Chapter 13 #2
Maddie wagged her finger.
‘You know his name’s Thanassis.’
‘Whatever. Hunky fisherman will do for me.’
The three of them made their way over to the shaded area and spread out their towels on the ground.
Thanassis ambled over holding a skewer aloft with a piece of fish and offered it to Maddie. Sofia couldn’t imagine him doing anything in a hurry. Which could have its advantages.
‘You have the first taste. Let me know if you think it’s done.’
Maddie held his hand steady with her own while she took the piece of fish and put it in her mouth. The touch of skin on skin gave her a little jolt. But it was driven from her mind by the taste of the fish marinated in a simple lemon and butter sauce.
‘That’s fantastic, Thanassis.’
He held her gaze for a long moment.
‘Thank you. I will fetch the rest.’
‘Don’t mind us…’ Sofia whispered at his departing back.
Maddie hoped her blush wasn’t too noticeable now she had a tan.
‘Stop it. He offered it to me first because he can see that I’m a food connoisseur.’
‘Greedy pig more like.’
‘Miaow.’
At first Thanassis made to sit a little way from them, but Sofia beckoned him over.
‘Please, come and eat with us,’ she shouted. ‘You’ve done all the hard work.’
Several different types of fish, all crisp and as fresh as the moment they’d been taken out the sea, were accompanied by a large bowl of some sort of dip, which Thanassis laid on a piece of cloth in the middle of the towels.
‘This is skordaliá, made from stale bread, potatoes, almonds, garlic and olive oil. Everyone has their own recipe, and I made this myself this morning. It comes from my yiayiá, my grandmother, and has been in the family for generations. It’s usually served with cod, but it suits all fish.’
Sofia noticed that he seemed to be addressing most of his remarks directly to Maddie. Not that she minded; she was genuinely thrilled to see her friend getting special attention.
Thanassis pointed to a large plastic container at his side.
‘And the salad is a mix of things from my garden. But the key is to use only the best olive oil. I am warning you, never ever buy cheap elaiólado. You will ruin the flavour of whatever you’re cooking.’
Thanassis’s deep voice bounced off the rocks and reverberated around the tiny bay.
‘Got the message.’ Sofia dived in for another piece of fish and dunked it in the skordaliá, while Thanassis went to fetch some more stuff from his makeshift kitchen.
‘Mmmm. That tastes so much better than it sounds or indeed looks for that matter.’
Maddie scooped up more of the dip with her own fish.
‘Rude, Sof.’
‘You have to agree it’s a bit beige. And it has the texture of wallpaper paste. Usually, Greek food is so colourful.’
‘Yes, it does look a bit weird, but I agree it tastes fantastic,’ Charlotte chimed in.
Maddie looked behind her.
‘The taste is far more important than the look. You’re too hung up on image, Sof. And I’m not just talking about food.’
‘I like nice things, so sue me.’
‘Shhh. He’s coming back.’
She’d hate for Thanassis to hear any negative comments when he’d served them up such a feast.
They ate mainly with their hands, just using a fork for the salad, and paper cups for the wine. It came in a big plastic bottle without any labels or markings, and Thanassis filled their cups to the brim.
‘This krasí is a rosé, made from my friend’s grapes from the vines we grow up in the hills. It is good with fish.’
Maddie knocked back too big a mouthful and coughed several times, causing Thanassis to rush round and pat her on the back.
‘It is probably stronger than what you’re used to in a restaurant, but it is natural and organikós, how you say, organic, which is of course a Greek word by origin, as many words in your language are.’
Sofia and Charlotte were sitting a few feet away, and Sofia leant across to whisper to her friend while Thanassis was dealing with Maddie’s coughing fit.
‘Crikey, have we got another Mr Portokalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding on our hands? Convinced that every word in English comes from Greek?’
‘Well, he is right in a lot of cases,’ replied Charlotte. ‘There are an incredible number of words that have Greek origins. It is considered the cradle of Western civilisation, after all.’
‘Thanks, Simone Schama.’
Maddie had recovered enough to take some more measured sips of wine and pronounce it delicious.
Thanassis kept on stroking her back long after she’d stopped coughing, which wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
Great big chunks of watermelon were a refreshing end to the meal. The simple lunch on the beach was one of the best meals Maddie had ever had in her life, never mind in Greece, and she had to tell him.
‘Thank you, Thanassis, for such a fabulous meal.’
‘You are very welcome. It is nice to be appreciated.’
‘I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,’ Sofia muttered under her breath.
Thanassis looked in her direction for a moment but smiled his lazy smile again.
‘Now, please rest for a few minutes before you go for a last swim and we make our way back. You must not swim straight after food.’
Charlotte had a little smile to herself at Thanassis’s serious tone when it came to eating and swimming, so unlike his usual laidback style.
‘Of course, we will leave it a while.’
The sun was slowly starting to dip in the sky when the three friends began to reluctantly pack up their things.
A doze on the beach had settled their stomachs nicely and the swim that followed had given them enough energy for wading back to the boat, which Thanassis had anchored a little way offshore.
The breeze had picked up considerably and was playing with the ends of their sarongs, lifting them up in the air.
Thanassis strode out in front, the grill balanced on one shoulder and the largest of the food containers on the other. Everything else was already in the boat, including their bags. He’d left the heaviest stuff till last.
As he attempted to climb into the boat, a particularly strong gust of wind ripped the sail that protected passengers from the sun from its base and flung it over the fisherman’s face.
Maddie saw the next few seconds as if in slow motion, as Thanassis half fell into the boat and the metal grill hit him on the side of the head.
‘No!’
She screamed into the wind, and they ran as one body towards him.
Sofia reached him first and turned back to the others.
‘Shit. He looks like he’s out cold. And he’s bleeding.’