‘Did he speak about looking for his niece after the earthquake?’ asked Eléni.
‘No, he arrived here only three years ago from Patras. Shall I tell his son you came to see him?’
‘No,’ said Simos. ‘He isn’t the Kostas Koulouris we want.Efcharistó.’
Two more to try. Eléni was disappointed, but not surprised. The next household they tried was further into the town. Set away from the street, it was a larger property and in better condition than the last house. Under the porch that ran the length of the house, four cats basked in the sunshine on themosaic-tiled terrace. The door was opened by a young woman who looked about the same age as Eléni.
’We’d like to speak with Kostas Koulouris,parakaló.’ Simos did the talking again.
The woman turned her head and shouted, ‘Pappoú! Some people to see you. Go through — he’s in the orchard. But I should warn you, he gets very confused. He forgets things. His memory is very poor now.’
Eléni was disappointed, but thanked the woman for warning them.
The passageway of the house was dark and cool, and led to a large square full of mature fruit trees. An elderly man sat in the shade of one of the fig trees.
‘Pappoú. These people would like to talk to you. Please, sit down.’
‘Kaliméra, Kýrios Koulouris. Do you remember the terrible earthquake? Lots of people were killed. Did you know anyone who died?’ Simos looked at Kostas’s granddaughter for reassurance that it was okay to ask. ‘Did you try to find a little girl, your niece?’
There was no reaction from the old man. Eléni hoped he might remember this significant event from twenty years ago, even though his memory was poor.
‘You weren’t here when the earthquake happened were you, Pappoú?’
Eléni’s heart raced. ‘You weren’t in Australia by any chance, were you?’
‘No. My grandfather was born to Greek parents and lived in America for many years. He missed the big earthquake in the fifties. My yiayiá was his second wife. I call him Pappoú, though. She emigrated with our family and always longed to return once the island was back on its feet. We all only came here about ten years ago.’
There was disappointment in Eléni’s heart for the second time that day.
Simos and Eléni stood and bade farewell to Kostas Koulouris.
His granddaughter saw them out.
‘Efcharistó.We’re sorry to have bothered your grandfather.’
‘And I’m sorry he was not the Kostas Koulouris you wanted.’ The woman turned to Eléni. ‘From your reactions, it’s important you find him, I think. Are you the niece?’
‘Yes, I emigrated too. Everyone thought my whole family perished, but I found out later an uncle was looking for me.’
The three shook hands.
‘Well, good luck. I hope you find him.’
Chapter Fifty
The third contact turned out to be a false trail, too. That Kostas had left the island the previous year and the new tenants did not have a forwarding address for him.
‘I’m sorry. It looks as if we are back at the beginning. Now our only hope of finding your uncle is the advert I put in the local paper. It is a weekly Saturday paper, so it should be in tonight’s edition. Come on, let’s go and get some lunch, and then we’ll find your aunt.’
After their meal, they returned to the car again and travelled in the direction of the cove on the map. If Eléni had remembered correctly, her aunt’s house would be close by.
‘Stop! I think it’s down there.’ Eléni pointed to a narrow scree lane leading to the left. The sea glistened below them. As Simos drove slowly over the uneven surface, her pulse raced. She knew she was in the right place — memories were fast returning. Through the pine trees, the smallholding looked the same, apart from the fact that the olive trees behind it were noticeably larger and the house itself had been extended. She half expected to see Maia playing with the kittens by the barn.
‘Is this the right place?’ Simos parked outside the gate and they walked towards the house. ‘It’s a lovely spot with that view.’
A brown-and-white dog bounded up to greet them, barking and wagging its tail.
‘Hello, boy. You seem pleased to see us.’ Eléni bent to stroke him. ‘Yes, this is it. Mamá used to take me and Maia to this beach to play.’
