‘Yes, I know the plot’s ridiculous. It’s all about the language. It’s like opera. How many opera plots make any sense? You just have to run with it.’
‘There’s more to it than that. It’s about colonialism, white superiority and ruthless exploitation of people classed as natives.’
‘Well, yes. But Caliban is so eager to enslave himself because he’s been accustomed to it, so he plays up to cultural stereotyping.
Luke carried on, getting more animated. ‘And what about Ariel? Is Ariel following the same trajectory as Caliban all along? Ariel has White Superiority but isn’t any better than Caliban.’
‘Yes, but Ariel doesn’t get pissed. Anyway, it’s just another usurpation play, like Hamlet or Richard II, where the paradigm gets subverted at every turn. Prospero was probably a rotten duke anyway. I’m not surprised he found himself with a one-way ticket into exile. He’s only better than a modern dictator because he took his magic books instead of a helicopter filled with gold bullion.’
I had heard enough. They were young, they were innocent, and I was ready to scratch them from my list of suspects. I was just about to go, when there was a commotion at the door. There was barking, followed by a soothing female voice. ‘Just stay there, Biscuit! Allegro? Sit down! I won’t be long.’
I looked out through the glass front door and saw one of the girls from Heard It Before and the two nervous spoodles. The music girls were also new to the neighbourhood, I realised, though Daniel and I had neglected to add them to our list. I would join the young woman outside, I decided. Luck really was running my way today …
Philomela: I have had an idea. And this really is going to work. It had better. I’m getting tired of this. I miss my life.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
How camest thou in this pickle?
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, THE TEMPEST, ACT 5, SCENE 1
I let myself out into the hot summer air. It was a pleasant day for those who like hot weather, of which I am not one. I could cope, though. The tearing hot northerlies which turn Australia into the interior of a giant pizza oven had decided not to pay us a visit. It was hot, still, but relatively painless.
I looked at the girl. She wore a pretty summer dress in black with pink spots. She was dark-haired, curvaceous, beautiful, and a little foreign. I had seen many girls like her in Paris. I rummaged in my databanks until the name Marie popped into my head. Though it might be Kate. I decided to take a chance on my first instinct.
‘Hello! Marie, isn’t it?’ I ventured.
She looked up and smiled. Her smile could have powered a medium-sized village. She blinked behind her black-rimmed glasses and said, ‘Corinna? It’s good to see you.’
Allegro and Biscuit did not agree. The two dogs eyed me with suspicion, and Marie bent over them. ‘Stop that!’
They gave me that Look again. Yes, we remember you, they were saying. You’re the human with the two ferocious cats. And where, they wanted to know, are your attack cats now? They sniffed the air, and Marie whispered sweet nothings in their ears. As in all fashionable pavement cafes there was a big aluminium bowl of water attached by a small chain to one of the outdoor tables. Urged on by their mistress, the two spoodles took turns to lap from the bowl. ‘That’s better. Sit down, you two!’ They obeyed, and she flashed me an embarrassed smile. ‘Sorry about that.’
‘It’s okay.’ I gestured to one of the chairs. ‘Have you got time for a coffee?’
She took out her phone to check. ‘Yeah, I guess. It’s just gone half the hour. Kate sent me out for a takeaway souvlaki. They’re really good here.’
‘They really are. Attic heaven on a plate.’
At that moment Del appeared.
Marie grinned at him. ‘Geiá sou! Éna souvláki gia na páei kai éna kafé ellinikó parakaló?’
‘Entaxi, Despina,’ Del pronounced, and disappeared within.
I gaped at Marie.
‘I went to Greece for a holiday straight after school,’ she explained. ‘Well, Corinna, you’ve been having adventures lately, I hear? Did you walk into a door? It looks painful.’
‘Far too many adventures for my liking. But lately it’s been getting better. I’ve gone a whole day now without being burgled.’
She laughed. ‘Let’s hope it stays that way.’
‘Marie, I’m fascinated by this business of yours. Would you mind telling me how it works?’
‘Come see for yourself, please. I know music shops are supposed to be so twentieth century, but what we do is something different. When you have mass-market competitors like Amazon, you have to offer something special. So we do. We find music people have vaguely heard somewhere but they don’t know either the track or the composer. And we remix songs for people, or we take their old vinyls and turn them into digital collections. But our main business is birthday and Christmas presents. We’ll make a gift-wrapped CD or thumb drive with someone’s favourite music on it – even if they don’t even know it’s their favourite music.’ She dimpled. ‘They will when they get it.’
‘It sounds brilliant. Do you play your own music as well?’
‘Yes, we both play. Keyboards, strings. I’m soprano, Kate’s alto. We’re both music majors. Tell me what you like and I’ll make you a song in that style.’
‘What a wonderful idea! I hope your business thrives. But …’
She laughed again. It was like listening to a magpie’s morning song. ‘There’s always a but. I know. The thing is, we live above the shop. We’d have to pay rent anyway, and we think this might catch on.’
At that moment Del arrived with a small cup of industrial-strength caffeine and placed it reverently in front of her.
‘Souvlaki, maybe five minutes, miss,’ he announced. She nodded. Some more Greek passed to and fro, but I missed it completely. I don’t really do Hellenic. Del disappeared, and Marie clasped the cup and sipped. A gold ring adorned her fourth finger. She caught my eye and blushed, ever so slightly.
‘Engagement ring. Now that we can get married at last. All that time we weren’t allowed to here, it was a bit awful. We could have gone overseas to some civilised country to marry, but we decided we were fucked if we were going to. So we waited, and finally the plebiscite happened and we’re free at last. Anyway, we both love music and we think we can make a go of this. And I’ve paid the rent on the shop and apartment for the next two years. We’ll know by then if we’re on to something or not.’
She paused to sip again from the cup of wakefulness. ‘When Grandpa died, everyone else in the family decided to move into a huge palace in the northern suburbs. I didn’t want anything to do with it. They’re more or less okay about me and Kate, but I don’t want that sort of life. And some of my cousins and relatives … well. I don’t want anything to do with them. They’re scary people. So with my share of the estate I’ve put a deposit on a block of land in Narre Warren for the two of us, and there’s just enough capital left over to keep us going. We can always teach music later on if this doesn’t work.’