The Boy Who Hugs Trees

by Dougie McHale

  Chapter 44

  In the Garden

  Adam has never seen colours like it; shelves of turquoise and aqua blue that define the Ionian, as it slides leisurely along rippling sands and the occasional underwater island of vegetation, so clear to the eye it defies all logic. He finds it almost indescribable. Walking further, he looks across the sea towards the horizon that blends effortlessly into a stunning blue. He exults in the glare and dazzle, a lingering luminescence where the sun shimmers in the silver light.

  Adam is relaxed, for the first time in days. He wonders how different his life would have been if he had taken the offer of the research post at the university? He strides through the village, past the church, with its vast wooden doors and domed tiled roof. An image of the Madonna and child is painted into a recess beside the front door to a house where two elderly women sit on wooden stools, gesticulating wildly; one laughs, throwing her head back. Adam wonders what might have been said to cause such a jovial display of emotion, some village gossip or rumour that is gathering pace.

  He has slept little in the past few days; it has been a time of readjustment, of aligning himself to the possibility that given time, Georgia and him, will leave behind the complications of the past. He feels he no longer needs to repress his feelings. In his mind, he lingers on an image of Georgia; he contemplates upon it, and it is enough to know they are both moving forward towards a new beginning.

  Recently her words have encouraged him, everything has changed.

  From the moment he saw her, he became interested in her. It was not just about tutoring her so; she held the centre ground. In the beginning, he tried not to allow himself to think of her sexually, but sometimes when he did, he banished such thoughts from him. But now, as time has passed, he has become impatient with such self-discipline. It has also been reciprocated by Georgia, and although discreet, it is measurable.

  She is married, and this sacred institution, the bond between husband and wife, is no barrier to his thoughts, to his feelings. How extraordinary, he tells himself. Her marriage, its aftermath, its debris, has made it easier for them both to acknowledge their feelings for each other.

  In the midst of all this, there is Dylan. Adam smiles sadly to himself. He envisions the boy trying to make sense of the recriminations his father’s actions will undoubtedly entail. Will Dylan find his father’s aggression inexcusable? Will he be able to understand the motives? Will Dylan be apprehensive of his mother’s fear? Will he grasp the gravity of the situation?

  Dylan will not think emotionally; his conclusions will be driven by a one-dimensional thought process. In Dylan’s world, there is no grey: only black and white; no

  compromise; only right and wrong.

  What will he make of it all? Dylan occupies a different pole when experiencing the world around him. Will he be subdued by it all, frustrated? Dylan will find his shelter in other ways, ways that are deeply satisfying, only to him, this boy who hugs trees.

  Adam dodges an open top jeep and heads towards the Kafenion. Sitting in their usual seats are Giannis, Thanos, Stamatis, Mida and Nikolaos, sipping dark coffee and putting the world to right.

  Thanos frowns. ‘Never trust a politician, they are all liars. They even lie to cover up their lies. We need people in Parliament who are genuinely interested in working to better the lives of ordinary Greek families: better education, better schools, wages that reflect the value of a job to society, like teachers and nurses.’

  ‘Thanos, you should run for the local council elections,’ Stamatis says, winking towards the others.

  ‘What’s this?’ Adam asks, pulling out a chair and sitting down. When he is amongst them they speak English.

  ‘Thanos has found his vocation in life. No more catching fish for him, he is going to catch people’s votes.’ Stamatis laughs.

  ‘I was just saying, there are very few people in public life who have any morals these days. Politicians say one thing and then do another.’

  Adam smiles. ‘They’ve been doing that since democracy began. Since democracy was invented by the Greeks, politicians lying must be a Greek invention.’

  ‘Be careful, you’re a guest on this island.’ Giannis smiles a slow gap tooth smile.

  ‘We’ve not seen you for a few days, Adam. I was beginning to think you had gone back to Scotland,’ Nikolaos says.

  Adam is not sure whether his friends have heard about Georgia, given that gossip and news are celebrated in some quarters of the village as a valuable commodity to be shared at every opportunity, Adam is cautious in his answer.

