Chapter 6
Emilia got off the bus and began to stride down the busy coastal road. On purpose, she got off one stop before her destination, just to enjoy a short walk in the fresh air. The sea breeze hit her face and she tilted her head up, closing her eyes under the blinding sunshine. This feels so good!
She wasn’t just thinking of the warm summer day, though. This also had to do with the way her young, twenty-five year old body felt. Dressed in a long shirt, leggings and sneakers, she felt herself glide, rather than stride, along the pavement. She felt empowered… indestructible… full of possibilities. And she owed it all to a strange gypsy woman, who had given her that amazing birthday gift out of the blue. Changing her life. Just like that. But she had questions. Many of them. Hopefully, she’ll be on the beach this morning. I’ll go to the exact same spot to look for her!
As she continued to walk, her dark hair, now loose and reaching down to her shoulders, flowed in the salty air. Pressing questions flew at the same time across her mind, back and forth, relentlessly.
Was she under a magic spell of some sort? And if so, was this result permanent? If not, then when was she likely to turn back into her normal self? She needed to be in a private space when this happened, if this was the case. She couldn’t have anybody see. Luckily, she hardly knew anyone in the city and made her own daily schedule. She called her own shots. If she had a nine-to-five job somewhere and a daily long commute to work and back, she’d be in real trouble, risking being seen as she changed back to her true form at any given moment.
Emilia shook her head. Focus, Emilia! Back to your questions for Esmera! No, wait, scrap that! My name is Lia now! Better stay consistent. Whoever sees me looking like this needs to know me only as Lia. Can’t have the two versions of me associated with each other! That is, if there are two versions of me. Perhaps, Esmera’s present has changed me permanently. Perhaps, there is no switching back! Yeah, that could work… I could disappear for a couple of weeks, then tell the landlord and Anita I had a few Botox shots and a weekend at a spa retreat or something… A few trips to a gym… These two are the only people who know me in the city, right?
Yes, these were the only ones. And as sad as that sounded, even to herself, in this instance it gave her a sense of relief. Still, she wondered what she would prefer, if she had a choice. To stay in this form and age to her forty-five years again, her lost years retrieved… or to have this new superpower to switch from forty-five to twenty-five and back as it suited her?
And then, she surprised herself by realizing she didn’t know what she preferred. Or perhaps, she couldn’t think straight yet because she was still annoyed with the stupid plumber. He had checked her out from head to toe. That was so demeaning. One of the things she hadn’t missed from her youth was having guys treat her with disrespect. Like my boyfriend on Milos. Takis… Oh, he was a handful!
Emilia’s phone rang then, cutting her thoughts short. She fished it out from her bag just as she reached the bus stop and dashed under the booth that stood there. The sunshine was strong overhead, and the shade was a wonderful reprieve. A pleasant breeze crept in from the sides, caressing her skin. The only other people there were two teenage girls waiting for the bus, chatting to each other.
With a luxurious sigh, Emilia answered the call. ‘Hello?’
‘Hello. Is this Miss Paschos?’
‘Yes, speaking.’
‘Oh, good morning, Miss Paschos! My name is Stergios Roidis. I am a notary and I am phoning from Milos.’
‘Milos?’
‘Yes. I am the notary of your aunt, Irini Samartzis.’
‘Oh, hello…’ she said numbly. She didn’t know what to think.
‘Miss Paschos… I’m afraid I have to give you some distressing news. Your aunt Irini… She passed away peacefully last Friday.’
‘What? But how…’ Emilia felt her knees buckle. Her mind in a whirl, all she could do was put one shaky hand behind her, using it to lean slowly against the booth’s back wall. The metal felt scorching on her hand and on her back from the hammering sun, but she was so lost in her thoughts that it hardly registered.
Amidst the torrent of questions and uncomfortable feelings that plagued her during those moments, one sudden realization emerged, numbing everything else. Esmera said I’d hear from Aunt Irini today! She didn’t say she’d phone me. She only said I’d hear from her. And now this call! So, she knew! She knew my aunt had passed away. She knew and she didn’t tell me. Why?
‘Miss Paschos? Are you still there?’
