“And you know what? For years, I thought Cookie was a sweetheart! Of course, once her addictions came to light I knew she was more complicated than I’d originally thought. That’s one problem with being a physician. Too many hours are spent away from home, so you never really know what’s going on.”
“Listen, Carl. I always knew Eve was very fond of Adam. And I knew Adam felt the same way about her. But I didn’t think they’d step out on us. I really didn’t.”
“Cookie said Eve was dressed like a hooker when she saw her at Charleston Place.”
“Now why would she tell you that? She knows she’s just causing more heartache and trouble for all of us.”
“Yeah, it seems pretty mean-spirited. Since then, Eve gave up alcohol.”
“No kidding?”
“Yes. She said she needs clarity, and wine clouds her judgment.”
“Wow,” I said.
After breakfast, we took a taxi for the short ride to Corfu Town. Carl was staring out the window, enjoying the coastal views.
“The water’s beautiful. It might be nice to take a long walk along the shore. How’s the beach in Dassia?” he said.
“Rocky. It’s not the best for walking, but there are plenty of other smooth spots not too far away.” I was quiet then, thinking of how much Adam and I loved to walk the beach hand in hand on the Isle of Palms. “It is beautiful here.”
“I fired that nurse, by the way.”
“Well, that’s good,” I said, wondering if anything had gone on between them.
“I never touched her. She wanted to know why she was being fired and I told her sexual harassment in the workplace. How’s that?”
“She probably denied it,” I said.
“She did. How’d you know that?”
“It’s all about ego, isn’t it?”
“It sure seems like it.”
We got out by the Church of Saint Spyrídon, which was crowded with people walking in every direction. I had told him the whole story of the wandering saint and he was fascinated.
He said, “I’ll be the judge of whether his corpse is corrupted or not.”
He was ahead of me, walking into the church, and I stopped him.
“Let me take your picture, Carl! Stand right there on the steps!”
Then someone stepped up to me and said, “Go get in the picture with him!”
“Oh! Okay! Thanks!”
I quickly trotted myself to where Carl stood, he threw his arm around my shoulder, I put a big smile on my face and the nice stranger clicked away.
“Thanks!” I said as the man handed my phone back to me. Then I turned to Carl and said, “Now let’s go see Saint Spyrídon and ask him to bring Eve and Adam to their senses.”
We stepped inside the apse of the church and Carl looked up.
“Wow,” he said. “How old is this place?”
“Sixteenth century.”
“That’s old,” he said. “It’s a little spooky in here, don’t you think?”
“A little. Okay, want to go see the saint?”
“Let’s do it.”
We stood in line waiting our turn as others went before us. The same Orthodox priest was there chanting for each pilgrim. When it was our turn, I let Carl go first. He took a long look into the lavish silver coffin and seemed transfixed. He said something to the priest and the priest nodded his head. As I had done when I was here, Carl touched his foot. I saw the same look of astonishment come over Carl’s face and I knew he’d had a similar experience to mine. He moved on and I took his place. I repeated my petition to the saint and to the priest and just to be sure I hadn’t imagined it, I touched the saint’s foot again. Once more I felt a rush of something, and then it was over. Carl was waiting for me in the front pew.
He got up and followed me outside.
“How’d you like them apples?” I said. “Cool, right?”
“If I hadn’t seen that guy with my own eyes and experienced it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“It’s a little like touching the doorknob after you skate across carpet in nylon socks.”
“Yes, it is.”
I stood there and shook my head, thinking, Well, who knows? Maybe the saint had heard our prayers and was going to intervene on our behalf.
“Where should we go next?” Carl said.
“Let’s go to the Antivouniotissa Museum. They have a mind-boggling collection of Byzantine icons and all kinds of other religious treasures.”
“Let’s go! I’ll get us a cab.”
He managed to flag one down and I took his picture again before I got in.
“We have to document your vacation,” I said.
We played the role of tourists all morning, and then one o’clock found us seated in the Liston. We had just ordered lunch when his cell phone rang.
“Ted? What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“What? Oh, my God. Okay, okay. Don’t worry.” Pause. “No, I’m away. But I’ll be on the next plane.” Pause. “I’ll text you. Thanks.”
His face was drained of all color.
“What’s happened?”
“It’s Adam. He’s in the ICU at the Medical University. It looks like he may be in liver failure.”
“What?” I thought I was going to faint dead on the floor. Liver failure? I started to panic.
“It sounds like hep C. Let’s get a check and get out of here.”
chapter 19
eliza
I made my apologies to Kiki and Aunt Anna and threw my clothes in my suitcase. Carl booked airline reservations, and we were off to the airport one more time.
“I’ll return your Vespa for you,” Kiki said.
“The paperwork’s on the kitchen table,” I said. “Kiki, good grief, how can I thank you for everything you’ve done?”
“I know. I should open an airport limo service.” She looked at me in the rearview mirror. She was smiling. I knew she was teasing me then. “Maybe I’ll come to Charleston and stay with you for a vacation. I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”
“Yes! Come and stay! I’d love to have you. I have a big old house and lots of empty bedrooms and a place at the beach on the ocean. Bring Aunt Anna too!”
“Well, let’s let you get through this crisis first and then we’ll talk about it. I have a feeling that Adam will be fine. Here, take these.” I took a string of beads from her.
They were amber kombolo?, or worry beads—a secular Greek version of the Roman Catholic rosary.
“I sure hope you’re right. Oh, Kiki! They’re beautiful! Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. When I’m worried, I say my prayers and run my fingers over the beads. Somehow it helps.”
“Let’s see,” Carl said, and I handed them to him. He had a look at them and then gave them back to me. “Very nice.”
Carl was very quiet. Too quiet. That meant he was worried and not telling me what I needed to know. I would ask him what he was thinking as soon as we were alone.