YANNIS (Cretan Saga Book 1) (24 page)

Yannis had to admit that Yiorgo was right and was about to start replacing the boxes when his brother began to help unload. Even with the cart tipped back it was a tremendous struggle for the two boys to push the crate on, the rain was falling faster now, numbing their hands and stinging their faces. The boxes replaced they slithered down to the quay where Spiriton was waiting.

‘We’ll be as quick as we can,’ promised Yiorgo as the boat drew away.

‘I’ll go on ahead. It doesn’t need both of us to walk with the donkey.’

Yannis set off, slipping on the greasy mud, glad he had taken his father’s advice and worn the old pair of boots that stood by the back door. At least his feet were warm and dry, which was more than he could say for the rest of him. When Yiorgo joined him he was busily sorting potatoes and placing them in sacks.

‘Not like that,’ Yiorgo remonstrated immediately. ‘Use a spade.’ He began to shovel potatoes in at break neck speed.

‘A lot of those are rotten.’

‘Makes no difference; so are the lepers.’ Yiorgo continued without a break in his rhythm. ‘Don’t touch those over there. They’re for us.’

Yannis obeyed. He had been right; filling sacks with produce, which could be shovelled in, was far quicker than packing boxes. By the time Spiriton returned they had the cart loaded and sacks standing by ready for the next trip. Yiorgo went down to the quay on his own, trying to guide the donkey and control the cart at the same time, praying that no mishap would befall them, whilst Yannis stayed shovelling. He was not sure whether the moisture that was trickling down his face, neck and back was rain or sweat. Another load was ready by the time Yiorgo returned, and so it went on for the next two hours, back breaking toil from which they dared not take a rest. The potatoes exhausted they retraced their steps up the hill.

‘You were right, Yannis,’ Yiorgo had to admit. ‘Making up the sacks was quicker. The girls should have a load of boxes ready for us and then there are only three more trips and we’ve finished.’

‘There’s still tomorrow,’ groaned Yannis.

‘We’ll try it the same way. Clear as many boxes as we can, then when we’re running behind we’ll go down and sack up carrots. That way we can catch up again.’

Yannis nodded. He really was past caring. All he wanted was to get home, rub his wet, cold, body with a towel, drink some of the hot soup he knew his mother would have prepared and sleep. Stelios arrived with a jug of hot soup and they took it in turns to stand under the dripping trees to drink. They worked frenziedly, Yiorgo taking a load down to Spiriton, whilst Yannis stayed to help his sisters.

‘We’re not going to manage it,’ remarked Yannis gloomily. ‘It will be dark soon.’

‘Yes we will.’ Maria spoke with determination and attacked the shrivelled cabbages viciously with her knife. ‘Just throw them into the boxes, and Stelios can cover them.’

By the time Yiorgo returned the next load of boxes were ready. He grinned as four wet faces looked at him questioningly.

‘He says it’s too dark to take any more. We’ve got to take this load down and leave it on the quay ready for the morning.’

Maria rose from the ground. Her knees were muddy, her skirt soaked and her hands chapped with the cold rain. ‘We’ve done it.’

They all helped to load the cart and Yiorgo slapped the unwilling donkey. ‘Come on, old girl, then you can go home as well.’ She looked at him reproachfully with her dark, soft eyes and shuffled forwards.

‘Home you go, girls. Tell Mamma we’re on our way.’ Yannis collected their tools and began to follow them down. He felt elated, and the feeling shocked him. Was he becoming accustomed to working in the fields that he should be so pleased with the day’s accomplishment?

He dumped the tools inside the yard and continued down to the quay. Yiorgo would need some help with the final unloading and then they could walk back together to finish off the jobs in the yard. He need hardly have bothered, by the time he arrived there were only a few boxes remaining on the cart and Yiorgo appeared to have as much energy as when he had started that morning. Unexpectedly Yannis sneezed.

‘Go home,’ advised Yiorgo. ‘Get some dry clothes on.’

Yannis shook his head. ‘I’m all right.’ He would sink even lower in his father’s estimation if he returned home at the first sneeze and left Yiorgo to rub down the donkey and feed her. Wearily the two boys and donkey plodded home. The cart was unhitched and pushed into the shed, the donkey led to her stable where she was rubbed down and left with an armful of hay and a pail of water.

‘Now our turn; I’m so tired.’

Yannis looked at his brother in surprise. ‘I’ve never heard you say that before. It’s always me who’s complaining of tiredness.’

