A year and a day ago E-Book

Klaus Biedermann

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 246

Beschreibung

Sophie had found her vocation working as a doctor in Münster. After several disappointing romances she finally seemed to have found happiness in her relationship with Michael. Then one day, she´s invited by her former colleague Martha, who is now married to a greek, to visit her in Korfu. Once there she meets Rolf who lives a quiet life as a photographer on the island. Both individuals are satisfied with their lives. However, not all of a sudden as it sometimes can happen, love emerges like a mild spring breeze, which slowly grows into a raging autumnal storm. They don´t even get the chance to shield themselves from its impact - even if such a thing were to be possible where love is concerned.

Leseprobe

Dedicated to my grandmother, Helene

‘

‘We are souls. The soul is not ruled by space and time.

The soul is infinite.’ (Ram Dass)

“I inhale the sweet breath that leaves your mouth. I see your loveliness every day.

It is my desire to hear your soft voice like the breath of the north wind, that my bones may be rejuvenated by my love for you.

Give me your hands that hold your spirit, that I may receive it and live through him.

Call me by my name until the end of eternity and I shall want for nothing.”

(belated anonymous inscription in the gold-plated Ikhnaton sarcophagus)

The science of soul mates is an unspoken truth, an adventure broaching the sharing of feelings with another, who is really oneself. The more open, aware you are with your feelings, the more conscious your partner is about them because you are permeable to this knowledge. This permeability, this process can happen in this place, irrespective of where the partner of your being is, because it takes place on a conscious level. Your feel the emotions of it, and you realise it. Do you understand? (Ramtha)

Similarities with living people are not coincidental, with the exception of Sophie and Rolf.

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My thanks go out to the Mouzakitis family for their generous hospitality, to my friend Konstantinos Louvros for his enduring assistance; to Petra Huber and Klaus Wohlleb for their loving management of the Ouranos Club; Dimitris Kourkulos for his inside knowledge and to my old school-friend Albert Lembach who shuffled all the commas into place.

My special thanks go out to Dimitria Gemitzoglou, Elanor and Christine Yuill, who translated this book into Greek and English, respectively.

——————————

Foreword

The romance between soul mates has captured the fantasy of mankind since the dawn of ages - that somewhere out there, there is a magical ‘someone,’ who will fill the emptiness and make us happy: the perfect counterpart.

We almost always believe to have found this person when we fall in love.

Then we talk of the infamous “same wavelength” and “complete familiarity” so much so, that it seems that “one feels as though they have known each other for an eternity,” etc. etc..

I presume, my dear reader, that you yourself have also experienced this. Yes, I hope you have. But what can happen is that after a certain amount of time, you notice that you are no longer on the same “infamous” wavelength and that the other person (it is always the other) has changed.

This, however, is not correct, the other person hasn’t changed, they just don’t fulfil your expectations anymore. Then you are disappointed.

You are the one who fell for a deception. The other person has not changed, your image of him, or her, that you had illustrated in such vibrant colours, is no longer the same. If the partner then leaves you, then the whole house of cards falls apart.

Love is unconditional, love is accepting. If this acceptance does not originate from you, there is no chance of you ever being able to accept anybody else.

Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Postscript

CHAPTER 1

Did you know your path can wind itself over hills and through valleys and gorges, passing dreamy plains? Away beyond rivers and oceans and babbling brooks? Did you know it can lead under the sea, and over the ocean? How will you ever know whether you're on the right path? If you wear a smile on your face; if what you do makes you feel happy and fills you with joy. The right path will always be where you are happy. (Ramtha)

Saturday

From the skies, usually mild, yet sometimes overcast, but always dutifully watching over the shady olive groves and merging into the blue of the sea somewhere in the distance, Dr. Sophie Leiter arrived in Corfu for the first time ever in her life.

