Chapter 3
Chapter Three
T he man, who Grace noticed had incredibly shiny shoes, spoke first.
‘I repeat, what is it that you think you’re doing?’
Grace decided to brazen it out.
‘Going to the beach…’ She pointed at her bag with the towel sticking out of the top. ‘Obviously. Just what is your problem?’
‘My problem is that this is private property that you’re trespassing on. Did you not see the signs?’
He pointed into the distance where Grace could see something in red written on a white background fixed to the wall.
‘That’s miles away. How am I supposed to see that?’
‘There are several on the outside of the wall too. Do you have problems with your vision?’
‘No. Do you?’
The man was insufferably rude. He wasn’t going to get away with it.
‘I was told that all beaches in Greece were public. That they’re not allowed to be private, which seems an incredibly sensible idea.’
‘Yes, you’ve hit the nail on the head there. The beaches are public…’ The man spoke the word ‘beaches’ very very slowly. What an arse.
‘But the gardens of this villa are absolutely not public. I think most people would realise that.’
‘Well, I’m not most people.’
‘Clearly.’
Deep down Grace knew she was a teensy bit in the wrong. But he needn’t be so nasty about it.
‘The public path is quite obviously over there…’ This time he emphasised the word ‘public’.
‘It’s not that obvious to me.’
Grumpy man pointed back towards the house.
‘I’ve been watching you for quite a while on the CCTV cameras inside the villa, from the moment you attempted to climb over that wall.’
‘That must have been fun for you.’
Grace was wearing her shortest shorts over her swimming costume, and she didn’t want to think about the picture of her bottom descending the wall, being watched on a screen by him and who knew how many more.
‘I wouldn’t describe it as fun exactly.’
The granite expression never altered. He was like a headmaster, with her as the naughty schoolgirl.
‘Anyway, this time I’m going to let you off. But if I see you attempting to take this shortcut to the beach again, there will be consequences.’
‘Oooh, I’m really scared.’
Grace found herself taking on the persona of a teenage girl. She never spoke like that, not to anyone. It was his fault. Arrogant idiot. He might be good-looking, but she hadn’t disliked anyone so much for a very long time.
The man turned on his heel and made for the house. Grace ran for the wall. It was a bit trickier getting back onto the path than it had been getting into the garden. She threw her bag over first and tried to get a firm grip on the top of the wall but got stuck halfway over. She ended up straddling the brickwork, one bare leg either side, brushing up against the rough surface.
‘Shit!’
In struggling to free herself, she’d scratched her left leg, and she could see a thin red line of blood emerging.
She turned to see him watching her, as she knew he would be, with his arms folded, up by the villa. He could go hang. With a huge effort, Grace lifted her leg up and over.
Just before she jumped off the wall, she raised the middle finger of her left hand in his direction.
With each step along the path, her irritation grew. She’d not been so angry with anyone since Phil had upped and died, leaving her to cope with everything alone. Just who did that guy think he was? The sweat was pouring off her, and her leg was sore. She needed to get into the water.
As soon as she reached the beach, Grace threw her bag down on the sand, stripped off her shorts and shirt, stepped out of her pumps and strode into the sea, tying her hair back with a band as she went, not stopping for a moment.
She waded in up to her chest, the warm water caressing her skin like a fine silk scarf. The clear sea meant she could see her own legs and feet below, standing on the folds of sand. A tiny silver fish swam past her stomach, followed by another and then a whole shoal of them.
Grace waited until her heartrate was almost back to normal, took a deep breath and pushed herself off the bottom. She headed out past the separate groups of elderly men and women floating in the water in their sun hats, chatting animatedly, and on towards the horizon.
Once she was well clear of people, Grace let rip with a practised stroke. She’d gone back to the local pool specially to learn proper front crawl two years ago, one of the many activities she’d tried since Phil died, in a bid to stave off the reality of being on her own. Unlike French lessons and photography club, this was something she’d stuck at, joining a wild swimming group at a popular spot near her cottage. Although she had to admit this was a lot more pleasant. No little fronds of plant life waiting to make their way inside your costume, no muddy feet on the shoreline as you got out, and no manic rowers narrowly missing clouting you on the head.