‘Yes… Sorry. Yes, I am… You said she died last Friday? Three days ago?’
‘Yes. Friday night. My sincere condolences, Miss Paschos. Your aunt was very fond of you.’
‘Thank you, Mr…’
‘Roidis. Stergios Roidis.’
‘Sorry, yes. Thank you, Mr Roidis. I appreciate it. I loved her very much too. She was my mother’s sister… Thank you for calling to let me know.’
‘As a matter of fact, your aunt asked me to phone you. She left me with a set of instructions, you see. One of them entailed phoning you upon her death and asking you to come to the island for the funeral. It is tomorrow, Tuesday, at four p.m. Do you think you could come to the island by then? It is very important that you’re here tomorrow, Miss Paschos. Your aunt wanted you to be present at the reading of her will as well.’
‘She left a will?’
‘Yes. And I will be reading it on Tuesday evening at seven p.m. to the people mentioned in it, and, Miss Paschos, you’re one of them. Look… I know it’s short notice, but I hope you can still travel to Milos tomorrow. I can book you in a hotel from here; you’ll just need to book the ferry as you wish.’
‘I, well, I understand, but… can I get back to you a little later please? I am on my way to a… business meeting right now. I am working on a… major project, you see…’ she lied, thinking on her feet. She had to clarify the ins and outs of her age situation before she could commit to a trip to the island. ‘Can I call you back in an hour or so, once I know my… erm… work schedule for this week?’
‘Yes, please do. Phone me by midday, if possible, as I am leaving the office around then. Do try to be here tomorrow, Miss Paschos. Your aunt really hoped for you to attend.’
‘Yes, yes, of course! I’ll do my best if I can get out of my… um… pressing work commitments. Talk to you later, Mr Roidis. Goodbye.’
Emilia ended the call and stood for a while on the same spot, waiting for the whirlwind of her pressing questions to settle somewhat. She took a deep breath, then another, to clear her mind. That was easy enough to muster. Working with the upset that had got hold of her heart and refused to let go was harder.
Before she could stop them, tears gathered in her eyes, now overflowing, wetting her cheeks. She wiped them furiously, and turned away from the young girls. She didn’t want them to see her crying. Not that she cared, but she’d been used to hiding her true feelings in public. Why stop now? Old habits die hard.
She was glad she had a couple of hours to try to find Esmera and get some answers before she had to call back the notary. For one, she was desperate to find out if her new, younger self was here to stay or not. Because if it was, then how was she going to show her face to the people who knew her on the island looking exactly the way she did twenty years ago when she left?
For one, her awful cousin, Aleka, was going to be a pain in the backside, the way she’d always been. The last thing she needed was her sticking her nose in the mystery or getting awkward.
And then it dawned on her, making her feel ashamed. Just look at me! Worrying about hiding the new me from people. I am thinking of me, I am thinking of my lousy cousin Aleka, but I didn’t even think to ask the notary how my dear aunt died! What he must have thought of me!
Shamed, she walked out of the booth and headed slowly toward the beach. All the way, she tried to shake away her sorrow about the loss of her aunt. The notary had said she died peacefully. That was something. She was going to find out more when she phoned him back. For now, she had pressing questions that needed answering. And a brand new one had just been added to the pile: If Esmera knew that Aunt Irini was dead and that the notary was going to call today to invite her to the funeral, then why the heck did she give her this spell, making it awkward for her to get there? It made no sense.
And then, as she stepped onto the sand, she saw her, and her heart filled with hope. Esmera was lying on a deckchair outside a beach bar, a few paces away. She would have recognised the raven long hair and the green link earrings she wore anywhere. Besides, she was freakishly tall, hard to miss. She was wearing a summer dress, the hem pulled up just above her knees. From her knees and down to her toes, and from her shoulders to her fingertips, she was covered in what looked like suntan oil. She didn’t seem to be wearing swimwear under the dress. So what was she doing then, sun tanning only her limbs? But that was the only question Emilia was happy to dismiss. She had a million others demanding to be satisfied first.
Emilia set her jaw and strode toward Esmera. Got you, finally! Now, you’re going to answer all the questions I have!