Page 60 of Summer in Greece

‘I like you,’ he said, his words stoking the heat already smouldering in my cheeks. ‘Is no problem. You don’t want to talk with me.’ He shrugged and put on a dejected look, which I understood was play-acting. ‘I was thinking to take you to see your dolphin, but if you no want, is all right.’ He turned away from me and stared across the sea.

‘What? You know where he is?’ I sat down.

‘But of course . . . We are very big friends, me and Delphi.’

‘I can’t go anywhere without a chaperone.’ I stretched my neck and looked away.

‘I understand, you do not trust yourself alone with me? This is perfectly normal. I have the same problem with many girls.’

‘You are too bold, Mr Manno, I suspect you’ve been told that before too. I would love to see the dolphin again, but I have a certain responsibility here. Poor Corporal Perkins has lost his foot.’

‘Then he will never marry, poor man.’

‘Of course he’ll marry. Why shouldn’t he take a wife once he has a new foot and is back at work?’

Manno pulled in his chin. ‘Bah! You think so? In Greece, only perfect men take a wife. If there is something wrong with a man, like only one foot, then the family hide him away.’

Yianni, who sat patiently in his boat, shouted towards us. ‘Manno, ela!’

‘I will leave you to your work, and get on with my own,’ Manno said. He stuck his arm out. ‘It is the custom here, if someone saves your life, you shake hands with them each time you meet.’

This seemed such a charming custom, and I had noticed a lot of handshaking went on between the islanders. I reached out and took his hand. ‘Then I must say: thank you for saving my life.’

‘Manno!’ his father called.

Manno lifted my hand and quickly kissed the back of it, then turned and leapt into the boat.

‘Manno! You are so bad!’ I called.

He grinned, released the mooring ropes then pushed the vessel away from the quayside. ‘Until tomorrow!’ he shouted. ‘I will give your good wishes to Delphi!’

Yianni cranked the engine and it spluttered into life. The boat turned away from the town and motored down the centre of the harbour. I watched until the fishing boat disappeared past the lighthouse of St Nicholas.

*

‘Goodnight, Gertie,’ Josephine called that evening as I walked out of the school room.

‘Goodnight, nurse,’ I called back absently, my head full of Corporal Perkins. I could not get Manno’s words out of my head. Just because Perkins had lost half of his leg, didn’t mean he wouldn’t make a perfectly fine husband. Yet, knowing that some people would think like Manno filled me with sadness. It made me want to hold Perkins to me and tell him things would work out; that I would always care deeply for him.

I gazed out over the darkening sea, following the path that Manno had taken. My heart filled with romantic thoughts of the fisherman. The evening was heavy with heat even though it was December. My pigeon would be flying through the colourful sky towards Athens. How wonderful it must be, I pondered, to soar through a sunset.

Tomorrow, my parents would know their daughter had survived. Mother would cry and I could hear Father’s voice as he patted the back of her hand and said, ‘There, there, no need for tears, dear. Our daughter’s safe.’

A flourish of red light swept over the firmament, dramatically silhouetting Kea’s iconic lighthouse. Manno would soon return from Syros with his fishing nets and sack of mail. Would he be thinking of me at that same moment? I turned towards the schoolhouse. Tomorrow I’d help Perkins to walk with the aid of crutches.

I returned to Yiayá’s cottage where she pulled me to the table and served me a thick pancake filled with mild cheese, covered with a ladle of golden honey. I can honestly say it was wonderful. I discovered the word for delicious in Greek when I rubbed my belly and gave her an enquiring look.

‘Nostimo! ’ she squeaked with clear delight. ‘Nos-tee-mo!’

I fell asleep thinking about dear Perkins, yet it was Manno who appeared in my dreams. Manno came to my bed, in my imagination. I felt myself drawn into the fisherman’s arms, imagined his kiss heavy on my lips, and felt his arms around my waist pulling me against his body. In my dreams, I would yield to his exploring hands, and I would boldly whisper loving words into his ear.

Sensations I had never experienced before raced through me, not quite pleasure – not quite pain – something far more delicious exploded in the secret depths of me as sleep carried me away. I longed to feel his hands slip inside my bodice, or under my skirt. But, oh dear, I forget myself . . . yet my feelings for Manno were growing so strong that it seemed I had no control over my thoughts.

*

The next morning, I woke, lonely and withdrawn, continually turning over my memories of the awful sinking. With no confidante, I kept everyone at a distance in case, in a moment of self-pity, I dared to confess what I was responsible for. Why did I open the portholes and cause all those people to die such a horrible death? I was so upset, my insides trembled violently. No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, I could never give Corporal Perkins his leg back, or give those poor unfortunates their lives back. I was condemned to suffer for them all, and then burn in hell.

The compensation was mine to give, and I could start to even up the scale by making Corporal Perkins as happy as possible. This wasn’t difficult. He kept telling me he was sweet on me. In truth, this gave me a thrill because I liked him too. If Manno hadn’t come along, complicating things, I could have liked Corporal Perkins above all others. Yes, I could even have loved him.