-14-
After parking her Clio in the car park, Ruth walks the few hundred feet to the marina. Although the temperature in Crete is comparatively mild by London's standards at this time of year, nevertheless, it has dropped since Ruth first arrived there. Now she wears a light jacket, often removing it at midday. But at this time in the morning, she is thankful for it and the bright sun as she once again picks her way past the gently bobbing vessels moored in their slips.
Almost by intuition, she makes her way passing many locals most of whom wave at her and call out good morning. Others simply smile and nod; she in in turn, does the same. She knows she will miss the people and the island. But she also knows that her time here is coming to an end. And as much as she will always love Crete and the people, she knows as well that her true home is not here.
Neither of course is Harry.
For the last time she believes, she walks the pier, past the recreational vessels until she comes to the commercial slips. The ferries are there as expected, but the Argos is nowhere to be found. Perhaps its captain is making a run to Cyprus, she thinks, or somewhere in the Mediterranean, towing some unfortunate vessel back to the safety of the harbor. She smiles thinking of Stefanos at the helm, cap pulled over his eyes, squinting into the horizon, wearing his standard uniform of sorts: denim shirt, light blue jeans and sneakers sans laces. Even though she knows it is futile, she spends a few more minutes looking for him. Finally, she accepts that he really is not there. She's sorry for this on more than one level. The first of course is to say goodbye; the other far more troublesome because she can no longer put off what she knows she must do.
The irony is not lost on her: she procrastinates in doing the very action which initially drew her to Greece. And if not for Harry's intervention, she would have done so with disastrous results. She shudders inwardly thinking of the awful repercussions if he had not stopped her; if he had not managed to reach her in her confused state; if he had not loved her so much and followed her to Greece; if he had not taken such care of her; and finally, if he had not trusted her enough to let her go and allow her to find herself once more. But he did. And because he did, she is no longer confused. No longer lost. Yet even as she knows this, it is only now that she truly hesitates to act.
She walks over to the bench near the marina and sits down. She's forgotten her hat, and she shades her eyes with her hand, looking out at the water. Abruptly, she stands and walks a few steps away from the bench. Then she walks back to it but does not sit down. Finally, still standing, she flips open her mobile. She dials.
Harry:
I spoke with Athena, Nico's aunt, today. It was awkward, one could say. But after I made my intention clear, she softened a bit and told me she would get back to me with an answer. She is still upset, of course, about George. But I don't think she blames me as quite as much as I thought she would. At least she did not say so; of course, I cannot blame her if she does. But her true concern is for Nico; I told her that I feel the same and will abide by her wishes whatever they are. After I said that, she said my visit might be be good for him. And that he mentions me from time to time. But she wants to discuss it with his therapist first. I'm glad that he has professional support even though it pains me why he does. But it is probably one of the reasons why he is doing so well. At any rate, I do hope his therapist agrees with Athena. I also told her that I will say whatever she and the therapist deem appropriate. As I'm not sure sure what to say, actually, I will be glad for any suggestions either might have for me. Perhaps I will just smile at him and let him do the talking.
-Ruth
Ruth, my love,
You will find the words. If I can after years of disappointing my son, I am sure that you can. Children have an amazing capacity for healing. And forgiving. We can learn much from them. Please let me know what happens.
-Harry
Harry:
Athena called. She said YES. Nico's therapist agrees with Athena! And as as long as I adhere to certain subjects, my visit will be fine, perhaps healthy for him to see me. This of course all hinged upon whether he actually wanted to see me. I don't think I took a breath all day until I heard back from Athena. And he wants to see me. He DOES. Isn't that wonderful? I can hardly believe it! But now I need to be calm. Not so easy, but I will be. For Nico's sake. He deserves no less.
Harry. I'm going to see him.
-Ruth
Ruth, my love:
Do not worry so. Just be yourself. Know that I am thinking of you.
Harry
Harry:
Nico is so big! So tall! And slender. Oh, he is going to be such a handsome young man someday! And those dimples! Yes, he smiled at me. At first he was a bit shy. But then he smiled. A lot. First, we sat and had some biscuits; I had tea; he had his with milk, still his favourite. After, he showed me his schoolwork; he's an A student! But of course I'm not surprised at this. Not one bit! And his room! He's so proud of it! He's into astronomy, and he has lots of glow-in- the-dark decals on his ceiling and walls. When he turned off the light, everything glowed. It was beautiful. Then he pointed out the planets and stars and knew each and every one, even the constellations! He also had mobiles that he and his friends had built together. They hang them with invisible nylon string from the ceiling so they look as if they are actually in flight. Oh, I wish you could have seen how proud he was! He truly is a wonderful boy. And appears to be very happy as well. I find it nothing short of a miracle given the circumstances. I will be forever grateful to Athena for taking such loving care of him. And you, too, Harry. If not for you, my intended visit (if one could even call it that) would have been -well, I'd rather not think of it.
And by the end of the visit, he actually hugged me goodbye! And best of all, he wanted to know if he could see me again. Can you imagine? I didn't know what to say, so I looked over to Athena, and she nodded. She nodded. I get to see him again. And he also has my email, and I have his. It's all too wonderful and I..have to log off now since I'm having trouble actually seeing the keyboard...
-Ruth
Ruth:
I couldn't be happier for you. I love you.
Harry.
Not long after her visit with Nico, Ruth heads down to the marina again. As she makes her way down the pier, this time the Argos is clearly visible. So is its captain. He's on the deck, pointing at the helm to a member of his crew. Somehow Stefanos senses her standing at the bow of his tug. He turns to her.
"Jo." He says, a big smile on his weathered face. "Don't tell me you need passage to Cyprus again so soon?"
She smiles up at him, shaking her head a bit." Actually, Milos, I'm here to say goodbye."
His smile fades. "Are you leaving us?"
"I'm afraid so." She says. "And I couldn't go without saying goodbye to you. And thanking you for everything you've done for me."
He nods a bit sadly. "What are friends for? So," he says after a moment, "You are are going back to London. And ...Henry?"
" I am." She says, letting her reply speak for itself.
He nods. "I am not surprised." He manages a smile. "And I hope that you will be happy, Jo. But," he adds, " I suppose I will never see you again."
She shakes her head at him. "You won't get rid of me so easily. I love Crete, and I made some wonderful friends here, including you." She looks up at him and smiles. "And I also have a personal connection to ...some family I care about here and will visit from time to time. So you will see me again, if it's all right with you."
His smile is genuine this time. "You know it is. And," he adds, "feel free to bring Henry. The banker." Despite the sudden gleam that appears in Stefano's eyes, Ruth keep her face impassive as she extends her hand. "'Til then, Milos."
"Till then," he says, shaking her hand. She turns to go, then stops. "By the way, my good friends call me Ruth."
His deep-set eyes open at that. "Ah." He says, "Ruth." He pauses for a moment. "It suits you."
"You don't seem surprised," she says.
"In my business, very little does." He touches the brim of his cap. "Yia'sou, Ruth."
"Goodbye, Milos." She says and smiles. And turning for good this time, she heads back to her car. And finally begins her journey home.