  ‘I visited a friend in Corfu Town, stayed a few days and took in the sites.’

  ‘Everything ok at the house then?’ Stamatis asks what they are all thinking.

  Nikolaos gives Stamatis a scornful glance.

  ‘Yes. Why shouldn’t it be?’ Adam says, finally.

  Nikolaos sighs. ‘You know what it’s like in the village Adam. Someone begins a little rumour and before you know it, it’s the property of the whole village. Some people have made it their occupation to know everyone’s business. Nothing good comes of it.’

  Adam wonders if he is being warned.

  ‘Giannis wife, Eva, saw Georgia’s husband leave the house early the other morning in a taxi, and he wasn’t looking very happy.’

  ‘He comes and goes all the time, almost every weekend.’

  ‘The woman, Georgia, she had a big black eye. I saw it when I delivered her mail. She tried to hide it,’ Manos says.

  Adam’s face flushes with irritation. ‘Ah yes. I think she said, she had an argument with a cupboard door and she came off the worst.’

  ‘Exactly what Theresa said, remember Manos? So let’s drop this whole disagreeable interrogation and get on with our game.’ Nikolaos leans back in his chair. ‘Shall we?’

  The morning stretches out, hot and airless. Adam is glad of the reprieve the chess brings, from the current fascination and interest in the goings-on at the house.

  ‘Have you got anything planned for the rest of the day?’ Nikolaos asks.

  Adam shrugs. ‘No. I’ll probably have lunch at Pandelios.’

  He has given Georgia some space, time to come to terms with what has happened. She has sought solace in Dylan; he is one of the good things her marriage has produced. They need each other right now. Georgia wants to soften the blow of Stephen’s sudden departure. It is a task Adam does not envy but has given Georgia the courtesy of being alone with Dylan to accomplish it.

  ‘Good choice. I’m having shrimp pasta at home. You’re welcome to come along. It’s Sofia’s speciality; you haven’t met my wife yet, have you? She loves cooking for others. She’ll be thrilled. Linguini pasta, a tomato sauce, herbs, garlic, basil, feta cheese and of course lots of large shrimps.’

  ‘How can I refuse? It sounds delicious.’

  ‘Good.’ Nikolaos looks at him steadily. ‘We can have a talk; we’ve not caught up for some time.’

  Adam knows Nikolaos’ motives, and he welcomes the chance to speak candidly, in the knowledge it is far from prying ears. After all, Nikolaos is a priest; Adam smiles to himself. It will be like a confession.

  Nikolaos’ house, a whitewashed building with a terracotta tiled roof, is next to the church. Once inside, the aroma of aromatic tomato sauce, basil, and shrimp, infuses a trail they follow to the kitchen.

  ‘Sofia, we have a guest. Adam, this is Sofia.’

  ‘Pleased to meet you, Sofia.’

  ‘Ah, Nikolaos’ chess prodigy. Yasou. I hope you like shrimps Adam?’

  ‘I do. It smells amazing.’

  ‘Would you like some lemonade, it's cold? I’ve just taken it out of the fridge’

  ‘I’d love some, thanks. Your house is lovely.’

  ‘It belongs to the church, but we have tried to put our individual touch to it,’ Sofia says, whilst pouring the lemonade into three glasses.

  Sofia is curvaceous. She has an attractive oval face and wavy brown hair that falls down her back
. She doesn’t look like a wife of a priest. Her looks don’t conform to his preconception of how a priest wife, in general, should look, but then again, this is Greece and he has never met the wife of a Greek priest, until today.

  ‘It’s too nice to eat inside; we’ll eat out in the garden,’ Sofia says.

  They eat their lunch, shaded by an old olive tree. The garden is small, enclosed by a wall and decorated with several clay pots that sprout coloured flowers.

  ‘It’s rumoured that this tree is over five hundred years old,’ Nikolaos says, between mouthfuls. ‘It was part of an ancient olive grove before the village was built. This was the only remaining tree, so the church was built next to it so that the faith would always remain a constant presence in the life of the villagers, just like the tree. Eventually, the wall was built to protect it and then latterly, the house, for the priest.’

