Page 17 of Take a Chance on Greece

‘Thanks, Dr. I’m now terrified of doing anything fun in case I cause myself permanent damage.’

With the girls’ laughter still echoing in my ears, I decided to follow their advice and go exploring. I might as well work out the lie of the land, and if I encountered any handsome men on my travels, then so much the better. I’d pretend to trip up or something so they’d have to help me, and we’d get talking and they’d turn out to be called Andreas, and everything would be perfect. I smiled to myself. If only it could be that easy.

I lathered all exposed areas in sunscreen, pulled on my hat and sunglasses, hoping they gave me a Hollywood glam vibe while fearing they probably made me look like a vampire terrified of the light, and set off. Instead of following the main road route which Alexis had brought me along to the hotel, I decided to turn down a side lane, figuring that as long as I didn’t start climbing upwards then I was probably going in the right direction towards the centre of town and the sea, rather than heading into the mountains.

It was beautifully peaceful wandering along the lane with just the occasional rumble of a distant car engine interrupting the gentle rustle of the trees in the breeze and the creak of the crickets in the grass. Every so often there was a soothing clang of a bell followed by a soft bleat from the goat who was wearing it. The air smelled of warm earth and honeysuckle, a sweet, welcoming scent so different from the pollution fug which surrounded my former place of work. I found I was walking more slowly than usual, meandering quietly between the dappled patches of shade, drinking in my surroundings and allowing them to work their magic on my soul. I felt the tension ease out of my shoulders and although I was still tired, I felt refreshed by the beauty of the landscape. I rounded a corner and was delighted to see a donkey grazing at the far end of a paddock.

‘Hello,’ I said, because if you don’t say hello to a gorgeous donkey, what kind of a monster are you?

I’m not sure the donkey spoke English, but he certainly recognised a friendly tone of voice, and started shambling over towards me.

‘I’m sorry, I don’t have anything for you to eat.’

A guy on a bicycle suddenly appeared around the bend and gave me a strange look. I nearly pretended to be having a conversation on the phone, but then changed my mind. If he thought I was weird because I was talking to a donkey, then so be it.

‘Andreas,’ I called, feeling rather daring.

The man carried on cycling off into the distance, oblivious to my shout. I turned back to the donkey.

‘Nope, it wasn’t him. One ticked off, only the rest of the men of the island to go,’ I sighed. The donkey blinked at me.

‘Yes, you’re right, I need to come up with a better plan. Watch this space. I’ll see you later, my friend.’

I held my hand out so he could sniff the back of it, then he graciously allowed me to stroke his soft nose briefly before he returned to his clump of grass at the other side of the paddock.

I carried on following the lane until it widened out and the noise of traffic started to intrude. I emerged onto a street lined with colourful houses and a couple of tavernas. Was this one of the places we’d visited on that final evening of the holiday? I wasn’t sure, but it looked vaguely familiar, especially the uneven pavement which I think had caused problems for Kat and me in our heels. I promised myself I’d visit each of the tavernas and see if I recognised anyone there, once I’d had my first payday, of course.

I could smell the scent of bread baking, which must have been what got me thinking about food. My stomach gave a gurgle. After skipping breakfast and working through lunch, it was high time I had something to eat. I followed my nose – literally – and discovered a bakery tucked between a jewellery shop and a clothing store.

‘Spanakopita,parakalo,’ I said, politely asking for my favourite spinach and feta pie.

I was handed a piping hot pastry parcel, carefully wrapped up in a piece of greaseproof paper by the smiling teenager behind the counter. I took my bounty across the road to sit on a shady bench where I could watch the world go by as I ate. With every mouthful, my belief in my mission started returning, along with my energy. I always teased Kat for getting hangry, but here I was discovering my mood was just as badly affected if I didn’t eat. Note to self, I could definitely not survive another cleaning day without making sure I had a proper breakfast first, and any Andreas dates would have to involve some kind of food so my judgement wasn’t impaired.

After I’d inspected the paper for any final crumbs, I carefully deciphered the letters in the names above the shops, comparing them to the name in my notebook, just in case any of them turned out to belong to someone called Andreas. I really needed to get that dictionary from Alexis, and soon. But before I could work out which street I needed to go down to reach his bookshop, I was distracted by the little kiosk on the edge of the square and its enticing display of ice creams for sale.

Deciding an emergency ice cream would be just the thing to fuel ideas for my Awesome Andreas hunt, I went across and selected a chocolate and salted caramel filled cone from the vast selection on offer. As I devoured the sweet deliciousness, I spotted a noticeboard on the kiosk’s wall, tucked in between the stacks of crisps and boxes of chewing gum. It was peppered with index cards and bits of paper, all of which were covered in pictures of random items and messages written in Greek. I leaned in closer to examine a shot of a microwave and an inflatable unicorn float, wondering why this bizarre collection of items were on display.

‘For sale,’ the guy behind the counter said, gesturing at the noticeboard and answering my unasked question. ‘Lost items and found items. You looking for something, you put up a notice. You find something, you put up a notice.’

‘Anything at all?’ I asked.

He shrugged. ‘I don't see why not.’

I couldn't, could I? As the idea started to form, I wondered whether it was a stroke of genius or complete foolishness. I told myself it would be just like one of those small ads at the back of magazines, the ones full of funny abbreviations and acronyms. But what would I put?

WLTM Andreas, GSOH a bonus.

That sounded a bit too lonely hearts for my liking. Besides, we’d already met. This was about tracking him down again, rather than seeking out a new Andreas. Perhaps it would be better to mention the date we met.

Are you Andreas? We met on 7thJune and I’d love to reconnect.

Reconnect? That sounded like I was approaching a business associate on LinkedIn for some blue-sky thinking.

Awesome Andreas, we met on 7thJune and I long to see you again.

Nope, definitely too needy.

Searching for Andreas. We met in Sami on 7thJune. Would like to reunite. L.

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