Olivia's Curtain Call (8 page)

Chapter Fourteen

Kasha stood on the steps of the rehearsal rooms as Cassie Usher told him all about her plans for her wedding. Kasha wasn’t really listening. The day’s rehearsal had just finished, and out of the corner of his eye he was watching Abbie get into Tyler’s car. He could see her reluctance in her body language. Her cousin insisted on dropping Abbie off each morning and picking her up at the end of the day. Abbie said he’d have sat in on rehearsals all day if he could.

Kasha had told Abbie to ignore Tyler and go home any way she liked, but Abbie didn’t want to antagonise him and thought he’d just back off eventually. She didn’t even want to tell her dad, who wasn’t well again and who needed Tyler’s help with the business, which
was inexplicably losing money. “Whatever you say about him, he’s a hard worker,” she’d told Kasha. “He pores over the books until late into the night. Dad says he thinks he sleeps at the office.”

Kasha disconsolately watched Tyler’s car roar away. A long, lonely evening stretched ahead of him. He could go and see Jazz, or some of his other friends, but the only person he really wanted to be with was Abbie. Even though they spent almost every day together, she still seemed as far away as ever. He walked over to the little bench under the open kitchen window. It was bathed in warm sunshine and he lay down on it to think. Abbie wanted him to join her in Spain after Christmas, when she started filming
Joan of Arc
, but he already had a tour of the US lined up. It was so frustrating; it felt as if they were doomed to be forever apart.

He heard the goodbye shouts from the rest of the cast as they left, and then somebody started moving around in the kitchen, clearing up. He guessed it was Tish, who’d been complaining about the disgusting state of the kitchen and threatening to ban them all from using it if they didn’t clear up after themselves. Kasha
heard the kitchen door open and Jon’s voice say something that he couldn’t catch because Tish had put the kettle on. There was the sound of a spoon clinking against cups, and water being poured.

“Here, drink this, Jon, and cheer up,” said Tish. “It’s not that bad.”

“But it’s not that good either, is it?” replied Jon.

Tish and Jon had worked together on numerous productions over the last fifteen years, and they were good friends who trusted each other’s judgement. Jon often said that without Tish as stage manager all of his productions would have fallen apart. They were always totally honest with each other.

“No, not really,” said Tish now. “It’s a bit disappointing.”

“I don’t understand it,” said Jon. “It should be dream casting. Kasha and Abbie are both young, gorgeous, talented and they obviously get on really well. They’re always slipping off for intense little conversations together. Anyone would think there was something going on between them, although I’ve never noticed the slightest sign. Individually, they’re both
excellent, but there just isn’t a spark between them on stage. I don’t get it. When I watch them act together, it’s as if they are deliberately holding something back. Like they’re both trying to hide something.”

Outside on the bench, Kasha froze. It was horrible to hear your failings as an actor talked about so openly. But he knew that Jon was right. Trying to disguise their love for each other wasn’t doing anything for his and Abbie’s performances as Romeo and Juliet. He’d found it far easier to act opposite Olivia, meeting her openness and vulnerability like with like. Olivia made him a better actor; it was like playing tennis against a more skilled opponent and having to raise your game a level. He and Abbie were coasting, falling back on technique, scared to expose themselves in case the world guessed their secret. They were terrified that their relationship would become known among the cast and then somehow make its way into the press. How would their families react? Tyler was a loose cannon and Kasha was convinced he could be dangerous. The slashed tyres proved it. He didn’t want to take any risks for Abbie’s sake.

Tish was speaking again. “Kasha and Abbie are not so bad. In fact, they’re good. They’ll get respectful reviews. They’re just not good enough for you. Maybe you have to accept them for what they are and stop hankering after something you can’t have?”

“You mean, Livy playing Juliet?”

“Of course.”

“Well, wouldn’t you hanker after that? She and Kasha were amazing together. Even in an audition situation she made me hold my breath. Howard Franks and the others were nuts not to see it right from the start. So busy protecting their pennies, they couldn’t see the gold staring them in the face.”

“I saw Livy’s mother as Juliet and she was sublime,” said Tish. “But, you know, I think there was every chance that Livy might have been even better. Maybe even perfection.”

“Well, we’ll never know now,” said Jon. “Why did she deliberately throw it away like that? It was such a consummate piece of acting. The sudden breakdown, the look of an overwhelmed, scared child. It fooled everybody except you and me. But it was just a performance. She knew exactly what she was doing and she
knew that I knew afterwards. Why would she hand the part to Abbie on a plate like that?”

Kasha froze. He was suddenly as alert as a cat.

“It’s a mystery to me,” said Tish. “It’s as if something happened between her doing the ‘gallop apace’ speech and the balcony scene. When she came back from the break, she seemed different somehow.”

Despite the warm sunshine, Kasha suddenly felt very cold. He knew what had happened to Olivia: he had spoken to her about longing to be with Abbie. He felt terrible. He had meant to reassure her that he would act his best with her in the audition, and instead he had pushed her into making a momentous decision. She had sacrificed her own opportunity to play Juliet for him and Abbie. He thought it was probably the most generous thing that anyone had ever done for him. It made him want to weep.

Tish was speaking again. “Olivia will have other chances, Jon. She’s clearly a rare talent.”

Jon sighed loudly. “On a purely selfish basis that doesn’t help me and my production. And anyway I’m not convinced you’re right about
other chances. I spoke to Alicia about it all. Of course, I didn’t tell her that her granddaughter had deliberately squandered her chance to play Juliet. I just told her we decided that Olivia was too young and too much of a risk. But I think she knew that there was something more. Of course, I said all the guff about other chances in the future, and she went very quiet and said that she wasn’t sure that there would be other chances. She didn’t think it would be easy to persuade Olivia to act again; she thought that it was Juliet or nothing.”

