Wish You Were Here

Chapter 11



It was a perfect spring morning and, when Alice walked out onto the terrace after breakfast, she inhaled the sweet warm air and knew that this day was going to be special. In fact, it was going to be a blue dress day and she skipped back up to her bedroom and grabbed the dress from her wardrobe. She had already worn it once into town but Milo hadn’t seen it yet and she hoped he would like it.

Looking at herself in the mirror before leaving, she couldn’t help thinking that there was something different about her today. Was it really as simple as putting on a beautiful dress? She doubted it and yet she couldn’t help acknowledging the fact that she felt so unlike her old self. Maybe it was because she was on holiday, but did it really matter? All that she knew was that she was happy to be her and that was a wonderful novelty.

As she walked into town, an old man raised his hat to her and a teenager on a bicycle waved to her and shouted something in Greek that she didn’t understand. She watched as he cycled on down the road and then he did a double take.

‘Just a friendly local,’ she said to herself, putting all thoughts of it out of her mind as she caught her first glimpse of the sea between the steeply stacked houses. There was a row of men sitting on the harbour wall with fishing rods, the backs of their necks already dark with exposure to the sun, and boats bobbed about on the water, the reflected light making magical patterns on their sterns.

And there was Milo waiting for her at the harbour, his moped standing alongside him. He didn’t see her at first and she had a chance to look at him properly. He was tall and slim with lean, strong arms and a head of dark curls and there seemed to be a nervous sort of energy within him as if it was difficult for him to keep still. His dark eyes were scanning the horizon and, when he turned and saw her and smiled, Alice felt as if she had been blessed.

Don’t get carried away, she told herself. This is just a bit of holiday fun. Don’t go making anything more of it.

‘Good morning,’ she said as she approached him.

‘I like that,’ he said.

Alice looked at him curiously. ‘What?’

‘The way you English say “good morning” – as if wishing the day to be good even if it is not so.’

‘But today is a good day, isn’t it?’ she said.

‘Today is very good,’ he said, handing her a helmet and helping her with the strap. ‘Right. We are ready to begin.’

Alice nodded, liking the way he phrased things. She was definitely ready to begin, she thought. Looping her bag over her head, she watched as Milo hopped onto the bike. She followed, placing her hands around his waist and giving a little yelp as they took off.

The speed at which they left the town made Alice feel quite giddy. She hadn’t realised how much power a moped had even when loaded with two people, but it climbed the steep streets of Kethos Town easily and they were out onto the open road with the sea far below them in no time.

The sky was a brilliant blue above them and Alice felt a huge bubble of excitement inside her and she couldn’t help wishing that her sister could see her now. Stella wouldn’t recognise her boring big sister, would she? Alice had to admit that she barely recognised herself.

Being on a moped was such a freeing experience and Alice could see why Milo loved it so much. He kept half-turning round and shouting back at her to make sure she was okay which she was, of course. She was so much more than okay.

It was about twenty minutes and several miles of scarily twisting roads later when Milo began to slow down. This part of the island was a lot quieter. There was only a scattering of houses and there were certainly no tourists. The landscape was rugged and rocky and it was hard to imagine a perfect sandy beach nearby but that’s what Milo had promised her.

They turned off the twisting main road onto a sandy track filled with enormous potholes.

‘Hold on tight!’ he called back as he skilfully negotiated the primitive track. It was obvious to Alice that he’d done so countless times before but she tightened her grip all the same.

The track was steep and went straight downhill and Alice gasped as she got her first glimpse of the beach. It was a tiny strip of sand between two hills covered with trees and was completely secluded from the world. Nobody but the most ardent of tourists would ever find it. This was a place for locals only and Alice felt honoured to be shown it.

‘You okay?’ Milo asked as they hopped off the bike. ‘Not too dizzy?’

‘Not dizzy at all!’ Alice said as she took her helmet off and shook her hair free. A wonderful breeze from the sea lifted it away from her face and she inhaled deeply. ‘What a perfect beach!’

‘This is my very special place,’ he said. ‘I keep it to myself but – today – I share it with you.’

Alice smiled and watched him as he unpacked the secret compartment on the back of the moped and shook out a blanket for them to sit on.

‘Let me help,’ she said, as he reached inside and brought out two bags of food. Together, they negotiated their way down the boulder-strewn beach before reaching the perfect white sand.

‘How did you discover this place?’ Alice asked.

Milo shrugged. ‘I used to explore a lot. When I got my first moped, I would be gone for hours – just riding the roads and looking, you know?’

Alice nodded. ‘I used to have a bicycle and do the same thing.’

‘And what did you find?’

Alice thought back to her bike rides around the Norfolk countryside. ‘Fields and woods and lakes.’

‘You still ride?’

She shook her head. ‘No. There doesn’t seem to be time anymore.’

‘No time?’

‘With work and things. I always seem so tired these days,’ she said.

‘But you should always make time for yourself,’ Milo said, shaking out the blanket.

‘It isn’t always that easy,’ Alice said. They put the bags of food and drink down and sat on the blanket.

‘When I first got my bike,’ Milo said, ‘I couldn’t get away fast enough.’

‘What did you have to get away from?’

‘A large family!’ he said with a grin.

‘You have lots of brothers and sisters?’

‘Oh, yes,’ he said.

‘I only have one sister and that’s more than enough!’

‘Here,’ he said, ‘let’s have some lunch.’

She watched as he opened the first bag of food and brought out a large white loaf of bread already neatly cut into slices. ‘I made it this morning,’ he said, ‘so it’s very fresh.’

‘You made bread this morning?’

‘You don’t believe me?’

