Sofia was wearing it that evening again before dinner, as she sat outside in the yard with her grandparents, just chatting around the table and enjoying the cool breeze that blew softly from the mountains. And then, there was the sound of hurried feet, and Loula appeared swiftly from around the corner, her hair a tangled mess, her face rosy pink with excitement. She was out of breath and clearly had been running. When she saw Sofia’s grandparents, she tried to catch her breath and smiled agreeably, hiding something behind her back.
“Kalispera! Good afternoon!” she said, her voice strained.
“Ela katse! Come sit down!” they welcomed her.
“Thanks, but I just wanted Sofia for something. Can we talk?” She nodded suggestively at her friend.
Within seconds, the two girls were at the village square. There, they found a quiet corner. It was at a safe distance away from the incredible noise that a bunch of children made while playing ‘apples’, the Greek version of dodge ball.
“Oh my God! Is it from Steve?” Sofia squeaked when Loula handed her a white envelope, the secret item she’d been hiding. She’d just come back from work, having the night off that day, to find the letter waiting for her at home. Of course, she had no one but Sofia to translate it for her, hence the immediate sprint to her house.
Loula was still panting as Sofia opened the letter slowly, respectfully, to find she was holding three A4 pages, handwritten front and back. Steve’s handwriting was something exquisite. His t’s and l’s were elongated, while his g’s had elegant, excessive loops. It was really beautiful and neat, and Sofia spent a few seconds just admiring it. It was quite a contrast to her own scrawny, left-handed scribbling.
“Oh my goodness, that’s a long letter!” she commented finally.
“Come on, Sofia, tell me what it says, please! I’m dying here!”
“All right, all right!” Sofia started to read and to translate a sentence at a time while Loula made continuous lovey-dovey noises.
The letter started with the mention of the journey home, which had been easy enough. Everyone in the family was okay. Steve had another week off before having to go back to work at the little hotel where he was junior chef. He then went on to describe in every detail his family house where he lived with his parents, sister, and their dog. He also wrote about his workplace, the town of Helmston where he lived, the local pub, and his other favourite hangouts. Last, he listed all his favourite pastimes, music, and movies. He was asking lots of questions too, and as Sofia kept translating, Loula now started talking at the same time enthusiastically, telling Sofia what she was going to reply to him on this and that. The letter ended with promises of undying love and pleas for Loula to reply soon.
When Sofia stopped reading, she looked up and found Loula glancing at her with a good measure of sadness.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, taken aback. “Aren't you pleased? This was an excellent letter!” she commented as she handed it back to her.
“Of course I’m happy, Sofia! I’m ecstatic!”
“Then what is it?”
“He didn’t mention Danny at all… Oh, I’m so sorry, Sofia!”
Sofia gave a dismissive wave. “Ah, of course he didn’t! Why should he?”
“I was hoping he might. For you, I mean. It would have been nice to have a message from him to you or something.”
“It doesn’t matter Loula… really…” she assured her but her eyes said otherwise.
“You silly girl! So selfish! Why didn’t you ask him to write?” Loula scolded her, unable to stop herself. To see her friend so sorrowful, simply broke her heart.
“He should have asked me! He was the one leaving!” Sofia replied, raising her voice. It released her frustration somewhat. It made her feel slightly better, but it still hurt to talk about him. She jumped to her feet and sighed deeply, then turned to look at Loula and tried to smile.
“I don’t want to talk about it, all right? Come whenever you like, and I’ll write your reply letter for you. Whatever you want to say, I’m your girl, all right?”
“Thank you, Sofia. Look, I’m sorry, okay? I guess I want you to be happy like I am.”
“I understand. Thank you… Hey, I hope it works out for you guys,” said Sofia and walked back to her grandparents’ house.
Only when she returned to them while trying to feign nonchalance, she realised she’d been wearing the hat all along. She made an excuse and hurried inside. The mirror on the dresser mocked her when she stood before it. How ridiculous does it look to wear a sunhat after sundown in a room flooded by electric light?
