Watching the Wind Blow (The Greek Village Collection Book 9) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Sara Alexi
around the time she started digging random holes in the field.
‘ Mana mou .’ Irini’s own mother addressed Yiayia. ‘She died in childbirth. She was not even in Greece, let alone near here when it happened. Remember?’
Yiayia’s starry eyes stabbed holes in her as she glanced about.
‘ Mana mou , come inside. I will tell you again. She married Dierk. You remember Dierk the German? They had Stathoula and then there was a problem when Glykeria was being born?’
Thunk. The tsapa dug deep into the soil and Yiayia used all her strength to lever open a hole. Thunk. The tsapa excavated deeper.
‘ Mana mou , come let us make some coffee,’ Irini’s Mama coaxed.
Yiayia never did quite seem to understand. Mama and Baba became worried about leaving her on her own when they went off to the markets and Irini to school. Irini would regularly return to find little excavations pocking the field, sometimes uprooting crops. Often, Irini would cover over the worst if she was back before Mama and Baba, just to try and relieve some of their worry.
Then the day came that Mama and Baba would never return and that soon after Yiayia began to wander off as if searching for them. Irini mostly caught her before she had gone too far, but some days, Yiayia could be very sneaky and Irini would find her streets away, completely lost.
The fishing boat leaves the bay and the rocking of the boat settles. If she is going to see Stathoula today, she’d better get on. She must put the pots that need washing to soak and pump the toilets to clear out the stale water and, while the bleach acts in them, she can nip back to the car for her phone.
And then one day, Yiayia was gone and could not be found. It wasn’t long after that that the field and the house were repossessed by the landlord. That hollow sinking weight of being left with no one and nothing settled into the pit of her stomach, becoming a part of her. That feeling stayed until Stathoula took her in.
Below deck, the air has cleared a little. It is not so acrid. Above deck, it is hot now, but below is even hotter. She opens the door to the forward toilet. Water sloshes below the duck boards, and the soap suds from people taking showers make everything look grimy.
If ever there was a good day to be caught for stealing! That market stall holder had no idea of the favour he did her. The police were involved but it turned out to be good luck for her that day.
The sink, which has yellowed with age, is always impossible to make look clean, and someone has left a toilet roll out whilst using the cubical as a wet room and the soggy tissue has disintegrated on the side.
It turned out the stall holder had known her parents. But it was the policeman who linked her name with the old lady they had found. He told her about the funeral before releasing her with a reprimand but still with no place to go and no food to eat.
To a great extent, it was the memory of all the food at her parents’ funeral that persuaded her to go to Yiayia’s. It certainly hadn’t occurred to her that her family had been traced and that she would see Stathoula and Glykeria.
On the shelf above the toilet and below the porthole is where the first aid box is kept. Really, it is a thick plastic sandwich box with the words ‘ Artemis - First Aid’ written in indelible felt pen. It has been opened and the contents are spread out on the shelf; there are tubes in the sink and sealed plasters on the floor. An empty shampoo bottle is in the tiny bin which hangs on the back of the cupboard door below the sink and this stops the door closing and the one into the room from opening fully. Irini is unable to get into the space and she fishes about until she retrieves the bottle. Once in the room, she opens the porthole to let out the smell and heat.
That was what had hit her first about Stathoula and Glykeria’s house. The cleanliness. They led her first to a bathroom with a free-standing
‘ Mana mou .’ Irini’s own mother addressed Yiayia. ‘She died in childbirth. She was not even in Greece, let alone near here when it happened. Remember?’
Yiayia’s starry eyes stabbed holes in her as she glanced about.
‘ Mana mou , come inside. I will tell you again. She married Dierk. You remember Dierk the German? They had Stathoula and then there was a problem when Glykeria was being born?’
Thunk. The tsapa dug deep into the soil and Yiayia used all her strength to lever open a hole. Thunk. The tsapa excavated deeper.
‘ Mana mou , come let us make some coffee,’ Irini’s Mama coaxed.
Yiayia never did quite seem to understand. Mama and Baba became worried about leaving her on her own when they went off to the markets and Irini to school. Irini would regularly return to find little excavations pocking the field, sometimes uprooting crops. Often, Irini would cover over the worst if she was back before Mama and Baba, just to try and relieve some of their worry.
Then the day came that Mama and Baba would never return and that soon after Yiayia began to wander off as if searching for them. Irini mostly caught her before she had gone too far, but some days, Yiayia could be very sneaky and Irini would find her streets away, completely lost.
The fishing boat leaves the bay and the rocking of the boat settles. If she is going to see Stathoula today, she’d better get on. She must put the pots that need washing to soak and pump the toilets to clear out the stale water and, while the bleach acts in them, she can nip back to the car for her phone.
And then one day, Yiayia was gone and could not be found. It wasn’t long after that that the field and the house were repossessed by the landlord. That hollow sinking weight of being left with no one and nothing settled into the pit of her stomach, becoming a part of her. That feeling stayed until Stathoula took her in.
Below deck, the air has cleared a little. It is not so acrid. Above deck, it is hot now, but below is even hotter. She opens the door to the forward toilet. Water sloshes below the duck boards, and the soap suds from people taking showers make everything look grimy.
If ever there was a good day to be caught for stealing! That market stall holder had no idea of the favour he did her. The police were involved but it turned out to be good luck for her that day.
The sink, which has yellowed with age, is always impossible to make look clean, and someone has left a toilet roll out whilst using the cubical as a wet room and the soggy tissue has disintegrated on the side.
It turned out the stall holder had known her parents. But it was the policeman who linked her name with the old lady they had found. He told her about the funeral before releasing her with a reprimand but still with no place to go and no food to eat.
To a great extent, it was the memory of all the food at her parents’ funeral that persuaded her to go to Yiayia’s. It certainly hadn’t occurred to her that her family had been traced and that she would see Stathoula and Glykeria.
On the shelf above the toilet and below the porthole is where the first aid box is kept. Really, it is a thick plastic sandwich box with the words ‘ Artemis - First Aid’ written in indelible felt pen. It has been opened and the contents are spread out on the shelf; there are tubes in the sink and sealed plasters on the floor. An empty shampoo bottle is in the tiny bin which hangs on the back of the cupboard door below the sink and this stops the door closing and the one into the room from opening fully. Irini is unable to get into the space and she fishes about until she retrieves the bottle. Once in the room, she opens the porthole to let out the smell and heat.
That was what had hit her first about Stathoula and Glykeria’s house. The cleanliness. They led her first to a bathroom with a free-standing
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