CHAPTER 106: Fab Gear

 "98...99...100!  And........rest!" said Jeremy after he and Barbara finished their keep fit routine down at Skye Fitness, the exclusive health club that Jeremy had become a member of through his contacts at work.

"Phew, I am ready to collapse into a heap!" said Barbara.

"Ah, not yet...today's a big day!" said Jeremy.

"The way I'm feeling right now I'm not sure I could even open the door of the shop" she gasped, looking for the nearest water cooler to get a drink form.

"I have good news on that front...for the first official opening day of Pack's Clothing I have found you a keen and dedicated shop assistant!"

"Oh yes, who's that?" she asked.

"Me" he said, proudly.  "I've taken the day off so I will be your willing gopher.  I have no idea about fashion but I can work a register, take inventories, do the accounts..."

"Jeremy, that is fab news!" she said, putting her arms around him.  "It will be great...you and me...working together and I'll teach you everything you need to know about how to sell clothes"

"I will put myself into your capable hands" he said, giving her a little kiss.

They showered, dressed and on their way out of the health club they spotted an old friend:  Bakko Jang.  He was setting up his amplifier and tuning his guitar for another public gig.  Jeremy had to go and see him as Bakko was a loyal and wise friend of his.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Sim City's cutest couple...how are you guys doing?" said Bakko, putting down his guitar.

"We're good...invigorated after some exercise" said Jeremy.

"Speak for yourself! I'm aching!" said Barbara.

Bakko let out a little laugh.  "I hope you have enough energy for your grand opening today.  Well done on getting it ready on time.  I was down that way on Friday and had a little look in the window.  Groovy place you've got there, Babs.  I dig the style."

"Thanks Bakko.  Could we tempt you to come along and visit later?" she replied.

"Maybe, guys, maybe...gotta gig at the Narwhal Arms later on but...this is one way I can help...I'll get the word out to all the people I meet and tell them about the shop.  But get a load of you two:  To think how far you have come since I first met you...well done guys; you're beautiful people."

Barbara was moved to go over and give Bakko a big hug, and Jeremy shook his hand vigorously.

"Hey, don't crush my strumming hand!  That's my livelihood!" joked Bakko.

They said their goodbyes and headed over to the boutique.  There it stood; now fully furnished, decorated and stocked.  It was the first day of a new venture and Barbara gulped at the prospect of running a business that she was entirely responsible for.

"OK...this is it!  I'm really nervous!" said Barbara, holding tightly on to Jeremy's hands.

"Teamwork, Barbara, teamwork...I'm here by your side" he replied.  She nodded, reached for the key to the shop and opened the door.  Her kingdom awaited inside.

"Right, what can I do to help?" asked Jeremy.

"OK, erm...I know; can you check to see everything is in its right place and clean and switch on the radio for some background music" said Barbara.

"OK, what station?  A little Mitch Miller or Lawrence Welk or even Perry Como if you want something more out there"

Barbara rolled her eyes.  "None of that square stuff you listen to with your parents, Jeremy.  I want a Carnaby Street vibe in here so we're going British Invasion.  Something like The Who"

"I have no idea who.  I don't know these British bands"

"I mean there's a band called The Who" 

"The what?"

"Not The What...THE WHO!"  

"I'll get cleaning" said Jeremy, puzzled as to why a band would call themselves something vague like 'The Who'.

Jeremy checked over the shop in such detail that Barbara had to hurry him up..."It's nearly 9am, Jeremy, quickly...get ready I'm going to flip the open sign" she said.

They watched the wall clock and counted down the last few seconds:  5...4...3...2...1 and OPEN!  Barbara flipped the sign and jogged back to the cash register.  Jeremy looked around, wondering where he should be in the shop.

And nothing happened for the first fifteen minutes.  Barbara and Jeremy had primed themselves for the moment of opening they were motionless enough that anyone passing might mistake them for one of the mannequins.  One very trendily dressed young woman walked past the shop, paused by the window and for a moment Barbara thought she would be their first customer, but in the end the woman walked on and off into the distance.

Eventually someone did enter the shop:  A lady of Asian descent who was wearing a long, floral patterned dress.  Jeremy recognised her.

"Hello...it's Officer Datta, isn't it?"  he said.

"Yes it is...now I know you from somewhere, don't I?" she responded.

"I'm John Action's neighbour.  We met once before" 

"Oh yes, so this is your shop...is it?" she said, looking around.

