The Butterfly Storm (4 page)

Alekos slides his arms round my waist from behind. He kisses my neck and rests his head on my
shoulder. ‘What have you got there?’

‘A butterfly.’

He reaches over and picks it up by one of its wings and places it in the arch of the patio wall. He
turns me around so we face each other.

‘You’re beautiful, Sophie.’ He brushes the loose strands of hair off my face and kisses me, his tongue
lingering, teasing. My hands entwine with his behind my back.

‘Marry me,’ he says.

I can barely see his face but I hear the sincerity in his voice. I can’t speak. The silence between us
grows. The muscles in his legs tense and his grip on my hands loosens.

‘Yes,’ I finally say and laugh. ‘You’re serious aren’t you?’

He relaxes. ‘I’m serious. I have no ring though; I have nothing to give you.’ He pauses. I think he’s
grinning at me. ‘I didn’t plan this.’

‘I know.’

We wrap our arms around each other and cling on. I want to cry, I want to laugh. I don’t know
what to do. Words are pouring out of him so fast it’s hard to keep up. ‘And children,’ Alekos says with
his head still buried in my neck. ‘I want you to have my children.’

‘I want that too,’ I reply.

‘I wasn’t sure you did.’ He pulls away from me.

I reach out and stroke the stubble on his chin. He watches me, gauging my reactions, needing to
know if I’m serious.

‘Really, Aleko, I want children.’

‘How many?’

‘More than one. I don’t want them to grow up an only child like I did,’ I say. ‘But I want you to
promise, Aleko, that we get a place of our own. Soon. Before we commit to anything. I don’t want to be
married and living with your parents. Promise me.’

‘I’ve been thinking about that for ages too,’ he replies. ‘I promise.’

So much has changed in such a short space of time. I feel like those butterflies, lost to the
breeze, allowing myself to be taken on a journey, not caring if I’m ready or if there’s a way
back.

‘The last customers have just left,’ Alekos says, entering the kitchen through the swing doors. He
glances at his watch. ‘03.40am. A new record.’

I spread the final layer of spinach and feta between filo pastry ready to be baked in the morning.
‘I’m almost done here.’

‘Where’s Mama?’

‘In the office cashing up.’

He slides his arm round my waist and kisses me. ‘I hate working Friday nights, I don’t get a chance
to see you.’

I wiggle my sticky fingers at him. ‘Give me five more minutes and we can go to bed.’

His lips brush my cheek before nibbling my neck. ‘That’s five minutes too long.’

The swing doors swoosh open and one of the waiters appears. ‘Sorry Aleko,’ he says, hovering in the
doorway. ‘I was just going to ask if there was anything else you needed doing? All the tables are clean,
the floor’s swept…’

‘That’s all for tonight, thanks Luka, have a drink if you want before going home.’

‘Thanks boss,’ Luka says and winks.

Alekos pulls away from me and takes a handful of euros from his pocket. ‘I better give these to
Mama.’ He disappears down the corridor past the storeroom to Despina’s office at the back of the
building.

03.40 in the morning and it has been a long and busy August night with the weekend still to
go. I finish with the spinach mixture and put the last layer of filo pastry on top and fold
the edges in neatly. Takis, with a cigarette stuck between his lips, walks beneath the light
outside the kitchen window and waves. I wave back. I wash my hands, take off my apron
and walk down to the office. Alekos and Despina are talking; I knock and push open the
door.

‘But I need to start later tomorrow evening, Mama,’ Alekos says.

‘Since when?’ Despina takes her glasses off and looks up from the bundle of euros on her
desk.

‘I told you last week, I’ve been asked to play a volleyball match in Paralia at five tomorrow
evening.’

‘Well I need you here.’

‘Mama, I’m asking for a couple of hours off just this once.’

‘And you should get preferential treatment over the other waiters because you’re my
son?’

‘But they all know I’m playing in the match. And anyway, the other waiters have asked you
for time off before. I wouldn’t ask unless it was important to me. I never play volleyball
anymore.’

Despina looks at me. ‘I suppose you want time off too?’

‘You’ve already given me the time off,’ I say, glancing between her and Alekos. ‘That’s why I’ve
prepared extra tonight because I’m not starting until eight tomorrow evening. I asked the same time
Alekos did last week.’

