Tell It to the Moon

by Siobhan Curham

  Sky grinned. Being with Leon was like putting her heart on recharge. She could feel herself filling with courage and determination.

  “What year are you in?” he asked.

  “Eleven. How about you?”

  “Thirteen.”

  “Oh wow, so you’re doing your A levels?”

  “Yep, so I can get the golden ticket and go to university – and end up thirty grand in debt.” He laughed. “So, you live with your dad?”

  Sky nodded.

  “What about your mum? Do you ever see her?”

  Sky shook her head. Normally she hated it when this question came up but Leon seemed to have a knack of putting her at ease. “No, she died.”

  Leon turned to face her, his expression full of concern. “I’m sorry. That must be tough.”

  She nodded. Usually people got really awkward at this point and would cough and fidget and try to change the subject, but Leon was looking at her, his gaze calm and focused.

  “What was she like? Do you – do you mind me asking?”

  “No – not at all. She was…” Sky looked at the clouds. Their edges were tinted pink in the afternoon sun. “She was like sunlight. She was so joyful and bright and she never said a mean thing about anyone. And she had this amazing laugh, like a bell tinkling. She never got bitter – not even when she was really ill. Not even when she lost all her hair.” Sky felt a lump forming in the back of her throat.

  Leon shuffled closer to her on the bench. So close his leg was touching hers. She could feel the warmth coming through his jeans.

  “She sounds like a beautiful person.”

  “She was – inside and out. I know that sounds like such a cliché but it was true. She was so funny and kind. She was …she was too good to die.”

  “The good people never die.”

  “What do you mean?” Sky glanced at Leon. He was staring straight ahead and he looked really sad. She wondered if he’d lost someone too.

  “They live on in the things they said and did – they live on inside us.”

  “Did you … lose someone?”

  He nodded. “My best friend, Tyrone. He was stabbed. Three years ago.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s OK.” Leon cleared his throat. “Do you want to write a poem together?”

  “What, now?”

  “Yeah. Why not?”

  “OK. What about?”

  “How about courage?”

  “All right. But how are we going to do it?”

  “Throw some words at me. What comes to your mind when you think of courage?” He got to his feet and held out his hand. “Come on, let’s walk. I always think better when I walk.”

  She grabbed his hand and he helped her up. He didn’t let go as they started to walk around the pond. “Strong, brave, fierce…” she began.

  “Fierce. I love that word. What else?”

  Sky thought back to the PSHE class and how she’d felt when she found the courage to speak up. “Free.”

  “Yeah. And who do you think of when you think of courage?”

  “Oh – I don’t know … the suffragettes. Refugees. Malala. She’s so courageous.”

  “Too right.” Leon led her down a winding path into the trees. “These trees remind me of courage too. The way they’re so tall and strong.”

  Sky gazed up into the branches. This close they were even more majestic. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of pine. “When fear tears through the forest…” she began.

  “Stay rooted like the tallest pine,” Leon continued.

  Sky gazed at the tree trunk. “Inside you are rings of truth and wisdom and…”

  “Love,” Leon said softly.

  “And love, no amount of pain can touch.” She felt him moving closer and gripping her hand tighter. High above them, a breeze rippled through the leaves.

  “Your branches may bend,” Leon said softly, “but your courage…”

  “Your courage stays firm and strong.” He was right in front of her now; if she tilted her head forwards just a fraction it would be resting on his chest. She wanted to add something more, something about how the important thing was remembering you had that reserve of inner strength, but he was so close and her heart was beating so hard that it seemed to be drowning out her thoughts.

  “Can I…?” he whispered, pulling her to him.

  Yes! she wanted to cry. Instead she nodded and leaned into him. She felt his strong arms wrap around her and his head come to rest on the top of hers. She took a deep breath, and with it came an important realization. Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve been missing … until you find it.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Rose had never realized that the human body had smile muscles. But now, as she served what felt like the millionth customer at the cake stall, her jaw was aching from its customer service work-out.