"Well, it's my girlfriend's actually...I'm helping out for the day.  Can I help with anything?"

Barbara came over to them.  "Hello, I'm Barbara and welcome to Pack's Clothing."

"Well...I've been invited to something called a 'mod party' and I'm looking for a new party dress" said Datta.

"I've got this from here, Jeremy" said Barbara.

"Thanks" he replied, quietly.  "I have no idea what you wear to a mod party"

Barbara took Prisha Datta and showed her various items that might be suitable for the event but it wasn't long before a second customer entered and Jeremy had to deal with him.

The young man looked intense and worried and his gaze darted from mannequin to shelf to display pedestal.  With Barbara busy with Prisha, Jeremy felt he had to step up to the plate to help the man.

"Erm, hello.  I'm Jeremy and I work here...well, I kind of help out here...it's my girlfriend's shop and...you don't actually need to know any of that except that I'm here to answer any questions and hopefully find what you're looking for"

The young man gave Jeremy a blank stare before eventually speaking.  "Yeah, so my roomies tell me that they don't want to be seen in public with me whilst I'm wearing this T-shirt...shirts, really, I own 5 exact copies...and, well, you know what it's like with women..." he said gesturing to Barbara with his head.  "There's this chick I share a house with and she's like really hot and groovy and...you know, man, I've got to dress to impress and all that scene."

"I think...I follow you" said Jeremy.  "Dress to impress a woman..." he said, looking frantically around the shop.  "...I think we can help you in that department...let's try....over there!" he said, pointing towards a couple of male mannequins.  He spotted a brochure for the clothing supply company on the countertop and grabbed that:  He needed a script to work from.

Meanwhile Barbara was giving advice to Prisha.  "Now this peppermint green dress is the height of fashion at the moment..." she said, indicating the mannequin.

Prisha looked at it and hummed "I'm not sure...I have seen that exact dress around town and I want something more distinctive"

"OK...I think I have just the thing!" said Barbara.

The young man, who was named Mitchell, went into the changing booth to try on an outfit that Jeremy recommended.  Mitchell stepped out of the booth to inspect himself in the mirror whilst Jeremy read the text from the brochure.

"This patterned shirt, made from a Dacron/Draylon mix is the cutting edge in male style, especially when teamed with these Crimplene slacks.  Only $13.80 when bought with the shirt."

"I dunno, man" said Mitchell.  "I think the shirt's too snug around my gut... I can see some of my belly hairs poking out"

Jeremy grimaced at the idea of "belly hairs" poking through a shirt.  "I'm sure we can find something more suitable" he said, looking around the shop again.

Prisha still couldn't make up her mind as Barbara showed her more and more things to try on but another customer entered the shop, then another.  "If you require any help, sir, just give me or my assistant a call and we'll be with you in a moment" she said.

"I'm still with this other guy!" said Jeremy, softly, to her. 

"Just leave these new people to browse and if they look like they want to ask something, let them know you'll be along as soon as you can.  Don't make them feel ignored" said Barbara.

As Jeremy and Barbara tried to help their most indecisive customers it turned out that Prisha and Mitchell helped each other.  He was trying on a Corduroy suit with a brown turtleneck sweater underneath and this drew favourable comment from Prisha.

"I have a work colleague who wears those kinds of suits...and he's the coolest man I've ever met" she said.

Mitchell raised an eyebrow and said "Really?"  He looked again in the mirror, sucked in his gut and stood in profile to inspect himself.  "Yeah, I like the idea of this kind of suit but...I don't like the colour.  What is this, mycelium?"

"I have a similar suit over here but in more a kind of orange...orangey brownish...well, something like that" said Jeremy, indicating another mannequin.

Meanwhile Barbara thought she'd hit the jackpot with Prisha.  "OK" she asked the customer "how are you with short?"

"Short?  As in mini short?" replied Prisha.

"Yes, mini...quite mini in fact.  Would that present a problem?"

"Erm...." Prisha thought.  "Well...I am proud of my Indian heritage so I like the long, flowing look with the hint of the traditional Hindi style.  I've never worn a miniskirt though"

"OK, now you might not like this but give it a go" said Barbara, holding out a few blue wisps of nothing much.  "It's mod...very mod.  It's about the most mod dress I have in stock at the moment."

Prisha took it from Barbara's hands and felt the material.  "My, this is so light, so delicate to the touch!" she said.

"Double layer chiffon over satin" said Barbara.

Prisha thought about it.  Well, I'll try it for the material alone" she said and Barbara showed her the way to the changing room.

