Chapter 9
Emilia checked in, had a quick shower and put on a casual summer dress that reached down to her knees. She lingered for a little while on the balcony—it had a partial view to the port—just long enough for her long hair to dry in the cool breeze. Then, she put on a pair of sunglasses, swung her back pack over her shoulder and set off to have a coffee at the nearest café.
Yet, when she got out onto the busy street, she changed her mind. Despite the strong sunshine, a pleasant wind was blowing, caressing her skin, and it smelled heavily of salt and iodine. Her feet began to move, as if of their own volition, and, seconds later, she was out on the seafront, her eyes marvelling at the sandy beach of Adamas.
She began to walk along the promenade, leaving the port behind her. The longer she walked, the quieter it grew, until the shops disappeared and she got to a quiet residential area, just under ten minutes later. The sound of the waves softly breaking on the shore amplified, and the cowing of the seagulls pleased her ears just as much.
And there it was before her now, Aunt Irini’s old house. A soft sigh escaped from her lips, her heart twinging with sorrow, when her eyes caressed its weathered garden gate and the familiar, chipped, whitewashed front wall. The tiny, single-floor village house seemed to perch on a rocky precipice, on a slightly higher level from the sandy beach below. It was one of very few houses that stood on that side of the street close together in this neighbourhood.
It was a rare sight for someone living in Athens, to see homes built so near the beach, but in traditional residential areas on so many islands such exceptions to the rule were a welcome and quaint sight to the visitor. All the more to her, since this place had been her playground as a child. Her family house had been just as small as her aunt’s but situated inland, not too far from there.
Yet, Emilia knew she didn’t have the heart to go see it next. As it was, looking at her aunt’s house felt too much to bear. There was just too much pain associated with it all. Sure, when she was a child, she and the other village children, her awful cousin Aleka included, used to know only happy, carefree times here. But, in time, everyone and everything she’d ever loved and lost had been tainted by disease, it seemed.
Emilia shook her head and looked toward the sea for a while. Seagulls swept over it, cawing loudly, and on the beach, three children were throwing stones in the water and laughing.
She turned her gaze toward her aunt’s garden again, for the first time taking a better look, and her heart sank. All the flower beds were ruined, the blooms wilted under the sun, some had turned all brown like weeds. The leaves on the fruit trees were just as wilted, and only the thick herb bushes, like the rosemary and the sage, seemed to have a chance of surviving still.
Oh, Aleka… How typical of you not to care... Couldn’t you at least come here to water? The poor plants, Auntie’s beautiful garden… What a shame! Then, an idea popped up in her head that gave her some comfort. I could ask Aleka if she’d allow me to tend the garden before I return to Athens. Surely, Auntie has left the house to her, since she’s been around to help with what little she could. So, if Aleka doesn’t mind, I’ll do it to honour Aunt Irini’s memory. I could go to the capital… Pick up some new plants. Beautiful flowers of various colours. And basil… Auntie always had fresh basil in the garden…
‘You’re looking for Irini?’ she heard, and it caused her to come to from her reverie with a start. Turning around, she saw an old lady dressed in black.
‘Kalimera…’ she said, peering back at the old lady, who seemed very familiar.
‘Emilia?’ the old woman said, and, instantly, Emilia knew who it was. She lived just across the street, and she’d known her all her life.
‘Yes, it’s me. Ya sas, Kyria Popi !’ she said, offering her hand to shake.
Mrs Popi, who was carrying a bunch of dry weeds, tucked it under her armpit, wiped her right hand vigorously on her skirt, then shook hands with Emilia.
‘I am sorry about your aunt,’ she said, her face grim. ‘She was a wonderful woman. I am missing her already…’
‘Yes, she was. The best. Thank you, Mrs Popi.’
‘Who informed you to come? Aleka?’
‘Oh… No, it wasn’t her. Aleka and I have lost touch.’
Mrs Popi’s eyes narrowed, her head tilted to the side. ‘Then, who told you?’
Emilia felt uncomfortable. Mrs Popi was a kind woman but a notorious busybody. Emilia’s instinctive reaction was not to satisfy her curiosity. ‘Someone else. You don’t know them.’ Mrs Popi’s expression didn’t shift and Emilia knew she’d insist, so she changed the subject and pointed to her aunt’s garden. ‘Shame everything is so wilted in there. It’s heart-breaking, huh?’
Mrs Popi shook her head. ‘Oh, I know. Your aunt was heartbroken to see it like that toward the end… But she was too weak by then to do it and didn’t have anyone to help. I watered a couple of times but it’s not easy. I have two grandchildren to mind, you see. And there was no one else. The best I could do for her was to bring the odd plate of food for her to eat…’
‘Oh, that was so lovely of you, Mrs Popi. Thank you for doing that for my aunt.’
Mrs Popi gave a firm nod, her eyes gleaming, then took a step closer. ‘So… Who’s getting the house? Do you know? Seeing that Irini’s sisters are both dead and she had no children, you and Aleka can claim it now, right? Or perhaps Irini made a will! Do you know?’
Emilia was stunned. It seemed Mrs Popi had brought her bad traits to new heights in the past twenty years that she’d been away. ‘Ooh…’ she uttered feebly, her mind numb in the presence of such unheard of impropriety.
‘Because if there is no will, you and Aleka can both claim it and sell it. Make some money, you know? Actually, my son-in-law is looking for a house to buy. And this one, being right on the shore and so close to my house, is ideal for his family. Will you ask me before you sell it, Emilia?’
