All that was needed was the pledge of love and friendship. But now, here, on this island under the hot rays of the Cretan sun, she could think of nothing more wonderful than to be joined in marriage with this man who had stolen her heart. As Maya had told her: Often we don’t know what we want until we find it.
‘May!’ Nicos called out and sat up to look at her. ‘Let’s get married in May. The house would be totally finished by then and I would be back here for good, long before that.’ A spring wedding! Calli thought and, throwing her arms around him, covered him with kisses. Maya was right, she mused. The oracle that was that marvellous woman in Ikaria had guessed their reunion. She couldn’t wait to tell her her news. A Cretan spring wedding and her friends from that wonderful island to help her celebrate – what more could a girl want from life?
Though Calli felt that the moment had not yet come to share her decision with her mother, she longed to share it with someone. All through lunch at Pavlis’s house her thoughts would return to Nicos and their conversation; the memory of his touch still lingered on her skin and her heart beat fast with excitement. She wished she could run along the beach, shouting her news at the top of her voice for all to hear. She wished Maya was there so she could tell her friend that her predictions had been correct: that ever since they met on Ikaria, life had been one long series of surprises and revelations. But Maya wasn’t there, so in her absence she decided that Chrysanthi was the perfect substitute. She was sure that her cousin’s wife would receive her news with approval, so after lunch she made directly for her house.
‘I don’t care which one of the brothers has stolen your heart – they’re both worth it!’ the young woman had exclaimed when Calli stopped talking. Chrysanthi’s persistent attempts to pair off Calli with Michalis had appeared successful at first but she soon realized that her plans had gone awry when Nicos arrived on the scene. ‘I even spoke to Costis about it,’ she said, her infectious laughter taking hold. ‘I could tell all was not as it should be by the way you were avoiding me. I wanted to marry you off to someone in the village and keep you here the minute I set eyes on you. I thought Michalis was an ideal match, but Nicos is just as good!’ Her joy was evident in her voice, which had risen an octave with excitement. ‘He is a good man, as good as his brother and they are a wonderful family, you will have beautiful children with him,’ she said, all in one breath. ‘And we will have a beautiful spring wedding!’
After leaving her cousin’s house, Calli started to make her way back home. She had left the two women with Pavlis, still talking in his back yard under the lemon tree, and wondered if they had returned by now. She sensed that she must still stay close to her mother. On her return she found that Froso had taken herself to bed while Eleni was sitting in the garden, nursing a cup of coffee and evidently waiting for her.
‘Can we go for a walk?’ she asked the instant she saw Calli, standing up. Although Eleni appeared to be outwardly calm, especially in the presence of Froso, she was less than relaxed. ‘I was talking with your dad just now,’ she said, ‘I want him to come, I need him here . . .’
‘OK, Mum, that’s fine. Good idea – let’s ask him to join us,’ Calli replied, her voice calm and soothing. She put an arm round her mother’s shoulders. ‘Come, let’s go for that walk now.’
Her father’s presence there would be a great help, she decided. He had such a clear head and always knew how to handle matters. Keith was good in a crisis.
They didn’t go to the beach this time. Eleni wanted the solitude of the hills again, so they made their way to the same spot she had escaped to the day before. This time they walked pensively, taking their time; once in a while, Eleni would look at Calli and ask a question.
‘Do you think it’s better to remain unaware,’ was her first concern, ‘to remain ignorant of the truth?’