Little blue door box set, p.62
Little Blue Door Box Set, page 62
‘Your T-shirt,’ I pointed.
He shrugged and clicked his tongue. ‘It happens,’ he said.
We followed him to the room nearest our bedroom on the left. He walked in first but I could see round him straight away. A gasp escaped my lips. It wasn’t just some rainbow the way I had imagined. It was Agios Stefanos with a rainbow coming out of the sea. It was like a giant watercolour or something. It was almost an impossible sight. I walked straight over to the mural, wanting to touch it.
‘It’s still wet,’ he laughed, before my fingers made contact.
‘Bloody hell, Tom. I had no idea you were this talented.’
Everything faded out into the room, the sea, the cliff edges, the beach, the rainbow. It was clear and yet a blurry impression. I loved it. It was more perfect than I could have dreamed.
‘I love it.’
‘Thank you, Tommy boy,’ Anton added, scuffing up the boy’s hair then pulling him close and roughly kissing his head with a dramatic smooching noise.
Tom just laughed. ‘You’re welcome.’
Chapter 38
Before leaving to meet Dora and her parents, I started to worry we were a bit of a mob. I didn’t want to intimidate them or make them feel like they should be in a display cabinet with us all staring at them, but everyone had decided they wanted to come along. It was Corfu and everyone wants to be welcoming and helpful, and after all the Evangelina problems, I think everyone wanted to suss out Dora – the girl who had been the real baby Keres. My full and undeniable sister. The baby Anton and I had first read about in the newspaper clippings my mum had collected when she started to realise that the baby she had been carrying inside her might have lived even after my father’s beating.
Athena was saying we should have let her cook. I could have argued, pointing out that it was actually our kitchen anyway and she was in fact another guest who should try to relax now and then. I’d tried it a couple of times but to no avail, and her cooking was so delicious that anything I made would just seem silly in comparison. Which was why I wanted to take them out. Also, my nesting phase was unbearable and I couldn’t stand the idea of a big event with lots of mess.
I could tell Gaia was excited but anxious. She was hoping to gain an auntie who was normal this time, and not trying to poison her to keep her subdued. I honestly still don’t know how she never blamed me for all the Evangelina business. If Katerina were alive to see the woman Gaia was becoming, I know she would have been proud. How could she not be?
Marty and Tom were still staying with us, but only for another day. When they said they would love to come, even though we hadn’t actually invited them, I couldn’t tell them it was a step too far. Especially with their imminent departure. All their bags were packed and next to the door. Since Marty had announced he wanted to move to Corfu too, his and Tom’s relationship had become as taut as an elastic band being stretched and aimed by the hands of a child. Would it snap? Would it propel itself uncontrollably into someone’s face? No one wanted to know the answer. I think we all hoped the tension would just balance out until they were home. Tom was eighteen, and his parents had divorced only a few years before. I hadn’t met his mother. Anton’s opinion of her was low, although he never actually said that. He would just flatten his nose to his face or press his lips together and shrug when I asked about her. He’d said she was very into her looks. I’d seen a photo of her and Tom on his eighteenth. She had been holding a cake the shape of a sports car with no candle in it and they were both carefully posed and smiling at the camera. At a glance, I was pretty sure she had a face full of chemicals, full tight lips and a smile that didn’t crease the corners of her eyes. Not that it mattered, of course, if she was a lovely person. But if her appearance was more important to her than her family, then I could see where a problem might start. Marty definitely had a vain streak. He was obsessed with fitness and didn’t relent on any day of the year and if you needed a mirror, it was a guarantee that Marty would know where it was. He also had a chip on his shoulder about being the shortest of the brothers, even though he wasn’t actually short.
I got the impression Tom wasn’t like either of his parents deep down but did his best to fall in with them either way. He worked out with his dad and went with his mum for Champagne brunches. But under all that muscle and gelled hair, he was an artist. His paintings were truly incredible. Every day since he had painted the rainbow on our wall in the baby’s room, I’d gone in there to sit on the cosy chair – the one to sit and feed our baby when they arrived – and just looked at it. It was nothing like I’d expected but perfect all the same.
