‘Table for three, parakalo,’ said Catrin to the kindly owner, who couldn’t have been more welcoming.
They shared a big bowl of makaronia and stuffed peppers and gorged on an endless supply of Greek bread until Lana was several degrees more sober, though still pretty merry. She’d reached the ‘emotional’ stage that the girls always recognized in her after she’d consumed a certain amount of booze. She insisted on their singing ‘Calon Lân’ and ‘I Bob Un Sydd Ffyddlon’, including the harmonies, and they knew there was no point in objecting.
Stavros the owner found it delightful, as did the other customers, who heartily applauded when the girls had finished their performance. Lana ordered them each a Metaxa, despite Judith telling her she shouldn’t drink any more.
‘Oh don’t be such a boring old cow,’ said Lana. ‘Tonight’s our last night. Who knows when we’ll get a chance to do this again?’
And Judith relented. ‘To Us Three!’ she exclaimed when the drinks arrived, and they clinked their glasses in a toast.
Moments later, Catrin suddenly fell very quiet.
‘What’s up?’ asked Judith.
Catrin took a deep breath and launched in. ‘Girls,’ she said nervously, ‘there’s something I need to tell you.’
Judith and Lana exchanged looks.
‘Go on,’ said Lana, intrigued.
‘OK, well …’ she hesitated. And then she said it. ‘I’ve fallen in love.’
‘What?’ stammered Judith.
‘Is it with a woman?’ Lana slurred. ‘’Cos that’s fine, y’know, babe, and I’ve been wonderin’ for some time if—’
‘Shut up, Lana,’ Judith snapped. ‘Go on, Cat.’
And both she and Lana sat mesmerized as Catrin relayed the story of the Samaria Gorge and how she’d kissed Solomon Blythe.
‘He’s beautiful,’ she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. ‘He gave me this.’ And she reached into her purse and took out the fragile piece of paper bearing Sol’s words and telephone number. ‘Look!’
They stared at it for a moment before Lana interrupted. ‘Well, well, well, Catrin Kelly, you dirty, dark horse!’ And she reached forward and hugged her friend, as did Judith.
‘Babe, I’m so happy for you,’ said Jude, emotional herself.
‘Me too,’ said Lana, beaming.
Catrin went on to tell them her plan to phone Sol the day after they got home. And how every time he wandered into her mind she experienced a terrible churn in her stomach. ‘So God knows what I’ll be like when I actually get to speak to him,’ she said.
‘How on earth have you managed to keep it from us for so long?’ said Judith, smiling.
‘I think I needed time for it to sink in. It still doesn’t feel real, to be honest.’
‘Right,’ said Lana drunkenly, gathering up her things. ‘Well, technically you’re still single, and the night is young, so let’s get back out there and strut our stuff.’
‘No, Larn,’ said Judith. ‘We’re taking you home.’
‘But we’re eighteen years old. We should be partying!’
‘Sorry, but Judith’s right,’ said Catrin. ‘We need to get some sleep, otherwise that flight tomorrow is going to be horrendous.’
Lana sulked all the way back to the hotel, trying her hardest en route to drag her friends into every bar they passed, including Demetri’s, outside which the Irish guys from earlier were sitting. They recognized Lana and called out to her to finish what she’d started. But Judith quickly pulled her away before she could engage in any conversation.
Back at the hotel, they helped Lana into her room, took off her shoes and put her to bed. She mumbled that they were ‘both a pair of boring bastards’ before falling fast asleep.
But as they shut the door quietly behind them, Lana opened her eyes again, waited as the footsteps of her two friends faded away, then promptly sat up.
Eight hours later, she was aware of a boxing match going on in her head. Bam, bam, bam, thud. Without opening her eyes, she reached out desperately to the bedside table, where she was sure she’d left half a can of Diet Coke the evening before. When she’d been getting ready. Getting ready for a night out.
Last night.
Oh God.
Her hand lighted upon the can and she brought it, shaking, slowly to her lips as she lifted her head from the pillow. The flat, sweet mix of chemicals and cola was like nectar in her parched mouth and, in that moment, the most beautiful drink she’d ever tasted in her life. She hauled herself up in bed and tentatively opened her eyes, daring to look.
He wasn’t in the bed. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. But she knew she wasn’t out of the woods yet. Clearing her throat, she called, ‘Hello?’
Nothing.
She couldn’t remember his name. ‘You still here?’
Nothing.
And finally, when she was satisfied he’d gone, she moved to the edge of the bed, preparing herself to stand up. She’d have to do it in stages. No sudden movements or she was likely to throw up. Jesus, who invented tequila?
Hideous, hideous.
She tried stretching her arms in front of her, gradually easing herself on to her feet. ‘That’s it,’ she whispered. ‘You can do it.’ She padded slowly over to the window and cautiously pulled back the cheap, brushed-nylon drape, letting daylight intrude.
Outside, Athens was gently coming to life. A sun-kissed summer morning, in a beautiful city, in a beautiful country, on the final day of her holiday with her two best friends, and she should really be feeling on top of the world.
Instead she felt as if she’d fallen into the deepest pit of dark and disgusting despair.
What the fuck had she done?
11
Judith
‘Can I have a break for a minute?’ Lana said after swallowing another mouthful.
They were sitting in the shade outside Paulina’s café next door to the hotel, and Catrin and Judith were feeding omelette and chips, very, very slowly, to their very, very hungover friend.
Satisfied that Lana had eaten enough for now, Judith moved her plate away and Catrin handed her some tea.
‘I just can’t believe it,’ Catrin said.
‘It’s tequila. It makes me lose the plot.’
‘You can’t blame the drink, Lana,’ said Judith, aware that she was being far harsher on her friend than Catrin was. But she was annoyed. She couldn’t help it. When they’d left Lana the night before, they’d both been convinced she was out for the count. Only it turned out that, far from enjoying golden slumbers, Lana had sneaked out again, back to the tequila bar, where the party was still in full swing, in search of the Irish guys, in particular Damian or Dorian or whatever his name was – Lana wasn’t exactly sure. She’d then brought him back to her room with a bottle of Metaxa and had sex with him all night.
‘Did you use a condom?’ Catrin asked, ever the sensible one.
‘Apparently.’
‘What d’you mean, “apparently”?’ snapped Judith, irritated by Lana’s nonchalance.
‘I saw a couple of used ones in the—’