Chapter 18

She dug into her bag, brought out six boxes, and then handed them out. When I opened mine, it was more than I could take in. It was a pendant, yes, but what a pendant! It was gold filigree with ‘Stable Sisters Rule’ in diamonds and emeralds.

This won’t be joining the one now resting in a drawer at home. It would be front and center most of the time. Almost in tears, we had group hugs and cheek kisses. We all put them on and carried on with our meal, ordering more coffees as the originals had gone cold.

We then discussed the party in Boston. I told them that we would be outfitted by our sponsor. I couldn’t tell them any more about why we were invited except that the host and his family were fans and had seen us on stage the week before, as well as being at the Saturday night concert.

Janet asked, “Did his wife cry?”

I said that she did and now wanted to become more sociable.

“That’s why, then,” she said. “They want to celebrate the two angels that freed her of her bonds, as they freed me of mine. I saw lots of cameras that night. I wonder if the DVD will have the same effect, or whether you just had to be there. Every time I go to bed, I pray my thanks for my release. Mom says that there were a lot of other women crying at the end. Maybe it was a minor miracle.”

Emily told us that it had allowed her to realize that she didn’t need a proper job any longer and had left the salon. She said that it hadn’t been the money, just the security that kept her there.

We agreed to meet as arranged at the stable on Monday morning. We would use the time to work on new songs for the new Sisters album, prior to going into the proper studio.

Pet asked me who was going to partner me to Boston. When I said it was Jordan, once he had stopped coughing, she laughed. I had to explain his reaction on being told it was going to be like the Oscars in a private house.

The others had their boyfriends set to join us, except for Janet. She told us that she had a boy in her singing classes who looked like suitable material, but that she hadn’t got that far with him yet.

When we left, I said I could take Janet home. The others did a double-take when I pressed my key-fob, and my red Mustang flashed its lights. I got in my side and changed my shoes while Janet got in the other. I took her home, but we went the long way round with the windows down and the radio up loud.

She was almost in fits by the time we arrived at her place. She reached over and gave me a kiss on the cheek before she got out. “Edie, I’m so glad I met you.”

When I got home, I went into my bedroom to undress, hanging the new pendant on my mirror. In bed, I laid there for a while wondering just what it may have been that affected the audience. I was sure it was nothing I had any part of.

It occurred to me that this time next week we would be on display at the elegant party, whatever it was about. Then I had the thought about Friday night. It would be my first date with Jordan. I giggled. Good girls don’t go to bed with the guy on the first date. I decided that next Friday night, I wasn’t going to be a good girl.

Sunday, I played around in the studio, Ali by my side in her carriage. I was very close to getting another two songs finished when my phone rang. It was Jordan who was apologetic at dropping the phone on me. I told him that I fully understood. I had nearly puked when the girls had told me that I had to go on stage as a witch. I told him that it was only natural to be shocked by the prospect of mixing with rich guys and added that rich guys are only poor guys with money and were usually as nice as pie.

I don’t think he believed me. I then asked him what else he needed. He said that his mother wanted to see me at the church as the priest would be there until late. I said I could do it. I put Ali in my car, told my parents where I was going and then drove to the church. Alicia was there, talking to the priest when I walked in with Ali in my arms. We had a good discussion about the christening.

The old guy was pretty cool for a priest and knew well enough not to shove his faith down my throat. I guess he was one of those who gave you tiny bits until you were full without noticing it. He had heard of the Pixies, though, and said he liked our Sisters music better.

I pointed out that if the papers got wind of the event there may be a crowd. He rubbed his hands. “Good, I preach better to a full house.”

When I left there with Ali in her baby seat I went for a drive, into my namesake, Grosse Pointe. It’s generally quite a lovely area, big houses on big blocks and a very park-like feel. I suppose that once I had enough money it would be expected that I buy a house in a posh area, but I was happy at the farm. The thought of being surrounded by auto industry executives held little interest. I was just cruising when I heard a siren behind me and saw flashing lights in my mirrors.

I lowered my window as I pulled over and a large policeman came and stood by me as his partner stayed back.

“Miss, what are you doing in this neighbourhood, we haven’t seen you around here before?”

I said that I was just looking.

He asked, “Looking for what?”

I said that I was wondering about buying a house and he told me that it was a very expensive area, and then asked for my license. When I showed it to him, he took it away to run through his computer.

When he came back, he said, “Sorry about the stop, Miss Grosse. We didn’t know who you were. Casual visitors down these streets are usually looking for somewhere to break in. My daughters love your songs. Have a nice day.”

They got back in their cruiser and pulled out as I was putting my license away. I thought that it does pay to be a celebrity, sometimes. I suppose I was lucky to have been pulled over in an up-market suburb. There were some places around town where they would have had me out of the car and face-down in the road. That’s if they hadn’t just shot me, and then said that they thought I’d been going for a gun.

