Among the Olive Groves Read online

  “Come, we will go for a walk.”

  They walked up the lane, watching the birds dip and weave as they chased insects.

  “I am glad spring is here again. I love seeing the sun shining, the birds flying, the flowers and trees growing,” Elena sighed. She looked utterly content, unlike the Elena he had found on the beach earlier. It amazed Angelos how quickly she could change.

  “Me too, although summer means more hard work for me. Father is extending the groves and needs my help.”

  “Is that what you will do with the rest of your life, Angelos? Obey your father and live your life the way he dictates?”

  “Elena! Must you be so blunt?”

  “What?”

  “I know you dislike my father, but he is a well-respected man, and he expects his son to follow in his footsteps. I do not know what I want to do with my life yet. What is the harm in helping him and learning the family trade?”

  “Nothing, if you are happy to be his slave for the rest of your life.”

  “I am not his slave!”

  “Yes, Angelos, you are. When was the last time you said no to him? When was the last time you refused to work for him? When was the last time you were brave enough to tell him about your friendship with me?”

  “I hate it when you are like this.”

  “Like what? Honest?” Elena crossed her arms in defiance. “I am sorry if my honesty makes your relationship with your father difficult! Touvlo!”

  “Did you just call me an idiot?” Angelos asked, glaring at her. She really was impossible sometimes.

  “You know I did. So why do you ask?”

  “I am not going to be insulted, Elena, not even by you.” He walked away from her seething with anger. Why was it that his father always brought out the worst in them? As he walked along the lane, he heard a small whistle from behind. A familiar tune. He ignored it. Continuing on, the whistle stayed with him and eventually turned into a lilting song. He stopped and sighed. He loved her too much to stay angry with her. He turned just in time to feel her arms wrap around him in a tight embrace. He hugged her back, holding her to him and not wanting to ever let her go.

  “Go on. Say it.”

  “Say what?” he asked.

  “I am an idiot.”

  “I would never call you that.”

  “No?”

  “No. Never, but can we just agree not to talk about my father again, Elena? Things with my father are difficult enough, without him coming between us as well.”

  She smiled and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “I promise. What shall we do now?”

  “Beach?”

  “Yes!”

  Hand in hand, they ran along the lane, the argument behind them and best of friends again.

  ~

  Elena skipped through the streets of Macherado, a small village in the southern part of the island. Her hair was tied back with ribbons and she was wearing her best dress, a heavenly vision in green and brown. Her feet were still bare and dusty, but it did not matter to her. It made her feel comfortable, and she no longer cared what others thought. The day was a beautiful bright sunny one and Macherado was holding the Festival of Agia Mavra, an important religious ceremony followed by a banquet and traditional dancing in the village square.

  The village was already filled to the brim and Elena wound her way through the throng of people in search of Angelos. She hoped he would be there, she had not seen him for ages. His father always kept him so busy. Despite promising not to talk about it with him again after their argument, Elena had to admit that Loukas Sarkis made her angry. He treated Angelos badly. She had seen the bruises Angelos had suffered at the hands of his father, although she never discussed it with him and she hated Loukas for it. She wished there were something she could do, but she was just a woman, and too weak to stop a man like Loukas.

  Despite searching, she could not find Angelos anywhere and she was left feeling disappointed. Sitting on the wall overlooking the town square, she watched as the locals milled around taking in the events of the day. She had missed the religious ceremony but had really come for the banquet and dancing anyway. She loved the dancing; she liked watching the men move in their traditional ways, their faces serious, their bodies tall and straight. She wished she could be like the women as they twirled and whirled, matching the men as much with their beauty as anything else. It was as if they had been left with no choice but to dance. She wanted so much to join in, but she could not. She was wary of Loukas seeing her, and perhaps keeping her away from Angelos, so she remained where she was, staring in awe.

  Suddenly, she caught sight of Angelos’s father across the square. He was standing next to a shy looking woman, who had the same facial traits as Angelos. His mother? She searched for Angelos, but the dancers kept getting in the way and she could not see if he was with them. Suddenly a pair of hands cupped her eyes, and everything went dark.

  “Yassou! Guess who it is?!” a deep voice teased.

  Gently releasing the hands from her face, she spun round. “Angelos! I have been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been?”

  “I know. I am sorry. I had to try and escape my father. You know he watches me like a hawk. Come, let us get away from here.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Reaching out, Angelos caught her in his arms as she slid off the wall. Their eyes fleetingly met, and time stood still for the briefest of moments, but it was over in an instant. Releasing her, he took her hand and led her through the mass of people and into the quiet back streets. It was not long before they were sitting under a tree on the outskirts of Macherado, listening to the sound of the festival as it carried on the passing breeze. A pair of butterflies danced in the sunlight, lost in their own world, while cicadas chattered in the long grass and ants scurried along the path. The weather was hot and the sky was clear and bright.

  “I saw your father and mother,” Elena said, playing with blades of grass, pulling them from the ground allowing the breeze to carry them away.

