Chapter 7 #2
Why had this been on my bucket list? I might just as well have opened all my windows and let everyone hurl buckets of cold water over me. Or walked into a car wash.
I looked over at Effie, who was making sort of howling noises, her head thrown back, and I realised she was enjoying herself. Outside my comfort zone, what had Beryl said? And suddenly I started to enjoy myself too.
All the same it was terrifying to start with.
Wet, cold and noisy but exhilarating. The speed, the blueness of the sea and the brightness of the sun overhead, and I wasn’t sitting in a deckchair sipping a cold drink; I was actually doing something extremely foolish.
Something that surely only kids and teenagers would want to do.
It felt marvellous, and then I threw back my head too and gave Effie an echoing howl, and just for a second she turned to look at me and we grinned at each other.
Seconds later, our ringos collided and we bumped off each other like some crazy, very wet dodgem cars.
And I laughed as I hadn’t done for many years, even when a load of seawater slapped me in the face.
It just seemed the most astonishing thing I had ever done.
Perhaps this had been a good idea after all?
* * *
We got back to the harbour at a much slower and more acceptable speed, where we found Beryl and Anita waiting for us and cheering.
‘You were marvellous,’ Anita said. ‘I don’t know how you hung on when your ringo actually took off.’
‘Did it?’ I gasped as I dragged myself up onto dry land again. ‘I don’t think I realised that.’
‘Oh yes, we saw it, clear daylight underneath you,’ Beryl said cheerfully. ‘I’m glad it wasn’t me.’
‘I think we deserve a drink after that,’ Effie said as she hauled herself out of the boat. ‘I feel as though I’ve been through a spin cycle in my washing machine. I’m not sure I will ever get all the water out of my ears, not to mention sundry other places.’
‘Good fun, ladies. Yes?’ Tassos called up at us. ‘Very good fun, you enjoyed it, I know.’
He was coiling up one of the towing ropes as he spoke, obviously getting ready for his next customers, a dad and his teenage son.
‘They could hear you screaming from here,’ Anita said, ‘but it doesn’t seem to have put them off.’
I gave Tassos a little wave as we walked away.
‘Thanks, Tassos, that was great fun,’ I called, and I meant it.
* * *
‘In England we would have a reviving brandy,’ Anita said, ‘so let’s have Metaxa.’
‘Why do you need reviving?’ I asked. ‘You didn’t do anything.’
‘In support for your achievement,’ she said with a grin.
We returned to the little bar and pulled ourselves up onto the barstools. Four small glasses of amber liquid were placed in front of us along with a dish of salted almonds.
‘We didn’t order those, did we?’ Anita asked.
‘They’re complimentary,’ Effie said.
‘Oooh, you do look nice today,’ I said, and the others groaned at the old pun.
Generally, brandy wasn’t a drink I liked, but somehow in the warmth of a Greek afternoon and in the company of my friends, the Metaxa was delicious. It tasted of honey and spice and sunshine. Something else I had discovered; life really was full of surprises.
‘You know we should be painting, don’t you,’ I said at last. ‘None of us have done anything.’
‘Dennis has,’ Anita said. ‘I heard him saying he had finished two paintings and several sketches. He will compensate for our sloppy ways.’
‘Tomorrow,’ Beryl said, ‘we will set to tomorrow. I’d quite like to do a painting of the hotel. It’s very picturesque.’
‘As long as you put Costas and Nina in the picture too,’ Effie said.
‘And the kittens on my balcony.’
‘They never come on to mine,’ Anita said, pouting.
‘Meg stole a slice of ham from the breakfast buffet for them. I saw her do it, so why would they bother coming to see you?’ Effie said.
‘Did you?’ Beryl said. ‘I bet they think all their birthdays have come at once.’
I decided to change the subject. ‘I was looking at Costas this morning over breakfast. He really is quite lupine. All that hair.’
‘Lots of testosterone,’ Anita said, ‘that’s supposed to be what it means.
Although Rick isn’t at all hairy and I’ve got no complaints.
Well, maybe a few but they are nothing to do with his level of chest hair.
Gosh, I do miss him. I didn’t think I would, but I do.
I hope he’s seeing lots of rare birds up in Scotland, that will really make him happy. ’
‘How long have you been married?’ I asked.
‘Thirty-seven years. I would have got less for murder.’
‘And what about you two?’ I asked Beryl and Effie, who were bickering gently about whether to have another round of Metaxa.
Effie chuckled. ‘Oh, neither of us are married now. We’ve had several goes at that, haven’t we, Beryl? I’ve had sandwiches I’ve enjoyed for longer than some of my relationships.’
Beryl huffed a bit. ‘I remember when my second husband introduced me at a party as a “domestic housewife”, and I remember wondering if that meant there was such a thing as a “feral housewife” and if there were, that’s what I was going to aim for.
Anyway, after three attempts, I’m certainly not doing that again.
Can you imagine us on Tinder or whatever it is people do these days to hook up? ’
‘Holidays are the place to find someone,’ Anita said.
‘My friend Kim met a really nice man in Mallorca on Juliette’s hen holiday.
That was a real gathering of the Old Ducks.
There was a stag group in the villa next door to theirs and Vince was a friend of the groom.
That looked such a gorgeous place. And so romantic.
Kim met Vince and I didn’t take to him at first when I met him.
