Chapter 35
The fright I got when I looked at myself in the hotel bathroom mirror the following morning surprised even me.
My eyes were red and puffy from a sleep-disturbed night of crying till I had no more tears.
It was probably good for me to do that. Cathartic even.
Crying alone when you were not worrying about what anyone else thought was so much better than trying to show people that you were strong.
I was tired. Tired of being strong. Tired of being okay.
Tired of doing everything alone. Being my own cheerleader.
Being my own parent. I had done it for years and I wasn’t sure I had the energy to do it all over again.
However, it was my only choice. I just had to find a way through.
Splashing cold water on my face definitely woke me up and made me feel a little more ready to face the day.
First things first, I would text Makis again. I hadn’t heard back from him since the message I sent yesterday when I boarded the ferry. He must be busy. I knew he was meeting the wealth guru who he thought could help me to generate some cash for my business. Maybe he’d got caught up with him.
With only my phone to access the internet, I searched for flights.
There was one later that afternoon which I could get.
I completed all the booking details but when I got my card out to pay, the payment wouldn’t go through.
It must be a glitch on the site, I decided, as there should have been plenty of funds in the account.
I was beginning to wish that I’d put my banking apps on my phone now.
It was something I had always been too scared to do, just in case my phone was stolen.
I knew it made it difficult to log in to a website instead, but it seemed safer to me.
I decided to go and have a walk around the old town and I’d try again later.
It would be good to clear my head and fill my lungs with fresh air anyway.
I didn’t feel like eating at the hotel, but maybe there would be a little café somewhere where I could grab a drink and a little something to eat just to line my stomach.
Maybe if they had internet access I could try to book the flight again there.
Perhaps it was just because the hotel’s internet was patchy.
I was now desperate to get back to Sandpiper Shore and my friends.
At that point, I realised I hadn’t told them what had happened. I would call them once I’d got my flight sorted and see if one of them could pick me up from the airport. Otherwise, I’d get a cab. I logged on to the café’s Wi-Fi but alas, there was still an issue.
My hands shook a little as the waiter handed my change to me, and made me realise that I was either full of nerves or needed something to eat.
Or both. One coffee and two pastries later, I headed back to the hotel and spoke to the young male receptionist who offered to check the website for me.
He said that there were no issues that he was aware of but that he could not book the flight for me as the hotel was not allowed to use a guest’s card for anything but paying for the hotel.
I decided to do that while I was there. One less thing to worry about while I was hanging around.
He also checked and said that I could have a late check out at 2 p.m.
He handed my card back to me.
‘I’m so sorry but do you have another card? This one isn’t working.’
Puzzled, I shook my head.
‘That’s weird, maybe this one will work instead.’ I handed over my business card. I’d have to use that money and pay it back from my current account.
The receptionist looked sheepish when he returned that card to me too.
‘I’m sorry, but that one isn’t working either.’
‘This is very strange. I’ll go and have and sit over by the window and go onto my bank account and see what’s going on. I’ll be back shortly.’
He smiled at me sweetly, probably wondering what on earth was going on. Which was exactly how I was feeling in that moment too.
When I logged in to my banking site and checked my current account, I was startled to see that there was a zero balance.
That couldn’t be right. I checked the transactions and found that all of the money – there should have been around ten thousand pounds in there – had been withdrawn the previous day.
Alarm bells started to ring. Had I given my card to anyone when I arrived here in Rhodes and someone had taken my details?
Oh God. I felt sick. Scammers these days were so clever.
I bet it was when I used the cashpoint at the airport to get some euros.
Thank goodness I did though, as at least I had enough to pay for things along the way.
I got out my purse and looked. I had probably just enough left to cover the hotel bill which would get me out of one hole, but I still needed to book a flight home.
Logging on to my business account via the same website, my stomach fell when I saw that balance was also zero. What the hell had happened here?
My head was totally spinning out of control. I logged on to my current account site again and logged an issue. It said they will call me back within the hour.
This trip to Greece was going from bad to worse. I couldn’t believe this had happened while I was abroad. Not good to happen at any time, but it would be so much easier if I was with friends and the comfort of my own home. Where I felt safe.
Those thoughts reminded me of my friends. I’d have to call them and see if they could help.
Jo answered immediately.
‘Hi, Michelle, I’ve been dying for you to call. How’s it all going? How’s Demetri? Did you have your big From Here to Eternity moment?’
I took a deep breath, knowing that if I didn’t stay strong, I would crumble and I couldn’t afford to do that.
‘It didn’t go quite to plan. I’ll explain all when I get home, but I have a more immediate issue. This isn’t something I would ask unless it was super-critical. Can you lend me some money please?’
I loved that she didn’t hesitate to say yes, before she even knew why. A true friend.
‘Don’t worry about a thing. Just text me the flight details and I’ll book you on it. I’ll put your email address so you’ll get your e-boarding pass.’
The relief I felt was indescribable. My voice wavered.
‘Thank you, Jo. I’ll never forget this.’
‘Are you OK?’ she asked.
‘I will be,’ I replied. ‘Oh, is Makis in at mine do you know? He hasn’t been answering his texts. I could do with knowing how the meeting went yesterday.’
‘Makis? No. He’s left. You know he has.’
I could feel my brow furrowing.
‘What do you mean left?’
‘He left yesterday. I saw him walking down the drive yesterday evening and went out to see what was going on. He said he’d told you.’
‘Hang on…’ I looked at my phone screen and checked my messages. Nothing from Makis. My stomach dipped a little. ‘No, nothing. I thought it was strange I hadn’t heard back from him.’
‘What’s going on, Michelle?’
‘I wish I bloody knew, Jo. I’ll tell you everything when I’m back and might even have some answers by then if I could bloody get hold of Makis. I’ll keep trying him. Could you or Emma pick me up from the airport do you think? Could you be free?’
‘We’ll both be waiting for you. Try not to worry about anything. Whatever has happened, we’ll get it all sorted when you get home. Love you.’
‘Love you too. And thank you.’ My voice wobbled again and I disconnected the call before the tears fell. The gratitude I felt towards my friends – who I knew had got my back – was immense. I couldn’t wait to get home and sort out the big fat mess that my life had turned into.