Being Shirley (17 page)

“An English couple manage those apartments. They are lovely people, although they are a bit too fond of the karaoke nights if you ask me. And she—Wendy—cannot sing, although she always insists on doing a number by that woman—you know?”

It was a bit of a vague description and Annie looked at her blankly as Kassia waved her hand impatiently. “You know, that woman with all the curly black hair, lucky woman, who likes to wear the skimpy outfits and has a fondness for the plastic surgery?”

“Cher?” Carl piped up from the back seat and Annie laughed as Kassia nodded.

“Trust you to guess right.”

“Yes, Cher, but thank goodness Wendy does not dress up like her. She is a big girl, you know; it would not be a good look.”

Annie and Carl both grinned at the mental image Kassia had conjured up of a plump English Cher who couldn’t sing to save herself.

An airy bar kitted out in white and chrome that was obviously a place to be seen while sipping on a cold beer came into view next. Carl pressed his nose to the window and decided he would plop his bottom down on one of those stools and look out its open frontage to the sea in the very near future.

Without warning, Kassia swerved the van away from the water onto the other side of the road to park facing the wrong way. Sounding the horn before she switched the engine off, she twisted round in her seat to grin at them both. “Welcome to Eleni’s. We are home.”

Annie saw a stone, three-storey house. Its yellow paint flaked but, with wrought-iron balconies stuffed full of brilliant red geraniums and the mammoth climbing purple bougainvillea that wound its way up the side of the building, it oozed charm. The blue front door burst open and a short woman clad head to toe in black bustled out, and wiped her hands on her apron before she called something over her shoulder. She had a tiny tot hanging off her hip and Annie’s heart leaped at the sight of little Nikolos.

As she got out of the car, a stocky and rather swarthy looking man rounded the corner of the house. He wielded a hoe and Annie watched as he paused for a moment to wipe his brow with a hanky. She hazarded a guess that he was Kas’s Spiros. A mini-me who barely reached his knees trailed along behind him—Mateo!

Mama Bikakis turned back towards the house and called out again. This time an Adonis apparition appeared in the doorway. His face broke into a wide, welcoming grin that even from this distance Annie could see showcased a top and bottom set of perfect white teeth. His hair had the casually ruffled look that takes time and effort to achieve. This had to be Alexandros. Next to her, she heard Carl’s sharp intake of breath. She elbowed him swiftly and hissed out of the corner of her mouth, “Forget it.”

All of a sudden, it seemed to Annie that the pebbled courtyard in front of the house was filled to overflowing and she, suddenly shy, hung back on the pavement for a moment longer, Carl glued to her side.

Kassia was having none of it, though, and gave them both a gentle shove in the back as she herded them forward.

“
Ya Sas
! Let me look at you both,” Mama Bikakis, in all her rotund glory with wisps of grey hair that escaped from a loose bun, cried. She handed Nikolos over to his mother’s outstretched arms and stepped forward, her broad smile revealing a gold tooth. She clapped a hand on either side of her face, planted a kiss on both of Annie’s cheeks and held firm so she could study her for a moment. Her unmade-up coffee bean eyes danced as she exclaimed, “
Omorfi Kopella
! You are beautiful—all that hair, it is beautiful!” She released Annie’s slightly startled face and repeated the performance with Carl, who stood alongside her. “Oh, so handsome! This boy, he is so handsome.” Carl preened and felt instantly at ease while Annie took a moment to study the woman she had never, like the whole family, seen in the flesh before but already felt she knew so well thanks to Kassia’s emails.
It was like watching a photograph come to life
, she mused as her eyes swept over Mama: her plain black frock, and sensible flat shoes, which were shod on feet that did a sterling job of supporting an impressive set of cankles.

Little Nikolos buried his face in his mother’s bosom before he peered out at her shyly to reveal a set of limpid eyes so dark they appeared to be black. Annie gave him a smile and resisted the urge to grab his chubby cheek. As though sensing she was a possible cheek squeezer, he instantly buried his head once more.
Oh well, he’d warm up once all the fuss had died down
. Annie turned her attention to Mateo. The little boy stood to one side of his father on a set of sturdy tanned legs, which poked out of grubby yellow shorts. He clutched his own hammer, albeit a small one.
Ah, Daddy’s helper
, she thought as she crouched down to his level to say hello. He stared at her with open curiosity and Annie was just about to give him a kiss on his cheek when he lunged forward, grabbed a handful of her hair and gave it a good tug.

“Ow!”

“Mateo!” his father admonished but Annie looked up at Spiros with a smile.

“It’s fine. He took me by surprise, that’s all. I think he’s just checking to make sure it’s real, aren’t you, Mateo?”

