A trip to Mykonos
Hey Jude !
I’m writing this letter to you, the old way like you want me to, because I am almost done with my trip to Europe and you need to know what happened in this past few days !
As you know, I’ve spent a week in London, then another one in Paris and now I’m in Mykonos for four days. Three very different places ! I loved the red buses of London and the mix of old and new buildings. Oh and of course, I loved the tube and its man’s voice who asks us to « mind the gap please ». I imagine that the voice belongs to a man with a bowler hat and a mustache. And what about Paris and its pastries and its wine and its beautiful architecture. History is everywhere in both of these cities and I loved it.
Can’t wait to show you the pictures, Jude ! And why don’t you have Facebook, like everyone else, eh ? It would be easier…
Well, anyways, now, let me tell you about my last four days, here, in Mykonos. As you know, I saved for years to be able to stay in the iconic hotel Amazonia, the one with the big private pools for each room. It costs the equivalent of a monthly rent for only four days but damn… it’s so much worth it !
So let’s begin to when I arrived at the hotel. I was impressed by the decoration. It’s very sober, very white, but not cold white. No, there are many colourful paintings all around the hall and there are plants and seats here and there. When I arrived, the luggage man took everything and said “Miss Martin, your luggages will be in your room when you arrive. Now, take time to visit if you wish so or if you’re hungry, the buffet is right here” and he pointed the door on the right of the receptionist. I wasn’t very hungry, but I decided to start with the buffet anyway. Another white room with lots of paintings and plants everywhere and employees who say “Hi” everytime they meet you. I took a look around and suddenly, I started to be very hungry. Well, there was a lot of seafood, pizzas, pastas, greek salads and a lot of things I didn’t know what they were.
I filled my plate with some greek salad and pita gyros and went to sit to a table by the « window ». There was no real window but it was by the sea. I had an amazing view on the beach and I could see that there wasn’t much people, which was great. Later, someone told me that this part of the beach was private and that the hotel only had forty guests, so I guess that’s why there wasn’t much people ! Good for me !
While I was eating my gyros, a man came to see me and asked if everything was fine. I said yes, but I was intrigued. He did not have a badge with his name, like the other employees. I asked him why he wanted to know that and he blushed and said “I saw you from my table and thought you were so beautiful”. Aww, that’s cute, right? I told him I was new around and I could use some company, so he went to get his plate on his table and came back to sit in from of me. He was quite an ordinary man, but with fire hair and a lot of freckles on his face. He was very tiny and barely had muscles. But he was so nice. Something about him was so interesting, couldn't tell what. We talked for almost an hour and I ate my pita without even tasting it.
We were talking about this and that and, as if it was something normal, he told me he came here every year since he was a baby, because his uncle owned this place. At first, I thought “yeah, yeah, you just try to impress me”. But all the employees seemed to know him, so after an hour, I didn’t know what to think. I asked him directly to prove me that he really was who he said he was. I followed him back in the hall and we walked behind the reception. There were many photos and he was in three of them. On the first one, he must have been ten years old and he was with a forty year-old man. “It’s my father,” he said. On the two others, he was with another red haired man and there was a caption that stated it was the owner and his nephew “the heir”. I turned to him and said sorry I didn’t believe him. “Don’t worry about that” he said laughing.
Before to leave for work, he made me promise that I would be at the beach tonight. Then, with a big smile on my face, I went to my room. It was a spacious room, with a king size bed and some fish-shaped decorations on the walls. There were some seashells on the desk. And, behind the patio door, there it was: my very own private pool! My smile got bigger and my heart started to beat fast. A dream come true! I opened the door and stepped outside. There was a chair with cushions on my left. The pool was rectangle and faced the beach. I went back inside, took off my clothes and put on my bath suit, then went back outside and jumped in the pool. It was warm and refreshing. I started swimming for about ten minutes; that was so great. I could hear my neighbours in their pool, they were laughing. A wall of rocks separated our pools. I stopped swimming and I leaned against the edge, to watch the sea. I stayed like that for another ten minutes. I could feel a little breeze on my face. It was so calm and relaxing. I closed my eyes and let myself lulled by the sound of the waves. I could have stayed like that for hours. But I decided to get out of the pool to grab a book and sit on the chair. I read for two hours and thought that I could live like this forever. But then I remembered that I had promised my new friend to meet him at the buffet and it was almost the time for that.
