Positively Patsy Part 1

I sat there at a table in a nightclub in Hanoi and the lass in front of me had just told me she may be Grogs daughter without knowing just what this may mean. Not wanting to alert Pietro to the ramifications of the situation I just laughed and said that I had heard about loving drink but that was a good one.

I arranged for her to come to my hotel for lunch tomorrow as I had to wait for Patricks’ paperwork and we needed to work out her travel arrangements. Pietro said he would let me be until he had notification of being able to pick up the paperwork. I thanked him for his troubles and asked if there was any payment required. He said that he had sorted it all out with Alice.

Next day I greeted Peggy in the foyer and led her into the dining room. Over lunch I found out that her mother was called Olivia Evans and had been a drug addict but had gone cold turkey while pregnant. After taking the baby Peggy to her parents she had gone out a scored a dose that was far stronger than she was used to, even when she was a regular, and it had killed her. Young Peggy had gone to school in deepest Cornwall and had attended Bristol University gaining a degree in music but had decided to sing her way around the world before ending in Hanoi.

I asked her about the stuff that was stored in her hotel and she told me there were just clothes, shoes and personal items, except for a locked box with a combination lock. I asked to see her passport so I could book the flights out and made note of her birthday. She asked me what my part in all this was and I told her I was Patricks’ cousin and was also a singer. She asked me what I sung and I told her it was everything from nursery rhymes to heavy rock. When I told her I was in ‘Amazon’ she looked shocked but I told her that it was just a job, not a religion.

That afternoon I put a call through to the number I had for Grog. When he answered I told him that I was going to ask an odd, and very personal, question, if I could. When he agreed I asked, ‘Did you, about twenty five years ago, have a relationship with a girl called Olivia Evans?” There was a gasp at the other end and he said “My Livie, what do you know about her?” I told him that I had been told that she had been pregnant and then OD’d after leaving the baby with her parents, who are now dead. He asked me if I knew the birthday of the baby and when I told him he said “So that’s what happened. Patsy, you are amazing. I was in love with Livie but, while I was in one of my rehab sessions, she disappeared. I asked around the usual crowd but no-one knew where she was. Do you say you have met my child?” I told him that I had met Peggy Evans and that she was not aware of just who he is but must have his genes as she was a good singer. I said we were in Hanoi but would leave to head west in a day or so. He told me to book the two of us through to Heathrow and let him know the flight as he would organise a car.

The following day Pietro advised me that we would pick up the paperwork that afternoon so I made the flight bookings for early the following morning. I contacted Peggy and told her that I would be by that afternoon to sort out the luggage but for her to pack all her stuff and tell the nightclub goodbye as she would stay with me that night for an early start in the morning. Pietro picked me up after lunch and we did the business with the police and then went to the hotel/nightclub. We had a quick look in the case and quickly decided that it was all suitable for charity so asked the reception if they could pass it on. The locked box was no problem as it was a number I knew and it contained some personal papers and the last will and testament that had been drawn up in the K Beat office all those months before.

We piled all Peggy’s luggage in the car and took her to my hotel. I thanked Pietro for all his help and arranged with reception for a car to the airport. I told them that Peggy would sleep in the spare bed in my rooms that night and I would settle up in the morning. We had a pleasant dinner and talked into the evening before retiring. In the morning we were woken by reception, had breakfast as room service and took our luggage to the foyer. Right on time a car arrived to take us to the airport where we finally boarded a flight to London. During the flight I told Peggy that she was going to be in for a few surprises when we reached London but to just go with the flow. I assured her that everything was going to be all right and to trust me.

As we were chasing the sun we arrived in London in the late afternoon on the same day we left Hanoi and, on leaving the arrivals lounge I saw a uniformed chauffeur brandishing a Patsy sign. He took charge of our bags and we were taken to a glorious Rolls Royce. Peggy said that she could get used to this life – first class flights and Rollers was not something she was used to. The driver took us west into the Cotswolds and we finally turned into a drive with a manned gatehouse. When we reached the front door of a large mansion I saw Grog waiting for us. When Peggy stepped out of the car he just started crying and said “Oh Girl! You are the spitting image of my Livie!” before he wrapped his arms about her in a big hug.

