Finding Ithaka

by Anna Harvey

  “That is most thoughtful, Stelios. Thank you,” Thea replied.

  “And I hope that you will do me the honour of dining with me tonight,” said Dimitri, turning on his winning smile. It lit up his handsome features. “I think as old friends we have things to catch up on.” His eyes beneath the long dark eyelashes lingered on her face. ”Will it suit you if I meet you at the hotel this evening?”

  Thea knew she was playing with fire, but her curiosity was now getting the better of her. She couldn’t help herself: wanting to discover what had happened, since he had suddenly disappeared from her life without a word.

  “Alright,” she agreed.

  “Until later then.”

  The rest of the day passed smoothly. In the archaeological school, between the tall stacks jammed with books and journals, Thea had sifted through innumerable old Greek archaeological reports. The tranquillity of the old library provided a refuge from her turbulent emotions. Quickly her mind became seized by the intellectual challenge of deciphering the formal Katharevousa Greek, favoured by scholars of the previous century. The words and sentence flow were more akin to the Ancient Greek tongue, more formal than the demotic Greek Thea spoke. Over the course of the day, the drama of the island’s archaeological post-war years unfolded from the type-written records: the devastating earthquake of 1953; the destruction of the ceramic finds from the earlier excavations at Metaxata; the restoration and rebuilding of the archaeological museum and its proud civic re-opening in the 1960’s. Then there were descriptions of excavations by the young Simon Karellis, the famous archaeologist born on the island, digging for traces of an earlier Mycenean past.

  Had he suspected a connection between Odysseus and the island? Thea wondered.

  The shadows were lengthening in the soft glow of the remaining sunlight as Thea walked purposefully through the streets of Athens towards the hotel. There was a restlessness about the city, with wave upon wave of sounds: car horns, traffic and the shouts of schoolchildren. Her attention was drawn to the brightly lit shop windows, tempting shoppers with a kaleidoscope of elegant goods for their bodies, their health and their homes. Some of the grey-washed walls of the apartment blocks had been plastered with posters, advertising a night of culture or scrawled with eye-catching graffiti. Billboards proclaimed the approaching local elections, where photogenic candidates promised a brighter future. In the tree-lined small triangular square, there was a swell of noise from people, young and old sitting in the cafes drinking and chatting, excitedly anticipating the weekend. Amongst the crowd, her attention was captured by a toddler, sitting on his mother’s knee, reaching up with his chubby arms to clutch her neck. Thea blinked away the image.

  In a quiet corner of the Kolonaki district, backing onto the steep wooded slopes of the Lykavettos hill, Thea found the hotel.

  “The Archontakis Foundation has already settled all the expenses,” explained the receptionist politely with a thin smile, as she checked Thea into her room. “Mr Kampitsis’ assistant personally took charge of the matter and requested you be put in one of our best executive suites.”

  “And has Mr Kampitsis arrived?” Thea asked, noticing the receptionist’s perfect manicured and painted nails as she handed her the room key.

  “Not yet, but I believe he and his assistant are due later,” she replied. “In the meantime, our hotel is at your service so please make yourself comfortable.” She weighed up Thea with a sideways glance, measuring her appearance. “Would you like me to send up one of our beauticians for you?”

  Feeling a touch judged, Thea shook her head. “No thanks. That won’t be necessary.”

  The concierge showed her into an airy modern suite, painted in varying shades of cream and white. The only colour dotting the room was the modernistic pictures and a vibrant bouquet of roses and tiger lilies carefully placed on the polished glass table. Her overnight canvas bag, scuffed and well worn, felt shabby confronted by the elegance of the suite. Thea glanced through the balcony windows and caught the well-known view of the acropolis, the luminous white marbled temple of the Parthenon, floating above the modern apartment blocks of the city.

