Page 11 of Old Girls Go Greek
‘We’d better just quietly go,’ she said. ‘I’ve realised we’ve gate-crashed a wedding reception.’
‘Ah,’ Effie said. She widened her eyes and then looked down at the ground. ‘And let’s be honest, it’s not the first time.’
I was speechless with a mixture of embarrassment and bewilderment, and I didn’t even have the language skills to apologise to someone. At the same time, I wanted to laugh. I hadn’t had so much fun or felt so naughty in years.
I hesitated for a moment and then turned to see the other three scuttling off down the road without me. I gave a cheerful wave, blew a kiss to what I then realised was the bride and groom and hurried after my friends.
* * *
After rushing away to a safe distance and making sure no one was coming after us, we slowed down, stopped giggling and began to enjoy the view. Out at sea were a few small fishing boats, and further out still, a speedboat towing someone behind it. A water skier, something I had always wanted to try when I was younger but never had. I wasn’t sure I had the upper-body strength any longer. It looked fun though, whoever it was dipping and swooping behind the boat and even competent enough to wave at one point. If I tried that I would undoubtedly fall over and end up spitting out seawater.
‘I wish I could do that,’ Effie said.
‘Me too, I was just thinking the same thing,’ I said. ‘It looks so much fun. But I doubt I could hang on for long enough to stand upright. Not with my dodgy knee.’
Effie looked sympathetic. ‘I tried on one of those banana boats years ago. I think it was when Vladimir and I went to Tunisia. The four of us were on one banana. I fell off, of course I did.’
‘Vladimir?’ I asked.
‘A Russian diplomat. So handsome, such marvellous cheekbones. I was just asked along as the second fiddle. He was very well connected. I was trying to soften him up for Beryl.’
‘You tried so hard,’ Beryl commiserated, patting her hand.
‘Until I found out he had a wife who was well connected too,’ Effie said mournfully. ‘That put thekot sredi golubey– the cat among the pigeons. I backed off pdq. I do have some standards.’
I looked at the others as we laughed together and Effie told another story about Vladimir and an incident with a trombone and some melted chocolate. Perhaps I had been living a life that was far too careful. Too sensible and predictable. Maybe it was time to think about having some adventures of my own?
* * *
We carried on exploring for a while, looking in cute little shops full of incredibly inexpensive ‘designer’ sunglasses, floppy tiered sundresses and glittering jewellery and then we made our way back to the hotel. We took the wrong turn on a couple of occasions, finding ourselves in the back streets where feral cats slept in the flowerpots and a man in a Bon Jovi t-shirt was apparently disembowelling his moped all over the pavement. How we could have got lost when the hotel was so close was anyone’s guess. We then had a discussion about who had the worst sense of direction, which Effie won when she told us about the time she had forgotten where she had left her car. Having clicked her key fob at just about every car in the seven storeys, she then realised she was actually in the wrong car park.
Anyway, at last we saw the familiar blue shutters and white walls of Hotel Costas and went gratefully into the cool of the hallway.
‘I suppose I could have a little rest before dinner,’ Beryl said, pulling off her sunhat, ‘and then we could meet up later.’
‘In which case I think the rest of us should go up on the roof terrace and ask Effie for some more juicy gossip about you,’ Anita said.
‘I’m not having that; she would just make stuff up and probably get all the details wrong. I’m coming too,’ Beryl said, ‘just to make sure you have all your facts right. And I want to take a look at the pool.’
‘It’s not very big, and it’s not heated,’ Effie said, ‘so don’t get your hopes too high.’
‘I’d better change into a clean t-shirt,’ I said. ‘I’ve got jam down the front of this one.’
Back in my room there were two kittens in my bathroom, asleep on my bathmat. They scarpered pretty quickly when I came in and hurried up the bougainvillea to join their mother on the canvas sunshade. Perhaps I should close the doors to the balcony when I went out in future.
I found my adaptors and put my phone on charge so that I could send a couple of photos to Nicky. I added a brief summary of what I had been doing and, reading it back, I had to admit it sounded fun. Spending time with some new people, seeing new sights, gatecrashing a wedding and eating different foods was all great. Why hadn’t I thought of doing this before? Perhaps I needed to be a bit braver in future.
Nicky replied to my message almost immediately. Allowing for the time difference, I guessed she had just got home from her work at the library.
Nicky
Sounds like you’re enjoying it. Lovely pics. I’ve had a rubbish day; someone said our library might be in line to close at the end of the year. So unfair. We are always busy. We are going to start a protest. Ivan is fine, I took him some left over chicken and he snarfed it up as though he was starving. Don’t you ever feed him? And then he sat on my lap while I was having a cup of tea. I’ve never known a cat with such a loud purr. What are you doing tomorrow? Are they organising you all?
I gave a rueful smile, remembering how the four of us had hidden in the gift shop from the official guided walk that afternoon. But also, in those last few hours, how much fun we had shared. I typed out a reply.
Mum
We were supposed to be going on a group tour but instead the four of us (me, Anita, Beryl and her sister Effie) sneaked off and had a lovely walk by the sea (that’s when we mistakenly joined a stranger’s wedding reception), had lunch in a restaurant (I had a fantastic proper Greek salad) then back to the hotel. There are kittens here!! And Ivan purred and sat on your lap? He’s never once done that to me. And yes I do feed him, that cat is a liar. He usually looks at the food I give him and walks away from it. I bought him some new stuff, beef in gravy, he might like that? Sorry to hear about the library. Perhaps you need to write to your MP or get a celebrity to endorse you? Do you know any? Off to the pool on the roof terrace now. Jealous?
