by Clare Ashton
The sight made the music all the more incredible to Pia, watching him draw the bow across the strings and hearing the grieving sound of Ravel’s Kaddish sing out. It grabbed her heart and choked her throat with emotion.
Cate had stopped. She stared at the musician transfixed, her hand drawn to her chest. She didn’t seem to notice people bustling by, irritable at her obstruction. Careful not to make a sound, Pia picked up a crate that lay next to the musician’s violin case and drew Cate out of the flow of traffic. She sat beside her, and at no point did Cate’s gaze waver from the violinist. She sat, hypnotised, her hands placed in prayer to her lips.
Pia sat glowing with pride at the old blind Trinidadian who had cast a spell. She looked around to see the effect on others. At first, only small children were caught by the music. They stared at Cate and stopped before being tugged along by impatient parents. But one refused to move. A small boy stood his ground, and his tired mother resigned herself to listen. After a few bars her face softened and her grip relaxed on the child. She became entranced by the music.
The pace of passersby began to slow. More and more turned to watch as they made their way. A group of students stopped and listened, one open-mouthed, another recording on his phone. Soon a crowd had gathered and anyone wanting to carry on their journey had to squeeze along the walls.
At its finale the music became quieter, and softer. Its solemn final note held the audience before it disappeared echoing down the tunnel.
Cate leapt up and applauded, her ecstatic smile squeezing a tear from her eye. The crowd followed with glee and the sound of applause was accompanied by the chink of coins thrown into the old musician’s case.
The crowd dispersed and only the elated Pia and Cate remained when the musician put down his violin and bow. He tapped his foot towards the space left by the crate and then he stared up, his unfocussed eyes aimed straight at Pia.
‘Pia Benitez-Smith,’ he said in a rich Caribbean accent. ‘I hope that’s you who’s nicked my crate.’
‘How the hell did you know it was me?’
His laughter was deep and cracked with the years. ‘Who else comes and listens to old Spencer?’
‘More people should,’ Cate said. ‘That was incredible.’
Spencer’s head twitched in Cate’s direction. ‘Well hello. Who have you brought, Pia?’
Pia stepped beside Cate, proud of her new friend’s appreciation of her old. ‘This is Cate.’ She beamed up in admiration. ‘I wanted to show her that you don’t need to spend the earth to hear music that can move it.’
Spencer chuckled. He put out his hand, his thick grey fingers reaching towards Cate. With a natural movement she placed her hand in his and Spencer leaned down to kiss her fingers. ‘Always a pleasure to meet a beautiful woman.’
Pia rolled her eyes at the old man’s charm. ‘Oh come on Spencer. I’d never deny she’s beautiful, but you can’t tell that from her voice.’
‘No, that’s true.’ Spencer chuckled. ‘But I can from yours. I can tell a smitten woman when I hear one.’
Pia blushed so deep it burned all the way to her ears. She could see Cate was amused, but she tactfully kept turned away.
Spencer crouched down to sort the money. ‘I think I can call it a night by the sound of that collection.
‘Oh let me,’ Cate said. She bent down to fetch the silver and gold coins that had bounced out of the case. Her dress opened at the back and flowed around her body as she leant down. Pia warmed inside at the sight of Cate helping her friend.
-
They ambled into the darkness of Hyde Park, the humid air close around them. Cate swung her high heels by her side and walked barefoot through the grass. As they walked further from the luminous orange of the main road, Pia’s sight grew accustomed to the ambient light and she began to recognise the shape of trees and infrequent passersby. Pia could make out Cate’s content face, still on a high after being purged by an emotional piece.
‘How do you know Spencer?’ Cate’s voice was relaxed and soft in the steamy air.
‘I’ve known him most of my life.’ Pia replied. ‘He lives next door. We’re in an old terrace and he has a garden flat next door to us.’
‘Why doesn’t he play professionally? He’s extraordinary.’
‘He did. I think.’ Pia tried to recall. ‘I’m pretty sure he played as part of the Philharmonic when I was little. Mama said he froze one day, in a concert, couldn’t remember the notes, and he couldn’t check the sheet music like the others. I think he just lost his confidence.’
