CHAPTER 5
Nick
“A shot of ouzo?” the waiter asks.
“Would you like to try our national drink, Jackie?” I ask. “It contains alcohol.”
“Sure! Why not?”
“Two please,” I ask from the waiter.
Less than a minute later our shots arrive. “To traveling and meeting wonderful people from other cultures,” I say.
“Cheers to that,” she says.
We tip back our shots and I’m feeling good. The lamb and Greek salad were incredible. Dimitriou has been treating me well for years, since I first came here as a boy.
“Anything else, Nick?”
I look at Jackie who puts her hands on her stomach and leans back in her chair.
“I think we’re all finished.”
We stand to go. Dimitriou will put it on my tab and we’ll settle up at the end of the week as we always do.
“Woah! We were here for almost three hours,” she says.
“Time flies when you’re having fun. I think this is one of your expressions, no?”
“It is.”
“I love your language. There are so many nuances and rules, but then exceptions to those rules. I enjoy speaking it whenever I can,” I say as I hold the door open for Sophia and Jackie.
“I’d love to learn Greek, but it just…”
“Yes, it’s very, very challenging. It’s hard to know where to start.”
“My thoughts exactly,” she says.
“And what are your thoughts about your accommodation? It seems the person will never arrive.”
“Yeah, I think I’m going to have to look for something else,” she says.
“Many places will be closed because of the holidays. They’ll be at home with their families now through our Orthodox Christmas and New Year’s.”
“What should I do?”
“Well, the big hotels will probably have space, but they will be very expensive.”
“I’m trying to keep an eye on my money,” she says. “Maybe this fly to Greece on a whim thing wasn’t such a smart idea.”
“Well then it’s settled. You will stay with us. And it’s always a smart idea to fly to Greece. You’re going to have a great time here. I’m sure of it.”
“Stay with you?” she asks.
“I hope I’m not being to forward, but yes. You must stay with us. We have a spare bedroom that is already made up. I can’t take no for an answer.”
She doesn’t reply.
“At least for one night. You can unwind from your flight, use our Wi-Fi, and we can get you a sim card for your stay here in case you need to get in touch with me or anyone else. I’ll keep an eye on my phone while you’re here to make sure you’re safe.” And I’ve definitely been keeping an eye on her since she arrived.
I never considered younger girls to be a legitimate possibility for romance and more when it comes to someone in my situation. I’m a single dad and I don’t really have time or the desire to play the field or take part in the games kids play these days. And I certainly don’t have time nor do I want a meaningless hookup. It’s not who I am and it doesn’t set a good example for Sophia. As a dad there’s one thing I’ve come to learn. No matter how young your children are and how much you think they don’t know or understand, they know and understand everything. They can read body language and read between the lines. If I told Sophia one thing and did another it would only make me a hypocrite and then why would she have to listen to anything I say. That goes for everything from not eating a cookie before dinner to the time that will come in the future when I tell her to respect her body when it comes to dating and boys. Uh…like just about every father I hope that day never comes, but it will.
But Jackie is different. She seems like a risk taker. She’s fun. She enjoys life. Many people these days just live to work, never taking the time to really enjoy the relationships they build with other people. I’ve only known her a few hours, and surely she’s experiencing that euphoria of someone on holiday, but I can tell she’s different. Everything is perfect when you’re on holiday, but I can sense that she’s always this positive. I want to know more about her, and I know my time to do that is limited. If she can accept my invitation then I can take the first step towards seeing more of her immediately.
“I’m not sure. You must be busy?” she says.
“Nonsense. It’s the holidays. These are a time for unwinding and relaxing.”
“But what about your family? Don’t you want to be with them?”
“We were just with them, right Sophia?”
“Right!” she says.
“They live in Paris now. Sophia and I are here, alone.”
“Alone over the holidays? That doesn’t sound good.”
“Which is why you must be our guest. Come on. We can walk there. We don’t even have to take the car. It can stay parked here. We live that close.”
I extend my free hand to her. She looks at it and then puts her hand in mine. I feel the electricity as I did at the airport when her hand was on mine. But this time it’s better. This time we’re on the same page. I’ve got Jackie’s hand in one hand and Sophia’s in the other.
This feels very right. Too right.