The first vacation Part five

A very Happy New Year to everybody And here is the last part of The First Vacation. The last day of the vacation had arrived and Gordon and his son decided to take it a bit slow this morning. As they woke up rather late they decided to take a brunch, a combined breakfast and lunch in one and walked to a small restaurant just a few minutes walk from the hotel. - So, are we going to Plaka tonight? wondered Nicholas. Gordon thought for ten seconds and then answered: - Yes, but we must be a bit careful, I want you to do exactly what I tell you. If I notice that there is anything going on and I tell you to walk away, I want you to do just that, no questions, no discussions. - OK, dad, I promise. As the day moved on, with Gordon and Nicholas just lazily walking around the area around the hotel, it started to get a bit darker and when Gordon checked the time it was already 4:30 in the afternoon. - We better go back to the hotel and get ready for the trip to Plaka. Gordon said. He continued: - I will not take that much money with me tonight, just enough for us to be able to buy food and such. I don't know how it is down there but in case we would be robbed or pick-pocketed I don't want to lose all our money. Tomorrow morning, before we go to the airport, I would like for us to go and buy some small things and give as presents back home. You probably have some friends you want to give somethings to too. And some small things as memories from here, for us too. - OK dad, that is fine with me, I just want to see what it is like; I don't want to spend any big amount of money there. After they had cleaned up and changed into more suitable clothes for the night they went out and got a cab outside the hotel. Gordon told the driver to get them to Plaka and the driver started. The driver also started to talk, in good English, about this nice place he knew, cheap drinks and good food. He was a bit too pushy and Gordon started to suspect that he got some payback from the bar owner for all customers he brought to the bar. Gordon told the driver 'Thanks but no thanks, just let us of where Plaka starts'. After ten minutes the cab driver stopped and told them that this was Plaka and he mentioned how much the fare was. Gordon paid and gave him enough tip that he should be satisfied, even if he didn't get the chance to take them to that bar that he recommended. Gordon and Nicholas walked and found that much of the street they were on had bars on both sides, one sleazier than the other. In most of the doors stood young girls, trying to get the people on the street to come into their bar. Nicholas said that he was thirsty and asked Gordon if they could just go in and have a soda and see what the bars here looked like. Gordon didn't really feel like it but Nicholas was hard to resist and they stepped inside. Once inside Gordon regretted that he stepped into the bar. Gordon had been in many bars or restaurants in the world, places that often was called a 'Greasy Spoon' or a 'Hole in the Wall' but none of then came even close to this bar. Gordon and Nicholas slid into the booth that a waiter showed them to. Two girls showed up at the same time, asked if they could sit down. Before Gordon had a chance to politely say no, Nicholas said 'Yes, of course'. Gordon and Nicholas ordered a glass of Coke each. The girls asked if they could have a drink and again, before Gordon got a chance to say anything, Nicholas said 'Yes'. So the girls both ordered some drink with a fantasy-sounding name. Gordon had already seen what his son hadn't, these girls were not any guests in this fine establishment, they were working here and one of their jobs were to get the patrons to buy them 'drinks', drinks that were nothing but water or soda. God only knows what other jobs were here. Gordon tried to get Nicholas attention, trying to indicate what was going on, especially when the girls had ordered a second set of drinks. Finally Gordon said that they had to go now, he and his son had somewhere they had to be in fifteen minutes. The waiter showed up with the bill and Gordon, who was just swallowing the last of his soda, started to cough. The bill was for twice the amount that he had brought with him, and he had brought enough that they would be able to have a dinner at one of Athens finer restaurants and still have money left over. Now, this was not a fine restaurant, nor had they been served a nice dinner. Gordon called the waiter over and told him that it must be some mistake, they had only had a soda each, even with the drinks the two girls had it could not end up being that much. The owner of the bar came over, a person that looked like he could have been the Greek mafia, if there is such a thing, and told them that if we didn't pay, there would be trouble. He didn't specify what the problem would be, and Gordon didn't care to know, but Gordon told him that they would have to go back to the hotel and get the money. The owner said 'You go, the boy stay here'. Gordon walked out, leaving Nicholas in the bar, and found a cab. He told the driver to go to the hotel and gave him the name of the hotel. Once at the hotel he told the cab driver to wait for him, that he had to go back to the bar he came from. Then he ran up to the room and open the little safe and took out enough money to pay the bar bill and to pay the cab as well as pay to get back again after 'buying his son back'. He ran back down to the cab and jumped back in. As the cab got back and stopped outside the bar Gordon ran in, after paying the cab driver, and he ran to the table where Nicholas was waiting. - Oh, dad, I was so worried that you would leave me here. I feel so stupid, how could I fall for that trick? said Nicholas. Gordon answered: - I wouldn't leave you, and you know that. But, yes, you should have listened to me earlier. Gordon paid the bill but left no tip. After that price and the high quality service, Gordon decided that they were not worth any tip in that bar. Gordon and Nicholas went out from the bar and found a cab to take them back to the hotel. The next day they packed their things and started to get ready for the bus that would take them to the airport. After the excitement yesterday Gordon's valet was almost empty and they decided that they would only buy a handful of postcards, both as their own memories as well as something to give to friends and relatives, anything more fanciful they could simply not afford. On the airplane Nicholas said to Gordon: - Just think, a little more than a year ago I would never have believed that I would be able to go on a vacation, or to get presents or things like that. My life has changed so much and it is all thanks to you. I will never be able to repay you for all you have done. - You don't owe me anything. You are my son, if not by blood, at least by my love for you. The humming of the planes engines made them both fall asleep. The last thing Gordon remembered thinking about before falling asleep was that he had to remember to call Peter and tell him they were back. He was going to ask Peter if he could take care of the store for one more day, Gordon wanted to rest one day before starting to work again, it was also the last day that Nicholas was free from school for a while and he wanted to be able to spend that at home with Nicholas... KRB A snowy day on KRB's dream island