by Mandy Baggot
Emma had already given her instructions for her coach party to be back on board no later than 2.00pm and that gave everyone four and a half hours in the island’s capital.
As Emma helped some of her party with directions Freya looked across at the Paleo Linmani (the old fort) and remembered her first visit to Corfu Town. She had been impressed by the architecture, the buzz in the town and the way the whole place was magnificent without appearing boastful. She had taken lots of black and white shots that holiday, of the two forts, the Venetian style buildings and Emma larking about in front of all of them. She still had the picture of the view from the top of the old fort hanging in her hallway at home.
‘Come on daydreamer, we’ve got shopping to do,’ Emma said, breaking Freya’s thoughts and linking arms with her.
The two women strolled through the streets laughing and recapturing their youth, remembering the times they had spent drinking too much and making fools of themselves.
‘Remember that awful waiter who kept being rude to us because we couldn’t stop laughing?’ Emma asked Freya as they walked.
‘Because he thought we were laughing at his stupid moustache - which of course we were,’ Freya answered.
‘But we were his customers and he should have remembered that and we might have left him a tip,’ Emma said.
‘I did leave him a tip. I told him if he treated any other customers the way he treated us, he could expect a sparse summer,’ Freya reminded her.
‘I wonder where he is now,’ Emma mused.
‘Selling pitta gyros probably,’ Freya remarked.
‘Right, here we are, our first stop for clothes,’ Emma told her and she indicated the boutique in front of them.
Freya looked into the window and saw lots of, what looked like, designer outfits. All of them appeared only big enough to fit on one of her arms.
‘Are you sure they’re going to have something that fits me? I hate being trussed up in things that don’t even meet where they’re supposed to, let alone do up,’ Freya said with a sigh.
‘Don’t be silly, of course they’ll have things to fit you. Come in and meet Agatha. She’s nearly sixty and has great fashion sense,’ Emma said and she pulled Freya towards the entrance.
As they entered the shop, Freya was taken aback by how much bigger it was inside than it appeared from the exterior. It was like a cavernous labyrinth with winding aisles all packed with rails of clothes as far as the eye could see. Emma looked at Freya’s surprised expression and smiled.
A short Greek lady with greying hair appeared. She immediately let out a scream and greeted Emma excitedly in the native tongue while kissing her on both cheeks.
‘Please! A very rusty and limited Greek speaker here. Could we converse in English?’ Freya asked as Emma and the lady continued to talk in Greek.
‘Sorry Freya. Agatha, this is my best friend Freya. Remember I told you about her?’ Emma introduced.
‘Nice to meet you,’ Freya replied.
‘And you my darling. Emma has told me much about you,’ Agatha replied and she embraced Freya, kissing her on both cheeks.
‘I’m sure she has - all bad I expect,’ Freya answered.
‘Not all. Most, but not all,’ the woman joked and winked at Emma.
‘Agatha, Freya’s come to stay with me for a while, a few weeks, possibly more I hope, but she travelled light and we need outfits, lots of them. Day wear, night wear, beach wear, club wear, you name it she needs it,’ Emma explained.
‘Well hang on, my Visa might melt if you overload it,’ Freya exclaimed.
‘Fantastic! A challenge I love! Lots of choices, come, come, this way,’ Agatha ordered and she led the way down one aisle of the shop.
‘I’m not sure I like being called a challenge,’ Freya replied as she followed Emma and Agatha.
‘Agatha sees everyone has a challenge. Until she’s dressed somebody they’ve never truly known style,’ Emma recited.
‘Blimey, you’ve certainly swallowed her mantra,’ Freya said.
Agatha was rifling through the rails, pulling garments out, hanging some of them over her arm and rejecting others.
‘I know she has red hair now Agatha, but by the end of the day it’ll be blonde, so I don’t want you to let that put you off,’ Emma informed as she began looking through the clothes as well.
‘Blonde? Since when?’