It was a nervous few minutes for Barbara as she saw yet another customer enter and she was keen to close the deal and sell her first item.  Eventually Prisha emerged from the changing room and Barbara let out a gasp when she saw the dress on the customer.

"How do you like it?" asked Barbara.

"Hmmm" said Prisha, taking a few steps up and down and looking in the mirror.  The fabric feels amazing but....wow, that's a lot of leg I'm showing.  She looked herself up and down once more.  Yes...YES...I like this a lot!  I'll take it"

Barbara cheered inside and could hear the cash register ringing in her head.  Jeremy too was having some luck.  Mitchell had found something he liked as well.

"Yeah, I can dig this" said Mitchell.

Two sales down but more customers were entering the shop.

"No resting on our laurels!" said Jeremy to Barbara.

As well as full outfits, accessories were selling well too:  Men's shoes, women's earrings and sunglasses were shifting and eventually the division of labour was changed so that Barbara assisted the customers and made sales whilst Jeremy restocked items sold.

5pm came around and, as the last customer left with a purchase of a Dacron/Draylon patterned shirt Barbara could finally flip to shop sign to "closed".  She turned to Jeremy and said "phew, what a first day!  We had more customers than I'd expected.  How did we do sales wise?"

Jeremy had the accounts book in front of him.  "You might want to sit down for this bit of news" he said.

"OK, sock it to me" said Barbara.

"Now this is subtracting utility bills and restocking sold items but....the profit for today was....$534."

"Five...hundred...?" gasped Barbara.

"...and thirty four Simoleons...oh and 75 cents" said Jeremy.

"That's way above our projections!  And that profit goes straight into our bank account?"

"It goes straight into our bank account"

Barbara was left speechless.  Jeremy produced a bag from behind the counter.  "Now I took the liberty of having a little trophy commissioned to celebrate your first sale...I thought it might look good hanging from that wall" he said, pulling a framed certificate with the words "CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FIRST SALE: BARBARA DUBOIS, PROPRIETOR, PACK'S CLOTHING" written on it.  He hung it on a spare picture hook on one of the walls.

Barbara was moved and called Jeremy over.  "Tell me, lover, how much profit did we make today?" she said, grabbing him around the waist.

"Five hundred and thirty four Simoleons..." he whispered as her mouth drew close to his "and seventy....five....cents..."

"You're so sexy when you quote statistics!" she said, pulling him closer for a big kiss.

"Phew...I feel giddy!" said Jeremy.

"There's more where that came from..." said Barbara, seductively.

"No, seriously, I actually feel giddy...and hot...and nauseous" 

"And you've got red blotches all over your face...we need to get you home this instant!"

Once back home Jeremy took a big gulp of medicine whilst Barbara made them a meal.  Sitting next to each other on the sofa they looked back on a first, successful day of the boutique.

"I swear that Mitchell guy hadn't washed that shirt he came in with for weeks...maybe even months.  I must have gotten a flea bite from it"

"I could not have got through this day without you; maybe a career in retail is beckoning?" she said, smiling.

"I was rushed off my feet I can tell you; I think I like my office desk just fine.  But we did learn a lot today; you'll be fine tomorrow"

The two of them snuggled and unwound from the day's events.  Barbara eventually decided to call it a night and headed to bed.  Jeremy wanted to stay up a little bit later to watch the latest episode of The Saint.

 No sooner had the words "may I present to Your Majesty the infamous Simon Templar", the familiar halo appearing above The Saint's head and the opening theme tune started, there was a knock at the door.  Jeremy went to see who it was and found Suzy Kent on the front porch.

"Hey, Jeremy, I just dropped by to see how the grand opening went"

"Barbara's gone to bed but...yeah, it went really well.  Well, that's what the balance sheet says" he said.

"Did you sell that trendy blue dress I told Barbara about?" Suzy enquired.

"Heck, I don't know what we were selling...she was the expert, I just muddled through.  What is 'Dacron' anyway?"

Suzy laughed and Jeremy ushered her inside where he could tell her more about the day.

"It sounds like you guys had a great first day" said Suzy.

"We did...and I'll tell you now; that was the best day off I've ever had!" Jeremy replied.

Suzy turned to him and looked him in the eyes.  "You're perhaps the finest man I know" she said.

Jeremy blushed.  "I mean, what about Neil?  What about your dad?" he blurted.

