‘Gabriella has done well, her designs are popular, but she now needs to take her business to the next level. I can give her all of this,’ he gestures to the shop. ‘But what I can’t give her is the knowledge to be a player in this market. I don’t have that experience.’ He trails his hand over the marble counter and looks at Emily. ‘My point is, Emily, you do, and I wondered if you would consider mentoring Gabriella, just for a little while. What do you say?’
‘What does Gabriella think about this? Does she know you were going to ask me this and is she in agreement?’
‘I didn’t even know myself until two seconds ago. This is not her little shop in the village, it’s a different league. Now that the shop is almost finished, she is going to need good, impartial guidance. She is employing staff and she’ll be concentrating more on the designing aspect of her business. I think she would welcome your involvement with open arms, but you are right, don’t give me an answer just now, I will speak with Gabriella first.
Chapter 38
Being Honest with Ourselves
The days that proceed have an air of avoidance around them. Adam understands why Georgia needs time; they have not spoken about that night and, although he finds it difficult, a weight has lifted from him.
They didn’t ask for this to happen; it is what it is. Both, in their own ways, have resisted their feelings for each other, but there is no consolation in abating what is an undeniable attraction. He has tried to push it to the back of his mind, but his senses tingle every time he finds himself in her presence. Adam often glances at Georgia, as she tends to some flowers or picks oranges in the orchard, and he feels a closeness towards her, even though a respected distance has emerged between them. He knows there will come a time this will become unbearable, and he fears what may become of them.
One morning, Dylan saunters into the room where Adam is waiting to begin their lessons. He waits until Dylan sits down.
‘Good morning. I didn’t see you at breakfast.’
‘I’m tired.’
‘Oh, you didn’t sleep well?
‘My brain was working too much and I couldn’t get to sleep.’
‘What do you mean, working too much?’
‘I couldn’t stop thinking about things, I do that that sometimes and it stops me from sleeping.’
‘And what were you thinking?’
Dylan answers with a question. ‘Are all people with autism direct, and too forthright with their opinions on things?’
Adam scratches his chin. ‘Why do you ask?’
‘Because I know I am and I was trying to work out why. At school, I was told I didn’t consider other people’s feelings. All I was doing was being honest. I think it’s good, to be honest. I can’t understand why people can’t be honest.’
‘There’s times when it’s better to be aware of how honesty may affect other people. You can think it, but you don’t necessarily have to say it.’ Adam thinks about Georgia.
‘I don’t see what the difference is and anyway I can’t lie. If someone is fat, then they are fat. Just thinking about that doesn’t change the fact that, physically, they are fat and they will remain so whether I say it or not. If someone smells, then they smell. Lying about it makes no difference, actually, they will still be smelly.’
‘Yes, that’s true.’
Dylan sits down after a while he says. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the way people think.’
‘It’s going to be another hot day, I’ll open the doors.’ As Adam does so, he asks Dylan, ‘How are you getting on with your project?’
‘I’ve been online and found a great video. It’s about Mozart’s opera, Don Giovanni, and how the opera looked and sounded in 1787, during its first public performance in Prague. That’s where the premier took place. Since then, it has been restaged and invented throughout the world’s opera houses since the 18th century. Mozart’s operas express what it is like to be human; it’s about the human soul. I can understand that and relate to people in operas more than I can in real life.’
‘I’ve never heard a real opera. Have you?’
‘Yes, I went with Mum once when we were in London, it was my birthday present. It was Don Giovanni actually.’
‘What was it about?’
‘Well Don Giovanni, he is the main character, and he likes lots of women. He’s not a nice man, really. His sins catch up with him when he commits murder and because of this he finally unleashes, what could be described as, vengeance from beyond the grave.’
‘It sounds like a lot of modern day films.’
‘The first performance was on a Monday, the 29th October 1787, at the Nostiz Theatre in Prague. It was a sellout and Mozart conducted the orchestra; it received three standing ovations. At the time, he was just thirty-one and in today’s money he was paid thirty-five thousand pounds. Mozart not only made audiences listen to the singing and words. The music is just as important. The music expressed the characters of the opera. He was a genius really. The first performance was postponed because the set was not ready. The stage was lit by candles, they even had special effects, and they would put brandy in oil burners and blow a powder solution over it which would cause a large flame. A local newspaper reported that ‘Prague had never seen the like.’ Do you know that when Mozart died in 1791, four thousand people attended a requiem mass in Prague?’
‘You have been doing a lot of studying.’
‘I enjoy learning new things about Mozart. I’ve read that some academics think he might have had autism. I don’t think so. He was very sociable actually. He was always looking for some sort of company, he hated being on his own. He never liked to eat on his own. I do, I quite like it, being on my own. I don’t feel alone when I’m hugging trees, I like the feeling it gives me. But you know all about that.’
After the lessons, they have lunch on the terrace; Dylan leaves to swim in the pool and Georgia sits back in her chair, looking at Adam. It is the first time they have been alone since the wedding.
‘What?’
‘Nothing.’ She smiles.
‘Come on, what are you thinking?’
‘Did you enjoy the wedding?’
