Chapter 2

I followed the girls to the café on a shopping mall called Above Bar Street. It wasn’t very far, and had everything you would need, especially banks. There was a branch of the one I used, just five minutes from the office.

We all had a light lunch, with me following the girls to try the salad. It would not have been a good look if I had ordered a burger. I did note the range that they had, for when I was here on my own. There! I was already thinking about being here for real.

Sally took me into Superdrug where we looked at the range of shampoos, with her having a feel of my hair before choosing a shampoo and a separate conditioner for me to buy. I joined the girls walking along, window shopping, before we went back to work. That afternoon, I finished three more pictures. I liked them. They were bigger versions of the sort of girls I had put into my Plymouth pictures, which some buyers had declared made them more real.

Marilyn got me to take the five into the other office before knocking off time, and there were a lot of smiles when they looked at them. Every one of the five were featured, wearing appropriate dresses, and looking happy. Gloria said it for the rest.

“That’s the basis of the campaign, right there. Change the faces and it’ll be a hit. They have a life that the agency doesn’t even know about.”

Marilyn smiled.

“Why change the faces? You four can be our models. It’s not as if we have fashion displays, the shops organise those in their local area. The catalogue only goes out to the franchisees to distribute and get them ordering. I know that we do a national campaign in the magazines, but these will stand alone, without needing to employ models and a photographer. It’s a win-win.”

“If it’s going to save us money, boss; we think that if Tristan is our one-man advertising department, he needs to be paid well.”

“I’ll take that on board when we discuss his employment contract. Let’s see what he does with other designs tomorrow. I’ll be taking him back to Plymouth on Monday. Hopefully, he’ll come back to us the following weekend. This weekend, though, I’ll leave it to you to show him the sights and make him want to live here.”

That night, we were back at the ‘Angel’ for our meal. I would certainly need a good wage if I was going to eat out every day. I had a look in the kitchen and there wasn’t much evidence of cooking beyond breakfast, and that was mainly cornflakes. I wondered what sort of upbringing they had. Before we went out, I had a shower and used the new hair products. My hair did feel better, and Sally told me that it would get better, but wouldn’t happen overnight.

When we got back, we sat at the kitchen table with hot chocolates and I sketched some of the people I had seen in the pub, now I was comfortable enough to look around. Friday was similar to Thursday. We had our morning run and then got ready for work, with my hair feeling less stringy after the second washing. During the day, I produce eight more large pictures of the designs, now adding the random faces I had seen since I arrived.

That evening, the girls told me to wear the best things I had bought with me as we were going to a night club, to let our hair down after a busy week. I had brought something better with me, so joined the girls to go to the ‘Angel’ for our evening meal. I was getting used to the place now and was trying out things on the menu that I would never have thought I would eat. I wondered if it was a sign that Southampton was going to change me.

We spent longer there than before. I was told that it was because we didn’t have to work in the morning, and, besides, the night club didn’t open until ten. I was usually in bed by that time, so wondered if I would enjoy it. We nursed our drinks and were joined by others until there was a good dozen of us, mainly girls, but a few guys who were very smartly dressed, if a bit more colourful than I had been used to.

At ten, I was asked to put in two pounds for the minibus that was coming to take us to the night club. I had discovered that it was under five hundred yards away, but the girls were not going to walk there in the heels they were now wearing. I sat next to Monica, and she gave me advance warning of where we were going.

“The club is a gay bar. It’s where Gloria and Judith spend a lot of time on weekends. It’s very safe and a community. I don’t mind it, as there’s no groping unless asked for, there’s dancing and a well-stocked bar. It doesn’t close until five, so expect to sleep in tomorrow.”

When we arrived at ‘The Edge and The Box’, we went in. It was well laid out and very tastefully decorated. I had expected vivid colours and naked people on the walls. The only thing that made me laugh was on the chalk board. It said, ‘I didn’t choose to be gay, I just got lucky’. That made me wonder if I really was in the right place.

We had a few drinks and I danced with all the girls, and, oddly, with a few guys joining us, especially the ones that had come with us from the ‘Angel’. I allowed myself to accept that I was here, that I didn’t need to leave, and that I couldn’t because I hadn’t been given a key to the house. With the others, I drank a little and danced a lot, grooving to the DJ.

