Page 26 of The Cruise Club

Fran had never ridden on a jet ski. The only moving thing she’d sat on at the seaside was a donkey named Dobbin on a Blackpool beach. But at Almyros Beach, where the tour bus took the cruise passengers, the turquoise sea was inviting, and Fran, encouraged by Sid, decided that she’d have a go.

Wearing her baby-pink tankini, Fran held onto Sid as he listened to instructions from the jet ski owner, who told Sid not to go too far out and to watch his speed.

‘Aye, aye, Captain,’ Sid said as he revved the engine and slowly set off. Fran let out a scream as Sid cruised away at a moderate pace. ‘Give over, Fran,’ Sid called out, ‘it’s hardly Formula One!’

Fran’s hair splayed around her face, and sea spray kissed her skin.

She pressed her body to Sid’s, her eyes wide as she looked back at the beach, where stylish sunbeds lay beneath straw umbrellas on golden sands dotted with smooth pebbles.

A bar with a Tiki-style roof was playing music and sunbathers gathered there for refreshing drinks.

The calm, shallow water was perfect for swimming, and many cruisers were in the sea.

‘Oh look!’ Fran called out. ‘There’s Dicky Delaney!

’ She thrust a finger in front of Sid’s eyes and pointed at a man by the edge of the water.

Dicky had both hands on his hips and wore colourful shorts, and, with his eyes closed, held his face towards the sun.

‘Isn’t that Peter too, playing bat and ball?

’ Fran held her hand to her brow as she scanned the beach.

‘The fella he’s playing with is wearing very brief trunks. ’

‘That’s Kyle from Kyle’s Senior Splashdown,’ Sid acknowledged.

‘I should get you a pair of Speedos like that.’ Fran giggled as she eyed Kyle’s brief neon beachwear and thought that he was glowing so brightly, he could probably be seen from space.

‘Steady on!’ Sid called out as he brushed Fran’s finger away and swerved to avoid a swimmer who’d inadvertently drifted into the jet ski lane.

‘It’s that author,’ Fran called out, ‘you know, Ruskin Reeve.’

‘Well, he needs to watch where he’s swimming,’ Sid mumbled, keeping his distance from Ruskin, who’d stopped to remove his goggles and held up an apologetic hand.

Fran gripped Sid tighter. ‘Come on!’ she urged. ‘I haven’t come out here for a Sunday stroll. Let me feel the wind whip into my wrinkles.’

Sid laughed, and as Fran clung on for dear life, he accelerated steadily.

‘Blimey, I’ll need a wrench to get off,’ Fran said as she gripped her thighs around Sid and felt her tightening muscles protest.

‘Two paracetamols and a large ouzo will soon sort you out,’ Sid shouted over his shoulder.

As they sped around the bay, Fran, enjoying the thrill of the ride, called out, ‘This is the life, seize the day!’

On the island of Spinalonga, Betty seized her cane and pointed it angrily at anything that got in her way. ‘I thought we were staying on the boat!’ she grumbled to Carmen. ‘I don’t want to be on an island where I might catch an incurable disease.’

Carmen ignored her mother. Pushing Betty along the uneven surfaces was bad enough, but the constant commentary of complaints was even more wearing.

She tried to blank Betty out and thought of the enticing waters of Spinalonga that she’d seen from the deck of the boat as they gathered with other excited passengers.

The island had risen dramatically from the sea as they approached, and Carmen was entranced by the rocky shores, vibrant greenery, and ancient stone buildings that lay beyond.

She tried to imagine what it must have been like for a person afflicted with leprosy to arrive here, knowing that they would never leave.

The views were breathtaking as they made their way along the pathway and many visitors climbed to higher vantage points to photograph the panoramic vistas.

Carmen stared at the olive trees and wildflowers and could almost feel the whirlwind of emotions that the lepers might have experienced when they arrived.

Would it have been fear and despair? Or perhaps a sense of resignation as they faced a future separated from family and friends, not knowing if they would be treated with kindness or continue with the cruel stigma that had been inflicted on them.

