Funny Little Man

Geoffrey Carlund Roger

Description

Henry returns annually to the Greek island of Ios, in the Cyclades. This year will see his tenth summer on the island. He considers it as his 'second home', with the ever-present warm welcome of his good Greek friends Alex and Katerina - his 'Greek family'. Henry enjoys his usual holiday routine which has brought him many happy memories from previous visits. This year however, there are surprises in store for Henry. His days are spent in and around the Port beach area and in the village uphill. Unbeknown to Henry, he becomes considered by some of his fellow holiday makers as 'The Funny Little Man', especially when popular music is playing in "Pirate", the portside bar owned by Alex and Katerina.One afternoon, whilst taking the shade of a beachside taverna, a stunning lady entered Henry's life - and he is soon considered quite differently as a romantic 'dark horse'. Henry's life is enriched by his new experience - an experience he will never forget. But he will be presented with sad news, which will ultimately bring profound feelings of emotion. For Henry, life on the Greek island of Ios will never be the same again.

Sujets

• Humour

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 10 décembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781788484978
• Langue: English

Extrait

T he F unny L ittle M an
Roger Geoffrey Carlund
Austin Macauley Publishers
10-12-2020
The Funny Little Man The Funny Little Man Synopsis Chapter 1 Henry Sails Chapter 2 The Babysitter Chapter 3 Henry Arrives Chapter 4 Settling into ‘Homer’ Chapter 5 Back to Baywatch Chapter 6 The Funny Little Man Chapter 7 Henry’s Wardrobe Chapter 8 A Special Moussaka Chapter 9 The Octopus Tree Chapter 10 Remembering Linda Chapter 11 All Night Long Chapter 12 A Good Night’s Sleep Chapter 13 Remembering Shadows Chapter 14 The Village Chapter 15 A Taste of Raki Chapter 16 Nadine Chapter 17 A Dapper Chap Chapter 18 Turning Heads Chapter 19 Dinner at Aphrodite Chapter 20 The Elbow Jive Chapter 21 A Note from Nadine Chapter 22 Sun and Shade Chapter 23 A Phone Call for Alex Chapter 24 See you Later Chapter 25 The Snap of Fingers Chapter 26 A Flexible Routine Chapter 27 Henry’s Barstool Chapter 28 Jean-Louis Chapter 29 One More Sleep Chapter 30 A Nice Tan Chapter 31 Henry’s Last Evening Chapter 32 Perfect English Chapter 33 Henry’s Last Supper Chapter 34 Nat Chapter 35 The Blue Cafe Chapter 36 A Crystal Teardrop Chapter 37 One Last Wave
About the Author
Roger Geoffrey Carlund is a retired Principal Teacher. His many travels have included annual summers in various Greek islands, mainland Greece and farther afield. He has an Honours Degree in Psychology and three Postgraduate Diplomas. The second son of a Scottish mother and a Swedish father, Roger lives in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Dedication
To Keith - And many happy memories
Copyright © Roger Geoffrey Carlund (2020)
The right of Roger Geoffrey Carlund to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781788484961 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781788484978 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2020)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgements
My thanks to the Information Centre, Aberdeen Central Library for their word processing, printing and copying facilities, which enabled me to produce “The Funny Little Man” for publication. The staff were always helpful when IT assistance was requested.
Synopsis
From the moment the night ferry departs from Piraeus, Henry’s annual summer on the Greek island of Ios is always an adventure. This year, however, sees some unexpected experiences, from the very start of his overnight sail and throughout his three-week stay on the island. There are two minor accidents on board plus a slightly traumatic turn of babysitting. Unbeknownst to Henry, when he disembarks at the island, his holiday will indeed be an adventure, often prompting memories of previous visits.
He will be met at Gialo, the Port of Ios, by his good Greek friends, Alex and Katerina. They are owners of ‘Pirate’, Henry’s local portside bar, above which he always has a room in Alex’s small ‘Homer’ hotel.
Although Henry is, as a rule, quite a private person, he likes to practise his basic knowledge of Modern Greek with his Greek friends and acquaintances. He does, on occasions, socialise with other people who are also on holiday. Henry is a creature of habit and routine but he can be flexible when the need arises. Henry enjoys his Ios routine and likes to frequent his familiar places at the port and along the beach: ‘Pirate’, ‘Agrogiali’, ‘The Octopus Tree’, ‘Frog’, ‘Aphrodite’ and ‘Baywatch’. He also enjoys a steady, daily climb up the Ios Steps for a lunchtime beer at Giorgo’s taverna in the shade of the plane tree, which dominates the small village square.
Alex always maintains that Henry is good for his business, unwittingly bringing a sociable, fun atmosphere to his bar, especially when familiar music plays and Henry is lost to his inbuilt sense of rhythm!
This is Henry’s tenth summer on Ios and he has many happy memories to reflect upon. This holiday will present Henry with further, sometimes unexpected, memories, which will astonish not only him but the people he meets and becomes acquainted with. His meeting the beautiful and vivacious Nadine, a travel author for the BBC, is a revelation to him and a completely new experience…
Henry is methodical, in his application of sun cream and mosquito repellent. He is well organised in his daily affairs. He is well coordinated in his wardrobe, which is chosen carefully.
Henry is Alex’s best English friend and Henry considers Alex and Katerina to be his Greek family. But there is sadness on the horizon as it becomes apparent that this will most likely be Henry’s last summer on Ios: Alex and Katerina plan to move back to Piraeus for family reasons. However, Henry’s overriding philosophy is very much to ‘live for the moment’ – and he does.
Henry meets a young American man – Nat – and a young French man – Jean-Louis – who individually make for good social companions. His special evening meal at ‘Aphrodite’ with the stunning Nadine stuns others, who spot the couple at their table as they stroll past the best restaurant on the beachside road.
Even when Henry is alone, he is never lonely. He has his Greek family and Greek acquaintances, his friends at ‘Pirate’ – and of course, on dark island evenings, he always has his faithful friend, the moon.
Full of fun, experiences, pathos – and ultimately profound emotion – ‘The Funny Little Man’ is a story of one middle-aged man’s last pilgrimage to his ‘second home’ Greek island. It is an endearing human story, both entertaining and undoubtedly heart-warming.
Songs featured in The Funny Little Man
1. All Night Long – Lionel Ritchie
2. Blue Cafe – Chris Rea
3. YMCA – Village People
4. I Am What I Am – Gloria Gaynor
5. Saturday Night Fever – Bee Gees
6. Fever – Peggy Lee
7. Windmills of Your Mind – Noel Harrison
8. American Pie – Don Maclean
Chapter 1