Despina clicks her tongue and scrapes a load of one-euro coins off the desk and into a
money-bag.

‘I’m too busy to be thinking about your social life. I suppose I have no choice then.’

‘Don’t be like that, Mama,’ Alekos says. ‘I’ll make it up to you, I promise.’

Alekos holds my hand as we traipse across the sand away from the bars and restaurants in
Paralia. After five minutes of walking the beach is deserted and I’m sweating and longing for
some shade from the August sun. There are only a few people lying on the sun loungers
beneath the permanent thatched umbrellas and the volleyball net’s not even been put up
yet.

‘I hope more people turn up,’ Alekos says.

‘They will, it’s early yet.’ I wave at Demetrius and Katrina already camped out beneath the
umbrellas.

‘Anyway, I prefer it like this, empty.’

‘I know, but I want a crowd.’

‘Show off.’

‘
Yasas
!’ Katrina calls. We join them by the sun loungers and she kisses both of my
cheeks.

‘Where is everyone?’ Alekos hugs Demetrius.

‘Don’t worry, they’ll be here,’ Demetrius says as he greets me. ‘It’s early yet.’

‘See, Aleko, I told you. Listen to Demetri.’

I lay my towel on the sun lounger next to Katrina, strip down to my red bikini and sit
down.

Katrina grabs my hand. ‘That engagement ring is so beautiful.’

I lift my hand up so the small square diamond sparkles in the sunshine.

Katrina turns on her side and props herself up on her elbow. ‘So, have you set a date
yet?’

‘Seriously Kat, we’ve been working so hard we’ve not had a chance to think about it. There’s
no rush, it’s not going to be until next year at least, and anyway I kind of fancy a winter
wedding.’

‘Are you serious? Despina will freak out. She’ll be like “it’s too cold… what if it rains…” You know
what she’s like.’

‘I certainly do.’

Alekos needn’t have worried about no one turning up. By the time the volleyball net is put up and
the other team arrives there’s a crowd of people sitting on the seating stand behind the
umpire’s chair and the sun loungers have begun to feel crowded. Alekos and Demetrius in
matching blue shorts warm up, tapping the ball between each other while their opponents get
ready.

Katrina and I lie on our fronts facing the volleyball court with our sunglasses pushing our hair
back.

‘Alekos is the star player,’ Katrina says. ‘Demetrius thinks he’s the best player but everyone knows
Alekos is. But shush don’t tell Demetrius I said that. It’s a shame Alekos doesn’t play that
often.’

‘He would if he could.’

The umpire blows a whistle and a cheer goes up from the crowd of people watching from the stand.
Alekos serves, grounding the ball into the sand on the other side of the net and gaining the first point. I
wolf-whistle and Demetrius and Alekos high-five each other. I take a bottle of water out of my bag and
sit up cross-legged on the sun lounger. ‘How do you and Demetrius find it living with your
parents?’

Katrina shrugs. ‘It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me, it’s my home. I’ve always lived there.’

‘You don’t ever wish it was just the two of you?’

Katrina rolls on her side to face me and rests her head on her hand. ‘Are you worried about keeping
the noise down when you and Alekos are… you know…’ She makes a suggestive motion with her
hips.

‘God no, I didn’t mean that… Although I’d prefer it if Alekos’ parents weren’t sleeping in the room
next to ours. No, I mean don’t you ever want some space of your own? Your independence? To do what
you want and eat what you want when you want?’

‘I’m lazy, Sophie. I like Mama cooking and looking after us. But we will move out sometime. When
we’ve saved enough money we’ll get an apartment of our own. Definitely once we have children. Are you
finding it difficult living with Alekos’ parents?’

‘It’s because I’ve lived away from home since I went to university at eighteen and even when I
moved back to Bristol I lived with friends instead of with my Mum.’

‘Apart from the two summers him and Demetrius worked on Cephalonia, Alekos has always lived at
home.’

‘And now that we’re engaged I feel there’s even more reason to move out.’

‘Sophie, it’s normal to live with your parents or your husband’s family, even when married like
us.’

‘I know; it’s a Greek thing.’

Another cheer goes up from the crowd; Demetrius has just smashed the ball into the sand on their
opponent’s side. Alekos can’t stop smiling. He and Demetrius work faultlessly together communicating
via the hand signals they give to each other behind their backs. Alekos is quick on his feet, darting
across the sand to reach the ball, jumping high into the air, his arm stretching out, his chest
muscles tightening as his fingers connect with the volleyball and flick it across the net.

