‘—ti si obicna kanta!’
There was an audible intake of breath, and Ivan, who had been placidly coiling a rope around a bollard, interrupted.
‘She called him a total bucket,’ he said apologetically. ‘She is upset.’
‘Neka ti je sram! Šupak!’ Anjelica screamed.
‘I don’t translate that one,’ Ivan said. ‘Very rude.’
Rocco corralled his furious wife back towards the ship and just as efficiently, Lola hurried to chivvy us in the other direction. And very smoothly she started her talk.
‘Krk is the largest island in the Adriatic, although it is now connected to the mainland by a bridge. Today the sea is very calm, but later in the year the Bora winds may cause very rough conditions, so you are lucky people. I am going to show you St Mary’s cathedral where you will see the traditional chequerboard pattern in stone above the door and in the porch. Some people like to say this symbol was chosen for Croatia because a Croatian king won the country by beating the Pope at chess three times. I am not sure this is true but it makes a nice story. There are some beautiful streets, some of them very narrow. Around this first corner, through one of the last remaining original gates to the city, there is a medieval tower with an unusual twenty-four-hour dial on the clock.’
‘I wonder what’s happening back there?’ Harriet said, looking over her shoulder as though Anjelica might suddenly appear.
‘Awful, isn’t it,’ Anna said, although her eyes were sparkling with amusement.
‘And as we pass the cathedral, which may date back to the fourth century, you can see the statue of an angel which is also a weathervane. This was originally copper over a wooden frame, but replaced by a plastic one quite recently… in the 1970s.’
‘Seems a shame,’ I said. ‘I suppose it’s cheaper and will last longer. But even so?—’
‘Another beautiful town,’ Jack said just behind me, and as if by magic Harriet and Anna faded away from my side to ostensibly look at some stone carvings.
‘Isn’t it?’ I said. ‘Another place I would like to come back and explore properly.’
We stopped for a few minutes so he could take a few pictures and dictate some thoughts into his phone.
‘I wish I knew more about the history,’ I said. ‘This seems to be a place where many people have fought to decide who ruled here.’
‘I have a book you could borrow,’ he said, ‘if you wanted to.’
It was then we realised that Lola wasn’t hanging about and had already moved on to the next thing, taking the group with her. It seemed impossible that fifteen people had magically vanished but they had, and in the maze of narrow streets, who could tell where she had taken them?
‘And now I have no idea which way to go, or even how to get back to the boat,’ I said. ‘I have a terrible sense of direction.’
‘The path of flat stones laid down the middle of the street will help,’ he said, ‘and I have a great sense of direction. Stick with me, kid.’
‘We might have learned more if we had kept up with the tour group,’ I said after a few minutes.
Jack looked apologetic. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to distract you.’
‘You’ve been distracting me quite a bit,’ I said.
‘Have I? Oh, good.’ He grinned and yet again, he reached out his hand towards me, and I took it, enjoying the feeling.
* * *
I was beginning to wonder if we actually were becoming an item. That was something Ben said, when he had been floating between girlfriends over the years. What had we called it back in the day? Dating? Going out? A couple? Going steady?
Well, this didn’t seem steady at all. I’d only known this man for a few days and already he seemed to be featuring in my thoughts rather too much. I was aware that I kept looking out for him; I was hoping he was doing the same for me. And he did seem to be. But how did anyone know when simple curiosity turned into something deeper?
In my younger days, boys had asked me out. Asked if I wanted to go to the pictures, if I wanted to meet up again. And on one cringe-inducing occasion in the local park, Leo Webber had asked would I mind if he kissed me. And I did mind, because at fourteen the whole thing was so embarrassing.
But now, with the benefit of wisdom, surely I should know more, and be better at reading the situation. I was rather surprised to realise I didn’t. Even in my sixties, the mysteries of new relationships were a thing cloaked in doubt and confusion.
‘You are going home tomorrow,’ he said after a few minutes. ‘I’d like to stay in touch.’
It was more of a statement than a question.
