Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
I arrange to meet Ireta early the following morning outside the gates of the lemon grove. Beyond them a faint mist seemed to float along the ground, the leaves on the trees above glistening with the morning dew.
She is already waiting for me when I arrive, carrying a small basket.
‘Kalimera. I hope you have not been waiting for long?’ I ask.
‘No.’ She smiles. ‘I wake early. I came to gather some wild oregano and wild garlic in the nearby forest.’ She lifts her basket. ‘I make the stew to simmer all day.’
I wonder if she has invited someone over, or if she dines alone since her husband’s death.
‘So, do you want to buy the kafenion?’ she asks a little warily.
‘I spent a lot of time thinking about it last night,’ I tell her. ‘In fact, I tossed and turned. It’s a strange feeling but the pull of the café is so strong, I feel I need to be here.’
I realise it isn’t just the discovery of the café though. Rhodes is already beginning to feel like a new home.
‘Destiny.’ Ireta nods.
‘So, what is the price?’ I ask.
She regards me carefully, as if assessing how much I can afford.
‘What do you want to pay?’ she eventually asks.
I really have no idea. I am hoping the café is structurally sound, despite it needing renovating.
‘Perhaps the wise thing would be to get a valuation from an estate agent.’ I tell Ireta this and she shakes her head.
‘They will take more of your money. Pay me; it will be easy and fast. And no charges.’
As we are speaking, a text pops through from Kai’s friend asking if he would like me to come over tomorrow and give a price for the work on the building.
I quickly tap out a reply and arrange to meet him at the hotel tomorrow during my lunch hour.
‘I promise I will call you tomorrow,’ I tell Ireta. ‘A builder will give me a quote on the renovation, then perhaps we can agree a price. Can you meet me here with the front door key so I can take a look inside tomorrow at, say, one o’clock? And maybe documents of ownership. Of the café.’
She frowns. ‘You think it does not belong to me?’
‘Of course not. But everything must be legal.’
A slow smile spreads across her face. ‘I joke. Of course I understand that.’
‘So, do you live far from here?’ I ask as we walk. She points to a cluster of houses set back from the forest on a slope.
‘The village,’ she explains. ‘One shop, no taverna.’
‘I suppose Rhodes town isn’t too far away,’ I remind her.
‘I do not bother.’ She waves a hand. ‘It is too noisy for me.’
We walk side by side until she reaches a slightly uphill road that leads to the village.
‘You should get yourself a moped,’ I suggest.
‘I like to walk. Keep the legs strong,’ she tells me. ‘Tomorrow, I will see you.’
I feel it only right to get an accurate valuation from an estate agent. And perhaps it will prevent me from making any hasty decisions.
Back at the hotel, I excitedly get ready for my shift as the sun pours through the window.
I imagine the little building transformed into a snug place for me to live.
Maybe I will get myself a dog. I was never able to have a pet in my apartment, and it could serve as a guard dog too, I suppose, the location being slightly remote.
I could build it an enclosed pen. I realise once more that I am getting carried away with myself.
I imagine the villagers popping into my café, where I could serve village sausage and griddled halloumi served with local bread.
My day passes quickly, and in the evening, I assist at the bar as one of the staff has left suddenly to take up another job, much to the annoyance of Zeta.
Her bartender friend is entertaining a group of women with his cocktail skills, who enjoy the show as they wait expectantly for their cocktails.
‘Sorry, I asked for a gin and tonic,’ says a bloke, staring at the drink I have placed down in front of him.
‘What? Oh, I’m sorry,’ I say, removing the pint of lager. He had ordered one earlier, so I guess I assumed. I have been distracted with thoughts of the café. Good job Zeta wasn’t watching.
The evening over, I call Mel. I want to get my best friend’s take on moving forwards with the café. I would miss her, of course, as she would me, although she has a busy and often chaotic household to take care of.
In a way, I am slightly nervous of telling her that I might settle here for a while.
I know she enjoys our chats and she once told me it’s like therapy.
I vent to her too, so it’s something I am sure we will both miss although we can continue with our video calls of course.
All the same I feel an excitement in me that I haven’t felt about anything in a long time.
And Greece is hardly the other side of the world.