About three in the morning, Sally and Monica told me that they were leaving and if I wanted to walk with them. They had bought sneakers in their shoulder bags and said that the other two would be here until closing time. I followed them out and we strolled back to the house, with one on each arm. The night air chased away all of the drink, and we talked about the campaign, my art, and their likes and dislikes. I had become a ‘like’ for both of them, with my willingness to follow their lead and not act like an ape.

When we got to the house, we said goodnight in the kitchen and both girls gave me a hug before I went up to my bed. They were right, I slept until nearly midday, laying there, and thinking about the last couple of days before I went to shower. I had been so far out of my comfort zone it wasn’t funny. I had been able to use my artistic skills in a way that was appreciated. The more I thought about things, the more I wanted to work here and live with the girls. I thought about last night’s hugs, and realised that they were between friends, and friends were something that had been missing in my life.

Saturday afternoon, we all went to Above Bar Street and through the shopping arcade to the West Quay Shopping centre. It was a huge place, and we had a late lunch at an Italian café. As we walked around, we arrived at the ‘Hook and Hokem’ store. Gloria pulled me in and introduced me to the lady who owned the franchise.

“Josie, this is Tristan Southby. He won the competition a year or two back for the bikini campaign.”

“That was a great picture, Tristan. Didn’t think much of the words, though. ‘Fit to be tied!’ It was stupid.”

“I didn’t write that, Josie. When I saw that they were all ribbon tied bikinis, my words on the artwork was ‘If it’s a Hokem, you don’t have to hook’em.’ I never saw the final artwork.”

She laughed so hard that she had to sit down on one of the seats next to the changing rooms.

“Please tell me that you’ll be doing work for us in the future. We need a kick in the bum to keep our market position. As it is, the stock is usually in the low-price range, and that gives us volume, if not a lot of profit. Are you signed on yet?”

“No, I’m just here to see and be seen. I’m being taken back to Plymouth on Monday.”

“Just for giving me a good laugh, lad, anything you buy today will be at company discount.”

I looked around.

“I don’t wear women’s clothes.”

“Take a better look. There are things over in the corner that are unisex. I’m sure the girls will help you pick something out, if only to remember your visit to God’s own city.”

The four took me aside and pored over the selection. I couldn’t see myself in the silk shirts, but there was a few pairs of jeans that caught my eye. I walked out with a bag which contained a black pair and a purple pair, the last for other nights at the night club. I worried that they had embroidery on the back pockets and the pockets weren’t big enough to hold more than a credit card, but the girls declared that they did something for me. What that was, I may find out when I wore them.

We all went to the cinema, where I sat through a rom-com. All the girls were using tissues when it ended, and I had to admit that my eyes were moist as well. A stop at a fast-food joint for a combined tea and supper, and we walked back to the house. We talked about the film, and Sally and Monica spoke about the hunky male star, with the other two discussing the female characters. Me, I was dissecting the fashions in my mind. After the last couple of days, I was starting to wonder if I could be a fashion designer.

Sunday morning, Gloria told me to put my good things on, as she had been texted the message that Marilyn was going to pick me up at eleven. I went up and showered, dressing in what I had worn Friday night. Just after eleven, Marilyn turned up and I got in the car. As she drove us north, she gave me a potted history of the company.

“We’re going to have lunch with Robert Hook and his wife, Rita. There are nice people. They are the sole owners of Hook Holdings, the real head office. Hook and Hokem is a part of the holding company, and all the stores are owned by franchisees, with us supplying the stock and organising the national advertising. There are about forty shops around the country, so we do deal in quite large volumes of product. The company started in Southampton, as a small shop selling sailor’s clothing in the early nineteen hundreds. Silas Hook was English and Hervey Hokem was an American. They opened up a few stores along the coast before the first war, when Hokem went back to America. Silas had a son, Henry, who expanded the number of stores. His son, Robert, saw that owning all those stores cost a lot of money and embraced the franchise model we have today, selling the actual real estate of the original stores to the franchisees on a very long-term loan.”

“I met Josie, in North Quay, yesterday. If she’s an example of the owners, the group should do well. I never met the owner in Plymouth.”

It was a straight-forward drive to the house, staying on the A27 and turning onto the A33 until we reached the outskirts of North Baddesley. The house was close to the first one we came to. She parked and we were hardly out of the car when a lady came out to greet us. She and Marilyn had a hug and cheek kiss.

“Hello, you must be Tristan, I’m Rita. My husband is inside, looking after lunch. He’s a much better cook than I am.”