He was always going on about purple swamp hens and tits – the feathered kind, but then I realised what a nice man he was.
And Juliette’s cousin Denny – it was the strangest thing.
She knew another of the stags from years before, and they have been together ever since.
I think there is some sort of magic when one or more Old Ducks are gathered together.
We will have to make sure you and Will don’t break the run of luck. ’
‘Don’t be daft,’ I said, ‘I don’t think he is the slightest bit interested in me.’
‘We’ll see,’ Anita said, and she gave a little smile.
‘I think you’re wrong. Anyway, that’s your mission – should you decide to accept it, and let’s be fair, you’ve got to because now we all want to find out more about him.
All I know is he is an expert in ancient history and he wears sunglasses all the time. And quite often a Panama hat.’
‘Like a celebrity, trying not to be spotted.’ Effie nodded.
‘He does look a bit familiar, don’t you think?’ I said, suddenly eager to talk about him.
‘Perhaps he’s been on television, talking about Vesuvius. I’ve seen a lot of programmes about Pompeii recently. Perhaps he’s an expert on pyroclastic surges?’ Beryl said.
‘That sounds rude.’ Effie giggled. ‘He’s very handsome. If I hadn’t taken the vow of celibacy I might have some surges of my own in his direction.’
‘Effie!’ Anita spluttered.
‘I’m old, not dead,’ Effie said. ‘There’s nothing wrong with finding a good-looking man attractive.
I may not have had much luck but there are plenty of fish in the sea, but then there are a lot of plastic bottles too, so you have to be selective.
Now then, one more of this lovely Metaxa for the road, and then let’s go back to the hotel.
This swimming costume under my clothes is a bit restricting and damp.
And if I want to go to the loo I’ll have to strip off completely. ’
‘Agreed,’ I said, wriggling in my seat.
And so, we sat there for another half an hour while the sun dipped low towards the sea, and once more I thought how happy I was to be there, swinging my legs on the bar stool, doing nothing particular.
But then I realised, perhaps that was what friendship was all about, enjoying doing something with people or doing nothing, it didn’t make any difference.
It was the sharing of the experience that was important.
The fun to be had in so many small ways which was somehow magnified when other like-minded people did it with you.
Laughter, new horizons, friendly encouragement and fun all mattered so much.
I began to see how I had been cutting myself off from all that in the last few years, because I had lost confidence in myself.
I might have declared that my divorce was a relief, that I didn’t care very much, but I had to admit, it had affected me.
Perhaps it was time to realise that there was life after divorce.
It might be different and sometimes perplexing, but perhaps I needed to change the way I approached things.
A challenge was also an opportunity after all.
I thought about Will for a moment, and yes, I did find him attractive, and more than that, interesting.
There was something about him. I wanted to discover why, unlike everyone else in the group, he was so reticent; why, just as I had over the last few years, he kept himself to himself.
He didn’t seem ready to interact with the group with any enthusiasm, and yet I recognised something of myself in his shyness.
I felt quite excited as we reached the hotel and I saw him through the doors to the inner courtyard, sitting on his own, his laptop open on the table in front of him.
‘I’ll be up in a minute,’ I said, and I made a beeline for him, ignoring the chuckles from my three companions as I did so.
‘Had a good day?’ I said.
He looked up, slightly startled.
‘Pretty good,’ he said, ‘you?’
‘Effie and I have been ringo-ing. You know, sitting on a rubber ring behind a speedboat. I didn’t think I would like it much, but I did.’
He smiled. ‘Sounds like you had fun.’
‘It was. You should try it. Knock it off your bucket list.’
‘It’s not actually on my bucket list.’
Feeling slightly emboldened, I pulled out the chair next to him and sat down.
‘No, it wasn’t on mine either, but – well, I ended up doing it anyway. What have you been up to?’
‘Working,’ he said as he closed his laptop and put his sunglasses on. Again.
Which was a shame in my opinion, because he had beautiful eyes. Closeup they were a wonderful blue flecked with green.
I think he realised that I had been trying to see what he had been doing, which was very nosey of me, but I couldn’t help it. There seemed to be a great many closely typed words and a spreadsheet with a lot of coloured squares.
‘That’s not on at all,’ I said. ‘I thought you said you were retired. You’re supposed to be on a painting holiday.’
He gave a little laugh. ‘Well, so are you!’
I sighed. ‘I know, and I haven’t done a thing yet. I should be ashamed.’
‘And are you?’
‘No. Not even a tiny bit. I’m having fun instead,’ I said.
‘That sounds great.’
He looked a bit sad then and I wondered if perhaps he needed the support and company of a friendly face, just as I had. I didn’t think he would have much in common with Dennis, after all.
‘You should come with us. We have a lot of laughs,’ I said encouragingly.
He shook his head. ‘I’m afraid I would be a bit of a spare wheel. I don’t think I’m very good company at the moment.’
‘I’m looking forward to the trip to see the Minoan excavation site one day this week. I’m told you know a lot about it. I’d really love to hear all about it.’
He looked doubtful. ‘Would you? It’s very dry stuff, some of it.’
‘I would,’ I said firmly, and he smiled at me, and for a few seconds we just sat looking at each other, and I swear the air between us fizzed with something.
Still, talking of things being dry, I was again aware that my damp swimming costume was riding up into places I’d rather it didn’t. I really did need to go and get changed.