When I got to the buffet, he waved me and I waved him. But I first walked to the buffet and chose to eat some souvlaki. When I got to the table, I realised that my friend was eating the same thing! We laughed about it and then I asked him his name. “Max,” he said. Then I learned that he was half Greek and half American. His father and his uncle were Americans and they had come to Greece twenty-five years ago and they met these beautiful Greek twins. They had a nice stay and by the end of their trip, his uncle George was married to Elena and his father Peter was married to Alana. George decided to stay in Greece and bought this building, which was a ruin at the time. He made some major renovations to make it become a hotel. George and Elena tried to have kids but it never happened. Peter had to go back to New York, because he was a financial on Wall Street and couldn’t leave his job like this. Alana followed him and they eventually decided to stay in America. They had Max and two years later a baby brother came, but died after five months of the sudden infant death syndrome. So, Max was the only heir of the empire his uncle built and he had been learning about hotel business for years.
On my side, I told him I was a Canadian woman who simply works in a library. “I don’t have an amazing story like yours,” I said. “My parents work in a factory and they will retire in ten years, when they reach sixty-five. I have a brother called Jude”. I opened my mouth to say more about you, but something stopped me. “And what is your name,” he asked me. I couldn’t believe I had not told him yet! “I’m Paula,” I said.
And in the past four days, Max brought me to visit the island. Mykonos is absolutely amazing. I could really see myself living here. People are nice and fun, it’s just so easy to do everything, nobody expects you to be faster then you want to be. And I love how everyone enjoys a nap in the afternoon. This talks to me!! And of course, Max is so lovely. I met his uncle George yesterday at the beach and he made me feel like a member of his family. He invited me to his house and I had a lovely dinner with Max, his uncle and his aunt. They had a big house, too big for two people, but I guess that’s how rich people live. George said he had a total of fifteen hotels around the world, but his heart belongs to Mykonos. Elena, with her brown hair and her green eyes, didn’t look like a fifty year-old woman. The sun had done some damages on her skin over the years, but she still looked young.
Back at the hotel, Max and I went for a walk on the beach. He grabbed my hand and I didn’t resist. I could see that he liked me, but it was his first move that really showed it. And, Jude, I have to admit that I think that I kinda like him too. I really never thought this would happen. Never saw it coming! Even more after… you know… my last relationship that didn’t end well, I said I would never be with a man ever again. But Max seems different.
I am writing this letter to you, Jude, because I don’t know what to do about you. You are the best and the worst thing that ever happened to me. Max is in the bed right now and he is awaking. What should I do? I’ll tell him. I think…
“Max I have something to tell you,” I said when Max was awake. He was flattering my hair and giving me a love look. “I have a secret to tell you. When I said I had a very ordinary life, well, it’s not totally true”. I stopped, I wasn’t sure I was ready to say it. But Max encouraged me to continue. “It’s about Jude, my brother. He was my twin brother”. Max noticed that I used the past tense. “Yes, he was, because he is dead. He died the day we were born… No, let me finish. He died in childbirth because he didn’t have enough breath. I always have in my wallet the ultrasound picture of the two of us, everywhere I go. You can call me nuts if you want, but having him with me helps me. I can’t explain it, but that’s it”. Max gave me a hug and said he understood me. How lucky I was! My ex was so pissed when he learned I had a picture of us in my wallet, he said I was crazy.
If someone had told me that I would find love during this trip, I would have laughed. I was so tired of men and everything related to them. But now, I am happy. I am sure that you are happy for me too, Jude. And now, I’m thinking about moving to Mykonos and Max thinks it’s a great idea!
Jude, for all my life, you have been a good confident. I don’t know if you are only a fantasy or if your spirit can hear me. But it’s good to write to you. During this trip, I thought about you all along. And I know that you made sure I would find everything I need. Because right after I told Max about you, we went for a walk in Mykonos’ street and we met a librarian and after a few minutes talking, he offered me a job. What are the odds! So tomorrow, I'll be back in Canada. Packing my bags. I’m moving to Mykonos. Some great adventures are waiting upon me!
Love you, Jude!
Your dear sister,
Paula