‘But couldn’t he do other work? Recordings?’
‘He says he’s happy busking.’ Pia shrugged.
‘But that must pay almost nothing.’
Pia laughed. ‘He’s happy with what he’s got. Is that so hard to believe?’
‘Even those happy with the simplest things still need something to live on.’
‘He says he has enough to eat. His family, a son and grandchildren, live in London. He has friends from over forty years in Brixton.’ Pia smiled. ‘I think he has a very nice life.’
Cate hesitated for a moment. ‘Things money can’t buy,’ she said under her breath.
‘I think he’s very lucky,’ Pia added. ‘And I think he appreciates it too.’
‘Is he a role model for you?’ Cate asked, her light mischievousness returned.
They’d reached the bank of the Serpentine. Pia stared across the lake’s dark expanse, watching the reflection of the half moon quivering on the still waters.
‘I admire him very much. I adore his playing and it’s difficult not to love someone who is so content and full of life.’
Cate’s face was a blur in the dim light. Pia only caught her smile and her nod out of the corner of her eye. Cate sighed and put her hands on her hips and gazed up towards the sky.
‘You can see stars.’ She stepped back, surprised. The brightest stars shone through the faint city glow. ‘You know, I’d given up on the night sky in London. I had no idea you could see them.’
‘You can’t beat seeing the stars.’ Pia grinned, and added: ‘Or swimming beneath them.’
It was quiet for a moment before she heard Cate’s laugh rise. ‘You can’t go swimming in the Serpentine.’
‘Yes you can.’ Pia enjoyed catching out her companion. ‘The Lido’s just there if you’re not brave enough to swim in the open water.’
‘Do they have costumes for hire?’
‘Oh, it’s shut now. But last time I tried I didn’t find my costume essential for swimming.’
‘You’re serious?’
Pia had already taken Cate’s hand and was leading her towards the Lido building. The tables and chairs on the bank outside were deserted and a cool white beam shone from the empty kitchen through the columns of the classic building. Here, Cate’s face was a little more clear, as was her look of amused affront.
‘Pia Benitez-Smith. Are you trying to get me out of my clothes?’
‘I’m just granting you your wish,’ Pia said, delighting in the fulfilment, and the added bonus of perhaps seeing Cate undress.
‘Well, if you promise not to look.’
‘I can’t promise that.’ Pia giggled. ‘But if you don’t have the guts to swim in the...’
She’d expected Cate to stall and take her time to tip-toe into the lake. But with a smooth movement Cate had slipped from her dress, stepped out of her underwear and was gracefully dipping into the water.
Pia stared, the sight of Cate’s naked body, her toned back, the curve of her hips, the long slim legs, having the same effect as a temporary lobotomy. She gawped as Cate glided out in a breast stroke, disappearing into the darkness without a sound.
‘Pia!’ Cate called. ‘Close your mouth and come in. It’s wonderful.’
Pia twitched back into consciousness. ‘Um. OK. Yes. Err. Will do.’
She checked around the dark edge of the park and hid her rucksack under a table. She slipped off her Converse trainers and
hopped about on the bank peeling off her tight jeans. She flung her T-shirt over a metal chair and dipped her toe in the water.
It was warm and tickled where the water slipped over her foot and stroked around her leg. She slid into the depths and pushed out towards Cate. The water caressed her breasts and licked between her legs as she moved. It was such a sensual experience. She felt more naked in the water as it flowed uninhibited, touching every curve and crease.
She caught up with Cate and, in silence, they swam towards the line of buoys that marked the boundary of the Lido on the Serpentine water. She could just make out the outline of Cate’s head and her arms holding the line of buoys. She could hear the water lapping against her as she moved.
‘This is amazing.’ Cate sounded close and intimate. This private moment was as far away from other people as it was possible to be in London. The dark sky stretched over them down to the soft shapes of trees on the bank, not an onlooker in sight. They seemed insulated from the rest of the world, the water and night sky enveloping them.
‘It’s difficult to believe we’re in London,’ Pia said in awe.
