Michelle Vernal Box Set

by Michelle Vernal

  “Ow!”

  “Mateo!” his father admonished but Annie looked up at Spiros with a smile.

  “It’s fine. He took me by surprise, that’s all. I think he’s just checking to make sure it’s real, aren’t you, Mateo?”

  There was laughter as the little boy released the handful of hair and treated her to a cheeky grin that Annie reckoned had probably saved him from a good telling-off many a time. Yes, he definitely had the self-assured stance of an older brother, she decided as she stood back up. Carl, who was busy getting his back slapped and his hand shook, was beginning to look a little overwhelmed by the effusiveness of their welcome. She smiled at the relief on his features as Kassia shushed her family and began the formal introductions.

  Spiros, on closer inspection, was every bit as lovely as Annie had known he would be. His twinkling eyes gave away the fact that his stern features were not a true indicator of the personality that lurked beneath that hooded brow of his. As for Alexandros, he was tall and lean with the chiselled features of an old-time matinee idol. His bearing was laid-back and languid, like that of a big cat, and Annie could see his appeal with the ladies. She caught him eyeing her hair appraisingly but was pleased that he managed to refrain from snatching at it like his nephew had just done. He had an aura of manliness and it wasn’t just her all that testosterone was effecting. Carl flushed, too, when he stepped forward to shake his hand. Although the grin he bestowed on them was self-assured, it held the same hint of naughtiness that she had detected in Mateo’s. Oh yes, she thought as she hoped he hadn’t noticed her clammy palm, this was a man who was well aware of the impact he had on people.

  As for Mama Bikakis, with her pudding face and those dark eyes that sparkled with the zest of a life well lived, she was a living, breathing caricature of a Greek mama. She stood now with her hands forming a steeple at her mouth; eyes welled as she gazed at her newly arrived guests. Annie watched on, fascinated as the waterworks dried up as abruptly as they had started and her chubby arm shot up to give Alexandros a light thwack about the back of his head. She barked something in Greek at him which, judging by the way he laughed and then wandered down to the van to retrieve their bags, had been instructions to do just that.

  “I could have got those, Mrs Bikakis,” Carl said.

  She frowned at him. “No, no, not Mrs Bikakis—you are family. You call me Mama like they all do.” She waved her hand expansively over the group.

  Annie and Carl weren’t going to argue and they both chimed, “Yes, Mama.”

  She smiled, pleased, before she clapped her hands. “Now you must be hungry after your journey and the food on those ferries—bah.” She stuck her tongue out. “It is overpriced and tasteless. A disgrace!”

  Annie thought back to the dried-out cheese roll she had eaten and had to agree with her.

  “But first I will show you Eleni’s, yes?” Annie nodded enthusiastically and Carl replied, “Yes, please,” as they followed the older woman’s lead.

  They stepped in through the open doorway and two things instantly assailed them: a delicious smell hovered on the air and the welcome drop in temperature as the cooler air settled over them. The air-conditioning was a welcome respite. “Something smells wonderful.” Annie inhaled appreciatively.

  Mama beamed. “Moussaka.”

  “I’ve heard wonderful things about your moussaka, Mama. I can’t wait to try it.” Carl instantly became her golden boy.

  They stood in a hallway with rooms leading off to either side. The walls were painted a crisp white, which made it seem wider than it really was. At the end of the hall was a staircase that led to the first and second floors, where Annie supposed the guests’ rooms would be. So far Eleni’s was pretty much what she had pictured it to be. She followed behind Carl as Mama led them into the first room that veered off on their left. “This was my Abram’s bedroom when he was a boy but now it is our reception room.”

  It wasn’t a large room but it was ample for the old wooden desk that dominated the space with the window behind it that let in the light. An open laptop rested on it alongside a stack of unopened mail and a charging telephone. Kas probably hadn’t had a chance to go through the post yet with driving to Heraklion to pick them up, Annie thought. Her eyes strayed to a beautiful beach scene photo on the wall next to her. “Where was that taken, Mama?” She was surprised to find she didn’t feel strange in the slightest addressing this warm, old lady so familiarly.