In Germany, everything had settled neatly into place. She loved her job as a doctor in a hospital in Muenster, here she had found her true vocation. After a few disappointments, Michael walked into her life and Sophie knew he’d be the one she wanted to grow old with. At the moment, they were in a long-distance relationship, but Sophie was happy. Everything was turning out for the best.

At the airport, Rolf was waiting in the small café that was at the end of the street in front of the departure hall. He’d already spotted her, as she was standing on the pavement with her suitcase, searching. Crowds of tourists were streaming out of the building, heading in the direction of the many buses and taxis which were to transfer them to their holiday resorts.

He’d promised his friend, Martha, to pick Sophie up from the airport, and she had given him a photo of her to take with him.

“So that you recognise Sophie. And don’t you dare come back without her!” she’d said, laughing. A few years ago, the two women had worked together in the hospital and they had become friends. Since then, Martha had married a Greek man, with whom she managed a small guest house in the north-west of the Island.

Sophie was wearing jeans, a light blue sweatshirt and red trainers. She couldn’t wait to discover how Martha had adapted to her completely new life. During the flight, she had remembered the send-off in the hospital and the heart-warming words of the senior consultant, Prof. Dr. Boek.

‘Doctor Werner, when you go, this hospital will be losing an outstanding doctor and I deeply regret you are leaving. However, everyone here can understand that you´re just following the calling of your heart. That is what makes an excellent cardiologist, after all! I´d therefore like to present this parting gift from all of us to you, with our heartfelt thanks.’

Martha had been moved to tears as she unpacked the life-sized porcelain heart decorated in the Greek national colours.

Rolf stood up and threw the paper cup from which he’d been drinking a frappé into a dustbin.

“You must be Sophie. I’m Rolf, welcome to Corfu! Martha wanted to come herself, but her little daughter isn’t very well today, so she decided to stay home instead.”

He showed her the photo.

“Martha sent me a message with a photo of you just before my take off to make sure I wouldn’t drive away with some other man,” Sophie said, laughing and brushing one of her brown curls behind her ear, “I hope it’s nothing too serious with the little one?”

“No, I don’t think so, it’s something to do with her stomach. She went to a children’s birthday party yesterday ... I won’t say any more. Is this your first visit to Corfu?”

“Even to Greece at all, actually.” She smiled. “But Martha was so enraptured by it every time she came that I just had to come here once to see. Good thing you speak my language, I don’t speak any Greek except for the two words Iassu and Kalimera. Where did you learn to speak German so well?”

“At home,” Rolf laughed, “I’m from Bonn. About thirty years ago I came here for the first time with my parents. Then shortly after finishing school with a friend in an old Renault 4, then later a couple more times. Three years ago, I finally decided to move here entirely.”

“Oh, I used to have a car like that too, dashboard gear stick!” she simulated the gear change movement with her hand.

“Yes, you’re right, a good car. All the camping gear would fit into it easily. Incidentally, a lot of people initially take me for a Greek.”

They loaded Sophie’s suitcase and hand luggage into his small Suzuki Jeep and set off.

“I can close the top if you like. It tends to get a little chilly later in the mountains.”

“No, this is wonderful! I have brought something suitable with me, please leave it open, then we can see better too.”

Sophie pulled out a scarf out of her bag.

Exactly the colour of her hair, he thought.

“Martha already told me it would probably be a good idea to pack some warm things, too.”

“That definitely makes sense for the evenings in May. I’ve just got to pick up something in a shop in Dassia, it won’t take long. We’ll reach Arillas in about an hour.”

“No problem, I’m on holiday.”

Suddenly, his mobile rang.

“It was Martha, she wanted to know if you arrived safely. You seem to have your phone switched off.”

“She’s right, it’s still on inflight mode.” Sophie remembered.

“She told me it would be a good idea to go and drink a coffee somewhere, she wants to finish your apartment first. She hasn’t been able to do it until now because of Maria. Well, if that is okay with you, of course.”

“Yes, it sure is. How’s the little one?”