As she ploughed up and down across the bay, Grace looked back at the beach, noticing the rows of sunbeds at one end that she’d missed earlier, so determined had she been to get into the water. They were all arranged in twos with an umbrella in between. She’d have to find out if she could just hire one. It was a bit pointless for today, but she’d think about it for tomorrow or more likely the next day. All she’d be fit for after her swim was food and an early night, boning up on the coursework.
* * *
Up bright and early the next morning, Grace made her way down to the main teaching room a few minutes before the appointed time. Thanassis was already there, laying out information packs on desks.
‘Grace, welcome. You’re the first. Would you like a coffee?’
‘Oh, yes, please. Milk, no sugar.’
She’d only managed an orange so far this morning. It wasn’t that she was nervous exactly, but she’d got so used to tutoring her rota of pupils that she could virtually do it with her eyes shut.
There hadn’t been a whole lot of new experiences in her life recently. In her room was a bag of tricks she’d brought with her from Oxfordshire, props and lesson plans, tried and tested methods to engage students, which she hoped would work here as well.
Grace took the coffee from Thanassis and got a big grin back. He really did have a gorgeous smile.
‘Lovely, thanks.’
She’d dressed in a smart pale blue linen shirt, and knee-length white shorts. It made her look a bit like an escapee from the entertainment crew at a holiday camp, but it was practical and would be reasonably cool. Grace sat down at the nearest desk.
While Thanassis was out of the room, a guy who looked as though he was in his early thirties came in and nodded in her direction.
Blond, and a bit on the short side, he exuded confidence. More second-hand car salesman than language teacher, and he hadn’t even spoken yet.
‘Hey, I’m Charlie.’
‘Grace. Pleased to meet you.’
‘Hope you don’t mind me saying, but you look a bit like my mum.’
That wasn’t exactly the vibe she was hoping to project.
‘That’s funny. You don’t look anything like my daughters.’
Charlie did a double take but rewarded her with a wink as he passed her desk and headed for one near the back.
Definitely a natural salesman.
Thanassis reappeared with a tray of cups and a pot of coffee.
‘Ah, I see you two have already met. Please help yourself to coffee, Charlie.’
Three more people came in together, and Grace got the chance to observe them closely from behind her desk. Two women and a man, all in their early twenties by her reckoning. She recognised the first woman by her toned, tanned legs. She’d been the one in Giannis’s office yesterday, giggling away.
Thanassis shouted to make himself heard.
‘Now everyone’s here, make sure you’re coffeed up, find a desk please, and let’s introduce ourselves. You five are our core teaching team, alongside me of course, and you all bring something different to the party. So, can each of you please give us a flavour of your teaching experience, plus one thing you like to do outside work.’
It was no surprise that confident Charlie volunteered to speak first.
‘I’m Charlie. I mainly stick to teenagers, with the occasional adult thrown in. Okay, I knew that sounded weird the moment it came out of my mouth. Anyway, my dad’s Greek and my mum’s English, although they split a long time ago, and I was brought up between the two countries. I’m a full-time teacher at the school and I live here on the island with my girlfriend and my dog, Buster. Oh, and I’m a part-time DJ too.’
That figured. She could see him coming alive in front of a crowd. Deep down, so far down it was almost buried, it was something she’d always fantasised about having a go at herself.
The girl she’d spotted with Giannis was next.
‘Hi, I’m Anna. I’m more early years, I draw the line at seven-year-olds.’
Charlie’s hearty laugh seemed a bit over the top to Grace.
‘Like Charlie, I’m also half-Greek, but it’s my mum this time, and my parents have a place on the island too, although they’re hardly ever here. I’m back for a while after being at uni in London… and I’m a pretty good tennis player.’
Grace noticed that Charlie and Thanassis hung on every word the woman said. She certainly was stunning, with her thick dark hair, olive skin and wide mouth painted red. She only hoped that Elena’s husband Giannis wasn’t the slavering wolf at the head of the pack.
There was a moment’s silence, before Thanassis spoke again.
‘Rose, can we hear from you next?’