  “Spiros took that and I had it framed.” She puffed up with pride. “It is our Plaka Beach right here in Elounda.”

  “It’s stunning.”

  A yellow, floral two-seater couch covered with a blue throw rug was pushed up against the wall opposite the photograph and Mama pointed to it. “For the guests to sit when Kassia checks them in.”

  Carl and Annie nodded and moved out of the way to let her pass. “Come, come, I will show you the breakfast room.”

  That’s right, Annie remembered as she followed after her; they provided their guests with the option of a cooked breakfast each morning. The room they were led into next was large enough to allow plenty of space to manoeuvre around the eight tables dotted around it. Four double rooms on each floor meant eight tables for breakfast. Annie noticed each table was covered in a pretty blue and white chequered cloth; in the middle was a sugar bowl, a salt and pepper set, and a little vase with a single red plastic poppy placed in it. A wooden butler’s chest rested up against the wall closest to the door they’d just come in through and Mama informed them they kept their cutlery and crockery in it. The space had an Old World feel to it, thanks to the height of the ceiling and the well-worn floor boards but at the same time it also felt fresh and modern.

  Annie recalled Kassia telling her that when Spiros’s father Abram died, Mama had had the guesthouse thoroughly renovated. It was something she had wanted to do for a long time but her plans had always been met with resistance by Abram, who had seen no need to make changes to his boyhood home.

  A large picture window dominated the room. It looked straight out to the sea and she stood for a moment and soaked the scene in. “What a lovely way to start the day, sitting in here and looking out at that glorious view,” she said, thinking aloud and wondering whether there was a fight each morning to try to nab the table by the window.

  Reluctantly, she dragged her eyes away and spied a door in the other wall. She wondered where it led. She didn’t have to wonder for long as Mama waddled over, pushed it open, and beckoned at them to follow her lead.

  It was the kitchen. A spacious room with French-style doors that flooded the room with golden light and opened up to the garden at the side of the house. The benches were clear, so Mama was obviously a tidy cook then. Annie’s eyes flitted to the modern oven, from which the delicious smell emanated. She watched as Mama bustled over to it and opened the door. She prodded at the dish that bubbled away inside with a knife and once she was satisfied all was as it should be, she shut it again. She looked decidedly pinker in the cheeks when she turned around to tell them that she liked to cook her moussaka slowly in order to bring out the flavours. Annie’s mouth watered and Carl gazed longingly at the oven.

  In the centre of the room was a huge old wooden table that bowed in the middle. A colouring-in book lay open on it and a pile of felt tips, some with their lids still off, were scattered next to it. On the floor under the table, Annie spied a toy truck and a few other banged-up matchbox sized vehicles, which, judging by the dents in the table legs, regularly took part in a Mateo styled smash-up derby. It was this lack of obvious pretentiousness that made the large space homey and welcoming. A rug was laid out on the floor in the corner of the kitchen with a few cushions stacked up on it, along with a jumble of chunky plastic toys. That must be where Nikolos sits and plays, she surmised.

  Mama moved them along to show them the large double room that had once been hers and Abram’s but was now where Kassia and Spiros slept. The bed was rumpled and the room slightly untidy, which m
ade Annie smile and Mama frown before she herded them on. Mateo and Nikolos were in the room next door to their parents. It was large enough to house a single bed, a cot, and a chest, which was opened to reveal a plethora of toys stuffed inside it. Annie recognised the bright mobile dangling over Nikolos’s cot; she’d sent it along with the iconic New Zealand wooden Buzzy Bee toy that peeked out from under Mateo’s bed.

  A thoroughly modernised bathroom with both a shower and a bath was next to Mama’s room at the end of the hall. A private sign above the door stated that it was for the family’s use only. As they poked their heads round the door to Mama’s immaculate room, they spied an old sepia photo of a beautiful young woman and handsome man on their wedding day. It was in pride of place on her dressing table and Annie instantly recognised the sparkle in the bride’s eye.