‘You’re late,’ Despina says the moment we enter the kitchen.

‘We won, Mama.’

‘Winning’s not helping all those people out there get served.’ Despina throws olive oil into a pan
and the sound of sizzling engulfs the kitchen.

‘Well done, son,’ Takis says from the corner of the kitchen where he’s uncorking a bottle of wine. He
pats Alekos on the shoulder as he heads towards the restaurant. ‘You can tell me all about it
later.’

‘Thanks Baba.’

‘Sophie, don’t just stand there looking pretty, it’s eight-thirty already,’ Despina says. ‘Take over
from Kostas, I need grilled octopus and sardines for table seven.’

I drop my bag on the floor and kick it into the corner out of the way. I take an apron from the back
of the door.

‘I’d better go and get changed,’ Alekos says.

I grab his hand. ‘Aleko, you were great out there today. I’m really proud of you.’

He squeezes my hand and the smile he had on the volleyball court briefly returns. ‘And now it’s
back to reality.’

It’s the day of the yearly Kakavetsis family summer outing when the restaurant isn’t open until
the evening. Despina has allowed me to finish early after doing most of the food prep for
later and it’s just gone ten, eight o’clock in England and I’m debating whether it’s too
early to phone Candy. I dial her number before I change my mind. It rings and rings. I
open the balcony door and a warm breeze wafts in. The phone rings once more and goes to
answer phone. I don’t leave a message. She’s probably already up and out or dealing with her
six-month-old son Jake. For Candy at least so much has changed in the last three years. I put
suntan lotion, a hat and sunglasses in a bag and I’m about to go downstairs when the phone
rings.

‘Sorry Sophie,’ Candy says when I answer. ‘I was changing Jake’s nappy and couldn’t get to the
phone.’

‘How is he?’

‘Teething. He’s so grumpy but still adorable,’ she says with a laugh. ‘I’ve not heard from you for a
while. How are you?’

‘I’m okay, just busy. I’ve been working six days a week since the beginning of June so I can’t
actually wait for the summer to be over. Despina’s closed the restaurant for lunch and given us all the
day off to go to the beach together.’

‘You don’t sound happy,’ Candy says.

‘I guess I’m not really. I feel stuck in a rut. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a chef and
I’m good at it, it’s just I keep thinking about the plans I had when I first came over here
and becoming a chef wasn’t part of the plan. And as for going to the beach today it’s a
big family outing when all I want to do is spend some quality time alone with Alekos.’ I
lower my voice. ‘It’s driving me mad living here. Despina’s so controlling. And now that
we’re engaged all she bangs on about is when are me and Alekos going to set a date for the
wedding.’

‘And when is it going to be?’

‘Don’t you start.’

‘I’m only teasing.’

‘She’d love you, having a baby all within eighteen months of meeting Lee.’

‘Yeah, but we did go about it the wrong way round, getting pregnant and having Jake before even
getting engaged and I’m still waiting to get hitched.’

‘I so want to meet them. It’s just plain wrong that I’ve not met my best friend’s partner and son
yet.’

‘Have you heard from your Mum recently?’ Candy asks.

‘Not since Christmas,’ I say. ‘Why, has your Mum talked to her?’

‘A couple of weeks ago. She’s loving Norfolk and already has two clients who want her to organise
their weddings for next year. It’s the perfect job for her.’

‘Seriously, a wedding planner is the perfect job for my Mum? The woman who has never been
married and has never even managed a long-term relationship.’

‘She’s creative, like you, she’s outgoing, got the gift of the gab, an eye for detail, doesn’t take any
bullshit and is a true romantic at heart. She’s perfect for it,’ Candy says and then pauses. ‘She’d love
you to visit. I’ve seen photos of her new house and it’s totally gorgeous. She says she doesn’t regret
moving away from Bristol.’

‘Why are you telling me this, Candy?’

‘Because she misses you and I know deep down you miss her too.’

‘I miss how our relationship used to be, not what it’s turned into.’

‘If you invited her to Greece, she’d come.’

‘I’d rather you came to Greece first. You do realise it’s more than three years since I last saw
you.’