As I sat on the sofa waiting for everyone to be ready, Anton sat down next to me, making the sofa move like a wave. He placed his hand on my knee, which was when I realised that I was bouncing it, jittering. I’d been distracting my mind with thoughts of his family and how to prevent overwhelming Dora and her parents. I wondered if Akis would be okay after his relationship with Evangelina. With everyone else joining in, we ended up inviting him too, so that we didn’t leave him out.
‘Melodie…’ Anton’s voice was like warm chocolate syrup coating me in a smooth and comforting flavour. My eyes met his, sharp and green with his brow low, casting a shadow over them. It was like I was noticing him next to me for the first time. ‘She is Greek. She will be used to big family get-togethers. This is small. She will be fine, I promise. Think, she came here at Easter and she knocked on our door all alone. She isn’t shy how you think she is.’
‘I hate that you read everything in my head.’ I slouched back into the chair.
‘No, you don’t.’
‘No… I don’t. But I should.’ I smiled and looked across the room with different eyes. I saw grandparents getting ready to support and embrace new family. I saw brothers who could keep conversations going in two languages. I saw a cousin from a different shape of family, the same age as Dora, perfect to understand her or perhaps talk to Sebastian, Dora’s boyfriend. Sebastian. That was another problem under it all. Sebastian. The anxiety dripped down my spine again and I shuddered. I’d be interested to see what Gaia thought of him.
A knock at the door signalled that Akis had arrived and it was time to leave. Time to see how my new-made family would interact with my found family. The ones I had no idea about. The ones who threw doubt and fear over me like a warm blanket in summer.
Chapter 39
Anton needed to drop something off at Fantasea, I wasn’t sure what; I didn’t ask. My mind was too focused on seeing Theadora again, and on talking to Sebastian properly for the first time. He stopped his Mustang across from the restaurant. When a minute had passed, I told Gaia I needed to stretch my legs before cramp set in. Another joy of pregnancy.
As my feet slipped out of the car, one of my flip-flops caught on a thin piece of fishing wire. I had to laugh at the memory of tripping over fishing wire in the exact same spot – perhaps it was the same wire half dug into the ground.
‘What are you smiling at?’ Anton came striding down from Fantasea. I slammed the door of the car and pointed towards the floor. He squinted, then laughed. His arms stretched out to me and he pulled me in. I twisted my head carefully to one side so as not to get any make-up on his shirt.
Gaia got out of the car on the other side, slammed the door, and walked around the car with her arms folded about her chest. ‘And what are you two grinning about?’
Our arms went slack, and we chuckled, looking at each other.
‘The first time we spoke – your dad and I – after bumping into each other in the airport, was right about here. I fell over some fishing wire, probably this fishing wire, and your dad gave me a giant plaster to make me feel better.’
We all laughed and Gaia gave a slightly sarcastic ‘aww’ before we all fell into a moment’s silence, looking out across the water. A grey-blue haze was drifting over the sea and thin white clouds streaked the sky here and there as though someone had whipped a paintbrush across the sky.
‘Can we walk down? We have time.’
Anton pulled his phone from his pocket, glancing at the time, then shrugged. ‘Sure.’
The village was still quiet as things were freshly opening to a new season, but every taverna had friendly faces greeting us and smiling out at us, all checking how the baby was doing, how far along I was. It was good to walk along that road, holding Anton’s hand, holding our baby inside me, and Gaia strolling in front with her thick dark hair whipping around her back. Inhaling the salt on the sea breeze, I closed my eyes, letting memories pour in. As we walked past the wall and stairs up to Nafsika to our right, a memory of Mama and Papa came into my head. They had brought me there the September after getting my uni results. It was our first time staying in Agios Stefanos and we went to Nafsika for our first meal. We had walked along looking at every possible place to eat, wanting to take in as much as possible before settling on Nafsika. We all had moussaka. It was bursting with herbs, juicy mincemeat and the portion was almost as big as the plate it was served on.
