YANNIS (Cretan Saga Book 1) (90 page)

Nikos nodded. He had not thought of that. Yannis should be very pleased at the way things were turning out.

One look at Yannis’s face told Nikos he was wrong in his assumption that Yannis would be pleased.

‘It’s ridiculous. What tests can they possibly want to do that haven’t been done already? If they don’t believe the results why don’t they come over here themselves? I’m not going. There’s no need. The others can go if they want, but I’ll stay here.’

‘You can’t, Yannis. Your name is first on the list.’

Yannis shrugged. ‘Then cross it through.’

‘Don’t be silly. This is what you’ve been after for years. The only way you’ll get a clean bill of health to move about freely is to go to Athens.’

‘I’ve decided I’m not interested any longer. If they’d suggested this in the first place it would have been different. Now we can have visitors I’m quite content.’

‘You may be, but what about the others? They’d like to see their friends and relatives again, no doubt, and until they have permission from Athens they haven’t a hope. Some of them come from northern Greece and they’ll never see their families again unless they have official clearance. If you refuse to go they’ll have doubts. When you come back with your papers they’ll be queuing up to go on the next flight. They trust you, Yannis. You started this and you’re going to have to see it through. Besides, you’ll be able to see Athens. You always dreamed of visiting there and seeing the museums. You could spend a couple of months or even more and see everything.’

‘I wish I’d never started to badger them. We’ve been left in peace for years and it could have stayed that way. I don’t want to leave here, Nikos. This is my home. Phaedra and Anna are here.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, Yannis. You’ll only be away a short time. The way you talk you make it sound as though you’ll never see the place again.’

Yannis sat morosely in the stern of the boat, gazing at the island as it receded into the distance. He felt a lump in his throat as the ramparts of the Venetian fort hid the houses from his view and finally began to dwindle into insignificant walls themselves. Aghios Nikolaos came closer and he wished they were going round to the beach where Yiorgo had always moored his boat, rather than the stone jetty that stretched out to make a sheltered harbour.

Along the waterfront he could see tables and chairs set out in front of tavernas and he realised how much the fishing village had changed since he had lived there. No one was there to greet the boat as it slid into the mooring space, but further down the quay were a group of spectators, anxious to see the lepers from the island as they landed, but afraid to come closer. They were shepherded aboard the waiting bus that bumped its way along the quay and onto the road leading to Heraklion, carrying its occupants who stared curiously from the windows and waved to passers-by who looked at them in surprise.

‘When will we get there?’ asked Flora anxiously.

‘I don’t know. About another hour, I expect.’

‘What’s it like to fly in an aeroplane?’

‘I’ve no idea. We’ll probably feel like birds, able to see everything down below. It will be exciting, Flora.’

Flora pursed her lips. Yannis might think the experience was going to be exciting, but she would have preferred to go by ship. At the sight of the aeroplane she shrank back. It looked so small and insignificant sitting on the runway and the burnt–out shells of three others did nothing to improve her confidence.

‘What happened to those?’ she asked Yannis in a whisper.

‘That would have happened during the war,’ Yannis assured her, hoping his surmise was correct.

They were escorted to one of the outbuildings where they sat at small tables and were plied with food and drink. The doctor and his assistant chatted easily to them, hoping to make their passengers relax and dispel the fears, which were obviously growing in their minds. ‘We shall be in the air for about an hour. You’ll find the view of Crete and also of Greece quite spectacular from the air. Have any of you flown before?’

Yannis gave the doctor a withering glance and shook his head.

‘You may feel quite nervous. Very occasionally people become hysterical. If that should happen I have tranquillisers that I can administer. I can assure you there is no need for any of you to be fearful. Now, if you will excuse me, I’ll see if everyone is ready to leave.’

Yannis did not enjoy the new experience of flying. He felt insecure so far from the ground. As they took off he felt his stomach churning and hoped he would not be the one to need a tranquilliser. He glanced at Flora and was amused to see she was gazing out of the window at the ground far below with a rapt expression on her face. ‘Isn’t it wonderful?’

Yannis smiled at her enthusiasm. ‘I prefer to be on the ground.’