‘Well—’

‘I told you I’d give you a whole day and that day starts very early when I get up to make this bread,’ he said.

Alice smiled. He seemed to do nothing but make her smile.

Following the loaf of bread was a great hunk of creamy yellow cheese, a container filled with shiny olives, and a bag of glossy green salad leaves.

‘I feel so bad that I didn’t bring anything,’ Alice said.

‘Don’t feel bad. This was my wish. You are my guest. Now, please help yourself and I will pour the wine.’

‘Wine?’

‘Of course. You cannot have a picnic without wine,’

Alice looked up into the sky where the sun was shining so brightly. Sun, sea and wine – this was going to be a sensory overload. ‘I think I’d better put my hat on,’ she said.

For a while, neither of them spoke but got on with the business of eating good food and drinking good wine. In fact, Alice couldn’t believe how good it all tasted. She’d forgotten the last time she’d eaten really glorious food. The canteen at work might have introduced a few new salads to the menu but most of the food was still school-dinner stodgy and, by the time she got home from work, she rarely had the energy left to prepare herself something wholesome but she promised herself that she would from now on. After all, what could be more simple than a loaf of bread and fresh produce?

She watched Milo as he ate, fast and merrily, glorying in every mouthful. This, Alice thought, was how life should be – taking the time to enjoy a simple meal in a beautiful place.

‘You’re having a good time?’

Alice nodded through a mouthful of salad. ‘You really know how to live, don’t you?’

Milo laughed. ‘What a funny thing to say!’

‘But you do. You really do and I envy you that.’

‘But anyone could live like this,’ he said, his dark forehead furrowed in bewilderment.

Alice shook her head. ‘Not everyone. You have to have courage to live like this.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean – you seem so free – so close to everything around you. Do you know what I mean?’

‘No. I don’t,’ he said. ‘But my English is not very good, I’m afraid.’

‘Your English is almost perfect,’ Alice said. ‘What I mean is, you do what you like. You have a job you love in a place you adore.’

‘That is true.’

‘And not many people have that luxury,’ Alice said.

‘That’s very sad,’ he said. ‘I mean, I can’t imagine living anywhere else or doing anything else.’

‘Have you always lived on Kethos?’ Alice asked.

Milo nodded as he drank the last of his wine. ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘There is nowhere else. At least, not for me.’

Alice looked at him and saw the light in his eyes as he gazed out to sea. ‘That must be wonderful – to be so sure of your home.’

‘But you have a home too?’ he said, turning to face her.

‘Yes, but I’m not sure I’m as attached to it as you are to yours.’

He looked at her for a moment and then nodded out towards the sea. ‘Look at that,’ he said. ‘The sea is six shades of blue. I know – I counted. Yesterday, it was four and the Sunday before you arrived, it was a green-grey like slate.’ He paused. ‘The sea is alive. It is like a person that keeps you company. You get to know its every mood and you come to rely on it being there.’

‘We have the sea too – where I live – but I don’t get to visit it very often.’

‘That’s – mad,’ he said. ‘Why live near the sea and yet not go there?’

‘I know! It’s crazy, isn’t it?’ Alice said, shifting herself on the rug so that she was kneeling. ‘I live in this beautiful county and yet I hardly get to see any of it.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because I’m working all the time!’ Alice all but cried.

‘Not all the time, surely?’

‘Well, no, but there’s my father too and I see him whenever I can.’

‘He’s ill, isn’t he?’ Milo asked gently.

Alice nodded. ‘He’s in a home and I know he has company there but it’s not the same as family, is it? So I visit him at weekends and then there are all the usual things to do around the house and then it’s time to begin the working week again.’

‘Oh!’ Milo said.

‘I’m sorry,’ Alice said. ‘I seem to do nothing but complain when I’m with you but it’s like you’re helping me to see things clearly for the first time.’

‘And what is it you’re seeing?’ he asked, leaning forward and gently tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.

Alice flinched very slightly in surprise at his movement which caused his fingers to brush her cheek.

‘What?’ she asked.

‘I said, what is it you’re seeing?’

She looked into his dark eyes and swallowed hard. She’d only just met this man and yet here she was, once again, telling him everything about herself. ‘Change,’ she said. ‘I need things to change.’

He nodded. ‘You’re unhappy, aren’t you?’

His tone was gentle and she could feel tears vibrating in her eyes and then something unexpected happened and he leant forward and kissed her. She couldn’t move – didn’t want to move. Instead, she kissed him back, and the sound of the sea in her ears and the warmth of his lips on hers seemed mesmeric for one beautiful moment and her tears were forgotten.

‘I should not have done that,’ Milo said at last when they stopped. ‘But you looked so sad and I—’

‘Wanted to take advantage of that?’ Alice said.

Milo’s face fell. ‘No,’ he said quickly.

Alice gave a little laugh. ‘I’m joking! Sorry. I didn’t mean to tease and it’s okay.’ She blinked hard, determined to get a grip of herself.

‘You don’t mind?’ he asked, his eyes wide with concern.

‘I don’t mind.’

He cocked his head to one side. ‘You are so lovely, Alice,’ he said, ‘and I hate to see you sad especially when today is such a happy day, yes? And you are—’ he paused.

‘What am I?’ Alice asked, almost dreading hearing his response.

‘I can’t think of the word.’ He seemed to be scanning the sky for a moment as if the right word might leap out of it and fall into his head. ‘Irresistible!’ he said at last. ‘That’s it – you’re irresistible!’

Alice laughed. ‘Are you sure?’

He nodded, his face lit up with his smile.

Alice sat stunned for a moment, realising that she had the sole attention of a handsome man. Just like she’d wished for.