My Greek Project
By C.B.Collin
Copyright © 2012 by C.B.Colin
”Every normal person, in fact, is only normal on the average. His ego approximates to that of the psychotic in some part or other and to a greater or lesser extent”-Sigmund Freud-
At the beginning
My first book and still…I want to thank persons, even if they are less, which supports me every day with a good word, with a warm smile, with a brilliant advice. I want to thank Alexandra, my cousin and my soul sister for being behind my back; I want to thank my aunts, Valentina and Olimpia, because every time they encouraged me to stay strong. I want to thank my cousin GVR for telling me so many tips, and supporting me every time, my cousin Gabriela for being sweet and helpful. And of course I want to thank my soul brother from Greece, Nikos, because without him this book wouldn’t be The Greek Project. And the last thing I want to thank the Universe for energizing me every time.
Chapter I
where I will be?
Damian E. Jones
Like usual my luggage were sitting quietly, in my dusty room corner.
The irony of life makes me, that type of human who hates to step foot on another land beside London, forced to leave my native land, somewhere on an Mediterranean island, where the famous antic guy tried his luck in to flying but he felt in the saline sea. What can I say that guy wanted to became a bird just like his dad but he was not tan enough so he approached the sun and his waxwings became candles. Funny, isn’t it?
Is not funny at all when I knew that my school project was supposing to leave England. Moreover, here I was, me Damian Jones by the name, trying to calm down my frenzied mind who hounded me with the darkest possible thoughts, with my intention to leave my country. And like so, I was seating and waiting in every minute that my room door will open and my mother will dash in, with a sweet and false smile on her face, saying: “Finally you will get the hell out of here.”
Cute. However, how I promised myself, I will pretend happy. What can I say world, I love my college and this project can rise me in the future. Poor of me, how can I fool myself. And how I’d expected, my isolated room opened and my mother came fast to me, in tears and with a voice, who rather terrified you then joys you, saying:
“I can not believe Damian that you will go out of London! Are you sure that you want to do this? I can call Mr. Bines and…”
“That is enough mother! I will not go to visit Santa Claus in North Pole. If I will give up on my project, I can say bye to my future. Calm yourself, everything will be fine. Now, please help me with the luggage.”
That please word, I said it with half-heartedly, I really do not wanted to beg someone to send me far away from what I knew the best, meaning home. My mother did not say a word or to say something else, she just shacked her head and then she took my trolley in the same time when I put my rucksack on my back. She ran off my room so fast, like there was a hiding monster and I went reluctantly to the door, looking back a little disappointed. I sighed and locked my door because I didn’t want to return back home and to discover my room upside-down and investigated by my mom. I forgot to mention, I was orphan…
In the car, silence, none of us knew what to say, I for one do not wanted to talk about the wheatear or what will I do and neither did she wanted to pester me with typical parental phrases, something like: “ Take care of yourself, take care of yourself” and did I mentioned “ To take care of yourself?”
Arrived at the airport, I got off the car with an extraordinary speed, because I do not want to remain with my mother in the car. I opened the boot, I lifted my luggage and then I went with my mother to the airport entrance, egregious piece of folly. I got a fright, I was nervous about this all deal, I didn’t know how to react, and that is why I preferred to be quiet. I remarked my class along with Mr. Bins, who had a list in his hands. Psychology teacher, shorter and bald, with a sharp mind that man. He observed me and he smiled, the other classmates--10 in total number-- stood with their baggage very excited, waiting for a speech.
“Good, dearly beloved students, I do not wish to give you courage and I do not want to appall you, just try to make the best of it. In the brief, which I gave it to each and everyone of you, you will find details about your subject and do not forget that our college is in a partnership with another one from United States and each and every one of you, will have an American partner for your studying.”
At that speech, I raise my eyebrows. American partner? I don’t have noting against the English-American speakers, but me being from England I consider myself not able to get along with some American. Mr. Bins again smiled at the students, because they looked excited, me not.
“Well, my loves, good luck and have fun, now all aboard!”
The students were on the broad grin, instead of it, I made large eyes and concerned to my mother who, like all the rest of the mothers, she was lachrymose. I detest this thing from a parent. I went to her and we hugged.
“Oh my love, call me or write to me an e-mail when you will arrive. I love you, and take care of yourself.”
“Thank you mother, I will miss you.”
Bingo, the typical parental phrase came to light, and I smiled guilty that I was leaving my country.
