Simos stood and bowed his head. ‘At least I have proof they existed. Alexander and Andreas, my little brothers.’
‘I’m so pleased you’ve found them. Do you think the next grave could belong to your yiayiáand pappoú? They have the Georgatos name, so they could be your baba’s parents.’
Simos agreed and read their names aloud. ‘Gerasimos Constantine Georgatos, Daphne Gaia Georgatos, Yiayiá and Pappoú.Another Gerasimos. Perhaps they were very religious. Especially as my twin brothers had Christós as their middle names. I do remember having to go to church a lot. Why haven’t I had these memories before?’
Eléni squeezed his hand. ‘Because you were afraid to remember and you buried it deep inside you. I expect the next grave belongs to your auntie.Demosthenes Stavros Pandis, Maria Eléni Pandis, Daphne Zena Pandis, Cora Maria Pandis.’
‘I can’t explain, but, after coming here, I feel different. Being reminded of everyone’s names and knowing they are lying at rest together has somehow lifted the heaviness in my chest thatalways weighed me down.’ Tears wetted his cheeks as he pulled Eléni into a hug.
‘Thank you,’ he whispered. ‘I couldn’t have done this without you.’
Eléni didn’t suggest calling in on her uncle. She could see Simos was emotionally drained. She would visit Kostas Koulouris once more before she left.
Instead, they headed back to Argostoli and returned the hire truck. They ate a light meal in their usual taverna.
‘I shall be looking like a Greek salad before long.’ Eléni laughed. She was going to miss the creamy feta and sweet tomatoes when she returned home.
‘And you’ll remember me as the one full of spanakopita!’ He patted his stomach.
It was good to see him relaxed after the intensity of the morning, thought Eléni.
‘I think we need a treat. How about a swim? If you go and get your swimsuit, I’ll see if I can hire a boat. How does that sound?’
Her heart skipped a beat. ‘Perfect.’
* * *
Simos was already in a small motorboat when she got back to the quayside after changing at the lodging house.
‘We were lucky. Just one left. Welcome aboard,agápi mou.’
He took her hand and she sat down in the middle of the boat while he guided them out of the harbour. Soon they were out on the open sea, with the wind cooling Eléni’s face as the boat picked up speed. The aquamarine water sparkled in the sun and splashes of white foam came over the side as the boat hit the waves.
Simos turned off the engine and came to sit beside Eléni as the boat slowed down. ‘Just look down into the water and see how clear it is.’
She leaned over and watched a shoal of silver-white fish in the turquoise water below her. They were marked with black bands. ‘There are loads of fish and I can see right down to the rocks at the bottom.’ Eléni was mesmerised.
‘I bet they’re a silvery colour with black bands near the neck and the tail. Two-banded sea bream. You know the fish you ate at the restaurant the other night? Well, this stretch here is where they catch them.’
Simos started up the engine again and took the boat into a secluded cove. The beach was backed by steep white cliffs curving around to form a horseshoe shape. Sparse dark green shrubs grew on the side of the rocky surface. He dropped the anchor a short distance from the marble-white beach. It was deserted and there were parts of it that would not be able to be seen by other passing boats.
‘There’s no one around, but you can change inside the helm if you like,’ said Simos. ‘I’m going to swim to shore and pull her in.’
He stripped off and dived into the water. The toned muscles on his abdomen caused Eléni’s insides to melt. There was no white line where his swimming trunks would have been. There were no other boats in sight so she did the same. The feeling of the cool water on her body was exhilarating. By the time she reached the shore, Simos had dragged the motorboat onto the beach and had spread beach towels on the fine white pebbles. He came to meet her and pulled her towards him. The feeling of their wet skin touching sent fizzles of longing through her. They lay down on the towels and kissed. Taking their time to explore each other’s bodies made the ultimate pleasure they eventually reached even more intense than usual.
Simos planted gentle, tender kisses along Eléni’s cheek and neck. ‘Thank you for today,agápi mou. I’m a completelydifferent person because of you. You’ve put me in touch with my feelings for the first time I can remember.’ He kissed her again.
‘Oh, Simos. I can only imagine how much better you feel. And you helped me, too, don’t forget.’ How could this come to an end? Again she was torn between returning home and staying with Simos.
‘I hope you can tell I’ve fallen in love with you. I’ve never had feelings like this for anyone before. I can’t imagine a future without you.’
Eléni’s pulse raced. This was all she’d dreamed about since she’d first met him.
‘I love you, too... And you won’t have to.’
She sat astride him and brought her mouth to his.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
