“No, I couldn’t get on it even if I wanted to. It’s been sealed off for yonks now.”
“Oh, what a pity!”
“There are local societies that rally support for its restoration, the West Pier Trust that owns the Pier being the main one, but the prospects are pretty grim if you ask me. It would take shedloads of money, you see…”
“It does look rather decrepit. Is it very old then?”
“Oh yeah! It dates back to the late 19th century.”
“Really? What a shame! It must have been very pretty at first.”
“Yes, it was. I’ve seen lots of pictures from the old days. It used to swarm with visitors. There used to be swimming facilities on it, you know! And professional divers did shows there in the old days, too. There was a games arcade and even a mini motor racing track at some point.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! And also, there was a Concert Hall. See? It’s this building down the middle. And this one,” he said, pointing to the building at the Pier head, “this is the Pavilion. It used to be a theatre. It hosted shows of all kinds, even operas.”
“What a pity they let it come to this...” she said with feeling, as a sudden sadness overcame her. “Still, I’d love to see it one day… even like this…”
“Well, when you come to England, I’ll take you there!” he said brightly.
“Promise?” she beamed at him, cheering up again.
“Sure. If you get there on time, that is. It’s a wreck. It probably won’t last another British winter.”
Chapter 30
Gaios came to view as the perfect picture of serenity. It was the very incarnation of the proverbial harbour of peace as spoken of in poetry, as sought by the human soul ever since the world began. It was a place that made you feel at ease instantly, like a home you never knew you had until you came. Green hills and serene waters of even darker green were the principal features of the landscape.
The town architecture was similar to the one found around the villages of Corfu. Tiled rooftops, whitewashed yards and green wooden shutters were the predominant features on every street. Numerous tavernas and cafés lined the harbour front. Tourists swarmed every shop and every corner in the streets.
Coming in silently, like a humble and benevolent visitor, the boat sailed on the narrow strip of sea between the long parallel banks, as it made its way to the inmost part of the harbour. Cypress trees lined one side, casting their long shadows on the water that trembled as the boat sailed past. Seagulls cried overhead, but even their song was welcoming and serene.
Everyone on board enjoyed the view, taking pictures non-stop, whispering rather than speaking their enthusiastic comments to each other. Caught up in the magic of it all, they took it all in quietly. A fishing boat approached from the other direction, the busy hum of its engine breaking the spell. An old man stood at the tiller. He was leaving port, and as he passed by, he waved happily. The siren of the pleasure boat returned the greeting loudly, and Captain Spyros even shouted out a heartfelt ‘hello’ to the old man. He was clearly a local. His face was heavily wrinkled and yet, his smile carried the joy of a youngster. The spark of his youth lingered in his eyes too, despite his body being bent from old age.
Sofia picked up the brief conversation between the two captains. It seemed to her that they knew each other. Instantly, she felt envious of Captain Spyros, who knew this happy man. She wondered what stories he had to share living a life in such an earthly paradise.
They docked just a few seconds later, and the passengers started to saunter together along the promenade. Captain Spyros had recommended to them to walk all the way till the end, then to turn the corner to find a sandy little cove for a swim. Soon, they all joined the locals there, splashing about and cooling off on a long, refreshing break.
***
“Yo! Look what I found!” yelled Danny. Sofia turned to find him on a canoe, coming towards her in the shallows.
“Where did you get that?” She’d been paddling alone in the water for a while. Danny had left, telling her he’d only be a second, to ‘go quickly and check on them lovebirds’.
He had found them at the beach bar, blissfully happy with their drinks in the shade. Now, he was back with a canoe and carrying two juices in carton boxes in a bag. Without answering her question, he offered her one of the cartons.
“Wow, I was so thirsty! Thanks,” she said after a couple of grateful gulps.
“Glad to be your servant, my lady! How about riding with me on this brave steed?” He flashed her a toothy grin, then drained the last remnants of his fruit juice.
Sofia cocked her eye at him. “You didn’t answer my question. Where did you get the canoe? You didn’t steal it, did you, you crazy boy?”
“Ouch!” He placed a hand on his heart. “I won this fine steed in battle fairly and squarely, I’ll have you know, young lady.” Pretending to sniff, as if hurt by an unjust accusation, he scrunched up his carton and put it in the bag to throw later in the bin.
“But where did you get it?”
“Oh, all right, Woman-who-must-know-everything! There’s another beach around the headland. The guy at the beach bar tipped me off. They rent these out there. He actually recommended a pedalo, but I thought I’d find it easier to get closer to your gorgeous body on one of these instead!” He smirked and drummed the side of the canoe with his fingertips.
Arching a single brow, Sofia placed a hand on her waist and waited for more. She knew it was coming. As for Danny, he could see it in her eyes that she was having trouble not bursting into hysterics.
Danny shrugged his shoulders. “I swear, it’s true! All I said to him was, ‘What’s there to do for fun around here’ and that was his best advice. I mean, honestly! I was hoping for something more like sex, drugs and rock n’ roll, but there you have it!”
“All right, I believe you.” Sofia let out a giggle. The water was only up to her knees. She found it easy to get on the canoe behind him and succeeded in sliding perfectly into position on her first go.