“She seems to be a bit better now, she had a stomach upset, just as I thought.”

He’d lost count of how often Sophie had expressed her excitement during their drive to the north-west part of the island.

They were driving through a sea of blossoms, made up of broom and dark red poppies, amid gnarled olive groves, bushes of orange Lantana flowers, huge oleander bushes and meadows full of midday flowers. The air was filled with the sweet scent of the surrounding flora.

“What a wonderful sight!” Sophie exclaimed excitedly. “Yes, they even flower here until September because the wind brings enough moisture from the Albanian mountains and the Greek mainland and now and again it rains too.”

This island, which Rolf could recognize purely by its scent, he had long since considered his home.

After a short stop in Dassia they drove into Dafni for a short break.

Sophie stepped onto the terrace of the café Melisito and gazed at the rolling countryside. She did so with such an intensity, that it made Rolf sense that this was far more than just the simple amazement of a tourist who was visiting Corfu for their first time. This magical island, this crescent of land in the Ionic sea, that had been fought over so often and had already captivated many kings and queens, also now moved her deeply.

Her gaze wandered over the wide green valley to the gently rolling hills where proud cypress trees stood to attention, like silent watchmen amidst the olive groves, ready to confront the slightest foe. Small villages clung on to the steep hillsides, which disappeared at some point into the sea only to rise out again, wilder and steeper, merging with the Albanian mountains.

Smiling, she turned to him, her brown eyes shining.

“It is so beautiful here!”

“I’m glad it pleases you.”

“Pleases me? ... it is far more than pleasing ... it is simply fantastic! I can understand Martha already now.”

“How long will you be staying?”

“Two weeks, no, fifteen days even! I can hardly believe that I am allowing myself so long.”

“Oh, then you will still be here for the name-day of Martha’s husband and his cousin Helena. It’s even more important than birthdays here in Greece. It means a big party.”

“I have never eaten such a delicious piece of lemon cake, it’s just the right combination of meringue and lemon. Not too sweet, not too sour. I bet the lemons are from the trees growing over there.” said Sophie over a cappuccino and cake during their stop.

“Maybe they are, the apple pie is very good too though.”

“I wasn’t planning on fattening myself up too much.” Sophie laughed.

“Maybe you could come by here again during your stay, it’s not far from your apartment.”

“Well I’ll almost definitely do that ... if only for the view: Shall we not say ‘Du’ to each other? We are both friends of Martha, after all.”

“Yes, that’d be fine with me, Sophie. That’s generally how it is. Anyway, on the whole they are fairly relaxed here, if you maintain Greek habits, that is. One shouldn’t overdo it with them though.”

“No, of course not! I’d better ask Martha to explain the ins and outs of Greek etiquette to me.”

He glanced at his mobile.

“We can set off now, your room is ready. Martha is looking forward to your arrival, it isn’t far now, only a couple of kilometres.”

“Then let’s go, I can’t wait to see her again, she has just written to me too. Let me get the tab, if you don’t mind, you have picked me up from the airport after all!”

“Thank you very much, I accept!”

“My word, it is quite rough here,” said Sophie sometime later, “Now I know why you drive a Jeep ... the state of these roads!”

“Yes, it is really the most suitable vehicle for Corfu.” he laughed.

CHAPTER 2

The thing is that life should not consist of a process of searching; it is an admissible gift. To wander around, searching for someone who fills the gaps, to search for someone who makes your day brighter, that´s not the solution. If you can’t watch the sunrise or dance alone under the starlit sky like an elf, someone else at your side won’t make it better either. Do you understand that? (Ramtha)

As they drove up the driveway, they could see the small family standing at the front door. Martha was holding her daughter and waving excitedly.

“I’m so glad to see her again, Rolf. Five years is such a long time!” Sophie exclaimed happily.

A statement she was going to change her mind about a few days later.

“Sophie!”, called Martha, “It’s wonderful that you managed to make it! I’m so happy! How long has it been since we last saw each other? May I introduce you to my husband Kostas and our daughter Maria?”