Peggy looked at me and I said “Peggy, meet Grog, your father.” He took her arm and led her inside and I just followed. In a drawing room there was a sideboard with lots of photos and he pointed out the ones she should look at. It was uncanny how close she looked to the girl in the pictures. He told her that he intended to marry her mother but had been on a bad trip at the time and had been put into rehab, only to find no trace of her mother when he was released. Peggy told him about being left with her grandparents in Cornwall and that she had been told that her mother had overdosed only a few days after her birth. They seemed to click, each knowing what the other was going to say.

I felt a bit left out until Grog pulled himself together and gave me a big hug, saying “Patsy, I am so glad I have met the Angel of Joy as that is what you have brought me today. I have no idea how I can thank you for this.” I told him that seeing his joy was thanks enough. He led us through to a large dining room where the table was set for dinner. He invited us to sit and rang a bell. We were served a full dinner with soup, main course and dessert before sitting back with coffee and cheese. Peggy remarked that there was no wine and Grog told her that he was totally clean of all drugs and alcohol these days and there was no wine in the house.

I told him that I needed to be back in Nashville for a few days before the tour started to tidy up a few loose ends so would need to be back at the airport in the morning. I said that I had not on-booked Peggy. He looked at her and asked, “Peggy, daughter of mine, would you like to stay here for a while, with me?” She nodded, saying “You have no idea what a surprise this has been for me. It will take me a few days before it soaks in.” He said she could stay as long as she liked. I asked the question “What about the tour?” Peggy asked “What tour” and Grog said “it is the magical mystery tour to top all tours. Twenty five cities in twenty five weeks; with Patsy’s band on the first half and my band on the second. It is going to be a blast and I have even more reason to enjoy it now. Say you will come, it starts in ten days’ time.” Peggy said “It looks like I have nothing better in my diary, I’ll be happy to see what my dad does for a living.”

Next morning I was in the car heading for Heathrow with Peggy coming along for the ride. “Did you know that I was his daughter?” she asked. “No” I said, “I made a few guesses from what you had said. I knew Grog had some really bad times in his life but it seems that your mother was one of the good ones. I wish you all the luck and love in the world now as he will be a different man from now on.” She asked me what he may be worth and I couldn’t answer, just to say that it would have to be in the millions. She said it really didn’t matter as she suddenly felt as if she had a reason to live now, herself. I told her I would see her in Geneva in a week or so and flew back to Nashville.

Part 2

Back in Nashville I rested for a day and then went into the K Beat office to see Alice. In her office I said “You certainly have some strange friends, Alice. They do, however, do good work.” I laid out all of the paperwork that I had brought back and she picked up her phone and asked for our legal manager to come to the office. When he arrived she showed him all the papers and he said that with the original contract he would be able to process the termination of employment and asked me if I wanted him to push the paperwork through the courts so that the estate could be wound up. I told him that this would be good as I had no idea how to go about it. He also said he would talk to the insurance company about the pay-out.

When I looked surprised Alice said that all employees of the company had insurance cover for death and disability which is taken out when the contracts are signed. After he left I sat and told Alice about Peggy and how I found her. She looked at me and said “Patsy, there are twenty billion people out there and your ghost happened to befriend Grogs’ unknown daughter! Beating those odds I would be buying a raffle ticket right now.”

Next was the hard part. I went over to the nursing home and met with Ruby. I had to tell her that Patrick was officially dead from a sailing accident in Vietnam and to be sorrowful should anyone speak to her about it. She took it stoically and assured me that he was certainly still there with me around but could shed a tear on demand. We hugged and I told her that I would be off on the world tour in a few days but would call when I had a chance. I then went out to the dayroom and gave Roger his airline ticket to Geneva to join the tour. Everyone wished us well and I left there feeling better. The next few days Joanne and I sorted out our luggage for the tour. Of course, we will be able to replenish our stocks when we hit the states again so did not need a ton of stuff, just half a ton!

At the end of the week we all flew to Geneva, being picked up the next day by a bus driver at the airport and driven to the chateau. This was the first time the others had seen it and were suitably impressed. When we arrived we were shown into the main drawing room to meet and greet with Gerome and Stephanie, some other landed gentry and the ‘Primal Purge’ group. I quietly asked Roger to hold on the photos until we were certain it was all right so he just put his bag in a corner and chatted. It turned out that he had photographed a couple of the other band members in previous line-ups so was soon allowed free rein to snap away.