‘I did, it was vibrant and energetic. I think that’s a good way to describe the experience. What about you, did you have a good time?’
‘Yes, I love Greek weddings; they always remind me why we keep coming here. Life is celebrated with tradition and family. I like that; it fosters a feeling of belonging and identity. Living here is such a privilege, it’s difficult to describe.’
‘I know what you mean. Sometimes a place just feels right, you know, everything fits together perfectly. The people I’ve met are so open and welcoming; nothing seems too much of an effort, everything is done with genuine human spirit. I’d love to put in a bottle, what it means to be Greek, and take it with me wherever I went and release it; spread it all over the world. It would be a nicer place.’
‘You’ve certainly settled then.’
‘It’s wonderful. I feel attached to the place; the village, the landscape, the people I’ve met, they are now my friends but, most of all, as time passes, this house feels more like home, every time I leave and return, and then, of course, there is Dylan. But most of all, there is you,’ he says, truthfully
‘We need to be careful Adam. I don’t want to jeopardise what you have with Dylan. What we have, what we have become, it’s special to me, but I can’t let it get in the way of Dylan’s happiness. I’m frightened of the consequences if we give into this… if I surrender to it. I can’t rip my family apart.’
‘What about Stephen? Can you continue to live like this, Stephen’s unpredictable behaviour hanging over you every time he returns?’
‘I don’t have a choice.’
‘You do. There’s always a choice Georgia. Making the right one was always going to be the hard part.’
She looks away from him and towards Dylan who is still in the pool.
‘Can we continue as before, for
now at least? Is it possible?’
‘Stephen’s back on Friday?’
‘He is.’
‘I don’t know Georgia. It might be better if I stay with Tzakis for a while. If you want, you can tell Stephen I’m visiting a friend, but I think you need time together, as a family, without me around. You can tell me to leave and I’ll go back to Glasgow if that’s what you want.’
‘No, I don’t. What will I tell Dylan?’ she asks quietly.
‘Tell him, we are being honest with ourselves, he’ll understand that.’
Adam looks at her mouth, the curve of her lip, he longs to kiss her. He feels an anger swell that is replaced by a heavy sense of grief. He is impatient; he wants her now, not these complications. Adam wishes for the hundredth time that things could be different. His anger is directed towards Stephen, his grief is unimaginable. His lust is specific; he takes in the angle of her chin, the soft skin at the nape of her neck, the slant of her shoulders, and the curve of her breast beneath the fabric of her dress. He wishes he could change things. Adam looks at her, she suddenly looks exhausted, pained even.
A breeze picks up from the sea, dry and hot but, despite this, Adam feels chilled. Georgia opens her mouth as if to speak, but no words’ spill from her.
Chapter 39
Slipping from her in Corfu Town
The flat is on the third floor of a building in the centre of town. It has a bachelor feel, the opposite to Tzakis’ office at the university. Adam finds this odd and Tzakis has told him
that a woman comes twice a week to do the cleaning and washing. There are many books littering the bookshelves, most of them interest Adam, the ancient Greek and Roman period. Tzakis has told him to read what he wants but not to take any books with him when he leaves the flat. His room is small, a single bed and a wardrobe make it feel even smaller, but Adam is glad Tzakis is pleased to help him.
Adam has found a small bakery, Panetteria Starenio, which sells pastries and pies. He has tried a different pie each day: spinach, chicken, pesto, next will be the feta or parmesan. The coffee is delicious; it is the best he has tasted, and he visits most days. Adam spends an hour or two watching people coming and going, as it offers a good vantage point, just outside the old part of town. He has bought a pocket tour guide and, in the afternoons, he wanders the old streets and sites. Adam has taken a historical and heritage tour, visited the archaeological museum, Spianada Square and the old fortress.
Each night, he has eaten in a different restaurant and spends the rest drinking in bars. He has developed a taste for Mythos beer that has contributed to his late risings and morning hangovers.
He is confident he will return to the house soon but, under what circumstances, he is less sure about.
Now he has told Georgia how he feels, he is accosted daily with the real prospect she will not leave Stephen. But can he stay under such circumstances? Each day would be agony for him and intolerable for Georgia. The realisation is like a curse.
He thinks of such a reality; he could not live in the house and teach Dylan. But also, he is not prepared to lose her. It is a thought he tries to put to the back of his mind.
The exhilaration he felt when they revealed their feelings to each other was short lived. Adam has awoken each morning with dread and guilt, each night's excesses has not dulled the intensity of his fears; it has only stained his dignity. He trembles at the thought of returning to an empty house, Georgia gone with Stephen to Majorca or back to Edinburgh. It makes him feel light-headed, or is it the hangover, it’s hard to tell. He is sure of one thing, he has wallowed long enough in his self-pity and last night was his turning point.
Adam found himself in a small bar, hot and noisy, a TV hung from the wall, and it was on but impossible to hear, as music blared from the bar’s speakers. Not that that made any difference to the clientele, few paid it much attention; most were locked in conversations, preferring the company of friends.
Adam was on his third Mythos when he picked a euro from the floor that had fallen from a young woman’s hand.
‘Efcharesto.’ She smiled as Adam handed her the coin.