"You remind me a bit of both of them.  You're Barbara's very own White Knight:  All that's missing is the horse and the armour"

CHAPTER 105: A Little Pick Me Up

                 

"Madelyn, we need to have an urgent discussion" said Alan Cuffe.  He hadn't seen his live in companion and personal assistant either yesterday or at breakfast today and had only now seen her emerge from her bedroom.  He downed the last of his juice and called her over.

"What's up, Alan?" she replied, innocently.  "I can tell something's bothering you"

"You're right; something is bothering me.  I had a little discussion about you with Nancy Landgraab yesterday."

"Oh yeah, what did she have to say?" said Madelyn, giving a contemptuous shrug of her shoulder when Nancy's name was mentioned.

"She told me about your shady business dealings with Malcolm Landgraab...the drugs." said Alan, bluntly.

Madelyn said nothing at first.  Alan pressed her.

"Well?" he said.  "What's the deal here?"

"So I buy a little pot off of Malcolm Landgraab; it's no big deal" she said.

"From what I've been told it isn't a little; you're buying it off him in bulk!"

"Bulk?  Hardly!  OK, it's a little more than just for personal use; I sell some on to some of my herbalist friends and some guys down at Britechester U.  But it's really not that much, a couple of kilos or so"

Alan threw his hands up in despair "A couple of kilos!  If you're caught with that amount on you you're going down and I'll most likely go down with you!  I have a successful business to run and I cannot be involved with scandal of that kind"

"Alan...you're not against pot use: You don't complain when some of us light up at Kitten Club meetings"

"Personal use no, but we're talking dealing!  I run a clean ship, Madelyn!" he said, protesting.

"We walk the line, Alan, with the law in lots of different ways" she said, calmly.

"I stay on the right line all the time!" he said, defensively.  "The club members are all over 18, we have a liquor licence and what I publish falls squarely within the 1st Amendment.  I know the cops won't bust us for just a little pot use at a party or something like that but you can't be buying and selling narcotics whilst you work for me and live under my roof!"

Madelyn said nothing.

"Furthermore, this situation with the assassin makes things worse...what if the target wasn't Lilly Feng but you instead?  Maybe it's one of Nancy's or Malcolm's goons trying to silence you?  Have you thought about that?"

Madelyn shook her head.

"Right.  So you've got a choice: Continue to run your own private dealership with Malcolm but you'll have to cut ties with me and Lothario Publishing or stop the dealing completely and stay working for me and living here.  Which is it to be?"

"I don't want to ruin our partnership, Alan.  I'll break off contact with Malcolm" she said, apologetically.

Cuffe nodded, stood up and went to his office to begin work.

SNEEDLEY BURROW, THE NEXT MORNING

"Hmmm, that smells wonderful George" said Edna, taking in the waft of freshly grilled meat that George was preparing.

"Only the finest for you, my love" he replied.

Edna took a look around the neighbourhood before saying "It's a lovely morning, a beautiful blue sky" before her gaze settled on the ramshackle converted trailer home that was the abode for their neighbour, the struggling comedian Johnny Zest.  "It's a shame more people around here don't take better care of their homes"

"I quite agree" said George.  "I like to think we set a good example around here"

"An exemplarily example, George" Edna added.

George handed her a serving of the freshly cooked breakfast and they sat down on their front porch to eat it.  After making some small talk, they went inside to clean up the plates and also discuss the plans for the day.

"George, later on this morning we'll have our next League of Decency meeting.  Will you have time to help me plan it and get the house ready for guests?"

"I've taken the trouble to write a fresh agenda, Edna" he said proudly.

"Music to my ears" responded Edna.

"It'll be the debut of the uniforms" added George.

"Yes.  That should give everyone just a little extra oomph today; a sense of purpose" she replied.

"And then shall we protest outside of Hey Wow magazine?" 

"Hmmm, maybe right now that might be a little beyond our reach.  We need to get our message out there and then hit the depraved society hard.  But we shall canvass our members' opinions on the matter....now is that?" Edna paused to look out of the front window.  "I do believe that is Scott Urban outside...he's somewhat early for the meeting"

"I think he must be doing his mail route" said George.

"I will go and see" said Edna.  Scott Urban was the League's newest recruit: An ex-Army man and current mailman for the neighbourhood.  He had a quiet, no-nonsense rural ruggedness about him which appealed to Edna:  A nod towards America's pioneer past.

However, Edna saw that he was standing at the end of their road, doing some kind of strange dance or martial art.