Good, on the plain I took out my brief and studied more carefully, considering that in the moment I received it I though little of reading it more detailed. An all month in Greece, on Crete island, I knew that, how I told the story of Icarus. The plain will take me in Athens city, and from there I have to take a ship. I sighted again, thinking that I never traveled with a ship before. But Greece is an interesting country, why not…
I didn’t have the mood to study the brief, so I putted back in my backpack; I let myself back in the chair and closed my eyes.
Dark. Where was I? It was odd, I felt heat, was too hot. I woke up in a dark forest, with so much shadowy and very high trees that I almost saw nothing around me. I heard a weeping… I went to the source and I discovered my mother, standing down, crying in a kerchief. She cried with blood tears. I was scared and fell in my knees but I could not touch her just see and hear her:
“Why? My son. Why he had to die?”
I was terrified because of what I heard, so I ran from her in the woods and suddenly I went out from the forest as if I knew the way. I was on a cliff and deep down was the roaring sea, I felt something heavy on my back, were wings. A male voice crescendo, while a man approached me. I could not believe my own eyes, was my dead father.
“Are you ready son?” he said smiling.
“Ready for what?” I said terrified.
“For the flying, of course.”
Therefore, he pushed me from the cliff, while I was trying that smearing wings, which didn’t had feathers. I was flying, but I felt my wings getting smaller and I started to lower towards the sea…I saw it, was over. The image of roaring water came into my eyes…and…
I opened my eyes suddenly and I knew someone was standing beside me. A white and thin hand was on my shoulder, and when I looked up, above me was a thin woman with blond hair in a blue uniform.
“Sir, are you all right?” the stewardess asked me worried.
“Yes…yes…I just had a nightmare,” I said whispered.
“Can I get you a glass of water?”
“Yes, thank you.”
She left, and I realized that was just a dream. And what a dream! Not often, or not even at all, I have nightmares, but this one made me sweat like a pig and to have white face like a piece of writing paper. Odd. After couple of minutes, she returned with a glass of water and I drank it all without blinking, realizing how thirsty I was.
“When we will land in Athens?”
“In a half time” she answered me with a smil
e.
I smiled her back even if I didn’t had the feeling to do that, but I was literally horrified at the image of my mother crying with blood. God. Anyway, I started to calm down, putting my headphones in my ears and hit the play button from my mp3 player. At last, in this way I will take my mind off the dream. I really was asking myself what my mother was doing. Sure she was home trying to break down my door, very nosy about my room.
Finally, the plain started to low down, and driver, if I can call him in this way, announced in English and Greek that we will land. I put on my seatbelt and closed my eyes.
Therefore, I awaken in the airport, with my luggage in hands and with two colleagues of mine who had the project like me, in Greece.
“I wonder where we have to go?” said a colleague who stood beside me.
“Well you didn’t read you brief?” said my other colleague, with sharp voice. “We have to go to the seaport and from there to take the ship.”
“Where you guys going?” I asked, hoping that I will not wake up lonely on the island.
“Me in Mykonos” said my colleague with enthusiasm. “I waited so long for this project, is like a dream came true.”
“I am assigned in Rhodes, and I will leave right now,” he said highfaluting and he actually left us in the airport. I looked after him amazed how he took a cab and I was thinking to myself: “What a nitwit!”
My colleague, who stood next to me, probably had the same thought as me because she made a weary face and turned to me:
“Well, we will take the taxi to the seaport?”
“Yes, but most likely we will pay loads of euros.”
“And what you suggest? To stay here?”
“Of course not, come along.”
I got in with her in a yellow cab, and the driver came fast to open the boot to be able to put in our luggage.
“Kalimera”, he said and we just smiled.
In the car, I glanced the Greek city and indeed, I was amazed to discover tortuous streets, powerful sun and the famous pantheon. Many cars in traffic, and the driver started to swear in Greek, strongly honking.
“How do you think will be?” My colleague asked, with a slight scare in her voice, a fear that she installed in me.
“I have no idea, but I think will be ok.”
I did not wanted to be me the one who encourages her, because I had my own fears and honestly, who would hearten me in those moments?
In a foreign land, where the official language is Greek, I felt very weird to know me far away from my home, to not know no one just my redhead colleague who was eating her nails. What encouraging for me. The driver turned brusque the car to left, who exceeded the regulation speed, and I woke up on my colleague.
“Sorry.” I said to her a little embarrassed.
“Don’t worry, is not your fault,” she said stressful.
“Where are you from, my friends?” the driver asked us in hacked English.
“Grand Britain”, my colleague said.
“Nice country, very nice. Royal. Queen, much tea”.
I smiled and the image of the queen came into my mind, attending tea with Mr. driver.
