point Michalis reached across without saying a word, took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze as if he had picked up her thoughts, as if he too had heard the murmur in the wind, as if in affirmation to her sentiments; he held on to her until he finally got up to leave, promising to call later. Calli stayed on the beach for a few minutes longer after he had gone, musing over their relationship. Did Michalis feel the same towards her, too, or was she projecting what she wanted onto him? She had always been so independent – why this desire for protection, this need to be rescued? Her flow of thoughts swirled with many others, making her head ache, until finally she got up and started to swim back to the house. She knew that seeing her mother and aunt again would soothe her confusion and bring some clarity to her thinking. Besides, she was getting hungry for her breakfast and perhaps food and coffee would help banish her fuzzy head.
The scene that greeted her as she walked through the garden gate took her right back to her childhood. Froso and Eleni were sitting at the wooden table chatting animatedly, coffee cups overturned on their saucers in preparation for the grounds to be read, along with a jug of cold water and a half-empty plate of home-made biscuits.
‘I see you two have already had your breakfast,’ Calli said cheerfully, as she approached her mother and aunt.
‘Come and join us,’ Eleni replied with delight at the sight of her daughter. ‘There are plenty of biscuits left.’
‘I’m famished, I need something more than just biscuits, thank you!’ Calli laughed and went straight to the chicken coop to see if there were any eggs waiting for her.
She was in the middle of cooking them when Chrysanthi with both of her children arrived through the kitchen door, carrying the usual culinary offerings.
‘I know how much you like the Cretan honey, and my father-in-law’s bees are the best in the area,’ she said as the children lined up several jars of homegrown orange blossom honey on the table. ‘Also, I’ve come to invite you all to a party on Friday night at our house,’ she announced with her usual beaming smile. ‘A gathering to welcome Aunt Eleni – not that we need any excuse for a party, you understand,’ she laughed.
‘If it’s anything like the last one, I can’t wait,’ Calli replied, sitting down at the table, ready to devour her breakfast. She looked around the room at everyone. ‘Am I going to be the only one eating here?’ Looking at the children, she picked up the tray of cookies her aunt had just baked and put it in front of them.
She woke with a thumping head. She was lying in bed, eyes tightly shut to shield them from the light creeping through the closed shutters, her right palm pressed to her throbbing forehead, wondering what had happened to her. It was no one else’s fault but her own: she knew perfectly well what indulging in too many shots of raki would do to her, yet the previous night she had ignored all the warning signs and her own experience. She knew better than to do this to herself: she had lived for long enough with a reasonably stable and sound mind; now all of a sudden she feared that she was losing it. The hangover would eventually pass, as it always did, but that wasn’t the cause of the turmoil in her head and her heart, leaving her both wretched and elated. Downstairs she could hear her mother and aunt talking in hushed tones, trying not to disturb her, but she was already disturbed – not by them, but by the images that filled her mind as she recapped the previous night’s events.
Chrysanthi’s party was as delightful as ever. Eleni was in her element, enjoying being the focus of attention as the guest of honour, and the evening was passing all too quickly until Michalis arrived. He came through the garden gate, pausing to greet Thia Froso with a kiss on the forehead before calling out to Calli who was standing chatting with a group of people. She ran to welcome him but stopped in her tracks when she saw another man following close behind him.
‘Kalispera, Calli,’ Michalis greeted her, smiling broadly, and reached for her hands with both of his to pull her towards him. ‘Come, I