Chapter 26 #2
Maddie was there in seconds and knelt down to the old woman. Luckily, she’d fallen onto grass rather than the tiled patio. Lydia was frozen in the same position, a gap between her arms where her mother had been.
‘Sof, bring me those cushions to put under her head and feet. And Lydia…’
‘Yes.’ The woman came out of her trance.
‘Can you get me a glass of water, please?’
Lydia ran inside as if her life depended on it.
Sofia placed the cushions in the appropriate places and watched as Maddie felt the woman’s brow and checked her heart rate.
‘Is she going to be OK?’
‘I think the old dragon’s just fainted, but let’s wait a moment.’
The woman stirred and moaned out loud at the sight of two women she barely knew hovering above her.
‘It’s OK. Eínai entáxei.’
Maddie had her care home voice on, but Sofia was so thankful she was here. When Lydia returned, Maddie instructed her to help sit the woman up and got her to sip the water.
‘I think your mother will be OK, but let’s get her into bed. I think you should call the doctor out to check her over, but my feeling is that she’s fine.’
‘Are you a nurse?’
‘No, I work in a care home, but I see this all the time. When older people get overexcited, they can easily faint.’
‘Thank you. Thank you so much.’
Sofia waited outside while Maddie and Lydia took the old woman into the house.
She’d already called for the car. It would only add to the problem if she was in there as well.
It was a shock to be hated by someone you barely knew; she’d only ever experienced it in court when a ruling went in favour of her client and against their spouse.
But it certainly put her relationship with Adonis in a new light.
There was no way she could fight that level of animosity.
Maddie appeared outside just as the car was pulling in. They climbed in in silence.
At the end of the road, Maddie slapped the seat in front of her.
‘Bloody hell!’
‘I know. Thank God you were with me.’
‘I thought people were exaggerating about Greek mothers and their sons.’
‘There’s certainly no way I’m planning to get between that particular Greek mother and her son. Do you think she’ll be OK?’
‘Yes, she was fine by the time I came out. She actually smiled and thanked me for helping her.’
‘Well, you’re not the one who’s corrupting her little boy with your mature womanly wiles.’
‘True.’
Sofia’s phone rang, and she fished it out of her bag.
‘Speak of the devil. Sis has obviously updated her big brother.’
Sofia listened for a few moments, nodding vigorously, before blowing a kiss down the phone and ending the call.
‘He says his mother has behaved very badly, and he’ll make it up to me tonight.’
Maddie raised her eyebrows.
‘Stop it!
Sofia smoothed down her skirt.
‘And the old bat seems perfectly fine now.’
After regaling Charlotte with the full horror of their morning, they opted for a casual lunch of calamari and Greek salad in the hotel, sitting out on the terrace.
Just as they were clearing their plates, there was the buzz of a phone.
Both Sofia and Charlotte reached for their bags but shook their heads moments later.
‘Not me.’
‘Nor me.’
Maddie grabbed her bag from the stool beside her.
They’d been told way back on the first island that it was bad luck to put handbags on the floor as your money would drain away, so in most places little stools were provided to put the bags on.
She remembered with a racing heart that Sofia had set an alert to tell her if she had a new email.
Her son’s name flashed up as the sender.
‘Oh God, it’s Dan. I don’t know if I can face opening this.’
Sofia patted her leg.
‘Do you want one of us to do it?’
‘No, I’d better do it. If it’s bad news, I need to know first.’
‘OK.’
Her heart was in her mouth as she pressed on the newly delivered email. Its contents had her in tears within the first few seconds.
The words became so blurry that she had to hand it over to Sofia.
‘Read it out loud, please.’
Sofia fished her glasses out of her bag.
‘“Mum. I’ve been hoping you’d contact me ever since that terrible day.
We miss you like hell too. Things were said on both sides that never need be repeated.
You’re right that dad would be so sad and disappointed in all of us, and we owe it to his memory to try and build bridges.
Elsie says hello and that she’s looking forward to seeing her Granny M very soon.
She can’t actually speak yet, obviously, you haven’t missed that much, but we can interpret baby talk. Love you. Dan.”’
Sofia’s eyes were full of tears now, too.
‘And look, there’s a video of Elsie, waving.’
Maddie took the phone and sobbed all over it, until Sofia took it back off her and passed her a serviette.
‘You don’t want it to go rusty. What a strange day. And we’re only halfway through it. Talk about dramatic!’
Sofia had been deeply hurt by the way Cassandra had treated her.
