This was obviously a serious issue. Not eating for more than a few hours in Greece was seen as a problem akin to getting stopped by the police or having your wallet stolen, as she’d observed before on her visits to the country.
Sofia leaned over the desk to whisper as a couple of guests were milling about.
‘It’s fine. We’ve got a bit of a situation upstairs. Charlotte in room one has got food poisoning…’ Sofia mimed a spectacular vomit. ‘And unfortunately we need some clean towels.’
Maria fixed her with a stare.
‘Food poisoning is very rare in Greece as we use only the best and freshest ingredients.’
Dissing the food hygiene obviously wasn’t going to get her very far. The Greeks were justifiably proud of their cuisine as well as their beaches and history and weren’t shy in coming forward to praise every single aspect.
Maria leant over the desk.
‘Maybe it’s not food poisoning?’
The hotel owner was giving her a chance to wriggle out of it, which Sofia grabbed with both hands.
‘No, you’re right, Maria. I think it’s too much sun.’
Maria winked.
‘Or maybe too much…’
Maria mimed knocking back glass after glass of something. Sofia met her eye and both of them had a little giggle.
‘It’s no problem. I will call Dimitris at the pool and send him up with fresh towels, a bag to put the dirty stuff in and a couple of cleaning bits.’
‘Thank you. So much.’
‘I’ll tell my son to leave it all outside rather than barge in.’
Sofia took a step back.
‘Dimitris is your son?’
Sofia was aware this wasn’t the takeaway from the sentence she should be focussing on, but it brought her up short. He was a lot younger than she’d thought. She could quite possibly be a mother to a son the same age. It was a sobering thought.
‘Yes, my baby. Youngest of three, and the most difficult.’
Sofia forced out a smile as Maria took out her phone.
‘We’re very grateful to you.’
‘Den peirázei. It doesn’t matter. You’re welcome.’
While Maria spoke in rapid Greek, Sofia fired off a text to Maddie letting her know the plan.
Her phone pinged with a message seconds later.
She’s over the worst. Sleeping it off in bed. Stay where you are. I’ll be down as soon as I’ve cleared up. Mads x
She didn’t need telling twice. Clearing up sick really wasn’t on her list of preferred activities. She wasn’t sure it would be on anyone’s, but she’d much rather deal with the admin side.
Maria had finished the call. Like most conversations in Greek, it had sounded like a shouting match, but Sofia had learned to accept that ninety-nine times out of a hundred it was just a friendly chat.
‘That’s all sorted.’
‘Thank you again…’