Henry Sails
“Ow now!” Henry did not like the smelly toilets in the bowels of the Greek ferry sailing out of Piraeus. Not to worry, he was on his happy way again to visit his good Greek friends on the island of Ios in the Cyclades Islands. The overnight ferry journey would take almost twelve hours. However, that was not a problem. He didn’t have a cabin but he would find a comfy seat inside later and store his suitcase underneath.
He was on his annual summer holiday at last and as usual, it was essential to get off to a good start.
“Let’s go up on deck and have a few beers to get us going,” he said to himself with a contented smile. He made his way to the bar and ordered two pints of Mythos in plastic cups. It would save having to queue for a second pint. “ Oriste, Kirios ,” said the barman with a friendly grin behind a big, black beard and bushy, black eyebrows above deep brown eyes, as he presented Henry with his beers.
“ Efharisto poli ,” said Henry. His good Greek friends, Alex and Katerina, on Ios, had taught him a few essential words in the Greek language. Efharisto poli : thank you very much; Parakalo : please; and Mia megali bira : a large beer. The barman gave him his change. Most of the seats had been taken by other happy tourists, having a jolly time sitting out in the warm evening breeze, as they made plans for their days in the Greek sun and swimming in the Greek seas.
Being a sort of private person when travelling, he looked for a seat to himself. Away from the other people, there was a white, plastic seat in the corner of the deck. He booked it by placing his suitcase at the side of the seat. “Just brilliant,” he said to himself and returned to the bar to get his beers. So, over he went and looked forward to a quiet pint on deck as darkness fell over the water beyond, waiting for the moon and the stars to appear. Carefully holding a pint of Mythos in each hand, he proceeded to sit down before enjoying his first sip of Greek beer since the previous summer.
Whoosh! The next thing he knew, both his beers had flown up into the air and he had landed flat on his back, with the seat upside down. He was lying in huge puddles of beer on the deck. He didn’t know yet that there was a big, damp patch on the backside of his new holiday jeans. Ow now, whatever happened there? he asked himself, turning around to see the upside-down white, plastic seat with only three legs. People had stopped speaking and were now all looking at him. Someone came over to help him whilst others put their hands to their mouths in an effort to stop themselves from howling with laughter. He felt terribly embarrassed, but thanked the kind man for his help. His suitcase had escaped a shower of Greek beer and he picked it up. He found a place on a safe bench near the bar, after placing the two empty plastic cups in a litter bin. He then returned to the bar and to his surprise, there were two more beers waiting for him. “You are okay, Kirios?” asked the friendly barman, holding out his hand for four more euros.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you – ow, efharisto poli ,” said Henry. He paid for his beers and took them over to the bench. Carefully, he sat down and was very relieved to find that it was indeed a safe seat. After a few sips of the cool, frothy beer, he felt a bit more relaxed and now less conspicuous. The other passengers had resumed their conversations