Tom sat holding Eléni, who had a smile as wide as her face.
‘Kaliméra.I’ve missed you,cariad.’
‘You said it was Tom’s boat out in the bay. You were right.’ Cassia smiled at her daughter.
It wasn’t long before they were joined by Michaíl. Deep shadows under his eyes suggested he hadn’t slept either.
‘Well, this is a surprise to find you here.’ He embraced his sailor friend.
‘Kaliméra.I have some time off and I thought I’d come to see you. I’d like to accompany you on the ferry journey, if that’s all right?’
Cassia watched as the two men fell into conversation, completely at ease with one another. She went to cook breakfast and make coffee when she heard Tom’s voice calling her back.
‘We’ve got something to tell you both.’
Before he could continue, Eléni pointed at them in turn. ‘Ma-má, Tom.’ She then pointed at her heart, followed by kissing noises.
Tom laughed. ‘You already know! What Eléni is saying is Cassia and I love each other, and I’ve asked her to marry me. What do you think was her answer, Eléni?’
The little girl nodded her head.
‘That’s right. She said yes.’ Tom put his arm around Cassia.
Michaíl had tears in his eyes. ‘I’m so pleased. Anyone could see you were in love. I just hoped when you left, Tom, you’d be back to marry her. I hope you will both be as happy as me and Cora were.’
* * *
Before Tom and Michaíl left, DrAlexatos arrived as he’d promised.
‘I am very pleased you have someone to accompany you on the journey.’ He turned to Tom. ‘He should be fine, but please don’t let him exert himself. Once you find a seat for him, it’s best not to let him move round too much.’
He took the old man’s hand and shook it. ‘Antío. Goodbye, Kýrios Pavlis. Safe journey.’
The motorboat taking them to the ferry in Sami was due to leave at eleven o’clock. It was a short distance from Taverna Zervasto where it was moored. For Michaíl’s sake, Cassia was glad no one else knew of the actual day he was leaving. It was difficult enough for the old man to leave his home and say farewell to her and Eléni.
Hugging them both, Michaíl whispered, ‘Antío sas.’His eyes were glassy with unshed tears, but his stoicism did not allow them to fall. Tom led him onto the boat.
The hooter sounded. Cassia and Eléni watched as the motorboat manoeuvred out into the open Ionian Sea.God bless you, Michaíl. I will never forget you.Cassia squeezed Eléni’s hand. ‘Tom will look after him on his journey.’
They walked back to the taverna in silence. In spite of her young age, Eléni seemed to sense the serious nature of the occasion and kept looking at Cassia with concern. In her short life, she’d experienced more tragedy and heartache than any three-year-old should have to deal with.What will she remember when she’s older?wondered Cassia.
* * *
It was late when Tom arrived back from Patras.
Cassia rushed into his arms. ‘Efcharistó.Thank you for what you did for Michaíl today. Was he all right on the journey? What was his sister like?’
‘Slow down. Let me get in through the door first.’
Cassia poured him a drink. They went into the living room and Tom recounted everything about the day.
‘Once he’d said goodbye to you and Eléni, he relaxed. In some ways, I think it did him good before all the emotion of seeing his sister again. We had a long chat aboutourfuture. Iunderstood a lot of what he was saying now that I’ve learned more Greek, thank goodness. How I was to do my best by you. It was just like a talk with the bride’s father I’ve heard my mates talk about.’ Tom paused to sip his beer. ‘When we docked in Patras, his sister and his nephew were waiting for him. It was obvious she was shocked by his appearance, even though it had only been a matter of weeks since he’d last seen her.’
Michaíl’s poor sister was going to have to watch her brother waste away. Yes, it had been a shock when Nikos died. There was no time for preparation — one minute he was there, and wiped out the next. But Cassia didn’t have to see him suffer and could remember him as the healthy young man he’d been.
‘As I left, Michaíl handed me this. It’s addressed to you.’
Cassia took the letter and not knowing what it could be about, she opened it, her heart racing. She began reading aloud.
