LEAD & THOMAS
As a kid, holidaying in Mallorca, Thomas’s parents had refused to let him take home a dog that he’d befriended. 30 years later, on a trip to Greece, a puppy was again circling his ankles. He locked his eyes on the sky until they stung in an effort to avoid meeting its gaze. It was tourist season so the fountains were on – the puppy had a ready supply of water. Predictably, with some unnecessary encouragement from Thomas’s old friend Torsten, the puppy finagled its way into their plans. They named her Ida. They took her to the beach. She tagged along on hikes. They fed her, she refused any dog food until Thomas had heated and salted it – her palette refined by a diet of scraps begged from the tourists crowding Ios’s restaurants. Ida was happy but Thomas and Torsten were increasingly uneasy about leaving her, in two days they were due to fly home. Sitting in their regular cafe, an immaculately dressed woman approached their table, clearly touched by the bond between them, she asked if it was their dog. Thomas explained. The woman left but after ten minutes she’d returned. ‘This is my gift, not to you but to her’, she handed Thomas a collar, a lead and a tin of dog food. She was an angel. Thomas fully expected that under her grey, cropped hair was a head of magic, blue curls to match her Chanel suit. The woman insisted that they take Ida, that she’d bring them ‘luck, health and happiness’. Their return flight was booked for September 13th. It was two days after 9.11 and in the wake of the attacks, security staff were too busy to notice a puppy travelling without documentation.
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