  “Your room is around the corner here, Annie.” Mama pronounced her name Ahnnee as she led them to a door nestled in the alcove under the stairs.

  It was like a secret room, her very own secret room under the stairs, Annie thought as she opened the door and peered inside eagerly. Again, it was painted white and the ceiling sloped with the stairs; she knew she’d have to be careful not to bump her head if she were to sit up in bed too suddenly. The single bed had an old-fashioned headboard in the bedknobs and broomsticks fashion and was covered in a plain white coverlet, at the end of which was a neatly folded blue throw blanket. To the left of the bed was a set of wooden drawers with a reading lamp placed on it. Annie was touched by the little vase filled with fresh daisies alongside it. Her backpack had been placed at the foot of the bed and there was barely room between it and the wall where the room’s only window let in the light. Annie gazed up at the window with its worn calico drapes and instantly imagined herself lying in her little bed at night, looking out at a carpet of stars.

  Mama looked worried. “You like it, yes? It is small and simple but I think it will do.”

  “Mama, I love it—thank you.”

  The old woman beamed and patted Annie on her shoulder. “I am pleased. Carl, we have put you in with Alexandros up the stairs. Come and see.”

  Carl looked flustered. “I don’t want to cramp Alexandros’s style.”

  “His style could do with some cramping,” the old woman muttered. She panted as she held onto the wooden banister rail and climbed the stairs to the first floor. Listening to her wheeze, Annie realised that despite the circumstances that had bought Kassia and Spiros here, she really did need them. There was no way she would cope with the cleaning of the guest rooms on top of all the other day-to-day chores running Eleni’s would entail.

  Mama leaned against the banister to rest for a moment when they reached the landing. “All the bedrooms on this floor and upstairs look out to sea.” She gesticulated to the rooms, each with a number on their shut doors. “They are all identical to the one you will be in, Carl. We normally rent it out but with Alexandros home—” She shrugged and swayed towards the open door at the end of the landing and pointed out the shared amenities on the way. Annie caught a glimpse inside the large bathroom and her overall impression was one of marble and lots of it.

  “Good. Alexandros has made his bed.” Mama pushed the door open and gave the room a quick inspection before she turned to Carl. “So this is where you and Alexandros will sleep.”

  Carl stepped forward with Annie close behind and clapped his hands in delight. Two single beds each with a blue and white embroidered coverlet and plump matching pillows were placed against the wall so that when you lay on your bed, you could see straight out the window, which was draped with floating muslin curtains to an infinity of blue. Each bed had a dark wood bedside table with a white lamp sitting on it. Annie couldn’t make out what was on the cover of the magazine that was splayed open on one of the tables but it did give away which of the beds was Alexandros’s. The walls were in keeping with the theme of the rest of the house: white and a single black-and-white print of a Cretan village scene hung on the wall in between the beds. On the far side of the room was a freestanding wardrobe in the same dark wood, along with a matching chest of drawers upon which a white lacy cloth was home to a staggering array of men’s toiletries. Carl and Alexandros would be able to mix and match products, Annie thought with a smirk as she spied Carl’s backpack leaning against the engraved doors of the wardrobe. The creaking floorboards had been painted white, too, and were adorned by a swirling patterned blue and white rag rug. The overall effect was utterly Greek and charming in its simplicity. The room, on a hot day, would be a haven.

  “It is gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. No wonder you have a full house, Mama.” Carl wandered over to the open window. He’d long ago gotten over his horror of having to share bathrooms—he’d had to—and this would do him nicely, thank you very much.

  “Do you want to unpack now or later?”

  Carl and Annie looked at each other. They were both itching to go outside and bask in the fact that they were actually here. “Later please.”

  “Good!” Mama dazzled them with that gold tooth before they plodded back to the stairs. “I have a plan. You two go outside and relax with a cool drink. It is a good one, yes?” She didn’t wait to hear whether or not they agreed, and as the trio trooped back downstairs, they got another whiff of the delicious smells that seeped from the kitchen. Mama, as though reading their minds, said, “Dinner will be awhile yet, but I will bring something out for you to eat while you talk, yes?”

