Page 46 of Take a Chance on Greece

‘I feel the same,’ I replied. ‘Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night terrified that coming out to Kefalonia was all a dream, and that I’m really back in the UK and will have to face another day wrestling with spreadsheets. But then I hear the distant sound of the sea and I know that it’s all ok. This is another “pinch me” moment right here.’

Eleni paused at a faint sound from the apartment below. ‘Ah, that will be the neighbours. As I mentioned, I have invited a couple of people to make sure that this evening is a proper celebration.’

Eleni’s definition of a ‘couple of people’ turned out to be every resident in the street. They poured up from the ladder in a seemingly never-ending stream, chattering loudly, voices progressively raising in the battle to be heard. I started to worry about whether the roof was up to bearing everybody’s weight.

I was quickly separated from Alexis and passed around the gathering to be introduced. Everybody wanted to hear my life story. I kept quiet about the Andreas quest and didn’t make a big deal of the fact that I was here this evening with Alexis, but they found my sudden move to Greece novelty enough, and I was quizzed on my views of Kefalonia by many people. My answers must have been satisfactory because I soon found myself with a whole bunch of new friends determined to make sure I stayed.

‘You will have heard of the spirit of Greek hospitality,’ said Eleni, laughing. I looked across the crowd and caught Alexis’s eye.

‘Yes, I learned about it very early on in my stay. Everyone is making me feel so welcome, saying that I am now part of the community. It’s more than I could have ever wished for. I only hope I can find my niche and make sure I can support myself properly, if I’m to stay here longer term.’

She nudged me with her hip. ‘I will want my job back some time, but don’t worry. We will find plenty to occupy you when that does happen. The community in Sami is very caring and likes to look after its own, both those who are born in the town, and those who find their way here. Let me introduce you to someone.’

She led me through the chattering crowd to a quieter corner of the rooftop where an elderly man was sitting smoking a cigarette. He was watching the proceedings with a benevolent expression, while he clacked a loop of worry beads between his fingers.

‘This is Andreas Rouvas,’ said Eleni with a smile.

He leapt to his feet and kissed me on both cheeks, his movements quick and easy. If Alexis hadn’t told me he was ninety-two, I would have assumed he was at least three decades younger.

‘I’m honoured to meet you,’ I said.

He nodded, as if this was to be expected, then fixed me with a perceptive gaze.

‘Tell me about yourself,’ he commanded.

Figuring that Eleni would have said something about my Andreas quest, I started there, but he held his hand up to interrupt me.

‘No, tell me about your qualifications. What your talents are. What you want out of that side of life.’

Surprised, I opened my mouth, automatically about to recite the five-year plan that I’d always aimed for career-wise, then I stopped. I didn’t need to pretend anymore.

‘I’m a qualified accountant, but the more I think about it, the more I want to combine working with words as well as numbers,’ I admitted. ‘Since I’ve been here, I’ve found such pleasure in writing about my experiences, and the amazing people I’ve met. I don’t know if I could make a success of it, but I’d like to try. I’m doing shifts at the Helios Hotel for now, but perhaps longer term I could develop other work, maybe helping businesses write English versions of their websites and information leaflets, doing blog posts for them, that kind of thing.’

I was rather surprised that I was confessing to a complete stranger the plans that I’d been secretly contemplating, but there was something about Andreas Rouvas’s shrewd expression which invited confidences.

‘It would take a lot of drive to build up a business like that. But it is very possible.’

He gave me another assessing look, then nodded, as if he’d made up his mind about something. Then to my complete astonishment, he fished a very plush-looking business card out of his shirt pocket.

‘Give me a call. I may be able to introduce you to a few people,’ he said.

Then he stubbed out his cigarette, lit another one and settled back down to watching the guests milling around.

Eleni looked very pleased with herself as she led me away.

‘Did you know that he would do that?’ I couldn’t help asking. It felt like I’d passed some kind of test I didn’t know I’d been sitting.

She smiled. ‘Andreas Rouvas has, how do you say it, a lot of fingers in a lot of pies. Now you are friends, you will soon find yourself in a position where you have to turn away work, trust me, I know this well. Now if you will excuse me, I had better return to preparing the food.’

She hurried off, leaving me feeling rather startled by the whole exchange. I looked down at the card with its gold swirly writing. There was a line of Greek script which I would have to look up when I got back home, but then beneath that there was a list in English of at least a dozen hotels and businesses based all around Kefalonia and the neighbouring island of Ithaca. And at the very top, just below Andreas Rouvas’s name it said, ‘Owner and proprietor’. If I wasn’t very much mistaken, I’d just been introduced to one of the Ionian islands’ most successful – and senior – businessmen, and he’d offered to help me achieve my embryonic ambitions. This evening was turning out to be truly special, in more ways than one.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Alexis was called into service helping Stephano set up an outdoor oven on the corner of the roof. Soon the delicious smell of roasting meat and sizzling vegetables had my mouth watering. Eleni bustled around, picking fresh herbs from the pots by the oven and squeezing lemon juice from her own small lemon tree. She didn’t measure any ingredients but seemed to know instinctively exactly how much she needed to add in.

The guests started a human chain to bring all the crockery and cutlery to the roof, and then after an unspoken signal, they all surged forward to help themselves to the food.

Eleni clapped her hands. ‘Lydia first,’ she decreed. The crowd parted to let me through. I would normally have been embarrassed about being singled out for such attention, but the gesture was done with such warmth that I felt touched by her kindness. Eleni piled my plate high with enough food to keep me going for several weeks. She watched as I took my first bite.

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