Among the Olive Groves Read online

“It is a lovely day for a sleep,” he said loudly.

  She stirred and sat up quickly, startled to find someone next to her.

  “Angelos! You made me jump.”

  “You are lucky I found you. My father hates people trespassing on his land.”

  Elena almost said something rude but bit her tongue, not wanting to upset him. “How are you?”

  “Good. You?”

  “Good.”

  “I am sorry I ran out on you the other day. Can we start over?”

  Elena nodded, smiling.

  “Hi, I am Angelos,” he said and held out his hand.

  “Hi, I am Elena.” She took his hand and shook it, before collapsing into giggles.

  “Hello Elena. So, friends again?”

  “Yes, friends.”

  “Good.”

  Elena jumped to her feet and pulled him from the ground. “Come on, let us go to the beach!”

  He rolled his eyes, and followed in her wake, all thoughts of work abandoned. She was an unpredictable force of nature but, as far as Angelos was concerned, he did not care. As long as he was with her, she could do whatever she wanted. Love was like that. There were no boundaries and he for one was glad they were friends again.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Zakynthos, Greece, 1938

  Elena and Angelos became inseparable over the summer. Angelos found it hard to slip away from work, fearful that his father would find out, but he took a chance and met Elena whenever he could. They walked to the beach, sat on walls watching the lizards, and ran through olive groves singing. Angelos was deeply in love with Elena, a love that grew stronger with every passing day, but as yet he had not acted upon it. There were so many obstacles in the way, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. Elena enchanted him and he felt breathless whenever she was around. Elena seemed oblivious to Angelos’s feelings, and treated him as a friend. He did not care though. He was just happy to spend time with her.

  As the heat intensified over the summer, they lounged on Xigia Beach and swam in the clear sea. They dived down through sunlit dappled waters, to see who could reach the sea bed, a never ending yellow mass of rippled sand. Swimming through the water, they watched as fish moved seamlessly past them, oblivious to the humans invading their peaceful underwater existence. They enjoyed the feel of the cool ocean against their suntanned skin, and the freedom of the unspoiled nature that surrounded them.

  One afternoon, while languishing in their favourite cove with the sun beating down upon them, listening to the gentle waves brushing the shore, Elena turned to him.

  “Tell me about your family, Angelos.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they are your family and you never talk about them.”

  He shrugged. “They are normal, like yours.”

  “Hardly. From what little I know, my parents are nothing like yours.”

  Angelos sighed, shaking his head. Elena’s green eyes flashed in the sunlight, as if luring him in. He spoke, knowing he must answer if he wanted to keep her company.

  “You would not like them. My mother is quiet, a worrier, like a timid little mouse. She rarely speaks when my father is around. My father owns many of the olive groves on this side of the island, as you know. He employs many people at harvest time, and thinks he is a great man, but he is ruthless. He has a temper and I worry that I will turn out like him. It scares me sometimes. He expects me to take over the business when he is gone. I am his son, his only child, and the Sarkis name is very important to him. Sometimes I think it is more important to him than his actual family.”

  “Do you love your parents?” Elena asked.

  It was a question he was unable to answer. “What is love?”

  They were silent for a moment, each considering the question.

  “Love, Angelos, is when you care deeply for a person. Love means you will always be there for them. Love means you would protect them, fight for them and even, I suppose, die for them.”

  “If that is love then, no, I do not love my father. He is a mean man and I disagree with him and everything he does. I think maybe I love my mother a little, but she is cowardly, so I cannot fully love her.”

  “So you do not truly love anyone then?”

  Angelos stared at the one person he did truly love. The person he loved with all his heart, cared deeply for, would always be there for and would always fight for. But how could he possibly tell her? He knew all about Elena’s family. They were so very different to his and he knew his father would be furious if he ever discovered their friendship. His family was akin to gentry. Elena’s were poor mountain folk, scraping a living wherever they could. His father would never approve of any kind of relationship between them. Angelos wanted to tell her that he loved her, but friends they would remain and nothing more. It made him sad.