When our wine arrived, Papa had raised his glass and said, ‘To you, Melodie, my dear. We couldn’t have wished for a better granddaughter.’
Then Mama had reached across the table and squeezed my hand and said, ‘We are so proud of you.’
As we turned left down the little beach road towards Waves, I carefully took deep breaths in through my nose then slowly out through my mouth at the memory of them. Loss washed over me, hot and cold, lapping at me like the waves of the sea. Subtly there, but with the strength to absorb me if I let it. Anton caught my hand and stooped down a little to lift it to his lips.
‘It’ll be fine, Melodie mou, I promise.’ And with a gentle squeeze of my fingers, his eyes returned to look towards the beach and the sea at the end of the road. That vast blue power that could swallow everything up if it wanted to. Anton was so good at reading me, and he had quickly noticed the change in my face. He just hadn’t cottoned onto the reason. I was about to let Mama and Papa’s only other granddaughter into our lives. They would have wanted to know her. They would have been devastated to find out what had really happened to my mum. In many ways, I was glad they had died before they could find out. It hadn’t been their fault, but the guilt would have consumed them. The pain of losing her from their life was something they could barely talk about, as it seemed to snatch the air from their lungs, but at least they could imagine she had left to be happy somewhere else. That it had been a choice.
I needed to stop overthinking the past and focus on the meal in front of me. The rest of the family mob would already be there. They had left about the same time and had parked on the beach. We had suggested we would meet Dora and her family at Waves, because, well, it was our wedding anniversary after all. It seemed like the natural choice to take her and her parents to the venue of our reception. As we took our last step down the road towards the beach and one of the oldest tavernas Agios Stefanos had to offer, my stomach squeezed. Just a gentle tug. It was likely from the emotion of thinking about my grandparents and my mum. I had to push away the memory of walking down that road with Evangelina, too, taking her to Waves to first meet Akis. My skin suddenly felt too tight for my bones. Dora was not Evangelina. Dora was her own person. I shook off the feeling of Evangelina from under my skin. It was Sebastian I felt I needed to worry about now anyway.
We all settled in, overlooking the cobalt-coloured sun loungers with a few people lying sleepily across them, books in hands, enjoying the warmth on their skin that comes in early May. Only a few people were sheltering or snoozing under the thatched parasols. It was no longer my holiday destination. Instead, it was my home, bursting with family. I welcomed my new additions and introduced them to all of my Greenwood clan. Conversation flowed as easily as water and I did my best not to overthink or overanalyse whether everyone was happy enough. But certain things kept snagging, making it almost impossible to stop my brain from hooking on questions, questions that hooked on Sebastian.
His English was very basic, so most conversations where Sebastian was taking part were done so in Greek. Which left me with body language. This meant I had to be careful not to stare at him. I had taken in the basics of course, his Lego-look haircut and fitted clothes on his wiry frame, his confident posture and ample smile which made him seem to be quite charming. People would respond with smiles and giggle along with him. I imagined him to be the life and soul of any gathering. He had the command of Dora’s parents, who smiled whenever he took the floor. His hand was always holding Dora’s or a hand was on her knee under the table. But that was much like me and Anton, so I learnt nothing there.
I found out more about his background. He was from a good and prosperous family – I wasn’t sure if this was just a politeness – I thought not. More that Dora’s parents were proud of his calibre and status and thought that he was a good catch and match for their daughter. Possibly they were blinded by it. Either that or I was overestimating the strength of my pregnancy instincts and perhaps being too harsh on him. But there was still an air that clung to him like a cloud or a smell, something that couldn’t be defined and perhaps only I was attuned to.
Halfway through the meal, Dora excused herself to the bathroom. Sebastian smiled and let go of her hand. As she stood, Tom excused himself too and followed after Dora. When they returned, they were both laughing, and as Dora took her place next to Sebastian, I caught a look from Tom still watching her under his eyelashes. I think Sebastian caught the exchange too, as he gave Dora a lingering kiss. A blush touched her cheeks, and she took Sebastian’s hand, letting his fingers wrap around and engulf hers. I couldn’t help but look back at Tom. He didn’t outwardly react to their kiss, but instead he picked his phone up and slipped a little lower in the black wicker-look chair.
