The Most Beautiful Place On God's Earth

10 Together again

Martin and Tom spent the mornings and early afternoons of the next few days with Nikos, helping him set up the tents, building a large fireplace over which Manos and his coworker hung a big swivel grill, and stacking the wood that a farmer brought in on a donkey cart for a few drachmas. In the later afternoons they met their girlfriends. Martin tested Mr. Tsikos' patience and took Xenia up to his room, but Mr. Tsikos didn't seem to care, so Martin finally managed to be alone with Xenia for a few hours.

In the evenings, Tom and Martin usually sat on the roof terrace. Martin was infected by Tom's thirst for adventure as the two of them imagined how the summer would go. The trip to Ireland would be a fine appetizer for another summer in Greece. The fact that they had to return to Germany for a few weeks for final exams didn't trouble them anymore.

On Friday morning, Nikos received a marine jeep that brought a rubber dinghy, and soon everyone started to drift in one by one. Tom and Martin were the first to arrive, then came the Admirals' children, shortly after them Xenia, Sophia, Georgios, Dora, and Maria, and finally Spiros, Michael and Manos' colleagues.

The musicians were happy that the band was complete again with the exception of Manny who was sorely missed. Phil was happy to hug his "brothers" Tom, Martin, and Nikos again. Immediately the wonderful feelings were there again that they had enjoyed so much last summer. They ate and drank together, played music and talked about the months they had been apart. Nobody dared to go into the water, though, because it was still cold.

Sandy and Manos showed the others their new house and garden. They had prepared two rooms for Martin and Xenia as well as Tom and Sophia, while everybody else would be sleeping in the tents. Phil was outraged:

"I need a room of my own too!"

"Only men with beards get their own rooms," Sandy put him in his place, pointing to Martin and Tom, who hadn't shaved since their arrival. After all the nonsense Phil had done the year before, Sandy added, "We'll tie you up in the boys' tent so you don't do anything stupid."

"If only they had done that," Stelios thought when he realized late in the evening that his little brother wasn't in the boys' tent. Phil had stirred plenty of trouble in the last few months: sometimes Dora would stand in front of the door crying and ask about him, the next day Maria would do the same. The Admiral's phone was busy all night because Phil kept talking to the two girls. And now his little brother was probably on the wrong track again, Stelios thought.

The next morning it was clear with whom Phil had spent the night in the shed - Dora looked extremely happy, while Maria was crying. Stelios suspected the roles would change a few more times in the next few days because no one would be able to stop Phil.

After breakfast they all made their way to Rafina. While they were loading the cars, Georgios' taxi pulled up to take Panos to Athens. The taxi driver helped Panos get in and put the wheelchair in the trunk.

"Why don't you want to come with us?" asked Tom the handicapped man.

"I'd like to," explained Panos, "but in the Easter week the bus station is busier than in summer. I've made enough bracelets and necklaces to sell there. I don't want to be on Manos' pocket. I'm sure you'll go to Euboea again, and then I'll come with you."

The group were already expected at the tavern in their "paradise bay". The innkeeper greeted them enthusiastically - he hadn't forgotten the sales they had generated the previous year. When Nikos had told him a few days ago that the band would play at the tavern when Georgios' coach with the tourists had their lunch break there, he had been very happy.

A number of cars had already made their way onto the beach and all 20 tables had "Reserved" signs on them. Around one o'clock Nikos' father's little coach slowly came down the path to the tavern. Nikos was the tour guide today, and he was happy that Sandy had invited Anastasia, Nikos' girlfriend. Nikos got out of the coach first and led the tourists to their tables in front of the tavern. Martin recognized Sandy's boss, his wife and daughter, whom Sandy had talked into buying tickets, and also Manos' art dealer and his wife among the group of tourists. Sandy speculated that if they liked the tour, they would be good advertising.