There was laughter as the little boy released the handful of hair and treated her to a cheeky grin that Annie reckoned had probably saved him from a good telling-off many a time. Yes, he definitely had the self-assured stance of an older brother, she decided as she stood back up. Carl, who was busy getting his back slapped and his hand shook, was beginning to look a little overwhelmed by the effusiveness of their welcome. She smiled at the relief on his features as Kassia shushed her family and began the formal introductions.

Spiros, on closer inspection, was every bit as lovely as Annie had known he would be. His twinkling eyes gave away the fact that his stern features were not a true indicator of the personality that lurked beneath that hooded brow of his. As for Alexandros, he was tall and lean with the chiselled features of an old-time matinee idol. His bearing was laid-back and languid, like that of a big cat, and Annie could see his appeal with the ladies. She caught him eyeing her hair appraisingly but was pleased that he managed to refrain from snatching at it like his nephew had just done. He had an aura of manliness and it wasn’t just her all that testosterone was effecting. Carl flushed, too, when he stepped forward to shake his hand. Although the grin he bestowed on them was self-assured, it held the same hint of naughtiness that she had detected in Mateo’s.
Oh yes
, she thought as she hoped he hadn’t noticed her clammy palm,
this was a man who was well aware of the impact he had on people
.

As for Mama Bikakis, with her pudding face and those dark eyes that sparkled with the zest of a life well lived, she was a living, breathing caricature of a Greek mama. She stood now with her hands forming a steeple at her mouth; eyes welled as she gazed at her newly arrived guests. Annie watched on, fascinated as the waterworks dried up as abruptly as they had started and her chubby arm shot up to give Alexandros a light thwack about the back of his head. She barked something in Greek at him which, judging by the way he laughed and then wandered down to the van to retrieve their bags, had been instructions to do just that.

“I could have got those, Mrs Bikakis,” Carl said.

She frowned at him. “No, no, not Mrs Bikakis—you are family. You call me Mama like they all do.” She waved her hand expansively over the group.

Annie and Carl weren’t going to argue and they both chimed, “Yes, Mama.”

She smiled, pleased, before she clapped her hands. “Now you must be hungry after your journey and the food on those ferries—bah.” She stuck her tongue out. “It is overpriced and tasteless. A disgrace!”

Annie thought back to the dried-out cheese roll she had eaten and had to agree with her.

“But first I will show you Eleni’s, yes?” Annie nodded enthusiastically and Carl replied, “Yes, please,” as they followed the older woman’s lead.

They stepped in through the open doorway and two things instantly assailed them: a delicious smell hovered on the air and the welcome drop in temperature as the cooler air settled over them. The air-conditioning was a welcome respite. “Something smells wonderful.” Annie inhaled appreciatively.

Mama beamed. “Moussaka.”

“I’ve heard wonderful things about your moussaka, Mama. I can’t wait to try it.” Carl instantly became her golden boy.

They stood in a hallway with rooms leading off to either side. The walls were painted a crisp white, which made it seem wider than it really was. At the end of the hall was a staircase that led to the first and second floors, where Annie supposed the guests’ rooms would be. So far Eleni’s was pretty much what she had pictured it to be. She followed behind Carl as Mama led them into the first room that veered off on their left. “This was my Abram’s bedroom when he was a boy but now it is our reception room.”

It wasn’t a large room but it was ample for the old wooden desk that dominated the space with the window behind it that let in the light. An open laptop rested on it alongside a stack of unopened mail and a charging telephone.
Kas probably hadn’t had a chance to go through the post yet with driving to Heraklion to pick them up
, Annie thought. Her eyes strayed to a beautiful beach scene photo on the wall next to her. “Where was that taken, Mama?” She was surprised to find she didn’t feel strange in the slightest addressing this warm, old lady so familiarly.

“Spiros took that and I had it framed.” She puffed up with pride. “It is our Plaka Beach right here in Elounda.”

“It’s stunning.”

A yellow, floral two-seater couch covered with a blue throw rug was pushed up against the wall opposite the photograph and Mama pointed to it. “For the guests to sit when Kassia checks them in.”

Carl and Annie nodded and moved out of the way to let her pass. “Come, come, I will show you the breakfast room.”

That’s right, Annie remembered as she followed after her; they provided their guests with the option of a cooked breakfast each morning. The room they were led into next was large enough to allow plenty of space to manoeuvre around the eight tables dotted around it. Four double rooms on each floor meant eight tables for breakfast. Annie noticed each table was covered in a pretty blue and white chequered cloth; in the middle was a sugar bowl, a salt and pepper set, and a little vase with a single red plastic poppy placed in it. A wooden butler’s chest rested up against the wall closest to the door they’d just come in through and Mama informed them they kept their cutlery and crockery in it. The space had an Old World feel to it, thanks to the height of the ceiling and the well-worn floor boards but at the same time it also felt fresh and modern.

Annie recalled Kassia telling her that when Spiros’s father Abram died, Mama had had the guesthouse thoroughly renovated. It was something she had wanted to do for a long time but her plans had always been met with resistance by Abram, who had seen no need to make changes to his boyhood home.

