I am absolutely sick and tired of being a C grade student. I put in the work, the effort and hand my homework in on time...these days...but still I'm stuck at a C! My teachers hate me, that's the only explanation.
"Hey, you're up pretty early, son. Hard at it I see"
"Yeah, dad, I want to ace this homework. Don't give my teachers any excuse to not award me an A or B"
"I'm impressed, son, with this attitude. Where did it come from?"
"I'm sick and tired of being on the lower rung, the second tier, I guess. I want...something..."
"More? A chance for improvement? Your family not high enough in your expectations?"
"That's not what I meant, dad, well not quite. I mean, improvement yes but I know you work hard and have achieved a lot."
"Your grandparents came out here from Aberdeen, Scotland, with nothing and they helped me through school before I joined the Air Force. I got my education there but at the rate you're going you could be the first McGregor to make it to College!"
It's nice to get a bit of encouragement from the old man instead of a "what time do you call this, Mister?" and it was even better to get him to read over my work to see if it was OK and the spelling correct.
As it turned out the teachers must have softened to me because I got a B today! Yay me. Onwards and upwards and all that. Anyway, after a quick dinner I was buzzing and I wanted to check out the scene this evening; see who was around and about. I was pretty much over my strange 'date' with Morgan Fyres and was ready to see who else was around; from the guys at school to maybe a few groovy chicks. That B I got today has made me pretty confident!
Only...there's no one here!
Slow night, eh? Never mind, I'll just head on over to the clubhouse, pick up the guitar and play some tunes. Maybe that will attract some company...chicks dig guys who can play guitar.
OK, I've got the hang of this...this lick was tricky at the start but I'm better with the chorus. I'm not disgracing myself here by any means. Wait! Who's that in the distance over there? Blonde chick in a yellow dress? Oh my goodness! It isn't! It couldn't be! It damn well is! Judy Keith!
I've only been in love with this girl since I was 6 when we met at a birthday party. I say "met" but what happened was that I noticed her and couldn't stop looking in her direction. She...well...didn't look back in mine. But we've lived in the same town, gone to the same schools and know lots of the same people.
The last time I saw her outside of school was when she walked right down my street...I tried to say hello to her but chickened out. Johnny Zest was right: I should just go up to her and say hello. Just hello. I mean, our lives do overlap somewhat and what's the harm in saying hi to her. The alternative is to miss out on another opportunity. I'm not going to chicken out a second time!
"Hey there! Out of my way, kid, you're blocking my path...Judy? Is that you?"
"Excuse me, do I know you?"
"Kind of...I'm Jamie. Jamie McGregor. We go to Buckingham High."
"Oh...well, there's a lot of people at Buckingham High. Do we share any classes?"
"No...but we have some mutual friends: Yuki Behr, Marcus Mueller, Efrain Webber..."
"Oh...them..."
"Erm, and Gillian Hills! I know her as well!"
"You know Gillian? Cool!"
"Yeah, well, she likes my music...my sound. I play guitar"
"Are you in a band?"
"I'm entering negotiations to possibly join one...for now I'm more a kind of singer/songwriter."
"That sounds cool. So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"
"I just wanted to introduce myself properly. I see you around a lot and thought I'd say hello."
"You see me around a lot?"
"Nothing sinister, I assure you. It's just...well...you know...my friends tell me you're pretty groovy"
She nods. I don't know if I'm making a good impression or not. Oh now there's trouble brewing. I really gotta pee! I should have gone before I cycled here but...gnnnhhh...it's building up and I'm about to burst!
"Is there something wrong, Jamie?"
"With me? Oh no! I'm fine....FINE."
"It's that you're doing this strange dance. It is a dance, is it?"
"Erm...kind of. Listen, Judy, I have to go for a moment...are you hanging around here?"
"Maybe"
"OK, hold that thought....see you in a bit!"
Forget cool and suave...I'm running to the bathroom! Oh man, I've blown it! She's going to think I'm a nerd now! The only plus side is that I feel enormous relief right now...
"Hey, Judy, who's that guy who was talking with you just now?"
"Hi Colleen. He's some guy who says he's at the same high school as us. I think his name was Johnny...or was it Jimmy?"
"I only caught a little look at him. Cute?"
"Yeah, kind of. He was trying too hard though...kept talking about his 'sound'."
"Ugh, how sad. Oh look...here he comes now. Hmmm, not bad. A bit like Paul McCartney"
"I guess. Not quite as cute as Paul though. But he's not bad either. You interested?"
"I could be. Not if he's the desperate type though."
Oh wow...she's got a friend who's hot as well! This could be my lucky night...Judy's stayed, she didn't run off and now she's got a really cute friend with her as well and they're both looking at me! Play it ultra cool, Jamie.
