Chapter 17
Emilia unlatched the low garden gate of Aunt Irini’s house, and, as she opened it, took in a steadying breath. She hadn’t been in the garden for years on end. That would have been enough to cause her heart to twinge with feeling as it was, but the forlorn state of it made matters worse. ‘I’ll make it better. That’s a promise, Auntie,’ she whispered to herself, and felt blissful that Mrs Popi, who forever sat at her veranda across the street or watched the world from behind her large windows, didn’t seem to have spotted her this morning. Emilia was thankful for that.
She walked along the cement path toward the house, the keys in her hand. Aunt Irini’s house… No, my house. Oh… This will take some getting used to…
She unlocked the door without further ado, and the stale air attacked her lungs. It felt heavy… mournful. Okay… Let’s open the windows…
The house had no hallway and opened to a tiny living-slash-dining room. Auntie’s kitchenette sat on the right corner. Emilia hurried to the sink and opened the window that stood over it. It had a sea view, the coast below a few feet away, and ample sea air rushed in. Smiling to herself, she moved with catlike speed past the front door and the kitchen table toward the large window on the opposite wall, behind the old-style patterned sofa.
She opened it, revealing the view to a garden next door beyond her aunt’s whitewashed fence. The sofa looked lonely without armchairs to complete the suite, but that had been Auntie’s living room for as long as Emilia could remember. Whenever she had guests, the sofa and the chairs from the modest kitchen table had been the only places available to sit.
The medium-size flat TV that sat on an old-style wooden table across from the sofa was a novelty, of course. Gone was the old black and white TV with the huge tube on the back that kept rolling and rolling when Emilia was a child, annoying her endlessly every time she tried and failed to watch the cartoons.
The memory caused a bittersweet feeling to bloom inside her heart, and it found its way out in the form of a wistful little sigh. Her gaze wandered tenderly to the rest of the space. The other window in the living room opened toward Mrs Popi’s house. Best leave that one closed for now.
A wonderful draught had already been created thanks to the two open windows, and Emilia thanked her lucky stars for the moderate breeze that blew that day. She hovered in the middle of the space for a while, just watching her aunt’s curtains flying in the wind. The sight felt liberating, as if the curtains were banners signalling a victory of some sort.
Emilia moved back to the sink to have a better look. She had noticed it was full earlier. Pots and pans, plates, mugs and cutlery. All dirty. Thankfully, the smell wasn’t so bad. She guessed no one had had the time, or perhaps the inclination, to wash them, seeing that things had happened so quickly. The notary said he’d been called as soon as Aunt Irini died. The house was locked as soon as her remains were removed from the premises, and no one had had the chance to clean. That means I have a bed to make and a lot of washing to do. ‘Please have a washing machine! Please have a washing machine!’ she chanted, fingers crossed, all the way to the bathroom on the back of the house.
She smiled when she got there. It turned out that Auntie had bought a modern washing machine as well as a new TV at some point. The bedroom across the tiny hall didn’t look too bad in terms of untidiness, except for the unmade bed, of course, and a few clothes draped messily over a thatched armchair.
She opened the bedroom window—another one that looked out to sea—and went back to the kitchen to start with the dishes. Auntie had to have some Greek coffee, if not instant, and some sugar in stock. Cleaning, tidying, and shifting through her aunt’s belongings would all seem less daunting a task with some caffeine inside her.
Perhaps a cookie or two, if she could find them. She’d been so nervous about visiting the house she’d only had a coffee on the hoof and not a single bite to eat for breakfast back at the hotel and now she regretted it. She hoped to get the house all clean and tidy soon so she could move in, maybe even tomorrow. She didn’t have to stay at the hotel till the check-out date. If only I had some help! I could finish as early as today!
Emilia opened the cupboard and found all she needed to make coffee and more. A half-eaten pack of biscuits and a box of loukoumia sat on the counter on the far end. She grabbed two biscuits and munched, getting to work at the same time.
Keeping an eye on the Greek coffee, sugar and water mixture inside the briki on the stove, she worked up a lather in a bowl with the washing up liquid and began to do the dishes.
The sea breeze rushed in, colouring her cheeks, her heart filling with assurance that she was finally home. Literally and figuratively.
It felt amazing to feel satisfied with her life for a change. Thoughts of Andreas formed in her mind, then images of his sweet smile, his sparkling blue eyes… He was simply irresistible. Tall, with broad shoulders and muscles. Oh, so many muscles. He was just delicious. Everything she’d ever wanted in a man. And he seemed just as taken with her. This could lead to something… something wonderful.