  Later refreshed from the city grime and with her hair still damp, Thea helped herself to a small bottle of wine from the minibar and stood out on the balcony savouring the view. The city spread out before her like a grid, its symmetry emerging into focus and the long wide avenue sweeping down to the sea, where Themistocles’ wooden walls had stood in ancient times, built to repel the Persian invasion. Thea eased herself into one of the clear plastic designer chairs and took a sip of the sharp chilled white wine, breathing in the view. Her mind felt restless like the city below. All her unanswered questions came tumbling through her mind. Why had Dimitri suddenly disappeared from her life? Why had he never written to her or contacted her? Had he ever realised the torment and agony he had caused? She had wrestled with these countless times, but now finally she might discover the truth.

  The telephone rang, startling Thea. Darkness had fallen and bright lights now illuminated the city. “Mr Kampitsis is here downstairs for you,” the clipped voice on the line informed her.

  When Thea got out of the lift, Dimitri was waiting. He was immaculately dressed, the formal suit now replaced by a spotless shirt and well-pressed chinos, similar to what he wore when he had walked back into her life several weeks ago. He greeted her warmly, leaning in to kiss her on both cheeks. As they touched, she could feel his smooth shaven cheek and the fragrance of expensive male cologne: her acute sense of smell picked out lemon, bergamot and oak.

  “Shall we?” He steered Thea towards the hotel entrance, gallantly opening the glass door for her. “I have taken the liberty of booking a table for us. It is somewhere I wanted to show you and thought you would enjoy.”

  At the back of the hotel, the apartment blocks gave way to the wooded lower slopes of the mountain and the sound of cicadas. They boarded the old funicular carriage, which took them inside the steep Lykavettos hill to the summit. When they alighted into the darkness, all the city was now spread out before them. The Parthenon itself, glowing and shining in the dark, and beyond it the city lights stretching down to the deep blackness of the Saronic Gulf. There was a beauty and symmetry to the city at night time.

  “I hope that you will enjoy my choice,” Dimitri said guiding Thea towards the small restaurant, nestled into a rocky hollow beneath the summit. Thea could now see where they were dining. Dimitri had obviously chosen it for its intimacy, a place favoured by courting couples, with one of the most dramatic views of Athens.

  The waiters attentively seated them at a table. Dimitri must have noticed her flinch as she read through the menu. “Please, order whatever you wish,” he reassured her, “do not be concerned about the cost. Tonight you are my guest and it is my honour. The mixed fish platter here is excellent or there is lobster if you prefer.” After they had ordered, a bottle of champagne was quickly produced elegantly wrapped in a gold-foil bottle.

  “I propose a toast,” said Dimitri, raising his filled glass and leaning forwards. “To the reunion of old friends.” Thea clinked her glass but did not return the toast. She took a sip of the wine and allowed the bubbles, delicate and light, to fizzle on her tongue before swallowing. A warm smile played on Dimitri’s lips which confused her, as if the champagne was clouding her judgement. With the alcohol and warm easy charm, her anger was dissipating.

  “So, I can’t believe that we are together again, here in Athens,” Dimitri said brightly, clasping his hands together. He leaned forward to refill her glass. “I always wondered where you were. If we would ever meet again. And now you are here before me.”

  For a fleeting moment, the memory of that summer long ago came back to Thea. They had met almost on that first day, when Thea had arrived on the island, heady with examination results and fresh from leaving college. Thereafter they became virtually inseparable. Each day after work, Dimitri had rolled up on his motorbike to transport her to the beach to meet with frie
nds, or excitedly introduced her to an eating place he had discovered, or a late-night drink in town. In those untroubled days, always he had been attentive and as the summer shortened, they had declared their love to each another.

  That last afternoon he had turned up early, a frown etched across his handsome face. He had paced restlessly as he broke the news: he was leaving on family business and had come to say goodbye. In the quiet of the empty cottage, they had made love for the first time on the rusting iron bed as the old springs squeaked to the rhythm of their bodies. In his parting words, he had promised he would return to her. But he had stepped out of her life as easily and lightly as a player exiting the stage. A cruel act. She had been only nineteen.