  ‘How long have you lived here?’

  ‘Oh, coming up for five years now.’

  ‘It must have been quite a change, coming from a city to a small isolated village.’

  ‘It was to start with. I couldn’t get used to the pace of life. It was too quiet, everyone knew everyone else’s business, and even if you didn’t want to know, it was hard to escape it. Gradually, I started to appreciate the sense of community and I saw that there was a tremendous amount of charity amongst the villagers. People help each other out; it’s not seen as a chore or a burden, but given freely and there is an enormous amount of worth in that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not perfect; we live in the real world after all. Sofia is a teacher also, so she made the greatest sacrifice.’ Nikolaos touches Sofia’s hand.

  ‘What did you teach?’ Adam asks.

  ‘I was a primary school teacher. When we first arrived, I taught here at the school. It helped to supplement the two good wages we had both lost.’

  ‘Are you still teaching?’

  ‘Not anymore, I taught for two years and then because of falling pupil numbers they had to make savings; I was one of the first casualties.’

  ‘Do you miss it?’

  ‘I used to, but it’s been three years now and I’ve filled my time doing so many other things I don’t even think about it now. How do you find going from teaching a class to delivering lessons to just one boy?’

  ‘It can be a challenge, but rewarding all the same,’ he says genuinely, thinking of Dylan.

  ‘My friend, Eirini, has a son who, although not diagnosed, probably has autism. His name is Fanis, he is only five; she’s going through a really difficult time with him. I wondered if I could pick your brains, take advantage of you while you’re here?’

  ‘I’d be happy to help if I can?’

  ‘Eirini calls them “meltdowns.” Fanis will just drop to the ground and start to scream, sometimes he goes into a rage and it doesn’t matter what Eirini does, he can’t seem to stop himself. She says that when it is a bad one, it’s as if he has to get to the other side of it until it is finished and then he acts as if nothing happened; he forgets all about it.’

  ‘And what causes this behaviour, does she know?’

  ‘It could just be the simplest thing. He doesn’t like change very much, especially if it happens unexpectedly. Things have to be done in a certain way, he likes routines, and he also has little rituals that he has to go through before he can move on to something else. They can’t just go to the shops. Fanis will only go a certain way; it has to be the same route every time, or he gets distressed about it. What would seem trivial to you or me can be upsetting and stressful for Fanis. Eirini does her best, but sometimes you can see she is struggling. I don’t know how she manages.’

  Adam has a vivid picture in his mind of the countless parents who over the years have told him similar stories. This description was not unique, but rather a retelling of an individual story that resonated with familiar aspects pertinent to that family, but also very similar in its detail and the expressed concerns. Each had an emotional, physical and intellectual need. It was a case of improvisation regarding each individual family’s need, guided by knowledge and pre-set strategies.

  Adam explains that Fanis’ needs to be warned in advance about any changes to his normal routines or activities, although this would be more problematic when change is unpredictable, as can be the norm in daily life. Adam describes people with autism as in the main, visual learners, who need any advanced change to their routines represented with photographs, Velcro symbols or written lists if they can read. Also, Adam suggests using apps that are free or reasonably priced, and easy to use on mobile phones.

  They spend a considerable amount of time going over particular aspects of Fanis’ behaviour and Adam contributes several strategies Eirini can use which Sofia writes in a note pad.

  ‘This is wonderful Adam, thank you. The way you’ve described why Fanis behaves as he does in given situations, and what Sofia can do to help him, makes so much sense.’

  ‘Fanis is only reacting to his environment. If Eirini can make his environment autism-friendly, by considering how he might experience the world around him and why he is reacting to that environment, she can reduce the unwanted behaviours. Fanis is only communicating a need. His behaviour has a function and, once Eirini works out why he uses that behaviour and what function it serves for him, then she can teach him new behaviours and skills that will help to get his needs met, but in a manner that is acceptable and appropriate.’