"Hello ladies...I don't believe we've met before; I'm Jamie"
"I'm Colleen."
"Nice to meet you...well, both of you. I was saying to Judy that I play guitar down here from time to time."
"That sounds neat."
"Do you know any Beatles songs?"
"I know loads. Yeah, come and see my set on Friday and I'll take requests."
"Well, I might be down on Friday but I'll see you at school tomorrow, Judy. I've got to go finish my homework. Bye Jamie, maybe see you around?"
"Bye Colleen....so, Judy, are you going to be hanging around a little longer?"
"I might. It's a bit slow around here this evening, don't you think?"
"We could find something interesting to do...like going to the clubhouse...I could play a few tunes by the fire."
"You make it sound almost appealing...I tell you what, Jamie, I will take a rain cheque for this evening but I will be here on Friday to see you play. You'd better be good."
"I am...no complaints so far"
"Norwegian Wood."
"What?"
"My request for Friday. Would you play Norwegian Wood? I thought you said you knew most of the Beatles songs?
"Of course. Norwegian Wood goes on the set list."
"See you then"
"OK, bye Judy...oh, hey, we might meet at school tomorrow?"
"We might"
I'm not sure if she smiled or shrugged when she said that. Well, at least she knows who I am now.
Well, I'd better learn how to play Norwegian Wood then! I can't believe I got to talk to Judy Keith AND she's going to meet me this Friday as well! I think I've sown the seeds with her...impressed her a little, things are looking up, Jamie boy. And I think her friend likes me as well, which is good because you never know how these things go...take Morgan from last week: One minute we're hitting it off and the next week she goes a little crazy on me.
Whilst I'm here I'll pop down to the clubhouse to practice my music a little more. Gotta work on a set list. It's nice to have a bit of an audience, even for a practice, and I see Malcolm Landgraab and his French girlfriend are already there. I don't know either of them but that's OK.
"How about you and me head back to my place? My parents are out of town this evening and I know where the key to the liquor cabinet is."
"Hee-hee, Malcolm, you are a naughty boy, n'est ce pas?"
"Oh VERY naughty, ma cherie! But how about it?"
"Well...."
"I....ONCE HAD A GIRL....OR SHOULD I SAY....SHE ONCE HAD ME!"
"Oh great, a someone trying to play the guitar and screeching! Marie, let's split this place before Lennon here breaks some windows with his voice."
"I theenk 'es not bad. I want to stay an' leesten a leetle bit more"
"Oh....great."
"I.....SAT ON HER RUG....ISN'T IT GOOD....NORWEGIAN WOOD!"
"What was that noise?" said Edna Sneedley, her suspicious gaze suddenly turning towards the front door.
"I think it was the mailman, dear" said her husband, George.
"The mailman's delivery is always precisely 10am, this is 2 hours ahead of that. I'm going to find out what's going on!" she exclaimed, striding to the door.
On examining the contents of the mailbox she noticed a flyer for a local politician that belonged to the opposition party. Edna unfolded it and read the words.
"we STAND for PROGRESSIVE policies...MORE taxes on wealthy people....MORE representation for our younger people...MORE government INTERVENTION programs! Bring our BOYS back home from VIETNAM...END the WASTEFUL Apollo program! Make LOVE not WAR!"
Edna's nostrils flared and she crumped the flyer in her hand. "Who befouled my mailbox with this FILTH!" she exclaimed. It didn't take her long at all to discover who...a lady in a pink suit but wearing an opposition party button on her jacket lapel was putting the same leaflets through all the letterboxes on the street. Edna saw her target and strode purposefully over to her to confront them over this.
"Excuse me, is this yours?" said Edna to the lady in her demure voice, which usually set up the unsuspecting victim to be lambasted loudly.
"Why yes, are you interested in our cause?" said the lady. "My name is Reyna Narayanan and I'm your local candidate..."
"NO YOU MAY NOT COUNT ON MY SUPPORT!" Blasted Edna. "And nor can you count on my husband's either! THIS is League of Decency country!"
"The League of What?" said a startled Reyna.
"The League of Decency....a group of dedicated citizens who are standing up against the degradation of our society by the likes of your party!" And with that Edna crumpled the flyer up in her hands and shoved it back at Reyna. "YOU are not welcome HERE!" she bellowed. Reyna said nothing but instead stomped off, angry at being met with such hostility.
"Pinko!" muttered Edna, behind her back.