A large picture window dominated the room. It looked straight out to the sea and she stood for a moment and soaked the scene in. “What a lovely way to start the day, sitting in here and looking out at that glorious view,” she said, thinking aloud and wondering whether there was a fight each morning to try to nab the table by the window.

Reluctantly, she dragged her eyes away and spied a door in the other wall. She wondered where it led. She didn’t have to wonder for long as Mama waddled over, pushed it open, and beckoned at them to follow her lead.

It was the kitchen. A spacious room with French-style doors that flooded the room with golden light and opened up to the garden at the side of the house. The benches were clear, so Mama was obviously a tidy cook then. Annie’s eyes flitted to the modern oven, from which the delicious smell emanated. She watched as Mama bustled over to it and opened the door. She prodded at the dish that bubbled away inside with a knife and once she was satisfied all was as it should be, she shut it again. She looked decidedly pinker in the cheeks when she turned around to tell them that she liked to cook her moussaka slowly in order to bring out the flavours. Annie’s mouth watered and Carl gazed longingly at the oven.

In the centre of the room was a huge old wooden table that bowed in the middle. A colouring-in book lay open on it and a pile of felt tips, some with their lids still off, were scattered next to it. On the floor under the table, Annie spied a toy truck and a few other banged-up matchbox sized vehicles, which, judging by the dents in the table legs, regularly took part in a Mateo styled smash-up derby. It was this lack of obvious pretentiousness that made the large space homey and welcoming. A rug was laid out on the floor in the corner of the kitchen with a few cushions stacked up on it, along with a jumble of chunky plastic toys. That must be where Nikolos sits and plays, she surmised.

Mama moved them along to show them the large double room that had once been hers and Abram’s but was now where Kassia and Spiros slept. The bed was rumpled and the room slightly untidy, which made Annie smile and Mama frown before she herded them on. Mateo and Nikolos were in the room next door to their parents. It was large enough to house a single bed, a cot, and a chest, which was opened to reveal a plethora of toys stuffed inside it. Annie recognised the bright mobile dangling over Nikolos’s cot; she’d sent it along with the iconic New Zealand wooden Buzzy Bee toy that peeked out from under Mateo’s bed.

A thoroughly modernised bathroom with both a shower and a bath was next to Mama’s room at the end of the hall. A private sign above the door stated that it was for the family’s use only. As they poked their heads round the door to Mama’s immaculate room, they spied an old sepia photo of a beautiful young woman and handsome man on their wedding day. It was in pride of place on her dressing table and Annie instantly recognised the sparkle in the bride’s eye.

“Your room is around the corner here, Annie.” Mama pronounced her name Ahnnee as she led them to a door nestled in the alcove under the stairs.

It was like a secret room, her very own secret room under the stairs
, Annie thought as she opened the door and peered inside eagerly. Again, it was painted white and the ceiling sloped with the stairs; she knew she’d have to be careful not to bump her head if she were to sit up in bed too suddenly. The single bed had an old-fashioned headboard in the bedknobs and broomsticks fashion and was covered in a plain white coverlet, at the end of which was a neatly folded blue throw blanket. To the left of the bed was a set of wooden drawers with a reading lamp placed on it. Annie was touched by the little vase filled with fresh daisies alongside it. Her backpack had been placed at the foot of the bed and there was barely room between it and the wall where the room’s only window let in the light. Annie gazed up at the window with its worn calico drapes and instantly imagined herself lying in her little bed at night, looking out at a carpet of stars.

Mama looked worried. “You like it, yes? It is small and simple but I think it will do.”

“Mama, I love it—thank you.”

The old woman beamed and patted Annie on her shoulder. “I am pleased. Carl, we have put you in with Alexandros up the stairs. Come and see.”

Carl looked flustered. “I don’t want to cramp Alexandros’s style.”

“His style could do with some cramping,” the old woman muttered. She panted as she held onto the wooden banister rail and climbed the stairs to the first floor. Listening to her wheeze, Annie realised that despite the circumstances that had bought Kassia and Spiros here, she really did need them. There was no way she would cope with the cleaning of the guest rooms on top of all the other day-to-day chores running Eleni’s would entail.

Mama leaned against the banister to rest for a moment when they reached the landing. “All the bedrooms on this floor and upstairs look out to sea.” She gesticulated to the rooms, each with a number on their shut doors. “They are all identical to the one you will be in, Carl. We normally rent it out but with Alexandros home—” She shrugged and swayed towards the open door at the end of the landing and pointed out the shared amenities on the way. Annie caught a glimpse inside the large bathroom and her overall impression was one of marble and lots of it.

“Good. Alexandros has made his bed.” Mama pushed the door open and gave the room a quick inspection before she turned to Carl. “So this is where you and Alexandros will sleep.”