Under a Greek Spell

by Simone Hubbard

  ‘Oh, I didn’t hear it. It’s probably just my parents but I’ll have a quick look.’ I scrabble about in my bag and find the phone. I also inadvertently pull out the condom that I stuffed in there yesterday. Selena immediately clocks it.

  ‘Oops! Be prepared, and all that.’ I stuff it back in just as Nikos makes a timely reappearance with his parents.

  ‘Helen, meet my parents, Giorgos and Katina.’

  ‘Hello, and thank you very much for the delicious lunch. Apologies for not saying who I was – that was Nikos’s idea.’

  ‘Yes, we have just reprimand him,’ Katina replies, wagging her finger at him.

  We shake hands and they take a seat.

  ‘Okay, I’ll go through the company’s side of things and then you can give me a tour.’

  I explain our paperwork and Nikos, in turn, explains a few things to his parents in Greek. Selena looks bored to death but she’s clearly still not ready to risk leaving me on my own with Nikos.

  ‘Well, I think we’ve covered everything. I’ll have a quick look round and then I’ll get going.’ I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable. A sharp twinge in my stomach makes me catch my breath.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Katina asks, seeing my obvious discomfort.

  Selena can’t help herself. ‘It is probably all that garlic and strong coffee. We are all used to it, after all.’

  ‘Yes, exactly,’ I reply, noticing the smugness in her face.

  ‘If you’re all right, Helen, I am going to show you round the hotel,’ Nikos announces, which immediately wipes the smug look off Selena’s face. ‘I have booked my two favourite women into the spa at the Boutique Blue Hotel for a treat. I know how disappointed you were, Selena, when your friend let you down today.’

  ‘Yes, but, Nikos, I would prefer to stay here with you…’

  ‘There is no need. I have already arranged it. Now, you go and be pampered. You deserve it.’

  ‘Okay, if you insist,’ she mutters.

  ‘Yes, I insist, and I have a surprise for later. Now go or you will be late.’ He gives Selena a kiss and, for a moment, she softens. But she’s clearly not happy.

  Well, it serves her right. How convenient to say that her ‘friend’ has let her down; more like James has let her down. Well, she can join the James-has-let-me-down-again club with me. She’s got a gorgeous fiancé who clearly adores her, so goodness only knows why she’s fallen for James anyway.

  ‘Nice to meet you, Helen.’ Katina shakes my hand. ‘I hope you are okay after all that garlic.’

  ‘I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’ll just take some of these indigestion tablets that I’ve found in the bottom of my bag. I’ll soon be as right as rain.’

  ‘Are you planning to visit the Royal Blue again?’ Selena asks, looking quite worried.

  Before I can reply, Nikos chimes in with, ‘Maybe you could go to the show night next week?’

  ‘That’s a possibility. I could see if my sister would like to go too.’

  ‘Aha!’ Nikos exclaims. ‘I wondered if that was your sister. You do look a bit alike. You, of course, are the younger sister,’ he adds laughing. Selena looks like she’s about to combust at Nikos’s flirting.

  Of course, I willingly play along. ‘Oh, Nikos, you’re too kind. No, Stephanie is my younger sister. I’m sure she’d love your show night, Selena. I can’t wait. We may even see you later at our hotel after you’ve had your spa treatment.’

  ‘Yes, maybe. I suppose we had better go.’ Selena reluctantly leaves with Katina, and Giorgos announces that he’s got some food to prepare.

  ‘Right, Nikos, lead the way,’ I say.

  ‘Okay, follow me.’ He leads me up the stairs, which gives me the ideal opportunity to admire his perfectly shaped bottom. He unlocks a door and swings it open. ‘This is our honeymoon suite.’

  ‘Wow, a four-poster bed!’

  Nikos pushes the netting to one side. ‘And not just any four-poster bed. Come and see.’ He pats the bed.

  I sit down. ‘Oh my God, it’s a waterbed!’

  ‘Have you ever slept on one?’ Nikos asks.

  ‘No, I haven’t.’

  ‘Well, I can recommend it. Lie down and see what you think.’

  ‘I can’t do that, Nikos, I’m wearing shoes.’

  ‘You can take them off.’

