Throughout the long ceremony, the priest sang prayers for the couple and burned incense. Shelby told them that every part of the ceremony was symbolic of the union. “The blessing of the rings symbolizes the selflessness, sacrifice, and devotion of the couple, and when he crowns the bride and groom, that’s to show that they share the power in their home.”
Erin and Kostas drank wine from a single cup, and Kostas wiped a stray drop from Erin’s chin before it found its way to her wedding dress. Erin smiled at him with tears in her eyes.
“Drinking from the same cup symbolizes the sharing of joy and sorrow for them from now on – their joy is doubled, and any sorrow is cut in half,” Shelby told them in a hushed voice. “Now, they walk around the altar together,” she said as the priest led them in a circle. “It symbolizes their journey through life together.”
As the priest separated the couple’s hands and raised them in the air at the end, Shelby said, “He’s showing that only God can separate them now.”
~
A reception followed the wedding at a small taverna on the outskirts of town. It began with a luncheon, abundant with Greek cuisine and delicacies, most of them swimming in olive oil. The wine and ouzo flowed freely.
After the meal, the music and dancing began. Maria, relieved that everything had gone well, thus far, complimented Rick on his job of delivering Erin to the church with a simple, “Very good, Ricky!” It was silly, considering what a small part it had been, but he knew she was sincere with her praise.
Out on the dance floor, Randy was learning some of the traditional Greek dances with Shelby as his teacher. A special relationship had formed between the two – he constantly tried to seduce her, and she constantly made him look stupid. He couldn’t seem to get enough. As soon as his wounds healed, he’d go back for more, and she was ready.
Rick sat with Devon in the shade of the grapevine-covered arbor drinking wine and watching the celebration all around. It was an interesting combination, the crowd in attendance. The majority was Greek, but there was also an impressive international presence. Larry and Judy were there, of course, but there were a host of others, most of whom Rick had not met. At first, Erin tried to introduce him to everyone, but finally gave up. “I’m sorry Ricky, I have to go to Kostas. You’re on your own.”
“You go do what you have to do, I’ll be fine.” Rick pulled her close and hugged her. “I’m so happy for you, sweetie. I’ll admit, I was worried at first, but Kostas will take good care of you. Just make sure you hold up your end of the deal.”
“Oh, so now I’m not good enough for
him
?” she asked, pushing away from him in surprise.
“Of course you are, I’m just teasing. Relax a little and enjoy your special day.” Erin turned and left him, but not without a dirty look.
Rick was relieved the ceremony emphasized the equality of the couple. He recalled his misgivings of Greek marriage as a life of servitude for the woman, rather than the partnership the ceremony represented. He thought of the way each of them made sure the other didn’t work too hard, the way Kostas always worried about Erin’s happiness and well being, and she for his. He turned out to be a good man, just as Erin said, even if it was a little annoying how his command of the English language seemed to change to suit his immediate needs.
“It’s going to be hard to leave,” Devon said, tossing an olive into the air and catching it in his mouth. He had finally managed to slow down and find a pace he could tolerate.
Rick nodded. With just over two weeks left, the time seemed to pass more quickly each day.
“We’re just gonna have to make time to come back every so often, ‘cause this place just gets under your skin.”
Rick nodded again, aware that it was more Shelby that had gotten under his skin than the island. He didn’t mind leaving Erin so much – he knew she would be happy, and that was what mattered. Shelby was another story. They were spending a lot of time together, even outside of the lessons. She was a very good student, and Rick was confident she would continue to learn after he left.
Rick tried to just see her for their lessons and stifle his feelings, but discovered he couldn’t keep his distance. He found himself watching for her wherever he went, and if he didn’t bump into her, he would seek her out, even though nothing could come of it.
As he poured himself another glass of wine, Larry sat down in the chair beside him. “Quite the spread they’ve got here. Your sister and her mother in-law put on a pretty good party.”
“I know I ate my fair share,” Devon said.
“Rick,” Larry motioned for Rick to lean in closer. “Your friend, Randy…he really makes me nervous, the way he’s always sniffing around Shelby.”
“I know, but you don’t have to worry. That’s just the way he is, he’d never do anything,” Rick said, shaking his head.