“Stupid hat…” she whispered through her teeth with feeling. She tossed it indignantly on the divan bed and returned to the yard to pretend some more that everything was okay.
***
A few more days passed, and some had been easier than others. That late afternoon, Sofia’s heart felt quite heavy. A young lad sporting a pair of union jack swim shorts had come to the beach that morning. The sight had tormented her for hours. He was the spitting image of Danny, or so she thought, as she kept stealing glances at him across the distance.
Thankfully, he had left now, and she hoped he wouldn’t come back. She simply couldn’t take the constant stabs at the heart for another day. The pier was quiet as always at this hour. Some things hadn’t changed after all. Jimmy had gone home, and Sofia was sitting at the pier base with her feet dipped in the shallows.
Sitting there alone, as she often did, she tried to imagine Danny sitting next to her again as she fed the birds but found she couldn’t bear the thought that time. It varied from day to day, according to her inner defences. The sparrows ventured to the very edge of the shore to get every morsel of the breadcrumbs she’d just thrown them. The sun, slowly, continued its downward course towards the end of the horizon, where the sea, silky and serene, continued to beckon in turn seductively, for the sun to approach for their daily loving embrace. Soon, it would fill the world with warm colours again, making anyone fortunate enough to witness, tingle all over with the joy to be alive, to have eyes to see and a beating heart to feel.
When Loula approached with squeals of excitement, it made Sofia jump out of her skin.
“What is it, Loula?” she asked, as soon as she recovered.
“Sorry. I just had to show you!”
Sofia chuckled. “Have you just left the bar? That’s a first! Whatever is it I must see?”
“This!” Loula held out her hand to show her friend a new acquisition: a golden ring on her middle finger. It featured a square-cut amethyst inside a circle of cubic zirconia. It glinted in the sweet, afternoon light with unique clarity.
“Goodness me! That’s pretty! Where did you get it?” asked Sofia, brightening up even more now. She always found it easier when Loula was around.
“It’s from Steve! It’s a perfect match to the earrings he’d given me, don’t you think?”
“Yes! Oh, it’s gorgeous! When did you get it?”
“It arrived in the post this morning. Mum popped over here just now and handed it to me. It was in a big package.”
“What else did he send you?”
“Popcorn!”
Sofia’s eyes widened. “What? You’re joking!”
“No! That was all I saw when I opened the package. I told him when he was here that I liked popcorn, remember?”
“He sent you popcorn because you said you like it? Oh, bless him!”
“Well, to tell you the truth I was happy enough with the popcorn. All that mattered is that he sent something to me, whatever that is, you know?”
“So how did you find the ring? Did you have to eat all the popcorn first?”
“I did eat a bit…” she admitted, causing Sofia to break into hysterics, which soon spread to Loula. Now, they were laughing manically together, causing passers-by to stop and watch, grinning with curiosity.
“Anyway,” continued Loula finally, “At some point I poured it out in a bowl to share with Akis and his parents
, and that’s where I saw the little jewellery box in the popcorn.”
“Oh, what a wonderful surprise! I bet you couldn’t believe it!”
“Let’s just say I shrieked really loudly. It’s a good thing Akis knows about Steve, otherwise he would have thought I had gone mad with the noise I was making.”
“I’m so happy for you, Loula! I think he loves you.” She winked at her.
“Thank you, I think so, too! You know, I used to think love is something you can control.” Loula tilted her head and raised her laughing eyes to the sky. Her face was the epitome of bliss.
“How do you mean?”
“Remember that village boy from Messi?”
“The lazy boy?”
“Yeah. Remember I said I would only be with a man who worked hard? It was all crap, Sofia! I would still love Steve even if he were a beggar. Even if he sat on his bum all day looking pretty.” She snorted gaily.
“Well in that case, it’s an added bonus that he has a job, eh?” Sofia nudged her friend on the arm.