Well, that’s the perfect man for Martha, and Maria takes just after her Mother, Sophie thought at once, after Kostas also hugged her with a laugh.

“Welcome to my home, Sophie! Martha has already told me lots about you... It’s nice that you are here. You can’t imagine how happy you have made my wife ... Oh, and me too, of course!”

“Thanks very much! So, you speak German too, that’s very convenient for me. Shall we not say ‘Du’ to each other? It would be a bit strange if I only say ‘Du’ to Martha.”

“But of course! I worked at ThyssenKrupp in Duisburg for ten years, that’s why. After that, I built the guest house on my grandparent’s land... Then Martha decided to walk into my life, like a beautiful colourful butterfly.”

“When she visited a seminar here, right? That’s what she told me.”

Martha laughed: “Yes Sophie, that was the best seminar of my entire life! I skived off the last two days of it though.”

“Let me guess why.”

“Nope, no need! He’s standing here in front of you. Wait a second I’ll get the key to the apartment and take you over.”

After Rolf had taken Sophie’s luggage from the car and brought it into her room, he looked around the apartment that Martha had just shown her friend proudly. It was part of a bungalow, painted a pale shade of yellow with four separate entrances. There was a tastefully furnished living space with a small adjoining kitchen, a bathroom with a shower and a bedroom with a large double bed.

“So, I’ll leave you in peace to unpack,” said Martha, “And pick you up later … or just come on over when you are ready.”

He had never been inside the guest house before, previously he had just visited their private house which was located a little bit further up the olive grove.

“You have a very nice apartment here, Sophie. The other ones will probably all be occupied soon too. The seminar season has already begun, you know. Martha and Kostas let rooms to the guests of the Ouranos club.”

“Yes, she told me that already. I probably won’t be here much anyway though, I’ll be lying on the beach all day, sunning myself or exploring the island with Martha!” Sophie laughed. “I’ll just jump in the shower and get changed. You can go over already if you like, I’ll join you later.”

He stepped through the open door of the living room onto the patio. The house was built at the edge of the olive grove and through the leaves of the trees it was possible to see the sea and a small island. The sunlight gave the leaves of the olive trees a silver shimmer in the gentle breeze. Suddenly, his vision went blurred ... his eyes closed and then images appeared in his mind.

„Nikos, hurry up! These olives must be in Kassiopi by this afternoon! Bring them to the press right away and no wasting time at the harbour again, do you hear me?”

His father helped him to tie the heavy sacks full of black fruit onto the back of the donkey. Nikos pities the poor animal, even though he knows how strong it is. A cold mist ascends from the valley and he shivers. But in the plain, it’ll be warmer in the April sun.

He has spent the last few weeks picking the olives with his mother. They don’t have many trees and they have had to give a part of the crops to the rich landowner, Angelos Pachos, just like all the other farmers in the region. He knows that the biggest part of the landowner’s wealth comes from Venice. Ten gold coins had been given to every one of them who planted a hundred trees... And Angelos Pachos owns a lot of land.

During harvest-time he isn’t allowed to visit the monastery on the peak of the Pantokrator and the school is closed - the only two things he loves.

He bends down to his young dog, strokes and pets him. “Kleitos, one day, we’ll be rich, won’t we? And then you’ll sleep in a silk bed, I promise you!”

Kleitos is his whole pride and best friend, next to Spiros, of course, with whom he goes to school with. The love for books and scripts of the great Homer connects the two. They are the only two at school who can read well. Something his father calls worthless. What they can’t learn in school, they are taught by the monk Angelos in Ypsilos, Pantokratoras. He told them how the monastery had been built in the middle of the fifth century as a colonial settlement.