  “They always come to the festival. I did not want to, but I have not seen you for ages. I hoped you would be here.”

  “Your father does not like me, does he?”

  Angelos was silent for a moment. He did not want to have another argument with her about his father, but he had learned honesty was always the best policy with Elena.

  “No. I am sorry, he does not. But if it makes you feel any better, my father dislikes many people.”

  “Well if that is how he feels, then there is nothing I can do about it is there?”

  Angelos laughed at the defiance on her face. She threw a handful of grass at him in protest, before changing the subject.

  “Do you think the world will end up at war, Angelos? I worry that it will.”

  “Why do you worry so much about it?”

  “I do not know. I just cannot stop thinking about it. The world should be peaceful, Angelos. We should be able to live side by side, we should all get on, no one should dictate to others the way that man Hitler or your father do!” The anger within her bubbled and rose to the surface, and continued to seethe.

  Angelos had never seen her this angry before, and it shocked him. “You are comparing my father to Hitler?!”

  “Why not? They both bully people and try to force them to do what they want.”

  “I know my father has his faults but it is not fair to talk about him like that, Elena!” It was the same argument all over again and it hurt him deeply. Angelos was the first to admit that he did not get on with his father and that he hated the way Loukas treated him and his mother, but to compare him to a man like Hitler? That was low, even for Elena.

  She caught the look on his face and realised she had gone too far. She reached out and lifted his hand to touch her cheek. “Oh, Angelos. I am so sorry. I do not think. I speak without using my brain, sometimes with no regard for others and I should not have said that. He is still your father. It was unfair of me.”

&
nbsp; Angelos’s heart melted. Just the feel of her delicate cheek on his fingers chased the hurt and anger away. He could never stay mad at her.

  “It is okay. I forgive you.”

  “Good.”

  They were silent for a moment, while Elena picked at the grass and Angelos stared out across the lush landscape.

  “The flowers are beautiful this year, those are my favourite,” Elena said pointing to a nearby bush of pretty fragrant star-shaped flowers called bougarinia.

  “They are?”

  She nodded, and Angelos grinned. “Well, if they are your favourite, then you shall have them.”

  He stood and gathered great handfuls of them. Then, sitting opposite, he began to separate them and work delicately with his hands.

  “What are you doing?”

  “It is a surprise. Wait and see.”

  Intrigued, Elena watched as he carefully split the stems, before connecting each flower to the other in a long chain. Leaning forward, he placed the circle of flowers over her head, letting them hang against her chest.

  “A flower necklace! Angelos you are so clever! It is the best present I have ever received.”

  Leaning forward, she kissed him lightly on the cheek, making him blush. Music still wafted on the air, so she jumped to her feet and held out her hand. “I like this song they are playing. Dance with me.”

  Without hesitation, he stood and took her hand in his, pulling her to him, careful not to crush the delicate flowers. It was the first time he had ever held a woman so close. He could smell her hair and feel her cheek against his and desire rippled through him. As delicate hues of pink and orange began to colour the horizon, bringing with it the close of another day, Angelos and Elena shared their first dance.

  ~

  Angelos sat under the veranda in his parents’ garden. He felt uncomfortable, but his father had insisted he be there. Loukas Sarkis was entertaining town officials and other business owners. A large long table was laid out with food and drink and they were all laughing merrily. The ouzo was free flowing and Angelos watched as Loukas showed off like a prize bull. He realised in that moment how much he despised his father. How had he ever come from this man? He was nothing like him at all. And his mother? Glancing over at Pigi, he was just as embarrassed. She was sitting in a corner, twisting her hands together, her mouth twitching. Every time Loukas poured himself another glass of ouzo, she twitched a little more. Angelos wished she would learn to stand up to him a little more instead of being the doormat she was, but it was too late now. She would never change.

  Angelos wanted to get away and find Elena. It had been over a week since he last saw her and a month since that glorious night dancing at the Agia Mavra Festival in Macherado. Whenever he saw her now, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to marry her and spend the rest of his life with her, but he knew that it would never happen while Loukas still lived.

  “Angelos. Do you hear me, boy?”

  Loukas’s voice shattered his thoughts, and he turned his attention to his father.

  “Yes, Father?”

  “More ouzo!”

  “Yes, Father.”

  He stepped inside to find the bottles his father had saved up for special occasions. Returning to the veranda, he plonked them on the table and sat back down. He hoped the meal would end soon, but it seemed they were all going to drink themselves into a stupor.

  “You have a good son, Loukas,” Stelios Makris said, while topping up his glass. As a town official, Stelios kept very close company with Loukas. It was a favourable relationship all around.

  “He is okay, but he disobeys me too much, Stelios,” Loukas spat.

  Angelos felt uncomfortable; he hated being spoken about as if he were not there.

  “You should not disobey your father, Angelos. He is the person that feeds and clothes you. You would be nothing without him,” Stelios slurred, and pointed his sloshing glass at Angelos as if trying to push his point home. “What is it you do to disobey him so?”

  “He runs about with that Petrakis yeeftisa!” Loukas growled.