  Annie was beginning to get used to the way this endearingly round little woman answered her own questions for them at the end of each sentence.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Carl and Annie stepped outside and blinked into the sunshine as they did so. Kassia sat at the picnic table in the middle of the cluster of olive trees that provided scant shade; Nikolos dandled on her knee. He was too engrossed in chewing the toy he held between his chubby fists to show them much interest as they wandered over. It was a scorcher. Annie swept her hair back from her neck, and wished she had put it up when Spiros appeared from around the side of the house and called out for Carl to join him. As she sat down at the table, Annie had to laugh as she watched him disappear with Spiros. Carl and gardening did not go hand in hand but Spiros would no doubt find that out for himself.

  “It is hot, yes?” Kassia smiled from across the table. “What are you laughing about?”

  “Very hot and I am laughing at the thought of Carl wielding a hoe or a spade or any gardening implement, for that matter.”

  “Ah, Spiros will soon make him, how you say, green handed?”

  Annie laughed again. “Green fingered.”

  Kassia nodded. “Yes, that is the expression I was looking for—green fingered.”

  “It is not one I would have ever thought of applying where Carl is concerned, though.” Annie hesitated for a moment. “Kas, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course, what is it?”

  “We aren’t putting you out, I hope?”

  “Putting me out?” Kas frowned.

  Annie elaborated, “Oh sorry, I forget we have strange ways of saying things in the English language sometimes. We aren’t in the way, are we? Carl and I don’t want to cause you any bother, um, problems, I mean.”

  “Stop! Of course you are not.”

  “Because you know we want to pay the same rate as any of your other guests.”

  “Pah! Don’t be stupid! You are my New Zealand sister and Carl my brother, so say no more about it.” Her tone brooked no argument.

  Annie smiled at her friend gratefully as Mama toddled over with a tray laden with frosty glasses and a pitcher of iced water. She realised how parched she was.

  “I will get some food organised and leave you two girls to catch up. It has been a long time coming, I think.” She placed the tray down on the table. “Kassia, will you take a drink to the boys?” Mama reached out and scooped Nikolos, who didn’t pause in his chewing, up off his mama’s knee. “Come, agoraki mou.”

  “Of cour
se, thank you, Mama.” She glanced at her watch. “I think it is time for Nikolos to have his nap. Would you mind putting him down for me?”

  Mama looked affronted as she jiggled the little boy on her ample hip. “No, Kassia, he doesn’t need this sleep. I keep telling you this. He is a big boy now—nearly one year old. He will be happy playing in the kitchen with his Yaya, so let him be.” Not waiting to hear the protest hovering on Kassia’s lips, she turned and ambled back from whence she came.

  Kassia gave a little grunt of frustration when she was safely out of earshot. “Did you hear that? Nikolos needs his sleep in the afternoon but because he is waking in the night, Mama has decided to do what she did with Spiros and Alexandros at the same age. She thinks keeping him up all day will make him sleep through the night. It isn’t, though, and all that happens instead is that by five o’clock, he is crying all the time. It is awful but when I try to tell her this, she points to her sons and tells me to listen to her because she knows best.” She mimicked Mama’s voice, “Spirosaki mou and Alexandrosaki mou have grown up big and strong, have they not?” She clenched her teeth. “Aagh! It drives me crazy!”

  “At least she doesn’t have a penchant for line dancing and getting round in skin-tight leathers and Stetson hats like my ex-soon-to-be mother-in-law to be did.”

  Kassia raised a smile. “I am sure you exaggerate.”

  “I’m not—ask Carl if you don’t believe me. You’re lucky, Kas, because it is obvious that Mama loves you and the children.” Annie chewed her lip and chose her words carefully. “She’s only doing what she feels is best for them but yes, I can see it must be hard for you too.”

  Kassia sighed and poured two glasses of water. “Listen to me—you are only here a short time and already I am moaning. I am sorry. It’s just that two headstrong women under one roof will always be tough. I do love her, though, and you are right—she does mean well. It’s just—”