The Ebb

by Effrosyni Moschoudi

  “I’ve got something for you,” he announced, bringing his other hand in front of him to reveal a large piece of koulouri.

  Sofia frowned, puzzled, but managed a grateful smile. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”

  “It’s not for you to eat, silly. It’s for your sparrows! I saw you feeding them yesterday.”

  “Oh!” she said, feeling stupid. Of course. As if I could forget him staring at me like that!

  “I thought they might like koulouri. It’s like bread, isn’t it? You can have it, but I must warn you, there’s a catch!”

  Sofia tilted her head. “What is a catch?” Despite her proficient command of English, every now and then she’d come across an unknown word or idiom. She never hesitated to ask when that happened. Asking is the only sure way of learning, and she knew that well.

  “Oh, sorry. It means there’s a condition. You must accept to do something if I am to give you this.”

  Sofia threw him a glance of apprehension. “Oh yeah?” She liked him too much by now, but if he were to come up with something complicated like going out with him, she would have to say no, and she wasn’t looking forward to turning him down. It would mean she would get to hate her gilded cage of propriety more than she had ever imagined.

  Danny chortled. “Relax! I’m not going to ask you to ride on that pedalo with me! All I’m asking is that you let me sit with you while you feed your birds today.”

  “Is that all?” she responded with evident relief. “Of course, I’d be happy to do that with you. They’ll have a feast today. I’ve saved a piece of cheese pastry from my lunch, too.”

  Sofia took the leftovers from her beach bag and strode to the base of the pier with Danny skipping along behind her. They sat together side by side, their feet paddling in the shallows. Sofia scanned the beach for any suspicious onlookers and then shot a glance at Karavi again.

  It was blissfully quiet, and she felt thankful. It was wonderful to steal these moments alone with this handsome boy. He seemed so full of life and laughter. It was exhilarating to her.

  A few feet away, a multitude of sparrows were scavenging for food. When Sofia called them, the tiny birds started to approach while tilting their little heads gracefully as if saying hello. Sofia cut off big pieces from the pastry and threw them near. One sparrow dared come really close, right at the surf.

  “Oh, look at it, it’s so cute!” commented Sofia as they watched the tiny bird skip away, dragging along a big chunk of pastry. It looked massive for its size, and it was hilarious to watch. The little fellow was trying to avoid a few of the other birds that had swiftly come to claim it.

  “Don’t let them have it! You won this fair and square, you little rascal,” exclaimed Danny, and they both laughed. Sofia threw more pieces near the other swallows to give the greedy one the chance to eat in peace without competition. It worked, and it was now enjoying this unnaturally large piece for one little bird. They giggled at the sight, still unsure how it had managed to carry the large piece away from the others on its own, let alone to eat it all.

  “Now it’s your turn,” Sofia urged Danny when her food was all out.

  “Oh, right,” he said handing the piece of koulouri to her.

  “No, you do it! It’s only fair. I gave them my food.”

  Danny grinned and cut the piece in bits, then threw them at the eager crowd. The sparrows had come so close to them that they were in danger of getting wet. Luckily, they proved to be too alert for that, but just to be safe, Danny threw the pieces further away, so that they don’t wind up eating mushy and salty koulouri from his hands.

  “Excellent!” he said when it was all eaten. “I have to hand it to you, it’s quite a hobby.”

  “What is?”

  “What you do in the evenings, feeding them. It’s quite therapeutic,” he replied, turning to look at her with an enormous smile that spread from ear to ear. In the sweetness of the afternoon sunlight, his blue eyes sparkled with a galaxy of twinkling stars.

  “Thanks…” she said, unsure how else to respond. Also, it was hard to think of any elaborate answers when his eyes dug into hers like that.

  “You’re welcome…” he replied playfully in the same non-committal tone.

  “So, where’s your friend? Couldn’t he put that book down long enough to come to the beach with you this afternoon?” she asked jokingly, trying to break the awkward silence.