  ‘Okay, if you insist.’ I take my shoes off and lie on the bed. ‘I’m not sure I’d get to sleep with the sound of the water sloshing about.’

  ‘Yes, but remember this is the honeymoon suite,’ he replies, raising his eyebrows.

  I’m not really sure whether he’s flirting with me or just being nice but he’s making me feel a bit giddy. In any case, I must be at least fifteen years older than him. And he’s engaged, even if it is to that stupid cow Selena, who’s cheated on him with James. I decide to reel the giddiness in.

  ‘So, Nikos, how long will it be until you’re booking into a honeymoon suite?’

  He sighs. ‘We are meant to be getting married next year.’

  ‘Why, is there some problem?’ I have a feeling I already know what he’s going to say.

  Before he can answer, his phone rings. ‘Sorry, it is Selena, I had better take the call.’ He answers it and after a couple of minutes it sounds like they’re having a bit of an argument. Nikos is shaking his head.

  I pop my shoes back on and have a wander around the room. The wall behind the bed is made of rustically exposed stonework. There are modern prints of local scenes on the walls; one shows the famous windmills, but I reckon Steph’s shot yesterday is better. There are also a couple of art deco mirrors and some lovely pottery pieces.

  I have a look in the bathroom. There’s a sunken bathtub that looks into the bedroom and, unsurprisingly, there’s a basket of assorted Wild Olive bath melts and toiletries. I can’t resist picking up the bath melts and having a sniff.

  ‘That is the Rose Geranium Soufflé,’ Nikos appears behind me. ‘They are all made by my aunt and grandmother.’

  ‘Yes, I was at the Hotel Niko this morning. I bought some gifts for my sister and my mum – that’s what’s in my bag downstairs. Xena has kindly invited Steph and me back to make some soap.’

  ‘You will enjoy it. I am sorry about taking the call. I do not know what is wrong with Selena. She is on edge today, and this is before I tell her about my job interview for a promotion.’

  ‘Surely she’ll be pleased for you? And it will be more money, I assume?’

  ‘Yes, but the job is on another island for the next five months. I fear we will drift apart. I planning to discuss it with her tonight at her favourite restaurant.’

  ‘Life is never straightforward, Nikos, but you need to seize opportunities and follow your dreams.’

  ‘You are right. Anyway, enough of my problems. Do you like the room?’

  ‘It’s stunning. I love the art deco mirrors and the pottery.’

  ‘I am glad you like the pottery. Those are pieces that I made.’

  ‘I’m impressed! I’ve always fancied myself at a potter’s wheel.’

  ‘Really? Follow me, then, and I will show you something that I think you will like.’

  ‘I’m sure you will, Nikos. Oops, did I just say that out loud?’

  ‘You did, Miss Collins, and let me remind you that I am engaged to be married,’ he says, trying to sound serious.

  ‘Sorry, Nikos, just ignore me. I think that drink’s gone to my head.’

  I follow Nikos back down the stairs, outside through the courtyard to the back of the hotel and to a building with deep pink bougainvillea growing by the door.

  ‘Okay, Helen, close your eyes and on the count of three open them.’

  ‘Flipping heck, Nikos, what on earth are you showing me?’

  ‘Nothing bad. Now close your eyes.’

  I decide
it’s better to do as he says, otherwise I’ll be here all day wondering what’s behind the door.

  He opens the door and begins to count. ‘One, two, three … open your eyes!’

  I open my eyes and I’m greeted with a wall of pottery pieces. Bowls, plates, vases, plant pots and everything else you could think of, all in various bright coloured patterns. There’s a section of pieces showing striking local scenes, with the typical white buildings framed by blue skies. My favourite pieces are the art deco designs. I pick up a coffee cup and admire it. It’s simple with a deep green line on the rim of the cup and saucer, straight black lines drawn down at an angle and curved black lines crossing over them.

  ‘This is my own design.’

  ‘Wow, Nikos I love it.’

  The showroom area has a glass partition, on the other side of which is a studio. Nikos opens the door. ‘Come through. As you see, we have two throwing tables and wheels, various shelves for the different stages of production and an electric kiln. And here, the part we enjoy the most – stamping your own design on whatever you have made.’

  ‘Who makes the pottery?’

