Where Memories Are Made (34 page)

‘I signed on with an employment agency and got myself temporary lodgings. Cowardly as it was, I left my parents a letter telling them what I was doing, asking for their forgiveness but saying this was something I had to do as I couldn't face another row with them and to see looks of disappointment on their faces again.

‘I had a little money saved, which was enough to buy what I needed to make a start, but living at home you don't realise how much things cost. By the time I'd paid out for my lodgings and bought food, then put money aside for bills, there wasn't enough left to rent a room to use as a workshop. I was beginning to despair that I would ever get my dream off the ground when my luck changed and I came here to Jolly's. At the start it was just another normal couple of weeks' cover, but then it turned out to be longer, which I was so pleased about as I like working here. Then the day Sam's donkey died I came across this place … well, it was the answer to all my prayers.

‘When I investigated I was excited to find that this side of the house hadn't deteriorated as badly as the other. With a bit of work I could make this room habitable, and after having a scavenge around I found enough furniture to do me. I could get water from the stream nearby. I had to hope that while I was living here the ceiling didn't come crashing down on me. I knew I was trespassing but it was either risk being caught and paying the consequences or else turn my back on ever trying my luck at becoming a designer, as I knew I was not going to find something like this again in a hurry. Not having to pay any rent or electric or gas bills meant more money from my wage to buy equipment and materials.

‘Once I'd cleaned out the room, I set about getting my stuff up here. I did it all late at night, got a taxi to drop me off a few yards from the staff gate. It took me a few trips to get everything up here. I had to dismantle the treadle sewing machine and bring that up bit by bit then put it all together again. Since I've been living here being spotted by either Donkey Sam or the security guards has been my main worry, but the guards hardly ever venture up this end of the camp, and I always crept by Sam's hut so as not to alert him or his donkeys. Up to tonight I've been lucky.'

He then eyed Jackie contritely. ‘I feel very guilty for deceiving you, Jackie, especially that night when I lied about being at the bus stop after you chased me with my wallet, and the other lies I've told you to cover up for being here. I'm very close to finishing my collection. I've just two garments to finish hemming and a pant suit to make, then I'll have enough to show what I'm capable of to potential employers. If you evict me from here, I can't afford to rent lodgings and a workshop, and that means I won't be able to finish my collection. I need you to know that once I had finished, I wasn't planning just to up and leave you in the lurch but to stay until you didn't need me any longer. You have my word on that.'

Al paused long enough to look at the women, particularly at Jackie who had the authority to make or break him, and then his tone turned to one of pleading. ‘Please let me finish, I beg you, Jackie. Can't you turn a blind eye and pretend you weren't here tonight? Please?'

She heaved a deep sigh. The usually vocal Ginger was keeping her thoughts on this matter to herself. It was a difficult position Al had put Jackie in. She might well be in trouble herself for knowing he was trespassing and not doing anything about it, so this was her decision and she appreciated the way Ginger was allowing her to make it.

Jackie looked over at the garments hanging on the wall. She could sew on a button or stitch a hem, but as for designing her own dress, cutting it out and making it up, she doubted her efforts would be good enough to be seen outside the house – that's if they didn't fall apart on the first trying on. But to her layman's eyes Al's efforts were of a quality that would not look out of place in any exclusive dress shop, with a price tag on them that only the wealthy could afford. These were clothes she herself could only dream of owning. Mrs Maybury was not just being kind to Al when she'd said he had talent. Whether he was deemed as good enough by those in the fashion world remained to be seen, but to be the one to deny him the chance to find out … could she live with that?

She fought with her conscience, her loyalty to Drina Jolly against the guilt she knew she would suffer for ending Al's ambitions. If Drina were in her shoes what would she do? Jackie felt she knew what the answer to that was. After the young Drina had found out first-hand what it felt like to have ambitions but not to be allowed to fulfil them until later in life, she never failed to encourage and support any of her staff when it came to bettering themselves. Jackie was still concerned about leaving Al to live in an unsafe building, but hopefully it wouldn't deteriorate any further over the next couple of weeks or so until he had left.