It was then he noticed how attractive she was. Her hair fell to her shoulders, in black curls, her eyes were dark and piercing and he was drawn to her full red lips. She wore a red dress that hugged her slim body, cut low, where her cleavage drew his eyes.
‘I don’t speak Greek, well not much.’
‘It’s ok. I speak English, but not very well.’
‘Let me buy you a drink,’
‘No, I buy my own.’
‘I insist, what are you having?’
She looked at him speculatively. ‘A vodka and orange then?’
‘Of course, it’s my pleasure.’
They sat at a table outside.
‘What’s your name?’
‘Chrystala. And you?’
‘Adam.’
‘Are you living here, working or just visiting?’
‘I’m working but not in Corfu Town.’
‘What do you do?’
‘I’m teaching a young boy, he doesn’t go to school, I teach him at his home.’
‘How unusual. Do you mind if I smoke?’
‘No, not at all.’ She offered him a cigarette.
‘Not for me, thanks. I gave up years ago.’
As she lit the cigarette, he noticed her nails were painted red. She tilted her head back and exhaled the smoke.
‘I try to not blow it in your direction.’ She smiled again.
‘Do you work?’
‘Only at night.’
‘Oh, so this is a day off then.’
‘Not exactly.’ She tilted her head, a smile flickering over her mouth.
‘Ah, I see.’
‘You did not know?’
‘Afraid not,’ he said, embarrassed.
‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’
He took a long swallow of beer. He is seized by an incredible feeling of wanting this woman. The thought of making love, no, having sex, because that’s all it would be, seized him. His heart is racing.
He followed her to a door and they go up a set of steps. Inside the room, she placed her handbag on a chair. Adam’s breathing was fast, she smiled at him. The shutters were closed; there is a dull light in the room. Adam looked around the room; there is a bed, a bedside table, the chair with her handbag and a bathroom.
‘It is extra if we kiss.’
He pulled her towards him, his hands resting on her waist. He found her mouth, her lips were soft, he could feel her warmth, smell her perfume, taste her. His hand slide over her dress, he felt her breast through the material. She unfastened the button of his trousers and pulled on the zip. He could feel her hand on his skin, her fingers trailing inside his trousers.
He pulled away from her.
‘I can’t do this.’
She looked at him, frowning slightly. ‘That’s a shame; I was just beginning to enjoy myself.’
He was appalled with himself.
She trailed her hand through her hair. ‘It is ok; I have been with enough men and done this long enough to know the difference.’
‘What do you mean?’
She smiled. ‘Some do this for the thrill, others because they are not getting it at home and then there are the few who do it as a reaction to their confusion, their deceptions, betrayal, anger, grief, whatever.’
She reached into her bag and lit a cigarette. She sat on the bed and looked at him. ‘Do you love her?’
‘More than the world, but she’s married.’ His chest is a vice.
‘Is she happy in her marriage?’
‘No.’ Adam said faintly, looking down at his feet.
‘Then there is your answer.’
He took 50 euros from his wallet.
‘I can’t take that.’
‘Why not?’
‘I’ve not earned it.’
He placed the notes beside her bag. ‘But you have. Thank you.’
Walking bac
k to Tzakis’ flat, Adam can’t believe what he has just done. He will lose Georgia before it has begun. What was he thinking? He wasn’t thinking, that was the problem. It had been illogical thinking. And what about tonight? He has never been inclined to be with such a woman. What has gotten into him?
Adam nurses his hangover, with his second coffee of the morning drank outside Panetteria Starenio. His phone rings. It is Tzakis, inviting him to attend a lecture he is about to deliver that afternoon.
When Adam arrives, the lecture room is large and almost full. He finds a vacant seat and settles himself as Tzakis is about to begin. Adam finds the lecture illuminating; its subject, ‘the lives of ordinary Grecian and Roman woman,’ concentrate on their lack of legal standing, why they could not vote, and their exclusion from advanced education. Tzakis touched on marriage, the dowry and sex.
‘Romantic love was not necessarily an essential component of marriage. However, parenthood was taken very seriously and women were expected to tolerate their husband’s excesses such as alcohol abuse, gambling and womanising.’ The lecture lasts an hour.
Over coffee, Adam congratulates Tzakis on his lecture.
‘I really enjoyed that.’
‘Did you learn anything?’
‘Yes, I didn’t realise you taught in English.’
‘Ah, we don’t, this was a special lecture for a group of foreign students who are visiting the university, so we lecture in English. That’s why I invited you. Normally we speak Greek’
‘I didn’t know that women could own land.’
‘Yes and, although they needed a guardian to oversee the business and make the legal contracts, this didn’t hinder them in the slightest.’
Adam feels embarrassed. ‘Look Tzakis, I need to thank you for putting up with me. I would’ve been at a loss if you hadn’t let me stay and I don’t always spend my nights going out to get drunk.’
‘It’s not a problem Adam, I’m glad I could help. Any developments?’
‘I’ve not heard. Stephen never stays more than four days. Georgia said she’d phone me.’ He gives out a long sigh.
The Boy Who Hugs Trees Page 21