Saskia laughed. “I did not, but it sounds like I need to. Jean mentioned her enough times. I’m sure I’ll meet her at some point.”
“You should go to the school fete,” Kivi said. “Next Saturday. The choir always performs – you’ll be sure to see her then.”
“I’ll do that,” Saskia said – and then they returned to silence while she finished her glass of water. Kivi ground her teeth with frustration. There was so much she wanted to talk to her about, but they were stuck in this stilted standstill.
“I’d best be going,” Saskia said, just as Kivi said, “Do you want to watch a movie with me?”
“Are you sure?” Saskia said, just as Kivi said, “Oh, okay.”
They froze, staring at each other yet again – and then both descended into giggles.
“Oh my God, why are we like this?” Kivi wiped her eyes.
“Such dorks,” Saskia said, with a smile that Kivi had never seen on her face before. Almost… affectionate. “Yes, I’ll watch a movie with you.”
Kivi got her a glass of wine – which she hadnotpurchased this morning with Saskia in mind, absolutely not – and switched the TV back on. It opened on the title page of a legendary 1930s movie. “Oh,The Wizard Of Oz!”
“Can you believe I’ve never watched that?”
“What?”Kivi barely disguised her shock. “But it’s one of my favourite films! Toto is literally named after the dog in the film! Oh, we havegotto rectify this.”
“Go on then,” Saskia chuckled, so Kivi pressed the play button and settled back in her seat.
Leo the iconic MGM lion roared, making Toto prick up his ears, but he flopped back down with a whuffling noise as the music began to swell and the name of the film and its credits were displayed on the screen.
“Can’t we skip this bit?” Saskia said after about thirty seconds of the same, but Kivi shook her head.
“The music is integral to the setting of the scene,” she told her, and so Saskia sat back in her chair. It was true. You didn’t get music like this nowadays, and the full two-minute overture was essential to put the audience back in Kansas, 1939.
The first of the musical numbers was Kivi’s favourite.Over The Rainbowwas probably the most well-known song ever recorded for a film, and it always reduced Kivi to a puddle. There was something about Dorothy’s despair, as she sung of a better place where she was free…
She couldn’t cry in front of Saskia. Not two nights in a row. So she set her jaw, gritted her teeth, and let the ballad simply wash over her.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…
Chapter Thirty-Three
Saskia
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…
She’d heard the song before. Who hadn’t? But never in context. The words had always just been lyrics, objective imagery that cast a pretty picture, but one that she had always dismissed as mere idealism. And while young Judy Garland had had a lovely voice, fitting the song very well, it had never particularly connected with Saskia. She hadn’t had time to dwell on it.
Now she did. Now she was hearing it in context. And even though they were only five minutes into the film, her heart actually felt as though it was breaking for Dorothy. Being sidelined and ignored and dismissed – all these were things with which Saskia had become painfully familiar, thanks to her father. And hadn’t she wished for the same thing herself, during those excruciating endless hours with her grandmother? An idyllic place, where nothing bad happened and there was no reason to worry or stress?
She’d written an article for the fiftieth anniversary of Judy Garland’s death four years ago. It had once been said that shecould ‘wring tears out of hearts of rock’. And that was what was happening now.
Don’t cry, Saskia. Do NOT cry!
But the tears continued to burn her eyelids, no matter how hard she swallowed or how deeply she breathed. And they strained even harder as Judy Garland concluded her song and Saskia realised… she’d found her place. Her ‘beyond the rainbow’. It was here. In Miltree. This perfect little place in the back of beyond, with its perfect blend of cottagey countryside and luxurious ocean.
And with Kivi.
At that moment, Kivi looked over at her. Saskia knew what she was seeing – her lips were pressed together, her eyes would be red, and her customary serene façade was long gone. She gritted her teeth.Don’t say anything, Kivi. Just let the moment pass, just…
Kivi reached for her hand. Surprised, Saskia let her take it. And then Kivi leaned over, pressing up against Saskia’s side until her head was nestled in the divot of Saskia’s neck. Saskia could feel Kivi’s hair, soft on her skin. And her hand was warm, and so was the rest of her body that was now settled up against hers. Just to seal the deal, Kivi wrapped her free arm around Saskia’s middle. The cumulative warmth spread the whole way through Saskia’s body, and she had to force herself to relax. If she tensed up, Kivi might move, and that was the last thing she wanted…
“This okay?” Kivi whispered over the film.