‘You were marvellous today, Yannis. You had the strength of ten men.’

Ruefully Yannis shook his head. ‘Thanks, but I still can’t keep up with you.’

They stripped off their sodden clothes in the kitchen and took turns in stepping into the wooden tub that their mother had filled with hot water.

‘Oh, that feels so good!’ remarked Yannis, as he sluiced hot water over his shoulders. ‘There was a time when I thought I’d never be warm again.’

Yiorgo nodded. ‘This is what keeps me going on a bad day. I know Mamma will always have a hot tub ready for me.’

Yannis dipped his head under the water and pushed back his dripping hair. ‘I must get this cut as soon as I get back to Heraklion. It’s far too long.’

They towelled their bodies dry and donned warm sweaters and trousers, finally ready to go into the living room where the rest of the family were sat round the table. Immediately Maria left her meal to get theirs.

‘Did you manage, boys?’ asked their father.

Yannis nodded, leaving Yiorgo to explain to their father how they had worked and managed to complete the trips.

‘I’m coming up myself next week,’ Yannis senior announced to the surprise of his family. ‘I’m getting about quite well now. If I sit on the back of the cart there and back I should be able to manage.’

Yannis swallowed hard. ‘Pappa, if you’re going up to the fields next week will you be needing me any longer?’

His father looked at him sadly. ‘You can’t wait to go, can you?’

Yannis flushed miserably. ‘I’m worried about missing school.’

‘I know, I know.’

‘I’ll stay as long as I’m needed,’ promised Yannis. ‘I’m not a lot of help, but I’m willing.’

‘You’ve been a good boy. I’m proud of all of you, especially you, Yannis. You could have insisted on returning to Heraklion at the start of the term and I wouldn’t have blamed you. Instead you stayed to help, and you did so uncomplaining. You go back when it suits you.’

‘Thank you, Pappa, but I’ll only go if you’re sure you can manage.’

Yannis calculated rapidly. Today was Tuesday, and he must help Yiorgo tomorrow. If he returned to Aghios Nikolaos on Thursday he could catch the Friday bus to Heraklion. It was so important that he returned to school. He had missed four whole weeks!

Thursday arrived with a thin drizzle. He trudged along the cart track that was called a road between the two villages, wishing Yiorgo would be at the canal to meet him. His bundle grew heavier as the rain soaked through. In Elounda he entered a taverna where it was warm to the point of stuffiness, and dropped his burden to the floor.

He delayed his return to the cold drizzle as long as possible, lingering over his roll and coffee, before shouldering his bundle and leaving. As the wind began to blow the rain into his face he hunched himself down into his coat, pulling up his collar as far as he could and hoping his aunt would be able to dry it before morning in readiness for his bus journey. It was mid afternoon before the house he was seeking came into view and encouraged him to walk a little faster.

‘Yannis! Yannis! It is Yannis!’

Yannis dropped his bundle and clasped his cousin to him. ‘I’m so pleased to see you. Everywhere looks deserted.’

‘Do you wonder in weather like this? Have you walked all the way? You must be frozen. Let’s get home.’

Gratefully Yannis followed Andreas. ‘Look who I’ve found,’ he called as he opened the door.

Elena rose from her chair with an exclamation of pleasure. ‘Yannis! We weren’t expecting you. Did you write?’

Yannis shook his head. ‘I had no time. Pappa said I could leave, so I want to catch the bus to Heraklion tomorrow. May I stay the night?’

‘What a question! Of course you may. Take off that wet coat and come and get yourself dry and warm. Did you walk all the way?’

Yannis stretched out his hands to the welcome fire. ‘I swear the road grew with the rain – it seemed to last for ever.’

Elena went to heat some soup for her unexpected visitor. Andreas sat in her chair and looked at his cousin.

‘Are you all right?’

‘Of course, just a bit damp and tired.’

‘You look drained. Did you have to work terribly hard for your father?’

Yannis nodded. ‘I’d never realised how hard he works. He has a contract to send food over to the island every month. Yiorgo and I slaved. Even the girls and Stelios were up in the fields in the pouring rain.’

‘How did your father break his leg?’

‘He slipped over in the yard. It was lucky I was home at the time, but goodness knows how much work I’ve missed. I’ll probably do awfully badly in the next exams.’ Yannis sighed deeply.

‘It’s a shame Annita isn’t here. She had her day off yesterday.’