‘I… uh… my aunt’s not even buried yet, Mrs Popi. This is not the time to discuss her property. Don’t you think?’
‘Oh, yes. Of course…’ She appeared to realize she’d misbehaved because, hefting the bunch of dry weeds in both her hands now, she pointed toward the road up ahead with her chin to say hastily, ‘Well, I’d better go throw these in the bin. Been doing some gardening and it’s getting hot. See you at the funeral. And… my condolences again.’
Emilia pressed her lips together and nodded, and Mrs Popi turned and began to stroll along the pavement on her spindly legs. The woman’s words had reminded her that, indeed, it was getting hot. She’d better hurry and find a place to have that coffee.
‘Hey, Mrs Popi!’ she shouted and, when the woman turned around, she asked, ‘Is there a nice café anywhere around here? Preferably on the seafront?’
Mrs Popi pointed toward the direction she was going. ‘Yes, there’s a nice family taverna on the beach that also serves coffee. Just around the next bend in the road. You can’t miss it.’
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Emilia hurried around the next bend along the coastal road, the hammering sun causing her to sweat. She passed a few houses, the small gaps between them offering beautiful sea views and the shade of tall tamarisk trees. At one of the shady spots, Emilia found a cement ledge to sit on, and welcomed the opportunity to catch her breath.
The sea view before her was magnificent. A fishing boat was moored to a jetty a little further away, bobbing as the waves rolled feebly to shore, catching her eye. That’s when she saw what Mrs Popi had promised behind the bushes to her right. It was a beautiful taverna, right on the shore. Deckchairs dressed with aquamarine fabric under thatched umbrellas were set out before it. About half of the deckchairs were taken. The beach was fairly quiet, just a few people around, sunbathing and swimming, since this wasn’t a touristy spot. She guessed they were all locals.
At the fa?ade of the taverna, the small cluster of tables and the thatched chairs were typical for Greek seaside cafés. It was such an idyllic sight and a welcoming one too, seeing that, by now, she was absolutely gagging for a tall glass of chilled coffee and an even bigger glass of chilled water. The biggest in the house!
She stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder, about to go, but then she heard a faint whimper. What’s that? She looked around her and saw nothing. There it is again! Is it a cat? She looked toward the nearest houses either way but the whimper had stopped, plus she couldn’t see a thing that could identify the sound.
Shaking her head, and taking two steps further out toward the beach through a cluster of tamarisk trees, she heard it again, this time louder. Turning around, she saw the tiniest puppy she’d ever seen. It had both its front paws on the side of the ledge she’d just left behind, hopping with its hind ones, obviously trying to find purchase and ascend, but it would never make it. It was just too tiny. Awww!
‘Hey, you tiny little thing! Where did you come from, hey?’ she exclaimed as she hurried to pick up the puppy. Cradled in her arms now, it stopped whimpering and its expression eased, its brown eyes opening somewhat, its mouth half-open. It was such a cute expression that she couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Oh, baby… Are you all alone here?’ she said, turning its little body this way and that to check that it was okay. Other than a couple of bits of dry weed that had stuck to its black and white fur, it was spotless. It seemed healthy, albeit rather thin. Perhaps it hadn’t been fed in a while. She looked around but found no other humans or dogs that it might belong to. She cooed at the puppy. ‘Where’s your mamma, baby? Have you run away from home?’
Now, she began to look around more frantically. She knew already that unless she found its owners, or its mamma if it was a stray, she’d be stuck with it for good. There was no way she was going to put it back down and abandon it.
The stray problem in Greece was huge and there were no charities to call when you found a stray. Councils were supposed to be responsible for them but did virtually nothing to help.
The puppy, now lying on its back comfortably between her open palms, gave a huge yawn, providing the perfect return to the present. It pushed her concerns aside and caused her to giggle.
‘Aww! You’re adorable! Wish I could take you home with me!’ She cooed at it as it returned her adoring gaze with an innocent one of its own. ‘Except, I have no home here… Only a hotel room… Oh, wait!’ It dawned on her then. The people at the café might know something. Perhaps, they’ve seen it before and know if it lives in one of the houses in the vicinity. Or, maybe, they know its mamma if it’s a stray...
She strolled along the beach, the puppy nestled against her chest. She was on a mission now, her thirst gone, and it amazed her. But that was her all over. She was forever neglecting her own needs to help others. The thought surprised her, but she recognised it as truth, all the same. Perhaps, it’s the instinctive things we do that define who we really are. Not the things we plan in life. Wait, is this why God gives us pain? To help us identify who we really are? Inevitably, she thought of her loved ones again, back in Athens, all three of them. She’d tended for them in succession, only to lose them all. And still, the thought she hadn’t been here to help Aunt Irini in her last days too still filled her with guilt. What’s wrong with me? Why is it I can’t be happy with myself for once? I can’t be everywhere at the same time, nor can I clone myself. Just be happy for whatever little good you can do, Emilia! It’s more than enough, for goodness sakes!
She looked down at the tiny puppy as she hurried along. It had gotten so cosy nestled against her bosom that it looked half-asleep. ‘Aww!’ Don’t worry, little guy… I’ll find your mamma or a home for you. I’m not letting you go unless I make sure you’ll be okay. Hey! I’ll take you back to Athens with me if I have to!’ She squeezed it against her, ever so slightly, and it opened up its eyes fully, leaving a lick on her fingers. ‘You rascal. You saw me coming, didn’t you?’
With a big grin, she picked up her pace. Now, looking at the taverna across the distance under the blinding heat only made her feel more parched by the second.