Meanwhile George was in the house bunker having a drink and thinking of what to do today. He had a day off from work but Edna was on the campaign trail thus leaving him on his lonesome for a few hours. Now normally he would change into his alter-ego, Georgina, or was it Beulah? A few hours dressed as a woman took George to his private happy place although it was touch and go last time he dragged up: None other than Geoffrey Landgraab had spotted him as a her and even tried to flirt with him...leading to George having to improvise matters and create yet another alter ego named Beulah who was this Southern Belle character. That day was such a thrill that George considered doing it again and venturing even further afield.
"Alright, Dear, I'm off...wish me luck at City Hall!" said Edna as she was exiting the house.
"Bye-bye, my love! Have a nice day" replied George. As soon as the front door closed shut, he thought about what he wanted to do. Instead of dressing up he decided that Georgina's wardrobe needed some additions so he was planning a shopping trip down at Magnolia Promenade. It was a part of town he didn't venture into much, so there was less chance of him being recognised by anyone he knew. He took a bus and a subway downtown, committed to his plan of action.
It was 9:30am when he arrived at Magnolia Promenade and, as he suspected, it was mostly deserted down there as it was a weekday morning. The first shop he walked past he had mixed feelings about: Pack's Clothing. It was owned by this mere slip of a girl, one of those so-called "Dolly Birds" he had read about in the newspapers. Pack's was where the Mods, Dolly Birds and Faces all bought their clothes. Not George's thing, not even "Georgia's", but his attention was grabbed by some of the displays in the shop window.
He particularly liked a black lace basque and next to it, a purple exercise leotard. Hmmm, I need to shed a few pounds...he thought, patting his stomach. Along the line of mannequins he saw some nice cocktail dresses as well. Maybe this shop did have some things to interest him? He decided to venture inside.
Apart from a couple of shop assistants, he was alone in the boutique. First he wandered by the menswear section, feigning interest whilst occasionally glancing at the more interesting womenswear. He had already seen a couple of things that took his interest but now his heart pounded faster and faster as he had to check more closely to see if they had the outfits in his size and then...actually go and purchase them.
"Can I help you, sir?" said a voice behind him. George turned around and saw two shop assistants standing behind him.
"Erm...I...well...I don't know" he stammererd.
"May we help you? Are you looking for yourself or for someone else?" the lady shop assistant replied.
"Erm...I'm looking for clothes...FOR MY WIFE!" George exclaimed. The male shop assistant stepped away and the young woman continued to probe George for more information.
"A present or something to mark a special occasion?" the shop girl continued.
"I just like to buy my wife gifts now and again...a surprise." said George.
"And did you have anything in particular in mind for her?"
"Erm....that...erm...basque...you have in the window."
"Oh, now that is ideal for a special gift. What size is she?"
"Erm...a Sixteen" he said, giving his own size.
The shop assistant went out back to the stock room and returned with an ornate cardboard box which she proceeded to open, revealing the black satin and lace garment wrapped up in thin tissue paper.
"Is this what you want?" she asked.
"FOR MY WIFE! Yes, thank you" he replied.
"Of course...and would you like any hosiery to go with this? Stockings or pantyhose?"
"STOCKINGS!" he blurted out. "Erm...black. Sheer."
"Sir knows his wife very well. There we go" she said, reaching for a pair of black nylons that were on a shelf and putting them on top of the box. "And anything else?"
George's heart was pounding faster and faster and he was about to break into a sweat. This is going well, he thought, he just had to remain calm. The last item he was interested in was the little black dress. A bit shorter than he was used to wearing...and the kind of thing that Edna would object to...but Georgina would be interested in wearing it.
He decided that the three items were enough for today and, besides, he didn't like the other outfits in the shop as they were too trendy.
"There you go sir, I hope your wife enjoys what you've bought her. I must say, you have very good taste. Most of our male customers are hopeless at buying for their wives but you have a good eye for fashion." said the shop assistant once the transaction had been completed.
"Oh, do I? Well, she gives me clues" he stammered. The mission was almost accomplished...almost. George had the items and he was prepared to head on out of the shop, content that he'd picked the right shop and right time of day so he wouldn't be recognised. But he had and by someone he knew so tangentially that even though they had never spoken with one another, they had seen each other just often enough for a mutual recognition.
The person in question was Joelene Scholl: A former Lothario Kitten now turned solo singer who had left her modelling career and kitten outfit behind. But George had seen her enter and leave Lothario proprietor Alan Cuffe's house many times and she had seen him. He was present when Edna lambasted her at the Blue Velvet Club in Willow Creek. She had noticed him. Now she recognised him here, alone and without Edna and she let out a startled cry.