Another squeeze pressed in my abdomen. How tight was Sebastian’s grip? Dora didn’t look comfortable. Then another squeeze across my stomach. This time it was accompanied by pain. I didn’t say anything. It was probably just pretend contractions again, those Braxton Hicks ones, from stressing myself out and winding myself up. Either way, I did my best to think when I’d first felt the tension. On and off for an hour, perhaps? Dora and her parents had arrived a little late after getting lost, then we had ordered drinks, then starters and our mains had just arrived.
I was slowly making my way through my mixed grill, as I had decided it was one of my last chances to claim I was eating for two, when Anton squeezed my knee.
‘Are you okay, Melodie mou?’
I nodded. Seven minutes since the last one. I checked the time on my phone. The hospital was an hour away, but I was sure it would be days before I was giving birth. They say that a first child takes much longer, that contractions can build for days and days before it’s time for the baby to actually make an appearance.
After another squeeze, I decided to take myself off to the loo. Perhaps the baby was resting on my bladder, and if I relieved myself, that would make all the difference. I placed myself carefully down to wee, only as soon as I did, another contraction rolled in. Clamping my lips together over my teeth, a serrated sort-of-hum sort-of-groan emanated from my throat. When it was over, I was panting a little and sweat greased my forehead.
‘Melodie?’ It was Dora’s voice. ‘Are you okay? I am sorry to follow you in here, but you were looking a bit red in the face and I was worrying for you.’
‘Yes, I’m fine,’ I lied, before heaving myself out of the loo to be confronted with myself in the mirror. My face was much rounder that it had once been. Just slightly puffy and soft from the water that my body was saving up. That’s what I told myself, anyway. But as I washed my hands with Dora next to me, pretending to look into her own mirror, I could see she was right. My cheeks were obviously flushed, and I was beginning to show signs of sweating through my pale blue floral dress. At least between the contractions, I felt fine enough. Surely if the contractions were real, I wouldn’t be so normal between times.
‘Are you okay, Dora? I see you were getting on with Tom.’
Dora puffed out a happy noise, a tiny laugh perhaps, and coupled it with a smile as she tucked her long blonde hair behind her ears.
‘He is a nice man. I had toilet paper on my shoe. He saved me from embarrassing myself.’
‘How do you think Sebastian is finding us all? I hope bringing everyone wasn’t too off-putting?’
‘No, of course not! I love big family celebrations.’
‘And Sebastian?’
I was pushing my luck, trying twice to get her to tell me something about him, but I just wasn’t sold on him. No matter how hard I tried to make excuses, my body was coursing with hormones designed to make me sensitive to danger, and he made my head feel like it was going to explode. For once, I was going to listen to myself and not just give someone the benefit of the doubt.
‘Yes. He is Greek. He loves family.’
‘Marty is thinking of moving back here. I know Tom is thinking about it, too. If he does, maybe you could show him around Corfu Town or something. It would be nice for him to know people of his own age.’
She turned the tap on to wash her hands. There was no need to do so, other than for her to have a reason not to look at me. She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, my muscles coiled up like a boa constrictor trying to vomit, and I had to grip the sink and hiss through my teeth.
‘Melodie, these are contractions. We must get you to hospital.’
She frantically shook her hands, not wanting to use the hand dryer then erratically wiped them over her flowing black skirt before placing her hands on my shoulders.
‘I’m fine. I’m fine now.’ I brought myself upright, but I knew she was right. I needed to go to the hospital.
As we came back to the table, Dora still gripping my left shoulder and my left hand with her left hand. Anton caught sight of us and jumped up, pushing his chair back so hard it clattered on the floor and the table nearly went over. It reminded me of my birthday when I found out he was a widower. I was lightly spluttering over a drink and he jumped up at speed, making me feel even more stupid. So much had happened since then. His face, with strong cheekbones and glittering eyes, was being pulled and contorted as he squeezed between chairs to get to me.