"Mr Urban...how lovely to see you here." said Edna.  "Might I enquire what you are doing?"

"Tai Chi, Ma'am" replied Scott in his Virginia drawl.  "I learned it in the Army...it's a system of moves and exercises designed to tone the muscles and achieve focus"

"Is it really?  How interesting.  Are you here for the meeting?  It's not due to start for a couple of hours"

"No Ma'am, I've got that writ down in my diary.  I'm doing my mail route right now and I'll be right over when I'm done...sorry I won't be in the new uniform today: I tried it on, fits real nice and the colour's decent."

"Not to worry, Scott" said Edna, smoothly.  "It's your presence we really value.  I will see you in a couple of hours then"

They said goodbye and Edna headed back to the Burrow.  George was already changing his clothes and Edna did likewise; her carefully pressed uniform was checked for spotlessness with not a stray hair in place.  Then she retouched up her make up, made sure her boots were so shiny she could see her face in them and then went back to the living room to make it as hospitable for her guests as possible.  Then she went to pour herself a glass of sherry as a pick me up.

One by one they arrived:  First Scott, straight from his mail route and then Julia, who was wearing the uniform of the League of Decency as well.  Everyone seemed impressed by the new look.

"Well I must say this is a splendid turn out...even though we all appreciate that Scott had to come straight from work to be here I must declare the uniforms a success!" said Edna.

"I say, Dr Epstein, you look mighty fine" said Scott, giving Julia an admiring gaze.

"Please, it's Julia" she replied.

"Sure thing, Ma'am, I mean...Julia" Scott said, bashfully.

"Moving on to business" said Edna.  "Item One:  A protest has been organised in San Myshuno near the Skye Fitness centre...that is courtesy of a friend and ally, Ken Pepper, who has organised a space for us to hold our first public meeting.  Myself and George will be giving speeches"

The others all made notes in their diaries.

"Item Two:  George will be printing flyers about the League for us to hand out at the protest.  Item Three:  A review of books and publications that are deemed not suitable for public consumption without heavy warnings...."

Everyone grabbed a book or magazine that were in a neat pile on the table and started to peruse them.  Scott had a magazine called "Leather Cyclist" which had a picture of a young, pouting woman on the cover who was wearing nothing but a leather biker's jacket and a pair of panties on the front.  Julia had a book in her hand called "Let It All Hang Out: An Appreciation of Nudist Colonies".  As she walked past, George also took in Julia's appearance favourably "She reminds me of Edna when she was young...when I was young" he thought, wistfully.

Julia flicked through the book and then shut it, firmly.  "What shall we do if we think the material is disgusting?" she asked.

"We make a note and then send our objections to the publisher.  If we do not receive a satisfactory reply then we start an awareness campaign to get more people complaining." said Edna.

"And what if they don't complain?" asked Scott.

Edna took a moment to smile at Scott before answering:  "Oh people will complain; don't worry about that.  You need the RIGHT people to do so"

"I would suggest" said George "That everyone takes home a book or magazine, highlight the sections that cause offence and log them down in a journal so we can point out the specifics to others"

"Good idea...but if the material gets too strong, do take a break and contact a fellow League member for support" added Edna.

The meeting drew to a close and everyone went home, energised from a positive session.  George, in particular was pleased at how it'd gone.

"I thought the others were fired up today" he said.  "I must say I feel most invigorated as well"

"Anyway, I must get ready for work...have a lovely afternoon, dear" he said.

After he had left Edna took a look around Bedrock Straight and sighed.  There was the ghastly Zest home in all its ramshackle tawdriness.  The house next door, once belonging to the even more ghastly Alan Cuffe and the scene of his vile parties, had a "for sale" sign outside and the other property was unoccupied since they took the old man away to the retirement home.  The truth was, despite the immaculate condition of Sneedley Burrow, Edna was often at a loose end when George wasn't around and the rest of the neighbourhood depressed her.  She went to the fridge to pour herself a glass of wine but none could be found.  Then she had a thought:  She was going to go and try to recruit new members, why not try at the Solar Flare Lounge?

"Gee, I don't know, Mrs Sneedley...I guess it's hard to find a decent man these days" said the bar tender.

"Exactly, that's my point.  Where are the decent men, I ask you?  Where are those who are courteous, chivalrous and dutiful these days?  Where?"

"I had a good man...once, although I thought he was good." said the bar tender.  "Got shipped off to West Germany and fell in love with a local farmgirl.  I got the 'Dear Jane' letter a few weeks later"

"Ugh, those foreign women!  Such a distraction!" said Edna with a huff.  As she drank her wine she would strike up conversations with other patrons.

