E’volvo’lution Chapter 15

When Berget went to work with Melody in a pram she found out that working in a team of women is a different thing altogether. There is a feeling that the baby belongs to everyone and everyone wanted to look after her.

She would gurgle happily as she moved between offices and the ‘Ready Room’ and it allowed Berget to get into the swing of things.

I had gone back to work some two weeks previously and there had already been one group that completed the course in Germany and Helena showed me the patch they had been given which showed a driver sitting on a tank and climbing a wall.

It was, she said, a very desirable one to have and, added to her Polar patch, marked her out as very special. There was a second group there so we were working through the whole team. I had put myself in the last group, along with Elizabeth and Marlen and a couple of new girls who were off doing their stint in basic training.

By this time, we were getting close to the Truckfest in the UK, happening earlier than usual this year. It was to be three days and Bjorn, who had surprised me with his knowledge of English, surprised me again by saying he would drive ‘Maidens’ there and back.

He told me that he had driven a lot for his father in his earlier days and had a lot of trips to the UK before Brexit. He said that he would take Ezuli with him for a few days away together.

It wasn’t a big drive, just down to Holland and across the ferry to Harwich and then an easy trip to Peterborough. We didn’t even feel the need to send any of the showgirls as these would be putting the time in at the Tallinn show.

The ‘Maidens’ rig had been thoroughly cleaned and Bjorn had tweaked the light show a little to extend the time. This one just had the volcano and, before it left, was stocked up with plenty of posters and some of our tunics.

We would still have lots of posters and tunics for our home appearance and expected to sell plenty. As I had predicted, Greger had told me that after Tallinn, ‘Answer’ would be repainted to join our ‘Maidens’ fleet with the interior refitted with something a bit more durable.

It had been a year since I first saw it and it had featured in Gregers’ development, from hope to disappointment, reawakening to a new life with a new wife. It was time it was retired and I mentioned to him that there would need to be something new thought about for next years’ shows, if he wanted to carry on with them.

The Tallinn show was our big event, our last hurrah, so to speak. None of us felt that we could outdo the show in Austria; that had been a singular event that had come together like magic. It had cemented our place in the trucking world but, what was really intended, it had put the ‘Maidens’ concept out there as totally un-military.

We prepared ‘Answer’ for her last showing with great care and organised a photographer to come in and do a shoot with both me and Halina dressed to suit. The Austrian rig was carefully prepared as well and we had a run-through with the local film star who really wasn’t too bad. That is, if you hadn’t experienced the real thing.

My parents came to visit us and they would be staying with us for a couple of weeks. My father had been asked to stay a while and was wondering what that could mean. I did know that my mother was thinking very hard about moving to Tallinn to be near her children and grandchildren so that may well be what lay in the future.

Bjorn came back on the Thursday before our show and there seemed to be some very intense discussions going on between him and Anders but I knew that, if it concerned the rest of us, Anders would have a meeting.

My job at the Tallinn Truck show was very simple – make sure it went smoothly. We had been given a space that was slightly removed from the other exhibits so there was room for a crowd and the stage was set up next to us.

The timetable was for the awards to be made on Sunday evening before our show which would lead into the first band. It was a duplicate of the first evening except for the awards ceremony. It meant that we couldn’t take the rig away until Monday morning. “Answer’ was set out on her own with a banner over it proclaiming that it was the reigning champion truck.

We had all of our show girls ready to go and had even groomed a few more of the new girls who fitted the look. There would be two separate teams so everyone could spend time looking around.

Of course, any of our drivers who went to the show were instructed to wear the tunic and we had plenty on hand to sell. The weather forecast was good and Helena drove the rig in on the Friday so the organisers could set up the stage in the correct location. I drove ‘Answer’ in for the last time and gave the dashboard a bit of a tap before I got out.

Saturday we drove in with my father beside me and Berget with Melody and my mother in the back. They went off to have a look around while I double-checked our displays.

Greger and Halina were with ‘Answer’, Halina looking exceedingly beautiful and already getting asked for selfies, unfortunately often being called Antonia. Greger had a big grin on his face.