Normally, she would never put up with that kind of behaviour from anyone, but the woman’s age, and – more importantly – the fact that she was Adonis’s mother, had gagged her more effectively than anything could.
Combined with Aphrodite’s bitter little comment earlier, she’d be glad to get out of here.
Maddie was still grinning from ear to ear.
‘I’m so happy. I could kiss both of you.’
‘Let’s settle for a round of beers.’
Maddie stayed attached to her phone for the next half hour as the others dozed in the sunshine. Sofia came to with a start at a flurry of buzzing.
‘More messages?’
‘Not exactly.’
Maddie shook Charlotte’s leg.
‘Listen you two. I hope you don’t mind me bailing, but there’s a flight out of here tomorrow morning on the little plane, which connects with Athens and then on to Manchester. Dan’s going to pick me up from the airport.’
Just saying the word Dan made her friend smile, thought Sofia, so how could she be so mean as to make a fuss, especially when Maddie had stepped in so magnificently this morning.
‘Of course not. You go ahead.’
‘Yes, you need to make things right as soon as you can,’ Charlotte added her approval.
‘Thanks, you two.’
Sofia frowned.
‘You’ll miss the wedding, though.’
‘Oh yes, the wedding. Please give my love to Grace. I’m sure if you explain the circumstances, she’ll understand.’
Given their little chat at the eighties’ night about family, Maddie was convinced of it.
‘Don’t give it another thought. Char and I will boogie under the stars and drink ourselves stupid on your behalf. Plus, I’ll even organise a car to take you to the airport.’
‘Thank you.’
‘But there is one condition…’
‘I know I’m not going to like this.’
‘Tonight, we go for an early gyros in town and then the three of us have a last swim together on a very special beach at sundown.’
‘I might be missing something here, but it doesn’t sound too bad.’
‘Char?’
‘Yes, I’m in.’
‘Meet back here at five with your swimming stuff.’
Stomachs pleasantly full of gyros, they’d enjoyed the walk along the headland in the opposite direction to the cat sanctuary and had dropped down to a large sandy beach. The first fingers of the orange sunset had appeared in the sky, but there was still plenty of light left.
Maddie went to put her bag down on the sand, but Sofia stopped her.
‘It’s not this beach. It’s the one over that little hill where the white church is.’
‘Can’t we stay here? It’s lovely.’
‘No, you’ve got to see the next beach. It’s so pretty.’
Maddie and Charlotte followed Sofia up the steep path, past the Mamma Mia!-worthy church and down the steps on the other side.
‘Oh good, we’re the only ones here.’
Sofia jumped down the last few steps and onto the sand.
‘Why’s that good?’
A suspicion started to form in Maddie’s mind.
Sofia handed them both a cold beer from her cool bag.
‘Down in one first!’
‘Sof, why is it good that no one’s here?’
‘Because this is the point at which I reveal you don’t need your swimming stuff at all. It’s a nudist beach!’
Maddie sighed heavily.
‘Sofia Barnes! You little rat!’
She and Charlotte dutifully downed their beers in one alongside Sofia. Maddie spluttered as the contents of the bottle went down too fast, and Sofia patted her on the back.
‘I just thought it would be a lovely end to our holiday together, with you leaving in the morning, Mads. It’s a mark of how far we’ve come. So, are you both brave enough?’
Charlotte was already pulling her dress over her head.
‘I ended my marriage yesterday. I think I can cope with a bit of water on my body.’
‘Mads?’
‘Oh, why not? I’m going home tomorrow to see my son and granddaughter for the first time in months. No one knows who I am anyway.’
‘That’s the spirit.’
Once the discarded clothes and shoes were piled up on the beach, Sofia reached over to hold hands with the others.
The white bits of their bodies showed up starkly against their impressive tans as the sun dipped towards the water. Flames of peach and tangerine danced in the sky above their heads as Sofia pulled the others forward.
‘Let’s run in together. One last time. All for one…’
‘And one for all.’
They hit the sea at the same time and each of them broke into a grin as they waded into the warm water as far as their thighs.
‘Last one in buys the cocktails at the little bar on the way back.’
Sofia dived under like a seal, while Charlotte and Maddie gently lowered themselves in and both turned to float on their backs.
‘Looks like we’re sharing it, Char.’
‘Fine by me. Sea water against bare skin does feel pretty good. Who knew?’
Sofia surfaced again and turned onto her back too.
‘It’s been a wonderful holiday, hasn’t it?’
Maddie splashed some water at her friend.
‘Yes, you did well, little one.’
‘Don’t call me little one!’
Maddie’s shriek of laughter was cut short by Sofia pulling her under.