As you may know, I spent Monday and part of Tuesday in Rhodes to help H move into his digs for two years at college. In fact, from setting foot on the island to taking foot from it, I was there for 29 hours. In that time, I met five people I knew from Symi (not including those on the boat). That’s not odd, you might think, and usually it isn’t. If it’s a Friday and the Blue Star is taking cars (which is currently isn’t), you can see loads of Symi folk in Rhodes, and as for the Friday before Christmas, well, you might as well stay home and have Symi to yourself.
Ah, yes, but, you see, I wasn’t in the usual place. That is, I wasn’t spending my time around the New Town area, in and out of Zara, or calling on one of the many private doctors and medical places for an affordable checkup. I was in the area of Ag Nicholas, towards the other end of Kanadas St. There, in a quiet, car-lined side street, I was seen helping the teen collect his belongings from the back of the taxi, including a full-length mirror, which made it across on the Sebeco without incident. Good boy. As long as you have the essentials, eh? Indeed, he does: X-box, driving wheel, pedals, speakers, monitor… Washing up bowl? Ah.
Anyway, none of that was odd, but as I was limping up six flights of stairs carrying three bags of don’t ask and box of something else, I thought I recognised one of the inquisitive and guarding Yiayias who had gathered in the hall to introduce, welcome, and generally make a fuss of probably the youngest man they’d ever had live in their small block. The odd thing was, if the lady was who I thought she was, then it was scary because her son-in-law told us she had passed beyond the veil some time ago. A little later, as I limped past with a garden bench, I joined the conversation and sure it enough, it was Kiria Anna who some of you might know. She used to live beside Neil’s Symi Dream shop, sit on her step by the gallery door, and watch the wine nights, or just sit and watch. She was being visited by someone else I knew from back then, so the photos came out, there was a long old chat, and H was welcomed to the block. Anything you need, you ask me, were Mrs Anna’s parting words as we got on with the work.
Later that morning, we bumped into Sotiris-the-supermarket’s cousin, but then he works in Pappou where we were shopping (more about that another time), so maybe he doesn’t count. Nor do Aris and his sons, who run the Nimmos Garden Restaurant, where we ate three times in two days (teens). However, on Tuesday morning, while sitting in Ag Nicholas Square waiting until the appointed hour to take coffee at the godson’s new ‘pad’ at nine, who should come past but Michaelis, who reads our water meter and wins marathons. We exchanged a smiley hello as if we always passed each other at that time in that place, and on the day went. Even later, when having lunch, I saw a friend’s son wheel his suitcase past the taverna.
So, to me, that makes one random Symi-related person just about every six minutes. A bit like buses.
It was very humid in Rhodes on Monday, so I was dripping wet by the time we reached the flat, let alone after carrying everything up. That done, though, and the garden furniture delivered for the area of flat roof H has the use of as he’s alone on the top floor, we took in the view. We also noted the escape routes in case of fire, because I am like that, and then went shopping, which is a story for tomorrow.
