.”
“Hi, yourself.” I look up at him from my seat on the bench. His grey t-shirt is damp and clinging to his body, navy swim shorts hung low on his hips. Mirrored sunglasses push back his dark hair, which has been ruffled by the wind. It’s not a traditional uniform in any sense of the word but I love Dimitri like this. Relaxed, happy, all easy smiles and warm eyes after a day on the water.
“Do you and Spyros need help with the boat?” I offer.
He shakes his head, “Not at all. Give me maybe thirty minutes? And then we’ll go home.”
“No rush.” I hold up my book.
He presses a quick kiss to my forehead before running back to Spyros to help clean the Elena. Leaving me on the bench, my heart fluttering at the way he said “We’ll go home.” As if I belong there too.
Tuesday is Dimitri’s day off and he’s planned another boat adventure for us. This time he’s borrowed a family friend’s fishing boat and is taking me out to fish. Or, more accurately, I watch him fish since the goal of this outing is to catch our dinner. Unfortunately, fishing is not one of my skills.
His line repeatedly goes taut with a catch while mine remains slack. My lure dangling in the sea, dragging listlessly behind the boat. At one point I accuse Dimitri of giving me the ugly lure that none of the fish want, so we switch fishing rods. Turns out that the problem is actually me and not the lure as I had hoped, since mine remains empty while Dimitri continues to reel them in.
In the end, Dimitri catches enough fish to feed a family so we end up asking Yiannis and Angela over for dinner. Anna can sleep in her bassinette and they can have an evening with friends, outside of their house.
While Dimitri and I had planned on doing the cooking, Yiannis and Angela quickly join in turning dinner into a Greek cooking lesson for me. The men are responsible for grilling the fish while Angela shows me how to make tzatziki, potatoes, and salad, the Greek way. She’s a lot warmer today and we end up sharing several laughs in the kitchen. I catch Dimitri watching us at one point, mouth quirked in a half smile as Angela shows me how to strain the water from the cucumbers.
Apparently, I did a decent job because by the time we sit down to dinner a couple of hours later, they all compliment me on the results of my impromptu cooking lesson. I feel myself growing a little red under the attention but inside, I am absolutely glowing. As I dig into our delicious meal in Dimitri’s home with his best friends, I can’t help but notice, once again, how relaxed and at ease I feel.
Wednesday is another boat day for Dimitri, meaning I have the day to myself. But today, I don’t feel like going to the beach. I’m too restless to sit in a lounge chair by the sea.
I’ve been doing my best to just live in the moment and enjoy my time but with each passing day, my flight home gets closer and closer. Despite everything that has happened, my decision to extend my trip feels like just yesterday. Now suddenly, I only have a few days left. I leave Saturday to go back to Rhodes where I catch a flight to Athens. I’ve booked a room overnight at an airport hotel because at 6am on Sunday, I have my flight back home. Back to Vancouver.
I stare at my phone, wanting to talk to Mel or maybe my mom but the ten-hour time difference means it’s way too early for me to call home. Then I think of someone I can talk to. Better yet, someone I can actually see.
I scroll through my contact list until I find who I’m looking for and press the call button.
“Hello? Calla?”
I smile at the accented voice on the other end.
“Hey Arthur, what are you up to today?”
We agree to meet outside his accommodations and when I see him sitting in the garden alone, I’m reminded that it’s his first time back on the island without his wife. As much as he puts on a brave face and smiles when everyone is together, I imagine he is probably quite lonely at times. Especially since everyone else is partnered up. His face lights up when he sees me and it occurs to me that maybe I wasn’t the only one in need of some friendly company today.
Together, we make our way down the stairs of the Kali Strata, something Arthur tries to do every day. It’s a slow pace but I don’t mind. Arthur stops every now and then to tell me stories of certain people in specific spots, his eyes lighting up as his memory brings him back in time. He takes me to several beautiful viewpoints around corners I hadn’t explored on my own and points out a couple of small tavernas that he recommends. I listen happily to his stories and advice, letting him lead the conversation and share his memories with me.
When we reach the bottom, he treats me to a gyro for lunch and after, I treat him to ice cream. Ice cream cones in hand, we find an empty bench on the bay and sit together, looking out over the water.
“Are you ok, dear?” Arthur asks me, concern furrowing his bushy white eyebrows. “I don’t mean to pry, but you’ve been awfully quiet today.”
My pomegranate sorbet drips down my cone, staining the napkin a deep red as I try to pull my thoughts together.
“I think,” I hesitate, another bead of sorbet winding its way down my cone. “I think I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed,” I admit.
“Is it not going well? Staying with Dimitri, that is?”
I huff out a laugh. Of course, Arthur knows I’m staying with Dimitri. Not that it’s a secret by any means.
“No, it’s great actually. That’s the problem.”
“I don’t understand?”
I take my eyes off my dripping cone and look into Arthur’s bright blue eyes.
“I’m leaving, Arthur. On Saturday. That’s only three days away.”
“So you are.”
“So, this. All of this, everything with Dimitri. It’s all going to end.”
“End? Why would everything need to end?”
I look at him confused and he gestures towards my purse.
“You kids always look for the easy way out. If it’s broken, you buy a new one instead of fixing it.” He shakes his head a little before continuing on. “You’ve got a cell phone there, don’t you? With a working phone number and an email address?”
I nod.
“Well, there you have it. It’s already more than what I had with Anne. We had to make it work with hand-written letters for months.”
“But you lived in the same country,” I pointed out, “and the same time zone.”
He shrugs. “That doesn’t mean it was easy.”
I imagine a young Arthur, fifty some years ago, sitting behind a desk and writing letters to the woman he loved. Then waiting weeks for a response. It’s a sweet story. A romantic one. But it was also a very different time.
“I didn’t plan on any of this, you know,” I admit. “I didn’t plan on him.”
“Nobody plans love, my dear.”
“Love?” I startle. “We’ve only known each other for two weeks!”
“So? Don’t you believe in love at first sight?”
I eye Arthur sceptically.
“No?” His blue eyes twinkle, “that’s too bad.”
“And you do?”
“Absolutely. It’s what I had with Anne. One look at her and I just knew she was special. One day with her and I knew she was the one for me.”
“Isn’t that just attraction though?” I question.
“Attraction is part of it,” Arthur admits, “but I’m talking about the feeling that you get.”
“And what feeling is that?”
Arthur sighs as he stares at the sea. At the turquoise waves rippling across the bay in front of us.
“The feeling that you’ve found your home.”
We sit in companionable silence for a minute before he speaks again.
“Have you and Dimitri discussed what happens next?”
I shake my head. I’ve been living in my happy bubble. Focusing on the here and now and not letting myself get carried away with thoughts of the future. Not wanting to expect anything. After all, that type of wishful thinking, of getting ahead of myself, hasn’t worked well for me in the past.
“Well, maybe that’s your first step then.”
“What if he doesn’t feel the same?” I ask quietly.
“You won’t know until you ask.” Arthur tells me gently, “But you have to at least try. Or else you’ll walk away always wondering what could have been.”
“Maybe you’re right.” I sigh, crinkling up the sticky sorbet-stained napkin that had been wrapped around my cone.
“Maybe.” Arthur shrugs his shoulders, crinkling up his own napkin. “Or maybe not. After all, I’ve only been in love once.”
A light smile dances across his lips as he gazes at the sea.
“But I was lucky enough to have her for fifty-three years.”