Untitled

— Chapter 1

Then there were the breakfasts that summer in the Mediterranean. Up at the holiday house was where we ate the best, there wasn’t the space nor the company in Nicosia for the kind of breakfasts we had there. Every morning fresh vegetables, cheese, meat, bread, and olive oil were always on the table. I was mad for the olives, marinated in herbs and garlic, that came out of large plastic tubs from the fridge. They were Nick’s grandparents’ olives, grown on a small lot of land they owned a few villages away. Nick would inherit part of it one day he told me.
We saw that olive grove and the healthy vegetable beds when we visited their farm nearly one week into our trip. The village, an hour or so away, sat on a hill in a valley, all around were olive groves. There weren’t many other houses, just one street going across the hill then another down. All the houses looked old and tired, I took a photo of a bright pink couch left out the front of someone’s yard, the front half of it exposed to the sun had already begun to fade. Nick’s grandparent’s house sat on the first street and their farms sloped down the hill behind it. Besides the veggies and olives, they also had a large barn full of rabbits and chickens. An old widow, dressed always in black, lived across the street, Nick told us she was the village gossip. She always left her door open and we could see her sitting in her living room, we didn’t say hello.

After we were introduced and taken all around the farm we had a large lunch of stewed rabbit, fried potatoes, and stuffed zucchini flowers which were all delicious, though Eddie didn’t eat much. Afterwards, we learned some of the history of the island.
“No,” his grandfather was explaining to us by way of Nick translating.
“We’re not from here originally, we’re from the North. We came over after the occupation. It wasn’t safe there once the Turks landed. So we left it all behind, our old house, a farm much bigger than this one, just walked away. You understand? And now some other family lives there I suppose”
We were sitting under a thick grapevine in the backyard, drinking lemonade. The sun was at its hottest and everyone was resting in the shade after the walk and lunch. Nick’s grandma came out with Greek coffee and walnuts stewed in sugar, she seemed to always be ready with more food to give us.
“It wasn’t easy here in the beginning,” Nick’s grandad went on.
“After we settled ourselves we used to shelter others who had also lost everything fleeing. My wife, she cooked all the time. Anyone who needed somewhere to stay we would try and help them”
After coffee, we packed plastic bags full of vegetables into the car, Nick’s grandparents spoke to him for a while then we said goodbye and drove along the winding village roads. I felt restless inside the car, I turned to see Eddie in the back seat slumped against the window.
“You didn’t touch much of that rabbit today,” I said to him.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes.
“What?”
“Didn’t care for the rabbit today?”
“Oh, that,” He wriggled on his seat. “I can never eat much before midday, especially without a drink”
“But after everything they’ve been through Eddie, to not touch their homemade lunch?” I said.
”Oh shut up Adam. They didn’t care that much, did they, Nick?”
“They always care about uneaten food”, said Nick “but nowadays, not so much. They’re tired, they only worry about more pressing problems: they want to see all their grandkids married. They were hassling me a lot today.”
“See Adam, they didn’t even notice the rabbit. Too busy trying to sort Nick out.”
“Hmm,” I said.
The car was quiet for a while, I stared out the window. The scenery was all hard white gravel against blue sky.
“Say I was thinking Nick,” I said after a while, “You reckon they would let me stay at their farm? I could help out a bit”
“Suck up”, said Eddie from the back.
“They don’t need your help, Adam. They do alright themselves, still up at five a.m. to work every day. Besides, I don’t think they’d understand”
“Understand what?”
“Why a young guy like you would waste his time on a farm”
“They’d hassle him?”, said Eddie.
“I don’t think it’d be worth it”
“Maybe I’ll just look for a commune”, I said.
“No communes in Cyprus. Hey, we’re nearly at Kritou Terra, do we need anything?”
“We’re out of ouzo”, said Eddie
We pulled up at the small grocery store that supplied the surrounding villages. This part of the island was more modern and populous compared to where Nick’s grandparents lived. The store sat atop a hill that gave you a view all the way out to the coast, we could roughly see the area Nick’s village cabin was in. There were fresh fruit and vegetable stalls out the front of the store and across the road was a small sandwich truck popular with locals and tourists alike. I walked inside over to the coffee granita machine while Nick and Eddie picked out Ouzo and cigarettes. I paid for my drink and stood outside. The sun was still high in the sky despite it being nearly evening. I turned back to the shop and saw Nick laughing with the owner and Eddie standing awkwardly, not understanding the Greek. The rest of the drive was in silence, Nick smoked out the window.

Back at the house, it was finally nearly dark and much cooler. I walked out from my room barefoot over the still warm paved stone ground that spread out all around the house and saw Eddie was making our drinks.
“Put some more water in mine”, I said
“Suit yourself”
We sat on the roof of the mudbrick cabin and watched the sun go down and the few lights of the villages come on. It was much quieter there than in Nicosia, the stars too were brighter.
“We’ll take the boat out this weekend”, said Nick, “maybe get a chance for the land rover as well”
“Hope it won’t be too much of a bloody adventure weekend”, said Eddie
“Just some short beach trips, relax”
“‘Relax’, he says. I’ve yet to sample more than three different types of local booze, yet he’s already planning four-wheel driving”
“Speaking of, don’t forget to eat something tonight”, I said
“Thank you Mother”, said Eddie finishing off his drink, “On that note, I’m going down for refills”
“Careful on the ladder would you”, said Nick
“You worry about your marriage prospects”
Eddie climbed down from the roof and went inside.
“So your family really gives you a hard time?” I said to Nick
“Well not usually, everyone had just assumed Anastasia and I would marry. So now they’re worried”
A warm breeze moved from behind us out over the villages, rustling our shirts and all the trees and bushes around us. Despite all the thriving flora we still hadn’t seen any wild animals during our time on the island, coming from Australia this had seemed strange to me when I first started noticing it. The first time I brought it up Nick had told me that nearly everything here was severely overfished and hunted.
“What about Sahra, have you heard from her yet?” I said
“She’s not sure she’s coming back this summer. Her sister is though, you’ll meet her”
“Her sister?”
“She has an Identical twin, Isra”
“That won’t be strange?”
“No, we’ve all been friends for ages”
“If that was me I don’t know if I’d be able to-
“God, you worry. No, it’ll be fine, she’ll be over from working in London. You should try to get to know her actually”
“I don’t know”
“Well maybe not her but someone. Thought this was supposed to be your holiday”
Suddenly the ladder shook and banged against the roof.
“Think I might need a helping hand”, Eddie called from the ground.
“Don’t climb and carry things at the same time”, yelled Nick, “Pass them to me first”
Eddie eventually made it up with us and we had another round of drinks.