  “I wish it was the book. Truth is, he overslept. He’s such a girl! We had a late night yesterday, and he needed his beauty siesta today to recover.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Steve.”

  “You shouldn’t bad mouth him so much. He looks like a nice guy.”

  “I keep teasing him, but he knows it’s all for fun. We’ve been friends forever; since school, that is. You’re right by the way; he’s a great guy. Oops! I shouldn’t be telling you that though!” he said, bringing a hand over his mouth playfully.

  Sofia tilted her head. “Why not?”

  “Well, I shouldn’t be encouraging you!” he replied, shaking a finger at her. “You don’t want to get to know him, do you? I mean, you’re not going to dump your sparrow-feeding partner for him now, are you?” Danny cocked his eye at her. “I warn you, he’s much too greedy to leave any leftovers from his meals. Can’t you see how chunky he is? Look at me, all nice and thin! Go on, marvel at this gorgeous body of mine!” he said, running a hand up and down his skinny torso.

  Sofia broke into hysterics, and Danny’s face beamed in response. “Now, tell me the truth! Aren’t I better than him in all respects?”

  She found the whole thing hysterical and by now, she had a hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath after laughing so hard. When she looked at him again, his face was sombre. Her own smile faded, and she stared back at him, magnetized. When he spoke, his voice sounded as soft as melted honey.

  “Thank you for letting me feed the birds today with you, Sofia. You’re a special kind of girl, aren’t you? Not many girls back home are into bird-feeding, you know,” he nodded with a smirk.

  “Get off you tease,” she responded, slapping his arm as he sat next to her, their feet still paddling away.

  “Your English is very good, Sofia,” he said in a whisper that caused a delicious tickle inside her. The sound of her name on his lips sounded like angel music.

  “Thank you, Danny,” she replied, holding his gaze until she blushed and had to look away. Her eyes sought shelter to the wandering sparrows that had now ventured further down the beach, looking for more random delicacies in the vicinity of equally kind humans.

  Danny kept watching Sofia as she gazed at the birds with a serene look on her face. Now they were both hooked on each other, but there was a big difference between them: her thoughts and mannerisms were transparent from lack of experience with men, while his were perfectly concealed, thanks to his solid experience in flirting. Furthermore, his British reserve made him genetically equipped for keeping his cool a bit better than she ever could.

  “I’ve always thought we Brits are really fortunate,” he piped up all of a sudden, and she turned to look at him again.

  “Fortunate with what?” she asked, giving him a look that felt more confident than she had expected. It was easier to look at him when they were speaking. In silence, it felt like she was captured somewhere in his eyes. But this odd sense of captivity felt wonderful, like if she stayed there long enough, she wouldn’t ever want to break free again.

  “Anywhere we go in the world, the locals speak English,” he explained. “We’re lucky because we never have to learn a foreign language. The downside, of course, is that this makes us lazy unlike the non-English-speaking world. Take you for instance. You’re Greek and yet you speak English better than me.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t go as far as saying that,” she replied, lowering her gaze. Still, she relished the compliment.

  “Would you teach me Greek?” he asked, leaning towards her.

  “Sure.
What do you want to know?” she asked, trying to ignore the disorienting effect of his face so close to hers.

  Danny winked at her. “How can I ask a girl if I can buy her a drink?”

  “Oh no! I’m not going to assist you in getting a local girl to fall into your trap,” she teased, laughing.

  “Ok then, how do you say ‘beautiful girl’ in Greek?”

  “Omorfo koritsi.”

  “Omorfo koritsi,” he repeated, pronouncing the words slowly.

  Sofia grinned and tried to ignore the erratic beating in her heart. “Yes, very good.”

  Well, Sofia, you’re a very omorfo koritsi, you know that?”

  “Efcharisto,” she answered, returning his gaze solemnly.

  “You just told me to go to hell, didn’t you?” he asked with a smirk, yet looking slightly cautious, as if he half-expected a slap across the face.