  ‘I can’t wait to tell Eirini. I hope I can make sense of my scribbles. I think I’ve got it all written down.’

  ‘Let me have a look.’ Adam offers.

  ‘It’s in Greek.’

  ‘Ah, never mind. If there’s a problem you can just let me know.’

  ‘If you don’t mind, Nikolaos, I’d like to go round to Eirini’s. She’ll really appreciate this Adam.’ Sofia kisses Nikolaos and promptly leaves.

  ‘That was a good thing you did Adam.’

  ‘It was nothing. I’m glad I could help.’

  ‘You’ve probably just changed Eirini’s life. Hopefully, it will make things easier for her.’

  Adam smiles, a self-reflective smile, and amongst the metallic rhythm of the cicadas, and the rose, white and yellow flowers of the small garden, he feels a small eruption of self-worth, a strange enchantment that has been missing from him this last week.

  He is pondering this new feeling when Nikolaos says, ‘Stamatos and Manos asked those questions because they’re concerned about you, as I am. Is everything ok Adam?’

  Adam pauses and then relates the events of the past week. Nikolaos does not interrupt him. When Adam is finished, he wipes his brow. Nikolaos sits quite still as he takes the information in.

  ‘So now you know. I’m in love with a married woman.’

  ‘So it would seem.’ Nikolaos sits back in his chair and takes a cigarette from a packet. ‘Do you mind if I smoke?’

  Adam shakes his head.

  ‘Are you sure she feels the same? Have you thought of the possibility you could make a fool of yourself?’

  ‘She does, but she hasn’t said it in so many words. The last few weeks have been difficult for her. I don’t want to put her under more pressure. She doesn’t need that, not now anyway.’ Adam feels weary.

  ‘Yes, I can see how that can be. Be cautious Adam. Don’t let your heart rule your head, let Georgia take the initiative when she is ready. She will be feeling very vulnerable at the moment.’

  ‘So you don’t disapprove then?’ He waves away a persistent fly.

  ‘Have you been intimate together?’

  Adam smiles at him. ‘No. And I wouldn’t, not yet anyway, not after what has happened.’

  ‘Look, Adam, you haven’t done anything wrong, you are only admitting to what you feel. You are not responsible for what has happened; by all accounts, their marriage was over before you arrived, irrespective of what you feel for Georgia. It’s a delicate matter, respect her dignity. The last thing we ever learn about ourselves is the effect we have on ot
hers, and sometimes that knowledge comes too late.’

  Chapter 45

  A Momentary Lapse of Common Sense

  1972

  Friday 7th July 1972

  A few days ago I took a trip to Corfu Town. I had lunch and walked around the old town for a while before plucking up the courage to enter a shop and hand over the film of negatives of my boat trip with Stelios to get developed. I felt a mixture of excitement and then an incredible guilt. Even now, I find it incomprehensible, unbelievable that I have allowed myself to become involved in such a way with another man. It wasn’t until I arranged for the developed photographs to be delivered to the house that the realisation dawned on me, I may have compromised my standing as a married woman and exposed Stelios as the other person. I hoped that the shop owner would be discreet, but all the same, as my heart raced, I decided to tell Stelios of my momentary lapse of common sense.

  He laughed, and I felt affronted, almost devalued in a way, and then with the thread of a threat, and contempt that laced his language, Stelios said it would be more than the man’s job was worth, to spread such malice gossip. At that moment, I was beginning to appreciate the standing Stelios carried amongst the island’s business community. His dismissive attitude unsettled me, with a nervous perturbation, and I wondered how far his influence reached and in what manner?

  I saw something in his eyes; a reassurance, protectiveness, and I knew then, I was falling in love...

  Stelios walks over to a chair and sits down next to Emily; he crosses one leg over the other and lights a cigarette. With the tip of the cigarette, he lights another and hands it to her. His eyes seem to glisten like emeralds and he has a smile that is satisfying. The housekeeper has brought two glasses of red wine that sit in front of them on a glass table. Stelios reaches for one and takes a sip. He is looking at her now, his smile still in place.