The taxi pulled up outside a small but obviously expensive hotel, and a uniformed flunkey rushed to open Anna’s door.
‘We’re here.’
In their room, which had two enormous beds, each the size of a double, plus a generous seating area with blue velvet sofas, the curtains were shut tight against the sun.
Anna drew them back with a flourish.
‘Surprise!’
Grace caught her breath at the view. In front of them in the distance was the Acropolis in all its ancient glory, with the columns of the Parthenon rising against the blue sky.
But Anna hadn’t finished. She flung open a door that had been hidden behind the curtains.
‘And look, we’ve got our own balcony!’
There was room for a table and four chairs, as well as two sun loungers. Grace hated to think how much it was all costing. But she remembered Giannis’s face at their meeting earlier in the week and decided just to relax and enjoy it.
Grace put her bag down on one of the beds and went to check out the bathroom. It had both a bath and a shower so large it could accommodate four people within its marbled walls.
When she came out, Anna was waiting, handbag already over her shoulder.
‘Sorry to rush you, but we need to go. The clinic is just round the corner.’
The young woman obviously wanted the whole thing over with as quickly as possible. Not that she could blame her.
The clinic was like a luxury hotel in itself. After a rapid exchange with the receptionist in Greek, Anna came back to where Grace was sitting.
‘She says that you definitely won’t be needed for two hours. Why don’t you go out and explore?’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Please, it would make me feel better about dragging you over here. They have your number, if there’s a problem…’
Grace enveloped her charge in a hug.
‘There won’t be. I’ll see you back here at six.’
The busy streets of Athens were an assault on the senses. Everywhere Grace looked there were restaurants and cafés with tables on the street. The smell of frying fish, sizzling meat and herbs filled the air. Four in the afternoon was peak lunchtime, and noisy groups laughed and shouted across tables to each other. The atmosphere was lively but good-natured. Every now and again Grace would glimpse the Acropolis or some other ancient monument looming above the diners at the end of a street. The avenues were lined with trees, some dripping with oranges, although she’d been told by Anna on the boat that they weren’t for eating, far too bitter. It seemed a shame that passersby couldn’t just reach up and pick one, but if they did, they’d get a shock.
Turning into Syntagma Square, the famous plaza located in front of the old Royal Palace, Grace took a moment to watch the guards in traditional dress. Their strange garb below the waist reminded her a bit of rah-rah skirts from the eighties, with white cut-off leggings underneath, but she was sure the Greeks would be just as bemused by the ridiculously tall fur bearskins of the King’s Guards.
In a little parade of shops off the square Grace spotted some hand-crocheted cat key rings. She bought a grey one for Will, to remind him of Karen, and two ginger ones for her girls in memory of their old cat Clooney. She’d wanted to buy Will something for his birthday, but nothing too flash or expensive that might give him the wrong idea, so this was ideal.
After she’d been walking for an hour, the heat was, if anything, intensifying, and Grace turned into a quiet side street. A café with a long line of tables covered in red checked tablecloths attracted her attention and she took a seat in the shade. A shower of mist raining down from the awning was an ingenious way of keeping the customers cool in the summer heat. Grace ordered an iced latte and a plate of loukoumia, which was very similar to Turkish delight, not that she’d be saying that out loud.
Athens was indeed fascinating, and she’d love to return, just not in August. It would be a treat to wander the streets with fewer people around and no queues for the ancient monuments. Grace had another quick glance at her phone to check that there hadn’t been any messages, before setting off to meet Anna. The young woman was already waiting outside the clinic and greeted her with a huge smile.
After a delicious room service meal served on their balcony– for Grace, stuffed squid, and for Anna, seafood risotto– they sat and watched the sun go down over the Acropolis, before turning in for an early night.
Grace woke just before dawn to hear Anna softly moaning and took her a glass of water and some painkillers, but otherwise the young woman seemed fine, thank goodness. After a leisurely breakfast back on the terrace, they braced themselves for the return journey.
But the port was much quieter, to Grace’s relief. Safely on board, she realised she was keen to leave the capital city behind and get back to her sleepy little island.
‘I’m looking forward to going home, aren’t you?’
Anna gave her a funny look.
‘Is that how you think of the island, as home?’
