Chapter 48
‘I couldn’t have done any of this without Dimitrios,’ Jez said.
‘He suggested cedar or lemon for the smell. Also, he introduced the DJ to a whole new list of Greek pop singers to mix in with our usual hits. And he advised over the bar snacks and drinks. Plus, of course, an event like this has been a secret dream of mine, a little homage to my favourite singer who was really called Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, his father being a Greek Cypriot.’
Rae groaned. ‘Please don’t tell me that means playing Wham! later?’
Jez leant forwards and playfully pushed Rae’s shoulder.
‘I can vouch for these mini kebabs,’ she said, ignoring him, in her black and white toga. Even her bedding supported Newcastle.
‘This Greek mimosa is incredible,’ said Ariana, raising a glass. ‘Not so sure about the Greek folk song that just played though!’
Jez beamed. ‘This theme was Eliza’s idea – to get Carrie and Dimitrios in the mood for going back to Paros.’
‘The blue and white flowers in the little vases, in the chillout room, came from your shop?’ asked Carrie.
‘Yes. Nothing’s too much for my… my very good friend Carrie.’
Carrie knew why she hesitated. Eliza had wanted to say ‘granddaughter’.
Maybe one day Carrie would call her Gran.
But right now it was enough that they were talking.
At the weekend Carrie had visited her bungalow in Bramhall.
Oh, the joy in seeing Boo again. The three of them had sat on the sofa together, Boo on Carrie’s lap.
‘It would be best that you keep him – if you’d like,’ Carrie had said.
‘You mean it?’ Eliza had replied, eyes glistening as she’d scratched his furry head.
With an image of cheeky Boo in her head, Carrie bit into a fried feta cheese ball and admired the Greek goddess costume of a woman who shimmied past, topped off with a gold leaf tiara.
‘You’re really going to settle in Paros?’ asked Rae. ‘I mean, it’s a great idea… it’s just so… so…’
‘Monumental?’ Carrie looked at Dimitrios, with his Adonis jaw-line and dark curly hair, the gleam in his eye and his tall build carrying the toga like nobody else could.
‘Yes,’ she said and then looked at Eliza who smiled and nodded.
They’d talked it through at the weekend.
Eliza was a good listener. Practical too.
She’d helped Carrie draw up a list of pros and cons.
It had been bittersweet; it reminded Carrie of how things had been with Mum who was solid, wise, but didn’t jump in and make decisions for her daughter.
‘I’ve got a fundraiser to organise for the rescue centre.
I want to learn Greek – many of the islanders speak English because their livelihoods depend on it, but I want to really immerse myself and be able to speak to anyone I come across.
’ Also, who knew what the future held for her and Dimitrios, but even if they stayed together, at some point he’d go touring.
If Carrie was serious about a life in Greece, she’d have to be completely self-sufficient and learn how to write and speak the language.
Maybe even one day, she’d teach the guitar, if playing at The Bar wasn’t enough to satisfy her renewed creative yearnings.
When it came out about the fake account, Carrie had told Rae and Ariana that something was missing from her life, some destiny.
Before leaving for Greece, it was as if Carrie lived her life in black and white, as she reached adulthood and took on responsibilities.
Oh, there’d be bursts of colour with Mum from time to time but day to day, Carrie’s life missed sparkle.
But now, the joy she was rekindling from playing the guitar again was slowly filling in the gaps that recent years had torn in her soul, in her heart, and it was bringing back the colour in a more permanent way.
‘In fact I just had a text about a job, when my first three months of living there are over. I haven’t even had time to tell you this, Dimitrios…’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Don’t tell me. Greeting people at the airport? You’ll have to work on that.’
‘Long story,’ said Carrie to the others as she and Dimitrios pulled faces.
It seemed like a lifetime ago she’d argued with him after landing on the island, him with the long legs and death glare, so incredibly rude to her, yet magnetic; how he’d accused her of following him; how she’d spilt coffee on his hand, and then Ajax had wanted to question her…
Appearances really could be deceptive. Instagram highlighted that. So did real life, sometimes.
‘Apparently Drago put in a good word for me with Dafni, said that I’d be a real asset to the rescue centre. I could organise the office and muck in with the cats. He’s not volunteering from September onwards and one of the full-time workers is leaving.’
‘Wow. That’s great,’ said Ariana, her voice a little flat.
‘Go you!’ said Rae, without her usual enthusiasm.
‘Carrie, that is wonderful,’ said Dimitrios, and he reached out his hand. She slipped hers into his.
Jules waved frantically from the bar at Jez. A queue had built up, the Greek cocktails proving to be popular, and Eliza and Dimitrios went to help as well. Carrie turned to the others, who looked a little dejected.
‘Me, moving to Greece… I’ll be back to visit whenever I can and I’m determined to find somewhere to rent with a spare room, so that you guys can crash when you come over, because you will, right? There’s that website that searches for dead cheap flights.’
‘I can probably get us a discount,’ said Ariana, sounding more like herself.
‘You had us at Nutella baklava,’ said Rae, her face brightening up.
‘Doesn’t take much,’ said Carrie, voice unsteady with emotion, with the realisation that their friendship was growing back. ‘And there are the phone and video calls. It won’t be quite the same but—’
‘When my gran moved down south,’ said Rae, ‘she said, “Embrace change or it changes you for the worse.” And, I mean, life doesn’t remain static, I guess.
Eliza came into our lives, Nana and Drago and Dimitrios into yours.
But change doesn’t mean we have to lose the things that have always been important, right? ’
‘You two will always be my besties. Come whatever,’ said Carrie. Her voice caught. ‘I’m going to miss you, of course I am. But we’ve years ahead of us, me coming over to do Christmas shopping in town, you visiting me to relax on the beach.’