Then I saw it, the sea. How blue could be, exactly how I expected to be, even if myself came from an island, a big one, to go on another one seemed ridiculous, but I smiled encouraged, as I saw the sea I had the feeling that everything will go well. The driver, eventually, stopped the car and we get off from it watched frowned the port and the huge ships, which looked like the Titanic. Even my redhead colleague had that thought in mind, as she said:
“If an iceberg will hit us, at least will be in the front of a newspaper.”
I laughed while we lifted our luggage and paid 20 euros from my side and 20 from her side. He wished us a good day, and moved along. A huge ship in red, on the top of it was a Greek prince painted, was landed --ironical speaking--and we went to the queue, where we presumed that from there we could buy tickets.
That red ship was for Crete and unfortunately, for my colleague, her ship will came in Athens barely at 8 o’clock in the evening.
“What should I do until then?” she said scared.
“My suggestion is that you will go somewhere to drink and stay, you just simply cannot seat here in the seaport”.
“But…”
Her worries and fears stricken me to the core. She was right, if I was in her position I really didn’t know what to do and most likely I would go insane. I just smiled and put my hand on her shoulder.
“Honestly, just relax. Everything will be fine; you just have to stay somewhere and no not talk with no one.”
“Oh, good. I have no choice. I am very excited.”
“Me to” I lied.
The tourists headed for the ship’s entrance and I went with them uptight after I wished good luck to my stressfully excited colleague. At the entrance were two sailors, said hi to me and to the rest, after which I was relieved to discover that there were escalators, as already my hands hurt cause of the luggage. At the top of them, stood a man who took my ticket and smiled, wishing me bon voyage. I prayed that I would not have seasick. I followed the rest of the people and I end up in a big room full of blue chairs, which reminded me very easily about a plain. I looked around and saw a place where people were putting their luggage; sort of a closet and I asked a sailor if my luggage would be safe there.
“Absolutely,” he answered me with a grain. I wondered if in their job contract is written to force themselves or to under act. I returned his smile back and left the room with seats on a lobby then in a restaurant. I went across without looking around, knowing that every eye in that room was on me at every step I took and at last I arrived where I wanted, namely on the deck. There were less people, sitting on some plastic white chairs. I took one for myself and I grounded exactly where the deck’s baulks were, I was admiring the Greek city, the seaport, and buildings. I took out my sunglasses and put them on their place --meaning nose-- after that I crossed my arms while I took a deep breath, sighing. A female voice announced in Greek and English that soon the ship will leave and of course de rigueur thanks that we choose to travel with them. How cute.
I did not wish to draw attention and to speak with somebody. As long I was a ghost for the rest of the world, so much the better. Therefore, I put my headphones in ears and waited to leave. I actually was wondering how long the ship will take to arrive in Hera…I cannot pronounce that bloody word…but something like that, something like Hera-clion…Heraklion, from the Crete island. I fished out my ticket and in that moment, I said loudly:
“HOW MUCH?”
The people around start to stare at me but I didn’t care. There were exactly 6 hours!
Was better for me if I would take the plain, but I was too curious to journey with a ship, there for I sighed again and closed my eyes and… That’s how it goes!
Long way. The ship was walking smooth on water, cutting the white waves of the blue crystalline sea. I was sitting with a coffee in my hands, listening to some music on the deck, watching the water. Sometimes there were also some shows on the Aegean Sea, this meaning little islands who were passing lazily near the ship. Was interesting to see a small mountain in the middle of the water. As for the rest I really didn’t had nothing to do, and the boredom wasn’t late to appeared. Probably I visited all the ship, walking slowly everywhere. I was sitting on a deck then to the next one and the next one, and so on, in the plain type room, at the restaurant, at the games room. I watched bored my phone and saw that I had only one hour left, until arriving at the destination. Already I was so teed off the water and my luck was that the wheatear didn’t stop to be beautiful and hot, as the sea was appeased, the ship had only a small vibration, sign that we were in the move.
When finally the lady on the loudspeakers announced that we were heading to the most wanted island, the people around became eventfully and everyone was rushing towards their luggage to take them and to go in the main lobby, where everything was made of white marble,
look alike a hotel reception. Me, very peacefully, I took away my luggage and slowly went to the big lobby knowing that the ship will take some time until landing. Why should I crowd myself in people, just so the ship will not return to Athens when people would be still on, at least I preferred to believe so.
And then, with an easy slam, the ship arrived in the seaport and the gates opened. I exist in the Greek burning sun and looked around stoned, seeing many people, cars that came out from the ship, fending myself from them, lest to forsake the life to fast, anyway was beyond expression pandemonium.
Now, where should I go?