The ascetic Artemios Paisos, has been sculptured from stone up there, it is said that he may even have made it himself. Angelos patiently spends a lot of hours with the two friends during which they read the bible and other old scripts. During this time, the desire to become a priest had emerged in his mind, but this is his big secret. Of course, his father has other plans for him. Soon, he will be thirteen and therefore old enough to watch over the sheep of the village. Extra money that the family needs desperately. He knows that. In four months, there will be another fair up on the mountain and many people from his and other villages will be there. Maybe he will get the chance to speak with Helena again. Sometimes, she smiles at him in school. Spiros laughed at him some time ago. “You always blush when she looks at you. Is it possible you might have fallen for her?”

But that, of course, is nonsense, because she’s the daughter of the richest man around and he himself is one of the poorest here.

“So, time to get going,” his father says, pulling him out of his daydream. “And be sure you’re home by nightfall. You know how your mother worries.”

The oil warehouse is a low stone building with a floor that consists of compressed earth. He isn’t the only one delivering the valuable wares here. Women wearing brightly coloured clothes and carrying baskets are standing in long rows, waiting for their olives to be weighed. The stone bunkers are slowly filling. Two donkeys are tied to a big millstone which they will be moving for hours. But he has no time to watch any longer. After his olives are weighed, an ancient, grim looking man hands him a dirty piece of paper. With great care he puts away the valuable receipt into the pocket of his trousers that doesn’t already have a hole in it. He leads his donkey away, past the wooden press in which the men will stack the greyish- black mass later. He still remembers that from the year before, when he’d come here for the first time without his father.

The memory of the beating he had earned for coming home late last time was still very clear in his mind and because he wanted to make a detour via the harbour on the way back, he started to hurry. He loved watching the great sailing ships laden with huge barrels full of the valuable oil, which now departed daily. It was with this oil, that the streets of Venice would be lit up. One day, he promised to himself once more, he would see this sight with his own eyes.

It is already late afternoon, when he passes the last houses of the town, which clearly mirror the poverty of the inhabitants. He swings himself up onto the donkey and urges him on. Dogs chase after them, barking loudly.

Rolf was torn out of his daydream by a dog barking nearby. In the meantime, Sophie had already unpacked her things and had joined him on the terrace. “Are you feeling okay?”, she asked, concerned.

He slowly turned around to her.

“Yes, I’m ... I´m fine, thanks.”

Where on earth was he just now? Sophie asked herself, he seemed miles away.

“Sophie, where were you?” Martha approached her, laughing. The two friends embraced.

“We’re waiting for you with the coffee and cake and my parents-in-law are desperate to meet you. They’ve invited us over to have dinner with them later. You see, your first day is already booked up!”

“Oh, we’ve just had some cake, but because it’s you, I’m sure I’ll manage a second piece, too. I can’t promise I’ll be able to eat anything this evening, though.”

“You just wait, you will be hungry later. In Greece you usually have dinner quite late. Rolf, you’re invited too, I still owe you that taxi fare. Thanks again for picking Sophie up for me.”

“That’s very kind of you, Martha, but I still have a lot to do at home and you two probably have loads to catch up on” and turning to Sophie, he said, “we’ll probably meet again fairly soon, this place isn’t that big. Arillas beach is beautiful and the water temperature is already quite inviting. In the afternoon I’m often at the Ammos Beach Bar. It’s right on the beach... if you’d like to have a coffee with me sometime.”

“Sure, but I’d like to get to know the island as well as I can in these fourteen days, as well.”

“Rolf is the best tour guide I know, he probably has seen more of this island than Kostas, and he was born here. Right, Rolf?” Martha laughed.

“I guess you’re right. Well, at least regarding the northern side of the island. I don’t get around the southern part very much, even though there are so many magical beaches with proper dunes and high waves there. But it’s a lot of driving and I find there are too many tourists around there during the high season.”

“Well, I’d be glad to accept your offer seeing as though you seem to be in charge of Rolf’s free time!” Sophie smiled and winked cheekily at Martha.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Rolf”, Martha apologised. “I didn’t want to impose on you. But why don’t you come over afterwards, we have enough for everyone. You know how much mother likes to dish up!”

