S'Agapo

Try as I might, I couldn't stop thinking about that stupid statue. I was glad to have taken a picture of it before the man- the caretaker I guessed- threw us out. In my free time, I'd pull it out and stare at it, trying to figure out what was so damn familiar about it.

Angie had to go back to the States a week after our trip, and it was an almost heartbreaking farewell between Marco and her. I personally couldn't help laughing--as in snorting, holding stomach, not-breathing laughing. I claimed it was because I hated lovey-dovey scenes like that, but it was actually to hide my own insecurities-- like I'd ever find someone to love me like that.

"I promise I'll come back again this winter vacation, okay? Wait for me."

"I will." Marco kissed her on the forehead and they held each others gaze for what seemed like forever. It was one a.m., give me a break. I was tired and delusional. I was actually collapsed in a chair watching them be all gooey, and I had started to fall asleep. Suddenly, I heard a loud snap in my ear and sat up, wide-eyed to see Angie coming over to me. I stood up and glanced down to see a ten-year-old snapping gum. I glared at her and she cowered back in her seat.

I hugged Angie and grinned. "I want you to call me as much as you can okay? We have to keep in contact, and make sure Bane and his girlfriend have my number too." She nodded.

"I'm sorry we couldn't let you have a try at the Apollo statue."

I shook my head. "'Cause, you know, I really wanted to pose with a stone statue."

Angie laughed. "Well, we still have to try. I don't know why, but I get the feeling that you could actually fit in there."

It was my turn to laugh. "Yeah, when pigs fly."

"You can never be sure though! We'll try again when I come back this winter."

I sighed. "Do we have to?"

"Hey, I'm your guest, your supposed to do whatever I want. And I really want to see you fit into that statue!"

"Fine, then will you leave it alone?" She nodded happily, "Fine."

The next time I went to the airport with Marco to pick up Angie, it was raining like crazy. My hair had been pissing me off because of how puffy it had become so I had pulled it up into a stubby ponytail. I had been slightly irritated that Marco's car didn't have random stuff in it like my jeep had had, because I desperately needed a hat, and he didn't have one.

"Way to be prepared," I muttered in Greek. He laughed.

"You've always been so random. It's a shame you stopped contacting us after that incident." The incident was my parents death. I stared at him.

"Seriously? You thought I would reach out to you guys?"

"Well, we thought-"

"How about we drop the subject- oh shit it's raining even worse, put up the hood!"

I looked up and watched the convertible top slowly cover Marco's precious leather seats. By the time we got to the airport it was pouring, and Marco had been smart enough to park as far away from the entrance as possible.

"Damnation, I'm wearing a white shirt!" I cursed quietly and grabbed Marco's brown jacket, "Thank you," I answered his raised eyebrows.

"You can't even see anything!" He complained, "And you're getting my nice jacket all wet!"

"It's already wet, you idiot! Now go say hi to your girlfriend, she's here."

Back at the hotel suite, I changed into an over sized blue sweatshirt I had found in one of the spare guest rooms back home- I had emptied all of the rooms and was surprised to find this there. I liked it though; it was insanely warm and soft. It smelled so earthy, too. I thought it might be my dad's but Uncle Joey had said he'd never seen it before.

We all sat down and Angie immediately jumped into stories about high school. Her parents hadn't come this time because they had to take care of business. "Oh! Laurel, Bane wanted me to tell you- in your backyard this plant is growing in the corner, it's a Laurel tree. Did you plant one there?" I shook my head no. She thought for a moment. "Has it ever been there before?"

"No, I never planted one there. Maybe they planted one and forgot about it."

"But Laurel trees don't easily grow in that climate."

I shrugged. "Magic?"

She sipped her tea, then suddenly remembered something. "We have to go see that statue again!"

I sighed. "I had kind of hoped you forgotten about that."

"Never." She smiled brightly.

"We'll go when I'm off from school, Wednesday."

"Yay!"

It was raining when I got out of school. When I got up to the suite, I was drenched. "Why are Greek Winters so damned wet?" I wondered aloud. Angie jumped out of her room, all set to go.

"I found these in that old suitcase of yours." She held up my grandmother's white robe. I stared. "You went through my stuff?"

"Yeah, I was trying to find something robe-like but couldn't find anything and then I remembered you were Greek so I went through your stuff, and look! I even found these cool slippers!" She handed me the robe and showed me brown leather sandals with long strings that I realized were supposed to wrap around my legs. I stared at her. "It's raining outside! I'm not walking around in those!"

"Don't be silly, you'll change when we get there!"

"But it's so cold right now! That dress is paper-thin, not to mention sleeveless and it has holes! We're going to be on top of a mountain, woman!"

Marco walked in and smiled. "Sorry guys, but the temple isn't open today due to the weather. I just found out it's only open in the summer."

Angie pouted. "Damn, I really wanted to try." As Marco went to console her, I put everything back in my room.

"Thank God," I muttered.

But at the same time I was disappointed. I had wanted to go see that statue again-not to try and fit into it, just to stare at it. It was really, really, beautiful.