Page 126 of Villa of Secrets

Now, Costa was at the Athens port for two days between cruises, disembarkation and embarkation, and he usually phoned her around mid-morning. Rebecca and Fritz had returned, thrilled to tell Naomi all their good news about the twins. But today, Fritz and the boys had gone into town for some ‘man time’. The annual rally of top spec cars was about to parade through the city streets, and Konstantinos longed to get up close to a Ferrari.

With so much going on, Naomi was glad to take a break from the chores when Georgia and Heleny arrived for coffee, gifting her an enormous box of honey-soaked baklava.

*

Rebecca found it difficult to drag her thoughts away from her babies. In no mood for gossip, she made an excuse to escape.

‘I’ve missed reading the diaries so much. Would you mind if I have a quiet hour on the patio with Bubba, to catch up?’

‘Go right ahead,’ Naomi said, passing the journal over.

Rebecca kissed Bubba’s cheek, sat beside her, and opened the diary. Her bookmark, a folded Lidl receipt, was still where she had left it.

Chapter 52

I raced towards the airport, searching for Giovanni and trying not to cry. I practised my words. ‘Giovanni, say hello to your daughter, Sonia. Isn’t she beautiful?’

Inside the terminal, several groups of soldiers stood around piled kitbags. Laughter. Back slapping. Fake punches to the bicep or chin. The camaraderie was obvious. Some appeared startled when I rushed up and peered at their faces.

‘Giovanni, Giovanni, where are you?’ He must have gone to the port; the bus ran every hour from the airport into town. I stared at the big clock in the foyer and realised I’d missed it by ten minutes, but still, I had to check. Sonia had fallen asleep. I rushed outside with the pushchair. There was a taxi, but I didn’t have money. At the bus stop, a soldier with an enormous kit bag stood with his back to me. Could that be Giovanni? My heart was nearly leaping out of my chest.

I had never hoped for anything more intensely. I raced around him, peered into his face, and saw a stranger.

I could not get to the port before the ferry left for Athens and so I returned to the village, dragging my feet on the hot pavement.

‘He’s gone,’ I said to Jacob. ‘I didn’t see him, never gave him his child to hold.’

‘What’s that?’ Jacob pointed to a bag on the chair.

‘My old duffel that Papa made!’ Inside I found a large dried pomegranate, the skin hard and polished as old bronze. A sliver of skin had been carefully pared away, leaving the cream pith exposed. I stared at the pale heart, below it were the words, ‘This is yours, Pandora Cohen.’ Was my darling Giovanni referring to my bag, or his heart?

I recalled our last day together, in the villa, when he took my duffel and left me his precious catapult.

I turned and stared at the window sill. The catapult had gone.

Devastated to have missed falling into his arms, presenting him with his daughter, and planning a life together, my tears were dangerously close. ‘Will you help us to the roof, Jacob? I want to watch Giovanni sail by.’

We climbed the metal steps from the courtyard and sat in the shadow of the water tank. The sun was sinking and warm golden light bathed our faces. Distant Turkish mountains paled, mauve against a pinkish sky. I peered towards Rhodes Town. The Blue Star Ferry sailed towards us.

‘I wish—’

‘No point,’ Jacob said. ‘I learned that a long time ago.’

Sonia scrambled into my lap and pointed. ‘Big boat, Mama!’

‘Your papa’s on that blue ship, baby. The man that came today, he’s your papa and he loves you more than he knows.’

The ship neared. ‘He’ll be at the railings, looking our way, baby. He’ll see the cross at the top of Mount Filerimos and he’ll think of you and me. Look, Sonia, here he comes, sailing past the airport and Paradissi.’ The ferry was too far away to see any people, but I knew Giovanni would be gazing in our direction, perhaps his heart as broken as mine.

Jacob reached over and rubbed my back. ‘He’ll return. Love always finds a way.’

I longed to say so much, but the words stuck in my throat, so I stared at the vessel and rocked Sonia. She snuggled against my breasts and fell asleep.

Blinking away tears, I said, ‘I recall the day; the ship’s railings. . .’ and I couldn’t say more. Jacob squeezed my shoulder and I turned to see his face crumple.

‘I remember it too,’ he whispered. ‘They saw you duck out from under the truck and wave at the ship. Just a fleeting moment, but when they told me a little misery was lifted. My first job at the camp was to pull dead men off the electric fence. We were all dying, but some chose to end their lives rather than continue suffering. I considered it myself but then I’d remember you were at home waiting for us, so I tolerated the abuse.’

‘When you were in Auschwitz, did you come across any of the others?’