A Greek Affair

‘I met a guy named Harrison. He’s taken, but we hit it off from the moment he sat next to me on the shuttle from the airport to the port. So well, in fact, that he’s convinced me to talk to my doctor about requesting some form of counselling, or therapy.’

The smile drops from Sally’s face and her mouth opens but nothing comes out. I sit, leisurely sipping the remainder of my coffee, giving her a chance to recover.

‘He’s taken?’ she repeats.

‘Yes. He has a boyfriend.’

‘And you’ve actually made that appointment?’

‘I have.’

She exhales loudly and leans back in her chair.

‘He must be one special guy to get you to talk openly about your past. And he’s definitely taken? I mean there’s no chance at all of a relationship striking up between the two of you? People fall in and out of love all the time and maybe he likes women as well as men. Obviously, you got on very well to talk about … things. I’ve never known you to have a friendship with a man before. I mean there was only—’

She stops abruptly and I finish her sentence.

‘There was only Antonio. And there is no chance as, although he was married to a woman for a while, Harrison is now deeply in love with a man. But I enjoyed his company and it’s making me think that maybe I’m finally ready to move on.’

‘At last! Well done, Harrison!’

This time her reaction is very vocal and I raise a finger to my lips to get her to tone it down a little.

‘Actually,’ she begins, giving me a stern look, ‘I’m feeling a bit annoyed. How come you’re prepared to listen to this new friend of yours when I’ve been dropping hints for a long time?’