  “Actually, I just said thank you,” she replied with a titter.

  “Oh good, some progress!” He gave a deep sigh of relief, yet it was evident that even that was playful.

  She frowned. “Progress? What progress?”

  “Progress, as in, I just said something nice to you and you didn’t try to bite my head off!” he replied, and they dissolved into laughter.

  ***

  On her way home a while later, Sofia felt like she was floating around the olive grove, rather than walking on the familiar dirt path. Danny had escorted her on the way as far as the property where he and Steve were staying. She knew the owner of course like she knew everyone else in Vassilaki. They said a quick goodbye and parted with the promise to meet again the next morning.

  As she made her way home, she couldn’t believe what had just happened. She was no fool. She knew well that she had fallen in love for the first time in her life. She had always wondered what it would feel like. She knew from her friends that the feeling was overwhelming as well as painful and scary, to need someone so much, to feel so helpless. As she carried on walking, lost in her thoughts, she decided that what she was feeling was all that, plus there was something else also: this deep sense of familiarity none of her friends had ever talked about. She wondered if it was a typical feeling they forgot to mention, or if it was particular to her case only. Was it common or unusual to feel like she had known Danny forever despite the fact that they were actual strangers?

  She had now come out of the fields and had reached the main road that ran past the village. Just as she was about to negotiate the traffic as to go across and carry on uphill, she heard a shrill voice that echoed from the garden to her left. She recognised it at once, even though in her mind, she was miles away at the time.

  “Hi, Sofoula mou!” came Aunt Marika’s voice from behind the chicken wire fence. It was covered with a lush bluebell plant that had entwined itself around every opening on the wire pattern, rewarding it generously for this intrusion with a multitude of dark purple flowers. They swayed in the light breeze like delicate little mouths about to whistle a happy song.

  “Hello Auntie!” Sofia wasn’t surprised to find her in her garden. Her aunt often took a break from manning her son’s shop at this hour to have a little snack and to water her plants.

  “Sofoula mou, I had some departures today in the rooms. I have some more magazines for you. If you wait a minute, I’ll go get them.” Without expecting an answer, the old woman turned away, rushing into her house.

  Its entrance was almost hidden behind a jungle of vegetation. Ivy with glistening, green leaves crept up on the discoloured wall of the façade. Vines were hanging from the overhead trellis, bearing dark-coloured grapes full of juice that was sweet like honey. If there was a square inch of concrete that the ivy and the vine didn’t hide from view at the entrance, this was concealed behind large pots of geraniums, Greek basil and rosemary. They had all just been watered, and they glistened with tiny drops of water captured on the odd leaf. The moisture had released the delicious aromas of the herbs into the air, mixing them with the tantalizing smells that emanated from the kebab shop two doors away. Sofia’s stomach grumbled. As she watched her aunt come out again, she wondered what was for dinner at home. She felt famished.

  Aunt Marika handed her a stack of about a dozen magazines. “Here you go.”

  “My goodness, so many! Thank you very much, Auntie.”

  “Give your grandparents my love, will you, psyche mou?”

  “Will do! Bye, Auntie!” Sofia crossed the road, hurrying now to get home for a bite to eat, a shower and then a rest until dinnertime. She also had to write in her diary and today, it was going to take longer than normal. She was already trying to work out the best way to put her feelings down on paper. Should she start from the beginning by saying how annoying she had found Danny at first that morning? Or should she open the paragraph by announcing the big news in all formality: that she was head over heels in love and felt totally overwhelmed and clueless about it.

  Chapter 22

  1938

  It was a typical morning in June, same to all the others. Laura was on duty cleaning around the auditorium. There was this new song she had been listening to on the wireless, and she couldn’t get it out of her head. It was ‘A-tisket A-tasket’ by Ella Fitzgerald, and as she swept the floor with the broom, she started singing it again.

  She often loved to sing, and Christian loved to listen. He couldn’t get enough of her voice rising in heart-warming crescendos, making him tremble inside with impossible love for her. She often sang as she milled around his room, tidying up and cleaning.

