A Life In A Moment (4 page)

However,
Pavlos’ gift was totally unexpected. «It’s a
contract securing you half of the pub», he explained in a soft
voice, offering me a tender smile.

My
spontaneous response was in the negative. «That belongs to you,
Pavlos. You’ve been running it all these years on your own,
while still sending money for me. And apart from that, I will
never
come to London.»

«Vassilis,
this is the right thing to do. You keep the house by the sea, I keep
the one in London, but the pub... We have to share it.»

That got
me thinking. «I’ll accept half of it, if you accept half
of my bookshop.»

«You’ve
got yourself a deal!»

After
signing the contract, I went up to Ellie. The others had gathered at
the back of the restaurant, laying the table. I extended my hand,
tenderly caressing her neck. «You? Haven’t you bought me
anything?»

She looked
at me, a mysterious and excited smile playing across her face.

«The
night’s young. I’ll give it to you later.» Her lips
were overflowing with a promise I found hard to believe.

I had a
great time that night. My brother was by my side, I was surrounded by
my precious friends, my beloved relatives and a ravishing girl. I
owed them for who I had become. Not saying a word, I stood there
observing them, while they were eating and drinking, laughing and
chatting.

In
that very moment, I felt I loved everyone all the more. Those people
were all I had and deserved in my life. I silently prayed to God
never
to
lose them. My prayers fell on deaf  ears.

8

Later that
night, at the house by the sea, Ellie and I climbed up to the attic.
With magical sleight of hand, several candles, a bottle of wine and
two glasses had been laid out for us.

«Let’s
drink to your wellbeing», she said and filled the glasses.

«To
our
wellbeing»,
I corrected her.

«To
what we are living.»

«...and
what we
will
live.»

We drank
to that, and kept drinking.

At some
point, she snapped the glass out of my hands. «Have you guessed
your gift, yet?»

I tried to
feign absolute innocence.

She stood
opposite me. In the dim, gold light of the candles and the moon
piercing the dark, she began to unbutton her blouse.

«It’s
time to reward you for all the time you’ve been waiting, and
for your patience.» She continued undressing, hesitantly.

And then,
we were naked. We were vulnerable.

Awkwardly
but gently, I reached out my hand to trace the apple-curve of her
breast. Her waist felt made for my hand as I laid it there. The skin
of her back seemed on fire as my fingers sailed over her young
muscles. She was trembling. She was a bird flying for the first time.
She lay down, almost as if to cool the heat of her back on the stone
floor. I covered her with my own hard body, as if I were somehow both
protecting her and pinning her down, mine forever. My lips felt her
thundering pulse in the soft, sweet hollow of her neck. An ear
pressed to a railway line to hear the coming of a train. She moved
closer into me; my fingers pressed deeper into her taut, slippery,
tender darkness.

In
rolling, powerful waves that had suddenly tumbled me beneath her, she
rocked and swayed and curled; her breathlessness became the roar of
the ocean. I dived deeper into her, desperate to touch the bottom of
her.

We were
Adam and Eve, but another forbidden fruit was waiting to be bitten.

9

I woke up
in the same attic, but in a different body. Ellie was lying next to
me, cocooned in a woollen blanket. Before getting up, I tucked her
more deeply into her warmth.

Before
leaving the room, I stood and examined her for a while; I couldn’t
help feeling a pang of jealousy. Her eyes were shut, trapped in an
enviable state of calmness. Her hair, though, was unkempt and her
parted lips, dry. I leaned down to kiss her, just to moisten them a
bit, without waking her.

After
dressing, I went downstairs to the kitchen. I was astonished to find
the fridge brimful with groceries. It was not that Pavlos was staying
there for a few days; it was that I had now moved to that house. And
perhaps, it was the first time it had really dawned on me.

Another
fridge crossed my mind, by sheer association. The one Ellie’s
mother feared wouldn’t fit in my aunt’s flat. Still, it
was a perfect fit. How small details life tinkers with...

Ellie came
down after a while. Talking came after a lingering, caressing kiss.
«What are you doing today?»

«I
have to help my folks with the house chores. We’ve invited
Thanos’ family to have Christmas lunch together and we have to
tidy up a bit. What are you doing?»

«I
don’t know yet. Hang around with Pavlos, I guess.»

She smiled
at me. She smiled for me.

Remembering
through our bodies the night before, we toyed with each other in
touches, stroking and kisses of laughter. We feasted on a breakfast
of each other.

«It’s
time I got going», said Ellie.

«You
really have to? Why don’t you stay a little longer? Steep
yourself in the moment.»

«Beautiful
moments must last only a little, so their spark will not exhaust
itself», she said, winking. She went up into the attic, got
dressed, came back downstairs, planted a kiss on my cheek and left.

10

I shrugged
into some warmer clothes and went outside. There was no way I
wouldn’t share such a beautiful day with my veranda, which,
like a good friend, had supported me so many times. I walked along to
the far side of her, leaning far over the marble columns. I gazed
into the distance.

I felt
alive. Was it the cold wind blowing against my face; was it the last
days’ changes; was it Ellie’s gift; or was it everything
colliding into each other? I couldn’t quite put my finger on
it. I felt I was no longer a child, and this had nothing to do with
the candles I had blown out the night before.

I went
gift shopping with Pavlos. We had a rough idea of what we were
looking for. A pretty shawl for Aunt Urania, a tie for Uncle
Haralambos, a black-and-white photography book for Natalia.

As
we were walking, we stumbled upon a corner shop with two big glass
windows. On one of them was stuck a paper advert, scribbled with a
phone number. There was
something
about that shop. In a blinding camera-flash, the photograph that had
long since been developed in my mind, materialised. It was the
bookshop I’d always been dreaming of.