She saw the outline of Cate’s head nod. ‘I’ve swum in the Maldives and the Red Sea surrounded by desert, but this is somehow more remarkable.’
‘So this will do for your tropical swim under the stars?’
‘It will more than do, Pia.’ Cate’s voice was low and sensuous, as tantalising as the warm water that touched Pia’s body. ‘It’s wonderful.’
Pia breathed out, seduced by Cate’s tone. She blushed, wondering if Cate knew the effect her words had on her. She kicked out her legs in the water and tried to act unaffected. Pia hooked her arm over the rope and turned to the bank. But as she swept around, her arm slipped past Cate’s firm nipple.
The sensation of being stroked by Cate’s breast sent a thrill of pleasure up her arm and through her body. She almost gasped at the sensation and held her breath to keep control. They floated motionless in the water, the lapping sound from their movements receding until all they could hear was the distant hum of the city.
Pia was aware of her pulse pounding through her head, and every inch of her sensitive skin crying out to be touched. Her head buzzed with longing and she prayed that her body remained under her own volition and didn’t reach out to touch Cate.
She heard Cate swallow and clear her throat. ‘Come on Benitez-Smith.’ She sounded strained. ‘You owe me dinner.’ And she heard Cate ripple through the water back to the shore.
Chapter 6.
‘What do you fancy?’ Pia asked.
They strolled away from the lake towards a wide lit path. Cate shivered. Her wet hair hung in dark ribbons around her shoulders. ‘Something comforting,’ she said, rubbing her bare arms.
‘Hold on.’ Pia stopped and shrugged off her rucksack. She drew out a cropped denim jacket and held it around Cate’s shoulders. ‘I hope you don’t mind something a bit more high-street.’ She giggled as she covered Cate’s couture dress.
‘Not in the slightest. Thank you.’
Pia pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. ‘OK, I think I know what would fit the bill for dinner.’
‘Not a restaurant in Knightsbridge I imagine.’ Cate nodded towards the Kensington Road.
Pia smiled and shook her head. ‘No. I had a food truck in mind, but I need to check online where they’ve parked up tonight.’
Cate opened her mouth and then breathed out. ‘I’ll suspend my judgement,’ she said. ‘You’ve surprised me more than once tonight.’
‘Southbank.’ Pia switched off her phone and turned in the opposite direction. ‘It’s quite a walk in bare feet or high heels, so I think I’ll treat you to a ride on the Underground.’ She grinned at Cate and offered an arm.
Cate laughed as she encircled Pia’s arm with her fingers and they headed across the park.
They sat beside one another on the bench seat that ran along the side of the Tube carriage. Pia studied Cate in the dark reflection of the window opposite, interrupted by infrequent flashes of light from the tunnel lamps. Cate sat in a refined posture, her elegant legs crossed and her hands clasped in her lap. In comparison Pia’s reflection was dishevelled, a brush with foliage and a dip in a lake taking their toll.
Even with the slight distortion of the curved window Cate was beautiful, her high cheek bones and eyes more defined in the dim light. Pia didn’t know how long she’d been staring when she noticed Cate’s eyes had locked on hers. Pia twitched away at first, but then returned her gaze.
Cate started to turn, her nose elongating in the warped window. Pia giggled. Cate twisted more, her nose resembling a mendacious Pinocchio. She stuck out her tongue so that it seemed to stretch almost to Pia’s ear.
Pia laughed out loud and covered her mouth. An elderly lady further down the carriage glanced up from her eReader. She didn’t look disapproving, but Pia stifled her laughter until the woman returned to her read.
Pia tilted her head and noticed another version of herself upside down in the window above her reflection. She tilted up her head until her brow stretched to meet the inverse twin, so that her two heads were joined in a ludicrous hour glass shape. She heard Cate trying to suppress a snigger.
The woman along the carriage put down her eReader and smiled at them.
‘I have to ask,’ she said in an accent that wouldn’t have been out of place in a 1950s BBC. ‘How long have you two been together?’
Pia’s reflection opened two mouths in surprise.
‘We’re not together,’ Cate said, her tone generous and amused.
‘Really?’ The woman caught Pia’s eye.