I call her, as it’s a couple of hours earlier in the UK.
‘Erin. So lovely to see your face.’ Mel smiles back at me.
‘Yours too. Is this a good time?’
‘Couldn’t be better.’ She grins. ‘Mitch has taken both the kids to football practice.’
‘Extra peace for you then.’
‘Absolutely.’ She raises her coffee cup, and I spy the tell-tale signs of a chocolate bar wrapper on the coffee table.
‘So, how’s it going?’ she asks.
I tell her all about the guy on the beach who almost drowned, and my morning swims – and of course my morning walks.
‘Wow, sounds eventful.’
I take a deep breath. Here goes. ‘I also think I have found myself a little renovation project.’
‘Oooh really, you mean like a holiday home?’ she says excitedly.
‘Not quite. It’s a café, although it does have living accommodation upstairs,’ I tell her.
‘A café,’ she says, a surprised look crossing her face. ‘But who would run it for you when you were back home? Could you trust anyone?’ she says doubtfully.
‘I would run it,’ I say after a slight pause.
‘I don’t understand. Surely you are not thinking of staying in Greece?’
‘I am definitely considering it,’ I tell her. ‘I could run the café and go swimming every evening. The perfect scenario for me.’
‘Erin, are you serious?’ Her mouth falls open.
‘Oh, Mel, I know it sounds like a crazy idea, but I really think it could work.’
‘I don’t know what to say,’ says my friend, completely shocked. ‘You are thinking of buying a café in Greece. Wow?’
‘I hope you won’t hate me. I know how much you love our meet-ups; I love them too. But honestly, other than that, it’s not as if I have anything going on at home to rush back for.’
As I say it out loud, it confirms to me that I am serious about staying here.
‘Of course I don’t hate you,’ she says softly.
‘I mean, I would miss you, sure, but here we are proving that communication doesn’t need to stop.
’ She smiles. ‘You must do what is right for you. I just hope there is enough room for a sofa bed somewhere, then I might be able escape for a few nights here and there.’
‘Of course!’ I tell her. ‘I would love that. Anyway, I must do the sums first. I am meeting a builder tomorrow who can hopefully give me a quote for the work.’
‘Oh, Erin, it is exciting. I haven’t seen you so fired up about something for a long time,’ she says supportively.
‘That’s true. It’s hard to explain, but as soon as I saw the abandoned café I felt as though it was waiting for me.’
‘Are you coming back home for a bit though?’ she asks hopefully.
‘I will be, yes. I need to check in on Mum from time to time, even though she tells me not to worry and seems to be having the time of her life. Talking of parents, how is your dad?’
‘Plodding along,’ she tells me. ‘He isn’t ill, but I worry he gets a bit depressed. I have to force him to come out with us. He loves spending time with the kids though; that always cheers him up.’
‘Bring him out here. The sun would do his arthritis good,’ I suggest.
‘You know, I might just do that,’ she says positively. ‘We holidayed in the UK last year and the weather wasn’t great, so it will definitely be abroad this year.’
‘So you don’t think it’s a crazy idea to restore this café?’
‘No, of course I don’t,’ she says kindly. ‘Surprised yes, but if I’m honest, you were in a rut back home at the leisure centre. Broadening your horizons can only be a good thing.’
‘That’s true. Maybe the redundancy was a blessing in disguise.’
We chat for a little longer and I walk onto the balcony and show her the vista outside, of the rolling forest and the sparkling sea beyond.
‘I know you told me not to,’ I giggle, ‘but perhaps you can understand why I want to stay here.’
‘Oh wow, I’m not jealous much. Seriously, though, you go after what you want,’ she says firmly. ‘Maybe I will get to know my new neighbour across the road a little more. The couple are around my age, with similar-aged kids.’
‘You are finding a new best friend already?’ I pout.
‘Never. You know too much about me. And my secrets.’
‘Like eating cream cakes in town,’ I remind her and she laughs.
‘Exactly that.’
When I wrap up the call, I climb into bed and think about tomorrow. Maybe the café will cost too much to renovate. Maybe it will fail miserably, and I will have sunk a lot of money into it for nothing. Or just maybe it could be the best thing I ever did.