  Thea brought herself out of the memory. She looked across at Dimitri, trying to connect the man in front of her to the younger man she had loved. The face was fuller and more mature, the hair more tightly cropped, but the features and bearing were the same.

  “So what happened,” she asked bluntly, her anger now finally bursting out. “Why did you disappear? You led me to believe that you expected to be away from the island for two weeks.” She could hear the reproach in her own questions and tears prickled her eyes. “The whole summer I waited for you without a word. I even wrote to you after I left the island, but you never replied.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Dimitri said, reaching forward to try to take her hand, but she withdrew it. “I never wanted to leave you. I was told by my father that it was only for two weeks. They told me the truth, only when we arrived in South America. That it was a ploy by my parents. They disapproved of our relationship and feared I would marry you against their wishes. So they tricked me into going to South America and once there I was forced to stay and work in the family shipping office for a whole year.” He spoke now earnestly, looking at her directly. “You have to believe me it wasn’t what I wanted. I loved you and wanted us to be together!”

  “Well they had their way!” Thea snapped, hearing the sound of righteousness in her anger. But his explanation had sowed doubt in her mind and she could feel her conviction already wavering. “And what about your wife? For I believe you are now married.”

  “Clemmie?” The question seemed to catch him by surprise, a slight frown pressing his forehead. “It was a dynastic arrangement, Thea, planned from when we were small children,” he said, reaching out his hand towards her and then pulling back. ”She’s the daughter of the Archontakis family, the wealthy ship owners, an associate of my father. Our parents had always hoped that she and I would marry when we were older. We are fond of one another but our relationship is different from you and I. We had something very special, which doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.”

  Dimitri reached out and squeezed Thea’s hand. The sensation of his touch on her skin startled her. “You have to believe me, there was only ever you,” he said, his hand still cupping her own and his eyes intent on her face. “Leaving you, knowing your upset, was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But my parents adamantly refused our engagement and I couldn’t go against them. But you have to believe I never stopped loving you.“

  It wasn’t the explanation Thea had expected or rehearsed in her mind so many countless times, but still she did not completely trust his words.

  “You planned to ask me to marry you?”

  “I did,” he admitted.

  Pulling his hand away, Dimitri waved over one of the itinerant flower sellers. Placing a wad of notes in the surprised man’s hand, he presented Thea with a single red rose.

  “A peace offering,” he said. The delicate crimson rose petals were still folded and the thorns had been removed from the stem to prevent injury. Thea held the flower close to her, breathing in the delicate perfum.

  “Thank you,” she replied, allowing a small smile to break over her face.

  Dimitri leaned back, filling his chair with his limbs. “So tell me about your day, Thea. Did you have a successful visit to the archaeological school?”

  She had planned to tread cautiously but after his disclosure, Thea felt lulled into the old feeling of familiarity. She described to him her day’s search, sifting through the old archaeological journals, thumbing the index pages for any mention of grave discoveries in the Paliki area. She had pored over every journal published in Greek over the last century.

  “So did you find anything?” asked Dimitri curiously.

  “Unfortunately the main discoveries were made after the war and the records were destroyed by the large earthquake in 1953 that took place on Kefalonia?”

  “Yes, all we Kefalonians know about this terrible time. Most of the main town was reduced to rubble and people were sleeping out in tents. So that is not surprising,” he replied, raising his chin. “But you still think the palace is out there?”

  “Yes, I believe so.” Thea nodded. “I’m convinced it is somewhere on the northern side of the Paliki peninsula. My own hunch is that it is close to Mousatoi. The village is just on the edge of a very fertile valley, certainly no more than an hour’s walk, which is perfect for cultivating olives, grapes and crops. It seems to intersect with the other geographical pointers from Homer, where Odysseus initially comes ashore when he finally returns to Ithaka. But at the moment I can’t get any closer.”