“Thanks a lot for the invitation, Martha, but I’m afraid I’ve already made plans ... And I really don’t mind taking over the role of tourist guide, I have plenty of time at the moment. But I really must be getting on, though. Goodbye, you two!”

CHAPTER 3

There are some among you, who are terribly unhappy. I can see it in you. Well, I have no pity for you, because through a far wider reaching understanding I have realised you planned it so, you wanted it so. You want to feel the way you feel. Things will only be different if you want them to change. Nothing, no-one, no power in the entire universe will be able to change your stubborn attitude. You see, the key to the door of understanding is on your side of the door. You are a God, and whatever you desire for your kingdom, so be it! This single, sublime law, can never be disputed or overturned. Do you understand? (Ramtha)

Originally, Arillas had been a typical fishing village but it had been growing rapidly over the past few decades. When Rolf visited the place the first time with his parents, there had only been a hotel and two taverns. The Graziella at the end of the beach with its friendly head chef Thomaso Bardis and his sons, Kostas and Aristides, who are still managing the place today. The second tavern on the edge of town was called the Gravia, named after a small offshore island. Nowadays it is called Brouklis and is well worth a visit. In the past, you still had a panoramic view of the sea from there.

Dimitris, the son of the former owner Spiros Kourkulos, had at some point renamed the tavern after his grandfather, Brouklis. That was the name that Greek people seeking their fortune in Brooklyn used to be called. Aside of his work as a restaurant proprietor, Dimitri was involved in environmental protection and had already achieved a lot for community of Arillas.

No matter where a guest comes from, they would be invariably greeted in their native language. In addition, they served tasty dishes with short anecdotes from the life in Arillas on the side.

These days, there wasn’t a single full-time fisherman left in Arillas. Instead, you can find various cafés, three hotels, a boat hire, a hairdresser, car leases and travel agencies, mini markets and souvenir shops all waiting for customers. While strolling through the narrow alleys there are plenty of different languages to be heard. The vast majority of the inhabitants live off tourism in summer and on agriculture and fishing in the winter. Since the tourism is limited to private guest houses and family-run hotels, Arillas is considered a popular destination for those who travelled individually. A remarkable feature is the very warm and friendly atmosphere, although this applies to the whole of the island of Corfu.

Arillas is considered to be the spiritual centre of Corfu. There are numerous seminar centres that offer many diverse programs with international spiritual leaders available from May until October. There is something for everyone on offer.

Highlights are the certainly the old established Ouranos Club and Alexis Zorbas. Mythos arrived a few years ago, it is run by Gerda and Jochen, two German nationals who have already been living on the island for a long time.

You don’t have to book a seminar right away. At the Ouranos Club it is possible to take part in the offered programme without obligation. Included are drawing-and sculpture courses in the olive grove under the guidance of Dimitra Klironomou, yoga courses or mantra singing, book lectures, dancing nights, family constellations and a lot more, including wonderfully and lovingly prepared meals straight from the organic vegetarian kitchen.

During the past few years, the Greeks have observed a phenomenon that doesn’t meeting with the approval of all the inhabitants. There seems to be at least one new “spiritual” club springing up out of the ground every year. These new centres don’t even sport Greek names (like for example the Ouranos, the Alexis and the Mythos), but instead outlandish ones, such as ‘Dharma’ ‘Gayatri’ or ‘Buddhahall.’ The proprietors and their guests, dress themselves in traditional Indian clothes, build statues of Buddha, and advertise with the most varied forms of meditation that are then practised on the beach or other public places. They organize events with titles such as “Sound- and Silence-Festival,” “Embody Dance & Yoga” or “Silent Music Retreat” which at first only used to last for a few days, but now often extend over a several weeks! As the participants of these activities often make advanced reservations for their accommodation, this causes lasting effects on the traditional tourism that earns the locals their money.