‘Since I bought a hair colour at the pharmacy this morning on the way to the square. Don’t worry, you’ll have help to do it,’ Emma told her.
Freya watched the two women parting outfits and discussing the colours that would best suit her skin tone. She hated shopping for clothes back in England because she always had to try things on and inevitably they were too small. Lately she had bought a lot of things on the internet. No embarrassing changing rooms and you could send it back if it didn’t fit. There was no going red at the counter when you exchanged it for a larger size.
‘Here are the first outfits. Go try and let us see each. Then we see how things look yes?’ Agatha spoke handing Freya a pile of clothes.
Parading around in front of them like she was a plus-size catwalk model suddenly filled Freya with dread. But she looked at Emma’s eager face and Agatha, with her stylish floaty clothes, waving her arm towards the dressing room and could see they were going to get a lot of pleasure out of it. Who was she to deprive them of it?
Freya pulled the curtain of the dressing room and disappeared behind it.
‘I want no looking until I’m dressed. I have two day old underwear on and it isn’t pretty,’ Freya called to them.
‘She left England in a bit of a hurry,’ Emma explained to Agatha.
The first item was a pair of black trousers. Freya pulled them up her legs and was surprised to find that they were indeed a good fit. The button and the zip both did up with ease. That was a novelty and the cut of the material even made her thighs look less rugby player. She put the emerald green top that went with the trousers over her head and tied up the halter neck. She observed herself in the mirror. She looked almost slim - well perhaps not slim - but definitely better and with a more defined shape. She looked feminine. Seeing herself look so different she couldn’t help but let out a shriek of pleasure and she drew aside the curtain.
‘Will you look at me?! I have a waist! A waist! And my boobs don’t look like they’re going to take over the rest of my body,’ Freya announced, hardly able to contain her excitement.
‘You look amazing!’ Agatha said, clapping her hands together in delight as Emma hugged her friend.
‘I do look amazing don’t I? So what outfit’s next?’ Freya asked eagerly.
She dived back into the changing room now ready to parade around like a plus-size catwalk model in front of anyone.
Six
An hour later Freya had purchased no less than seven outfits, plus three pairs of shoes, two handbags, two sarongs, three swimming costumes, five tops, four pairs of trousers and two cardigans. Emma had even managed to persuade her to purchase a bikini that Freya knew she would only wear with a suitable t-shirt over the top.
‘I’m going to need to speak to the bank about my overdraft after buying this lot,’ Freya announced as Agatha put everything in bags for her.
‘You deserve it, a birthday treat. Besides, you work hard enough, why shouldn’t you spend some of your hard earned cash?’ Emma pointed out.
‘Don’t speak about work! I’m supposed to be doing school photos next week. I’ll have to ring Simon and get him to rearrange. He’s probably wondering where I am,’ Freya spoke, suddenly being reminded of her responsibilities of running a small business.
‘He’ll cope. I mean it isn’t like you haven’t disappeared before,’ Emma reminded her.
‘That’s true enough. She knows me too well Agatha. We’ve been friends for too long now and she knows all my secrets,’ Freya told the Greek lady.
‘That is not a bad thing. Everyone need someone to tell everything to,’ Agatha r
eplied.
‘Yes they do,’ Freya agreed, looking at Emma.
‘Now Freya, you listen to an old lady yes? These clothes, they make you look wonderful, but that is only half the mountain we climb. You must learn to feel wonderful. I sense this is something you no find easy, yes?’ Agatha began, looking seriously at Freya.
‘There isn’t much about me that’s wonderful. Well, apart from the apparently sexy eyes and of course the sparkling wit,’ Freya responded.
‘I know from Emma and I feel you are a very special person. I warm to you the minute I meet you. You have a spark - a light inside - no everyone has a light inside of them, but you do. Now, you take these wonderful clothes that make you look so pretty and promise Agatha that when you wear them, you let the light out and make it fill the room,’ Agatha ordered and as she said ‘fill the room’ she waved her arms about as if filling the room herself.