"I can tell a smartly dressed young man is interested in holding up standards of decorum and good taste"

"Ma'am, I'm the Nightclub Singer.  This is my uniform when I work here." said the man.

"Oh I see...will you be playing any music by Perry Como in your act tonight?" said Edna.

At that moment her friend, Ken Pepper entered the lounge.  "Edna, no George this evening?" he said.

"He's at work still.  How goes things at your school?" she replied.

"Sheesh, kids these days...so lazy, always complaining that that P.T. is too hard for them.  Too hard!  They're soft these days, soft" said Ken.

"Tell me about it!  I'm on a little recruiting drive for the League this evening...I was hoping to meet some people who are fed up with all that laziness and excuse making."

"If I had the time, Edna, I'd join...say, are you hungry?  I haven't had chow yet and was thinking of heading to the Spice Festival...do you want to come?  If George knocks off early at work he can join us"

"Spicy food...do you know, I haven't tried any.  I might just come along" she said, curious to see what the Spice Festival was all about.

"So what does one do at a Spice Festival?" asked Edna.

"Well, you try different kinds of spicy food basically...you've got your Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Moroccan...that kind of thing."

"Sounds....interesting" said Edna without much conviction.  The truth be told, she was here mostly for a recruitment drive.

Edna and Ken went over to the tables to sample the dishes on offer, with Ken tucking in with enthusiasm.  However Edna heard a voice from behind her that felt like a glass of cold water being poured down her back.

"Edna Bunt?  Is that you?"  the voice said.  Edna turned around to see a face she hadn't seen in 20 years.

"Katrina McTavish...how...lovely to see you.  What a surprise" she said in a voice that dripped with false sincerity.

"Actually, it's Katrina Caliente now."

"Is it really?  I'm Edna Sneedley now"

"I haven't seen you since the High School Leavers' Prom" said Katrina.  "So you went and got married...that's funny because in the yearbook you were voted..."

"Person least likely to get married.  Yes, I remember...and you were person most likely to have 3 children before the age of 25"

"Actually, it was two in the end...two girls." said Katrina.  "I mean, I could have a third at 39..."

"Katrina dear, I know how old we both are...we were in the same year.  So did you end up marrying Flammy Caliente?"

"I did...I did.  He died, sadly" Katrina's face dropped for a moment.  "But I've found another wonderful man in my life;  Don." Katrina leaned in towards Edna and whispered into her ear.  "He's a little bit younger than us but, boy, being with a younger man does wonders for the complexion and fitness...do you know what I mean?" and she leant out, nudged Edna in the ribs with her elbow and gave a snorting laugh.

"How nice for you" said Edna, supressing a look of disdain.  "My George is a successful chef and a wonderful husband: I couldn't ask for more."

"Well look at you...Edna Bunt, now Sneedley...all married and doing well for yourself.  You're looking good for a woman your age...I envy your thinness...you must tell me your secret."

"Yes.  Another time perhaps" replied Edna.

"Yes, we must catch up more...call me" said Katrina, walking away and miming a phone gesture.

Edna smiled and waved goodbye.  When Katrina was in the distance, she mumbled "slut!".  Sighing she put down the bowl of...whatever that food was...and headed to a nearby temporary bar:  She needed another drink after that hot chilli and chat with Katrina.

She went to join Ken, who was watching a street musician.  "Any joy finding people to join the League?"

"No...so far the only people I've met are MOST unsuitable."

"I know you, Edna, you won't give up easily"

"I won't give up at all" she replied, defiantly.

Eventually the festival petered out and Ken and Edna said goodnight to each other.  She got a taxi home, hoping to find George there and awake but he'd left a note on the dining room table.  "CHAOS AT THE RESTAURANT, DOG TIRED.  GONE TO BED.  LOVE, GEORGE"

She sighed.  It was kind of him to leave the note but, again, those feelings of frustration, emptiness and boredom when things weren't moving forward rose up within her again.  She went to the drinks cabinet.

"Just one more little pick me up" she said.

CHAPTER 104: Natural Born Grillers

 

"What?  No way!" Liberty blurted out in shock when she saw how much this month's household bills were.  "What are we spending this much on?  OK, there's taxes...but...meat?  How can our meat bill be so high?  And other food...there's only 3 of us; how come it looks like we're feeding a small army?  What's this?  'For services rendered'?  What does that mean?"