Gerome was captured as soon as he found out that Roger had done an article on Peter, Paul and Mary in the USA some forty years before so dragged him off to show him the photos along the studio wall. Peggy saw me and rushed over to give me a hug. “Oh! Patsy, what a life I’ve had since I last saw you. Dad got a friend of his who is a doctor to come by to do a DNA swab and the poor soul nearly had a heart attack himself when he saw me. He told Dad that a swab would not be needed but he would do it anyway. We have been visited by a whole gang of pop stars from my youth who are now all firm friends. I studied the music of some of these guys in University; it’s just so weird chatting to them like they were from down the street.”

“I am so looking forward to this tour, Dad wouldn’t tell me how big it was for him but I can see he is excited by it. They showed me the studio here and it’s absolutely crammed with amps and instruments.” I told her that we will be using that gear during the next week so she will get an idea of what we put out. “Remember” I said “we are playing to a hundred thousand people, all screaming and yelling, and you need that kind of power in a stadium.”

We were given food and drink and then Gerome handed out the seating plan for our own 747. It was set up with all first-class seats for take-off and landing on the lower deck with a gym, offices and ablutions to the rear. The upper deck was a large lounge with settees and armchairs. As per the wishes of our host, there was no bar, just a small kitchen with hot and cold drink dispensers and a bank of warming ovens. As the longest leg of our journey would be Auckland to Hawaii we didn’t have any stewardesses on board, just a couple of stewards to help with any lifting or carrying. It was quite a big passenger list as there were not only the bands and their entourage, but also security and media liaison, lawyers and a full medical team.

We were then told that there was to be a party that evening and our group was taken to the hotel to check in and freshen up. I gathered that ‘Primal Purge’ was either in a different hotel or was staying at the chateau. That evening we were taken back to the chateau, our band men resplendent in their tux and dickies. Luckily, Maxine had sent each of the girls a bag of evening dresses so we looked like a models convention when we arrived at the chateau. It was, as to be expected, a glittering affair with the same crowd of the high and mighty as our previous party there. We mingled and chatted and many of the ladies gushed about how their children had come home saying that rock stars had sung to them after their lunch.

The dinner, when it was served, was sumptuous and thankfully there were no speeches after. Well, other than Grog standing up with a glass of water in his had to propose a toast to “The tour, and all who sail in her.” Afterwards, while we mingled some more, I got hold of Peggy and introduced her to the rest of ‘Amazon’. She was particularly amazed to meet Roger as she had studied a course on ‘Music Photographers’ at the university and his body of work was much lauded by the lecturer. She whispered to me a bit later on that she had thought Roger may have been dead by now. I told her that he may well have been if it wasn’t for the ‘Patsy Pill’.

The next day was to be a working day. As the opening band it was our turn in the studio first. We were taken there after breakfast and assembled inside the big studio. Jake was gobsmacked by the size of the place and I told him he had better get used to it as the new K Beat one will be similar. We got kitted up and ran a sound check for Gerome and then played our full set, including encore. At the end of it we were standing around and Gerome came out of the control room to congratulate us on such a polished performance straight out of the blocks.

He said that we did not need a second take so the rest of the day was ours to do as we liked in the studio. I suggested that as we had our full complement of folk singers we could set up an acoustic session and get our kiddy set on tape. We collected up all the instruments we needed and did a sound check with them. I saw Peggy in the control room and beckoned her to come out into the studio with us and when she came and stood with us I told her that it was a free-for-all folk fest and to contribute where she could. We started easy with PP&M songs, just for Gerome, and then moved through a range of new works from Minh’s album; the ‘Party’ slow ones and into some ‘torch’ songs with Joanne on keyboard and Peggy singing. I could see Grog in the control room and swore I could see tears in his eyes.

After Peggy had run out of songs I said that I would sing a few of my own and asked the band to follow where they could. “Don’t worry Patsy, Carl has played us your CD so just go for it” said Jake. So we did. I ran through about six of the new songs that no-one else had heard with Jake and the boys doing a great job backing me. Then Joanne and Nina did some cabaret numbers as well. We finished up with the usual ‘Changing’ and ‘Serendipity’ and I then played the chords to ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and we all joined in with gusto. It was a fun time and one that set the tone for the tour. We were a band and we all had our place in it, Peggy now included.

Marianne G 2020