  “Angelos?”

  “No, Elena. There is no one I love.”

  Elena jumped to her feet, fire flashing in her eyes. “Then you too are a mean man, Angelos Sarkis! You are just like your father!”

  She stormed up the beach leaving him sitting there. Angelos wanted to run after her but, if he did, he would have to give in and declare his love for her and that would only bring hurt and pain. Lying back on the warm sand, Angelos closed his eyes and wished he had never been born.

  ~

  A few days later, Angelos was sitting at the kitchen table pushing his half eaten breakfast around his plate. He had not seen Elena since their argument and he missed her. Pigi, his mother, stood at the sink rinsing the breakfast dishes. Loukas, his father, sat at the head of the table, silent and stony. Until Loukas gave his permission, Angelos was unable to leave the table, which frustrated him. It was as though his father controlled his entire life and he hated it. Finally Loukas stood, nodding permission to his son, and Angelos followed suit. He deposited his plate on the side next to his mother before planting a delicate kiss on her cheek, patiently waiting for his father to leave for work so that he could race towards the beach and search for Elena.

  “You are coming with me today, Angelos. We have work to do, the olives need our attention,” Loukas said, placing a battered hat onto his head, the only protection he got from the sun while walking the groves.

  “Yes, father.” Reluctantly, Angelos followed Loukas into the bright sunshine. The donkey was already harnessed to the small cart. Angelos climbed up next to his father, and felt the gentle bobbing back and forth motion as they set off. Silence settled upon them, only occasionally interrupted by the clopping sound of the donkey’s hooves on the lane and the twittering of birds in the trees.

  The two men worked silently side by side for hours, only stopping to eat some village bread and olives, and to drink some wine when the sun was directly overhead. Once they had finished, they returned to work. It was tedious and backbreaking, and Angelos was beginning to hate the daily grind of working out in the baking sun.

  A tuneful melody came to them suddenly on the passing breeze. It was a sound that Angelos recognised and it made his heart soar. His sweet angel had found him and was calling for him. The noise irritated Loukas and he marched off to investigate. Sensing trouble, Angelos followed. As they rounded a line of trees, they saw Elena, sitting on the wall, singing her heart out.

  “You there!” Loukas shouted. “Get off my wall!”

  Elena looked up, and smiled. A single melodic note stuck briefly to her lips before floating away on the breeze, to be lost forever.

  “Hello! You must be Angelos’s father.” She jumped from the wall and walked up to them. As usual, her feet were bare and her hair was tied back with a headscarf. Angelos smiled shyly.

  “I am Loukas Sarkis, and you are on private land, peasant.”

  Angelos groaned. He wished his father would not treat everyone like a second class citizen. Elena ignored the insult. These may be his groves but, as far as she was concerned, the beauty of the surrounding nature belonged to everyone. Walls were there to be climbed and gates to be opened.

>   “Is this your grove? I like it; it is one of my favourites. I like sitting under the trees and watching the lizards bask in the sun.”

  Loukas was furious at the cheek of the girl. He had seen her many times before, running around with no shoes on, climbing walls and trees, trespassing where she should not. She was poor mountain folk, nothing more than a gypsy. He could see from the look on his face that his son was already acquainted with her, which unsettled him. It was something he would have to put a stop to. A few well-aimed lashes of his belt would ram the point home.

  “I do not care.” Loukas stepped forward and took hold of her arm. “You are on my property, girl. You need to leave,” he snarled as he marched her past Angelos and up the grove to the main road. Angelos trudged behind them, feeling sorry for Elena. He wished his father was not such a monster. At the road, Loukas released Elena and climbed into the cart. Angelos knew the working day was over. Loukas would now abandon his grounds to seek solace in a bottle of ouzo. Left with no choice, Angelos climbed up beside Loukas. He was desperate to turn and smile at Elena, but he did not dare. His father frightened him too much.

