Chapter 47
Emilia was sitting in her aunt Irini’s favourite armchair on her tiny balcony, reading a book. The bedroom curtain flowed in the breeze, the hem tickling her toes every now and then as it swept back and forth.
Elise and Chloe had left a while ago. They’d said Esmera was calling them to duty. She didn’t ask. Now that she knew they were angels she thought it would be intrusive to ask. The notion she had been given an angelic gift and living with two angels for the past few days wasn’t easy to digest, but considering all the craziness she had witnessed during this time, she had to admit, it now explained everything.
The girls had also announced that they would be leaving the island with Esmera the next day. She was going to miss them all, but she was never going to forget them.
She picked up her glass of iced tea from the floor to take another sip. What was keeping Esmera so long? She was dying to know what she’d discussed with Andreas. Who could ever fix such a mess? But the girls had said she was an archangel. It has to count for something, right?
She put the glass back on the floor and closed the book. Her mind was all over the place. She just couldn’t concentrate. She was about to stand and take the book and the glass inside when she heard the distinct sound of a boat motor and looked out to sea.
It was a beautiful small yacht that was approaching the pier, its skipper visible in a white shirt and dark blue pants. The black fisherman’s hat on his head made him look like the real deal. Wait. The blue hull looks familiar. Oh!
She sprang upright and put up a hand to shade her eyes against the strong glare from the sun to take a better look at the man. Could it be Andreas? It is! What? Is he here for me? But… shoot! I am still Lia! I haven’t changed back yet…
A plethora of thoughts, ideas and excuses invaded her mind. She could tell him Emilia had gone for a walk. But she really wanted to talk to him. What if I appear as Emilia but disguise myself? I could put on my dark sunglasses and use my wide-brimmed hat to shade my face, too. That might work. My hair is already loose. Surely, I’ll pass for Emilia in the glaring sunshine. Well. With a bit of luck.
‘ Emilia mou ! Hi! ’ Andreas shouted from the pier as soon as he tethered the boat, both arms waving in the air.
She waved back, smiling to her ears. ‘Hi, Andreas! What are you doing here?’
‘I came for you, Emilia mou ! I promised you a ride on the boat, didn’t I?’
‘What, now ?’
‘Yes, why not?’
‘But… but…’
He was now walking on the sand and approaching as close as he could on the beach below, up until the edge of the almost vertical rock face that made it impossible for him to climb up any higher.
He stood under her balcony, close enough for her to see his bright expression clearly. The beautiful open smile on his face, for one. It was like a balsam to her heart. He is back to being his usual chirpy self. What happened? Did Esmera do that?’
‘Well, Emilia mou ? Are you coming down here? I need to talk to you. To apologise properly.’
‘I… I have an apology for you too, Andreas. I lied to you…’
‘Please, Emilia mou . Let me go first. The way I treated you these past two days… I am unforgivable!’
She was stunned to silence by that, so he carried on.
‘I am so sorry, my love! For the wrong impression I must have given you that I had a change of heart. Of course, I haven’t. But I have been upset, really upset…’
‘I know… your wife… Stefan told me about the memorial—’
‘No ! My upset was not about my late wife. It was about my son!’
‘Nakis?’
He smiled bitterly. ‘Yes. Stefan.’
‘I don’t understand.’
I wanted him to stay here so badly… I tried to make him forget the country he was raised in but… he misses his life in Germany. And he misses Anja, too. On the night of the opening, as we closed the restaurant, they announced to me that they want to get married and live together in Germany. Stefan is leaving in a month!’
‘Oh!’
‘And, that turned my world upside down… overnight.’
‘So, that is why you have been so upset since then?’
He gave a sigh and flailed out his arms, then threw them limply on his sides, causing them to flop against his thighs. ‘Yes… I didn’t know what to do, Emilia mou… I felt lost. I bought the restaurant for Stefan really. I even planned to sign it over to his name, and when he announced he’s leaving the country I lost the ground under my feet. Stefan is the only family I have left. But I was a fool. I don’t know what I was thinking… My mood plummeted, and everything seemed futile. It came to a head yesterday when I had a fight with Anja. But, this morning, Stefan tried to get me to talk to her and smooth things out…’
‘Oh… right…’ she said, connecting this with the argument she’d overheard at his house. ‘So you and Anja are okay now?’
‘Yes, we patched things up. All’s good.’
‘So, are you moving back to Germany? For Stefan?’ She was afraid to hear the answer to this question, but she had to ask it.
‘I made a promise to my late wife… to never leave him on his own… So I thought that was what I had to do. But then, your friend Esmera came to Trata and talked to me, and—’
‘And?’ she asked breathlessly.