‘Maidens’ was open for business, Joanne and Marlen selling posters at a good rate. Our Saturday girls were there, making sure that their costume was correct and checking out the surroundings to make sure they would be able to ‘disappear’ successfully. Katrina assured me that the flash-bangs, lights and nozzles were all ready to go.

I caught up with my family and spent a lot of time with my father discussing different trucks. All the time I was being stopped and asked to sign posters. Even though I was wearing the company tunic, I suppose that a lot of fans could recognise me in a snowstorm at midnight.

My father though it was hilarious and told me I should see about a career in politics. We met up with Anders, and he asked me to go out to the carpark with him where he told me what had happened last week.

“Antonia,” he said, when we were sitting in his car, “This is a very early heads-up for you. In Peterborough, Bjorn was approached by a member of the British Army; a very high ranking member. They want to talk to us about setting up a similar contract to supply their bases in England as there is a very strong anti-militant group there, especially in Scotland with the Nationalists. They think it will take a while to set up but start next year with the first Truckfest show in England. They’ve been monitoring our operation here and are impressed.”

I just sat there in shock. “That’s wonderful,” I said, “But surely we can’t add that much more to our current operation?”

He smiled, “You’re perfectly right. It would mean, if we get it, that we would have to set up a new yard there or else buy an existing company quietly and rebrand it. It would be better if it’s an already British or, preferably, Scottish business. There are a lot of people still hurting after Brexit and Covid so we may be able to get something cheap if we promise to keep the workforce. It’s a lot to think about but first we have to win the contract. They’re only talking to us because we are doing the business now and doing it successfully.”

I asked, “What’s my place in this?” He said that he wanted me to spend time researching suitable companies there and give him a short list by the end of September.

Once this weekend was over, Berget would run the ‘Maidens’ and I would move into another office with all the equipment and funds to do my job. I told him that I was due to be at the test track in Germany the next week.

He said, “Good, both you and Berget will be coming back the following week into your new positions. You can talk it over with her but that’s as far as it goes. If we get it you both will be silent directors of the new business, whatever it may be called, with Bjorn as the managing director. You’re good with languages so we’ll send you back to the language school to learn enough English to get by. I heard what that camera-man called you and I think that anyone who’s ‘Bonza’ will do well.”

“Now, on a different matter altogether. I would like you to sound Mats out about perhaps selling his truck to us and coming on board as a team organiser, looking after the male drivers. I’ve seen how your girls work together and help everyone out. For too long this game has been a bunch of tough guys trying hard not to show any weakness. The drivers that have been doing the blue truck runs have changed, I’ve seen it.”

“They’re more committed but also more open among themselves because they’ve interacted with your team. He’ll work between both groups and will be on the executive with a company car. We’ll help in his relocation and you can tell your lovely mother to start looking for a house. They are Gregers’ in-laws and so are family now, as are you; and we Lundins look after our family.”

That was a lot to take in and, after we went back to the showground, I sat with a soft drink and thought about all that had been said. Exactly a year ago I had sat on this very seat before I went looking for Volvos to admire.

That was where my family found me and joined me with drinks in their hands. Melody had been changed, so I was told, and Berget asked me to run her home so she could look after the baby in the quiet.

She had seen the evening show already so I arranged to meet my parents near Halina in about an hour. I took Berget home and told her about her new job, just saying that Anders had given me a special project. She was, at first, frightened by it and then excited as she already had a few ideas of her own.

Back at the showground I found my folks with Halina, having a short break. I took them to the food stands and bought them lunch and we sat at the table I had sat with Greger.

“Mum, do you remember when I rang you and told you that a guy wanted me to drive for him?” She nodded so I carried on, “Well, I was sitting at this table at the time and you told me to go for it. I am going to hit you with something that you may have already spoken about. Anders wants Dad on the executive to act as a go-between, creating links with our girl teams and the men drivers. He is prepared to help you move here and will buy the Globetrotter off of you. He says we’re family now and he’s very well connected so it would only be good. What do you say?”