Carmen wondered what it might be like to be cast away from society and longed to discuss this, but as Betty moaned about the bumps in the path, Carmen kept her thoughts to herself.

Suddenly, a voice behind Carmen called out, ‘It would be a very lonely journey all those years ago!’

Carmen turned and, to her delight, saw Theo. ‘I didn’t know you were on the boat?’ She smiled as he reached her side.

‘Last-minute decision. I was on a smaller vessel but have kept a low profile while the sea air got rid of my hangover.’

‘I know the feeling,’ Carmen laughed. She was happy to see Theo, who was dressed casually in shorts and T-shirt and looked relaxed as he walked alongside her.

‘Hello, Betty,’ Theo said and touched Betty’s hand. ‘I hope you’re enjoying the trip.’ But Betty snatched back her fingers and stared at Theo with an expression of horror before turning her head away.

‘Probably thinks she’ll catch something; given the island’s history,’ Carmen whispered, rolling her eyes.

‘Here, let me take the load,’ Theo said, ‘these paths are impossible with a wheelchair. You relax and enjoy the island.’

‘It’s good to see you. What do you think so far?’ Carmen asked. Released from her duties, she shook the tension from her shoulders, enjoying her soft curls caressing her bare skin.

‘I can’t imagine the feeling of abandonment one must have felt, being deposited in this place,’ Theo said as he looked around. ‘Picture being dumped in a community of suffering, giving up all the dreams one might have had.’

‘Heartbreaking,’ Carmen agreed. She bit down on her lip and thought of her father’s words. ‘You’ve got to have a dream to make a dream come true…’ Dreams, for the residents of Spinalonga, would never have come true in this prison.

They were approaching the ruins of stone houses, and ahead of them, their tour guide waited for everyone to gather at Dante’s Gate.

‘It was the gateway to hell for the lepers,’ Theo said as they walked through a tunnel that led into the village. Entering the main street, they studied the recently renovated houses where pots of geraniums stood beside a communal laundry, a bakery and a church.

The guide told the visitors that the lepers were thought to be cursed by God and the disease a punishment.

But once on the island, he explained, they stopped being outcasts and formed a community that held elections, had families, and naturally, experienced every normal human emotion during their lives.

‘Maybe life wasn’t so bad,’ Carmen reflected.

When they reached a bar and café, Theo suggested that Betty sit and have refreshments while he took Carmen to explore.

‘At these prices?’ Betty complained. She studied a menu and gripped her purse. ‘I could shop for a week for the cost of a coffee here.’

Theo purchased baklava and coffee with a large glass of Metaxa. ‘Here you go, my love,’ he said and made sure Betty was comfortable. ‘Relax and refresh yourself. We’ll be back very soon,’ and before Betty had time to object, he grabbed Carmen’s arm, and they set off.

‘It’s a good job you’re wearing sensible shoes,’ Theo said, staring at Carmen’s glittery trainers, ‘the paths will be difficult in places as we climb higher.’

For the next hour, they walked around the circumference of the island, stopping to view the ruins of a hospital and an eighteenth-century Venetian fort where they learned that the Turks took over the island in the nineteenth century.

Theo studied a guidebook and told Carmen that the leper colony was established in 1903 for several hundred lepers and was known as the prison of no escape.

Residents were called the ‘living dead’ because of their deformations and blindness.

‘They were often brought in handcuffs, like criminals, under the escort of the Cretan police,’ Theo said. ‘Provisions to the island were exorbitant,’ he added, ‘suppliers insisted on high financial compensation for the risk to their health.’

In a museum, they saw games from the Ottoman period when paving slabs were used as boards with engraved dimples and lines.

Alongside a cabinet of ancient glass bottles, Carmen studied a wall plaque and read, ‘Guards were recruited from convicts and ex-criminals and often abused the sick.’ She shook her head. ‘This is truly a heartbreaking place.’