George saw her as well and their eyes met. She looked at him and noticed he was carrying some shopping bags with clothing from this shop in them. Unfortunately for George, Joelene was between him and the door so he couldn't avoid her. He started to walk purposely out of the shop but as he walked past her she couldn't resist a little dig in his direction.
"I didn't think this was your kind of shop, Mr Sneedley" she said.
"That's none of your business!" he snapped back at her.
"Does your wife know you're here? Strange that a man known for his upstanding views on society should shop for clothes in an establishment that caters for all the kinds of people you hate."
"Again, my business is my own and not your concern!"
"How many times did you lurk outside of Alan's house, trying to get a peep at us?"
"I did not try and peep at you! Well, only to find out what kind of lewd activities you were getting up to!" he said, defensively.
"I bet it gave you a thrill!" she shot back at him.
All George could muster as a retort was a loud, indignant huff and he stormed out of the shop. Those Lothario Kittens are the worst kind of women, he thought to himself. Not only was their clothing and work provocative, but they were obnoxious as well and this Miss Scholl was one of the worst even though she was out of uniform! George was also concerned that she might have guessed why he was in Pack's Clothing to begin with...
Without thinking, he found himself entering a very different kind of clothing store: JF&S clothiers. They specialised in expensive evening and formal wear. George was exhausted and nearly had one of his turns back at Pack's Clothing so he sat down and saw all the elegant dresses displayed there. This place calmed him down; civilised, traditional and upmarket.
As George was being becalmed by all the elegance around him, he was approached by a young, fashionable blonde woman.
"Wife's brought you along for one of her shopping trips, eh?" said the woman.
"What? Are you talking to me?" George replied.
"Yes...and subject my boyfriend to the same ordeal as well. Ha-ha. You menfolk are very patient and kind whilst we indulge ourselves. What's your wife looking for?"
"My wife? Oh, her. Uhm, well, you know, something elegant, refined, that sort of thing."
"She's certainly taking her time...I've noticed you've been sat here for ages. An epic shopping trip?"
"Yes, ha-ha." George laughed nervously. "You know, you ladies with your fancy dresses, frocks and...erm...shoes"
"Don't I know it! My boyfriend is busy this morning otherwise I would have dragged him down here..."
"Dragged?" said George, gulping.
"Dragged, led, forced into coming to JF&S's when he'd rather be watching the baseball. Anyway...so I've got this event coming up and..."
"Excuse me for interrupting, but I've realised I haven't locked the car up...must dash" George made a hurried excuse to leave because he had spotted Edna's old high school rival, Katrina Calliente, entering the shop and not only did she know George, slightly, she was such a gossip that word was bound to reach back to Edna that George was in JF&S's on his own.
George got up out of the chair, lowered his head, put his hand over his face and skulked off out of the shop, once back on the street he started to run for home.
Before he got to the subway station, he'd remembered he'd left the new clothes he'd bought behind at JF&S's so he had to quickly run back, grab them when Katrina wasn't noticing, and then run out again.
It was an exhausted, but relieved, George who returned to Sneedley Burrow. He wasted no time in heading down into the bunker to stash his new purchases with his other secret items. However, no sooner than the suitcase went back into the storage room than he heard Edna's footsteps coming down the stairs.
"George, are you here?" she cried. "What are you doing down here, my dear?"
"Oh just a bit of sorting out, chucking out, that kind of thing. Would you like a drink?"
"Oh yes please, I absolutely need one. The problem with City Hall is that it's dry!" she said, flopping down on a chair. George poured her a Sweet n' Spicy and she downed it in one. She looked at George and felt warm towards him. Getting up she went over to him and stroked his cheek. "My man" she said, softly.
"Now, George, I think I can thrash you!" she said.
George looked worried. "At...erm...what, dear?" he replied.
"Don't Wake the Llama. We haven't played in ages. Let's get us a couple of more Sweet n' Spicy's and play a few games! I'm warning you, George, I play to win!"
"Home sweet home" said Suzy as she stepped out of the car. "The honeymoon was wonderful but I do like coming home and seeing that it's still there...it hasn't burned down"
"Well, that's one way of looking at it." replied her husband, Neil. "Ever the optimist..."
"Shall we just go inside, get a coffee and just flop?" said Suzy.
"I've got another idea..." said Neil.
"A better one?" asked Suzy.
"Not necessarily. Just something traditional, that's all."
"Sounds interesting....hey! What are you doing? Put me down! Hey!" she exclaimed.
"Stop kicking! I'm trying to carry you over the threshold and I've got 3 tricky steps to negotiate...I do not want one of your Go-Go boots in my face, thank you"
Suzy stopped kicking. "Ooh, how very romantic and traditional" she cooed.