  ‘It is mostly Mama and myself, but my Aunt Xena likes to make things for the Hotel Niko.’

  ‘Oh yes, I noticed all those wonderful pieces there. You’re all very talented.’

  ‘If you are not in a rush, you could make something now and come back to decorate it in a couple of days.’

  ‘Well, if you’ve got time and don’t mind, I’d love to.’

  ‘Okay, pop this on.’ Nikos hands me an apron. ‘What would you like to make?’

  ‘Ooh, what about three soap dishes for Mum, Steph and myself for the soaps from your Aunt Xena’s place?’

  ‘Excellent idea, and a good easy item for beginners. I will get some clay from the storage area.’ Nikos slices three equal pieces off the block and brings them over. ‘The first thing we need to do is to knead it, like bread, and then roll it into a ball.’

  I start kneading. It’s hard work. ‘Gosh, Nikos, this takes some doing.’

  ‘You will soon get the hang of it.’ Nikos has done his piece and is repeating the process. Then he cuts it with some wire. ‘See, we aim for no air bubbles. Like this.’

  ‘I see. Well, I’d better knead harder then.’

  Nikos starts on the third piece while I’m still messing about on my first. ‘Now, Helen, cut your ball.’ I slice through it with the wire. It looks fine to me – no air bubbles. ‘Very good. Knead it back into a ball and then we will begin the fun part. I will show you how to throw the clay.’ Nikos expertly throws the clay on to his wheel and wets his hands. ‘First, I cup the clay in both hands, squeeze it and bring it to a tower shape. Now, I push the clay down and let excess water and clay slide away. This part is done a couple of times to help centre the clay.’

  I watch Nikos intently as he slides his hands up and down the spinning clay, wetting his hands from time to time. He makes it look extremely easy, and very sensual.

  ‘Now, I open the piece. I have to make a hole in the exact centre otherwise it will wobble.’ He makes a hole with his finger. ‘And now I make the hole bigger and shape the dish. We need to make holes in the base so that the water drains away to prevent your soap going mushy. Now, we pinch the wall to get our desired thickness.’

  I don’t know about the soap going mushy – he’s making me feel mushy watching him skilfully manipulating the wet clay with his hands. Within minutes, it’s finished.

  ‘Last, we tidy the edges and then you have your very own soap dish. Now, it’s your turn. You might want to take off your scarf so it doesn’t get dipped in wet clay.’

  We swap places. I sit at the wheel and Nikos sits behind me. ‘This is exciting! But I hope you’re prepared for clay to fly everywhere, Nikos.’

  ‘It will not fly everywhere because I am going to help you. Okay, now throw your clay as hard as you can.’ I throw my piece of clay on to the wheel. It seems to land quite centrally. ‘That is good. Now, I start the wheel. We need to wet our hands.’ I dip my hands into the bowl of water that’s sitting beside us, and Nikos wets his. ‘Now, put your hands on the clay and shape it up into a cone. You need to press your arms into your legs and push your legs against here for your strength.’

  ‘Yep, got that.’ I start shaping the wet clay.

  Nikos clasps his hands over mine. ‘Let the clay slide between your fingers and bring the clay upwards.’

  Oh my God, this is getting really weird. It’s extremely sensual … well, for me, at any rate. My heart is pounding in my chest. Within seconds, we have our cone.

  ‘Wet your hands again and press your thumb into the middle, but keep your hands firmly on the outside as you press down. Now, we bring it back up and stretch the clay out to our desired shape.’ He clasps his hands over mine again as we pull the piece back up and shape it. ‘And finally, I will trim the base and now you, Helen, have your first soap dish.’

  ‘Thank you, Nikos! I’ll look forward to coming back to decorate it.’

  ‘Yes, and now you can try throwing the third one on your own.’

  ‘Okay, here goes.’ I throw the clay on the wheel and start off quite well. I tease the clay up and down. Gosh, Nikos made it look so easy. It doesn’t seem to be quite as compliant for me. I press my thumb into the cone. Within seconds, the clay has spun off the wheel and splattered on the studio glass partition. ‘Oh no!’ I shriek with laughter. ‘What a mess!’

  ‘Oh dear, Helen, this is not good. Either the clay was not centred or your thumb did not go in the middle.’

