Chapter 14 – Molyvos
The week passed in a blur. They did a little sight-seeing during the early part of the day, then Santana would rehearse a bit with the guitar and the piano, they'd rest either in their room or by the pool, have dinner, and then it would be time for Santana to perform.
She was having fun, though. She was experimenting with her original music; mixing it in with covers and people seemed to really like her stuff. Brittany continued to film, edit, and post footage from the performances along with a few still shots. Santana had continued to bring Brittany up for one song early in the night and then finish the night with a dedication to Brittany. She didn't care how hard it would be in the future; she was determined to make sure Brittany knew how much Santana loved her. Make sure EVERYONE knew that Santana Lopez was crazy in love and off the market.
Greg, Delia, and Trevor stopped by for Friday's performance to say goodbye; they were flying out early Saturday morning. Santana and Brittany had spent several hours with the family and were going to miss them.
It was Sunday evening; one more performance and then off to Skala Eressos.
"You excited?" Brittany asked her as she got ready for her final performance.
"Tired." Santana laughed. "I may not actually be too lazy to do eight performances a week but I am damn tired right now. I can't imagine having only one day off after a week like this."
Brittany nodded. They were on their way down to dinner. "Our souvenir box is full, we should ship that out tomorrow and start another one. What do you want to do about your guitar?"
They had been keeping the Euros in the sugar canisters until Giorgio had paid them for the week. Tomorrow they were going to a local bank and putting the money onto a prepaid card. It was going to cost them ten percent but they figured ten percent was better than getting robbed and losing it all.
Santana considered her options. "I'm not sure how much it'll cost but I know it's not going to be cheap to ship it home. I'm not going to need it after tonight so we'll need to find a shipping crate, bubble wrap, tape," she laughed, "and a shipping company."
"We'll need to find the shipping company regardless and we'll probably be able to get what we need right there."
Santana nodded. "So, we find the shipping company and find out how much it's going to cost to send it home. It might be easier to see if the guy at Petra will buy it back." Santana didn't really like that idea; she had really grown attached to the new instrument.
"You don't want to do that, though," Brittany smiled, "you really like it, don't you?"
"Yeah. I really do. I mean, I have a regular guitar at home but if I sell this one back, who's to say when I'll have the chance to replace it. I know I have all this money but I don't want to spend it foolishly; you know, buy a new guitar, sell it back for half price or less, then buy another new guitar. Doing stuff like that will have me burning through all that money in no time."
"So, we ship it to my parents." Brittany shrugged. "They'll store anything we send them in my old room or the spare room until we get back."
"Yeah, that sounds like the best idea. I really do like the sound and feel of this one; I'd hate to give it up and then not be able to find one I like as well."
"We should keep some of the Euros as cash. For, like, tips and stuff."
"We can keep some of the tips I've gotten this week." Santana shook her head; after her first performance, Giorgio had handed her a pitcher full of coins and bills. Apparently, there had been an empty pitcher on a table just outside the lounge and people thought it was a tip jar and put money in it. After that, she'd just placed it on the piano. She hadn't expected to be tipped but she wasn't going to turn it down, either. She'd left her guitar case open next to her while she played on the beach and people had dropped money into it. She'd made a little over six hundred Euros over the course of seven performances.
"Sounds like a plan." Brittany checked the time on her phone. "Time to go, babe. One more then it's fun, sun, sand, and surf for as long as we want."
xoxoxoxoxo
"I've had a great time this week at the Olive Press and I hope you all have enjoyed yourselves," Santana grinned at the crowd, which had spilled over into the dining area.
They applauded enthusiastically, some woots and shouts joining the accolades.
"Once again, I'm Santana Lopez. This is the last song of the night and, as always, this one's for you, Britt. I love you."
