by Angel Sefer
Helena glanced around and noticed a few workers cleaning up the mess in the yard.
“It was a really bad storm,” Sophie stated, following her look. “We get a lot of thunderstorms around here, but the intensity of the one last night was something else.”
“Yes, it was,” Stella agreed, keeping her eyes on Helena. “I’m surprised Dimitris left and didn’t stick around to overlook the repairs.”
“He had a business appointment,” Sophie explained. “But he should be back after lunch.”
Hearing Dimitris wasn’t there, Helena felt a little more relaxed and sunk into one of the lounge chairs.
Sophie poured some orange juice for her and offered her some croissants fresh from the oven. Helena suddenly felt really hungry and spread some butter and jelly on her croissant, keeping her eyes away from Stella. She had so much on her mind; she couldn’t care less about Stella and her frosty behavior.
The conversation between Sophie and Stella went on talking about people Helena didn’t know. She listened to them absentmindedly, until they started talking about Dimitris again. Helena kept quiet, listening to Stella talking about him. It was obvious she was very fond of him, to say the least. She would melt just by saying his name.
Helena felt uncomfortable and shifted in her chair. Stella gave her a cold look and stood up, saying it was time for her to go. She wished Helena to enjoy her short stay on the island, and Helena didn’t miss the hint.
“Thank you so much,” she replied politely. “Even though, I’m not here just for a few days. I’m here to stay,” she told Stella, and was utterly satisfied to see the shocked expression on her face.
Sophie looked at her, somewhat surprised too, but didn’t say a word. She just gave her niece a smile and wished Stella good-bye.
“What was that all about?” Sophie asked smiling, after Stella left.
“I’m not sure,” Helena replied, truthfully. “I just get very touchy when people try to tell me what to do.”
Sophie laughed and reached over to caress her niece’s cheek. “You have to forgive Stella,” she said. “She’s in love with Dimitris, and she feels threatened by your presence here.”
“Oh!” Helena said, surprised. “I didn’t know there was something going on between them.”
“I didn’t say that,” Sophie replied. “There’s absolutely nothing going on between Stella and Dimitris,” she pointed out. “The fact she’s in love with him doesn’t mean he’s responding to her feelings. As a matter of fact, Dimitris has made it very clear long time ago that…” Sophie stopped mid-sentence, looking at Helena nervously.
“Dimitris has made what very clear?” Helena asked puzzled and intrigued.
“Nothing,” Sophie replied and stood up in a hurry. “Come on,” she changed the subject abruptly. “Let’s go for a drive. I want to show you around.”
Helena stared at her aunt, bewildered, but before she could say anything, Sophie was already on her way inside. Helena remained in her seat for a couple of minutes, looking towards the French doors her aunt had disappeared through. Why did her aunt go out of her way to make it clear there was nothing going on between Dimitris and Stella? And what was she going to say about Dimitris when she stopped? Helena’s mind was working overtime, trying to make some sense out of her aunt’s strange behavior.
And what about Stella? What was the story with her? If there was nothing going on between them, why would she be so hostile towards Helena? Maybe the Greeks weren’t the warm-hearted people she grew up to believe, after all. So far, the only person who seemed really pleased to have her here was her aunt.
“I know you must be ready to go for a ride,” Sophie said, coming back outside, holding her purse in her hands. “I also need to do some shopping, and then we can sit at one of the cafes by the waterfront and have some ice-cream.”
Helena was excited. She really wanted to go into town, since she didn’t have a chance to see much, yesterday. And what about that man at the port? she wondered, anxiously. Not wanting to upset her aunt, she hadn’t told Sophie anything about that. And from what she understood, Dimitris hadn’t mentioned anything, either. No, she decided. It was probably nothing… just some weirdo watching a pretty girl. But then again, what about the Mercedes speeding by to pick him up? Helena took a deep breath. The whole thing was bizarre, she admitted, but there’s no need to overreact. I’ll just keep an eye to make sure he won’t approach me again.
