Nick looked at her and nodded seriously. “Yes, Miss Joanna.Nai.The old gods.”
She couldn’t tell if he was being serious, but he gave no sign that he wasn’t.
The crystal blue expanse of the Aegean sea dominated the horizon, and it was an easy thing to see how such epics asThe Odysseyhad been written.
Looking past the undulating waves, there was mystery, a manifestation of the infinite.
And the water was so clean-looking. In New York, the water had a grayish-white hue. Maybe it was the light, maybe it was the state of the Hudson River, but here, looking west, it was nothing but blue.
Dark blue ocean, clean blue sky. No contrails dispersing into a foggy white-haze.
This was the world as it was. As it should be.
Joanna chuckled quietly to herself as the thought struck her.
Maybe the gods of oldwereprotecting Skiathos.
They stoppedafter about an hour of driving. Joanna’s stomach was growling, but she was more than happy to wait.
The island was intoxicatingly beautiful, and her senses were devouring it.
They pulled past a beach and started coming upon civilization again.
A teenage boy and girl on a mango-colored moped zipped past, and boats with their sails drawn dotted the waters lazily to the south.
“Joanna, do you mind if we visit someone quickly before I show you to your room?” Nick asked.
“OK, sure,” she agreed, somewhat hesitantly, wondering what he was up to.
“It’s a woman I know will want to meet you. She loved your father more than anything his last few years.”
Joanna looked at him, interested. “Were they an item - together, I mean?”
“Who’s to say?” he replied, shrugging. “I’m not even sure whatthey’dsay.”
They pulled onto a brick paved roundabout that didn’t really seem to go anywhere except a flight of stone stairs.
Nick turned off the engine.
“Where are we?” Joanna asked, getting out with him. A park? Maybe a public garden?
She couldn’t tell what was at the top, but tall, conical cypress trees intermixed with solid, white marble columns flanked both sides of the path all the way up the steep hill.
It was all so incredibly …. Greek.
“Come on,” Nick said jogging up. “She’s up here.”
Joanna followed, glad to loosen up a bit and move her limbs.
“Oh, but before we get too far, just turn around and see this,” Nick said, grabbing Joanna by her shoulders and gently turning her around. “Isn’t this a spectacular view?” he asked. “I think it’s the best in all of Skiathos.”
Uninhabited, small green mountainous islands rose from the waters for as far as the eye could see. It was indeed breathtaking.
“Come on,” Nick said, playfully. He reminded Joanna of Peter Pan trying to show Wendy all of the wonders of Neverland before nightfall.
Were mermaids next?
They climbed to the top and weren’t at a public garden, but were instead at…someone’s estate? A large hotel entryway in dire need of power-washing?