‘You should look out of the window. Everything is so small. You can see for miles. I wish Manolis were here. He would love it.’

Yannis smiled again, but did not answer. His stomach was heaving uncomfortably. He shut his eyes and tried to relax, ignoring the doctor as he walked up and down the aisle asking his patients if there was anything they wanted and if they were comfortable. For him the flight could not end quickly enough. The landing found him gritting his teeth and straining his legs against the seat in front. To his disgust he found he was sweating with relief and his knees were shaking as he walked down the steps and on to the solid tarmac beneath his feet.

Once again they were placed inside a bus and he looked around with interest as they drove up the wide road from the airport. He craned his neck for a first sight of the Acropolis with the Parthenon on top and a strange thrill went through him. Maybe in a week or two he would be able to visit the famous site. As they dipped down into the centre of Athens he was no longer able to see the hill and he felt beads of perspiration breaking out on his forehead and top lip as remembered with clarity the hospital ward where he had spent the most miserable and uncomfortable years of his life.

The bus jerked to a halt, hooting violently to attract the attention of the gatekeeper, who stared curiously at the occupants of the bus. Yannis bowed his head, the almost forgotten feeling of shame welling up inside him. For the first time in years he felt he was contaminated and had no right to mix with his healthy fellows. He was last to alight from the bus and follow the group into the austere building, not looking to left or right. He heard his name called and muttered acknowledgement.

‘Follow me, please.’

Yannis shuffled down the corridor after his guide until they stopped before a white painted door. ‘Your room, sir.’ The door was unlocked and the key handed to Yannis. ‘I hope it will be to your liking. The bathroom is here,’ another door was thrown open, ‘and there is a communal dining room at the end of the corridor. Over here you will see a bell. Please use it if there is anything you need.’

Yannis lifted his eyes and looked around in disbelief. ‘I’m not a doctor.’

‘Mr Christoforakis, yes? This is the room that has been allotted to you. Number three.’

‘Where are the others?’

The man looked at his list. ‘Mr Chatzidakis is next door, number two, and Mr Psilakis is number four.’

‘Do they have rooms like this?’

‘Exactly, sir; they are all the same.’

Yannis sat down on the end of the bed. ‘When I was here before we were all in one large ward together.’

‘Things have changed, sir. We still have wards, of course, but they are a good deal smaller now. The patients don’t stay so long in them. Is there anything else, sir? If not, I’ll see to your luggage.’

Yannis shook his head. He was having trouble coming to terms with the speed with which things were happening. That morning he had been in his own little house on Spinalonga, now he was in Athens in a luxurious room. There was an air of unreality about the whole thing. He rose slowly and walked to the bathroom, stopping in awe at the doorway. He walked over to the basin and turned on the taps, watching, fascinated, as the water gushed from both of them. He pulled the chain hanging from the toilet cistern, stepping back as the water swirled before being sucked down the waste pipe and disgorged somewhere into a drain. The shower sprayed water at him and he pushed the handle the opposite way rapidly. This was unbelievable. A knock at the door made him turn to see the man returning with his two sacks of belongings and he fumbled in his pocket for a coin to tip him.

The man accepted the coin without a second glance, smiled at Yannis and shut the door behind him. Yannis wrenched it open, feeling beads of perspiration on his forehead and his whole body went limp with relief to find that it was not locked.

Mikalis leant out from his doorway and grinned. ‘This is luxury.’

Yannis beckoned him in. ‘Why do you think they’ve done this?’

‘I’ve no idea. Maybe they thought we were used to rooms like this.’

Yannis snorted. ‘They’re not that stupid. They’re up to something and I can’t for the life of me make out what it is yet.’

Mikalis shrugged. ‘Whilst I can live like this I don’t mind. I’ll unpack,’ said Mikalis. ‘Then I’m going to have a wash. I might even have a shower.’