“Well, that may or may not be, but he does worry me. Shelby’s not as grown-up as she likes people to believe, and he may forget that. Keep an eye on her for me, will you?”
“I will,” Rick said, “But trust me, Shelby can handle Randy, it’s like a game they play, and that’s all it is.”
“Just as long as he’s not trying to win the game,” Larry said, leaning back in his chair.
Rick wagged his finger for him to come close again, and told him, “I think the person you need to keep an eye on is a young local guy that seems to be a little obsessed with Shelby.”
“Huh? Who’s that?”
“Some kid named
Takis
.” When Larry had no reaction to the name, Rick added, “I think I saw him here, I’ll point him out to you.”
“What’s he doing?”
Rick wasn’t sure how much he should reveal, but he knew that Larry should know something about the situation. “Shelby just mentioned that he watches her a lot, and there’s something about him that just gives me a bad feeling, but don’t tell Shelby I mentioned it. She thinks she can handle it, but I’m not so sure.”
“Yeah, let me know when you see him,” Larry said, eying Randy as he approached, out of breath from dancing.
“Ricky, just to let you know – they are going to start playing some rock ‘n roll now, so you better bust out your dancing shoes.” Randy said with a wink.
“Ha ha, you’re very funny,” Rick said.
Shelby followed Randy to the table and sat in Larry’s lap, leaning into his chest.
“Why so glum, Shelby?” Devon asked.
Larry looked down at her and answered for her. “I think it’s because her ex-boyfriend, Dimitri, is here. He’s Kostas’s cousin or something.”
“No, I’m not glum, I’m just taking a break. Randy wore me out.”
Rick held his breath, hoping that Randy would keep his tongue in check, but all he said was, “Trust me, I’m the one who’s worn out.” Rick let his breath out in relief, but Randy continued, “Now, if I were a few years younger, you’d be too wore out to
walk
.”
Shelby’s eyes almost popped out of her head, and her face flushed as Larry’s eyes narrowed with a loathsome glare.
Rick jumped up and grabbed Randy by the arm. “You’d better come help me find those dancing shoes,” he said, pulling Randy away from the table. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You trying to get yourself killed?”
“I just meant from dancing –” Randy stumbled as Rick pushed him into a chair at Keith’s table.
“Yeah, sure ya did,” he turned to Keith, “I think it’s your turn to watch him.”
“What’d he do now?”
“Nothing, he’s just trying to make sure Larry has to follow Shelby around with a shot gun is all,” Rick said.
Keith looked at him with raised eyebrows, “I thought that was your job.”
Rick would have disputed the comment, but there were other people at the table, and no one heard, so he let it go.
~
As the afternoon turned to evening, the party was in full swing. The music and guests grew louder, and Rick struggled to hear the conversations around him. An American expatriate artist who had adopted the Greek name of Tasos joined the table and began to relate a humorous story of the local police to the group, and his lively method and nature left no doubt that all at the table could hear him well.
“So, I’m walking down the street one night,” he paused to make sure he had everyone’s attention, “and these two cops come up to me. I keep walking, and they start walking along with me, one on either side of me.” Tasos animated his actions as he related the story, pausing now and then to down a shot of ouzo. “And were walking along, and they’re trying to act all laid-back, asking me questions about my art and crap, and then, one of ‘em says, ‘We come to your house, we look for drugs.’ Right then, I stop walking, and I look back and forth at these assholes.” Tasos looked to his left and his right. “I tell them, ‘I don’t have any drugs,’ and the whole time, I’m wondering if maybe I do have something lying around they could find.” He stopped and downed another shot of ouzo.
“I start walking again, and they stay right beside me. ‘We go to your house, we look,’ says the one guy. I stop again,” Tasos jolted in his seat to show his audience that he stopped. “Then I tell them, ‘Okay, but it’s dark, and I don’t have electricity. You’ll have to search by candlelight.’ I let them think about it for a minute, then I say, ‘Why don’t you guys come in the morning, when it’s light out. It will make searching much easier.’ They think about this, and I can hear them telling each other that it
would
make more sense to do it in the daytime. They agree, and say, ‘Okay, we come search your house in the morning,’ tell me goodnight, and turn around and leave.”