  Once again, Laura lost track of time while singing, and she carried on as she swept the stalls, in total oblivion to her surroundings. She gave it her all, pleased to hear her own voice reverberating loudly around her, thanks to the auspicious acoustics of the auditorium.

  When Mr Mills approached from behind her, greeting her cheerfully, she jumped out of her skin.

  “Oh my goodness!” she managed when she recovered from the shock. “Sorry, Mr Mills! Good morning to you, too,” she added with an awkward smile.

  “I say Laura, you have a fine voice there! Ever considered joining my Society?”

  Laura dismissed the notion with a little wave. “Me? Amateur dramatics? Perish the thought!”

  “But why? You sing so beautifully. I’ve heard you before, you know!”

  Laura cringed. “Really?”

  “Yes, a couple of times during rehearsal. Your voice is remarkable! Come on, dear girl, you’d be great at it! I can tell,” he said, tapping his nose with his finger.

  “But I can't possibly imagine me on stage, sir. I’d die.” She gave a nervous little laugh.

  “Oh what nonsense, dear! Seems a great pity to waste such talent. Do think about it. I employ fine singing teachers at the Society, I can make you a star!”

  Laura smiled politely. “Please don’t insist, sir. I’d much rather sing in privacy for my own pleasure.”

  Mr Mills put up his hands, not wishing to put her on the spot any longer. “All right, all right! But I must tell you, I’m well known for my ability to discover new talent, and I can assure you, I’m also well known for my powers of persuasion. I can be relentless, dear! Sooner or later, you will give in, mark my words,” he said with a wink and walked away.

  Laura stood and watched him as he exited through the side door that led backstage. Tonight, the Amateur Dramatics Society of which he was Director was to give its premiere performance of a new show that consisted of a series of musical numbers. Laura had been around during the last few rehearsals and had enjoyed listening to various songs. Some of them were so beautiful and melodic that they stuck in her head only after hearing them a couple of times. Others were notorious, old ones she sang along to, whenever they played on the wireless.

  As she resumed sweeping, she thought it would be nice perhaps if she and Christian could come one evening and watch the show. That is, if they could both arrange for the evening off. These days, with the larger number of staff employed during the su
mmer period, it seemed easier to play around with the shifts. She looked at the empty stage and wondered for the first time, what it would be like to perform there. Within a matter of seconds, she shook her head at the preposterous idea and carried on with her chores.

  ***

  The next morning, as early as half past nine, Mr Mills entered the café with Mr Thornton. Laura was behind the counter at the time, preparing tea and scrambled eggs on toast for three staff workers. Mr Thornton approached her, while Mr Mills sat at one of the tables. Laura thought it odd that the latter looked out of sorts, even anxious somehow. Mr Mills was always in fine spirits.

  “Laura, would you be kind enough to follow me please? Mr Mills and I wish to have a word,” said Mr Thornton in his usual business-like manner, yet his kind eyes and easy smile were as always in perfect contrast to that, signalling to her that he was happy with her work, as always.

  “Right away, Mr Thornton. Becky, would you please take over here?” Laura shouted out over to her colleague, who rushed there at once, leaving the refilling of the pantry with the new supplies for later.

  At the table, Mr Mills stood up most courteously when Laura got there, taking her hand to shake it rather formally, something that was also out of character. He never shook hands with her. Normally, he was rather prone to touching her arm every now and then, whenever he spoke to her in his usual, relaxed manner.

  Laura took a seat between the two gentlemen. “Mr Mills? Is everything all right? You seem rather troubled.”

  “Dear girl, I do have a problem, and I believe I have a way to solve it, too. But I need your help for that.”

  “Whatever is it, Mr Mills?” Laura’s eyes shifted from him to Mr Thornton and back again, but neither of them gave anything away.

  “First, you must promise to listen to me carefully before you give me your answer.” His eyes were pleading.