AA Lock Stock And Barrel 5

Isabel. Entrepreneur and asset stripper.
Edward Thorpe Isabel’s father. Deceased.
Josephine Thorpe Isabel’s mother.
Lucinda Thorpe Isabel’s sister.
Abigail Thorpe Isabel’s 2nd sister
Veronica Thorpe Isabel’s 3rd sister
Jacqueline Thorp Isabel’s youngest sister
Marjorie Tansley Lawyer to Edward Thorpe
Shula Isabel’s bisexual female partner.
Betty Edward Thorpe’s secretary.
Pete Machine shop supervisor.

Chapter 5 © Copyright to Beverly Taff.

After challenging Pete to a test of machine shop skills, Isabel skipped lightly down from her makeshift dais and motioned to the yard.

“You’re not serious!” Pete responded. “Any machine?”

“You heard me. Everybody on the floor heard me. Come on.”

Pete didn’t smirk as he followed Isabel across the yard into the first machine shop. She hesitated as she tucked her long lustrous hair into a hairnet she took from her overall pocket then she stepped up to the guillotine. Then, when she readily set the safety guards and clamped a plate onto the cutting bed to promptly cut and fashion a shape that Pete immediately recognised as the precursor to the sculler blades before being bowed and dished; Pet’s eyes widened with respect.

Isabel then took the shaped plate and set it into the small press where she dished it then adjusted it and repeated gently dishing the hollow until it was immediately recognisable as one of the blades from the company’s patented separator.
Then with an obvious familiarity, she stepped across to the stock of scullers in the next bay and held it against the machined sample held ready for assembly.

Isabel’s hand-pressed sample exactly matched the machined sample with barely a wobble or twitch. Plate to plate they spooned together with almost perfect adhesion, so much so that when Pete tried to separate the pair he had to slide them apart. His eyebrows raised with newfound respect as he handed both plates back for the men to inspect while Isabel explained.

“Don’t forget Pete Old Jed Larson and I spent weekends fashioning the prototypes and he was kind enough to allow me to access all the machinery around here. When I was only twelve, thirteen and fourteen. I served a de facto apprenticeship with old Jed when you were what, still in Primary school?”

Pete just stood there rubbing the back of his neck in a way that demonstrated his surprise, acceptance and figurative apology for having expressed his doubts.

“Well; I’ve got to admit miss, you’re a canny lass when it comes engineering. It’ll be pleasure having a boss who can match the men for skills.”

Isabel promptly slipped into femininity mode and smiled graciously as she made her way out.

“Thank you Pete. Now sadly, I’m a busy lady and I have to return to Manchester tonight. Dad’s unexpected death sort of caught me betwixt and between that’s why I didn’t make the funeral and Marjorie only located me after his burial.”

“No problem Miss. “D’ you want one of us to drive you to the station.”

“No that’s not necessary. I’ve got my own four-by-four and I want to stop by to pay my respects to Jed. He treated me like a father should and I’m stopping to see if he’s okay.”

Several older grey-haired heads nodded sagely and smiled as Isabel made her exit. She left with sense of warm satisfaction.

‘Job done’ she told herself as she removed her PPE.

“Well you certainly won some friends down there,” Lucinda congratulated her.

“Thanks Sis. Now I’m sorry, I’ve got to get back to Manchester, it’s a big night in the village and I want to drop by Jed’s place to share a cup of tea.”

“Can I come please?” Lucinda begged. “It’s on the way to Mum’s and I’ve never met the man who acted like a father to you. Dad never brought us down here.”

“By all means. It’ll make Jed’s day. Come on.”

Fifteen minutes later they pulled up outside the sheltered housing that Jed had been fortunate enough to occupy when he retired from Thorpe Engineering. Minutes later they were knocking on Jed’s apartment door.

“Just a mo.!” Jed’s gruff voice rumbled from behind the door.

“It’s your old acolyte who used to be Digby.”

“Oh! Hold on.”

Isabel and Lucinda almost held there breaths as sounds behind the door presaged Jed’s infirmity but eventually the bolt slipped with a loud click and a wrinkled smile emerged before turning into a puzzled frown.

“Is that you Digby lad?”

“Yes Jed, and this is my sister Lucinda.”

Jed paused momentarily before finding his words.

“So you did change then”

Isabel nodded and smiled for she was already recognising Jed’s approval as the twinkle in the old man’s eye slowly morphed into a smile then a knowing belly laugh.

“Ooh Ha, ha, ha! I’ll bet your dad doesn’t approve!”

“Dad’s dead Jed. He died last week and was buried yesterday morning. Did nobody tell you?”

Jed’s smile fell from his face as he absorbed the news.

“Good god! No! He wasn’t that old. I’m shocked.”

“Well, it’s water under the bridge now. I was only informed after Marjorie Tansley located me in Manchester. I missed the funeral as well.”

“Ooh dear. It’s a bad business. You never reconciled with your dad then.”

“Sadly not. Happily, Lucinda and her sisters are much kinder and my mum is glad to see me again.”

“And judging by that classy suite you’re wearing and that expensive motor, I’m thinking your not a ‘bad penny’ either.

“He’s most certainly not Mr Larson; sorry I mean SHE’S most certainly not.” Lucinda interjected.

Jed smiled at Lucinda and chuckled.

“Aye. I suppose it takes a bit of getting used to; names and things. I can only offer you a cup of tea. The dinner lady will be bringing dinner at six.”
“I’ve brought cakes,” Isabel chuckled. “We can have a Saturday tea just like the old days around the forge.”