“Oh, Jon, what a terrible waste that would be,” sighed Tish. “Come on, forget the tea, a glass of wine is what you need.”

Kasha lay on the bench long after they had left. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t think there was anything he
could
do. It was too late. He couldn’t even tell Abbie, who would be devastated if she knew that she hadn’t won Juliet fair and square. And he was certain that Olivia didn’t want him to know what she had done for them. But he knew he owed her a debt he could never repay, no matter how many bunches of flowers he bought her.

Chapter Fifteen

Olivia, Jack and Tom were sitting at the table in the flat. They had Jack’s laptop open and were poring over a spreadsheet of dates and countries.

Jack tipped back on his chair. “What do you think?” he asked Olivia and Tom.

“It looks great to me,” said Tom. He grinned at Olivia, thrilled at the thought of spending five weeks together travelling across Europe. They would be stopping off to perform at various festivals and circuses along the way, but there would be lots of free time too. Jack said that it would be as much a holiday as a tour and that as long as they covered their costs they could have plenty of fun as well. Jack knew a number of people they could stay with across Europe, and
they would take camping equipment as well.

“We’ve got enough of it,” he had said wryly, thinking about their adventure at the Edinburgh Festival the previous year.

“If it’s a success, we can get some more dates for the autumn and into next year, as long as it doesn’t interfere with school. I’ve been surprised at the amount of interest there’s been since I sent out the DVD.” He turned to Tom. “And you’re sure your parents are happy about it?”

Tom nodded. The thought of spending so much time with Olivia made him want to punch the air with joy. Maybe during the summer she would start to see him in a different way?

“It’s brilliant, Dad,” said Olivia. “When are you going to confirm all the bookings?”

“I’m just going to hold off for a few days,” said Jack, “until we know whether Eel and Emmy have got Matilda. If they both do, Em’s mum has offered to have Eel for a couple of weeks over the summer when they’ll be rehearsing. If not, I thought maybe the pair of them could join us for a week or so. But it might mean doing fewer dates. Either way, I don’t want to agree to anything until I’m absolutely sure we can do it.”

Olivia gave a little squeak and jumped to her feet. “That’s just reminded me – Tom and I said we’d collect Eel and Emmy from their audition and take them for ice cream. We’ve got to go!”

“OK, kids, see you later,” said Jack.

Olivia thought how happy he looked. She felt so pleased they would be spending the summer together. She and Tom would make sure that he didn’t have time to be lonely.

“How did it go?” asked Tom.

Eel peered at him over the top of the biggest chocolate fudge brownie ice-cream sundae that Olivia had ever seen. Olivia thought Eel might burst if she ate it all, but her little sister was steadily chomping her way through it as if she hadn’t eaten all year. Olivia speculated that maybe Eel was up for the wrong role in
Matilda
. Perhaps she should have auditioned for Bruce Bogtrotter? She would have no difficulty at all eating an entire chocolate cake.

“We were both exceptional,” said Eel, trying to wipe the chocolate off her mouth with her hand and only succeeding in smearing it across
both cheeks. “Wouldn’t you agree, Emmy?”

Emmy nodded, but there was more hesitancy in her manner. “We did our best,” she said solemnly.

“Yes,” agreed Eel very seriously, “and our best was pretty good. As soon as Gran took Emmy and me to see
Matilda
, we knew we were fated to play the lead.”

“Well, I hope for your sakes that the director and producers agree,” laughed Olivia, marvelling at their confidence.

“So do I,” said Eel. “I’m going to be furious with myself if I don’t get it. But I told them that if they didn’t cast Em and me we’d just keep on going back until they did.”

Olivia and Tom looked at each other with amusement. “With an appalling threat like that hanging over them, they’ll definitely give it to you,” said Tom.

“Yes,” said Eel. “I think they will.”

Later, as they all wandered down St Martin’s Lane, Tom said to Olivia, “Your sister has the most amazing confidence.”

“I know,” replied Olivia. “If talent doesn’t get her there, I reckon she’ll simply bludgeon
her way to success. She’ll have casting directors begging for mercy.”

“But won’t she be devastated if she doesn’t get Matilda?”

“For about five minutes. She’ll bounce back. She’s like a rubber ball,” said Olivia. “And besides, you can only ever do your best, and I don’t believe that Eel would ever give anything less.”

There was something about the way Olivia said it that made Tom look at her quizzically. He wondered if she was thinking about her Juliet audition. But he just couldn’t imagine any circumstance where Olivia would ever give anything less than her best either.

At that moment they heard shouting and someone calling for the police. The children could see two men on the ground just up the street from them, fighting with each other, and it wasn’t long before they heard the sound of a siren.

“Let’s cross the road,” said Olivia, herding Eel and Emmy away from the fracas and the gathering crowd. She didn’t want them to get caught up in whatever was going on. Two police cars screeched to a halt, and the policemen
waded in and pulled the men apart. As the crowd parted slightly, Olivia caught a glimpse of one of the men’s scared, bruised face. Olivia took a sharp breath. It was Hamo. She was suddenly certain that the other man would be Abbie’s cousin, Tyler. It was. One of the bystanders pointed at him and told the police, “He’s the one who started it.”

Several other people nodded in agreement. Olivia just hoped that the violence didn’t mean that Kasha and Abbie had been found out. She began quickly tapping at her phone.

“Who are you texting?” asked Eel.

“Nobody,” said Olivia, looking furtive. But Tom was standing shoulder to shoulder with her and he saw who the message was for when she pressed “send”. Kasha. He suddenly felt unexpectedly depressed.