‘And, it seems that I have been a fool, Emilia mou ! How could I ever go back and leave you?’
‘You’re staying?’
‘Yes! But… What about you? Esmera told me you are packing your bags! Selling your aunt’s house and leaving the island. Please don’t do that, Emilia mou . Please don’t leave! Hearing that made me panic. I lost my mind.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I love you! That’s why!’
‘I love you, too, Andreas! But… What about your wife? Are you… over her?’
‘Of course! She even told me on her deathbed she wanted me to move on, and that’s what I want, too. You found out about the memorial service from Stefan, and I am so sorry. I should have told you. I didn’t think it was important, not to you. I mean, it was just a family obligation I needed to tend to. That’s all. But it didn’t help that the memorial service was the next day from my son announcing his decision to leave. I guess you combined the two and thought my change of mood was because of the memorial. It was not. It was only about my son’s decision to leave, I assure you.’
‘You were being so aloof with me that I thought…’
‘I know, Emilia mou . I am so sorry! I didn’t realize.’
‘Oh, Andreas! Please don’t apologise any more. It makes me feel so bad! I have been lying to you. For so long…’
‘ Emilia mou , just come down here please! Let’s discuss the rest on the boat. You will come for that ride, won’t you?’
‘I… I…’ He hadn’t said if Esmera had told him about Lia or not. She had to rely on those props for her disguise. And hope for the best. She intended to tell him the whole truth anyway. But she didn’t want to shock him, not at first sight. ‘I’m coming! Give me a sec!’
Rushing inside, she put on her sunglasses, her shady hat, and a pair of slip-on sandals. Then, she grabbed her backpack and bolted out of her bedroom. The plain t-shirt and shorts she had on would have to do. She didn’t want to keep him waiting for one moment longer if she could help it.
As she took the path down to the beach she noticed he had returned to the pier and was waiting by the yacht for her.
When she reached the pier, he ran toward her to meet her half way.
He opened his arms wide but stopped short when he saw her up close, and his expression betrayed that he felt confused. ‘Hi… Emilia .’ he said in what was almost a whisper as he studied her closely.
She was glad he hadn’t touched her. Because she didn’t want him to. Not yet.
He led her to the yacht and, skipping inside first, offered a hand to help her aboard. He saw her hesitate and, as if he understood, he retracted his hand and she joined him on board unaided.
They sat at the familiar little table by the helm. It was quiet on the beach, just a scatter of people lying at one far end, no one close enough to overhear.
She spoke first. ‘I have a confession to make, Andreas. I… I am not…’
He raised a hand. ‘Please, Emilia. Esmera told me everything.’
‘She did?’
‘Yes. And you don’t need to apologise to me. I understand how the circumstances left you no choice. All I’d like to ask…’
‘Yes? Anything you want.’
‘Would you take off your sunglasses please? I’d like to see your face, Emilia… I need to see for myself.’
Emilia took off her sunglasses slowly. She had removed the contact lenses earlier, and with her hair falling over her shoulders she looked more like her true self rather than Lia, despite still having youthful looks.
His eyes opened with surprise, and then, she saw in them a deep tenderness that told her all she needed to know.
Finally, he spoke. ‘Oh my… I have been blind all this time. And now, finally, I can see. Lia… Are you really Emilia? My Emilia?’
‘Would it be so bad if I admitted that I am?’
‘But, how? How ?’
‘Didn’t Esmera tell you about the CD?’
‘Yes… she did. But, I guess, I still need to hear the truth from you.’
‘Sure… Do you want me to show you something incredible?’
He nodded, in lieu of an answer, still gazing into her face with evident fascination.
She offered him her hand and smiled. She was so sure about this. Her heart was beating like a drum. ‘Hold my hand, Andreas, and keep your eyes on me.’
He did as she asked and, soon enough, the familiar dizziness came over her. Feeling relieved she was about to reveal her secret to the one who mattered the most, she waited until the dizziness passed completely, the sign that the transformation was complete.
Andreas was now squeezing her hand in his, both his amazement and the love in his eyes palpable. Her whole being ached to hold him, but she had to do something else first, and, as if he knew, he remained silent, just sitting beside her and gazing into her face.
Emilia took the CD player out of her backpack. She had put it in there earlier, after her talk with Esmera. She hoped she would come back with good news, telling her she could go to Trata and meet Andreas. She needed the CD to say goodbye to Lia forever, and she wanted him to be there to see it. Her darling Andreas had come to find her instead.
Taking the CD out of the machine, she asked him, ‘Do you have a hammer or something? I need to break this.’
He jumped upright and returned seconds later from the cabin with a small hammer and a thin towel. ‘Thought the towel may help to contain the debris. Let me have it,’ he said, looking excited like a little kid.