Pavlos was
confused about why I had stopped. I didn’t even bother to try
explain. I stepped back to get a better look. Moving closer, I peered
through the dusty windowpanes to look inside.

«I
think I’ve found my own Christmas gift!»

He threw
me a mischievous smile.

I
memorised the phone number and hunted down the nearest telephone
booth, returning some minutes later, satisfied and very excited. The
woman I’d just spoken to was obliging enough to leave her
Christmas preparations behind to show the premises to an impatient
man like me.

«She’ll
be here in five minutes», I told Pavlos.

«That
quick?»

«Yeah,
she said she lives nearby.»

True to
her promise, a most agreeable, middle-aged woman appeared, beaming at
me. In her hand jingled the keys to the shop.

«You
are the one who called me?»

«Yes,
I am Vassilis and this is my brother, Pavlos.»

«Pleased
to meet you. I am Yiota», she said, extending her hand for a
quick handshake. Then, fumbling for the keyhole, she asked us:

«Are
you from around here?»

«I
am, but my brother lives abroad.»

«Brilliant.
So, here we are», she said, opening the door and stepping
inside ahead of us. «It’s been on the market for only a
month.»

I examined
it minutely from floor to ceiling, trying to see if it fitted the
picture of my dream bookshop.

«Would
you be interested in seeing the basement?»

We
followed her down a flight of metal stairs, reaching a dark, messy
room, which was spacious, nonetheless.

«Interesting»,
I said to myself and made a beeline back to the ground floor. I
excused myself for several minutes and spoke to Pavlos in private.

«It’s
good, isn’t?»

«Well,
it’s nice, but don’t you think you should ask first about
the rent?»

I winked
at him. «I’ll leave it up to you. You’re far more
experienced with this sort of thing.»

«Okay,
then. You’re sure you want it?»

To put his
mind at ease, I took a second examining look around the shop, though
I knew there was nothing else for me to check.»

«Yes.»

We
returned to Mrs. Yiota, who was standing behind the windowpane,
looking out at the road.

«Well,
we’re interested, but we need to talk about the rent.»

The woman
was happy to discuss the matter and it didn’t take us long to
come to an agreement. Sealing the deal on the spot with a simple
handshake, we committed ourselves to enduring the bureaucratic
rigmarole of it immediately after Christmas.

Pavlos
was impatient about the delay, as he didn’t know how much
longer he could stay in Greece, away from his commitments in his —
or
our? —
pub.
During his absence, his girlfriend Samantha and her brother Bob —
who was also Pavlos’ best friend — had taken over his
duties.

As a
gesture of goodwill, Mrs Yiota gave us the shop key. We went our
separate ways and carried on with our shopping.

I asked
him to keep mum about it all. I wanted to present it as a big,
organised surprise. But most especially, I wanted to prove I was now
an adult. I would set up the entire business on my own, completely
unaided.

And so,
that dusty old corner shop would become our first little secret —
the two brothers’ first conspiracy.

 
11

Now that
we had made the first move, nothing could stop us. We decided at the
last moment to throw a party at the house by the sea, to celebrate
the coming of New Year. Aunt Urania was astonished at the sudden
news, but still she received it with joy.

The party
was a wonderful success, as is usually the case when things are done
with the best of attitudes. We had prepared a lavish meal, which we
set out on a big table, along with juices and wine. The whole house
shimmered with light. After such a long time, it was vibrant once
again. Peals of laughter mixed with the waves, and the glass-clinks
with the lightning raging outside.

A few
seconds before the arrival of the new year, Pavlos turned off the
master switch.

«Will
we be together next year?» Ellie asked me in the dark.

«Yes,
and the year after that...», I whispered in her ear.

Little did
I know at the time; there is nothing more naive than the promises of
a person in love.

«...
three, two, one ...»

 
12

It was
already the first dawn of the New Year, ushering in my name day.
After staying up so late the night before, I was tired of good wishes
and in no mood for yet more of them.

Pavlos and
I decided to go for a ride in Uncle Haralambos’ car. My aunt
was disappointed we wouldn’t be staying for lunch. We promised
to give her the chance to display her culinary prowess in New Year’s
dinner.

Poor
Natalia didn’t ask to tag along, although I knew how badly she
wanted to. Deep down she knew that those days had somehow been set
aside for only Pavlos and I.

We set off
on an outing in my uncle’s car, without knowing where we were
going. We decided to pick a destination at random. Eventually, we
ended up at the lighthouse I could see from my attic. It was a
majestic journey, with the sea on our left-hand side and a cluster of
old, tall poplars on our right.

Besides
natural beauty, that road held something else in store for us;
something it would only reveal many years later.

«Have
you got a car in England?»

«Yeah,
I’ve got a Vauxhall — here you call them Opel; a bit old,
but in mint condition», he answered. «Ironically, it’s
the very same make as the one our parents were driving when they were
killed.»

«Would
you tell me more?»

«About
our parents?»

«No.
About the accident, and everything that followed. How did it affect
you?»

«Hard...
It’s the only word I can come up with, Vassilis. Up until then,
I knew nothing of responsibility. Everything had been laid out for
me. I was only eighteen, anyway, just like you. Imagine receiving a
call saying
Excuse me, but your parents
had an accident and have been rushed to hospital
…»

«How
did it actually happen?»

«Dad
drove back from the airport, where he had collected Mum, who was
returning from Greece. I wasn’t with him, as I was seeing some
friends that night. I was lucky — or unlucky, I don’t
know. At a train junction, Dad jumped the light, getting caught on
the rails. He was killed on the spot. Mum died in hospital some days
later, on the 24th July. The accident happened on the 21st, thirteen
years ago.»