A sudden brewing sound caused her to whirl around to face the stove. ‘Oh no! My coffee!’ she exclaimed, getting there in time, just as it began to overflow in the briki . She lifted it off the hob and grabbed a sponge to wipe the tiny spill on the hob. It’s supposed to be luck, isn’t it? When you spill the coffee? Or is it a sign of upcoming wealth? Oh, I hope it means luck. Luck in love! I could use some of that!
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Emilia had spent a good two hours going around the house like a whirling dervish holding a dustpan and a broom, later a mop, a dust cloth, and eventually an old vacuum cleaner too, which she found unexpectedly while tidying up, much to her delight. It had been tucked in the narrow space between the armchair in the bedroom and the closet behind it.
At some point, she returned to the kitchen to put away the crockery she had washed earlier. As she did that, she heard her gut complain again. It had been making what she could only describe as dolphin-mating sounds for at least half an hour now, protesting for the lack of food.
She promised herself to go out and find a bakery as soon as she finished doing the laundry. There had been a lot of clothes lying about and used linen that needed washing. The first load was already on the line outside that ran from pillar to pillar across the fa?ade. It made sense to wash all of Auntie’s clothes so she could donate them. She couldn’t possible throw them away.
She went to the washing machine to check on the progress of the second load just as it started spinning on the last cycle. Her gut emitted another gurgle to remind her the bakery run was urgent. She giggled to herself and, just as she returned to the kitchen, she heard a short, discreet little rap at the door.
When she opened it, she found a young woman in her mid- twenties and a little girl of about seven or eight years on her doorstep. The woman was a busty blond, with a shapely athletic figure. Her blue eyes sparkled, magnetizing her, but her most noteworthy feature was her hair. It was a short bob, with a side parting and old-style marcel waves, of all things! She looked just like Ginger Rogers, the dancing girl from all those dusty old 30s movies, the dancing partner of Fred Astaire.
But this was not the delicate, damsel-in-distress type. This girl looked more like a cross between Ginger Rogers and The Terminator. Despite the fact she was smiling, her energy was so macho, so commando, that Emilia couldn’t help but drop her gaze momentarily to the woman’s hip to make sure she wasn’t carrying a gun.
The little girl coughed, ever so tactfully, and when Emilia looked at her, she saw she had the sweetest smile she had ever seen. And the most wispy hair ever. It was mesmerising to watch it flow in the soft breeze. Her loose strands danced like sparks around a roaring campfire.
‘Yes? How can I help you?’ asked Emilia, so mystified that her voice had come out as a whisper.
The young woman cleared her throat, then said, ‘Hi, Emilia! We’re here! Your troubles are over!’
Before Emilia could voice her bewilderment, the little girl piped up, ‘You look so pretty! Just like Esmera said!’
Emilia gave a gasp. ‘Esmera? You’re the friends she mentioned would meet me here?’
‘That’s right!’ said the young woman confidently, raising her hand to show the plastic bag she was carrying. ‘And we bring sustenance from the bakery! Will you let us in before I pass out on your doorstep? The heavenly smell of the cheese pastries is killing me!’
At the mention of cheese pastries, and as a whiff of the smell reached her own nostrils, Emilia jerked back to life. Opening the door wide she beckoned them to enter. ‘Yes, sorry, of course! How rude of me! Please, come in!’
The visitors went straight to the kitchen table and sat on two chairs, side by side. The young woman opened the plastic bag and took out one of the three individual packs inside. Sinking her teeth into the crunchy puff pastry, she rolled her eyes and moaned with delight. ‘Mm…. So good!’ She looked at Emilia and, chewing, pointed toward an empty chair across from her. ‘Sit and eat, Emilia! Don’t be shy!’
Emilia looked at them both for a moment, gaiety bubbling in her throat. The little girl was eating just as hungrily as the young woman did. Funny she mentioned shyness. Doesn’t seem like a word she would know! Still, the thought didn’t vex her; it only amused her. A warm feeling mushroomed inside her, the thought that Esmera had been true to her word, sending these two to guide her. She had no idea what she had asked them to do for her, but whatever it was, Emilia was thankful already. If only for the company.
She sat and took the remaining pack from the bag. The cheese pastry delivered its promise of bliss. The warm, gooey substance that oozed out of the delicious pastry, released yumminess and sheer comfort to trickle down her empty stomach. It felt like the cheesy equivalent of ambrosia, or, at least, the way she imagined the latter would taste to the gods on Mount Olympus.