“Yeah, I guess,” Loula responded brightly. “I hope you’ll find happiness in love too, Sofia… Oh, if only that stupid Danny were to see some sense and write to you…”
Sofia gave a dignified little smile. “I think that’s highly unlikely by now. But thank you, Loula.”
“Okay.” Loula looked remorseful for broaching the painful subject and bit her lower lip. An awkward silence ensued for a few moments.
“So, what’s new from Tracey? Has Akis heard from her again?” asked Sofia, pleased to find something to talk about.
“Are you joking? Ever since she left about a week ago, she writes all the time! Akis got three letters from her already. Long ones, too.”
“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing.”
“It is for Akis. He’s starting to get annoyed now.”
“Why? I thought they were in love!”
“In love? Akis? Come on, did you really think it was serious for him?”
Sofia arched her brows. “I thought it was.”
“Akis is not the type to take a girl seriously anytime soon. Two nights after Tracey was gone, he left at closing time with another girl.”
“He didn’t!”
“Yeah, he did. Too bad for Tracey.”
Sofia sighed. “Yeah, she seemed like a nice girl.”
“Well, let’s hope she’ll soon realise her mistake and give up. Nothing else she can do, is there?”
“Hasn’t Akis written back to her at all?”
“No, of course not. He can't write in English any more than I can. He got a mate of his to translate her letters to him. She phoned at the bar a couple of times, and he managed to speak a little to her then.”
“Poor Tracey!”
“Yeah, summer love… what do you expect?” As soon as Loula said that, she flinched visibly. It sounded quite insensitive considering Sofia’s predicament.
“That’s not true in your case, missy!” replied Sofia, putting on her best smile, attempting to disperse the sudden heaviness in the air.
They giggled again, this time filling the salty breeze with that infectious giggle that only young girls somehow manage to break into with total abandon.
Chapter 39
A week or so later, there was another letter in the post. Mrs Danda, who knew all about Steve, delivered it to her daughter at Karavi when she came to the beach for her midday swim. Seconds later, Loula rushed to the pier without even opening it.
“Sofia! Guess what!” cheered Loula when she stopped in front of Sofia, waving the envelope frantically in front of her face.
Sofia was idle at the time, just sitting under the umbrella at the pier head, looking out to sea. Her latest customer had just had a smooth landing in the water. Her face lit up. “Hey, excellent timing! I could do with a chat. I suppose you want me to read that to you first, though?” she teased, pointing to the envelope.
Loula responded with a face full of mockery. She sat down on the deck with Sofia, handed her the envelope and rewarded her with a slap on the wrist, causing her friend to giggle.
Sofia’s mirth lingered on her face as she tore the side of the envelope carefully, but then her features changed dramatically, and she gasped with surprise. Another long letter had landed with a soft rustle on the palm of her hand along with two photographs.
The girls picked up a photograph each, or rather grabbed them full of excitement. Somehow, without knowing, they each got the one they longed for the most. Loula was now squealing at the sight of a picture, where she was cradled in Steve’s arms, on the deck of Captain Spyros’s boat at Paxos.
By her, Sofia remained silent, numb at the sight of Danny. In the photograph she held, he was sitting next to her at the beach in Gaios, his arms around her, an enormous smile painted across his face, the one that made her knees weak. His eyebrows were raised full of mischief, his eyes bright, his head tilted so that his spiky hair was brushing against her cheek. Instead of pleasing her, the sight pained her and her vision became blurred.
“Sofia?” said Loula softly.
“Yes? Is that of Steve?” she asked, pointing to the photo her friend was holding, hoping she hadn’t noticed her eyes had welled up.
“Yes. And this one’s of Danny, isn't it?”
Sofia wiped her eyes and swallowed hard, then handed the photo to her friend with a firm nod. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help getting a bit upset.” A wry smile formed slowly on her lips.