Liberty, however, saw the urgency and the impending due dates on these bills and hurriedly wrote out the cheques to pay them.  Once deposited in the mail box, she went back inside to have breakfast.  She just wanted some simple eggs and toast but when she opened the fridge she saw the entire cabinet was stuffed to the hilt with food and drinks.

"Hmmm, delicious breakfast, Libs...you should have some" said Travis pointing at his plate: He was tucking into a large dish of some grilled meat and a few token vegetables.

"Travis...is that roast lamb you're eating...for breakfast?" asked an incredulous Liberty.

"No, not roast; grilled with Mediterranean spices with some couscous.  It's delicious but if that's too heavy going for you I've got some tofu dogs on the BBQ which I was saving for my second breakfast but you could share some as well" Travis replied.

"No...wait, you have a second breakfast?" asked Liberty, still shocked.

"I love to grill!" said Travis.  "It's an old Scott family tradition:  We must never go short so we cook 2 meals at a time"

"So that's why our meat bill is so high!" said Liberty.

"Good morning guys!" said Summer, walking past the kitchen.  "I thought I'd get breakfast going...Travis, can I put your tofu dogs to one side so I can start grilling some steaks?"

"Not you too!" said Liberty.  "Summer, Travis...our bills have been really high of late and this is part of the problem:  Instead of cooking one meal at a time, we're cooking 3 or 4.  We simply can't eat this much and a lot is going to waste"

"But...I love to grill!" said a hurt Travis.  "Anyway, I've got to get ready for work...do try the lamb" 

"Not so fast, bucko!" said Liberty, jabbing a finger at him.  "Now, there's another item on the bills:  For services rendered.  What's that about?"

Summer piped up.  "Oh, that's for our cleaner"

"Yeah, we hired a cleaner after our house got trashed, remember?  She does a pretty good job" said Travis.

"The bill seems a little high for one cleaner.  I'll have a word with Mavis when she's next here" said Liberty.

"Who's Mavis?  Our cleaner's called Jeff" said Travis.

"No, it's Aime" said Summer.

Liberty looked puzzled and then the penny dropped.  "Oh no, I hired Mavis!"

"But I put in the call and hired Jeff!" said Travis.

"I didn't know either of you two had called the cleaning company so I called them and they sent Aime"

Liberty slapped her forehead.  "No wonder Mavis says she hasn't much to do!  Guys, this is a disaster and we're paying through the nose.  Right, One of us....ONE...calls the cleaning company and we settle on just the one maid.  Travis, stop buying in so much food!"

"But...but...Summer's just as guilty as that!" he said in a tone that reminded her of a naughty schoolboy.

 "We're going to cut down on the bills starting now.  And you don't leave the stereo AND the TV on at the same time!" said a stern Liberty.

"Marcus Aurelius Agrippa Pontus...died of exhaustion and cruelty from his master" mumbled Travis.

"What's that all about?" said Liberty.

"That's the name of your last slave and what he died of" said Travis, heading out the door to work.

Liberty had some work to catch up on so retired to her room, leaving Summer to sort out the cleaner situation.  As she had more contact with Aime, who was due to come clean the house that morning, it was decided that she should be the only cleaner for them.

"Phew, well that's sorted out" said Summer, bringing her a cup of coffee after Aime had finished cleaning the house.  "I just wasn't aware that we were spending so much money"

"I think that's down to the fact that we live together but don't co-ordinate the domestic arrangements." said Liberty.  "I know I've been a bit of a drag this morning about the bills...let's go down to the park for a bit?  A fresh change of scenery will do me good, I don't know about you"

"I'm all for that, let's go!" said an enthusiastic Summer.

Magnolia Blossom Park wasn't busy, but it was a warm spring day and the quiet was only broken by the sound of the bird life.  Liberty spotted an empty chess table and motioned to Summer that it was free.

"Every time I come here every chess table is occupied...why not grasp this rare opportunity to have a game" said Liberty.

"Sure...good idea.  Only one thing:  I don't know how to play chess" replied Summer.

"Right...." said Liberty, with a grimace.  "Well, there's never a bad time to learn, I suppose"

"OK, I think I've got this" said Summer.  "I'll start"

"Are you sure you don't want to play black instead?" replied Liberty.  "I mean, it might be easier if you...oh.  You took my knight"

"Is that good?" said Summer.

