Michele Forbes - Ghost Moth

“Yes, Mrs. Bedford,” replies Isabel flatly, and pushes past Elsa.

Elsa immediately moves into the seat vacated by Isabel so that she is now beside her mother. Katherine reaches over to Elsa and gives her a warm, tight hug and kisses her on the top of the head. Elsa looks up at her mother.

“What d’ye think, Mummy? Do you like it — the show?” Elsa is animated now, smiling and raising her eyebrows in anticipation of her mother’s response.

“Oh — I think it’s”—Katherine quietly struggles to find some appropriate words, “it’s colorful and it’s rather entertaining, don’t you?”

Elsa’s eyes widen.

They both turn their heads to look up at the stage. A dwarf dressed as a wood elf has now come onstage and is skipping in little circles as he casts some spell or other on two children who are standing under a tree. He appears angry and waves his arms impatiently. The two children are distracted by the noise in the auditorium and they speak so quietly on the stage that they cannot be heard. The wicked old woman applauds the dwarf and cackles and then her wig slips sideways and she tries to fix it as she makes a face. She asks the children in the audience a question, her voice croaking with the effort, but no one replies over the general noise.

Katherine leans into her daughter.

“Don’t you think it’s rather entertaining?” Katherine starts to laugh a little. Elsa looks at her mother and then she starts to laugh, as well. She knows now that her mother thinks the show is not very good but doesn’t want to say it. They are both trying to stifle the laughter they feel rising inside them, their shoulders shaking. Katherine’s hand is now covering her mouth. Elsa’s face is broad and beaming. They know that they should not be laughing, and this makes them laugh all the more. Katherine has a stitch now and holds her stomach. Elsa is imitating her mother’s movements and wraps her arms around her middle and bends her head forward and then throws it back. Elsa’s face is bright from watching her mother, watching everything about her. Katherine wipes away the tears of laughter that have now welled up in her eyes. Elsa copies her mother, even though her own eyes are dry. Katherine cannot help it and starts to laugh loudly. Elsa laughs, too, making squeaks and yelps, her eyes fast on her mother. Elsa is so wrapped up in her mother now. She thinks this is all so wonderful, this sharing, this laughing with her mother and no one else in the whole world understanding it, because it is only they who know.

Isabel reappears. Noticing that her seat has been taken by Elsa, she plonks herself rudely into the empty seat and gives a suspicious sideways look at both mother and daughter. She seems put out by their private joke.

The wicked old woman onstage bursts into song and Katherine and Elsa get taken by a fresh bout of laughter because the song sounds so ridiculous. As Katherine watches, she is struck by something familiar about the actor who is playing the wicked old woman and, as her shoulders shake, she holds up the program in front of her, squeezing her eyes slightly to see better in the dark, and finds the name Charlie Copeland mentioned in the playbill. It is enough to wind her laughter down.

“Oh, it’s Charlie, my goodness—!” She looks up at the stage and then turns to Elsa. “Imagine that!” she says with a great sigh.

Katherine feels filled with fresh air after the laughing. She looks at Elsa as though Elsa is her savior.

“I love you, Elsa.”

“I love you too, Mummy.”

When the performers take their bow at the end of the show, the children are too busy searching for dropped sweets to applaud them. Katherine decides to go backstage to say hello to Charlie Copeland. The narrow corridor eventually leads Katherine, with Elsa and Isabel in tow, to the makeshift dressing rooms, where, as she knocks and slowly opens the door, she finds Charlie Copeland sitting in a tiny room. The room is filled with boxes, rows of stacked chairs, and a large bingo board. Charlie Copeland lifts his head to look at Katherine as she enters. His lids glisten peacock blue, his lips are scarlet red and his eyes are rimmed in thick raven black. His wig lies on his lap like a dead cat.

“Charlie, remember me?” Katherine holds out her arms to embrace him.

Charlie Copeland jumps up. “Oh, of course I do, of course I do. My lovely Katherine, oh my goodness, what a delightful surprise!” Charlie smiles broadly at Katherine and throws his arms around her. “Katherine Fallon! How are you?”

“Just fine, Charlie!”

“And these are your beautiful children!” Charlie pulls back to take in Elsa and Isabel.

“This is my daughter Elsa and her friend Isabel.”

“Two beautiful girls.” Charlie has now folded his hands under his chin, shaking his head in admiration at the two girls and staring in disbelief.

“How are you, Charlie? Are you well?”

“Oh, as well as can be expected. Oh, what a lovely surprise.” Charlie’s eyes are filling up as he looks at Katherine. “What a lovely, lovely surprise! And look at you, just as beautiful as ever! After all these years! My goodness! And tell me”—he speaks quickly now—“are you still living over the chip shop?” Charlie turns to Elsa and Isabel and laughs. “I used to love it when your mother came to rehearsals smelling of fish and chips — always made me hungry, so it did.”

Katherine laughs, too. Elsa smiles. There is a look of slight disgust on Isabel’s face.

“No, Charlie, I’m living up on Hillfoot Crescent now, just beyond Hillfoot Road.” Katherine smiles at Charlie.

“I know Hillfoot Crescent well. Oh, and you’re looking as glamorous as ever, Katherine. Look at your mother, girls — isn’t she beautiful!”

Isabel slips another hard sweet into her mouth and, crunching it loudly, brushes her hair back from her face with her hand.

“And you Charlie, still living up on Ridgeway Street?”

“No, dear, I’ve moved back in with Mummy. She’s not at all well.” Charlie Copeland shakes his head a little, as though pitying himself.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Charlie.” Katherine’s concerned tone disguises the fact that she is genuinely amazed that Charlie’s mother is still alive after all these years.

Then, suddenly he says, “Come here, Katherine, and tell me, have you seen anyone else from the group. What about that Rosemary Wylie one, where is she now?”

“I’ve no idea, Charlie. I’ve lost touch with everyone.”

“I know that your fella, what’s his name. . your Don José!. . Hugh Drummond — he’s doing very well for himself. Runs a catering business and has hotels and all, all over the place.”

“Oh, very posh!” Katherine laughs.

“And James McCauley took over his father’s furniture shop.”

“Oh, very good.”

“And Cissie McGee went to America.”

“Charlie, it seems you know everybody’s business!”

“And of course there was that young tailor.” Charlie Copeland’s pace slows a little. “You remember him, don’t you, Katherine? He made your costume for Carmen . A lovely young man.”

Katherine bleeds white and cold at the mention of Tom. “Yes, Charlie, I remember.”

“Terrible, wasn’t it?” Charlie Copeland gives a large sigh.

“Do y’know — now this’ll tell ye how odd I am — I still think about that young man. I do. Funny that, isn’t it. After all this time, I still think about him — as if that would do any good for him! That was such a terrible shame, that whole thing. . such a lovely young man. .” Charlie Copeland’s voice trails off almost to a whisper.

“That’s nearly twenty years ago, Charlie.” Katherine says, her voice shaking.

Charlie nods. “How time flies, eh!” he says, and he hunches his shoulders to show that there’s nothing he can do about the time flying. Then he makes a funny face at the two girls. He is aware of Katherine’s sudden disquiet. He wants to lighten the mood. “There you go!” he says, and smiles a wide smile.