  We’re both in fits of laughter at the sight of my first disastrous attempt at throwing, and we’re unable to speak as we gasp for breath. We’re that engrossed in laughter that we don’t notice a rather angry Selena standing in the open doorway. She starts shouting at Nikos in Greek. I haven’t got a clue what she’s saying but she’s absolutely furious.

  Nikos is calm and is trying to pacify her, to no avail. As he approaches her, she grabs a piece of pottery and hurls it at him. Luckily, he ducks and it hits the wall behind him, smashing into bits. I’ve heard of Greek plate-smashing, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be quite like this.

  Nikos shouts at her and throws his arms up in disbelief.

  Selena turns and screams at me hysterically, ‘I might have known you would do this! Well, here, have this! He is all yours!’ With that, she pulls off her engagement ring, hurls it at me and storms out, with Nikos in hot pursuit.

  I can just hear Steph later when I tell her about these shenanigans. ‘Well, Helen, that’s another fine mess you’ve got yourself into.’

  I’m contemplating my next move when Katina comes rushing in. ‘Helen, are you all right? I hear Selena shouting at Nikos. Oh my goodness, what happened to that plate?’

  ‘I’m afraid Selena threw it at Nikos. Luckily, he ducked. Then she threw this at me.’ I hand over the ring.

  Katina shakes her head and starts crying. ‘But why? Why is she so angry with you and Nikos?’

  ‘I’m afraid you’ll have to ask her, Katina. We were just laughing about my rubbish pottery-throwing when she came in. I think she has issues beyond Nikos and myself, but we have added fuel to her fire. Anyway, I’d better be making tracks. Give my regards to Giorgos and Nikos. I’ll type up my report and email it to Daniel.’

  Katina starts crying again. ‘Oh, I cannot believe that this happen today. Whatever must you think of us?’

  ‘Please, Katina, don’t worry about what has happened. It won’t be reflected in my report. You have a lovely hotel. I hope Nikos resolves his differences with Selena, and maybe I can come back next week when it’s calmer to decorate my pottery. But maybe not that one!’ I point to my throwing disaster. ‘That’s what we were laughing about – I don’t think I’m a natural at making pottery.’

  Katina takes my hands in hers. ‘Thank you f
or being so understanding. Please do come back and I will help you decorate your pieces.’

  ‘I’d love to – I need something to put my soaps in!’

  I leave Katina sweeping up the broken pieces of plate. As I walk through the courtyard, I can still hear Selena screaming at Nikos.

  Chapter 15

  Stephanie

  As the harbour slowly disappears out of view, I take some photos of the town and one of Costas with his hair flapping round his face while he steers the boat, which is bouncing gently over the waves. The boat gives quite a jolt from time to time when we hit a wave and water splashes up and back, but it’s fun. I’m sure I won’t be saying that tomorrow when my back is shot to pieces and I can’t walk. As Costas predicted, as soon as we’re out of the protection of the harbour, it starts to feel chilly in the wind. I drag my towel out of my bag and wrap myself in it.

  We’ve not been going long when he suddenly slows the boat down in the middle of the sea. A silly thought hits me – he’s going to chuck me overboard! I can just imagine the news headlines: ‘British Woman Missing, last seen boarding a fishing boat…’ And any interviews with my mum. ‘I’ve no idea what was going through Stephanie’s mind. I brought her up to know better than to get into a boat with a stranger. Didn’t I Michael?’ Poor Dad would be there nodding his head, replying, ‘well maybe cars Pamela.’ Then they’d have to end the interview as Mum and Dad argued over the finer details of boats and cars.

  ‘Look over there.’ Costas points into the sea, bringing my thoughts back. He turns the boat back towards where he’s pointing and cuts the engine. ‘Get your camera ready – there are some turtles. I will feed them and they will come to the boat.’

  He throws some food scraps out into the sea and, sure enough, three or four massive turtles appear within seconds. It’s amazing to watch. Other fish arrive to take advantage of the situation.

  ‘We can come and swim with them one day, if you okay to jump into the sea.’

  ‘I could jump in,’ I answer in a non-committal way, not wanting to encourage him any further. ‘I’m not sure I’d get back in the boat though.’