Ten minutes later, their hunger satiated, Emilia stood to offer each a glass of water. They drank, then the young woman extended her hand across the table. ‘Sorry, I was so ravenous earlier I forgot my manners. I am Elise and this is Chloe. Pleased to meet you.’
Emilia shook hands with both of them, then said, ‘So, you’ve been friends with Esmera for long?’
‘Not too long, but enough to know she means business, you know? When Esmera talks, you listen. And you’d better do as she says,’ said Elise, putting a sharp finger up against her temple to tap it repeatedly.
Chloe’s cute little smile faded for a moment, enough to nod her head and say in a solemn manner, ‘Yeah, you’d better.’
Emilia shook her hands before her face. ‘Oh yes, of course. She seemed quite wise to me, I must say… But, if I may ask, what exactly is she? Because she can’t be just a gypsy woman with the power of foretelling! She gave me this gift that… that was nothing sort of… well… magical.’
Elise shook her head. ‘I am sorry. I cannot divulge this information. Esmera and I are part of a… How can I put it?’
She and Chloe exchanged an awkward glance, then she continued, ‘We are all part of the same… erm… sort of… military secret organization. Yeah, that’s it! Think of it like that. We have access to a lot of top secret information, and we can’t tell you more than we are allowed to.’
Elise turned to look at Chloe again and the latter nodded her assent to say, ‘Yes. Very top secret. Sorry.’
Emilia was dumbfounded to hear this. Military? They don’t look like the military sort at all. Are they secret agents of some sort? And how, pray, can a little girl possibly be in the military? Or a secret agent? She eyed the benevolent little girl and thought again. No way. In the end, she decided to let it go. She had come to trust Esmera, to believe she really wanted to help her with her extraordinary gift, so she had every reason to trust her two friends, too. Elise was a little too confident, and a little intense for her liking, but she seemed nice, other than that. As for Chloe, she was an angel. So easy to love.
‘Sure! Forget I even asked!’ she said after a few moments of quiet contemplation.
Chloe gave an agreeable smile and Elise relaxed visibly. The latter sat back in her chair and said, ‘You are so lucky to be given this beautiful little place. May God rest your aunt’s soul. And the house is so near the sea. What a blessing!’
Emilia tilted her head. ‘How do you know my aunt left me the house? I only found out last night!’
Elise leaned forward in her seat and said, ‘Can I give you some advice, Emilia? Just assume we know everything you know, at any given time. Because if you don’t do that, you’ll keep asking us the same questions again and again.’ She made air quotes. ‘How do we know this and how do we know that? Please don’t ask. Because we won’t offer explanations anyway. As we said…’
‘Top secret information and all that…’ said Chloe, finishing the sentence for Elise.
Emilia was mystified by the statement, but she could only oblige them, so she just nodded.
Elise then clapped her hands together and said, ‘Anyway… Do you fancy a swim, Emilia? We’ve come prepared, you know! We’re wearing our swimming costumes under our clothes. Can you be a darling and provide the towels?’
Emilia was stunned for a moment. She blinked profusely, then said, ‘Swimming? You want to go swimming?’
‘Yes, please!’ said Chloe, her green eyes twinkling.
‘Yes, why not?’ said Emilia with a shrug, even though inwardly she was surprised. Esmera had sent them to help her out, but they hadn’t mentioned the gift at all, let alone given her some advice about it. They want to go swimming instead? She scrunched up her face for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, ‘The… only problem is, I won’t be able to join you. But you’re welcome to swim, if you like, of course.’
‘Why can’t you join us?’ asked the two in unison.
‘Oh… It’s just that my swimsuit is back at the hotel. I haven’t checked out yet.’
Elise gave a dismissive wave. ‘Oh, that’s no problem at all.’ She stood, put a hand in her jeans shorts and produced a bikini, then handed it to a gobsmacked Emilia. ‘Here. That’ll fit you. We have the same figure. Well, almost… But you’ll be fine.’ She winked and gave an encouraging smile.
Emilia had frozen, her mind drawing a blank. All she could do was look from Elise to the crumpled bikini in her hand, then back at Elise again.
Elise chortled, then clapped her hands together. ‘Now, go and change! Chop-chop! It’s getting hot in here, Emilia!’
Chloe gave a sweet smile and said, ‘And please remember the towels. We totally forgot to bring our own.’
Emilia stood abruptly and brought the fingertips of her free hand to her mouth. ‘I think I know where auntie kept her towels. Give me a sec…’ Deep in thought, she went to the bedroom, all the while wondering what other surprises her new companions had in store.