Neil walked up the stairs, carrying Suzy, his muscles straining as he took each step. Then he arrived at the front door. "Ah..." he said, putting her down.
"What? That's it?" said Suzy, disappointed.
"I forgot to take the keys out of my pocket first. Hang on..." he said, reaching for the house keys, inserting them in the lock and opening the door. Then he picked her up again and carried her into the hall.
"After that long drive, I'm starving!" said Neil, rubbing his stomach.
"Same here. I'll cook us some bacon and eggs...my first home cooked meal since I became your wife" she replied.
"So are you going to become a housewife now and renounce the world of high fashion?" said Neil, with a smile.
"Fat chance! You're making dinner later" she replied, slapping him with a dish cloth.
The telephone rang. Suzy went over to it and picked it up.
"Hi, Suzy! Abigail here". Abigail was her boss at 'Hey Wow'. "How was the honeymoon?"
"It was wonderful, Abigail. We saw so many..."
"That's great, Suz. Listen; normally I wouldn't bother you like this but there's an art exhibition down at Municipal Muses and the reporter I assigned has just cried off with some kind of illness. It might be malaria. Anyway, I'm desperate to cover this event and you're the only staffer I have who isn't tied up on something. Could you be a sweetie and cover it? It's only nearby to you and it should only be for a couple of hours. Maybe four..."
Suzy sighed. "Sure, Abigail. I'll be there." Her boss rang off and Suzy looked apologetically at Neil.
"Go...I understand. We'll hang out as newlyweds later" he said.
Suzy made her way to the museum and already she could see it was a lot busier than usual with a lot of stylishly dressed people queuing up outside to get in. Already, photographers were taking snaps of the patrons in the hope that one or more of them would be some kind of celebrity.
She showed her press pass at the entrance and walked straight on inside where the patrons were more spread out over the two floors, the cultivated gardens and piano bar area. No sooner had she gone inside than someone recognised her.
"Say, aren't you Suzy Kent from 'Hey, Wow!'?" said a striking looking young woman, head to toe dressed in black and wearing the shortest dress she had ever seen.
"I am." Suzy replied, a little apprehensively.
"Oh I just LOVE your work" the woman said, flamboyantly. "My name's Lilith Pleasant by the way"
"Are you an artist?" asked Suzy.
"I'm a MUSE, darling!" Lilith replied.
"Who's muse?"
"Oh I haven't decided on that yet" came Lilith's reply and she let out a short, haughty laugh.
"Is there anything here that's impressed you so far?" asked Suzy, her notepad at the ready to write things down.
"Oh the classical stuff is SO boring but I do like some of the modern art here. Such confidence! Such boldness! The vividness!..." she said, wafting a hand in the direction of one painting which consisted of a light grey background with the word "DULL" written on it in dark grey.
"I....see..." replied Suzy, unconvinced but remaining diplomatic. However, one other lady wasn't so tactful.
"Ugh...that is NOT art!" she huffed. She was a lady of Indian descent, Suzy figured, and her face seemed vaguely familiar but she couldn't put a name to it. She had on a crimson dress that combined western fashion with an Asian twist and wore her hair up, in a beehive style.
"Oh and I suppose you're an expert in art, are you?" Lilith responded, looking down her nose at the woman.
"I am a painter...my name is Jesminder Bheeda"
"Never heard of you. And do you have anything hanging here today?" replied Lilith.
"Well, not as such..." said Jesminder, slightly embarrassed.
"Didn't think so" said Lilith, cutting her down.
"I might not be well known as an artist but I know what is good art and what is...well...garbage!" said Jesminder, raising her voice and pointing an accusatory finger at one painting. "I mean, what is THAT? It's just some brightly coloured squares on a white background with various black lines going through them."
"That is a style called 'Neo-Plasticism'" said Lilith, indignantly.
"Ooh! I've heard of that!" exclaimed Suzy. "My husband..." she said, beaming at the word "...told me about it."
Jesminder, however, completely ignored Suzy. "As for that..." she said, pointing at the painting with DULL on it "...that is the worst bilge I have ever seen in any gallery!"
At this point a woman with long red hair stood up with barely supressed rage on her face. "That painting is MINE!" she growled.
Things then deteriorated even more but Suzy was able to take a photograph of the ensuing punch up. Immediately after that she raced home to type up her report and get it couriered to the offices of 'Hey, Wow!' before any of the newspapers could beat her to it.
"You should have seen it...handbags and fur flying everywhere". Suzy was telling Neil about her work day when he got back in from his job.
"Well nothing like that happened at my work today. Anyway, Suz, I've been meaning to have a discussion with you about my work, the future and our home together." he said, earnestly.
Suzy looked attentively at him. "What's on your mind?" she said.
