Page 42 of Take a Chance on Greece

In all my time in Kefalonia, I had been the one asking Andreases out, so I was rather startled to be on the receiving end of an offer of a date. It was flattering and I’ll admit I felt an instant confidence boost. Why shouldn’t I accept the invitation? After all, despite his casual approach to steering his vessel, he was pleasant, polite, and rather pleasing on the eye. What wasn’t to like? This could be the start of a wonderful relationship. But something held me back. Or rathersomeone. Because in that moment I knew with absolute certainty that I couldn’t say yes to this perfectly decent man, because it would feel like I was stringing him along. Because the guy I really wanted to spend time with was on shore and his name was very much not Andreas. And although I wasn’t confident that Alexis reciprocated my feelings, I would never know for certain until I actually spoke to him about what was in my heart.

I did what I had to do. ‘That’s a really lovely invitation, and I’m very flattered, but no thank you. I’ve got a boyfriend. No, that’s not true. He’s not my boyfriend yet, but I very much hope he will be one day.’

Captain Andreas shrugged his shoulders good-naturedly. ‘No problem. I hope that this man recognises his luck. If he does not want to be your boyfriend, then he is a fool. I will look forward to seeing you on another boat trip instead. Perhaps you could bring your man.’

He passed me a leaflet, then returned to the wheelhouse humming happily. I was relieved he’d taken my rejection in good spirits.

I settled in for the journey home, willing the boat to speed up so I could see Alexis again. It was time to be honest with him and tell him how I felt. It came with a risk that I could get hurt, but I now knew that I would rather take that chance and it pay off, than spend the rest of my life wondering ‘what if’.

But the weather had other ideas. As we left the shelter of the bay, a gust of wind caught the boat, sending several sunhats flying. The swell was growing bigger, and once we headed into the open water of the wide stretch between the islands, the gentle rolling motion of the sea turned into an urgent chop, jolting the boat around uncomfortably.

I tried not to worry, but it was difficult when the horizon was pitching around at odd angles. It would be just my luck that after deciding to take the leap and speak to Alexis, I drowned in the meantime. I told myself not to panic, that I was once again jumping to the worst-case scenario, but it was difficult to stay calm when the boat was lurching up and down so much. As the waves buffeted the sides of the vessel, I gripped onto the railing and wondered what to do if we started sinking. Should I wait to follow the directions of the crew, or take matters into my own hands? The land was still visible, but it was difficult to get a proper perspective of how far away it actually was, and with the waves being so high, I didn’t fancy my chances if I had to swim for it, not to mention the added hazards of other boats in the vicinity.

I sidled along the deck towards the sign for the lifejackets. If it came to it, I wanted to be in a good position to get hold of one. Judging by the relaxed approach to the safety briefing which we’d had on first boarding the ship, I didn’t trust that they’d actually have a sufficient amount of lifesaving equipment for everybody on board, especially as the decks were so crowded.

From the deck below, I could hear the sounds of dinnerware crashing to the floor. I highly doubted they’d chosen this moment for a traditional Greek plate-smashing session. Conditions must be worse than expected. There were a few muffled cheers, but most people seemed to have turned quiet as the weather grew louder. It all felt eerilyTitanic-esque, although hopefully the water wouldn’t be quite so lethally cold if we all ended up in it.

I gasped as I saw Captain Andreas walking casually down the steps from the wheelhouse again, waving and smiling at my fellow passengers as if he was on a royal visit. Why had he left his post? Surely, he should be doing everything in his power to keep the boat under control and prevent us from disappearing into a watery grave? Or maybe he was doing the same as me and getting in prime position near the lifeboat? Traditionally a captain is meant to stay with the ship until the bitter end, but he seemed to prefer a relaxed approach to his duties. He smiled broadly at me as he walked past.

‘Relax. It is all good,’ he said confidently. I only hoped he was right. He might think he was keeping his passengers calm by walking around and chatting with them, but I for one would prefer to know that his full attention was on steering us out of this situation.

Having been proud about my lack of seasickness symptoms on the outward journey, I was now worried that my smugness had been premature. The last time I had felt this queasy I was struggling down the aisle of the shuttle bus on the way back to the airport with Kat and Amira. I forced my mind away from that image. It was not going to help me feel any better.

I tried to fix my gaze on the horizon as I did battle with my growing wobbliness. I wasn’t the only one. There were quite a few grey faces around me, and the carnival atmosphere from earlier in the trip had been replaced by a quiet undercurrent of alarm. The boat’s strange list to one side which I had spotted at the dock seemed even more pronounced, and I noticed a few of the other passengers had also started shuffling towards the lifejackets.