“Now, don’t feel obliged to put your arms around me or anything, but if you do, it’ll be taken as a sure sign of your appreciation for my troubles. It wasn’t an easy walk around the headland you know! There were thistles waist high, and I’ve got a rash right now where the sun don’t—”
“Oh, do shut up!” she interrupted him with a playful shove. “Shut up and row!”
He started to paddle with the oar, and she put one arm around his waist, then off they went in silence, as she drank from her orange juice.
They headed towards the right and soon arrived at a small cave at the end of the cove. Large rocks stood before it in a cluster, like faithful sentinels guarding a secluded pirate hideout. On the other side of the headland, they saw the beach that Danny had mentioned. It seemed loud and busy. Yet, the secluded spot before them was quiet. Among the pine trees, there was a narrow, dusty path that connected the two beaches together, but no one seemed to be about.
Drawn by the peace and quiet that rendered the cicada song deafening, Sofia and Danny paddled towards the rock formations in order to take a better look at the cave. It was no more than a small opening inside the rock. They entered it gently on the canoe and fit right in it but only just. It was instantly cool there, as it was shaded by pine trees that grew at the end of the headland above it. They became instantly quiet in its shady embrace, to take in its serenity, and the beauty of the seabed underneath.
The ragged ceiling hung rather low over their heads. It was dark green, covered heavily with moss and smelled like salt and iodine. On the few bald patches, it was full of tiny, fossilised shells; some grey, others tinted with pink.
“Shall we swim here?” asked Danny, glancing over his shoulder to dart an enthusiastic look at her.
“Oh please let’s not!” she pleaded.
“Why not?”
“If you dive in, I’ll lose my balance and fall right in, too.”
“So?”
“I’ll never get back on. It’s too deep here.”
“Do you always think of the aftermath of every single thing you do for fun?” He seemed dead serious, and Sofia was taken aback. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
“I… I guess I do,” she stammered, her cheeks flushing red.
“Do you ever have fun, Sofia?”
“Not much… It shows, doesn’t it?” She gave a wry, little smile.
“Well, how about we dive here and worry later about getting back on?”
“Have fun now and worry later?” she repeated with a hesitant smirk.
“Yeah! For once in your life, throw caution to the wind. Who cares even if we have to swim all the way to shore, dragging this thing with us?” He tapped the canoe with an open hand. “But even so, we will have swum here together, alone, and we will always have that, you know?” He winked.
“You’re so right, Danny,” she said, finally making up her mind. Before he could say another word, she let all her weight shift to the side, but purposely still held on to him. Before he knew it, Danny was in the water too with a big splash.
“You cheeky devil! I didn’t expect that!” he said, as soon as he resurfaced.
She giggled. “You wanted this, now don’t complain.”
“You naughty minx, you fooled me! You wanted this all along, didn’t you?” he asked with twinkling eyes.
“What did I want all along?”
He brought his voice down to a velvety whisper. “Getting me alone here with you just to seduce me.”
She grinned at him. “Excuse me, it wasn’t me who got a canoe and got you here in the middle of nowhere. And judging from the look on your face, I know what you’re going to be asking for next.”
“Well, you did promise,” he replied, leading her to hold on with him to a protruding rock, in the far recess of the cave.
The rock was dark and studded with off-white fossils. Dried seaweed draped from it. It felt slimy to the touch, but they held on to it gratefully, regardless. Their feet stopped kicking, and as their heads bobbed in tune to the rise and fall of the water, their eyes locked in what seemed a long overdue encounter; a meeting where there were no more jokes to share, no banter, no lies; just the truth.
“Come here then,” he said and this time without hesitation, her lips surrendered to the sweetness of his own. They kissed and kissed until they lost track of time. He caressed her wet face and hair with his free hand and then kissed her some more.
In the silence and the rapture born by his tender kissing, she became aware of her own shallow breathing and the frantic beating of her heart. She became aware for the first time in her life, simply that she was alive. Right there, right then, it occurred to her that she was totally aware of the moments that were passing. There were no distractions and no worries. She was free, and it felt wonderful. She had just done something she desperately wanted to do, something that she knew was forbidden to her, but unlike her parents’ warnings and fears, the sky hadn’t fallen in on her after all.
Instead, she had found bliss. There was no time keeping and no worry involved. In Danny’s embrace, Sofia felt truly alive for the first time that day. It was a novelty to her; feeling free from prying eyes and ticking clocks. It was a liberating feeling and an intoxicating one, too.
She opened her eyes dreamily to gaze at Danny’s beautiful face and made a silent oath to herself never to go back, never to surrender again to a life of oppressive propriety.
By the time they got back on the canoe—and it proved much easier than she’d expected—she had already made up her mind that she wanted a life where she felt as alive as this, and as much in control of it as she possibly could.
After they took the canoe back an hour later, they joined Steve and Loula back on the beach. It took Loula only a glance at Sofia to know her friend had found love, too.
The girls looked at each other with knowing smiles as the boys exchanged the most hilarious banter, something about who was better in sports back at school between the two. Steve duly informed the girls that Danny used to be a weedy nerd, who didn’t have an attitude back then, let alone fans among the girls.