"I've been thinking...I don't want to stay working in a shop for much longer. My art is coming along well...certainly better than just writing DULL on a grey canvas. I'm thinking of turning full time professional with it."
"I think you should" said Suzy, supportively, and putting her hand gently on his arm.
"But this place is too small to have a studio or easel. And then there's your work as well; the writing, the photography and the ideas board you have over there...that would be better for you if we lived in a bigger place."
Suzy sighed with some apprehension. "But this is my home! I mean, our home! I've become attached to it...all our friends are here, our community..."
"I know...but how about we stay in Willow Creek, close to everyone?" said Neil, sympathetically.
"I've been committed to saving this neighbourhood from the planned Landgraab development...and there's still some investigation we need to do about that glade! It would seem like cutting and running if we moved."
"And we can still save Foundry Cove wherever we live. I've seen some houses over at Courtyard Lane, which is just around the corner from here and we can afford one of them. I don't want to pressure you though...just mull the idea over for now."
Suzy felt torn; Yes this house was getting too small and at some point she and he might want to have a baby...at some point; the idea was still scary for her. But her heart was here, in Foundry Cove. Jeremy to the left, Action opposite, Julia to the right and Summer and the gang just a hop across the road. A tight knit community. It would be hard to break that up.
"Neil...I'm going to take a short walk around the Cove to think about this." She said, he nodded.
Stepping out of the house she took a walk over to the mysterious tree; the one that led to a mystical glade, the nature of which was still largely unknown. It was a beautiful early evening in this part of the low Summer and Suzy drank in the sights and sounds of the place.
After a while Neil came along and joined her. "You know..." he began "...it really is lovely here. Especially at this time."
"I know. I'm giving the idea of moving some serious thought" she replied.
Neil nodded. "You know, I am the latecomer to this area. I wasn't here at the start, when it was you, Jeremy and the gang."
"But I can't hold us back purely out of sentimentality either" she replied. "I'm not saying we should definitely move but I will agree to check out some houses in the surrounding area. Is that OK?"
"That's more than OK" he replied, smiling. "I'll get a list of some properties we can check out"
"Oh no you don't! WE'LL get a list. I'm right alongside you in this."
Meanwhile, down the road, another conversation was taking place between two men. One of them had an electronic device that fitted into the palm of his hand. He saw Suzy and Neil talking and pointed the device in their direction. The other man did not look happy about this.
"Put the scanner away, Luke Kendall" said the cross man.
"I am checking to see if the space manifold is still intact and that its integrity has not been compromised, Davis Goode." said Kendall.
"But what if the hu-manns notice you doing that? Remember, John Action lives in that house over there. You are no longer assigned to monitoring this sector because he might recognise you." replied Davis.
"I wiped John Action's memory; he will not remember me. As for other hu-manns, there are only the Humphries present...the lady behind you is one of us."
"She is? Why was I not notified? I am the monitor for this sector." replied Davis, put out at this news.
"Things are proceeding quickly, Davis Goode" replied Kendall. "The space manifold of the glade is still intact despite the unauthorised intrusions. You will continue to monitor any attempt to access the portal and report back to me if there are. Do not take action for now. Nilharoi, Davis Goode."
The house was a mess. There were barely any clean clothes and no clean nightdresses or pyjamas and she was down to her last pair of thick black tights. The lawn was overgrown and the house plants dying...this was the reality for a junior female doctor working long shifts at the hospital. While she was working, the house fell into chaos but Julia wasn't earning enough to hire a full time cleaner. As she sat there in just her underwear as there were no dressing gowns or robes clean enough to wear, eating food that was on the cusp of its use by date, she felt miserable being in such squalor.
After eating a breakfast that smelled suspiciously like it had gone off, showeringm then finding a clean outfit to wear and plaiting her hair, she was ready to tackle those chores. Even then, she had worn a hole in her comfy loafers...yet another expense, yet another thing to do.
The mess outside was like a jungle had sprung up. Lots of weeds around the bins, piles of grot and detritus all around. It was fortunate for her that none of the neighbours had complained about the mess. The home looked like some kind of crazy, cat lady lived there all alone and not a qualified doctor. If she didn't get on top of this, then she'd probably end up as that crazy cat lady.
As she finished clearly away the last of the stinky weed bushes, her pager went off.
"Oh what now?" she said, exasperated. She checked to see that it wasn't the hospital who had left a message...it was the Casbah Gallery in San Myshuno: She had been booked to play a lunchtime recital at the gallery and the pager was reminding her she had to be there at midday; an hour from now. She just had enough time to check her hair and outfit before grabbing the sheet music and heading on into the city centre.