All she said to him was, ‘Get your collection finished, and by the time you have hopefully Mrs Jolly and Mrs Buckland will be back. If not the agency will find us another temp to take your place. I will miss you though, Al. You've fitted in just great and I can't fault your work.'

He stared blankly at her for a moment, wondering whether he had misheard her, then his face lit up as he cried, ‘Oh, Jackie, do you mean it? You're going to let me stay to finish off my collection? Oh, I don't know how to thank you.'

She smiled at him. ‘You can do that by getting yourself a job doing what you dream of, and making a success of yourself.'

Ginger was just happy to know that the reason Al had not asked her out wasn't because he didn't fancy her but because taking girls out hadn't figured in his plans while he was following his dream. Whether that was in fact the case didn't figure with her, she just preferred to think it was. She piped up, ‘And when you're this big fashion designer, don't forget me and Jackie when you no longer have any use for the sample clothes you've made for models to parade in on the catwalk.'

Jackie grabbed her arm. ‘For goodness' sake, let Al get a job first before you're hounding him for free clothes. Now come on, we've our beds to get to.' As she dragged her friend out, she said to Al, ‘See you in the morning.'

He winked at Ginger by way of telling her that, should he achieve his wish, clothes would certainly be coming her way.

T
hree weeks later Jackie was sitting in the quiet lounge of the Paradise with Vic, having a drink with him after his session at Groovy's had ended for the night.

Heaving a sigh, she said to him, ‘Sorry. I'm not good company tonight.'

‘I hope that's nothing to do with me?'

She quickly reassured him, ‘You know it's not. It's just that we've been trying to catch the drug dealer and we're no nearer now than we were when we started looking weeks ago. It really infuriates and disgusts me that this … this mindless cretin is lining his own pockets, not giving a damn what damage he could be doing to others. I'm determined to catch him at it and make him pay. Trouble is, I've got to the stage that I dread another night spent trawling Groovy's, and I know Ginger is ready to slit her throat sooner than go again. As for Harold …

‘Well, actually, no. I think his undercover role in the Paradise is helping build his confidence no end, because friendly people of his age have thought he's a camper here on his own and have asked him to join them, and of course that's meant he's had to talk to them and he's not going back to spend his evenings alone in an empty house, so at least some good is coming out of this. The only saving grace for me is that, except for when you go off to see your family and friends on your day off and sometimes don't get back until late, I get to see you every night while you're playing and spend some time with you when your session finishes, so at least I have that to look forward to.'

Vic smiled at her. ‘I'm glad to hear that. But not catching this drug dealer yet isn't the only reason you're not yourself today, is it? You'll miss him, won't you?'

She lifted her head and smiled at him. ‘Al? Yes, I will. It was very sad seeing him off today. It took me all my self-control not to cry. I just pray he's got what it takes for a fashion house to take him on. I think any of them would be stupid not to myself. Those clothes he designed and made were exquisite in my eyes. He has promised to keep us informed of his progress. I have told him that if it doesn't work out then we'll always find him a job here at Jolly's, although it might not be in the office as surely Mrs Jolly and Mrs Buckland will be back soon. It's months now since Dan died.' Her face was wreathed in sadness. ‘I suppose, though, grief is a difficult thing. There's no time limit to it after the death of a loved one.'

‘I'd never get over you if you died, Jackie.'

She eyed him, taken aback. She knew Vic liked her very much but was this his way of telling her his feelings for her were more than liking? Although she'd always felt they had an unspoken agreement between them that their relationship would never become permanent because of the nature of Vic's job, it hadn't stopped her developing feelings for him which wouldn't take much now to turn into love, despite her being well aware of the pain this would cause when it was time to say goodbye in a few short weeks' time.

Jackie didn't quite know how to respond in case she was reading too much into his words so just said, ‘Hopefully I've got a few more years left in me yet.'