My father looked stunned but my mother burst out laughing. “Talk about it, I’ve been on his back for weeks now to get him to move but he’s always said that we had too much tied up in the business for him to go looking for a job. I’m all for it.”

My father stood and came around to my side of the table and I stood up. He hugged me tight and said, “Thank you; it’s through what you did a year ago that has brought all this about. Where is he, I’ll go and speak to him?”

I said that I thought Anders may be near ‘Maidens,’ and he picked up his hot dog and strode off. My mother sat there with a silly grin on her face. “I’ll be here with two, and soon to be three, grandchildren. It’s not a lot warmer here than Uppsala but it’s pleasant and, best of all, I can go looking for a house with a carport attached, rather than living in a garage with a shack attached.”

“I love you, my Anton, as a mother loves her son; but I love and admire you as Antonia. You’re so much more alive and involved and always thinking of making things better for others. Greger told me that someone called you ‘Bonza’ and explained what it meant. The person who called you that was so right.”

That evening my parents saw the light show for the first time, along with a few thousand Tallinn residents and quite a few from other countries if the conversations I heard during the afternoon was anything to go by.

I just left my team to do their thing and watched the show with my folks. When the light flare happened and the girls and Thor disappeared, the band hit the intro to their first number and my mother hugged me. She had tears in her eyes and I knew it wasn’t because of any smoke as we didn’t have it tonight.

We then went over and I helped put everything away. It had been quite a first anniversary. I drove my folks home and got into bed next to Berget, who just murmured “I love you, Anton,” and went back to sleep, she was still weak from the birth so I kissed her hair and drifted off myself, trying hard not to think about anything.

Sunday morning, we sat at the kitchen table and ate our breakfast without much being said, I think we were all contemplating our futures.

My father broke the ice. “I spoke to Anders yesterday and he explained his thinking and his offer. I said “yes.””

Berget was not aware of the subject matter so it was all explained to her and she immediately started organising a few trips that she and my mother could take to look at districts where there were nice houses to be looked at. That would keep her busy while I was away during the week.

At the showground I just stayed in the background while my team set the rig up for our second; and likely last, big show. Today I had my tunic on as the day before, but today I wore it as a short dress over black tights and the light blue boots.

Greger and Halina were still getting a lot of business. He told me that they were likely to run out of stock by mid-afternoon, something that made us all happy as we weren’t going to order any more. I didn’t mind as I had a full set rolled up at home, next to my set of ‘Maidens’ posters.

At the ‘Maidens’ site they were on their last few already and Marlen told me she had heard that posters of ours were already on the social media for up to a hundred times the purchase price.

I laughed and said that we could register them as an alternative currency. The day was perfect, made even more perfect when ‘Thor’s Maidens’ took the ‘Truck of the Show’ as well as the ‘Most Popular’.

‘Antonia’s Answer’ was given the ‘Best Artwork’ for the ‘E-Volvo-lution’ picture. Our final light show went well and when the band started I was crying with my head buried in Bergets’ shoulder.

The release of all the tension took its toll and I was wiped out. My folks said that they would get a taxi home so we left everyone to lock up and then to party and this time Berget took me home and looked after me along with the baby.

I went to sleep on our settee with Melody on my shoulder. When I woke again on Monday morning I was still on the settee but laid flat with a blanket over me.

My mother and Berget wanted me to stay home but today I was due to go to the test track in Germany. After breakfast, I went and had a long shower, packed my army back-pack with all the things I would need and dressed in my Estonian army Captain uniform. I kissed everyone and called for a taxi. Dad would be using my car while I was away.

The pick-up point was at the Transport Division and the taxi dropped me off at the gate. I was told to wait until everyone had arrived and, when we were complete, Q arrived in a small truck and we were told to get in the back.

He drove us to a military airfield where a German air force plane took us all to a place that I thought may be deep in the Black Forest. When we got out there was a bus that took us to our quarters. Q said that there would be a talk before the evening meal and our first lesson would begin tonight with some light vehicle driving at night. Lovely way to get our heads around what we were in for!