“You don’t have to be so brave, you know. I’m your friend, and I know how you feel. You can talk to me,” Loula rested a tender hand on Sofia’s back, her face so serious that it made Sofia guilty. She had spoiled her mood. Her excitement was gone because of her. It wasn’t fair. Sofia made another attempt at a smile and this time succeeded a bit better.
“There’s nothing for me to say,” she said, giving Loula a soft squeeze. “Now, let’s read your letter quickly before you or I get fired.” She managed a feeble smile, and Loula did the same. But when she opened the letter to see Steve’s elegant handwriting, she noticed another smaller sheet that was placed on the front.
The handwriting on that one was unfamiliar, and her heart thumped with hope. Her eyes scanned the bottom lines first, and when she found the name ‘Danny’ there, she gasped.
Loula leaned over to look, her eyes seeking to identify the writer, too. “Start with this one!” she blurted out.
Sofia obliged her with a voice that quivered with emotion.
Dear Sofia,
Yo! It’s me! How are you, gorgeous? Sunning your bum no doubt still, you lucky rat! As for me, back to yucky, rainy England, I’m afraid! Steve mentioned getting a letter from Loula, so I thought I’d send you girls a couple of pictures with his next letter. No doubt you girls have already replaced us with two heavily tanned, Italian hunks but never mind!
It’s a good thing I had a job to go back to, seeing that Steve has left me skint! Now that we’re back in England, I have to hand him one-pound coins every time I act the goat. You know me, not likely to wisen up anytime soon!
Anyway, just wanted to send the pictures and say hi. You’ll find my address on the top, so drop us a line some time!
Cheerio,
Danny x
P.S. I went down to Brighton the other day and had a good look at the West Pier to make sure. Yep, I was right, my pier’s definitely bigger than yours! Maybe you’ll come and see for yourself some time? Beware though; you’ll have a job trying to feed the birds around this pier. There are quite a few more of the little rascals than you’d think!
As soon as Sofia finished translating the letter for Loula, the beach came alive with the echoes of their cheers. Loula cradled Sofia in her arms, her face ablaze with enthusiasm to see her friend happy again. “See? I knew he would come to his senses in the end!”
“Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Without me and Steve getting you two back together you mean? I’ll say! I’ve n
ever seen such a pair of proud fools before! See what you could have missed? Look at your face now, so happy! You silly girl!” Loula scolded her light-heartedly, but the point she was making was serious.
“Ah Loula, you’re so right…”
“Bah, forget it! It’s all fixed now, isn't it?”
“Just think, Loula. Next year I’ll be in England for a year! Oh my God!”
“Yes! The famous four back together again!”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Do you really think I’ll be left alone back here with you three over there?”
“You’re coming too?”
“Well, duh! Steve’s already asked me to visit him, hasn’t he! Girl, you and I are going together next year!”
“Oh, the four of us reunited!”
“Danny had better start saving his spare change from now!” chimed in Loula with a huge grin, and the girls dissolved into hysterics.
***
That night, the strange woman on the Pier returned in Sofia’s dreams again. She was all dressed in black as usual, with a long shawl draped around her shoulders. The hem of her dress billowed in a strong wind, as she stood alone by the rail on the Pier head. She started to sing another love song, but this time the melody and the words were joyful.
Sofia woke up in the morning mystified once again, to find out she remembered whole verses of the song. She jumped out of bed to grab her diary and pen before the words faded away, and again, she managed within just a few minutes and with hardly any effort to scribble the whole thing down.
It was another poem. This one was called ‘Sacred’. Even the title seemed to have been dictated to her somehow. She wondered if she should tell someone. But it sounded too insane to admit it to anyone, to confess such an absurdity out loud. Who was this woman? Why did she haunt her dreams? She felt like something real that stemmed from within; something tangible, not the figment of an unhinged imagination during sleep. What was the meaning of all this? She still had no answers that day. All she had were the words she had just penned in her diary.
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