25 The paradise of colorful fish

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Tom, Nikos and Aunt Kyra sat down at the small dining table, and just as they were about to help themselves to the dishes thereon, the last guest suddenly appeared in the doorway. He had come silently, and now he was staring at Tom, who gaped back at the familiar face in disbelief. It was dead quiet in the room. Nikos watched the two in fascination. Aunt Kyra turned white.

The man slowly approached Tom, who stood without a word. The man reached out his arms, hugged Tom, kissed him on both cheeks and said,

"Yassu, Tom."

The two words, spoken softly and in a deep voice, broke the ice, and although Tom's response,

"Nice to see you," was terribly awkward, everybody relaxed. Nikos' face was a question mark, and Kyra visibly struggled to keep her composure.

"This is my guest Petros, the writer. He is here to work undisturbed on his book. This is Tom from Germany, but apparently you already know him. And this is Tom's friend Nikos."

Petros shook hands with Nikos and everyone sat down and began to eat. Petros' eyes still looked sad, although there was no trace of the fear that Tom had sensed when they first met in Christina's apartment.

The former elite soldier who had gone into hiding was pondering on how to deal with the situation. He was the youngest of the four men Tom had met in Piraeus. He had heard about the problems the German boy had with the police in Athens and he also knew about the emergency plan to get him out of the country. But he had no idea that he would turn up here of all places.

His comrades-in-arms had advised him to hide away from Athens for a few weeks. The secret police had gotten dangerously close to the resistance group he belonged to, and he faced the death penalty if caught. The Old Man finally came up with the idea of ​​sending him to an old friend and distant relative on Mykonos.

Christina didn't know anything about this because the lawyer was spared becoming an accomplice.

The first minutes of the meal passed in silence until Petros spoke up and told Nikos how he met Tom, what crime he was charged with and why he was hiding here. Kyra unnecessarily warned the boys not to mention their secret guest to anyone.

The rest of the conversation revolved around the island, ouzo, the weather, windmills, chapels, diving, sea urchins, Germany, the weather there, and a lot of other minor topics, anything but one subject: Petros and the Greek resistance.

The two boys were in bed just after midnight. They had snuffed out the candle so the room was totally dark. Only a few muffled sounds came through the air hole. In a whisper, Nikos opened the due conversation: "Hey gangster, you know people on Mykonos."

Tom aptly translated his remark as "Tell me everything." However, he couldn't tell Nikos much more than he already knew. They quietly discussed what punishment Petros was threatened with in a trial and whether his fleeing into hiding might not make his situation even worse. They also speculated as to how long his hide-and-seek game might last, as the tourist season helped to keep a secret guest from being noticed, but this wouldn't last forever.

Nevertheless, they were aware that they themselves had a great interest in their roommate not being caught. Cling together – swing together: the secret police would certainly not let Tom go a second time. Nikos had a thousand questions, all of which went unanswered. Afterwards he murmured:

"I've never met a member of the resistance before. Since I've known you, Gangster, a lot has changed for me."

Then the sea voyage, ouzo and sumptuous dinner took effect and they fell asleep. However, they woke up several times, either from thirst, or because the light linen sheets that made up the bedding pressed like a hundredweight on the burned skin on their arms, or because their faces itched.

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