  “Thank you. Have a nice day,” she said as she handed a box of cupcakes to the customer. She turned to Francesca, who was rearranging the ever-diminishing display. “That’s it, we’re all out of red velvet.”

  Francesca grinned and shook her head in disbelief. “It is incredible. You are incredible!” She grasped Rose’s hand. “You are such a natural at this.”

  Rose beamed with a mixture of pride – and desire. Working in such close proximity to Francesca all day had done nothing to dampen her feelings for her. In fact, they were even stronger. Dealing with the frantic rush at lunchtime had definitely been bonding – as had their chats during the rare moments of quiet. And now Francesca was calling her incredible. Or, in her French accent, “incredeeeble”.

  “Thank you.” Rose could feel herself starting to blush so she quickly looked away. The girl at the jewellery stall, who Rose had found out was called Jet but Rose had nicknamed Eeyore, was sitting on her chair, sullenly tapping into her phone. As if aware of Rose’s gaze, she suddenly looked over – and glared. Rose shook her head and turned away. What an idiot.

  “Well, you ladies certainly got off to a rocking start,” Mel said, striding over. He was wearing a pale grey top hat now, to match his suit. He looked like one of those old time East End gangsters, like the Kray twins, en route to a wedding. Rose had grown quite fond of him as the day had gone on. He was constantly singing and joking with the customers and it was good to have one friendly neighbour, at least. Rose checked the time on her phone and felt a buzz of excitement. She’d be meeting the other Moonlight Dreamers soon.

  “Is it OK if I buy some cakes for my friends?” she asked Francesca. “I’m seeing them right after we finish here.”

  Francesca frowned and shook her head. “I will not hear of such a thing!”

  “I’m sorry?” Rose panicked. Had she said something wrong?

  Francesca grabbed a large cake box from under the stall. “You do not have to buy them! Take whatever you want.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Of course! It is your bonus for doing so well. And while I think of it…” Francesca opened the till and took out some notes. “Here are your wages.”

  Rose had been enjoying the experience of working on the stall so much she’d forgotten she was actually getting paid for it. As she stuffed the money into her jacket pocket she felt awash with happiness and pride. For the first time in her life the money she was holding wasn’t a handout from her mom or guilt induced compensation for never seeing her from her dad. It was all hers, earned fair and square.

  “Make sure you spend it on something fun,” Francesca said with grin.

  Rose nodded but she already knew what she was going to do with the money. She was going to invest it in her own business account.

  Maali rolled onto her back and gazed at her bedroom ceiling. Her face was slick with tears. What was she going to do? How was she going to get through this fear about her dad? On the pillow next to her, her phone bleeped. It was a text from Rose. Oh crap! She was meant to be meeting her and the other Moonlight Dreamers in – Maali checked the time – thirty minut
es. In all of her sorrow over her dad she’d completely forgotten. She read the text.

  Yo Maals! I got let off work early – don’t worry, I haven’t been sacked! So me and Amber have gone straight to Café 1001. Meet us in there whenever you’re ready and then we’ll go get something to eat. Love ya xoxo

  Maali felt the faintest glimmer of hope. Maybe all was not lost. She might not have Lakshmi any more but she still had the Moonlight Dreamers. She got out of bed and looked at herself in her wardrobe mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying and her hair was messy. She quickly pulled a brush through it and rubbed some soothing coconut oil into the skin around her eyes. Then she made her way downstairs.

  In the shop, Uncle Dev was cashing up and Auntie Sita was sweeping the floor while Namir played with his toy dinosaurs behind the counter.

  “Is there any news from the hospital?” she asked.

  Uncle Dev shook his head.

  “Only that your dad is still waiting to have his scan,” Auntie Sita replied.

  “Would it be OK if I popped out to see my friends?” Maali asked. “Just to the café round the corner. I can be home in two minutes if you need me.”

