Tatyana’s family had always been among the losers, ever since she was eleven years old, when her Dad had been identified as a member of a secret “Ukrainian Separatist clique” and shipped off to Siberia. They had never heard from him again, waiting more than twelve years.
A coward she wasn’t. When Anna explained to her that she would just love to smuggle her into the movies, and Tatyana finally understood what this was about, a naughty, conspiratorial grin appeared briefly around her eyes.
So off they went, Anna in her Loden coat and Tatyana in mother’s good new wool cape, her hair rolled up in a war-time-quality chignon, covered in pins.
Before setting out, Anna had put in a good half hour coaching Tatyana in using long, casual strides, looking at ease and relaxed.
All had gone well at first. Under cover of the black-out they had arrived at the Capitol Theatre where Tatyana managed well to mingle among other patrons while Anna bought their tickets, and waiting until the lights had gone down, she and Tatyana moved toward the middle of a row, away from the aisles. This turned out to be a bad choice.
During the newsreel, which showed German troops struggling in Russia’s mud and slush pushing trucks and war materials along, with frequent flashes of artillery fire on the horizon, Tatyana watched with great interest.
Just then an usher came down the aisle, played his flashlight along the rows to find a seat for a latecomer. Anna grew hot around the collar, but they didn’t make a move. Their sigh of relief was premature, however, because soon another usher arrived along the other aisle, and the two busily used their flashlights to search out the interlopers. Back home Anna had demonstrated, with both hands moving back and forth along her face, how they should stoically look straight ahead at the movie when seated. But in the face of this direct threat Tatyana lost her nerve, and called out, “Nijchts, Nijchts!” In no time the two were ejected out into the cold night, shivering, hearts pounding. Anna heard devastating insults hurled at her, she who had dared commit this unbelievable impertinence.
They fled, walked home quickly and sobbing, side-by-side, Tatyana, disappointed and humiliated, and Anna beside herself with outrage and overwhelmed with guilt for having subjected Tatyana to this indignity.
Before arriving at the door, Tatyana reached for Anna’s hand and stroked it very gently.