Page 23 of Summer in Greece

‘I’m the same about water. I only feel complete when I’m in it.’

‘Swimming, you mean?’

He nodded. ‘Diving’s my biggest pleasure. I want to earn a living as a Tec diver, but it’s not something you can just walk into and it’s expensive to get the qualifications. That’s why I do the websites and lifeguarding.’

‘What’s a Tec diver?’

‘Basically, a deep diver that breathes mixed gas, and makes decompression stops on the way up.’

‘Sounds complicated and dangerous.’

‘It’s another world. Do you snorkel?’

She shook her head. ‘Never tried.’

‘You should. It’s amazing. Me and my mate Simon, we go whenever we can. I can’t even begin to describe it. It makes you forget everything.’

‘I don’t want to forget my mum, not for a moment,’ she said quietly. She looked into his face, and saw his awkwardness. ‘I hope her memory never fades, ever; but I just want to say, you’ve helped me a lot, today. I’ve never been able to talk about her, before. Not at all. Thank you. It hurts so much, you can’t imagine,’ she whispered. ‘Even so, this afternoon has helped.’

His shoulders dropped. ‘That’s cool. Pleased to hear I’ve been some use. You see, I lost my mum too. I know how you feel. Like it’s never been so bad for anyone else. I guess it really is the most painful thing.’

She didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. ‘You’ve been really great, thank you, but actually I meant my mother’s bracelet. I collected it this afternoon. I’ll never take it off.’

He looked a little hurt and stared at the table. ‘Of course, sorry.’ Another awkward silence. ‘I don’t suppose you’d help me with Pat, you almost being a vet and all.’

‘No, no!’ She shook her head. His shoulders went up again and she remembered he was hurting too. ‘I mean, yes, I really would like to help with your dog, but I’m not almost a vet. I haven’t even started training yet.’

He let out a sigh. ‘Great, thanks, that’s really ace.’

*

‘Shelly, tea!’ Eve called from the back of the surgery. ‘Shelly! Did you hear me? What’s up with you today? You seem distracted.’

‘Ah, sorry, daydreaming, didn’t sleep too well.’

‘Want to talk about it?’

‘No thanks. It’s just something I heard, playing on my mind. I’ll buckle down to the lab results. Do you have anything special on?’

‘Nothing I can’t handle. Have you booked your holiday yet?’ Shelly shook her head. ‘Well, please do hurry up. I’m waiting to book mine but can’t until you’re sorted. If you can’t decide which island to visit, why not book for Athens and you can simply go on from there?’

‘I’ll do it today, promise.’ She thought about DJ and swore to herself. She’d phone him after work. No more putting it off. Her mouth dried just at the thought. What could he want after all this time?

Through Google, Shelly discovered the Britannic sank in 1916 and now lay just over a mile from the small Greek island of Kea. She wished she’d taken notes while listening to Gertie’s cassette. What year did Gertie board the Britannic? She’d check the moment she got home.

Was it possible to dive the ship? Wouldn’t that be amazing? She YouTubed the wreck, then Kea, and explored the island online. Wouldn’t it be great to fulfil all her holiday requirements in one convenient location? Was there a dive outfit on the island? Yes! Now she longed to be there. However, it wasn’t on the tourist trail and hadn’t an airport. She’d have to fly to Athens, and take the fifty-minute ferry to Kea. She hesitated; it was the end of May, the start of the egg-laying season for turtles all over Greece. Before listening to Gran Gertie’s tape, she had considered Zakynthos, turtle beach, to photograph them, but with patience and good luck, it was possible to capture this phenomenon on any quiet sandy beach around early June.

When Eve saw Shelly log off for the day, she eagerly turned towards her. ‘So, have you booked?’ she asked. ‘Where’re you going?’

‘All done. Next weekend, the island of Kea, Greece.’

‘Well done you! Kea? Never heard of it.’ She picked up a pen and moved over to the calendar. ‘Go on then, give me the dates and I’ll mark them off.’ Shelly did. ‘Damn it, you’ll be away for your birthday! We’ll have to celebrate when you come back.’

*

At five thirty, Shelly let Eve out of the surgery’s front door. ‘Good job today, thanks, Eve. Sorry if I appeared a little distracted.’

‘Don’t worry about it, just get a good night’s sleep. See you tomorrow.’