“I’ll be just a minute,” she told her aunt and rushed upstairs to take her purse. She was downstairs in a flash and followed Sophie outside. Waiting for her to get the car from the garage behind the house, gloomy thoughts clouded her day. She needed to talk to Sophie about her decision to move to a hotel, but she didn’t want to spoil their day. No, she thought, I’ll talk to her later on in the afternoon, after we come back.
Her aunt pulled up in a silver BMW Jeep.
“This is beautiful!” Helena cried out, as she opened the door to climb inside.
“I know. I love it,” Sophie replied, smiling. “Let’s go have some fun.”
Helena lay back in the soft leather seat and closed her eyes. For now, all she wanted was to forget about everything and have a good time.
Little did she know what fate had in store for her…
Chapter Four
HELENA REALLY ENJOYED the visit to Chora—one of the nicest and most charming towns of the Greek islands—with her aunt. The weather was beautiful, and the air was so clear. The waterfront was filled with little stores with Greek art, souvenirs, jewelry, and small objects made out of seashells. Even behind the harbor front, there were endless small streets with shops, churches, windmills, terraces and whitewashed houses.
She was thrilled wandering around and visiting every single store, discovering little treasures everywhere. She felt like a little girl, rushing from one store to the other. With her arms aching from all the shopping bags she was carrying, she kept on walking down the street to the next store.
“I’m so glad you’re here with me,” she told Sophie. “I would have gotten lost otherwise. All these small streets give me the impression I’m going around in circles.”
“The street layout was intended to be like that,” Sophie explained. “It was built this way to confuse pirates.”
“Oh, that’s very interesting,” Helena said, thinking she should learn a little bit more about the history of this fascinating island.
Sophie seemed very happy to see Helena having such a good time. They were walking together, laughing, when Helena stopped at the window of yet another shop. Her eyes were fixed on a beautiful miniature of a sailing boat. Oh, how beautiful! Helena thought and glanced back at Sophie, smiling. She had to have it. During the cold winter nights back in England, this exquisite craft would always remind her of the sunshine and the bright days on the island.
They walked inside the little shop. The interior was cool and seemed kind of dark, coming inside from the bright sunshine. Sophie called out for the shopkeeper, but there was no one around. Helena walked over to the window and took a closer look of the sailing boat. In the meantime, Sophie walked to the back of the shop calling Maria, the shopkeeper.
“Do you know her?” Helena asked.
“But of course. She’s a very nice lady. She’ll be very happy to meet you,” Sophie replied.
Maria was nowhere to be found, and Sophie disappeared in the back of the shop.
Helena heard the little bell hanging over the door ringing and realized that another customer had come in.
All of a sudden, she sensed someone standing behind her and was taken aback, hearing a child’s voice saying in English, “Some things reach all the way to our soul.”
Helena turned around to face a young boy, around seven or eight years old.
The boy was standing there staring at her.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“I said that some things reach all the way to our soul,” the boy repeated.
“What d
o you mean by that?” Helena asked and stared at the child, puzzled.
“All I’m saying is what my grandmother told me to say,” the boy replied and pointed to the old lady who was standing a few feet away.
Helena glanced at the old lady—whom she hadn’t noticed until now—dressed in black, with a black kerchief covering her head. She looked almost a hundred years old. Then again, Helena couldn’t be sure. People on the islands usually appeared older than their actual age due to the hard work out in the sun and the sea. Plus, the way these old women insisted on covering their heads with kerchiefs made them look even older.
Helena walked towards her and inquired in Greek, “What did you mean by that?”
The lady stared at Helena closely. Her lips moved, but all Helena heard was a murmur.
“Grandma is having a hard time speaking sometimes,” the boy explained in Greek this time. “You have to lean really close to her to be able to hear what she has to say.”
Helena smiled politely at the lady, even though, she felt uncomfortable with those piercing black eyes fixed on her. “I see,” she said, and having no intention to lean close to her, she started to walk away.