Theo lifted his sunglasses and continued to study his book. ‘Fortunately, after the Second World War,’ he said, ‘a cure was discovered in America, and the colony closed in 1957.’

Now, they were standing in a little church.

Carmen stared at the simple artefacts and icons, almost sensing the history in what had been a place of worship for the lepers. Natural light shone through an open window, the beam falling on a vase of fresh wildflowers. Thank goodness someone still cares!

‘I’m so glad I came here,’ Carmen said to Theo as they came out of the church to stare at the surrounding view of the sea and mountains.

‘It’s very spiritual,’ he replied softly, ‘Ruari would have loved this.’

Carmen reached out to touch Theo’s arm. ‘Perhaps he is with you in spirit?’

‘And perhaps your writing guide is with you.’ Theo turned to Carmen and grinned. ‘How do you feel?’

‘Like I could suddenly write ten chapters!’

‘I’d better get you back to your laptop, and we ought to rescue the staff at the café, too.’

‘Hell, yes, I’d almost forgotten my mother.’

‘As if you could…’

They reached the café and Theo and Carmen suddenly stopped when they saw Betty.

‘Just look at her!’ Carmen said and stared at her mother.

Betty was sitting on a wall, a glass of Metaxa in her hand, chatting to a tanned, grey-haired gentleman, who had a camera slung around his neck. Leaning in closely, she lightly touched his arm as she laughed at his joke. Flashing a radiant smile, Betty gazed at the elderly man with a girlish grin.

Carmen was open-mouthed as she heard Betty say. ‘You know, if I wasn’t on the cruise, looking after my daughter, I’d definitely steal you away!’

The man had an American flag on his baseball cap and wore a bright Hawaiian shirt. An expensive-looking gold watch gleamed on his wrist. ‘Well, ma’am, I couldn’t be that lucky.’ He grinned and patted Betty’s hand.

‘Would you believe it…’ Carmen whispered to Theo. Stepping forward, she said, ‘Hello, my name is Carmen, and I’m Betty’s daughter.’

‘Holden Jackson the third, from Venice, Florida. At your service, ma’am,’ the man said and rose to attention. ‘I’m honoured to meet you. Your mom here has told me all about you.’

‘I’m sure she has…’

‘I guess you want her to take you back to the ship?’ Holden Jackson the third raised a bushy eyebrow.

‘Oh, I think I can manage,’ Carmen replied, ‘but Mum, shall we get you comfortable in your chair?’ Carmen indicated that Betty sit down.

‘She likes to think I’m infirm,’ Betty giggled, knocking back the brandy. She nudged Holden, ‘I go along with it to make her feel needed.’

‘Sure thing,’ Holden smiled. ‘Good on you, Bet,’ he added. ‘I’ll see you at the dance in the Mermaid Theatre later.’

With a wink and a tug on his cap, Holden turned and went to the bar.

‘Bet?’ Carmen voiced as Betty staggered to the chair, flopping down and wriggling to make herself comfortable. ‘Did he just call you “Bet?”’

‘Holden is being friendly.’ Betty picked up her cane. ‘Don’t make a fuss and spoil my day like you usually do.’

With an incredulous stare, Carmen looked from Betty to Theo. ‘And what’s all this about the dance tonight?’ she asked.

‘Holden has asked me to join him,’ Betty said, ‘but only if my poor old bones can bear to be upright for a few minutes.’ She raised her cane, ‘Come on, hurry up, we don’t want to miss the boat.’

Carmen was at a loss for words, and Theo, sensing her confusion, took the handles of Betty’s chair. ‘I’ve got this,’ he said, tilting his head to indicate that they should be making their way.

‘She’s beyond belief…’ Carmen muttered as the trio went along the bumpy path that led to the jetty.

‘Holden Jackson seems like a gentleman,’ Theo said as Betty’s head slumped and she dozed. With the sun beaming down and the jetty in sight, Theo remembered the pineapple print he’d noticed on Holden’s shirt and grinned as he thought about Betty and the American.

Was Colin and Neeta’s UDPPC about to get a new member?