  “Of course,” Auntie Sita replied.

  “And you promise you’ll text if you hear anything?”

  “Absolutely.” Auntie Sita nodded. “You go and see your friends. We’ll let you know if anything happens.”

  Amber took a sip of her cappuccino and glanced across the table at Rose. She looked so beautiful – and so happy. Clearly her first day on the stall had been a huge success. “I found something in the shop today and I think it might be a sign,” Amber said, taking a scrap of paper from her pocket.

  “You do?” Rose leaned in towards her. “What is it?”

  “It’s a—”

  “Hi, guys.” Maali appeared at the table and slumped down into one of the armchairs. “I am so glad to see you.”

  “Are you OK?” Rose leaned towards her. “Hey! Have you been crying?”

  Amber stared at Maali. Her eyes did look bloodshot.

  Maali nodded. She hugged her bag tightly. “I’m sorry. It’s just been such a terrible day and I don’t know what to do.”

  Rose grabbed her hand. “OK. Deep breaths. Is it to do with your dad?”

  “Yes, the doctors don’t think he has the vomiting virus any more. He has to have a brain scan.”

  “What?” Rose stared at her.

  Amber felt a pang of guilt at ever feeling bad about not getting to know her surrogate mum. At least she had two parents and they were both healthy. “Why does he have to have a brain scan?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure. Apparently the symptoms he’s been having might not be caused by a virus after all – it could be there’s a problem with his brain.” Maali looked terrified.

  “Shit.” Rose took hold of Maali’s hand. “OK, first of all, we don’t know for sure that there’s something wrong with his brain, the docs only think there might be, right?”

  Maali nodded.

  “And second of all, even if there is something up with his brain – at least you guys will finally know what’s been making him sick and then hopefully the docs will be able to do something to make him better.”

  “Hopefully,” Maali said.

  “And third of all,” Rose continued, “you’ve got us, so you’re not going through this alone, OK?”

  “Thank you.” Maali’s eyes started to well with tears.

  Rose got up and gave her a hug. “Can I get you a hot chocolate? You look like you could use a little sugar.”

  Maali nodded.

  “Oh, and I got you this.” Rose reached under the table and handed her a brown paper bag.

  Maali wiped her tears away. “What is it?”

  Amber watched as Maali opened the present. Inside was a gold statue of a woman with four arms. One was holding a sword and the other a severed head. Amber guessed it was some kind of Hindu goddess but she wasn’t sure if it made the ideal gift in the circumstances. She looked slightly menacing to say the least.

  “She is one of your goddesses, isn’t she?” Rose said. “The guy in the shop said she was but he wasn’t exactly forthcoming.”

  Maali nodded. “Yes. It’s Kali.”

  “Do you like her?” Rose looked concerned. “I saw her in the shop and I thought of you. There was something about her. I don’t know – I’m not into all that God business but she looked kind of fierce and I figured you could use some strength right now.”

  Maali gave a weak smile. “Thank you. She’s great.”

  “OK. I’ll get you your drink and we’ll talk some more. Then we need to decide where to eat.” Rose checked her phone. “Has anyone heard from Sky? She hasn’t replied to my text.”

  Amber and Maali checked their phones and shook their heads.

  Rose frowned. “Weird. It’s not like her to be late. Ah well, she knows where we are.”

  As soon as Rose left, an awkward silence fell upon the table. Amber could feel it gathering around her like an oppressive fog. Don’t offer her a mint. Don’t tap her on the back, her inner voice urged. Say something helpful, something loving. She began to flick through the database of Oscar Wilde quotes stored in her mind until she found the perfect one. Or at least she hoped it was…

  “Can I – can I share an Oscar Wilde quote with you?”

  Maali smiled at her gratefully. “Of course.”

  Amber cleared her throat. “‘Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.’”

  To Amber’s dismay, Maali’s eyes filled with fresh tears.

