Beware the Ides

14 – 16 March 2011-03-31

There was no avoiding it – if we were going to move out of the apartment, I had to spend some time sorting and packing up.  So we agreed that I would take Monday to Wednesday to do this.  Monday went well, but by Tuesday I’d developed a toothache and had to go into Lefkas.  The dentist said it wasn’t too serious, and let it settle for a week, so I made another appointment and went to pick up a letter waiting for me.

 I’d had a call a week before, saying that a letter that should’ve gone to me at the post office had been misdirected to this courier office in Lefkas and could I come and collect it, please.  We’d been so busy, this was my first chance.  It turned out to be from OTE (the telephone people) and was the quote for the ‘column’ to bring the phone to Goat Bottom.  700 euros.  Not bad, considering the closest estimate we’d had so far was for ‘less than 2,000’.  The letter was, of course, in Greek.  I was just walking down the street, thinking I was pretty sure I could make out what it was saying, when I met a Greek friend, who stopped and chatted, and on impulse I asked him to translate the letter.  It was a relief to know I was right about it – there were no hidden factors, except that OTE reserved the right to charge more if they met unexpected difficulties.  So it goes.

The letter gave me 14 days to respond, and 11 of those had already gone, so I hot footed round to OTE and waved the letter at the desk clerk.  He said, ‘do you want to pay?’  I said, ‘I want to know when it will be done.’  He sent me up the back stairs to find the technical department and ask them.  The man there was on the phone to his bank to sort out his credit card.  He was a bit distracted.  He said he couldn’t find the papers, and I should ring a Mr Kavvadias.  I asked if I could pay the 700 euros by credit card.  He got confused between my credit card and the one he was telephoning about.  I said, ‘no worries’ and went to ask downstairs. 

I eventually found my way out into the shop again – it wasn’t easy.  I went to the pay windows and queued up.  After 10 minutes I got to the window and showed my letter and my credit card.  The clerk, who was a little abrupt, did that Greek upwards nod which means No.  I thought it meant No – but I tried to confirm it was a No - he was more abrupt.  Oxi.  Go away.

I went to the bank.  I had just over 200 euros on me, and could take out another 500.  10 minutes to the cashpoint, 10 minutes back.  Another queue.  Abrupt man wasn’t too pleased to see me.  I gave him the letter, and waved 700 euros at him.  He gave me a look.  Then he shouted for someone else.  The other man was the original desk clerk.  He was very helpful.  We went back to his desk and he issued an invoice.  I tried to give him the money, but he said I had to pay at the pay desk. 

Back at the pay desk, in the queue again.  I decided to avoid Abrupt man, and queue for the other window which had opened up with a younger man.  10 minutes queueing.  At the window I brandished my invoice, and the roll of cash.  Young man looked at the invoice, looked at me, looked at the money, and said, ‘you want to pay seven HUNDRED euros?!!’   ‘Yes, please’ I said wearily.  He called over Abrupt man, who looked at the invoice, looked at me, looked at the money, and said – abruptly - ‘take it’.

Staggering out into the daylight, I felt battered, and went for a sustaining coffee. 

On the way home I bought some little plants – courgette, pepper, aubergine, and some geraniums for colour.  Potentially sacrificial, to test if the goats will eat them.  Then I went to the woodyard – all on my own!  I bought some plywood and batons for shelves, crammed it into the back of the Punto and tied it all in.  By the time I had driven it to the site and unloaded it was after 4 pm and I didn’t have the energy to do much else.