Hearing the old lady’s whispering voice saying something to the child, she stopped and turned around to face them again. She didn’t know why, but she could tell those words were meant for her.
“What did she say?” she asked the boy.
“She wants to read your palm,” he replied.
Helena laughed. Oh! No! A fortuneteller, she thought, that’s all I need.
“No, thanks,” she said facing the lady and started to move away for the second time. Out of the blue, something made her stop—she wasn’t sure exactly what it was. Glancing towards the old woman, she saw her standing still. Without a second thought, Helena approached her and raised her right hand, instinctively turning her palm upwards. The lady didn’t touch it. She reached over and took Helena’s left hand and turned it over, so that the palm was facing up. She didn’t even look at it. She kept her eyes fixed on Helena’s face while she traced the lines on her palm with her other hand.
Helena shivered from the old lady’s touch. Her hands were wrinkled and cold, and Helena was uncomfortable, already having second thoughts.
The old woman whispered something, and Helena stared at the boy inquiringly.
“Grandma says you have come a long way,” the boy said, and Helena laughed again.
Yes, right, she thought. Having inherited her English mother’s looks made it obvious she had come a long way.
“She’s talking about your heart and your feelings,” the boy continued, and Helena glanced at the old lady, surprised.
“Your life will be filled with joy and happiness, if only you make the right choice...” the boy went on.
Life is full of choices, Helena thought. Which one is the right one?
“You know the right one,” he went on, repeating out loud the old lady’s fading whispers. “You know it in your heart, but you’re fighting your feelings, and that upsets the balance of things.”
Helena stared at the old lady and felt uncomfortable, since she seemed to be able to read her mind. She was so involved that she jumped, surprised, when she heard Sophie’s voice calling her from the back of the shop.
“Helena, we’re coming,” Sophie said.
Looking over her shoulder towards the back of the shop, Helena tried to pull her hand away. She was surprised to feel the old lady’s trembling hand holding on to it tightly. Turning to face her, she saw her whispering something to the boy in a shivering voice. The boy stared at Helena without saying a word. The old lady touched him on the shoulder and murmured something again.
“What is it?” Helena asked, seeing the boy’s hesitation.
“Grandma says you should be very careful,” the boy said, and his voice wasn’t steady. “It’s not good for business,” he continued, more to himself than to Helena.
“What are you talking about?” Helena asked, puzzled.
“It’s not good telling someone he’s facing death,” the boy replied hesitantly.
Helena froze for a couple of seconds and then stared at the old lady in confusion.
“Your grandmother said I’m going to die?” she asked the boy, keeping her eyes on the old lady’s wrinkled face.
“She said you’re in grave danger and you need to be very careful.”
“But why?” Helena asked anxiously. “What did she see?”
However, before she could say anything else, the old lady had already left the shop—with surprising swift moves for her age—and the boy ran after her.
Helena was still standing there, feeling lost, when Sophie and Maria walked towards her.
“This is my niece I told you about,” Sophie said to Maria, and turning to Helena, she said, “Maria is a very good friend of ours. When my mother was still alive, they were good friends with Maria’s mother, and we used to spend a lot of time in each other’s houses.”
“I’m so glad to finally meet you,” Maria said and extended her hand to Helena for a handshake. “I’m so sorry to keep you waiting, but I had to go upstairs to check on my mother, who is very ill.”
Helena gave the lady her hand but kept looking over her shoulder towards the side of the street the old lady had disappeared to. She didn’t even wait to get paid, Helena thought.
Sophie stared at her, puzzled, but she kept quiet.
Helena managed to have a friendly conversation with Maria, and only after she had purchased the sailing boat and walked out of the shop, she realized how tense she had been for the last few minutes.
“Helena, what’s wrong?” Sophie asked, and Helena could hear the concern in her voice.
”Nothing, I’m fine,” Helena reassured her. She could tell Sophie didn’t believe her, even though she didn’t insist.