I took my phone out, melodramatically wondering if now should be the moment I sent a message to Alexis, declaring my feelings before it was all too late, but a wave of nausea sent me cross-eyed and I nearly dropped it over the side. With trembling fingers, I managed to stuff it back in my bag and curled up at the railing, praying that we would reach land soon. My earlier warm feelings towards Captain Andreas had been replaced by outright dislike. He was still striding among the guests, offering words of comfort, squeezing shoulders and laughing about the conditions, but I couldn’t see much to laugh about. I should have listened to Yiota when she warned me about this trip in the first place.

What felt like several days later, but was probably less than an hour, we finally reached the sheltered channel between Ithaca and Kefalonia, and the wind instantly dropped while the boat settled back into its earlier gentle rhythm. Captain Andreas’s voice came over the speakers, much clearer than it had all trip.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, it will not be long until we are back at Agia Efimia. Do not worry, it is all smooth sailing from here. You will not be coming face to face with Poseidon today. We hope you have enjoyed your adventure with us, and please do join us again soon.’

There was a smattering of faint applause around the boat from those who still felt strong enough to put their hands together. I took a deep gulp of fresh air and hoped Captain Andreas was right.

It was a subdued crowd who eventually staggered down the gangplank at Agia Efimia and back onto Kefalonian soil. I was so relieved to reach dry land, I felt like kneeling down and trying to hug it. I returned to the bench I’d sat on before the trip, and took a few deep breaths, grateful to still be in one piece. Captain Andreas gave me a cheery wave as he strolled past with his crew, all of them looking sickeningly healthy and unmoved by the events of the trip. To be fair, it was probably all in a day’s work for them. I put the leaflet about the Fiskardo sailing trip in the nearby recycling bin. It might be safer to stick to land-based activities in future.

I checked my watch and realised if I hurried, I could catch the bus which was due to return to Sami in the next five minutes. I wanted to get back there as soon as possible, to seek out Alexis and tell him how I felt. I had missed so many opportunities to be open with him, and it was time that fear stopped me avoiding the conversation I knew I needed to have. I was still terrified about the outcome, of course, but taking the safe option wasn’t always the best course.

I hauled myself up from the bench, legs still shaky from my hours on the boat, and managed to wobble my way down the street to secure the last seat on the bus. This time I was indifferent to the views unfolding outside my window as the bus travelled along the coast. Once I’d stopped feeling queasy, I spent the rest of the journey rehearsing the conversation I would have with Alexis, lips moving silently as I tried out different phrases. But it was hard to rehearse something where I only knew my own lines. How would Alexis react? Would he welcome my declaration or shrink away from it? Whatever happened, I knew he would be compassionate in his response, but could I cope with a gently delivered rejection?

Chapter Twenty-Two

Despite having built myself up to have the conversation with Alexis, I decided it would probably be a good idea to stop by the Helios Hotel first and freshen up. My skin was salty and tight after the boat trip, and I knew my confidence levels would be higher once I’d had a wash and got changed. Just to make sure I didn’t chicken out once I’d reached the sanctuary of my room, I sent Alexis a text asking if he could meet me in the harbour in an hour, not allowing myself much time for the nerves to build up further. And then I had the quickest shower of my life, threw on a clean sundress and a bit of makeup – Alexis had seen me bedraggled and soaked on a mountainside, so I didn’t think leaving off the eyeliner was going to make any crucial difference at this stage – and then set off for the harbour.

I made it down there with fifteen minutes to spare having half run along the main road rather than taking my usual quieter route through the back streets. Sami was starting to come alive with the Friday night crowd, a mix of tourists and locals heading out for an evening of food, conversation and dancing. The smell of barbequing meat drifted ashore from a yacht moored up in the harbour, the clinking of its rigging against the mast providing a tuneful contrast to the chugging engine of a fishing boat bringing in the day’s catch.

I wandered along the jetty and found a bench which was slightly set back from the others to sit on, and settled down to watch the sunset while I waited for Alexis. Streaks of copper pink were appearing across the horizon, bathing everything in a glorious golden glow. As the darkness slowly descended, the nearby restaurants grew livelier with the clatter of cutlery and the chatter of diners. For a moment, I felt a pang of loneliness, sitting there on the outside, observing from a distance all the happy friends and families having fun together. But then someone quietly sat down on the bench beside me and I didn’t feel alone any longer.

‘Iassou, Alexis,’ I said, without even turning round. I would recognise his footsteps anywhere.

‘Iassou, Lydiamou, how was your boat trip?’

I felt a thrill of happiness. He frequently addressed me as ‘Lydiamou’, but it was only now that I considered the meaning and potential significance of the phrase. ‘My Lydia.’ Did he mean it in the way I hoped he did, or was it a common manner of address between friends in Greece? I had to find out.

‘It was an…experience. I’m not sure I will be venturing out to sea again any time soon, and certainly not when it’s windy. But I’m glad I did it. It was good to see things in a new light.’

‘And what did you think of Captain Andreas?’

This was it, my moment to be honest and say what was on my mind.

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