‘Please don’t, you’ll start me off again.’ Leo put a hand out as Nina staggered, howling with laughter, and caught her arm.
She sobered at his touch, a warm frisson travelling across her skin where his hand gripped her, and she paused, enjoying the feel of his hand on her arm. When she looked up at his face, she found him staring back at her, his sunglasses pushed on the top of his brown hair. The blueness of his eyes held her captive.
She felt a connection, a faint stirring of desire, and she wished he’d lower his head to hers and kiss her. A noise brought her out of her daydream. Leo let go of her arm and the strange mood faded away. Had she imagined it? She recalled the impulsive kiss she’d bestowed on Mehmet, and wondered if she was having a bit of an early mid-life crisis. Yes, Leo was nice, sexy even in a laid back, unassuming way, but it was a long time since she’d had such a reaction to a bloke, and she wasn’t even sure she believed in this instant attraction nonsense.
‘Oh dear, I think we’ve drawn a bit of a crowd,’ she said, noticing the world around her for the first time in several minutes. ‘Sorry,’ she mouthed at a Japanese man wielding a camera almost as large as his head.
She moved away, to give him a better shot of the public toilets, bemused when the eye of the camera followed her, as he took a photo of her instead. Was she really more interesting than two-thousand-year-old toilets?
‘Shall we move on?’ Leo suggested. ‘I don’t want to come all the way here and have to admit the only thing I saw were the toilets, fascinating though they are; people might get the wrong idea, thinking I’ve eaten a dodgy meatball.’
‘They were a bit dodgy, weren’t they?’ Nina added, as they carried on walking down what had once been a main street thriving with stalls, shops, houses, and people. It was easy to forget about the actual people themselves, all those individual lives summed up in generalisations about culture, beliefs, and society.
She buried her head in her guide book, her mood suddenly sombre.
‘That way,’ she said, pointing, ‘is the Temple itself.’ She held up the guide, showing Leo the map, and traced her finger along the route. ‘We haven’t got long, so I suggest we see the biggies, and fit the smaller things in if we can.’
‘Good idea.’
The rest of the tour was conducted with considerably less hilarity, as they marvelled over the sights and basked in the feel of the place. Nina, to her intense annoyance, found herself distracted, unable to concentrate on the wonderful building in front of her. Instead, she was far too conscious of the man at her side. She kept getting whiffs of his aftershave, citrussy, woody, manly, the scent oddly disconcerting. On a couple of occasions she actually caught herself moving closer to him for a better sniff, before scuttling away at a rate of knots. He must have thought she was deranged.
When he accidently brushed against her, she jumped, as if a bolt of something travelled through her body, coming to rest in the pit of her stomach. Once again, she had a fantasy of those lips on her mouth, those large hands on her body.
What the hell was wrong with her!
Whenever their eyes accidently met, Nina looked hastily away, fearful he would notice the attraction she felt for him, though when he concentrated on a statue, or a column, or a marvel of architecture, Nina would steal surreptitious glances at him out of the corner of her eye. Once or twice, she caught him staring at her, and she turned away in confusion.
Again, what the hell was wrong with her?
With less than half an hour left and Nina a distracted mess (not that she let on, of course – how humiliating would that be?), they made their way to the amphitheatre, Nina feeling as though she had hardly touched the surface of Ephesus.
‘Would you look at that…’ Leo breathed.
The amphitheatre was magnificent. ‘It can hold twenty-five-thousand people,’ Nina said, her eyes wide, the man at her side forgotten for a moment as she took in what lay in front of her.
Row upon row of terraces climbed up the steep hillside, the lower seating constructed of marble, and the higher ones, where commoners sat were made of stone. The whole thing had been built in a massive semi-circle around a gigantic stage at the front.
‘Makes Wembley Stadium look like somewhere to host kids’ parties,’ Leo said.
Nina had never been to Wembley, but she knew what he meant. Despite the still-vicious heat, she wanted to climb the terraces to the top. Leo plodded manfully behind her, as she puffed and panted her way up the series of steps. If she didn’t go back weighing several pounds lighter from the impromptu workout, she’d be most disappointed.
