Chapter 15 #2
‘But it is funny, isn’t it. I can see you’re laughing, Char, don’t deny it. Your shoulders are giving you away.’
The acrobatic goat antics had broken the tension in the car more effectively than any words possibly could, thought Maddie with relief.
‘Are we close now?’
‘It says five minutes on the sat nav, but…’ Charlotte eyed Sofia. ‘It’s all on that unmade road.’
‘Hold on to your hats then. I’ll go slowly.’
The bump down onto the unpaved road was a dramatic change in comfort levels, and Maddie listened with concern at the car’s engine protesting as Sofia attempted to avoid the worst bits.
‘Nearly there!’
A funny old shack finally appeared at the end of the track, bereft of cars or any sign of life.
‘So, this is it?’ Charlotte raised her eyebrows. ‘This is the cool restaurant we’ve been looking for?’
Sofia pulled into an unkempt parking area at the side, which appeared to have several parts of old tractors as decoration.
‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’
Charlotte snorted.
‘We’re talking Misery I presume? Or maybe Silence of the Lamb Chops?’
‘Funny.’
The three of them got out of the car and walked round to the back of the property, which appeared as deserted as the rest.
Discarded lobster pots and fishing rods were leant up against the roughly painted blue walls, and a steep flight of stairs led to an upper floor with a few rusty windows and a roof that had seen better days.
Charlotte indicated up the stairs.
‘I don’t think they’ll be giving The River Café cause for concern any time soon.’
‘I don’t even know what or where that is’—Maddie put her foot on the first stair—‘but you have to admit Sof, it looks pretty dead.’
Sofia raced past them both and got to the door first.
‘Where’s your spirit of adventure, Mads?’
‘Left behind on a deserted beach for the time being.’
As soon as she reached the top of the stairs, Sofia knocked on the door and tried to peer in through the cloudy pane of glass at the top.
‘There’s someone in there. I’m sure of it.’
Charlotte tucked herself in behind Maddie.
‘Make sure they haven’t got a knife in their hand.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. It’s got a whole heap of five-star reviews. The only reason someone would have a knife in their hand is if they were preparing a feast.’
Sofia tried the door handle.
‘It’s unlocked. Let’s go in.’
Maddie turned to Charlotte.
‘We’d better give her some back-up.’
‘We’re not in a cop movie.’
‘No, but we don’t know what we’re going to find.’
Sofia pushed gently against the door, which creaked open to reveal an extremely old lady dressed in black sitting in a rocking chair by a large fireplace.
Charlotte’s scream was loud enough to alert the neighbours if there had been any.
‘Is she dead?’
Sofia shook her head but didn’t immediately cross the threshold.
‘I don’t think so, but I suppose we’d better find out either way. We might have to call the police.’
Holding hands, the three of them advanced into the large low room towards the inert woman.
‘Hello, yassas!’
Sofia’s call produced little reaction from the woman. They edged closer inch by inch. When they were almost within touching distance, a noise behind Charlotte made all three of them gasp.
An aproned middle-aged woman with a knife in her hand and a fierce glare stood there watching them.
‘What the hell are you doing to my mother?’
Sofia recovered her voice first.
‘Nothing, honestly. We’ve done nothing to her.’
Charlotte reached out a hand to touch the sleeve of the woman’s cardigan.
‘We were just a bit worried that she might be … dead.’
‘Dead?’ The woman’s rich laugh ricocheted around the room.
‘That is funny. She certainly sleeps like the dead. My mother is ninety this year, but I can assure you she is very much alive.’
The elderly woman’s head suddenly jerked up at the noise of her daughter laughing. She stared in horror at the three women ranged in a semi-circle around her, before her daughter stepped in front of Sofia.
‘She doesn’t speak any English, and she can’t see that well. Entaxéi, Mamá. Everything is OK.’
The younger woman slapped her thigh with one hand, the knife still in the other.
‘Nómizan óti ísoun nekrós, Mamá. They thought you were dead!’
The old woman gave them all the once-over and started to cackle, echoing her daughter. Her cheery face had Sofia joining in, followed swiftly by the others. For a long moment, the five women laughed together, great belly laughs, which left them all gasping for breath.
‘I’m sorry…’ Sofia stroked the old woman’s arm. ‘We’re all sorry. We made a mistake.’
The old woman looked up at her daughter in confusion.
‘Lypoúntai, Mamá. They are sorry.’
A smile broke out on the older woman’s face, and she pointed to her chest.
‘Eímai Anastasia.’
Charlotte pointed at her own chest.
‘Eímai Charlotte; eínai Sofia and Maddie.’
The old woman smiled again, and held out her hand to her daughter, who rushed to her side and kissed her on the top of the head.
‘And I’m Daphne. Pleased to meet you. Have you come here to eat?’
Sofia stepped forward.
‘Yes, that was the idea. Is it possible? I don’t think you take reservations, do you?’
Daphne waved the idea away with her hand.
‘No, none of that nonsense. And there’s no menu. You get what I’m cooking for my mother, my husband and me.’
‘OK, sounds lovely.’
