A SINGLETON ON LESBOS ISLAND - Part 4

Day three (afternoon); The doctor said she was cycling to the hospital in Mytilini, which was just over the other side of Cardiac Hill, as she was a specialist in heart conditions, and could be of assistance. The other riders hid Ray’s bike and returned to the resort, and I went with the doctor for company.

As we were just entering Mytilini the Capital of Lesbos, following the signs for the hospital we could hear nose and commotion ahead of us. Arriving at the principle government office in the heart of town, we ended up being in the thick of it all. There in the middle of the protestors was the God squad, being lead by the Right Reverend Bob, holding a banner saying, “Priests against Poverty.”

He waved us over, preaching, “It was great we could make it, we’ll show the capitalist pigs, God has blessed us with a jolly decent turn out of biblical proportions, helped by it being a bank holiday.” I thought every day was a public holiday in Greece, but I kept that to myself. It seemed we had landed ourselves in the middle of an organised demonstration, against the austerity measures that the Greek government had imposed on its people. Apparently each Greek island had different days when they would protest, and today it was Lesbos’s turn, which being the height of the summer and it being a bank holiday, was getting massive support from the mainland and the rest of Europe.

Whilst Bob was explaining to me about the economic down turn in the Greek economy, the doctor said she would go to the hospital, and I was to meet her there later. As she left, the protest was being hi-jacked by a small minority of extremists with their faces covered by scarves, who were out to cause trouble. The riot police decided to surround us, which made the situation very tense. Through the hullabaloo of noise, I thought I heard someone say the police were just about to start kettling, which was the best idea I had heard all day. I thought what everybody needed was a cup of tea.

Well this just made the extremists wild, it was mayhem, the Tottenham Hoodie next to me said, “It’s all kicking off, it’s going to be bigger than the London riots, do you want a Molotov cocktail.” I declined the offer, but said, “I would have a Sex on the Beach, if there was one going.” The police started to get firebombed, who in return retaliated with tear gas and water cannons. As if things could not get any worse, the riot police charged in to the crowd, snatching Tottenham Hoodie and myself, and throwing us into the back of the police van, and then on to the police station.

There at the station, before I was thrown into the cells I managed to phone the doctor and left a message for help, before my phone was taken away from me. Hoodie and I were split up, Hoodie being locked up with a group called, Dykes on Bikes from the Netherlands, who were rioting against the lesbian austerity measures. I was placed in an intimidating cell full of leather clad Hell’s Angels from Amsterdam, with Life’s a Bitch Motor Cycle Chapter written on their badges. These guys definitely would not have been out of place in the seventies pop group, The Village People.

As the door slammed shut behind me there was an intimidating silence, my pulse was racing, I had sweaty palms and a dry mouth the danger meter in my head was in the red. Their leader towering over me, asked me who I was, and why I was here. I stuttered, “I’m Billie big Bananas an English biker,” before I could continue, the leader, said, “Ah this is good, so you are one of us.” Then affectionately put his arm around me there was a strong smell, a weird combination of motor oil, and lavender. I said, “Nice smell!” He, said, “His lady boy, boyfriend Fifi from the Philippines, given him a bottle for his birthday, it’s called Bitchy Butchy Lavender by a company called Good Boy Gone Bad, if you like I send you some.” To change the mood, I asked them what they were in here for, they said, they were supporting their sisters, the Dykes on Bikes. I replied, “They get my vote, I’m right behind you on that one, metaphorily speaking.”

He continued the conversation with, “You ride up the wrong way of the autobahn,” I pretended I did not understand. He went on to ask if I knew Billy Idol, to win them over I said, “I was good mate of his, we often ride together. Then he started singing, In the Midnight Hour, he cried, more, more, more, whilst thrusting his hips backwards and forwards, then smiled and gave me a wink. I can’t see today ending without a sore bum, and I don’t think it will be from mountain biking. I started to reflect on my thoughts at the beginning of the day, thinking this not what I meant, when I said to myself, it’s going to be a good day, biking with like minded people.

As afternoon dragged into the evening, with the light fading from the window, the cell became even more oppressive, we were entering the twilight zone. I was giving up on being rescued, and dreading the midnight hour when the bitch motor cycle gang, would start their initiation ceremony. Then the good doctor and resort manager arrived, who verified my story that I was on a humanitarian mission to visit Ray the Rave, and that riots were nothing to do with me.

Once I was set free, we threw my bike in the back of the resort mini bus, and we headed to back to the resort. In the bus the doctor said, “Sorry for being so long, I lent a hand in the operation on Ray, and it took longer than I though. He’s making good progress, his going to be ok.” All’s well, that ends well!

After just making it time for are evening meal, the doctor said, “She was going to her room to freshen up and phone the hospital to check on Ray’s progress, and would catch me in the bar later.” Whilst waiting for the doctor, one of the reps who had explained to me the different activities that were available at the resort when I first arrived, approach me.

He asked me why I had not attended any of the sailing lessons. I explained to him it was due to circumstances beyond my control, and went on to tell him about the canoeing expedition, the strong headwind, rip tide thing. Thinking it best to leave out, getting trolleyed, crashing out on the beach, and the Canoe Girl caving activities. As for the riots, and the life’s a bitch biker experience, I definitely was not going there.

I continued with the drama, telling him how we saved the mountain biking guide’s life. He said, “He had heard about the day’s events, and went on to say that Ray the Rave was a good friend of his.” He bought me a larger, saying that he really appreciated what I had done, then left. The barman who over heard the conversation, started telling me, what a great mate the bike guide was, and that there was a drink in the pipe for me when I wanted it. Whilst at the bar, several other reps, would buy me drinks, saying what a good job I had done.

I was just finishing the last of my freebie drinks, when the doctor turned up, not a happy bunny. “What’s this I hear you saved the guide’s life today?” I’m thinking the rep or the barman must have got the wrong end of the stick, when I was explaining about the bike guide, and must have thought, I had saved his life.
I came over all sheepish and was just about to explain, when she said, “Only w*nking you,” and laughed. Impressed with what she had done today, and still feeling a bit guilty about all the free drinks I’d had, I brought the good doctor a bottle of champagne.

Whilst spending the evening chilling out together, the doctor told me, “Her ex- boy friend a student doctor who she’d trained with, had just dumped her after finish their training together, and had gone off to Leeds to work.” She continued saying, “She felt she had been used and was upset, and wasn’t into men at the moment.” I asked her, “If she was one of the Lesbos lesbians?” she laughed and said, “She wasn’t batting for the other side just yet.”

Towards the end of the night, she asked me if I would like to go shopping with her in the morning, to which I agreed. As we were about to leave the bar, I said “You were amazing today” to which she replied, “I was just doing my job,” and went on to say, “ It’s not the only thing I’m amazing at,” Then as she got up to leave, took hold of me giving me the most sensual kiss and suddenly disappeared into the night, leaving only her spirit, in the form of her beautiful fragrance floating in the warm evening air.