"Well....yeah, for you.  I didn't expect such an aggressive move early on.  OK, not a problem...I'll just move my bishop there....except if I do that makes it vulnerable to your queen.  Are you sure you've never played before?"

Summer just innocently shrugged her shoulders.

"Ah, the classic Queen's Indian vs the Botvinnik Defence" said a passer by; a smart lady in her late 30s who carried with her an air of superiority about her.

"Well...I call it more all hands to the pumps" said Liberty, pondering her now weak position on the board.

"I'm a newcomer to this game.  My friend here tells me I'm doing well" said Summer.

"Indeed you are" said the lady.  "I'm a keen student of the game and I'd say you're a natural at this if this is your first ever try."

Liberty spent a long time considering her next move, but then checked her watch.  "Oh no, I've got to get to work"

"Just when I was starting to really enjoy this game.  Say, chess is actually cool!" said Summer.

"Well, Black's position is difficult but not impossible" said the lady.

"Would you care to take over from my friend when she has to leave?" asked Summer.

"If you wouldn't mind" said the lady.  "My name's Yumiko"

"Oh, Summer.  And this is my friend, Liberty"

Yumiko took Liberty's place at the chess board.  "Hmmm, indeed a tricky spot for black but maybe if I move the rook here..."

Within 5 moves Summer's seemingly winning position was overturned and Yumiko triumphed.

"Very satisfying" said Yumiko.  "But well played" she added to encourage Summer.  "Very nice meeting you but I need to get back to work; I have a young intern who needs supervising...a lot!"

Summer headed home and grabbed a late lunch but then the doorbell rang and she went to check who was at the door.

"Hey, Suz....oh my!  I forgot you were meant to be coming over!" said Summer.

"Is this a bad time?" replied Suzy.

"Not at all, come on in...let's talk wedding plans!"

Suzy's visit was to go over some of the wedding planning with her maid of honour.  The date had been fixed now, for early June, and a venue booked:  The Newcrest Chapel.  Now it was time for Suzy and Summer to discuss wedding and bridesmaids dresses, a signature colour and....importantly...the Bachelorette party.

"I'm thinking either pale pink or powder blue for the signature colour..." Suzy began in expansive mode, as if she were creating a vast imaginary tableaux.  "...dresses for us; well, we must take a trip to the bridal shop in Magnolia Promenade and see what they've got and...help me here, Summer:  Do we do a nice meal for the Bachelorette Party at a swanky restaurant or do we go a bit wild and hit either the Orange Peel Club or Discotheque Pan Europa?"

"Why not both?" replied Summer.

"This is going to be a 3 cup of coffee discussion...at least!" said Summer, making a fresh pot.  So much to decide!  Have you done a guest list?"

"Not yet...well, family are a given and of course all you guys in Foundry Cove." said Suzy. 

"Seating plans:  We need to sit Julia on the same table as a nice, single guy" said Summer.

"Definitely" said Suzy.

Summer was making general notes on a pad of paper she found in Travis' room when who should appear but the man himself, holding a pick me up beverage.

"Now I hope you're not going through my drawers, ladies" he said, mischievously.

"We're making notes for Suzy's wedding" replied Summer.

"Should I be here?  I mean, secrecy about the dress and all that?" he said.

"You're not the groom, Travis" Summer corrected him.  "But be warned, it's going to get very technical and girly in a moment"

"I'll be a fly on the wall" he said.

 Suzy stood up to look in Travis' bedroom mirror.  "What do you reckon" she asked "long or short, tight fitting or loose and flowing?"

"Short and tight" said Travis.

"Travis!  This is Suzy you're talking about!" replied Summer.

"Hey, if you're maid of honour then you get to wear something similar as well!  I'm merely expressing an opinion about what I...and Neil...would prefer"

"Make yourself useful by fixing up some dinner....and NO excessive enormous platters of grilled meat either" said Summer.

"Awww" said Travis, leaving the room.  The girls continued doing some more wedding planning whilst Travis cooked.  Then, when Liberty came home, they all sat down together...with Suzy as a guest...to eat and talk.  Finally Liberty crashed out in her room, Suzy went home and Travis and Summer found themselves alone together at last.

"You're incorrigible, you know that?" said Summer, looking Travis up and down.

"If I fully understood what that meant I'd probably agree" said Travis with a cheeky, schoolboy smirk.

"Well, as long as the idea of a wedding doesn't freak you out..., you'll do" she said, smirking in response.

"Thank you, now when was the last time we kissed....hmm....Tuesday?"