The last step. She turned, keeping her attention on the stone seats and sat, tipping her head back, closing her eyes, and catching her breath. When she was ready, she opened them.
It was magnificent.
‘Words fail me,’ Leo said.
Spread out below them was the whole amphitheatre. The view was perfect, and so were the acoustics. She wondered if the family who were exploring the remains of the massive stage below, realised she could hear every word they uttered. What must it have been like in its hay day, with throngs of people lining the seats, dressed in their finery, waiting for the show to begin.
‘They used to hold religious and political discussions here, as well as plays and concerts,’ she said.
‘And don’t forget the gladiator fights.’
It took a little more imagination to picture gladiators here. Nina associated gladiators with a circular structure like the Colosseum in Rome, where it was impossible for the fighters to escape. This was more like a modern theatre.
‘Look.’ Leo pointed beyond the amphitheatre.
A vast valley spread out below and beyond the ancient city, with a river running through it, trees lining its course. Nina, lost in her own world, envisaged the workers in the fields, farming the land, providing food for the citizens.
‘I have to come back,’ she said regretfully, conscious of the lack of time. ‘Someday, I’ll come back.’
‘Me, too. Let me know when you do and I’ll meet you here, at this very spot.’
Nina brought her attention back to the present. That sounded rather… romantic? Or did it?
‘I don’t have your phone number,’ she said with a ghost of a smile, turning to look at him sitting beside her, up in the gods, with the world spread out in front of them. It was a beautiful, magical, wonderful place. And it had clearly got to him.
‘Remind me to give it to you,’ he said.
Then he leaned towards her and kissed her.
Chapter 22
Er… she hadn’t been expecting that. She wasn’t sure she wanted it now it was happening, scared of her attraction to him, but as his mouth met hers and she tasted him, breathing in his scent once more she sighed, and opened her lips.
He pulled away with such speed she nearly fell off her seat.
‘Oh god!’ he cried. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I don’t know what I was thinking. Well, I do know – I was thinking how pretty you looked and how nice it would be to come back here with you, and your hair is so shiny and you look so happy, and… Bugger, I’ve gone and spoilt it. Sorry.’
‘Nothing to be sorry about,’ Nina replied primly. Great, not only had a man suddenly kissed her, out of the blue, but as soon as she’d started to enjoy it (when was the last time she’d been kissed like this anyway – throwing herself into Mehmet’s arms didn’t count) the man in question immediately regretted it.
It was all the fault of her shiny hair, apparently!
‘We’d better make a move,’ she said, standing up and brushing dust off her skirt.
Leo hesitated, before getting to his feet, and she wondered if maybe he didn’t want to walk back to the bus with her after all, but he fell in beside her as she trotted down the steps, making her way out of the monument and towards the exit. He followed in silence.
‘There she is,’ Nina said, eventually spotting Flossie sitting underneath a large umbrella. The table was laden with
empty glasses, miniscule coffee cups, and hands of cards. Her grandmother was surrounded by five burly coach drivers.
Yasin was flitting around, rounding up his charges, urging them to buy a drink and do other necessary things before the journey to the hotel. Thinking of toilets reminded Nina of the communal Roman ones – life had been much less complicated a couple of short hours ago.
Leo had been just behind her when they’d scooted through the exit, and though she fully expected him to have loped away on his long, lean legs, she glanced around anyway. He was still there, and when he caught her eye, he winked.
Perhaps they could be friends after all, despite the kiss.
‘Ooh, look at the pair of you,’ Flossie called as Nina and Leo approached the gambling den. ‘You make a lovely couple.’
‘Did you enjoy your coffee?’ Nina asked sarcastically, eyeing the almost-empty glass in Flossie’s hand. She relieved her of it, sniffed, and took a sip. Yuk – aniseed. The woman had been drinking raki with the locals, men who had probably been weaned on the stuff.
Her grandmother burped loudly. The drivers cheered, raising their own glasses. Nina hoped those hadn’t contained raki too, else everyone would be spending the night here, because she had no intention of being driven anywhere by a bloke who’d been boozing all afternoon.