He looked at her for a moment as he drank from his pint of lager, then put the glass down on the table before he asked, ‘Will you miss me when I leave at the end of the season?'

She didn't hesitate with her answer. ‘Yes, I will, very much.'

‘And me you.' Again he looked at her searchingly for a moment before he next spoke. ‘But we don't have to miss each other, Jackie.'

She frowned at him, bemused. ‘What do you mean?'

He leaned forward and reached for her hand, tenderly stroking it as he looked deep into her eyes. His voice was husky when he told her, ‘I never thought about settling down and having kids before. All I wanted in life was to have my shop and a place of my own to live. Sharing it with anyone didn't figure. But after meeting you, getting to know you … well, you're feisty, funny, loyal. I could go on. Bottom line is, I've fallen in love with you, Jackie.

‘I've had a bit of luck moneywise and it couldn't have come at a better time because it means that when the season ends I can finish with the band. I've grown to like this area of Lincolnshire and think Skegness would be a great place for me to set up my music shop. Will you help me find suitable premises for it and somewhere to live … Oh, damn it, Jackie, I'm asking you to marry me.'

This turn of events was so unexpected she blabbered, ‘But … but … we've barely known each other more than three months.'

He gave a shrug. ‘Is there a time limit on how long you should take to know you love someone and want to share your life with them? If so, no one told me. Some people claim they fell in love the moment they clapped eyes on their better half.' Vic's eyes twinkled with humour. ‘It did take me a little longer than that to fall in love with you, Jackie. It was the second time I clapped eyes on you it happened. So am I going to be buying a bottle of champagne to celebrate, or walking away with my tail between my legs and crying myself to sleep?'

She needed no more convincing. He'd won her over enough to persuade her that he'd prove to be a good husband, give her a good future. Jackie suddenly felt light-headed, giddy with the knowledge that she was loved by Vic; the fine line between caring deeply for someone and loving them snapped inside her, and love for him completely overwhelmed her. Smiling happily she told him, ‘I will marry you. Yes, please.'

He jumped up from his seat, yanking her up with him, to pull her into his arms and hug her fiercely, telling her, ‘You've made me the happiest man in the world, Jackie.'

At that moment she doubted there was a happier woman in the world.

They decided to keep the news just to themselves for the moment, only telling those closest to them both as Vic wanted to do it the old-fashioned way and buy her a ring to announce their happy news to the world via a celebration party.

The next morning it was an exhausted Jackie trying to carry out her duties in the office, while down in reception a worn-out Ginger was fighting to concentrate her sleep-deprived brain on the job her boss was asking her to do, both girls having spent most of the night after Jackie had got back to the chalet talking excitedly about her forthcoming marriage to Vic. It would have been an exaggeration to say they got more than three hours' sleep between them before the alarm shrilled out that it was time for them to get up again.

Harold had shown great pleasure at being one of only two people Jackie was taking into her confidence for the time being. He gave her a wide smile and a hearty handshake of congratulation at her news when she told him first thing. This development did much to ease the guilt he'd felt at the part he had played in the break-up with her previous boyfriend, despite Jackie having told him many times since then that there were other factors involved.

At the moment, for the third time that morning, she was explaining to Olive Pilkington, Al's replacement, how their simple filing system operated. Olive just couldn't seem to get the hang of it. Eighteen years of age, Olive was an extremely tall girl, towering a good six inches above Jackie's five foot four, and very thin. Ginger's description of her was that she was a long streak of piss. Her dress sense was questionable, a mixture of fashionable and pre-war which didn't work and made her look ridiculous most of the time. Today she was wearing a brown and white peasant skirt which should have been ankle-length but on her was mid-calf-length, teamed with a Peter Pan-collared blue sprig blouse and short red cardigan with embroidered flowers down the front. She wore flat Roman-style brown plastic sandals on her size eight feet, and her straight long mousy brown hair was tied up childishly in two pigtails at the sides of her head.