The talk was led by Q, who told us that we would be moving from light vehicles to medium and then heavy trucks in a range of terrains. He said that if we were good enough we would then have time in true military vehicles, multi-wheeled APC’s and some of us may even get to drive a tank.

He then dropped a bombshell by saying that the instructors had been told to give us our directions in English to make it a true test of our driving and reaction skills. Elizabeth would be good but the other four of us were immediately worried.

He then went through the words we would need to know and I found out the English words for ‘stop, go, slow down, left, right and reverse.’ We sat and he told us to put our arms out to denote what we were supposed to do with us drooping our heads when it came to ‘slow down’.

It was a very funny half an hour as we were taken through the instructions to much waving of arms until he was happy. We then went for a meal and were then taken out to where five 4x4’s waited for us with our instructors.

It was still light so the first lap of the course they had chosen went well and the directions were given well in advance. I led off with the others at one minute intervals.

When I pulled up after the first lap my companion murmured, ‘Sehr gut,’ which made me feel better. The second lap was in the falling dusk and was done with headlights on. I was trying to remember where we had turned the last time when he waited until we were nearly at a junction and told me to go the other way.

It was touch and go but I made it. When we got back to the start point he was smiling and listening to the bud in his ear which, I understood, was plugged into a small radio.

This time we had to wait a good five minutes before Marlen pulled up and the two new girls had arrived before Elizabeth, the front of her vehicle festooned with branches.

For the last lap, the instructor leaned over and turned the lights off and then flicked a switch which gave me ‘blackout lighting,’ a sort of red glow that only went about three metres in front.

He smiled and said “go” and I was off again. That lap was, I think, one of the best drives of my life. I had some idea of the roads and he gave me a decent lead to any turn so I was able to keep the speed up. We arrived back, parked the vehicle and I was sitting in the mess with a hot drink before Marlen walked in with a big grin on her face.

Elizabeth wasn’t far behind this time and the other girls got in as well. I asked Elizabeth what went wrong and she told me that she had got cocky so the instructor held off until the last moment to give her a new direction and they had done some ‘gardening’ before she was able to get back on the track.

We all slept well and were roused at five by some bully banging on our doors. We had a breakfast and went back out into the big parking area where we found our instructors standing beside smallish trucks which we thrashed around the track again and then did another route which was a lot more up and down.

We then did the same tracks with a field gun hooked on the back. After lunch and a toilet break we spent the afternoon in six by fours with some tonnage on board followed by another session with a trailer attached. I was having fun but finding some of the tracks a bit tight to navigate. One of our new girls took out a tree but managed to keep going.

The following morning we were driving something we all knew, a ten by six similar to our own trucks. For me it was good because I had done the laps in Sweden and had experience with the low speed box.

On Thursday we all had a completely different experience. We did laps of a course that, thankfully, was a bit wider than the ones we had been on before. That helped as we were in charge of a monster of a truck with a tank on the huge trailer.

We did the lap one at a time as there wasn’t enough room at the start for more than one of these beasts. For some reason they held me back to go last and it was worth waiting for. I don’t think there was much else in the world that compared, maybe those hundred tonners that they use in mine pits.

Our last morning was really different as we walked out to see five eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers and we went to a very different part of the complex where we attacked deep mud, trenches and small parapets.

Marlen wondered why they had full harness seat belts for the driver and instructor and found out why when she over-revved trying to climb a small wall, and ended up with the vehicle on its back.

They got a recovery truck in and put it back on its wheels and she made it over the top on the next try. After that we had a lot of fun playing with a light tank each and learning how to skid-steer a tracked vehicle. Every day we were given our instructions in English and I found that I was following it easily by the end of our stay.

Before we left we were given an early dinner and our patches were handed out. We all got them so we must have been good enough, even after gardening.

We then packed our stuff and Q joined us in the bus back to the airfield and a plane to take us home. I was glad that it had been after the stress of the show as it had allowed me to get my equilibrium back. On the way back, I was already starting to think about my project.

Marianne Gregory © 2022