Page 37 of Old Girls Go Greek
Beryl came and stood at the sink next to me and peered at herself in the mirror too.
She patted her hair into shape and sighed. ‘It’s terribly annoying, isn’t it. I’ve realised I don’t look as bad as I thought I did a few years ago, because now I look worse. Oh well…’
Out in the clear air again, Anita, Effie and Beryl had pulled on their distinctive yellow sunhats patterned with ducks, and I suddenly wished I could have one too.
The Old Ducks Club, Anita had called it. They were so outlandish, and yet they were fun, they spoke of a new brand of sisterhood of which I wanted to be a part. To finally live my life the way I wanted to, and not worry about what other people expected of me. Not my friends, my family, even my daughter. After all, I’d been young and daft once, even though Nicky didn’t seem to believe it. In fact, as time went on, I think I could feel my silliness levels rising for the first time in decades.
‘Now then, let’s put Dennis out of his misery and go and do this tour,’ Beryl said. ‘I can tell by all the fidgeting and nostril flaring he’s getting impatient. And we can apparently leave all our bags in a locker by the entrance so we don’t have to cart them round with us.’
We were greeted by our young guide, who introduced herself as Lydia. She was an archaeology student who was earning some money during the holidays explaining to people like us what we were seeing.
The remains of the Minoan settlement, which were still apparently being excavated, were wonderful. An ancient town, ruined by an earthquake and volcanic eruption thousands of years ago, was laid out before us under an impressive steel and glass roof. There was a wooden walkway so we could look down at the shells of kitchens and living rooms and imagine them as they had been before the island had been evacuated. The air was cooler than outside, and scented with dust and old stone and history. There were even clever seating areas where we could rest to listen to our guide, although some of the steps were quite deep and Beryl had to be hauled back up when that part of the talk was finished.
‘Imagine what it must have been like,’ Anita said. ‘One minute you are a wealthy trader with ships and a family and a wine cellar and comfortable beds, and the next you are leaving all your things behind and heading out across the sea to live somewhere else.’
‘I don’t suppose there was much alternative,’ I said, ‘not if there was a volcano erupting behind you.’
‘True.’
We wandered on, following Lydia to the next interesting thing where there was unexpectedly a very informative television presentation of life as a Minoan. And they had some lovely houses too, with windows open to the cooling breezes of the sea, bakehouses on every street and even quite sophisticated drainage systems.
Lydia patiently answered all our questions about ancient toilets and wall paintings in excellent English, and at the end of the tour we all dug deep into our pockets to give her a substantial tip.
‘Now then, I think I’d like to go under those trees and paint the amphitheatre,’ Dennis said. ‘Marvellous shadows in those stones. My Dioxazine Purple is going to come into its own, I feel sure.’
June and Susan thought this was a good idea as the day was heating up even more, and they followed him to a little glade where there were some thoughtfully placed benches and picnic tables. Perhaps we should do something similar.
Effie had her own ideas. ‘Perhaps later. I’d like to go into the gift shop first. Anyone coming?’
I was about to follow my three friends when I felt a touch on my arm.
I turned to see Will there.
‘What about a cold drink or a cup of tea?’ he said. ‘There’s a café over there.’
‘Absolutely,’ I said and smiled with pleasure. And this time I would not fall over or get my feet stuck anywhere.
‘So, what did you think of it?’ I asked.
‘Fantastic,’ he said, ‘and so well done. It never fails to amaze me how clever some people are. I mean, one minute there is just a patch of scrubby land, the next someone has found a house or the stones of a street. It’s very impressive. And much better actually seeing it rather than just reading about it.’
The café was like many of the others I had seen, small and really just a cabin with signs for foreign ice cream outside next to a freezer cabinet. There were some tables and chairs under a wooden canopy, which was covered in thick ropes of a burgeoning vine. Behind the counter was a young couple. He was wiping down the tables, clearing things away and taking the orders, and she was wrestling with a complicated coffee machine and piles of crockery. They both seemed very happy, which was lovely to see, and they called across to each other and laughed together when he dropped something.
‘I wonder if they do this all year round,’ I said, ‘they seem a cheerful pair.’
‘Perhaps,’ Will replied. ‘There are far worse places to work. Living a simple life is so much easier than the alternative.’
He sounded as though he knew the difference, which was an interesting insight.
‘On the other hand, maybe after a while they will miss the bright lights and the excitement,’ I said.
‘I doubt it. After a while, the bright lights can give you a headache.’
He handed me a menu, which was handwritten on the back of a piece of cardboard.
I made my choice almost immediately. ‘Ordinary tea if they have it and don’t go bringing me any cake. I’m enjoying it too much and I’ll be putting on pounds if I carry on indulging.’
‘Nonsense,’ he said, laughing, ‘you’re perfect as you are.’