  ~

  Lying on the beach, Angelos stared up at the never-ending sky. The bruises from his father’s belt had turned from black and deep purple, to a dull shade of green and yellow, and no longer hurt as much. Despite his punishment, he still sneaked out when he could, desperate to see Elena, but she had stayed away. It had been almost a week since he had last seen her. Sighing, he knew he should be going home. His father’s leash had tightened since that day at the groves and he did not want to become a punch bag for his father’s wrath again.

  As he stood, he caught sight of her. She was leaning against a lone tree, watching him. How long has she been there? He wondered. Slowly he walked towards her, and calmness washed through him. Elena ran to him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly before stepping back.

  “Angelos, my friend! Where have you been? I have missed you so much.”

  “I had to work. My father was so angry with me for talking to you.”

  “I have decided I do not like your father very much. He is a horrible man.”

  Angelos laughed. He could not help it. She was always so frank and honest. “Do not tell anyone I said this, but I do not like him much either!”

  “Angelos! That is no way to talk about him; he is still your father!”

  He shrugged. In his head, he had too many horrible images. Too many reminders of beatings to believe his father cared about him, and to see the way he had treated Elena made him mad. Elena was not a peasant. She was a beautiful young woman, with a strong personality.

  “Come Angelos, we will go for a walk and talk properly.”

  “I cannot. I have to get home.”

  She pouted, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. “I thought we were friends.”

  “We are, but my father is expecting me.”

  Elena rolled her eyes. “We do not want to upset your father now, do we?”

  “Elena...”

  “Okay. Okay. But you must meet me tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Tomorrow. I promise.”

  Angelos planted the lightest of kisses on Elena’s cheek before running up the road.

  ~

  Angelos kept his word. As he pulled on the bicycle’s brake, Elena was already sitting on a gate, swinging her legs and singing. Her own battered old bicycle, that had seen better days, was propped against the wall.

  “I knew you would come!” she squealed. She jumped down and ran over to hug him. Angelos awkwardly hugged her back, still finding bodily contact with her difficult; it stirred feelings in him that he could not even begin to comprehend. They climbed onto the bicycles and pedalled their way through winding lanes, lined with wild flowers and trees. Angelos always marveled at how Elena enjoyed everything she did. Today he was even more surprised.

  “You are wearing shoes! I thought you hated them.”

  “I do, but I cannot cycle without them. The pedals hurt my feet too much.”

  Angelos laughed and weaved the bicycle around her.

  “I will race you! All the way down the hill to the beach!” he shouted.

  A mischievous smile crept across her face. “Prepare to be beaten, Angelos. I am very fast!”

  They pedalled hard and sped down the hill. A wide smile spread across Angelos’s face as he watched Elena. She had stopped pedalling and was allowing the momentum to carry her. She stuck her legs out and the wind whipped her long hair out behind her. Remembering the race, Angelos pedalled furiously to overtake her.

  “I am going to beat you!” he shouted back at her, but as they reached the bottom, he deliberately slowed a little allowing her to overtake him. He did not care if he lost; he was content just to see her happy and having fun. At the bottom of the hill, they wound along the lanes until they reached a cove. Leaning their bicycles against a tree, they ran across the pebbles to a small wooden jetty. A rowing boat was tethered to the end of the jetty.

  “Come Angelos! Let us go for a boat ride!” She was already running along the precarious slats of wood, clapping her hands in delight.

  “I do not think we should, Elena. It is not our boat.”

  “There is no lock on it. It means it can be borrowed. Oh come on Angelos, it would be so much fun!” She was grinning, clapping her hands and jumping up and down like an excited child. “Please, for me.”

  Angelos knew he was unable to resist her. Shaking his head, he stepped onto the jetty and walked towards her.

  “Okay. But I row.”

  She twirled her hair in her fingers. “Can I have a little go?”