  “Oh dear. I’m sorry – I – I didn’t mean to upset you – I—”

  “You haven’t. It’s lovely. And it’s true. It’s just so hard…” Maali held her head in her hands.

  Amber coughed. She looked nervously around the café. She adjusted her waistcoat. Then she got up and she went and crouched beside Maali’s chair. “You are – er – the most loving person I’ve ever met. So, er, don’t stop. OK?”

  Maali looked at her and started to grin. “Really?”

  Amber nodded.

  Maali flung her arms around her. “Thank you!”

  “You’re – welcome. Anyway, better get back to my seat.” Amber extricated herself from the younger girl’s embrace and sat back down. She did feel slightly awkward from the exchange but most of all she felt a warm glow.

  COURAGE

  BY SKY AND LEON

  When fear tears through the forest,

  stay rooted like the tallest pine.

  Inside you are rings of wisdom and truth

  no amount of pain can touch.

  Your branches may bend,

  but courage turns your trunk to steel.

  When fear rips through the valley,

  ride the current like an eagle.

  Inside you, a heart beats new life and love

  no amount of tears can drown.

  Your feathers may ruffle,

  but courage turns your wings to steel.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  As the train pulled into Harrow-on-the-Hill, Sky looked at the station clock and her heart sank. She was supposed to have met the other Moonlight Dreamers ten minutes ago and she was still almost an hour away. Being with Leon had been like being in a cocoon away from the rest of the world, a cocoon of words that made her lose all track of time. After their hug they’d carried on walking for a bit, finishing their poem. Then they’d gone to a tearoom overlooking the duck pond and feasted on muffins and flapjacks and peppermint tea, and Googled their favourite poems to read to each other.

  She pulled her phone from her bag. She had two new messages – both from Rose. The first said that Rose had finished work early and told Sky to meet her in Café 1001. The second said that they’d decided to eat at Cinnamon curry house on Brick Lane at six. Across from her, Leon tapped away on his phone. She wondered who he was texting. It occurred to her that he knew way more about her than sh
e did about him. Back in the park it had felt lovely to have him show so much interest but now it made her feel a little unsettled. They’d be going their separate ways soon. She needed to know more about him. To make him less dream-like and more real.

  “So, what are you doing tonight?” she asked, in what she hoped was a tone of casual interest rather than blatant nosiness.

  “I’m going to see one of my brothers in Hammersmith. How about you?” Leon put his phone in his jacket pocket and smiled at her.

  “I’m having dinner with some friends.” Sky felt a sudden burst of gratitude. How lucky was she to get to spend the afternoon with Leon and then have an evening with the Moonlight Dreamers! She couldn’t wait to tell them what had happened.

  “Nice.” He leaned towards her. “So, when are we going to meet again?”

  Relief unknotted the tension in her shoulders. “I don’t know. When do you want to?”

  He grinned. “Soon.”

  She laughed. “Me too.”

  “OK, I’ll call you tomorrow.” He leaned even closer and whispered, “I really like you, Sky-Blue.”

  “I really like you too,” she whispered back.

  “Good.”

  When the train drew into Finchley Road he took hold of both her hands. “I’ll be seeing you then,” he said softly. His face brushed hers and for a second, she thought he was going to kiss her, right there on the crowded train. But instead he looked at her and smiled. “Later, Sky-Blue.”

  “See you later.”

  As the train pulled out of the station and Leon disappeared into the crowd on the platform, Sky sat back in her seat and gazed out of the window. The sun had set and the clouds were turning dark, charcoal grey. She felt so different, so alive … and she never wanted this feeling to end.

  Sky raced down Brick Lane. She loved it best at night, when the darkness chased all of the grey away and the lights sparkled like jewels. The narrow cobbled pavements were crowded and outside every Indian restaurant, staff were trying to entice diners in.

  “Free bottle of wine if you eat here,” a young Indian guy said to her with a grin.