“I’ll put the kettle on,” Lucinda offered as she stepped into the little kitchen.

“That’s kind of you pet. Thanks for the cakes.”

“Oh that’s her idea.” Lucinda nodded towards Isabel as she extended the little occasional folding table.

The conversation soon revolved around old memories that Isabel and Jed shared from those undeclared weekends at the factory when their father thought Digby was playing football. It was a poignant indicator to Lucinda that their father had never shared time with Digby such that he had never learned of Digby’s secret engineering forays.

He had only learned of Digby’s work when the patented spinning separator had materialised at the end of a grain discharge pipe at an agricultural show that Digby had organised to visit with Jed. It was only when the letter arrived at the office that Digby’s father had learned firstly of the separator and secondly that Digby was not playing football on Saturdays.

Nevertheless, Edward Thorpe had promptly robbed his son and claimed the patent as his own. A month after that that Digby had run away after the row about not liking contact sports. As Jed chewed thoughtfully on his teacake he studied the attractive woman sitting opposite him. The image prompted him to wonder and he spoke softly.

“I know it’s not my place to ask Miss Thorpe but can I ask how you managed after you ran away?”

Isabel chewed slowly on her cake as she prepared her answer.

“It is your place to ask Jed, you were the only person who had some inkling about Isabel, I still remember your remark about the ballerina’s tutu. When I explained about hating football, you were the only man who never condemned me. No Jed, you’re the only one who deserves an explanation and call me Isabel. Miss Thorpe sounds horribly formal.”

“Okay Isabel it is then; so what happened.”

“Well by then, I’d seen some article in a magazine and they mentioned a club in Manchester famous for it’s cabarets. I headed down to Manchester and met a transsexual called Georgina who understood me. She became my ‘trans-mother’ who helped me cross-dress and realised I made a bloody good drag artist. With enough makeup I passed as a drag queen waitress and got a job as a bottle girl in the club.

I had to dress in a skimpy leotard and tights, plus heels of course but nobody asked my age and I sort of became a fixture. Yeah, I got groped and fingered every night but eventually I developed enough ‘put-down’ lines to stave off the dogs and fortunately our flat was in the village so getting home was easy.

I used to run errands for the drag queens between venues and all the doormen in the clubs soon got to know me. Like I said, I became a sort of village fixture until eventually I became skilled enough to put on a short five-minute act in the stage club on Tuesday nights. Eventually my act grew and soon I had double billing on Friday and Saturday nights.

I was filling the club and my income showed it. I saved like hell and soon had enough to buy the club. The owner was getting out of showbiz through old age so Georgina, my Trans mother and I bought the club.

I was twenty by then and well able to manage but Sadly Georgina caught Aids and died. I became the sole owner of the club and by then it was one of the most successful clubs in Manchester.”

“My god Hinny!” Jed remarked. “You’ve had a hell of a life then.”

“How come you missed catching AIDS then?” Lucinda wondered.

Isabel smiled somewhat patronisingly.
“Uuhm, I’m trans darling not gay. I prefer girls and I’m not promiscuous.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Lucinda countered.

“It does to a transgendered girl. You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Go on,” Jed encouraged, “this sounds interesting.”

“When Georgina died the whole gay village was already in trauma as gays were dying like flies all around. Several small but successful little businesses came up for sale as the proprietors died. I helped other entrepreneurial young gays take them over and I became a sleeping partner in several different businesses.”

“Quite the little tycoon then.” Lucinda remarked somewhat acidly.”

“Hey! Don’t you judge me sister. Needs must and transgenderism was all I had. No high-school diplomas or university degrees for me.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Well it sounded like it from where I am.”

“Hist now you two.” Jed scolded them softly. “Don’t be falling out now. You’re going to have to work together if you’re to keep Thorpe Engineering on track.”

“Don’t worry Jed. Your company pension’s safe, I checked the fund and I’ll not be needing to raid it.” Isabel Chuckled softly then stood up to go.

“Well, it’s been lovely chatting again Jed. I’ll certainly call next time I’m up. I sorry this visit is short but I’ve got business in Manchester tonight.”

“That’s fine Hinny. I don’t get out much these days. It’ll be lovely to see you again.”

“Cheerio Jed see you at the weekend.”

And with that they left the old man waving at his window.

In the car Lucinda turned to Isabel.

“So what’s so important in Manchester, you won’t be there much before eight.”

“I’m the main attraction tonight at my club. I’m on stage at ten and I’ll need to be back-stage an hour before curtain-up to put the mask on.”

“My God! You’re still doing drag then.” Lucinda gasped.

“As I said sister; don’t knock it. It pays the rent and then some.”

“Okay. Can you put me off at my house, it’ll save you half an hour instead of dropping me at mother’s”

“Thanks Sis. Very thoughtful of you.”

“I’m just so happy to have my brother back.”

“Don’t you mean sister?”

“Well it doesn’t matter, I’m just happy to have YOU back.”

“Seriously Sis?”

“Absolutely! And mum’s delighted; as are our sisters.”

“Okay then, that’s truly a relief for me.”

“Not half as much as it is a delight for us. Here we are, this is mine. When are you coming up again?”
“Probably Friday evening. I’ll be late-ish around nine or so.”

Lucinda leaned across and gave Isabel an emotional kiss and hug before making her way to the front door. Isabel watched until Lucinda’s husband answered the door then she left for Manchester. She made good time and arrived at half-past seven; grateful that midweek traffic was light.

ooo000ooo