We were led inside the house, and I shook hands with “Call me Robert, no standing on ceremony here”. He turned out to be an excellent cook, and it was a lovely meal. I offered to help with the washing up and got to load their dishwasher after he had rinsed the plates.

The discussion was all about current world news, until we were sitting in their lounge with coffee and a cheese platter. That’s when Robert started asking me direct questions.

“What do you think about coming to work for us?”

“I think it will be good. From what I’ve seen, and done, so far, it makes me happy to be using my skills as they should be used.”

“What do you think of living with the girls?”

“It’s been fun. They’ve taken me out of my comfort zone but with total support. I do have to wonder if they’ve ever learned to cook. This has been the first home cooked meal I’ve had since Tuesday.”

“Do you cook?”

“I have looked after myself since I left home. It’s simple things but I’ve had more fast food in the last few days than a month in Plymouth. My mother loves chicken nuggets, and that’s where we meet up.”

“Will you miss Plymouth?”

“I don’t know. It would be leaving for good before I know that.”

“What did you think of the agency campaign?”

“Lazy. They copied the previous supplier pictures and just printed them. If you look closely, you can see the crease lines that they didn’t bother to remove.”

“Marilyn has sent me pictures of what you did in two days. You did what our old graphics man would do in two weeks. I really like the idea of having the office girls as the models. Have you thought about drawing a feminised version of yourself in the collection?”

“No. It would be a laugh, though, wouldn’t it?”

“Tell me, have you had any thoughts about what words you would use in the print adverts?”

“Actually, I have. It may be a step too far for you. I’ve had a brain-worm for years. Do you know the Longfellow poem about the girl with a curl?”

“When she was good, she was very, very good, and when she was bad, she was horrid.”

“That’s the one. I came across it used in a very old advert for hair care, and the curl was in the middle of her ponytail. I was looking through the pictures that the supplier sent, and there is quite a large section of cocktail dresses and clubbing wear.”

“That’s something new for us. We want to move away from the everyday things and see if we can lift the margins.”

“Well, I thought that the beginning of the catalogue, also the start of the campaign, could have the line ‘There was a girl with a curl, it hung past her ear like a token. When she was good, she always wore Hook, and when she had fun, she wore Hokem’.”

He looked at me, then at his wife. Marilyn had an amused look on her face, waiting for the result of my jingle. Robert started laughing. When he stopped, he looked at Marilyn.

“Whatever you’re thinking of paying this lad, add another twenty percent. He has just captured the very essence of what we want to do. Tristan, your competition artwork was the basis of our summer swimwear campaign in a previous year. The agency didn’t like the words you had used, they thought they were too American. They changed them after we had signed off on the printing. I had a good look at the invoice they sent. They tried to charge us for the wording, and the artwork. We refused to pay until those amounts were removed. The thing was only resolved a few months ago. This is why we started to think of alternatives, and I’m very glad we did.”

We stopped talking to pass around the cheese and crackers.

“You’re very quiet, my darling. What do you think of things?”

“I think Tristan should be on the payroll if he wants to come back. One thing we don’t want is him working for our competition.”

“I agree. Tristan, will you work for us, here in Southampton?”

“I will, Robert. I’m glad that you’ve listened to me, having only been looking at what you do for two days.”

“Your two days has saved us weeks in going around in circles. Marilyn, can you organise it please. You can put him down as having started last Thursday. I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with next. I expect that the girls will be happy.”

After some more talk, we left to return to the house. Marilyn was in thought for much of the way, something I was glad of. I had just committed myself to a full-time job. I would have to tell my old chums I was moving out. The moving wouldn’t take much, as I didn’t have a lot to carry. I would have to see the market site partners to tell them I wasn’t coming back. I only had a few pictures that were completed, so would take them with me and put them on the wall of my room. I didn’t know how my mother would take it.

When Marilyn did talk, she was all sense.

“You will have to talk to the girls tonight, about when you pay your share of the house. They also split utility accounts. There’s no landline so you’re confined to your own mobile. I’ll drop you off at your old place tomorrow. Can you try to get back here inside a week, so we can start getting serious about the campaign. It would be good if we have the winter range ready to be printed when the autumn one goes out. I’ll need to book magazine and newspaper space. Oh! And it looks like you’ll be eating out again tonight. I need to leave around seven, tomorrow, so don’t pack everything you brought with you, just your essentials. The rest will be safe in your room.”

The evening, I wore the black jeans, and needed a bumbag to carry my wallet and phone.