Danny retaliated quickly enough of course, claiming that Steve used to be terribly fat. Sofia translated for Loula and they both howled with laughter to hear that Steve’s parents had to bribe the gym teacher with a Christmas hamper once, so their son could play for the school football team. The boys kept the teasing going for a while back and forth, as the girls kept giggling. They finally stopped not when they ran out of ideas, but when they made sure the girls had been adequately entertained.
***
The hour of their return had arrived. Just before sunset, they disembarked at the pier on Vassilaki beach. It was a magical scene, with a dramatic sky full of pastel colours and violet-rimmed, velvety clouds. The sea was perfectly still. There wasn’t a single breath of air to stir the willow trees in the distance. The youngsters’ cheer gradually diminished as they walked slowly along the path.
By the time they reached the boys’ lodging house at the other end of the olive grove, everyone seemed reluctant to speak. There were silent cuddles and holding of hands and with a final kiss, their perfect day was over with the girls waving sadly and walking away.
Sofia and Loula didn’t say much to each other for the rest of the way home. Heavy-hearted and misty-eyed, they walked along the uphill path, now with heavy feet, already dreading what was to come in only two days’ time. In their minds, the cheerful faces of Danny and Steve were still a bright picture of bliss. Yet, in their hearts, the blazing fire of young love had just started to hurt.
Only time would tell if this blazing fire would eventually die on the altar of ephemeral summer love, or if, by any chance, it had the power to kindle for a while, then light up anew, this time to burn forever more. But of course, ‘forever’ is a favourite word among the young that older people only laugh at wryly, as they stumble and fall along the path of life.
Chapter 31
1938
“My dear Laura! Oh, what a triumph!” exclaimed Mr Mills. Ruth and Maggie cheered along. Laura was standing in her dressing room with them, holding two stunning flower bouquets that fans had just offered her. The door was open, and people were coming and going, leaving presents and yet more flowers. Admirers, mostly little girls, bursting at the seams with excitement, kept coming backstage to visit Laura and ask for an autograph. People stopped her in the street as well by now to express their admiration, and Laura kept lapping it all up, unbelieving. Mr Thornton had just been to the dressing room too in order to congratulate her, and even Mr Fern from the teahouse had called in the previous evening. It seemed everyone she knew in Brighton had watched the show in the past week; everyone sought to share in her triumph, her tremendous success.
Yet, after everyone but Maggie had left the dressing room, Laura’s face took on a pained expression.
“What is it, Laura?” Maggie looked concerned. She had stayed behind to talk to Laura about something. Yet, seeing her mood change so strikingly when everyone had departed, she became unsure as to whether she should or not.
“It’s nothing,” said Laura, shaking her head. “Now tell me, what is it you wanted to talk about?” She tried to look interested, but Maggie couldn’t be fooled. Laura seemed quite distracted.
“Oh, it doesn’t matter; tomorrow perhaps! You’re running out of time, aren't you? Charles must be waiting outside for you.”
Laura gave a little wave. “Oh, loads of time still. Do tell.”
Maggie twisted her lips, unsure. “It’s about Christian,” she finally blurted out.
“What about him?” Laura gave a frown, then hid behind the screen in order to take off her dazzling costume.
“The thing is, I think there’s something going on between him and Sarah.”
“What do you mean?” Behind the screen, Laura felt unsure if there was a valid reason to worry. Sarah was one of the dancing girls, only eighteen and very flir
ty.
“You know how she is… Different chap each week…”
“Uh huh…”
“But I saw her with Christian on the promenade today… They were kissing.”
Laura leaned around the side of the screen to stare incredulously at Maggie. “What? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure of what I saw. I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, my darling. They had their hands all over each other in such a public place. It was a disgrace really!”
“What? I don’t believe it! He replaces me with another in a matter of days? And with such a cheap girl?” yelled Laura as she came out of the screen, her voice heavy with anger and distress.
She had put on a stunning, lace-trimmed, pale yellow gown she had bought for her fancy dinner with Charles. It was still unbuttoned on her back. In her hand, she still held her stockings. She tossed them indignantly on the counter and collapsed on her chair in a mournful heap, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Maggie rushed to her and held her. “I’m so sorry, Laura. But I had to tell you. I felt you had to know.”
“It’s not your fault,” managed Laura between sobs.
“Why must men be so stupid? All he had to do is fight for you; trust that you love him instead of letting his insecurities get the better of him. Oh, stupid man,” lamented Maggie as she continued to soothe her friend.
“My mother was right. He would never fight for me. He needs this lesson… If anything, for the woman he’s next going to stumble upon.” Laura wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and jutted out her chin. “And now, I’m willing to let him have this lesson more than ever before!”
Maggie placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Laura, listen to me. Just go on this date but don’t do it as a lesson to Christian. Do it for you! Who knows? Maybe Charles is the one for you. Just forget about Christian and carry on with your life. If he does deserve you, if he does love you, he had better change his tune. And he’d better apologise to you for all the pain he’s causing you. Promise me you won't cry for him any more, Laura.”
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