‘I promise I’ll try and thank you for all your help Agatha. You and your clothes are amazing,’ Freya told her.
Agatha leant across the counter and kissed both of Freya’s cheeks.
‘You meet special man soon I think. One who sees the light inside,’ Agatha told her in a serious voice.
‘I’m kind of off men at the moment, but if he’s tall, dark and devilishly handsome I might be persuaded,’ Freya joked with a smile.
The women finished their goodbyes, packed themselves up with Freya’s bags and headed out of the boutique.
‘Well, I really didn’t think we would have finished our search for outfits by quarter to eleven,’ Freya admitted as they started to walk down the pavement away from the shop.
‘I had every faith in Agatha. She’s promised me a wedding dress one day,’ Emma admitted with a smile.
‘Does that mean that you and Yiannis have talked about it?’ Freya enquired.
‘We’ve spoken about it but it’s difficult. We don’t have that much money and we’d really like a place of our own. Mr and Mrs P are great, but living with your boyfriend’s parents isn’t ideal,’ Emma said.
‘Living with my own parents was never ideal, let alone living with someone else’s. Come to think of it, living with someone else’s would have been a whole lot better,’ Freya responded.
‘We’re saving up for a place but it takes time. The restaurant’s doing really well, but the money’s all tied up,’ Emma continued.
‘You’ll get there,’ Freya assured her.
‘I know, but I’m almost thirty now and I don’t want to leave it too late. I did want to be married before we had children,’ Emma spoke.
‘Marriage, children and here I am single again,’ Freya commented with a sigh.
‘Freya, I’m sorry. God how insensitive am I? I shouldn’t be thinking about me, I should be thinking about you,’ Emma exclaimed.
‘Don’t be stupid. All you’ve done since I’ve arrived is think about me. It was a good job I didn’t marry and have kids with Russell wasn’t it? If he thought I was large now, he would have had a shock if I’d got pregnant,’ Freya told her.
Emma couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
‘Have you spoken to him yet?’ Emma asked.
‘No, no battery left. Can I borrow your phone charger later?’ Freya asked.
‘Of course.’
‘Thanks. I may as well hear what the idiot has to say for himself in all those messages he’s left. So, seeing as I’m all kitted out and it’s only eleven, what are we going to do now? It’s a bit early for lunch isn’t it?’ Freya asked, checking her watch.
‘Oh yes, far too early and we’ve got other stuff to do yet, like dying your hair and having it cut and sorting out those nails of yours,’ Emma told her.
‘What? Well hang on, where are we going? I hope it’s not too far, because these bags aren’t conducive to long distances and it’s nearly the midday sun. I’m in jeans and you know I perspire like a weight lifter,’ Freya called as she tried to hurry along and catch her friend up.
Emma introduced Freya to Helena, who cut and dyed her hair, and Sophia who manicured her nails and gave them a French polish.
Freya looked almost unrecognizable from the pale, jaded and dejected red-haired individual who had arrived at Corfu airport the night before. Firstly, she was smiling and secondly, it felt great to be able to pamper herself and do it all with her best friend.
After the hairdressers the two women settled themselves at a café in the Liston and ordered lunch.
The Liston was an arcaded street which had been designed during the French occupation of the island back in the nineteenth century. The restaurants were expensive but it was worth the extra cost to sit amongst the beautiful surroundings and watch the world pass by.
‘So how do you feel now? Better than when you arrived?’ Emma questioned.
‘Do I feel better? Hmm, I’m sat in Corfu Town at a nice café, about to eat a tasty chicken souvlaki with my best friend, having spent the morning being pampered in every way. Yes, I think I’m feeling better. So, does blonde suit me?’ Freya asked her, looking down over her glasses.
‘Very much so and I’m so glad you’re having a good time,’ Emma replied.
‘Well that’s why I run away here when I lose the plot and not somewhere like Grimsby,’ Freya spoke.