  “So what’s next?”

  “I’m planning to go back through the local archives on Paliki next week and just keep searching. I’m also going to see if we can recreate Odysseus’ journey on foot from where he first lands. It would allow us to pin down the radius of the search area, where the terrain matches Homer’s landmarks. There is the island out in the bay,” Thea paused. “But there is no way of getting there without a boat.”

  “Perhaps I can do something there to help you.” Dimitri lifted his eyes and took a sip of the champagne. “So, you are keen to keep looking for this palace?”

  “Absolutely!” Thea replied emphatically. “I came here to find it and I’m not done yet.”

  “So are you ready to get back?” Dimitri asked, now checking his watch. They had finished their meal and Dimitri waved over the waiter to settle the bill. They paused once more at the extraordinary view of the city stretched out in front of them, before retracing their steps to the funicular rail. As they stepped out into the quiet residential quarter of the city, they walked together companionably side by side, their footsteps echoing on the smoothed paving stones. At the edge of a small park, Dimitri took her hand and drew her into the shadows to a small wooden bench. The skeleton of a brightly coloured swing hung forlorn. They sat beside each other, Dimitri’s features obscured by the darkness except for the pressure of his fingers and the fragrance of lemon bergamot.

  “Is it too late for us Thea?” he whispered. “Can we not give ourselves another chance?” Dimitri reached over, drawing her face close, his soft lips closing on hers.

  Thea pulled away. “Please don’t, Dimitri.” He sat up still for a moment deep in thought, casually stroking her hand.

  “Couldn’t we spend some time together and just see what happens,” he said turning towards her, the contours of his face catching the glow of the street lamps. “I’ve arranged to go away with Clemmie and the family over the Easter. Afterwards promise me that we can spend time together, just me and you.”

  “And your wife?”

  “We go our separate ways and keep up appearances for the children’s sake. A relationship with me would change nothing.”

  The explanation was plausible but Thea still shook her head. “And what about my work on the project.”

  “Don’t worry,” Dimitri reassured her, squeezing her gently, “I can take care of that. I’m considering renewing next year’s funding anyway. Richard has been very anxious to secure our support for another season and that would put his mind at rest. Please Thea, just promise me. We owe it to ourselves to give us this chance.” Perhaps it was the champagne or the agreeableness of the evening, but his words and familiar touch were starting to make an impression, stirring up old feelings.


  “Alright then,” Thea finally replied hesitatingly. “Let us meet again and see what happens.” Dimitri placed his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, kissing her full on the lips. This time Thea didn’t resist but responded to the embrace. He enfolded her in his strong muscular arms, so she felt the solidness of his chest, the feel of his skin and his masculine smell. He broke away first.

  “Come on, we should go,” he said drawing her up to her feet. “It’s been a long day and you must be tired.” As they parted in the empty hotel corridor, he leaned in and kissed her lovingly on her lips. “We have time,” he said.

  Chapter 15

  Feasting

  Helios’ light was fading, when Odysseus and Telemachos reached the entrance leading into the yard. Crowning the swell of the hillock, the well-founded palace stood proud and upright. It was not as magnificent as the famed Mykenai, but nevertheless Odysseus still marvelled at the linear stone walls and square cut windows, red painted and deep set. Already a gathering of people, idly chatting, had assembled beneath the wide plane tree, having set aside their labours for the day. Glancing round, Odysseus recognised the faces: men who served him, working his fields and estates. Some he knew as the sons and grandsons of those companions, with whom he had endured so much. In those faces, traces of those companions lived on: a square forehead here, a pressed nose or rounded cheeks there.

  “Welcome,” he called out enthusiastically greeting each in turn. “We will all eat well this evening and take our fill of meat and wine, before tomorrow’s feast of Apollo. There will be entertainment that would give a man joy.” Broad grins broke out at his words.