‘Have you ever driven a bus?’ she asked Leo out of the side of her mouth.
‘Pardon?’
‘Never mind.’ There had to be a hotel or two nearby. They could get a taxi to it, or walk.
‘Give me my drink back,’ Flossie demanded. ‘I haven’t finished it.’
‘Have you been drinking all afternoon?’
Flossie lifted her chin in defiance. ‘What if I have? It’s nice, with ice. Nice, with ice, nice with ice,’ she chanted. ‘I’ve developed a bit of a taste for it.’
‘You don’t say.’ Nina sighed. Leave her grandmother alone for five minutes and look what happens – she gets blotto. Wonderful. I just hope she isn’t sick on the bus, Nina thought with a grimace. She knew she should have stayed with her.
Yasin appeared, in a vain attempt to herd them towards the coach. ‘It is nearly six pm and we will have to leave Ephesus Ancient City now to arrive at our hotel,’ he said.
‘I’m not getting in any bus with someone who’s been drinking,’ Nina said.
Yasin looked horrified. ‘You cannot leave her here. The hotel, it is booked.’
‘I’m not going to leave her. I’m staying too, and I suggest everyone else does the same.’
‘I do not understand. You wish to remain here, at Ephesus Ancient City?’
Nina wished he would stop calling it that. It’s Ephesus, just Ephesus. And it wasn’t sodding Elephant, either.
‘I wish for you to arrange a hotel,’ Nina said snootily, and promptly wished she hadn’t sounded like a stand-up comedian doing a bad imitation of the queen.
‘We have a hotel. It is near Pamukkale, Cotton Castle. It is part of the tour,’ Yasin protested.
‘I don’t care about Pamukkale. I just don’t want to die in a coach driven by a drunk driver.’
Yasin gave her a sharp look and spoke to the gaggle of drivers in rapid Turkish. They were in the middle of stubbing out cigarettes and draining coffee cups, but they all paused when Yasin spoke.
‘No lady, we not…’ One of the drivers lifted a glass to his lips and pretended to drink. ‘We have kahve.’
‘He is speaking truth,’ Yasin added. ‘They do not drink alcohol. None of them. They are all good Muslim men, and even if they were not, they would not dare to drink. They would lose their jobs. They drink coffee – kahve – and water.’
Great, not only had she accused them of drinking on the job, she had also managed to offend their religious beliefs.
‘It is your buyu, your grandmother, who has enjoyed the raki,’ Yasin added.
‘I’ll get us all some cold drinks for the bus, shall I?’ Leo offered, and strode off towards the lokanta.
Nina watched him go, not blaming him in the slightest for running away. If he hadn’t thought she was barking mad before, he certainly did now. Gathering her courage to apologise to the departing drivers and with Yasin translating, Nina said sorry, and wondered how far down the bus Leo would sit. Maybe there was an empty seat at the back, or on the roof…
‘They say she cheats,’ Yasin said, and Nina apologised again, wondering how much Flossie had fleeced the poor drivers for.
Yasin smiled and waved her apology away. ‘Do not be sorry, they love her anyway. She bought them coffee, much coffee, and she shared her cigarettes. She is a lady.’
Implying that I am not – Nina did her own translating, reading more into Yasin’s comment than he was perhaps aware.
‘In return, they bought her raki,’ Yasin added. ‘They wanted to see how much she could drink.’
‘Don’t they know how old she is?’
Yasin nodded enthusiastically. ‘Yes, and they are very impressed. She is a grand lady. They say she is cok guzel, it means very beautiful.’
Flossie smirked and patted her hair. Beautiful, indeed, Nina thought. He wouldn’t be saying that if her grandmother threw up all over the bus.
‘I’ll sit behind, you sit in the front,’ Flossie said as they climbed the steps onto the coach. ‘I want to have a nap, and I can’t do that if I’m worrying about flying through the windscreen every time the coach breaks.’
Nina made a move to sit next to her grandmother.
‘Sit with your young man,’ Flossie said. ‘I can’t spread out with you squashing me.’
Nina looked at Leo. He sat in the front as instructed and patted the seat next to him. Nina sat. Neither of them said a word.