The piano was all laid out for her in the music room on the second floor. Julia played piano at various clubs and venues to supplement her income and from an amateur open mic night at the Blue Velvet, she now played there and now here at the Casbah Gallery.
There were a steady stream of onlookers throughout her session and the tips came rolling in. It was just a lunchtime concert but she had made $100 through tips alone.
Once her recital had finished, she gathered up her sheet music and headed downstairs where she bumped into a familiar face: Rez Valdes. Whenever she and Rez met...and it was always by chance...he had been besotted with her. Normally her heart sank whenever a man put some moves on her but today she wasn't so fussed. Recently she had met a man called Vincent Bledsoe at work who did stir what little romantic inklings she possessed and whilst not won over by Rez's devotions to her, neither did she instantly recoil from them now.
"Hello Rez" she said.
"Oh, hi Julia. How's it going?" he replied, nonchalantly.
"Alright. I just did a lunchtime piano recital upstairs"
"Yeah, I caught the last part of that. You played well; not that I know much classical stuff."
"I'm glad you liked it..." she said, tentatively. She was setting herself the task of talking to a guy of her own age without becoming defensive. "What about you? How are you today?"
"Me? Yeah, well, I was jamming outside, you know? Playing my sound...a mix of Latin influence rock n' roll with a touch of rockabilly, you know what I mean?" he said, coolly.
"Not really, but I must come and see you play sometime" she said, smiling. Rez remained cool and detached though.
"That'd be cool" he replied. "I'm building up a bit of a fanbase now..." he said, looking to his left and noticing a teenage girl looking coyly at him. He gave her a nod and a wave in response. "Yeah, you gotta have a fanbase" he continued. Julia could tell his romantic attentions were elsewhere now and she had mixed feelings about that. Relief that he wasn't pestering her but there was also a sense of jealousy bubbling up within her.
"I wish you good fortune in your musical endeavours" she said, glancing at the besotted teenager by the front doors of the gallery. "And in other things as well..."
Julia felt it was the right time to go...she thought about being prudent with the money she'd earned at the gallery but then she decided to bank $20 and spend the rest down at the spa...she could do with a spiritual and physical cleanse with the aim of gaining some personal control over her increasingly chaotic life and if there was one thing Julia hated, it was chaos.
Yoga appealed to her; the combination of seemingly simple body movements, achieving peace of mind but contrasted with the discipline and trying to balance oneself...physically and mentally...was a challenge. Worship and prayers at the synagogue, a big feature of her childhood, were too crowded and layered with intricate social relationships whereas yoga was more personal. Now she only attended the synagogue when it was a family matter or for important religious days.
There was only Julia and one other lady in the yoga class today and Julia felt self-conscious as she worried that the spotlight would be more on her and that she couldn't fade into the group. As fortune would have it, the other lady fell down twice whilst Julia managed the routines just about adequately.
After the session Julia was preparing to change and head home when she saw another familiar face...Kerry Fry. She'd forgotten he worked here as a physiotherapist.
"Kerry! Hi!" she said, waving to him as she walked down the hall to the massage section of the spa.
"Oh, Julia, hi" he said, looking her up and down. "Did you have a good session? I see you look more....toned". His tone sounded more suggestive.
"Do I really?" she replied, innocently as she ran her hands up and down her waist and hips. This just made Kerry bite his bottom lip to restrain himself. He was at work, after all.
"You know, it's been too long since we last hung out...I thought you'd met some guy and were too busy for your old friends these days" he said.
"Me? With a guy? What, romantically? Don't be silly *SNORT*" she said, letting out her trademark snorting laugh.
"Look, I'm busy all this week but how about next week? You, me...I know this great whole food restaurant we could go to." he asked.
"Yeah, sure...as friends?" she replied.
"Oh yeah, totally cool in a friendly type way" he replied.
"OK, give me a call next week then"
"You got it!" he said, clicking his tongue and winking at her.
Well that was all very pleasant... thought Julia as she showered and changed into her everyday clothes. A friendly, platonic date with Kerry would be good as he was always interesting company. And how nice of him to notice that she was looking fitter; the exercise was clearly paying off.
She went home, put her exercise clothes in the laundry hamper and checked her diary to see what was going on tomorrow at the hospital but to her surprise she saw that she had missed an event for today...a meeting of the League of Decency at Sneedley Burrow. If she rushed she could make it just in time so she quickly stripped off her clothes and put on her League uniform in a hurry, which wasn't easy to do as it involved garter belts, knee boots and a strict minimal make up code. Edna and George were sticklers for personal grooming...especially George. Once Julia was ready she caught a bus for Oasis Springs and made it to the meeting with just minutes to spare.