‘I’m glad you came. I do miss you you know,’ Emma admitted a little emotionally.
‘Hey is everything OK? Is there something you’ve been leaving out of our phone conversations you want to share now?’ Freya asked her.
‘No, I just miss seeing you like we used to before I moved out here. I don’t have that many friends here. I mean there are a few girls at the office but we’re always so busy, there’s hardly any time to socialise,’ Emma continued with a deep breath.
‘But you’ve got Yiannis, that’s got to be better than having me around,’ Freya reminded her.
‘I know but there are some things you can only tell your best friend - as you know,’ Emma said.
‘Well I’m here now and I’m going to stay a while, have a proper holiday,’ Freya decided.
Seven
That evening the dilemma was which one of her new outfits to wear out to the restaurant.
Freya had arrived back at the Calypso Apartments at just before 4.00pm and had felt completely shattered. She’d felt like she was suffering from a lack of sleep but the pool had looked so inviting she had raced back to her room, changed into a swimming costume and got into the water. It had felt even better than it looked - cool, fresh and rejuvenating. A few lengths dodging the ten or so extremely loud children playing water polo had been just what she needed to get her ready for a siesta. A siesta that had lasted for three hours.
Now she was panicking, because she was due to meet Emma and Yiannis in half an hour at Banas Restaurant. And now, with so many wardrobe choices, it was difficult to decide what to wear.
She had borrowed Emma’s phone charger when they arrived back in Kassiopi. Her mobile now had a full battery and was ready to go. She had called her assistant Simon and told him to take care of things while she was away and she’d listened to the messages from Russell. Surprisingly, despite the number of missed calls, there were only three.
Hi Babe, I’m here at the restaurant. It’s nearly half past one now, so give me a ring as soon as you can. You’ve obviously been held up I guess.
Hi Hon, it’s seven o' clock now. I’ve been trying your phone and the office since this afternoon. I’m worried about you. Could you give me a ring as soon as you get this, let me know you’re OK. Love you Babe.
Hi Freya, I don’t know whether you got my other messages or the missed calls but - have I done something to upset you? If I’ve done or said something or you want to shout at me for some reason just give me a call and we can talk about it. I love you.
He sounded almost genuinely concerned in the first two messages but the third sounded guilt ridden.
Freya had phoned him just ten minutes ago and had reached his voicemail.
Russell, t
his is your large girlfriend, you know, the plain one you’ve wasted a year and a half of your life with. Just to let you know that I’m fine. I’m with someone who cares about me and is loyal and faithful to me - something which I don’t think you have been. Don’t ring me again, don’t ring Simon at the office and get your things out of my flat. I never want to see you again.
Freya smiled as she remembered the satisfaction she had felt when she’d hung up. Talking things over with Emma had definitely helped her to clarify her feelings. Now for a clothes decision. The black trousers and green halter neck top, without a doubt.
She wore high-heeled black sandals with sequins on and picked up the matching handbag. Looking at herself in the full length mirror she could see a change. Now all she had to do was feel that change. She had done it before, she could do it again.
Banas Restaurant was only a few minutes walk from the Calypso Apartments and it was just after 8.30pm when Freya arrived there to find Emma already waiting for her.
‘Styled by Agatha! Now get ready to fill the room with your light,’ Emma spoke as Freya joined her.
‘Don’t joke. Agatha was completely serious about my light! Where’s Yiannis?’ Freya questioned, noticing immediately that Emma’s boyfriend was absent.
‘He had to work. One of the waiters is sick and he couldn’t get cover. He’s really sorry, he was really looking forward to seeing you,’ Emma told her.
‘You are still going out with him aren’t you? It’s just I haven’t seen him since I landed,’ Freya commented.
‘I know, I know, but I thought we could maybe go back to Petroholis Restaurant for late night drinks,’ Emma suggested.
‘That sounds like a great idea,’ Freya agreed.