rumbles inside, the tempo faster than the falling
snow. Darkness spreads away from O Kipos .
Alekos’ teeth are chattering. I know what Despina will say if she catches us sitting outside, in the
snow, with no coats on.
‘How much more sorted do we need to be?’ I ask.
‘What?’ Alekos frowns.
‘We’ve got enough money. We’ve got jobs. We work for your parents for God’s sake. You said if we
left it until after we’re married…’
‘There’s no rush.’
‘Aleko, you’re thirty this year. I’m twenty-nine. How can you possibly think there’s no urgency? I
was living away from home when I was eighteen. I miss that freedom.’
‘So do I. I’ve spent two summers away from here too.’
‘Then what’s stopping us?’
He doesn’t answer. The snow’s falling thickly now, settling on the table between us. The heater
glows with warmth and the snowflakes landing on it melt instantly. Alekos moves to the edge of the
bench to be as close to the heat as possible. I watch him. His year-long tan looks washed
out.
‘It’s your mother. I know she wants you to stay here,’ I say. ‘But you can’t do what she wants all
your life.’
‘You don’t understand. It’s just the way family life is here.’
‘What about having a life of our own, Aleko? Time together, a place where we don’t have to abide
by your mother’s rules. That’s what I want. That’s what we talked about. I thought we both wanted
the same thing.’
‘We do.’
‘Really?’
‘We both want to start a family.’
‘Not like this I don’t.’
He looks at me, open-mouthed, as if I’d just punched him in the gut.
I shrug. ‘Promises don’t mean anything unless you act on them.’
‘I’ve been trying.’
‘For over three years?’
‘That’s not fair,’ he says.
I know it isn’t but I need to take my frustration out on someone and who else do I have to talk to. I
reach across the patio table and hold his hand. ‘I’m sorry. I’ve just been thinking about how good it
would be to start again. Maybe go back to Cephalonia. Just have a break. Spend some time together.
Wouldn’t it be great to have our own restaurant?’
‘You were the one who happily moved over here. The only promise I made to you in the beginning
was wanting to be with you. And I still do.’ He stands up. He’s shivering. ‘I’m going inside. Nikos and
Demetrius are waiting to go to Katerini.’
I watch him trudge back across the patio. He leaves footprints in the snow. Yannis’ laughter rings in
my ears as he screeches in delight with the other children. On the few occasions it snowed when I was a
child, Mum would wrap us both up in hats, scarves and gloves and we’d go out into the
back garden and make the biggest snowman we could. We’d raid the vegetable box for a
carrot for the nose and we even had coal for the snowman’s eyes because of the open fire in
the living room. Mum used to be as excited as I was the moment the first flake of snow
fell, until the cursing began because the car wouldn’t start and the key snapped in the
lock.
‘Sophie! You’re going to make yourself ill!’ Despina calls across from the corner of the restaurant.
Despite the Christmas lights and glow coming from the kitchen, I can barely see her she’s wrapped up
that much. She has my coat folded neatly in her arms. ‘Come inside before you freeze to
death!’
Chapter 6
It takes another eight months until we manage to both get a long weekend off from the restaurant but
we go to Santorini instead of Cephalonia. The view from our bedroom at O Kipos towards
Mount Olympus is difficult to beat but this spot on Santorini is something else. From our
apartment’s balcony I can see across the blue sea of the caldera to Oia and its cluster of
whitewashed buildings clinging to the end of the island. Blue ocean stretches to Crete and then
North Africa beyond. It’s so peaceful. No voices, no music, nothing to disturb the early
morning.
I go back into our holiday
snow. Darkness spreads away from O Kipos .
Alekos’ teeth are chattering. I know what Despina will say if she catches us sitting outside, in the
snow, with no coats on.
‘How much more sorted do we need to be?’ I ask.
‘What?’ Alekos frowns.
‘We’ve got enough money. We’ve got jobs. We work for your parents for God’s sake. You said if we
left it until after we’re married…’
‘There’s no rush.’
‘Aleko, you’re thirty this year. I’m twenty-nine. How can you possibly think there’s no urgency? I
was living away from home when I was eighteen. I miss that freedom.’
‘So do I. I’ve spent two summers away from here too.’
‘Then what’s stopping us?’
He doesn’t answer. The snow’s falling thickly now, settling on the table between us. The heater
glows with warmth and the snowflakes landing on it melt instantly. Alekos moves to the edge of the
bench to be as close to the heat as possible. I watch him. His year-long tan looks washed
out.
‘It’s your mother. I know she wants you to stay here,’ I say. ‘But you can’t do what she wants all
your life.’
‘You don’t understand. It’s just the way family life is here.’
‘What about having a life of our own, Aleko? Time together, a place where we don’t have to abide
by your mother’s rules. That’s what I want. That’s what we talked about. I thought we both wanted
the same thing.’
‘We do.’
‘Really?’
‘We both want to start a family.’
‘Not like this I don’t.’
He looks at me, open-mouthed, as if I’d just punched him in the gut.
I shrug. ‘Promises don’t mean anything unless you act on them.’
‘I’ve been trying.’
‘For over three years?’
‘That’s not fair,’ he says.
I know it isn’t but I need to take my frustration out on someone and who else do I have to talk to. I
reach across the patio table and hold his hand. ‘I’m sorry. I’ve just been thinking about how good it
would be to start again. Maybe go back to Cephalonia. Just have a break. Spend some time together.
Wouldn’t it be great to have our own restaurant?’
‘You were the one who happily moved over here. The only promise I made to you in the beginning
was wanting to be with you. And I still do.’ He stands up. He’s shivering. ‘I’m going inside. Nikos and
Demetrius are waiting to go to Katerini.’
I watch him trudge back across the patio. He leaves footprints in the snow. Yannis’ laughter rings in
my ears as he screeches in delight with the other children. On the few occasions it snowed when I was a
child, Mum would wrap us both up in hats, scarves and gloves and we’d go out into the
back garden and make the biggest snowman we could. We’d raid the vegetable box for a
carrot for the nose and we even had coal for the snowman’s eyes because of the open fire in
the living room. Mum used to be as excited as I was the moment the first flake of snow
fell, until the cursing began because the car wouldn’t start and the key snapped in the
lock.
‘Sophie! You’re going to make yourself ill!’ Despina calls across from the corner of the restaurant.
Despite the Christmas lights and glow coming from the kitchen, I can barely see her she’s wrapped up
that much. She has my coat folded neatly in her arms. ‘Come inside before you freeze to
death!’
Chapter 6
It takes another eight months until we manage to both get a long weekend off from the restaurant but
we go to Santorini instead of Cephalonia. The view from our bedroom at O Kipos towards
Mount Olympus is difficult to beat but this spot on Santorini is something else. From our
apartment’s balcony I can see across the blue sea of the caldera to Oia and its cluster of
whitewashed buildings clinging to the end of the island. Blue ocean stretches to Crete and then
North Africa beyond. It’s so peaceful. No voices, no music, nothing to disturb the early
morning.
I go back into our holiday
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