Page 22 of All You Need is Greece

‘I’ll join you. And I don’t mind if you leave your lamp on,’ I tell her, thinking I might send a few texts to my friend Jess, as it’s still early in the UK.

‘I think that’s our cue to wrap up the evening,’ says Lars, and the others follow suit.

‘Goodnight,’ says Judith, looking a little perplexed. Maybe her friend hasn’t told her about Artemis’s separation from his wife. Or maybe he hasn’t told his mother everything yet. That would explain her concern. But he has been nothing but honest with me, so I have no reason to doubt him. Do I?

The rescue is its usual hive of activity on Saturday. It’s warm but with more clouds than yesterday, and many volunteers arrive to take the dogs out for long walks, enjoying the beauty of the forest.

Hannah and I set off with Lars for the dogs’ afternoon exercise. It’s a very pleasant walk, as we take a slightly different route and stumble across a dilapidated farmhouse, almost obscured by overgrown grasses and weeds. As we pass through, Lars points to a pit he filled in after Annie the cockapoo slipped down into the bottom of it.

‘Thankfully it wasn’t very deep. But the building needs knocking down altogether,’ says Lars. ‘It has gone past the refurbishment stage but it’s difficult in Greece. Finding out who the owner is, or was, is so tricky. Buildings are often just left to rot.’

‘That’s such a shame. I bet it had so much potential, if someone had taken it on and refurbished it a little sooner.’

‘I imagine so.’

‘Saying that, it’s a little remote, though. Do many people pass through here?’ I ask Lars, as we make our way through a patch of long grass.

‘Dog walkers mainly. The occasional hiker too, but only if they get a bit lost, as it’s not on a footpath. We first discovered this route chasing after Annie.’

A little further down, I get a glimpse of the sea in the distance, the foamy waves crashing against the shore. The temperature is starting to cool a little, and here in the forest, the pine trees stand tall, their evergreen colour in contrast to the local forest maples and oaks, their leaves softly changing to a palette of earthy shades.

I’m looking forward to the BBQ on Monday evening, and to chatting with Tania and Nicos, who seem like a gorgeous couple, and clearly madly in love. I know that they aren’t married, but maybe it isn’t something they have thought about? Tania did tell me they have only been together for a few months. I can’t help wondering if I ought to relax a bit, if that’s my first thought about the happy couple, and not consider marriage as the be all and end all of a relationship. But, despite spending time in the company of the glorious Artemis, my heart still feels heavy when I think of Marco.

We head on, taking a detour past the village bar where Panos and Helena are cooking something on the charcoal, smoke spiralling in the air. The dogs raise their noses and bark at the scent as we pass them. The bar is quite busy this afternoon, with tourists who have probably been to visit the church before the light fades. A few locals are enjoying a drink and a game of dominoes at a table beneath an oak tree and nod as we walk past.

‘Maybe one day I will take a walk up there, without the dogs, though. I imagine the view from the top is amazing,’ I say, staring at the white church standing proudly amidst the rocks high up.

‘I bet it is. I could come too and take some photos. I used to be quite into photography,’ Hannah tells us.

‘Used to?’

‘I did consider taking a course at uni, before I signed up for English.’

‘It seems you are a girl of many talents,’ says Lars, saying exactly what I was just thinking.

‘Not really.’ She smiles. ‘It’s just a little hobby I enjoy. I don’t have any fancy camera equipment; I mainly just use my phone camera.’

It makes me think that perhaps I ought to get myself a hobby, as my interests consist mainly of going to the pub and taking a yoga class. I do enjoy being outdoors, though, and being here has made me realise I ought to get out walking a little more, perhaps even join a local walking group.

I have a memory of taking the bus to a nearby country park with my mum, when I was younger, and walking across fields skirting a golf course. One time, we walked along a country road passing an ancient church and stumbled upon a huge blackberry bush, bursting with fat juicy blackberries. Mum pulled a carrier bag from her handbag, and we picked a load, filling the bag, and laughing at our purple-stained fingers. Back home, we called into the shop for a ready-made crumble mix – Mum wasn’t much of a baker – and enjoyed blackberry crumble and custard after tea. I hope she looks back on those days from time to time with fondness, as I do. She was happy then.

Panos calls Hannah’s name and waves as we pass the bar and she waves back with a broad smile on her face.

‘You like him, don’t you?’ I say, as we take a left turn and walk downhill back towards the rescue.

‘Yes,’ Hannah admits with a shy smile. ‘He’s nice. And I’m actually learning a little more about the Greek language, as he is such a good teacher.’

‘I’m sure he’s grateful for the chance to improve his English too.’

‘I think so, yes. He’s a quick learner. I think he could have gone far, had he had more of an education,’ she reveals. ‘He told me his father died two years ago, and his mother has been in poor health ever since. He and Helena have had to keep the bar running, as there is no one else, only their elderly grandmother.’

It makes me wonder how many young people sacrifice their own desires to continue working in the family business. I guess we take for granted the opportunities that present themselves in life, if we are fortunate enough to have them.

‘What does his mother do with her days? I don’t recall ever seeing her at the bar.’

‘Not much apparently. Their gran lives with them, and Panos says she has tried to persuade his mother to come to the bar occasionally and at least get some fresh air, but she doesn’t leave the house much, apart from tending to the garden.’

‘I think I have seen his gran at the bar. Is she the elderly lady dressed in black?’

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