  “We will see,” he said as he lifted her in one swift motion, depositing her into the bottom of the boat. The bobbing motion made her feel unsteady. Angelos released the rope and stepped in. The boat rocked with the added weight and they both had to balance themselves to prevent it from tipping. Angelos took up the oars and directed Elena to sit opposite. Pushing off from the jetty, he powered the oars back and forth, swiftly increasing the distance between them and the shore.

  The sea around them sparkled vibrant hues of blue and turquoise in the sunlight. Trailing her hand over the side, Elena allowed the water to pass through her fingers. She felt as though she were touching the very heart of the ocean. With strong powerful strokes, Angelos got them out to sea and up the coast in no time at all. Finally, he stopped and pulled the oars back in, leaving them bobbing gently on the sea’s glassy surface.

  “I have never seen the island from here before,” Elena said quietly. “It looks so beautiful.”

  “Have you never been out in a boat before?”

  She shook her head. “I have never been given the chance. That is why I love being your friend, Angelos. I learn so much from you.”

  He smiled at her and admitted, “I like spending time with you, too.”

  They gazed at the shoreline as the boat continued to rise and fall with the gentle swell of the ocean. They both loved their home, and knew they would never want to live anywhere else. Who would want to when they lived in paradise?

  “I am getting hot,” Elena said, fanning herself. “I thought it would be cooler here on the sea, but it feels just as hot as on land.”

  “It does,” Angelos agreed.

  Without another word, Elena pulled off her sundress and heaved herself over the side of the boat, wearing nothing more than her undergarments. It had happened too quickly for Angelos to be embarrassed.

  “You are a beautiful woman, Elena Petrakis, and yet you act like a boy! What would people say if they saw you now?”

  “Pah to them!” came the voice from the sea. Moments later, Angelos felt a splash of water as she dived under into the deep recesses of the aqua waters. Rolling his eyes, he stripped to his underwear and jumped in after her. She surfaced in front of him, laughing.

  “You have left the boat! Is it safe? It might float away!”

  “No, it will be fine. The sea is calm, as long as
we do not swim too far, we will be okay.”

  As quickly as she surfaced, Elena was gone again. Angelos watched her gliding through the water, her hair streaming out behind her. She reminded him of a mermaid, slinky and exotically beautiful, enticing him to let go of his heart and soul completely, and follow her to the murky depths to be lost in her siren clutches forever. He managed to resist, but only just.

  They swam through the waters, enjoying the feel of the ocean upon their skin. They took turns seeing who could dive the deepest and to see if either one could reach the bottom. Neither could, but Angelos came the closest. Every time they came back up to tread water, he was barely able to catch his breath before she was off again. Once more, he plunged down after her, gently caught hold of her ankles and pulled her back to him. They broke the water’s surface, laughing.

  “You caught me! I am now yours,” Elena said teasingly.

  Angelos was about to speak when something caught his eye. Putting his finger to his lips, he gently instructed her to submerge herself in the water. Gently treading under water, they watched in awe as a loggerhead turtle gracefully swam past, its flippers moving effortlessly in the water, its wide eyes all-knowing. It was captivating. As it swam away, they surfaced gasping for breath.

  “That was wonderful. I am glad you were with me to see it.”

  “Me too,” he said and, in that moment, he wanted so much to kiss her. They were completely alone with nothing but the sky, sea and marine life for company. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, run his fingers through her long hair, and bury his head in her neck. But he was too scared. If she rejected him, he would lose his friend forever and he just could not bear to live without her.

  “Angelos!”

  He was brought quickly back to the present. The boat was drifting away from them and they were in danger of losing it. They powered through the water and eventually caught up to it, but Angelos’s perfect moment was lost to the sea. Elena hoisted herself into the boat and sat in the hull, allowing the heat of the sun to dry her skin. Catching sight of her in nothing more than her undergarments sent Angelos dizzy with desire. It took every ounce of strength he had not to take her then and there.