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Chapter 30
Lili spotted the booth where she could purchase the ticket for the bus before departure. She had arrived in good time, thanks to the helpful young man at the hotel reception who had given her the directions to San Rocco Square. It was from there that she could catch the number six bus to Benitses. She was aiming for the first one that left before nine in the morning.
Lili fumbled in her purse for change for the machine. She wasn’t pleased to discover that she was ten cents short of the correct fare and only had notes. She glanced over at the terminal, aware that the blue bus had already arrived and that people were boarding. Lili had been wondering if she’d get a seat. Now it looked as though she wouldn’t be catching the bus at all.
She looked about her to see if anyone could change a ten euro note. Lili rolled her eyes. How stupid not to think of this the day before. She could have got some coins when shopping for souvenirs.
An old gentleman in the queue saw her holding up her ten euro note. He tapped her on the shoulder and said something in Greek. Lili looked at him apologetically. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand.’
The old man switched to broken English. ‘If you need change, there’s a shop around the corner.’
Lili glanced at the bus. ‘Thank you. I wanted to get the first bus, but I’m ten cents short.’Why does it have to be one euro and ten cents?Lil thought.Why not just one euro?‘Can you change a ten euro note?’ she asked.
He shook his head but started searching through the pockets of his coat, anyway. His eyes brightened. ‘Look, I have ten cents. Give me your euro.’
Lili handed it over, thinking it wasn’t a very fair exchange. Then the old man made off with both coins. ‘Hey!’ Lili called after him. He was heading for the booth.Did I just pay for his bus ticket?she wondered.
When he returned a moment later, he handed her a ticket.
‘Oh.’ Lili’s face turned crimson. ‘Thank you, so much.’
He stepped aside to let her climb aboard the bus. Lili took a seat and smiled at him as he passed by, walking to the back of the vehicle to join some other passengers. She could hear them conversing in Greek.
His generosity and friendliness overwhelmed Lili. She knew it was only ten cents, but if she’d been in a similar position in London, she’d have needed to forget about the kindness of strangers.If you’d lost your purse there, you’d better be prepared to walk home, she thought.
As the bus moved off, Lili thought of Joseph. His neighbours felt he was unfriendly, a recluse, but he hadn’t appeared like that when she’d met him. However, she knew his reputation; Lili recalled the little gravestone bearing his name. Perhaps there was a reason he kept himself to himself. Did he have something to hide?
The bus full of passengers set off from the terminal. Lili sat back to enjoy the thirty-minute drive to Benitses. She recognised some of the route that Spiros had taken when he had driven to the British Cemetery. After a short time, they left the town behind and travelled along the coast road. Lili opened the small guidebook that one of the reception staff had found for her. She was looking out for the Kaiser Bridge, designed and built for Kaiser Wilhelm II. Apparently, he had been fond of Corfu and had had the bridge built so he could walk closer to the water. According to the guidebook, he had also purchased Achillion Palace. Lili had already decided to visit the palace later in the week.
The road took a sharp bend. Lili spotted the bridge on the left. Soon afterwards, with beautiful views of the coast, they arrived at the centre of Benitses. When Lili stepped off the bus, her first thought was of what a lovely little town Benitses was. The main street across the road from the beach comprised some small restaurants with outside seating and views of the sea, two grocery shops, and a bakery. Behind the main boulevard were narrow, cobbled streets and pathways rising gently up the hillside.
When she had first gone there with Spiros, her mood had clouded her view of the area; it was the place she associated with being abandoned by her parents. But this time, she had returned intending to explore the town and enjoy her time there.
Lili’s first impression as she walked along the pavement toward the little parade of shops and tavernas was that it was a thriving village with a more traditional Greek feel. She’d read that planning laws prohibited buildings above two storeys in this area, which meant there were no large tourist resort hotels. There were small bed-and-breakfasts and villas to rent, but she got the impression there were more local people living here. There were day-trippers like herself, but the town wasn’t overrun with tourists.
Lili had been reading about Benitses during the car journey. It had been a notorious clubbing nightspot years ago. Now it had a calmer, more genteel atmosphere.