Yannis felt a pang of guilt that he had not asked after her, which was also tinged with relief.

Elena returned with a bowl of hot, thick soup. ‘That will warm you. I wish Yiorgo would hurry up.’

‘He’s probably taking it slowly. There’s a stiff breeze blowing and you can’t see further than your nose.’

By the time Yiorgo arrived, soaked to the skin, even Yannis was beginning to be concerned about his safety. He was surprised to see Yannis at his fireside, but Elena insisted he changed his clothes before he talked.

‘Why were you so late? We were all worried about you,’ she asked him anxiously.

‘Wind was against us. There’s quite a sea running now. We tried to hug the arm for shelter, but didn’t dare get too close.’ Yannis and Andreas made room at the fire for him and he drank his soup noisily. ‘What brings you here, Yannis? Your father well enough to leave?’

Yannis nodded. ‘He said he could manage once we’d finished the island contract.’

Yiorgo nodded, a slight smile on his lips. ‘It’s a good thing, that contract.’

‘That’s what Pappa said. He’ll be able to give the girls good dowries.’

‘How long are you staying?’

‘Only tonight; I must be back at school on Monday, so I’ll catch the bus tomorrow.’

They chatted over the supper Elena produced, and Yannis was about to excuse himself and go to bed when Andreas rose. ‘I have to go.’

Yiorgo and Elena nodded, but Yannis looked up in surprise. ‘Go? Go where at this time on a night like this?’

Andreas flushed, looked down at the floor, then at his parents.

‘Go on, or you’ll be late. I’ll explain to Yannis.’ Yiorgo nodded to his son. He leaned forward on his seat. ‘Andreas is contemplating entering the church. He goes along each evening for instruction.’

‘Why didn’t he tell us?’ Yannis was puzzled and a little hurt.

‘He felt you might laugh at him. He made his mother and I promise to tell no one until he was quite certain.’

‘I won’t say anything,’ promised Yannis. ‘It explains his mysterious disappearances. I often saw him coming out of church and yet I never guessed, even when he said a prayer for Aga.’

Yannis was so tired that Andreas coming to bed did not disturb him and Elena left him to sleep as long as she dared before he would be in danger of missing the bus. She insisted on waiting with him until it left. ‘Come back soon,’ she said as she kissed him goodbye. ‘Annita will be sorry to have missed you.’

‘I’ll write to her as soon as I get back,’ promised Yannis.

The driver made good use of his horn, frightening babies and startling the donkeys, gears ground and the engine laboured as they struggled up the first steep incline and out of town. The journey to Neapolis over, they climbed steadily higher before dropping down to the winding track towards the sea to continue on relatively flat ground to reach Heraklion. They passed through Eleftherias Square and crawled down the hill to the waste ground, which was called the bus terminal. Yannis was grateful to rise from the hard, wooden seat and be free from the shuddering and jarring he had endured for the past hours.

He made his way to the taverna by way of the harbour. It was good to see the familiar sights and know he was truly back in the city. As he pushed open the door of the taverna he thought Louisa was going to faint. Her face paled and she halted in the act of polishing a glass.

‘Yannis? What are you doing here?’

Yannis frowned. ‘I’ve come back to stay, to continue at the High School.’

Louisa had recovered her composure. ‘We didn’t think you were coming back. You should have been here four weeks ago.’

‘Didn’t you get my letter?’

Louisa shook her head and Yannis groaned.

‘I wrote to Yiorgo. I explained that my father had broken his leg and I had to stay in Plaka to help on the farm. I asked him to let them know at the High School and at the museum.’

‘Yiorgo didn’t think to go to the post office. He was elected to the local government, and what with that and getting married soon he’s been so busy.’

‘Married?’ Yannis could not believe his ears.

Louisa nodded. ‘Yiorgo and I are to be married.’

Yannis felt confused. A few weeks ago Louisa had been declaring vehemently that she had no intention of marrying Yiorgo.

‘I’m very pleased for you. What made you change your mind?’

‘That’s my business.’

‘You can tell me. I shan’t say anything to Yiorgo.’

Louisa looked at Yannis, finally deciding she could trust him. ‘Do you swear?’

‘I swear.’

‘I’m pregnant.’

‘You’re what?’

‘You heard. I’m pregnant.’

‘Does Yiorgo know?’

Louisa gazed at him scornfully. ‘Of course not, and you swore not to tell him.’