Let the bough break, let it come down crashing
Let the sun fade out to a dark sky
I can't say I'd even notice it was absent
'Cause I could live by the light in your eyes
Unfold before you
Would have strung together
The very first words of a lifelong love letter
Tell the world that we finally got it all right
I choose you
I will become yours and you will become mine
I choose you
I choose you
oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
There was a time when I would have believed them
If they told me, you could not come true
Just love's illusion
But then you found me and everything changed
And I believe in something again
My whole heart will be yours forever
This is a beautiful start to a lifelong love letter
Tell the world that we finally got it all right
I choose you (I choose you, I do)
I will become yours and you will become mine
I choose you (I choose you, I do)
I choose you (I choose you)
We are not perfect
We'll learn from our mistakes
And as long as it takes
I will prove my love to you
I am not scared of the elements
I am under-prepared, but I am willing
And even better
I get to be the other half of you
Tell the world that we finally got it all right
I choose you, yeah (I choose you, I do)
I will become yours and you will become mine
I choose you (I choose you, I do)
I choose you (I choose you, I do)
I choose you (I choose you)
Santana finished singing and the crowd was on its feet applauding and cheering. Brittany just smiled shyly, shaking her head as though she couldn't believe Santana was real. The Santana who couldn't (wouldn't) talk about feelings had poured her heart out every night; she sang and everyone could feel the love she felt for Brittany with every lyric.
"Thanks again! You've all been amazing!" Santana stepped off the stage and gratefully accepted the bottle of water Brittany handed to her.
As had become the custom, several people came over to talk to her and ask for her autograph; many asking for Brittany's as well. Once the crowd finally cleared, Santana packed up her guitar and pocketed the tips. She was just about to ask Britt if she was ready to leave when a short brunette woman approached her. She was probably in her late thirties or early forties with gray eyes and hair shot through with silver. She was about Santana's height and was a bit on the heavy side.
"Hello, my name is Petrina Kanide." She extended a hand for Santana to shake. "You have an amazing talent." Her tone and smile were warm.
"Santana Lopez," Santana shook the woman's hand and smiled slightly, "thank you."
"I was wondering how long are you here for?"
"We leave Molyvos tomorrow for Skala Eressos. We're not sure how long we're staying there but plan to do a tour of Europe probably starting next week."
Petrina nodded. "I ask because, in the first two weeks of September, there is a large women's festival in Skala Eressos. I was wondering if, perhaps, you might like to perform? We would pay for your lodgings and you would receive five hundred Euros for each performance; we would discuss the number of performances and when they would be."
Santana looked at Brittany.
"Well, I mean," Brittany said, "we don't really have any set plans, right? We could tour Europe for a bit then come back here for the first two weeks of September then go wherever." She shrugged. "We really haven't even set any plans for beyond Skala Eressos."
Santana nodded. "Oh, sorry, this is my girlfriend, Brittany." She introduced Brittany to the woman.
Brittany smiled and shook Petrina's hand.
"Since you will be in Skala Eressos this week, perhaps we can talk more while you are there? You can find me at my Taverna, The Artemis House."
"Okay, um, let us talk about it a bit more then we'll come find you. Say … Tuesday?"
Petrina nodded. "I look forward to speaking with you again." The woman smiled and shook their hands again before leaving the lounge.
Santana finished packing up her guitar and she and Brittany went back to their room. They ordered a fruit, cheese, and cracker plate from room service and sat down to unwind for a bit before bed.
"What are you thinking?" Brittany asked her.
Santana was scrolling through her phone. "It looks like this festival is kind of a big deal." She bit her lower lip.
"Santana, if you want to do it, then do it. I mean, that's not until September and right now it's only the first week of July. We'll have the rest of July and all of August to bop around Europe. We come back here for the first two weeks of September and then we've got the rest of September, all of October and November, and the first week of December to do whatever. It's not like it'll be the way it was this week, you know?"
Santana nodded. "I wonder if there's somewhere I can store the guitar until then? I mean, I don't want to ship it home if I'm going to need it again."
"You really want to do this, don't you?"
"Yeah," she said shyly, "if you're okay with it. If you're not, I'll totally skip it."
Brittany smiled at her. "Honey, it's fine with me. I don't care what we're doing as long as we're doing it together. Maybe Petrina can suggest a solution for the guitar."
Santana leaned over and kissed her. "I love you. You taste like strawberries."
Brittany laughed. "That's why you love me?"
Santana joined in her laughter. "No, those were two separate thoughts that got tangled together. I love you because … I love you."
"I love you, too."
xoxoxoxoxo
Song:
I Choose You – Sara Bareilles