The next morning I got up early, made myself a coffee frappe, and sat on a wicker chair out the front of the cabin. Already I could hear insects buzzing in the trees reminding me of the heat to come. I tried to read but couldn’t, eventually, Nick came out as well and we went for a walk on the road towards the village center.
“That’s our neighbour’s house over that way’, Nick said pointing up the road we were on, “He owns a tire shop in Nicosia, he and my Dad can drink and talk all night when they’re together. He plays the bouzouki as well, you’ll see”
“That sounds fun”, I said
“Yeah, look I hope you can enjoy yourself tonight. Just try to drink a bit more”
“Is it much further to the center?”
“Yeah we drove past it, it’s just at the end of this road. Look all I’m saying is don’t be nervous about meeting new people, they’re fun. Eddie is having a good time”
“Eddie’s just drunk”
“Exactly, anyway did I tell you Dad wants to run for the mayor of this place?”
“He doesn’t, does he?”
“He is! Finally gonna sort out the rubbish collection service”
“Well I’ll be, hey I see the center”
I took some photos of the small marble fountain in the center of the village then we headed back to the house. Eddie was up, sitting out the front with a frappe.
“There they are”, said Eddie as we arrived, “I thought you’d gone and left me stranded”
“We were just out getting some exercise”, Said Nick, “Remember exercise?”
“Yes yes, panting and sweating how much I miss it, anyway where’s breakfast?”
“Inside”, said Nick, “Let’s go”
Inside at the table, we tucked into sandwiches and more coffee.
”Hitting the water today?”, I said
“Yep, the folks will be here soon, then we’ll get the boat ready and go”

After breakfast Nick’s parents arrived, we heard the car up driving on the gravel driveway while we were cleaning, soon after they burst into the cabin.
“Hello hello”, said Anthony stretching out his arms holding full plastic bags in each hand.
“How are you boys getting along up here? You like my cabin?”
“You guys are early”, said Nick
”We couldn’t wait to come see you”, said Maria embracing Nick then turning to Eddie and me, “No one comes up to this cabin anymore, it’s just me and your Anthony every weekend”
“Let me help you unpack”, I said
”Yes”, said Anthony gesturing to Eddie and me, “You two, strong boys come with me outside, I’ve brought lots of things for the water I think you’ll like”
“Yes go, go”, said Maria, “I need to speak to Nikos”
Eddie and I went out to the driveway and started unloading Anthony’s car, we pulled out several wetsuits and diving gear. Eddie held a large spear gun in his hands admiringly.
“Ah yes, you like to spearfish Eddie?”, said Anthony
“Never speared anything, Tony, not really my thing. But I can certainly appreciate this piece of craftsmanship”
“There was always great fishing in Cyprus, but you know now almost all are gone. Not many fish left unless you go out very deep and dive down”, Anthony mimicked diving with his hands, ”You dive down only with your breath, very dangerous but this way you know, maybe you will catch bigger fish”
“Can’t say I’d have the lungs for that”, said Eddie
“Maybe Adam will come with me eh?”
“I’d like to go diving”, I said
“Great, great. Well let’s set up the boat and then maybe we dive”
Eddie and I continued helping Anthony move things from his car into the boat then we watched him as he checked the boat and explained to us how everything worked. It was already very hot and I was only half-listening, I kept thinking about being in the deep sea waters with a harpoon gun. Suddenly a noise inside snapped me out of my daydreaming and Nick came out yelling something in Greek behind him.
“Hey”, said Anthony, “Why do you say something like that to your mother Nikos?”
“Are we about ready to go?”, said Nick
Anthony frowned then looked down at the controls on the boat that he was fiddling with
“Bring out some ice for us then we’ll go”
Finally, we connected the boat to the car and started driving over to the coast, Nick and Anthony drove the car towing the boat, and Eddie and I rode with Maria in Nick’s car. Maria talked nearly non stop in the car, mostly about Nick.
”It was such a shame, such a shame”, Maria was saying to us.
“Such a beautiful girl Nikos had, three years they were together, she was studying to be a doctor, can you believe? But then suddenly last year he’s talking to me on the phone from Australia and he says they’re no longer together”, Maria gestured, grasping something in her left hand, “I just don’t understand. You boys tell me would you have walked away from a doctor like that?”
“Absolutely not’, Said Eddie
I jabbed Eddie hard in the side from the back seat.
“Where is Anastasia now Maria?”, I said
“She’s still in the UK. Her mother and I were old school friends as well, we were so happy knowing that our children would be together. You boys have girlfriends, yes?”
“No, both single”, I said.
“At your age, you should be seeing people, it’s always nice to see someone when you’re young”
Maria seemed to reflect on this last statement then went very quiet and focused on driving behind Nick and Anthony. I began thinking about what Nick had said last night then returned again to diving in the sea. Soon we were at the beach.