After a while, her mind full of sunlit stones and heavenly kisses, Nina’s head began to loll. She scooted down, leaned against the headrest, and closed her eyes. If Leo thought she was asleep, the lack of conversation might not be so awkward.
She awoke to find her head on his shoulder, his arm holding her close to him, and drool on her chin.
Lovely.
‘Nearly there,’ he said, seeing she was awake and removing his arm, forcing her to sit up.
She glanced around at Flossie. Her grandmother smiled at her, looking quite smug. Nina frowned.
Yasin ran through the checkin procedure (all that fuss for one night) and told them where to meet for dinner. ‘After dinner, there will be entertainment. Belly dancing. You can try it.’
Nina glanced behind again. Flossie gave her an innocent stare.
For the final time of that long, long day, the passengers descended the coach’s steps, stepping into a balmy evening, stretching cramped limbs and dodgy hips. Nina realised she was the youngest person there. Even Leo was older than her. Clearly this type of excursion didn’t appeal to the average twenty-something.
The hotel was large and reminded Nina of a block of London flats, but the room was nice enough. Thankfully they had been allocated a twin room and not a double, and Nina left Flossie to choose a bed and lay out a cotton nightie, whilst she went for a cold shower.
Feeling cooler, she pulled on the flowy dress she’d brought with her for the evening, and brushed her hair. A flick of blusher across her cheeks, a swipe of gloss, and she was ready to go.
‘You look pretty,’ Flossie said when she emerged from the bathroom. ‘You’ve caught the sun; a bit of colour suits you.’
Treacherously and stupidly, Nina hoped Leo would think she looked pretty, too.
Dinner was an odd affair. The buffet was okay, if a bit nondescript (they’d been spoilt because the food in their hotel back at the resort was so good), and the company was subdued at first. Their whole party seemed drained, the early start combined with all the travelling was catching up with many of them. Conversation was desultory and sporadic, as most people concentrated on their meal, but as the trips to the bar increased, the evening gradually livened up.
For everyone except Nina. To her immense annoyance she kept lo
oking for Leo, who had yet to show.
Dinner came and went, and still no Leo. By the time the belly dancer began shaking her assets, Nina had come to the conclusion he was either too embarrassed to face her, or he was making sure she understood The Kiss had been a mistake. She tended towards the latter explanation.
‘Come, come…’
A jingle of bells and a flash of olive stomach topped and tailed by a scarlet belly-dancing outfit a foot away from her face, diverted Nina’s attention. She eyed the outstretched hand with caution, and shook her head. No way was she prancing about in front of all those strangers (it wasn’t just their coach party staying at the hotel), and shaking what she didn’t have much of to shake, not in the boob department anyway, though her butt might not stop wobbling once it got going.
Flossie had no such inhibitions.
Grabbing the dancer’s hand, Flossie almost leapt out of her chair in her haste to join in the fun. She was met with cheers and wolf whistles. The belly dancer persuaded a few more women to join her in the cleared area between the tables, and proceeded to show them some moves, first shaking her shoulders, then her hips, and finally undulating her belly.
When her victims had got the hang of the sequence, she speeded up, rolling and shaking faster and faster, her victims giggling as they tried to keep up.
Flossie, feet planted wide apart, her hips gyrating, and her shoulders shaking, was laughing at the top of her voice, and Nina smiled. It was nice to see the old woman having fun.
Nina kept smiling, until Flossie’s false teeth shot out of her mouth, sailed into the air, and landed with an audible clink into a half-full pint of Turkish beer. Flossie clamped a hand to her toothless mouth, her eyes wide, trying not to laugh. Nina wanted to be anywhere other than here. How embarrassing. She got up and hurried over to the shocked man who found himself staring at a pair of gnashers through the sides of his glass.
‘I’ll buy you another,’ Nina offered, horrified.
‘Sharon, did you get that on camera?’ he demanded to his wife.
A woman nodded, waving her phone. ‘It’s all there, I checked. And I got that woman’s face too.’ She pointed at Nina. ‘It was a picture.’
Summer on the Turquoise Coast Page 15