‘Sounds good,’ said Ariana. ‘It’ll take more than the ocean to keep us apart. Of course, we expect VIP invites to the wedding!’
‘Ariana!’ hissed Carrie, and the three of them grinned. ‘I don’t know what the future holds. Just let me enjoy the moment!’
Rae smiled. ‘Imagine Darcy’s face when she finds out who you are dating!’
Carrie listened to her two friends, chatting about which of Dimitrios’s hits they liked best, feeling more at peace inside than she had for a long time.
* * *
Eliza gazed over at the young women talking, and pride swelled in her chest at the steps Carrie was taking to make the most of new opportunities.
As she sliced a lime, she recalled Carrie’s visit to the bungalow at the weekend.
They’d been sitting on the sofa, Carrie stroking Boo.
Eliza left the two of them alone and came back with the photo album.
‘Oh, thank you, thank you!’ Carrie had said. ‘I couldn’t find this when I was packing in June. Mum… she put it together for me, during her last weeks. I haven’t been able to face going through it more than once. Though I did notice there was an envelope of random snaps in the back.’
‘Not so random, perhaps.’ Eliza had explained each one.
Carrie had sat with her mouth agape. Mum must have…
she must have loved Eliza. Despite everything.
She’d got up and walked over to the window, staring up, up into the sky.
Maybe Mum was gazing down with approval.
Perhaps it was time for Carrie to finally shake off the lingering belief that she was betraying her by connecting with her grandmother… she’d hinted as much to Eliza.
A drunken yell from a man in a toga with red wine down it brought Eliza back to the present. Carrie motioned to her and Eliza went over and sat down again.
‘I’m so lucky to have Boo,’ said Eliza.
‘I’m so lucky he’s got you to look after him,’ replied Carrie.
Eliza’s throat felt scratchy, getting used to the idea that Carrie trusted her to look after something she loved – how far things had come.
And, to her relief, she’d managed to persuade Carrie to keep the two thousand pounds extra that she’d wanted to give back.
For practical reasons, if nothing else, to cover living expenses until she got a job.
And Eliza reckoned it was the least she owed her.
‘You realise it’s exactly one month today since I left for Greece?’ said Carrie to the table. ‘It feels like a hundred months, so much has happened.’
‘One month to change your life. You should bottle that and sell it,’ said Rae.
‘One month to have the time of your life,’ said Eliza. ‘Because that’s how I feel, getting to know you three. And Jez is happy for me to carry on working here, for as long as I want. I’ve got Boo. A man I respect. Everything has changed.’
Dimitrios was standing behind Carrie and he put his hand on her shoulder. She placed her hand on his and looked at her two besties.
‘One month has taught me that real friends are my oxygen, not follows and likes. It’s taught me that other people may look as if they are leading an incredible life, but sometimes that’s a smokescreen; we’ve all got problems. Also I’ve learnt that we all mess up – some more than others!
– and that it’s worth remembering no one is perfect.
It’s shown me that I’m braver than I think and that’ – she looked at Eliza – ‘life is about change. This month has also shown me…’ She glanced up at her Doritos.
‘Being independent is important, as long as you keep the door open for someone else to bring in a little magic.’
She stood up and held out her phone. ‘Another text arrived, this one from Drago.’ Dimitrios squinted at the photo of a form.
‘He’s applied for veterinary college and is hoping to start in September.
If he doesn’t get in this year, he’ll volunteer at a practice and try again for the following September. ’
‘Good for him. I… I am pleased. I’ve thought a lot since chatting to him. If I blame Drago for Dad’s accident, then I may as well blame myself for being famous in the first place.’
‘So maybe, instead, blame the fan who drove that car in such a reckless manner.’ She lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed the palm, glad to see the frown on his forehead disappear.
Eyes gleaming, Jez bopped over as a new song played – ‘Dynamite’ by BTS, of course.
‘May I have the pleasure,’ he said to Eliza and held out his hand, grinning. He’d apologised several times for manoeuvring the cheap cocktail night so that Eliza would meet Carrie, said he’d only done it to help, that he’d never lie to her.
Eliza took his hand, knowing she could trust him. Howard never used to apologise.
Carrie looked bemused as everyone, apart from her and Dimitrios, jumped up to dance too, as if the song held some special meaning.
Nevertheless, they eventually joined the others.
Eliza led the way, kicking a leg out, pointing in the air, hips swaying as she did the BTS side to side and backwards and forwards footwork.
All of them clapped in time to the music, as other customers danced too, togas swishing.
As they sang along about being in the stars tonight, Eliza looked at Jez and he ran a hand over his hair seductively, grinning madly.
Carrie strutted up to Dimitrios, stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his, keen for them to get back to her bedroom in Reddish that Geoff had been happy for her to have again, for just a few days.
A group of women came up to Dimitrios with bar napkins to sign. Good-naturedly, he left the dance floor with them, Jez by his side, handing him a pen. The women started singing ‘Can’t Break Me’, and shrieked with delight when a beaming Giannis GoGo agreed to give them an impromptu concert.
Carrie, Eliza, Ariana and Rae, the four of them held hands, swinging their arms, faces hurting with laughter, right until the last chorus of ‘Dynamite’.
‘Scrum hug!’ said Ariana as the music faded.
Carrie beckoned to Eliza to join in. Arms around one another’s shoulders, they hugged tight and closed their eyes, each of them realising, due to past hardships and the last tough month, that right at this moment they really were having the time of their lives.
Carrie had learnt that the dopamine hits she’d been seeking with her fake account were there all along in her life, she just hadn’t understood how to fully appreciate them.
Life went up, life went down, and the best way forward was to accept that – along with creating precious memories like these. They were the glue between the people that mattered, and reminded everyone, when problems hit, that this thing called life was worth it.