Sofia wouldn’t have dared argue at this point. Daphne pointed to somewhere at the other end of the room.
‘Go and sit on the balcony and I will bring you all wine.’
Ducking behind the huge fireplace, which was virtually the width of the room, Charlotte was amazed to see a whole wall of windows at the end of the space, not visible from what they’d assumed was the car park, which let the light flood through. The view was straight out onto the water and beyond.
A covered balcony, accessed through huge French doors, boasted four solid wood tables and chairs painted a vibrant blue. From where they were, the balcony appeared to be suspended in mid-air.
‘Wow, look at this.’
The three of them walked onto the whitewashed decking of the balcony and made straight for the railings, eager to take in more of the view.
To the left were the tree-studded hills on the other side of the inlet and a few boats, and beneath them was water so clear they could see individual stones and fronds of greenery.
Sofia pointed to the right and covered a laugh with her hand.
The others clocked the sturdy flight of stairs up to the balcony and beyond it a paved area with a solitary truck parked.
Maddie burst out laughing too.
‘So that’s where we were supposed to come up to the restaurant, from the dockside. Not through their living room, invading their privacy and terrifying Anastasia with our screaming?’
Charlotte smiled.
‘That’s about the size of it.’
Daphne appeared on the balcony with a tray and indicated that they should sit at the table at the very front, the best seat in the house.
‘White wine, homemade bread and taramasaláta like you will never have tasted it in England. None of your bright pink stuff, full of dangerous food dye.’
Daphne made an ‘I’m about to vomit if I think about it anymore’ face.
‘Proper Greek taramasaláta is white, not pink.’
With that, she turned on her heel, earning a salute from Sofia.
‘We’ve been told. Tuck in.’
The tangy dip combined with the homemade bread rapidly vanished.
Charlotte kept a close eye on Sofia’s wine intake, as they still had the return journey to endure.
A giant grilled squid on a platter followed the dip, served with a simple Greek salad and a lemon and butter sauce.
Daphne pointed downwards.
‘It was swimming there just a few hours ago. My husband is a fisherman, so I know everything is the best, otherwise he would throw it back.’
Maddie idly wondered if he knew Thanassis, but she didn’t want to out the three of them as the lifesaving crew, so she kept quiet.
Just as she was thinking she couldn’t possibly eat another thing, a big pot arrived and its lid was removed with a flourish.
‘And this … is my famous chicken and herb dish with potatoes.’
‘Bloody hell.’ Sofia patted her stomach as soon as Daphne had disappeared. ‘I’m so full already I can hardly move. I wish I hadn’t eaten so much of that fabulous bread.’
‘Even I’m struggling,’ Maddie sighed.
‘I feel like Dawn French in that Vicar of Dibley episode where she had to eat four Christmas dinners.’ Charlotte got up and walked around for a few moments before coming back and staring at the food. ‘It does looks gorgeous though. You know we’re going to have to eat it, right?
The others nodded.
Charlotte dished out equal portions with more wine and water and issued the command.
‘Three, two, one… The last one to finish pays.’
Sofia took a large gulp of the wine.
‘Soooo unfair, it’s always me.’
Ten minutes later and task completed, Sofia laid her head on the table.
‘I feel like one of those geese fattened up to make foie gras. Please tell me it’s over.’
Charlotte patted her friend on the back.
‘Sit up, she’s back.’
‘Here is your dessert!’
Sofia barely managed to hold in the groan as Daphne held aloft a large cake.
‘This is melópita, Greek honey cake, made with ricotta. It is from Sifnos, the island where I was born. I came to this island for love.’ Daphne hit her chest with her fist. ‘But this is my home in a cake. Please enjoy.’
After Daphne closed the balcony door, Sofia looked from one to the other.
‘I’m sure it’s wonderful, but I seriously can’t.’
Charlotte nodded.
‘I don’t think I can either.’
Maddie felt all eyes on her.
‘You’re not seriously expecting me to eat a whole cake, are you?’
Sofia put up her hands.
‘Well…’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. Even I’m not attempting that. Now, who has the biggest bag?’
Charlotte’s confused look made Maddie want to laugh.
‘Me, why?’
‘Everyone’s going to eat a tiny slice, to leave some crumbs, then we wrap the rest in serviettes and smuggle it out in the bag.’
Charlotte looked at her precious bag and back at the cake.
‘I suppose it would work.’
‘It has to, unless you’re volunteering to stuff that lot down.’
‘No way.’
Safely back in the car with the cake stowed in the boot, Maddie gave both her friends a pat on the shoulder from the back seat.
The previous day had really taken it out of her.
To be so close to losing Thanassis had been terrifying.
She didn’t even want to think what sort of state she’d be in if he hadn’t made it.
It would have been the end of her holiday, for sure.
After what she’d been through with Tony, there was no way she’d be able to smile and carry on if the man had died.
Today’s trip, complete with its bickering, laughs and yet another stomach-bursting meal, had been the perfect way to ride out the aftershock.
‘Today certainly took my mind off yesterday’s drama. Thanks, girls.’