The table burst into laughter, and when Tasos shook his head and added, “They never did come the next morning,” the laughter turned to hysterics.
Eventually, Tasos wandered off in search of more ouzo, anxious to entertain others. Soon, a woman had the table’s attention. A successful Australian artist, Morgan had been living on the island for two years. She intrigued Rick. Morgan was eerily similar to Shelby, and they looked like they could have been sisters. They had many of the same mannerisms, and they even had the same problem of their hair falling into their eyes. While she was very animated and colorful, Morgan’s personality was not as strong as Shelby’s, nor was she as quick-witted.
However, Morgan had very large breasts, which she seemed eager to display, and they constantly threatened to escape the skimpy confines of her dress. Randy positioned himself beside her to get a better view, so she smiled and tilted slightly so he would. Despite her blatant inclination for exhibitionism, she was interesting to talk with. Having lived all over the world, she finally settled on Paros, she said, until she used up all the inspiration the island could afford her. “If that never happens, I guess I’ll never leave!” Rick scooted his chair closer to hear her over the music.
Shelby was off dancing with Dimitri, apparently lured by his charms once again. Rick hoped she didn’t let herself get in too deep, knowing how badly he wounded her the first time. He wanted to keep an eye on her since Takis was lurking somewhere in the crowd. Erin told Rick that Kostas was friends with Takis’ father when he asked about the kid being there. Rick made a point to warn her about the young man, and his apparent obsession with Shelby.
“My house is about a half hour’s walk outside of town,” Morgan said. “You’ll have to come see it. I live right on the beach. The morning light there is spectacular! That’s when I do my best work.”
“What, so come lunchtime, you’re done for the day?” Randy asked, looking up to finally face her.
“Some days I am.”
“Well, I’d love to come see some of your work,” Rick said, eying Shelby and Dimitri again.
“You should, if you can tear yourself away from your lessons.” Rick turned and looked at her. She smiled. “I heard that you’ve been teaching Shelby guitar?”
He nodded and assured her that the lessons didn’t take up that much of his time, but regretted it instantly, knowing that Shelby counted on him to accompany her for a swim afterwards as part of their routine.
“She’s a good kid. She hangs out at my house quite a bit in the off-season. Not much else to do, I guess,” Morgan said, following Rick’s gaze to the dance floor, where Shelby and Dimitri were now slow dancing.
As though feeling eyes on her, Shelby looked to their table, and Rick quickly looked away. “What is there to do here in the winter?” Rick asked, hoping Shelby would assume he was engrossed in his conversation, instead of watching her.
“Not a lot, that’s for sure,” was Morgan’s gloomy reply. “Especially for Shelby, I suppose that’s why she comes to my place so much – just to get out of the house.”
When Rick dared to look back, Shelby and her ex were gone.
“What do
you
do in the winter?” Randy asked Morgan.
When Rick searched the crowd, he spotted Shelby and Dimitri off to the side, apparently arguing. She pushed the boy away as he tried to embrace her, and walked away.
Good girl
.
“Well, I do get a lot more work done…I spend a bit of time each day at the port café – we almost all do – and I guess I sleep a lot more,” she admitted.
“Sounds…fun,” Rick said, aware that he missed most of what she said.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds. We have parties all the time, full moon parties, half moon parties, no good reason parties…” Morgan laughed, and she sounded just like Shelby. Rick knew she wasn’t trying to emulate Shelby, if fact, he was certain it was the other way around, but the laugh sounded false on Morgan.
“
You
have parties all the time…not we.” Judy corrected, sitting on the other side of Rick.
“Me, we, who cares? I was wondering when you’d find time to come say hello to me.” She laughed again.
Rick could tell that Larry passed along the off-color comment by the way Judy’s eyes bored into Randy. “Well,” she said, turning to Morgan, “I had to make my rounds. I haven’t seen some of these people since last winter…probably at one of your parties.”
The music stopped, so Morgan announced, “I’m thinking I need to have one of those parties soon so these boys can see how crazy we can get before they leave.” Morgan slapped her hand on Rick’s knee and her other hand on Randy’s knee.