Today's meeting concerned the publishing and promulgation of "smut, filth and unwholesome literature". The group had been given the task to seek out books which had gratuitous sex, drug use and violence in them, work out which publishing houses published them in order to launch a campaign to have the offending works banned.
"And how did you do, Julia?" asked Edna. "Did you find any works of depravity this week?"
"Well, I've been a little bit busy this week..." replied Julia, apologetically.
"Tsk, tsk..." said Edna, a slight tone of disapproval in her voice. "And I was counting on your intellectual skills in this exercise as well. But I understand you're a busy doctor with plenty of work on your plate. Maybe next time, eh?" she said, more as an admonishment than encouragement.
Scott Urban sat next to Julia. "Don't you worry, Miss Julia, I found a few books that take a negative view about our armed forces. I could talk you through a few of them to show the mistakes the writers have made and how I think they're commie propaganda."
"That's nice, Scott. Thanks for the offer of help" replied Julia.
Edna had a way of cutting a person down to size with a passive-aggressive comment. Julia felt bad for not keeping up with her League commitments even though everyone else seemed to have no problem fulfilling them. She remained quiet throughout the rest of the meeting and sloped off without anyone really noticing once it had ended.
One last thing that was in her diary...the Humour & Hijinks Festival downtown. Julia always went to these and she did promise to catch up with her best friend, Francesca as well. Julia felt that everything today just seemed that little bit hollow and not as fun or as interesting compared with how she felt about playing the piano or her League of Decency meetings. Even the yoga felt like a band-aid hurriedly placed over a wound instead of healing it.
Julia didn't have time to go home and change out of her League uniform so she rocked up to the event as she was. Francesca was already there and waiting.
"Julia...wow, that's some get up you've got on there!" said Francesca, looking at Julia in her uniform.
"It's my League of Decency uniform...I didn't have time to go home and change after the meeting"
"Are you here to shut the place down? You look wild; like an extra from a Matt Helm movie. Does the outfit come with a whip?" joked Francesca.
"No...why should it?" replied Julia, innocently.
"Never mind" said Francesca. "Let's have fun"
There were a lot of interesting people at the festival this evening, including a very smartly dressed English gentleman who gave his name as Steed. He charmed Francesca, and even Julia, with his wit, knowledge and impeccable manners. However, Julia saw an old and dear friend sitting on her own: Joelene Scholl.
"Jolene! Hi! Oh my goodness, I didn't expect to see you here!" gushed Julia. "You remember my friend, Francesca?"
"Yes I do! Julia, give me a hug, it's been such a long time!" replied Jolene, equally happy and surprised to see Julia. She was immaculately made up and wearing a crushed velvet lilac minidress that flattered her figure. The three of them sat down to continue their chat.
"I've just got back from Greenwich Village, New York" said Jolene.
"What were you doing there?" asked Julia.
"I was gigging...got me a 4 week regular slot at one of the big clubs down there. I was supporting Buffalo Springfield" said Jolene.
"Never heard of him" said Julia.
"They're a band from Canada, Julia" said Francesca.
"Ohhhhh" said Julia.
"Well done you! So the singing career is going well?" asked Francesca.
"Pretty good. I got an agent now and am back here to check out the music scene here again. We should do a gig together like old times, Jules"
"I'd like that." replied Julia.
Francesca went to get another round of drinks and that afforded Julia and Jolene to catch up more.
"...so life's pretty good but I miss my old friends" said Joelene.
"It's good to have you back! Cheers!" said Julia, raising a glass in toast. Joelene clinked her glass to Jules'.
"And what about you? Anything interesting going on?" asked Joelene.
"Just work, work and more work really..." said Julia, wistfully. "...I don't get out much at the moment. Oh, I did go to a wedding...I think you know the bride, Suzy?"
"Oh Suzy from 'Hey Wow'? Yeah, she finally tied the knot did she? Good on her! You didn't catch the bouquet afterwards?" Joelene said, teasing her friend.
"Certainly not!" said Julia, indignantly.
"Although our Jules has her eye on someone..." said Francesca, who had returned to the table with more drinks.
"I do not!" said Julia.
"Ooh do tell" said Joelene, all ears.
"I certainly won't" replied Julia, turning her nose up at the pair of them.
"He's a doctor..." continued Francesca.
"He's a colleague...NO! DON'T TWIST THAT! I mean, the person Francesca has erroneously assumed I have a romantic rather than a professional interest in is a doctor who has been working part time at the hospital but I must stress it is just a professional interest"
"For now" replied Francesca, cheekily.
"I have one question..." said Joelene. "Is he cute?"