Yannis nodded. There was something nagging at the back of his mind, which he could not put a name to, a feeling that was menacing him and making him feel very uneasy indeed

Yannis was annoyed and disappointed to find himself still there at the end of two months. Each day he asked when he would see a doctor and have tests and each time he was given an excuse. Finally he demanded to be taken to the doctor in charge, only to be told he was leaving the following day to attend a conference in Vienna and they would have to be patient. The International conference was of great importance, particularly to people who were in the same burnt-out condition as the people of Spinalonga. Yannis wrote a second letter to Nikos complaining of the delays, hoping the doctor in Heraklion would be true to his promise. Flora was pinched and miserable, Mikalis jubilant, he had received a visit from his wife for the first time in fourteen years, but the others were as despondent as Yannis.

‘I just want to go home,’ complained Sifis. ‘My vegetable plot was flourishing. Now it will be over-run with weeds and I’ll have lost a year’s crop.’

‘I’m worried about the hospital.’ Spiro’s face puckered into a frown. ‘I’m not trying to boast, but I had it running pretty smoothly. How are they managing without me?’

‘I just wish they’d get on with things. I’m worried that we’re the ones who are not burnt-out and that’s why they’ve brought us here,’ said Tassos.

‘Suppose, just suppose,’ Yannis spoke tentatively, eyeing his companions, ‘that there is no conference. It’s just another excuse to keep us here. I know,’ he held up his hand, ‘it was always me who was discontented and made impossible demands on the government. I was the one that instigated the riot that saw us all shipped off to Spinalonga, I pressed for compensation, for medicine and treatment after the war, and then a clean bill of health. We have no guarantee they plan to give us that. We are as much prisoners over here as we were twenty-five years ago, and I think we’ve got to do something about it.’

Spiro grinned. ‘I’m with you, Yannis. What are you planning to do? Another riot to get us all sent back?’

Yannis shook his head. ‘The first thing is to find out how long this conference is supposed to last, then the address where it’s being held.’

‘What do you plan to do then? Go there?’

Yannis shook his head. ‘My cousin’s husband is bound to be there. I’ll write to him and ask him to publicise our cause. The Greek government won’t like it and they’ll have to do something.’

Mikalis looked at Yannis in alarm. ‘I don’t want to go back. Whilst I’m here I can see my wife. She’s promised to bring my son and daughter-in-law with her next week.’

‘You stay.’ Yannis shrugged. ‘Anyone who’s happy here can stay as far as I’m concerned. All I want is our rights. We were brought over here for tests and we’ve not had a single one. I want to go out and see Athens. I might just as well be back home on Spinalonga as here. Do you agree with me?’

All except Mikalis nodded.

‘Then leave it with me.’

Yannis made his way down the maze of corridors from the annex of the hospital building and into the administration offices. He knocked on doors without receiving any answer until one yielded under his touch and he found himself looking into a room occupied by two men who were obviously not doctors.

‘Can I help you? Have you lost your way?’ The youngest rose, pushing his papers to one side with ink stained fingers.

‘No, I’m not lost. I’d just like some information.’

The man frowned and looked at his colleague. ‘What kind of information?’

‘I’d like to know how long the International Conference in Vienna is scheduled to run.’

The young man opened a diary on the desk and flicked over the pages. ‘According to this it will run for three weeks.’

‘I see. I do need to send an urgent letter to a relative who’ll be attending. Would it be possible for me to have the address?’

The clerk pursed his lips and looked to the other man for guidance again. There was a slight nod. With a sigh the clerk pulled a sheet of paper from a pile and wrote on it, handing it to Yannis who folded it and placed it in his pocket. ‘Thank you, you’ve been very helpful.’

Jubilantly Yannis hurried back down the corridors to the lounge where he had left the others. ‘I’ve got it! Now there’s no time to lose. I’ll write straight away and ask an orderly to post it tomorrow. It’s worth a try, isn’t it?’

Elias opened the letter in surprise, wondering whom he knew in Greece who would write to him. He had heard from his mother and uncle only the week before. He turned to the last page and read the signature “Yannis Christoforakis, your cousin.” He sighed. There was no time now to wade through the half dozen pages. Any minute he was due to be speaking on the advances made for the treatment of leprosy in America and the way in which the leprosarium there was run. He pushed the letter into his pocket, gathered his notes, and strode into the lecture hall.