Page 114 of Sunrise By the Sea

‘Do you understand the words?’

‘Of course.’

‘You speak Italian?’

‘That song is not Italian. Is everybody’s song.’

He stood up finally, and moved towards the piano, beckoning her, then sat down and began to play a simple waltz time.

‘Sing with me,’ he instructed.

‘This is so stupid that you know how to play everything.’

‘Everyone knows this,’ he said. Then he looked at her.

‘But your way is my favourite. Sing!’

She was shy now and was speaking more than singing. But somehow the words came to her, even as she realised how intimate they were.

Il mio corpo sia tuo

– that my body is yours

Il mio labbro sia tuo

– that my lips are yours

Il tuo cuore sia il mio

– that your heart will be mine . . .

But her voice remained true, and then Alexei took up the melody again, played it faster and faster till it sounded like an old-fashioned fairground ride, and she leant against him as he finished with a flourish and turned round, grabbing her and sitting her down on his knee.

‘Thank you. You haff cheered me up very much,’ he said.

‘We are two survivors clinging to a life raft,’ said Marisa, smiling. ‘I suppose we have to cheer each other up. That’s what friends are for.’

But, she thought. But I want to be so very much more than that. I planned so much more than that. Her heart had even leapt when the ballerina had looked to see if she was the person Alexei must have mentioned.

But then she had seen him. In the very depths of despair, completely cast asunder by love for somebody else.

As soon as she said the word ‘friends’ he let her go, as if she was burning him.

‘Yes,’ he muttered ‘Friends. Of course. That is what we are. Thank you. My friend.’

She was standing up.

‘I should go,’ she said. ‘I’m just off the plane.’

‘Yes! Oh no! Yournonna! Oh, myzaichik!’

He gave her a huge hug and she allowed herself, just for a moment, to feel totally lost once more in his arms, even if she contrasted it sadly with the last time she had stood there: when hernonnawas still alive; when she had had so much hope.

‘I am so sorry. We shall cling to this life raft together, no?’

‘Yes.’

Chapter Seventy-one

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