the sun wash his face and holds his arms from his body to allow the relative cool full access before they set off.
As they walk, he tries to explain he has no deposit, but the woman will not stop talking. Apparently, someone picked up her handbag this morning by accident in a shop and made no apology. Also, they are thinking of building a new road down by the marina which will just ruin the neighbourhood. There has been a new mayor elected and he really doesn ’t know his … She uses some expression that Theo doesn’t understand fully, but by the time he has worked out the gist, she is talking about a trip she is planning to America and how happy she will be to know there is a nice young man like him above her mother. Theo is amused that everybody keeps calling him a young man. This woman, for example, cannot be more than ten years older than him.
‘ Are you listening?’ she asks.
Theo tries to recall the last thing he heard. ‘Sorry. I missed that?’
‘ I said there is just the one rule—no subletting.’
‘ Oh, absolutely not,’ Theo assures her.
‘ And it’s fine for friends to stay, if you know what I mean.’ She gives him a side-on look. Her tongue darts across her fleshy lips as she pulls her jacket straight over her ample bust. ‘But if you have a woman move in, I want to know about it. This is my mother we are talking about.’ She stops walking and pushes open a gate. A short path bisects a handkerchief lawn, leading to a two-storey building. The lower floor has a window on either side of the front door. The second floor has a balcony the full width of the building. The front garden is dominated by a tall straight tree that towers the height of the house and casts dappled shade, the sunlight filtering through its spiky branches. It’s a monkey puzzle tree and Theo has seen one before, a small one in a pot in a garden in the village, but nothing as majestic as this.
‘ Mother’s there.’ She jabs her fingers at the main door as she leads the way up the enclosed steps up the right side of the building.
‘ This is you,’ she says and opens the door to a large living room with a fireplace at the far end and, at right angles to it, a small sofa that has seen better days. But Theo’s eyes are drawn to the window, which takes up the whole of the front wall and looks out onto a balcony and the treetops in the garden. A monkey puzzle tree takes centre stage, creating a canopy over the lawn. Down either side of the garden is magnificent greenery. There are no trees this big in the village or in Saros; there is just not enough water that far south. Theo stares, admiring the view ‘… kitchen there.’ Margarita finishes something she was saying. ‘You like it?’
‘ Oh yes,’ Theo says and pulls his attention to her. He must make her understand he has no deposit. She is standing quite close, so that he can see the fine hairs on her cheeks have a dusting of skin-coloured powder.
‘ So rent at the end of the month,’ she says quietly, ‘I’ll be round to get it and we can have a cup of coffee and a chat.’ Her eyes linger on him just too long for comfort.
‘ How much?’ Theo asks. She leans towards him. Theo checks himself; his instincts govern him to back away, but he is sure this would be unwise if he wants the place. ‘For you…’ She leans closer. Theo smells acrid perfume. She whispers a sum. Theo wonders if flecks of spit remain in his hair as she backs away. But as the sum she has said registers, he turns and looks at her face on. Is there a catch? Maybe, but she has not asked for any rent in advance, so what can he lose?
Margarita smiles. ‘I knew you would be pleased.’ She laughs shrilly and points to the key as she leaves, which is still in the door.
Theo looks around the enormous room. He snorts, amused that he went for a job and ended up with a flat. And this time, he even knows his landlady’s name—and the name of her friends. He has shared their table and
As they walk, he tries to explain he has no deposit, but the woman will not stop talking. Apparently, someone picked up her handbag this morning by accident in a shop and made no apology. Also, they are thinking of building a new road down by the marina which will just ruin the neighbourhood. There has been a new mayor elected and he really doesn ’t know his … She uses some expression that Theo doesn’t understand fully, but by the time he has worked out the gist, she is talking about a trip she is planning to America and how happy she will be to know there is a nice young man like him above her mother. Theo is amused that everybody keeps calling him a young man. This woman, for example, cannot be more than ten years older than him.
‘ Are you listening?’ she asks.
Theo tries to recall the last thing he heard. ‘Sorry. I missed that?’
‘ I said there is just the one rule—no subletting.’
‘ Oh, absolutely not,’ Theo assures her.
‘ And it’s fine for friends to stay, if you know what I mean.’ She gives him a side-on look. Her tongue darts across her fleshy lips as she pulls her jacket straight over her ample bust. ‘But if you have a woman move in, I want to know about it. This is my mother we are talking about.’ She stops walking and pushes open a gate. A short path bisects a handkerchief lawn, leading to a two-storey building. The lower floor has a window on either side of the front door. The second floor has a balcony the full width of the building. The front garden is dominated by a tall straight tree that towers the height of the house and casts dappled shade, the sunlight filtering through its spiky branches. It’s a monkey puzzle tree and Theo has seen one before, a small one in a pot in a garden in the village, but nothing as majestic as this.
‘ Mother’s there.’ She jabs her fingers at the main door as she leads the way up the enclosed steps up the right side of the building.
‘ This is you,’ she says and opens the door to a large living room with a fireplace at the far end and, at right angles to it, a small sofa that has seen better days. But Theo’s eyes are drawn to the window, which takes up the whole of the front wall and looks out onto a balcony and the treetops in the garden. A monkey puzzle tree takes centre stage, creating a canopy over the lawn. Down either side of the garden is magnificent greenery. There are no trees this big in the village or in Saros; there is just not enough water that far south. Theo stares, admiring the view ‘… kitchen there.’ Margarita finishes something she was saying. ‘You like it?’
‘ Oh yes,’ Theo says and pulls his attention to her. He must make her understand he has no deposit. She is standing quite close, so that he can see the fine hairs on her cheeks have a dusting of skin-coloured powder.
‘ So rent at the end of the month,’ she says quietly, ‘I’ll be round to get it and we can have a cup of coffee and a chat.’ Her eyes linger on him just too long for comfort.
‘ How much?’ Theo asks. She leans towards him. Theo checks himself; his instincts govern him to back away, but he is sure this would be unwise if he wants the place. ‘For you…’ She leans closer. Theo smells acrid perfume. She whispers a sum. Theo wonders if flecks of spit remain in his hair as she backs away. But as the sum she has said registers, he turns and looks at her face on. Is there a catch? Maybe, but she has not asked for any rent in advance, so what can he lose?
Margarita smiles. ‘I knew you would be pleased.’ She laughs shrilly and points to the key as she leaves, which is still in the door.
Theo looks around the enormous room. He snorts, amused that he went for a job and ended up with a flat. And this time, he even knows his landlady’s name—and the name of her friends. He has shared their table and
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