As she stood on the pavement, deciding what to do first, she smiled at some local children as they passed by, each with a large backpack on their back. She guessed they were walking to school.
She wandered through the town. Up a cobbled side street, between the shops, she discovered a little café; its colourful assortment of chairs and tables lined the pavement. She hadn’t walked very far, but the smell of freshly brewed coffee enticed her to take a seat at a table. The café owner came out with the menu.
She ordered a cappuccino and a pastry and then opened her guidebook while she waited. The description of Benitses was only brief, so she shut the book and looked around. Although it was early, several locals were already sitting at the tables chatting animatedly. Lili imagined her parents sitting there, enjoying the warmth of the morning sunshine and the friendly, relaxed atmosphere.
Lili took her time drinking her cappuccino before setting off again to wander the back lanes. She continued walking the small, cobbled lane which wound its way up the hillside. A young Greek woman who was sweeping the front step outside her villa greeted Lili warmly as she walked by.
The old village had retained its character with a maze of narrow streets and alleys to explore. Lili found steps that led from one street to another, and she even discovered a small square dominated by a church. Lili took a breather on the bench in the square under the shade of an olive tree. The peaceful setting enchanted her. If she returned to Corfu in the future, which she had every intention of doing, she’d already decided this was where she would stay, in Benitses.
She set off again. She loved that many of the alleyways were lined with terracotta pots full of flowers. Vines with a purple-coloured flower covered the walls of some villas.
After an hour, she made her way back down the maze of cobbled streets and crossed the main coast road, where the bus had dropped her off. She strolled along the promenade towards the colourful marina she remembered from her last visit, where yachts were moored in the harbour.
After a circuit of the marina, Lili bought a filled roll and some sparkling water from a grocery shop nearby. She had packed a book to read while she waited for the bus to return to Corfu Town. The hotel had a library of sorts; other tourists who had stayed had left books they had finished so they could be enjoyed by others.
She returned along the promenade to the beach. Walking down a wooden boardwalk, she found there were lots of seats on the waterfront to choose from. She wanted to sit near the water’s edge. Although it wasn’t a sandy beach, that didn’t deter sunbathers. Some people were swimming, and she could see children playing games and stacking pebbles further up the shore.
Lili opened her book and tried to concentrate, but her thoughts kept returning to that event years ago, when her mother had left her with Connie to make the journey to Zakynthos. Hearing children’s voices made her wonder how her parents could have left her with a virtual stranger. She realised those were different times, though; she couldn’t imagine anyone doing that now.
She finished her lunch, put the novel down and opened the guidebook instead. There were many places to explore on the island, but without a car she was dependent upon the buses to get around. She didn’t mind. Taking the bus, she felt like a local. Looking in her travel guide, Lili made plans for the following day. Apparently, the Achillion Palace was a must-see place. Even better, there was a bus that took her straight there. Lili snapped the book shut and smiled, satisfied that the next day would turn out to be another memorable day.
Lili put the guidebook back in her handbag, along with the novel, and took out a small bottle of sun cream she’d bought in the shop along with her lunch. She rubbed some on her arms and legs. Adjusting the wide-brimmed straw sunhat she’d also purchased, she lifted her sunglasses and sat staring at the sparkling green water lapping on the shore just inches from her bare feet.
As she unwrapped the filled roll, she glanced around and saw tourists, mainly couples, drifting down to sit on the beach with street food they’d bought in the town. Seeing couples together brought Nate to mind. Lili reached into her handbag for her phone, surprised that Nate was at the forefront of her mind rather than Alex. After what had happened, she didn’t expect Nate to text her, but she was debating whether to get in touch with him. Lili changed her mind and put her phone back in the bag. She doubted he would be interested in an apology from her. However, she knew there was one person who would love to hear from her.
Lili smiled when she thought of Spiros. He had said he would take her on a tour of the island. She was thinking of taking him up on that offer later in the week.
As she gazed out over the water, Alena came to mind, and the hundreds of others who had been forcibly removed from Corfu by boat, never to return. While she was here, she wanted to find out more about the wealthy family who had once owned a vineyard and about the daughter, Alena, who just might have been her great-grandmother.