  “Ah, the mountain gypsy! I hear she wears no shoes and has sex with farm labourers on the beach. You should choose your friends better, Angelos. You could catch something nasty.” Stelios laughed at his own joke and the other men fell about patting him on the back.

  Angelos felt his blood boil. He hated hearing the woman he loved being talked about in such a disrespectful manner. They had no respect for anything other than titles, money and ouzo.

  “She is not a gypsy!” he shouted. “You know nothing about her!”

  “Hold your tongue, son, we have guests!” Loukas barked. The boy was asking for twenty lashes if he carried on like this.

  Angelos knew it was futile. It did not matter what he said, they would still have the same opinions and continue to talk about her as if she were a mangy dog on the street. He lowered his gaze, and stared into his glass, wishing he were anywhere but home.

  He felt Stelios’s arm about his shoulder, a stench of ouzo wafted around him. “It is okay, Angelos. I understand a boy’s urges, but what you need is a nice girl. My Maria needs a nice man. How about it, Loukas? They would make a good match,” he suggested with a laugh.

  Loukas allowed the information to sink in. It was not a bad thought. Maria Makris was a quiet girl, plain looking and not very bright, but she would make a good wife for his son and get him away from that Petrakis girl once and for all.

  “Maybe, Stelios. Maybe.” Then changing the subject, Loukas said, “Now gentlemen, shall we talk business?”

  Angelos sat in stony silence and let his mind wander, drowning out the incessant crowing of the men, allowing only thoughts of Elena to enter it.

  ~

  The following evening, Angelos crept down to the beach, desperate to see Elena, he could not get the harsh words Stelios had uttered about her out of his head. The shadows of day’s end continued to lengthen as he crept through the lanes. Then he saw her. She was lying on her back by the shore, singing sweetly. Quietly, he crept closer hoping to surprise her but she sat bolt upright, looking left and right.

  “You are getting more and more like a cat every day!” he laughed.

  Springing to her feet, she ran to him and jumped into his arms, her limbs snakelike about his neck, her legs clamped about his waist. As he put her down, she took his hand and pulled him to sit next to her on the sand.

  “I have missed you, Angelos. It has been too long.” She smiled at him but realised that something was wrong. “What is it?”

  “My father had a business meeting yesterday. Stelios Makris was there. He said some horrible things about you.”

  “Ignore him. He is a pig!” she spat.

  “I know, but there was one thing he said Elena. I am sorry but I have to ask you.”

  She pushed back and stared at him. “What? Come on, out with it.”

  “He called you names and said that you sleep with farm labourers on the beach every night and that you are diseased.” Angelos was ashamed. He felt awful for talking about it, but he loved her too much. He needed to know if there was any truth in what Stelios said. He refused to share her with anyone.

  “That pig! Let me go there right now and tell him who is the diseased one!” She was on her feet in an instant and Angelos had to stop her from marching off in fury.

  “Talk to me, Elena. Why would he say such a thing?”

  “Stelios Makris gets bored with his wife and likes to have sex with anyone who will give it to him! He tried it with me last year and I told him to leave me alone. Ever since, he has spread vicious rumours about me.” Elena sank dejectedly to the ground and sighed, her heart heavy. “Just because I come from a poor family living in the mountains, people think they can treat me and the rest of my family badly. They think we are all there for their amusement, to do their bidding. I hate it, Angelos. I am a person with feelings just like them. I may not have money or breeding but I have a right to be treated fairly and they treat me like di
rt! I promise you, Angelos, I have never done that with anyone and I am certainly not diseased. You do believe me, do you not?”

  Angelos saw the tears as they clouded her eyes, and the rawness of her breath catching in her throat told him all he needed to know. She was his and no one else’s, and everything Stelios had said was a lie.

  “Come here,” he said softly, holding out his hand to her. She took it and they sank to the sand draped in each others arms. “Do not let them get to you. I am here for you and always will be. Friends forever, Elena?”

  “Friends forever, Angelos.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Zakynthos, Greece, 1939

  Elena ran from her house, kicking up dust as she wound through the mountain roads, desperate to find Angelos. Her heart was thumping, not from the exercise, but from pure terror. Eventually she located him in one of the groves, he was alone, the only one left working. Fear was etched in her eyes, and she was breathless from the long run.

  “Angelos! It has happened! Hitler has invaded Poland! We are going to lose our island!” She was beside herself, so he stopped work and pulled her to him, hugging her tightly. He could not bear to see her like this. She was normally such a happy soul, despite her fiery temper.

  “Shush, my love, all will be well.” He tried his best to reassure her. “They will not make the same mistakes as they did in the Great War. It will all be over in a month.”

  “I hope you are right, Angelos. But I fear Hitler so much. He has an evil face. I worry that he will crush us with his might and rule over us for all eternity. I just could not bear it.” She wept and Angelos had no idea why it affected her so much. They were all scared, they were all worried. The impending war that had seemed so far away and unthreatening suddenly became very real, and it cut through to Elena’s very soul and petrified her.