Grace could barely hear what the girl was saying. She must remember to call her a woman. They were all women, not girls, as her daughters kept reminding her.
Thanassis raised his hands towards Rose.
‘Speak up, please.’
Rose’s voice, when Grace did get to hear it, was a soft Scottish burr, Edinburgh maybe. It fitted in with her glorious red hair and pale skin, but the woman would have to be very careful in the sun was all Grace could think.
‘I’m Rose, and I’m taking a gap year following my degree and before I do a Masters in Education. I teach all ages but specialise in adults and… I like to play board games.’
Grace caught Charlie and Anna exchanging glances and hiding smiles behind their hands.
‘Thank you, Rose. And you, Daniel?’
‘Hello. I’m Daniel, as you already know.’
The tall young man with the mousy hair had a kind face and a ready smile. Grace thought she detected a Welsh accent.
‘I’m a secondary school geography teacher from Cardiff. I’ve taken a year out to travel and broaden my teaching experience. As you’ve probably guessed, I’m mainly teenagers too. And I’m a big film buff.’
Thanassis turned to face her.
‘And last, but by no means least…’
‘Hi, I’m Grace. I’m a former primary school deputy head and a tutor. Like Daniel, I also fancied a complete change. I’m comfortable with all ages, but love the seven- to eleven-year-olds. I’ve taught in a higher education college too, so adults don’t scare me either. I love to dance when I get the chance.’
That was probably enough for now.
‘Thank you, Grace. As you can see, we have a wide range of experiences and interests. You will stick mainly with one or two age groups, but you’ll be expected to muck in if we have any gaps or illness on the staff. Any questions?’
Daniel put up his hand.
There was a snigger from Charlie.
‘You don’t have to put up your hand, Daniel.’
‘Sorry, just a bit nervous.’
His honesty endeared him to Grace even more, and she could see Rose looking over at him and smiling. The two of them looked like something from a train company ad for a day out in the countryside. From the little she’d seen, they both seemed shy and a little awkward. But she wasn’t here to matchmake for her colleagues, or, if she listened to Sofia, for herself. She was here to work.
Daniel cleared his throat.
‘I was just wondering when we’ll have the information about which classes and times?’
Grace zoned back in to what Thanassis was saying and dismissed a vision of Daniel and Rose walking hand in hand in a meadow. Sofia always accused her of being an old romantic at heart.
‘You’ll get given your timetables a week in advance, usually on a Friday. So please come and pick up your timetables for what’s left of this week, and there’ll be a new one tomorrow. Information packs on lessons are on the desks. Anything else?’
Rose raised her voice a notch.
‘How much leeway will we have on the content of classes? I know we’re all following the Cambridge curriculum, but do we have some space for personal expression?’
Without having to look, Grace could tell Charlie and Anna were raising their eyebrows at each other. They’d obviously labelled themselves the naughty kids. She turned to give them both a hard stare and they looked away too quickly to be completely innocent.
‘That’s a good question, Rose.’
Rose coloured as soon as Thanassis turned his gaze on her. Grace hoped that the woman didn’t get Charlie’s teenagers any time soon. They’d eat her for breakfast.
‘You do have some leeway, as long as you stick to the set exercises. If you’re planning anything really way out, then please check with me first.’
‘Oh, no, nothing like that.’
Grace gave Rose an encouraging smile. In her opinion, young teachers relied too much on PowerPoint presentations and interactive whiteboards. They had their place, of course, but sometimes it was good to think outside the box. It looked like Rose would be her sort of teacher.
‘If that’s all, please pick up your timetables with the room numbers and familiarise yourself with the layout of the building. All the books you might need are in the room opposite this one. Introductory lessons start in half an hour! Good luck everyone.’
Rose and Daniel filed out with her to explore as instructed. As they headed for the upstairs classrooms, she glimpsed Anna and Charlie smoking outside the back door. Grace had already discovered that smoking was a lot more popular in Greece than it was in England. The Greeks didn’t seem to have got the memo that it wasn’t a great idea. Not that it was any of her business. Charlie blew out a series of smoke rings and gave her a cheery wave.