Napahikab si Arizona habang nakasakay sila ng kotse na sumundo sa kanila sa airport. Mula sa Ninoy Aquino International Airport ay direkta silang lumapag sa Santorini, Greece sakay ng family Lear Jet ng mga Theron.
“Bakit hindi ka kasi natulog?” tanong ni Nikos. “Ang haba ng flight natin, ni hindi ka man lang yata kumurap.”
Itiningin niya ang mata sa labas. They were at the village of Fira, the capital of Santorini. “I am just excited,” aniya. Subalit ang totoo ay naiilang siya nang silang dalawa lang ang magkasama sa eroplano. At lalo naman sa isang villa. Naalala tuloy niya ang sinabi ni Mandy na dapat ay gapangin niya ito.
“Pagdating natin sa villa, pwede ka na sigurong matulog.”
Bahagyang nawala ang antok niya nang mapagmasdan ang mga istraktura ng isla. Halos lahat ng mga bagay ay kulay puti at blue ang bintana. She was even awed by the architecture. Parang bumalik siya sa panahon nila Hercules. Bagamat moderno na ang isla ay parang nasa makalumang panahon pa rin siya.
Kulang kalahating oras din ang tinakbo nila patungo sa village ng Imerovigli kung saan naroon ang villa ng mga Theron. It was perched on top of the mountain.
“Wow!” nausal na lang niya nang habang umaakyat ng villa ay natanaw ang dagat. “Majestic!” She couldn’t believe that it was almost at the edge of a cliff. It was painted wheat with white window.
“It is traditional Cyclades architecture,” paliwanag ni Nikos.
“Kalimera, Nikos!” anang babaeng sa palagay niya ay nasa singkwenta na. But she was still graceful and pretty. “How is your trip?”
“Grueling!” anang si Nikos at huminga ng malalim. “It is hot in here, Theia.”
“Good afternoon, Ma’am,” magalang niyang bati. “I am Arizona Calderon.”
“Yassas!” bati nito. Hinalikan siya nito sa pisngi. “I am Ariadna, Nikos’ aunt. I am glad that Nikos finally brought a real girlfriend!”
“Theia, she is my new executive assistant. Not my girlfriend.”
“But you promised me to bring the girl that you will marry the next time you visit me,” Ariadna said in a demanding tone. “You know, I love Nikos. I took care of him when he was a young boy. And now, he is still a young boy to me. Agoraki!”
Di niya mapigilang mapangiti. Di niya ma-imagine si Nikos noong bata pa ito. “I am not a little boy anymore, Theia. I am famished. How about lunch?”
Tumawa ito. “Ela! Come! I prepared Nikos’ favorite. And of course, there’s the specialty of Santorini. Keftedes!”
“Keftedes?” usal niya nang ihain sa kanya ang naturang pagkain.
“Sun-dried fried tomatoes,” anang si Nikos. “Santorini tomatoes are very popular. They are organic. Try it.”
“It tastes great!” Samantalang kamatis lang naman iyon.
“I’ve been to the Philippines when Nikos was younger,” kwento ni Ariadna. “I know a few words like ‘Kumusta ka?’, ‘Mabuhay’ and ‘Mahal Kita’.”
“You should go back there. I guess there are lots of pretty places that you haven’t visited yet. There are lots of places to visit.”
“Well, Santorini is also one of the unique places in the world. Do you know that this island is a volcano?” tanong ni Ariadna.
Napanganga siya. “It is a volcano?”
“During the ancient times, the shape of Santorini was circular and that was the reason it was also called Strongili, which means circular in Greek. The volcano’s eruption destroyed the center of the island, causing it to sink and to create today’s caldera,” kwento ni Ariadna.
“Some even believe that the explosion of Santorini was the reason why the mythical Atlantis sank,” dagdag ni Nikos.
“Wow! This is an interesting place indeed.”
“You have plenty of time to discover the island, dear!” wika ni Ariadna. “I am sure Nikos will give you a tour around the island.”
“Don’t worry, Theia. I will show her around,” wika ni Nikos.
“Sir, anong oras po tayo pupunta sa hotel?” tanong niya dito nang matapos na ang tanghalian. Gusto pa sana niyang matulog. Nakakaantok ang klima ng isla. Mainit pero nakakapagpakalma ang simoy ng hangin mula sa dagat.
“Take a nap first. Bukas pa magsisimula ang trabaho natin. I will ask Theia not to disturb you. See you later.”
Pumasok siya sa kuwarto niya nang mapansin niyang pumasok ito sa kuwarto sa tapat niya. Mabilis siyang nagpalit ng damit. Di niya maalis sa isip kung saan matutulog si Nikos sa gabing iyon.
Ibinagsak niya ang sarili sa kama at niyakap ang unan. “Magkatapat lang kami ng kuwarto. Paano kung katukin niya ako mamayang gabi?” Ipinikit niya ang mata. “Mamaya ko na lang iisipin. Mamayang gabi pa naman iyon.”
MADILIM na nang magising si Arizona. All she could see was the faint orange glow in the sky. Patunay na kalulubog pa lang ng araw. And the sea was just a dark shadow.
Pagbaba ng sala ay naabutan niya si Ariadna na nagsasalang ng CD sa player at pumailanlang ang kakaibang instrumental music. It sounded like traditional Greek music to her. “Good evening! I hope you have a nice sleep. Nikos told me not the bother you. You missed the beautiful sunset on your first day.”
“It’s okay. I still have a few days here. I will get the chance to watch it.”
“Perhaps you are already hungry. The dinner is ready.” Nanguna ito papunta sa dining hall. There were frescoes of traditional Greek design. Pakiramdam tuloy niya ay nasa isang art museum siya.
“Where is Nikos?” hanap niya sa binata.
“He said that he would meet someone.”