The girls were glad that I was coming back, and they all gave me a hug as I came out to get in the car the next morning. I was starting to appreciate the feeling of belonging that a simple hug could bring. We stopped at the services for a bite to eat and arrived at my old home a little after two. She wasn’t able to pull into the drive because of a police car that was parked there, next to mine.

I got out and grabbed my bag. Instead of driving off, Marilyn got out as well.

“Is this usual, Tristan?”

“No. I wonder what’s up. The others should all be at work. I wonder if one of them has had an accident.”

I opened the door and walked in, Marilyn behind me. I had only got a couple of feet when a policeman stepped out of the communal lounge.

“And who may you be?”

“I’m Tristan Southby. I live here in one of the rooms. Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong, my lad, is that we caught your housemates selling a large quantity of cannabis in the town centre, Saturday night, and they’re all banged up in the station, awaiting trial. What do you know about that?”

“I knew that they grew it, but I thought that it was for their own use. I used the greenhouse as my studio; my easel should be in there.”

“We wondered what that was for. Why were you away?”

“I’ve been in Southampton about a job. This lady took me there and brought me back today. I just need to load my car and I’ll be leaving; I hope.”

“Can you corroborate that, madam?”

“I do. Tristan will start working with the Head Office of Hook and Hokem as soon as he gets back to Southampton. Do you have anything you need him for?”

“I will need to run this past the Inspector, but his friends all said that he’s just a tenant, and not involved. We did search your room, lad. You do travel light, don’t you?”

“I haven’t had much opportunity to collect much. If I can collect my stuff, I can be out of here this afternoon. I can go and stay with my parents if I have to.”

“All right. You will need to drop into the station to give a blood sample, to make sure you aren’t a user. Other than that, collect your things and pack your car. You won’t mind if I supervise?”

Marilyn gave the policeman her card and told him that she could be back this way later in the week if there was anything they wanted to have confirmed. But, for now, she needed to be in Bude tonight. He told her not to speed and she gave me a hug, told me to get in touch if I was having any trouble, and got into her car and left.

I unlocked my car and started it to make sure it was still running. Then I found my easel, lying in the dirt, no doubt knocked over as they emptied the greenhouse of the weed. I put it in the car, then went to my room and packed everything I owned into what bags I had, with the policeman looking over my shoulder. When I pulled my finished pictures out from under the bed, he commented that he had seen them at the market and congratulated me on my skill.

When I had everything, I drove to the market, where the others on the site were starting to pack up. I told them that I was leaving and would not be attending the site on Saturdays. I was surprised when the pottery lady gave me a hug and told me that I would be missed. After that, I went to the shopping centre to tell them that I had quit, and to pick up the brushes and other bits and pieces that I had used for my work there. As I was just a casual, they couldn’t say no to my leaving. After that, I called my mother.

When the phone was answered, it was my father, who told me that she had come into the city to go shopping. I knew where she would be, and sure enough, she was sitting there with her bucket of nuggets. I sat down at the table.

“There you are. I looked in your workshop and didn’t see you. I tried ringing but got no answer. I was about to call the police to see if they had you. Where have you been?”

I told her that I had been in Southampton, as I had told her, and that I was now the graphic artist for Hook and Hokem, full time, and that I would be sharing a house with four others. She was happy for me. I asked her if I could stay for a night or two because my old address was now a crime scene. She told me that her sister was in my old room for a few weeks. I don’t think the comment about the crime scene sunk in. In the end, we hugged, and she kissed my cheek, telling me to grasp the opportunity with both hands. I watched her walk away, to drive home, then went to another food outlet to get something that wasn’t a lot if spiced batter.

The police station was open all day, so, after I had eaten, I went there to go in and give my blood. The Inspector asked most of the same questions, took my details, and told me that they would be in touch should they want to talk to me some more. I asked about my old school mates and was told that a couple would likely get off with a fine but would now have a criminal record. He did say that two of them were already in the system as juvenile offenders, so they might have to spend a couple of months inside.

I had done everything that I had to do, and in record time. All I needed was somewhere to lay my head, so I went and topped up the car and drove back towards Southampton, stopping at the first place I saw with a vacancy sign lit up.

I could afford a night in a hotel, and they would have a filling breakfast. Tomorrow, I would be back with the girls. I knew that it will be hard work, and they will take me further out of my comfort zone, but I knew, in the end, that it was the pathway to knowing the real person that I knew lived deep within me.

Marianne Gregory © 2024