They walked for a few more minutes on the waterfront, but since they had both lost their enthusiasm, they decided to head back home.
“We didn’t even have that ice-cream we were talking about all day,” Helena said as soon as they walked inside the house, feeling kind of guilty for ruining her aunt’s day like this. She had decided to ignore the old lady’s warnings, and she was mad at herself for paying attention to nonsense like this.
“It’s okay,” Sophie said. “We can have our ice-cream on the veranda. The view from up here is even better.” Leaving the bags she was carrying on the steps, she walked to the kitchen.
Helena left her bags next to Sophie’s and walked out on the veranda. She gazed at the deep blue sea, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.
“That sounded like something very serious is puzzling your mind,” Dimitris said, and Helena looked at him, surprised. He was sitting on a lounge chair on the far side of the veranda.
“Hello, Dimitris,” she said simply.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he continued, as if she hadn’t spoken at all.
“No,” Helena said and turned her back to him, walking towards the railings. She grabbed hold of the handrail and kept her eyes fixed on the water. She stood there for several minutes, when she sensed him standing right behind her.
“Sometimes, it helps to talk about things,” he said.
“Dimitris, it’s nothing,” she insisted. But seeing that she wasn’t going to get away with this so easily, she told him in a few words what had happened. She tried to make it sound funny, but Dimitris didn’t seem amused at all. On the contrary, he was staring at her very seriously.
“It’s probably nothing,” he finally said. “But it doesn’t hurt to be careful,” he added, and Helena was shocked to hear those words coming from him. She never expected a strong man like him to believe in fortunetellers and things like that. But then again, what did she know about him?
“I’m going to take the stuff I bought upstairs,” Helena said and hastily walked back inside the house.
Dimitris didn’t say a word and kept on standing by the railings, where she was a minute ago, st
aring out towards the sea. Helena took the bags upstairs and threw them on her bed. She was going to empty them later. Right now, the only thing she wanted was to take a hot bath and try to unwind.
She walked over to her bathroom and filled up her tub. She took off her clothes and sunk into it. Little by little, she felt the tension leaving her body, and when she was finally relaxed, she got out and reached for her towel.
She had put on a robe and was blow-drying her hair, when she heard a knock on the door.
“Come in,” she said, expecting to see Sophie or Martha—the sweet, old housekeeper. However, it was Dimitris who came in.
“Sorry to bother you,” he said, and Helena heard the uncertainty in his voice.
She stared at him, without saying a word, as he walked towards the open French doors, which led to the balcony. She followed him outside and waited for him to talk when he was ready. She could tell there was something bothering him.
“Helena, listen…” he said after a while. “It might seem nonsense to you, but we Greeks believe in fate and destiny. I’ve heard and seen things you would never believe,” he continued.
Helena just stood there silently. She could tell there was more to it.
“I know Asimina—the old lady who talked to you. The whole island knows her. A lot of people have gone to her for answers, and even sometimes for help. Even politicians from Athens come visiting her sometimes. Believe me, she’s no fake,” he said, probably seeing the disbelief in her eyes.
“What are you saying, Dimitris?” she asked, terrified. “You believe my life is in danger?”
“Of course not,” he said uncomfortably and coughed to clear his throat. “All I’m saying is that it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”
“I’m not going to lock myself up in the house just because some crazy old lady told me that I’m going to have an accident,” Helena said stubbornly.
“Helena, listen,” he said. “Asimina foretold my father’s death, and I’ve heard from my mother she had even sent word to your father not to go out on the boat the night he disappeared…”
Helena looked at him, shocked. She couldn’t believe her ears. Stormy thoughts whirled around in her mind; she heard in her head her mother’s fading voice, warning her not to go back… She shivered and dug her fingernails into her palms. Without saying another word, she rushed into her bathroom, slamming the door behind her. This was too much to handle. Unable to control the turbulence of her emotions, she leaned against the door and took some deep breaths, trying to calm down.