‘Oh God no,’ Pia said, embarrassed for Cate that someone would assume that they were a couple. ‘In fact, I’ve no idea who she is.’
Cate laughed. ‘We met a few hours ago.’
The woman’s deep wrinkles stretched as she raised questioning eyebrows. ‘Well.’ She sat back in her seat. ‘Whatever you two have, they should bottle it.’ And she turned back to her book.
Cate and Pia giggled as they stepped on to the platform. They walked arm in arm towards the escalators.
‘Do you reckon she...’ Pia gestured back towards the Tube.
‘What?’ Cate grinned.
‘You know.’ Pia nodded her head back. ‘Do you think she was a...’
‘A what?’
‘Oh you know,’ Pia whispered.
Cate leant in. ‘Are you trying to say lesbian?’
Pia was a little piqued. ‘I do know how to say it. I perhaps thought. Well I thought she might be. I can’t imagine many older ladies would assume we were a couple. So I thought, maybe?’ Pia shrugged.
Cate stopped, her expression incredulous. ‘Pia. Of course she was.’
‘Oh.’
‘A good old girl with a pair of slacks like that. She has to have a companion somewhere in Stoke Newington.’
‘Wow. I can honestly say that passed me by.’ They turned and ambled on.
‘What do you think she was reading?’ Cate’s tone was mischievous.
Pia rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, something like The Well of Loneliness.’
Cate shook her head, ‘No, I think she had a bit more spark to her than that. I think she was more of a lesbian erotica person.’
Pia’s jaw dropped. ‘You are much naughtier than you first look.’ She started to think. ‘What do you reckon? 101 Ways With Lube on the Tube?’
‘I think that lady was far beyond instruction manuals. I’d go for erotic stories.’
‘Lizzie Pays Lip Service?’ Pia suggested enthusiastically.
Cate began to giggle.
‘A Pussy’s Wet Tale?’ Pia guessed again.
‘Actually dear, you’re not far wrong.’
The perfect newsreader pronunciation stopped Pia and Cate in their tracks. They swung round to see the elderly woman, striding behind them.
‘Spank My Mistress. Dyke Domination 3. I can recommend them whole-heartedly.’ She smiled and marched pas
t, her eReader tucked under her arm.
Pia and Cate stared in unison after the woman who hopped onto the bottom of the escalator and was swept out of sight. Pia felt Cate shudder next to her with laughter. She couldn’t help but join her and the two dissolved into giggles.
-
When they emerged from the Tube station, an incessant stream of text messages and missed calls chimed from Cate’s clutch bag. They wandered across Charing Cross pedestrian bridge, trains rattling by in the caged rail track that ran alongside. Pia could feel Cate’s mood sinking as they walked above the swollen waters of the Thames, swirling in eddies beneath them.
Pia gazed down at their entwined arms. She wondered how it had been that she’d spent the night with such a beautiful woman. Cate was clearly meant to be on a more refined evening than Pia could ever show her. It made Pia feel odd, thinking of Cate in elegant society. She imagined her in a ballroom with men in black tie and ladies in gowns, mingling with ease, a sophisticated crowd that was far beyond Pia. She imagined Cate joining them and a twinge of jealousy pinched inside. She held Cate’s hand tighter to savour the last moments before she knew she must leave.
‘Do you need to go?’ Pia whispered.
Cate drew her lips into a tight line. ‘Just a few more moments,’ she said. ‘Let me see what you had in mind.’ She quickened their pace, their arms locked together and they descended the steps onto the broad walkway of the South Bank.
It was busy with summer evening entertainment. Artists drew chalk versions of classic paintings on the pavement. A juggler played with fire. Animated couples chattered as they left the Royal Festival Hall from concerts, exhibitions and films. The book market was open late, its tables of paperbacks laid out beneath Waterloo Bridge. People huddled around, enjoying the act of browsing as much as they would reading the books.
‘Here it is,’ Pia said.
They stopped by a large vintage Citroen van, its corrugated sides painted in perfect glossy blue. Inside the long hatch was busy with people, flipping over crepes to feed eager customers who waited outside rubbing their hands.
