Josefine looks at me, wide-eyed, and I glance at my phone, which is charging at a snail’s pace. I could call Hayden and ask her to track someone down in hopes of keeping the boat waiting for us.
“Is there another taxi?” I ask the driver.
He’s already on the phone, and a moment later, he informs us that another driver is coming to pick us up.
While we wait, I tap Hayden’s name in my contact list, but the call goes straight to voicemail. When I try again, the same thing happens, so I shoot off a text, letting her know what’s happening.
For the next fifteen minutes, we wait. Electronic dance music plays through the speakers, and beside me, Josefine picks at the skin around her nails again. The car that finally arrives to rescue us is a tiny red island beater with the side-view mirror whacked off. There’s no way we’ll all fit, especially since there’s already a woman in the passenger seat.
Our current driver shoos us out but remains where he is.Okay, I guess he’s not coming with us.The two men exchange words through their respective windows and we’re off. The leg room in this back seat is nearly nonexistent, so I’m forced to splay my left leg across the middle. As I get situated, I knock knees with Josefine. She’s fingering the keychain on her bag and doesn’t seem to notice.
“Uh, thanks for picking us up,” I tell our new driver.
With a quick peek in his rearview mirror, he waves a dismissive hand.
The woman tilts closer to him and, in perfect British English, says, “You’re going to have to pay extra for this.”
Josefine jerks back, catching me already staring at her profile.
She blinks at me and says “is she a—” at the same time I mouthprostitute?
We tip our heads a little closer, sharing the space in the middle in hopes of picking up on the quiet words they’re exchanging up front.
“You said one hundred euros.” The driver throws a hand in the air.
“Yes.An hour.”
“Fuck it!” He throws both hands up this time.
The car swerves, causing Josefine to grip my light blue swim trunks to steady herself. She’s dangerously close to my groin.
“Whoops.” She bites her bottom lip and pulls her arm back in a flash.
I don’t have time to process the shock of electricity that courses through me at her touch before our new driver and his, um,friendpull up to the port. They barely wait for me to throw down some cash before pulling away.
“Tell me, were we just in a car with a prostitute?” I hook a thumb behind me.
“Oh, most definitely.” She bends over and presses her palms to her knees, her body shaking. “Although, I think the proper term is sex worker.”
“What’s wrong?” My heart lodges in my throat at the sight of her but quickly rights itself when I realize she’s laughing. “Are you laughing right now?”
“I—I can’t—” She giggles. “I can’t help it,” she finally spits out. “I can’t believe this is happening to me. First, my boyfriend fucking cheats on me. With a blonde. How cliché.” Hauling herself upright, she heaves a deep breath. “Then I get left behind. Did that bastard not even notice that I wasn’t on the boat?” Throwing her arms in the air, she tilts her head back like she’s seeking answers from the sky. “Then I get caught in the pouring rain and hitch a ride with a complete stranger, only to end up in a car with a fucking sex worker.” A snort escapes her, and she slaps a hand across her face. “Now I’m back in the pouring rain with my tits glued to my shirt, still with a total stranger. Oh my god!”
Oh, she’s delirious.
Adorable too. I should be just as put out after the day I’ve had, but all I can do is smile at her hysteria.
The lightness that hits me is short lived, though, because when I spin around, the boat that brought me to Crete is nowhere to be found.
“Dammit.”What the fuck are we going to do now?I try Hayden again, but the call drops.
Josefine pulls her phone out and tries the number of the cruise line, but her calls keep dropping too. I try from my phone, but the same thing happens.
“Fuck!” I yell into the sky.
“Let’s just calm down.” Josefine puts a hand on my forearm.
With a huff, I shoot daggers at her, ignoring the way the rain pelts against my face.
