Aphrodite’s Smile. Stuart Harrison
your father, Robert. He was an educated and intelligent man, as well as being a good friend. If I was able to assist in some small way then I regard it as a privilege. You know of course about Aphrodite’s Temple? Your father always hoped that one day he would discover its whereabouts.’
‘Yes.’
‘Did you know that a man named George Dracoulis claimed to have first discovered it in the thirties?’
I was surprised. ‘I thought it had been lost since ancient times.’
‘And so it was. In fact scholars have always disputed its existence. But Dracoulis wrote a letter to his sister in which he claimed to have found the temple. Unfortunately this could never be proven because Dracoulis died during the war, and by the time the letter came to light the earthquake of 1953 had buried the site he had unearthed. At least that was the theory of some. Including your father.’
‘Though I gather from what Irene has told me that in recent years even he had given up any hope of finding it.’
‘This is true, of course. It was a great shame to see him become so despondent. Though he knew in the end that Dracoulis was proved right.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yes. Some of the artefacts that Dracoulis recovered from the site were discovered in a private collection last year in Switzerland. It was proof that everything he wrote in the letter to his sister was true. At least Johnny knew that the temple really existed. I am sure that someday it will be found.’
I wondered if that might have added to my father’s despair. To know that the temple was actually somewhere on the island, but that even after twenty-odd years he hadn’t found it and probably never would.
‘I recall that your father mentioned that you are in business?’ Kounidis said, changing the subject.
‘Property development, yes.’
‘Your father also said that you are quite successful.’
‘Prices have been going up,’ I said. ‘It doesn’t take a genius in those conditions.’
‘But it does take work, and commitment, I think. You have those qualities in common with your father at least. Will you be staying on Ithaca long?’
‘I’m afraid not. I’ll be leaving after the funeral.’
‘Then I hope you get to see some of our wonderful scenery before you return. As I’m sure you know, there are some beautiful beaches where it is pleasant to swim. And unlike our neighbour, Kephalonia, most of them remain unspoilt by crowds of holiday-makers.’
That much we agreed on, and I told him that I had been to Polis Bay that day.
‘Ah. You know about the cave there? It is very famous.’
‘Yes, I read about it.’
‘Did you also know that there is a sunken city in the bay? It was called Jerusalem. It is believed to be the remains of a town that sank during an earthquake centuries ago. There are some amphorae on display in your father’s museum that were recovered from the sea-bed. Have you visited there yet?’
‘Not on this trip,’ I admitted.
‘You should. There are some remarkable finds from an excavation he made at Platrithias several years ago. It was his last excavation in fact.’
Kounidis seemed to be knowledgeable about Ithaca’s past and I wondered if he knew as much about the island’s more recent history. It occurred to me that he might know something about Alex’s grandmother and I mentioned that I had gone to Exoghi that afternoon.
‘Ah yes, the views from there are excellent. Did you go inside the church? There are some wonderful examples of religious icons.’
‘I’m afraid not. Actually I gave a lift to a girl I met whose scooter had broken down. She wanted to see the house where her grandmother was born.’
‘A local girl?’ Irene asked.
‘Actually no, she’s from London, but her grandmother came from Ithaca.’
‘What was her name?’ Irene asked. ‘Perhaps I know her family.’
‘Zannas, I think she said.’
‘Julia Zannas?’ Irene and Kounidis exchanged quick glances.
‘Do you know the name?’
‘Yes,’ Kounidis said. ‘I am afraid that many people on Ithaca know the name of Julia Zannas. Though perhaps not so much the young. You say this girl that you met is her granddaughter?’
‘Yes. Her grandmother died last year. She wants to find out more about the Greek side of her family. From what she told me it was a bit of a taboo subject when she was growing up.’
‘I can imagine that it might be so. If you see her again, Robert, you should advise her to be careful who she speaks to. For some people the past is never forgotten.’
I was reminded of the old man we had seen in the village. I told them what had happened and about Alex’s resemblance to her grandmother.
‘As you see, Robert, it might be better for your friend not to go back there.’
‘She told me that her grandmother was involved with a German soldier. But surely nobody would hold that against Alex. Especially after all this time.’
‘Do not be so sure. For some people the name Julia Zannas brings back unpleasant memories. Many of them blame her for the deaths of members of their families during the war.’
‘Why? What did she do?’
‘It is a long story,’ Kounidis said, ‘and an old one, as you say.’
I gathered that he was reluctant to repeat it, and when he changed the subject I didn’t press the matter. He and Irene became involved in a discussion about her business and were soon talking about the company that handled her distribution, and how best she could address a problem she was having. They spoke in English out of deference to me, and it was interesting to note that Kounidis seemed well connected. He offered to speak to various officials both on Ithaca and elsewhere on Irene’s behalf.
Eventually he rose to leave and again he shook my hand. He invited me to visit him at his house near the town of Kioni before I left.
‘If you have the time, of course. My housekeeper is an excellent cook. I think I can promise you a good lunch,’ he said.
I thanked him and said I’d do my best.
‘Irene will give you my phone number.’
Irene walked with him to his car and when she returned I remarked that Kounidis seemed an interesting man.
‘And a very good friend, yes. I did not exaggerate before when I told you that he helped your father a great deal.’
‘It sounds as if he can help you too.’
‘Alkimos knows many people and he is very well respected.’
‘Because of his business days?’
‘Yes, but also because as a young man he was involved with the Resistance during the war. He was captured by the Germans. That is why he did not wish to talk about what happened. Although your father asked him about it many times.’
‘My father? Why was he interested?’
‘Do you remember we spoke of the Panaghia? Alkimos tried to help your father find the German ship that sank during the war.’
‘The Antounnetta?’
‘Yes. In fact the story of what happened involves your friend’s grandmother, Julia Zannas.’
The coincidence surprised me. I had a sudden sense of events in time colliding gently, nudging one another like great shifting plates in some impenetrable machinery.