Taking the CD to put it inside the towel he went down on one knee and broke it on the floor. When he rose again to hand her the towel with the bits in it, he was smiling to his ears.
Emilia held the broken CD bits inside the towel with two trembling hands and whispered, ‘Thank you Esmera... Thank you, Lia… Thank you, Elise and Chloe… I am now officially decided. Best decision I have ever made.’
She went to the small bin by the cabin entrance and threw the contents inside.
Andreas was watching mutely from his seat. When she went to sit beside him he opened his arms and enveloped her in his embrace.
As they pulled apart, he looked at her, eyes dancing, and said, ‘Wow! Emilia mou … Now, tell me, why would you ever go and wish for youth? Why go through all that trouble? You’re the most beautiful woman in the world, just as you are...’
Emilia put her head on his shoulder, and he raised his arm to squeeze her against him. She giggled then, and said, ‘Thank you, my love. Even though I know you’re a little too old to see clearly without glasses.’
They laughed and he took her hand to kiss it.
She caressed his cheek, feeling elated, and said, ‘And now that Lia is gone, don’t you ever let go of my hand.’
‘Why, I’ll do better than that…’ He leaned in to take her lips for a tender, lingering kiss, and it told her all bad things had been put behind them. There was nothing left to apologise for. Nothing to forgive or to explain.
Standing together, they moved to the helm. He started the engine and placed her with a playful nudge before the wheel. Then, he stood behind her and nestled his head in the crook of her neck. They began to laugh as he guided her hands around the wheel to get them out to sea.
She complained they were going to crash somewhere if she were to do the steering, and he laughed and laughed, his breath tickling her face as the seagulls cawed overhead, as the sea plopped and flowed around the hull, and as the afternoon sun shone on their faces.
They were cruising now at high speed, her hair flowing wildly, and she tried to catch it into a makeshift bun.
He got there first, securing the bun in his fist gently, causing her to giggle.
She shouted against the strong breeze, ‘Where are you taking us, Captain?’
‘Anywhere you like, Madam.’
‘I hear Klima looks lovely around sunset.’
‘Klima, it is.’
She turned to look at him. ‘How long do we have?’
‘All evening, my darling!’
‘But… what about Trata? Won’t Stefan miss you?’
‘Special arrangements for tonight. He has Anja and Elise serving. And Chloe is there too, helping Voula in the kitchen. They’ll be so well-staffed tonight I am worried I’ll be out of a job tomorrow morning.’
Drunk with the sweetness of love, they dissolved into hysterics.
When they sobered up, he asked, shouting against the strong salty breeze, ‘So, which house shall we live in, Emilia mou ? Your auntie’s on the beach or mine where we’ve left some gardening unfinished?’
‘Anywhere with you will be heaven to me. Actually, we might as well leave both houses and settle on this boat…’ she said, tilting her head back against his shoulder as he still stood behind her, his hands on her hands holding the wheel, his strong torso against her back making her feel safer than ever before.
Andreas was her protector, her strength, her guardian angel. An angel she would never have to part with – not if his love for her was half of the love she had for him.
Unaware of her thoughts, he laughed. ‘Sure. I can settle on the boat with you. But no fishing!’ he joked, putting a hand forward to shake a finger before her face.
‘That’s right! No fishing!’ she replied, giggling, and he turned her around gently to cover her lips with his own.
When they pulled apart, she gave him a mischievous smile and said, ‘Andreas, speaking of the gardening work earlier, I may be out of a job soon, but… have I told you that I did some waitressing when I was a young girl here?’
‘Ooh, I don’t know…’ he said, trying not to laugh as he put an index finger on his lips and pretended to think. ‘It’s not exactly recent work experience, but do email me your resume, and I’ll get back to you.’
She slapped his wrist and they howled, then he squeezed her in his arms lovingly, and she let herself melt in his arms. She knew then, already, that she owed a great part of her newfound happiness to Lia. She’d taught her an important lesson, but, in a way, she was glad she was gone.
Thanks to Lia, she now knew that each time in our lives has its own merit, but once it’s gone, it’s set in stone. No point revisiting it again. Regrets and wishful thinking are only for fools and timewasters. Strong people with sound minds live in the now. They make a life from what they have. And if what they have is not the best, then it is time to make decisions. To set new goals and to be persistent. But never to give up, never to curse on one’s own luck or to blame others for our own shortcomings.
As she sat with Andreas a little later, cradled in his arms, Emilia thought about Esmera and her gift. About Elise and Chloe. What a journey they had offered her! She owed them so much! And she would never forget them.
‘Thank you, Esmera…’ she whispered to the wind, as Andreas reached and took her hand to kiss it tenderly again.
THE END
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