SAPPHO'S ISLE
The day of the holiday arrived, all the preparations having gone smoothly; although Clare was half expecting something to go dreadfully wrong at the last minute. She wasn't a pessimist by nature but having experienced so many recent traumas, she tended to accept them as commonplace. This was her second chance at love with another woman so up until now she had been apprehensive.
Sitting in the plane, with Amy beside her as it prepared for takeoff, she could breathe a sigh of relief; and for the next fortnight at least, could put all her troubles behind her.
Bye bye England, she thought, smiling to herself; when I come back I'll be a real lesbian.
'Are you happy? Amy asked, noticing the clandestine smile.
'You bet,' Clare replied, exhilarated, as the plane soared skywards into the cloudless blue. Soon they were crossing the English Channel and were able to relax after removing their seat-belts.
Drinks and an in-flight meal were served while they were over The Alps. Clare took some photos. It was a beautifully clear day and the pilot informed the passengers of many interesting geographical features as they flew across Europe towards Greece.
'What's Mike going to do while you're away?' Amy enquired.
'Oh, he's just working as normal and says he's going to do a bit of overtime. I don't know why he couldn't have gone somewhere too. It would have been the ideal opportunity, with Jenny looking after the kids, but he wasn't bothered. But that's the way he wants it. Talk about all work and no play...'
'...makes MIKE a dull boy.' Amy completed the sentence with her own version of the saying.
'Perhaps we should have sent him to a Greek island too.' Clare giggled, remembering one of the places she had seen in a guide book. 'I can think of one which would suit him perfectly - it's called Delos. It's uninhabited, and full of old ruins - I'm sure he'd be quite happy there!'
Amy laughed, pleased that Clare was at long last getting an opportunity to live a little, rather than just exist. She admired her carefree sense of humor, which had never quite left her, in spite of everything she'd been through with her uncaring husband.
Now it was Amy's turn to worry, or at least have certain apprehensions; it was a second chance at love for Amy too. Here she was flying off on holiday with this unhappily married woman who believed she was a lesbian. They'd booked a double room. What if it all went horribly wrong? What if Clare found she couldn't, after all, be intimate with her? She responded to my kiss didn't she? Amy asked herself, pensively; she decided to give Clare time and not rush things. They could still have an enjoyable holiday together - sex or not. Amy realized then that she cared enough about Clare to respect her wishes, whatever they were.
After a short nap and a browse through some magazines the four hour flight was almost over. Clare dug her camera out of her hand luggage again and began snapping away at practically every island and interesting stretch of coastline they flew over.
'At this rate, you'll use up all your film before we even get there!' Amy declared.
As the plane descended and the destination came into view, Clare fondly remembered the last time she had visited a Greek island, with her father; but then the weather had been thundery and visibility poor; they hadn't been able to appreciate the marvelous spectacle of approaching an island from the air in a vivid, blue cloudless sky. This time was different, and as Clare and Amy peered out of the window they were able to behold the verdant beauty that was Lesbos in all its natural splendor, surrounded by the crystal clear waters of the Aegean sea.
Amy reached out and held Clare's hand as the plane began to land. Clare, nervous at first, because she thought others might notice, eventually lost her self-consciousness as she looked around the cabin and saw that several other pairs of women in nearby seats were doing the same thing.
It was still mid-morning by the time the plane touched down, having left Gatwick shortly before 7 am. The transfer to the hotel would take a further two hours. To anyone who was not a tourist it would seem a tedious journey.
'Well, here we are!' Clare said excitedly as they walked across the tarmac to the terminal building. 'I think I'm going to like it here.'
'Me too,' Amy agreed, stretching her limbs, like a cat, luxuriating after a long sleep as she breathed in the fresh island air.
Thankfully, there were no delays at the airport and soon they were aboard the bus on the way to their hotel. The pungent, though pleasant, smell of olives hung heavily in the air, as a welcoming breeze wafted in through the open window. The bus travelled from Mytiline, the capital, in a north-westerly direction right through the heart of the island; acres upon acres of fertile olive groves and pine-clad hillsides passed by.
'Look at the tiny, white houses,' Amy exclaimed with childlike fascination, 'they look just like little sugar cubes!'
The bus sped on towards Skala Kalloni and then, changing direction, to Skala Eressos in the south-west, which would be their home for the next fourteen days. On arriving at the hotel the two women had ample time after unpacking, for a refreshing dip in the pool. It was still a glorious afternoon, even allowing for the fact that they had lost two hours because of the time difference.
Amy began to slap on sun lotion straight away; the May sunshine wasn't yet strong, but with a pale complexion and blue eyes she would always have to be careful. 'Would you rub some on my back for me please? - I don't want to end up looking like a lobster do I?' Amy asked Clare as they sat together by the edge of the pool, sipping cool drinks.
'Yes, sure,' Clare replied 'but I don't think I'll need any yet.' Her much darker skin would afford her some natural protection from the sun's penetrating ultra-violet rays. As Clare massaged the lotion into Amy's back, she found it a pleasurable experience. Amy had a lithe, angular body un-spoilt by the ravages of childbearing. The feel of taut skin yielding to her touch sent Clare's senses reeling.
'Mmm... that feels good...too good ' Amy said as Clare continued to rub in the sun lotion.
Clare realized that the initial massaging motion of her hands had now become more like a caress. 'Sorry, I got a bit carried away there!' she said, replacing the top on the bottle.
'Can't you wait till later?' Amy said, teasingly throwing a voluminous beach towel at her with all the playfulness of a puppy.
Clare began to think of the days - and the nights to come. This is what she had waited so patiently for, the closeness of another woman's body next to her own; and of course the ecstasy and fulfillment which would inevitably follow.
But Clare still pined for Rachel; and Amy was not Rachel, she was not even a Rachel look-alike, and in some ways this was a good thing. She knew she appreciated Amy for the person she was and judged her solely on her own individual merit. If she could not have Rachel she did not want a Rachel substitute. Clare was not some Sir Lancelot type character, desiring Queen Guinevere purely because she looked like his lady Elaine. She thought it wrong in an intimate situation, to imagine that one person was someone else. Even so, she still found herself worrying what would happen later that same day, if she and Amy made love. Would she close her eyes and imagine it was Rachel? Unable to stop herself, perhaps even calling out her name, as she had always done when she pleasured herself? Maybe I think too deeply into things Clare told herself; Jenny was always reprimanding her for that.
The day wore on, and in the cool of the evening, after they had eaten in the hotel restaurant, the two women strolled hand in hand along the beach. Stirring bouzouki music emanated from tavernas in the nearby village as gentle waters lapped at the seashore. A glorious sunset made the setting as near idyllic as anywhere could be. They sat down on the shore in silence, appreciating the un-spoilt beauty of their surroundings. Amy picked up some tiny pebbles and tossed them away again into the waves. Then after a while asked softly 'Are you glad we came here?'
'Of course, I could quite happily live here - couldn't you?' Clare replied, doubting that anyone could possibly say no.
'Yes, it's beautiful - it's moments like these that make life worth living.'
As they watched the sun disappear behind the headland, leaving a blaze of vermillion in its wake, the two women shared a long passionate kiss before strolling hand in hand back to their hotel.