I’d had enough excitement and flirting with danger for the day, so went back to the farm to see what Mom was making for dinner. As I drove along, I started to love my car. The rumble of the exhaust, the comfort and the good sound system was much nicer than my old one. It may have been a teeny bit narcissistic, but I did have all of our albums loaded into the CD storage that I could play and sing to as I drove. One advantage of writing and singing the songs is that you do know all the words.

On Monday, we spent all day in the studio, working on a new album that would start with Stability. Janet brought along some percussion bits and pieces, her electric kit still here from previous days.

We worked on Stability first, adding keyboard, more guitar, and drums. When we were happy, we put it into the computer.

Pet had two songs in the same vein. They were on sheet music, so Emily went onto piano, and I took up the guitar, while Abigail got used to the words.

Once we were pleased with them, we reverted to me on piano, Joyce played guitar and Emily added keyboard. It really didn’t take that long before both were added to the computer file.

I played them the two songs I was working on, and we agreed to get together on Wednesday evening to work on those.

Tuesday, I finalized the two songs as far as I could on my own and started on a song about a pop star who bought a house in a very ritzy area. Only to have troubles with the neighbors who thought she was beneath them. The hook to this was that they were all drug pushers and fraudsters with nary an honest worker among them. The working title was Lowering the Tone.

Wednesday, Allan turned up while we were in the studio to tell us about the timetable for the weekend. We were flying out on Friday, early afternoon, and had free time until Saturday afternoon, when we would be taken to a salon first, and then to the dress shop. He said we were booked to return Sunday afternoon.

The guys would be sent off to get a tidy haircut and trim of all those nasty ear and nose hairs before they went on to the mens shop for their suits. We were lucky that it was a modern dress party, so there were no fancy outfits.

I could just see Jordan in a Regency Dandy outfit.

After he left to speak with Dad, we got working on the songs and had my new two on the computer before we finished. At this rate, we would have the bones of a new album in the can within a month and could go into a proper studio to put it on tape. The atmosphere when we were together was very positive. We had all been through some problems and overcome them and were all very comfortable with each other.

Joyce added a lot to the guitar side. Abigail was singing good enough to be a star in her own right. I expected that would be her future after the Sisters.

Janet was back to her solid backing, now adding bells and other sounds as we went along.

Thursday, I started transcribing what we had done, so far, onto sheet music. I started to add orchestral instruments into the mix. I thought that Stability would sound nice with proper violins and woodwinds. Was I being pretentious or was I actually starting to evolve into a serious artist?

I made sure I spent as much time with Ali as I could, so that she wouldn’t start to think that Doris or Mom was her mother. We had hours looking at picture books together with me pointing at different animals and saying the names.

She loved listening to me play the piano with a very serious face as she absorbed everything. I wondered if she, like me, would be gifted. It would be lovely if, in twenty years, a forty-odd Edie graced a stage somewhere with her daughter.

Finally, it was Friday. I packed my bag for the weekend with the usual: dresses, tops, skirts, and underwear. I packed a very nice, and specially purchased, negligee set for Friday night.

The limousine service arrived for me. Allan and Helen were already on board. We went for the rest of the girls and guys. By the time we reached the airport we were chattering away, like it was a school outing.

Jordan sat next to me, holding my hand, and looking as if he was being transported to the guillotine. I kept telling him that it will be all right and to loosen up.

The other guys were a mixed bunch, from a typical football jock (Abigail’s) to a mop-haired musical type (Pet’s). Allan told them that they would be given a make-over to ensure that they fitted in with genteel society, on Saturday.

Everyone was introduced. Abigail’s jock was called “Matt” and I remembered him from Wayne, a couple of years ahead. He had been on a football scholarship and had been known as “Masher” on the team.

Pet’s musician was “Anton,” and Joyce’s guy was a normal looking fellow called “Matt” as well, so we immediately changed him to “Matty.”

Emily had a new guy, very good looking, called “Ian.”

With a bunch of guys around, Jordan lightened up and before long we were happily at the airport. This was where the world that they knew suddenly changed.

Pet and I had already been exposed to the level of service that turned out for music legends. We had porters take the luggage and a dedicated lady from the airline to guide us through check-in and into the first-class departure lounge. We were given free drinks and nibbles and would be told when it was time to board.

The other girls had got to be happy with this when we travelled as a band but none of the guys had seen anything like it.

Matt asked why we had this treatment and Pet told him that this is how airlines treated stars. With the whole band, it would be full on service for everyone.

Jordan sat there with a glazed look on his face. I squeezed close to him and told him that he would be “Okay.” He slowly came back into the present and started getting involved again with me holding his hand. It was something that seemed to soothe him and felt right to me.

We were guided into the first-class section and sat in those lovely wider seats that allowed you to sit a little sideways if you wanted. Then we took off for Boston.

In Boston, we were met by Kelly, Geoffrey, and porters who took care of our luggage. Allan and Helen went with Kelly in the Rolls. The rest of us were split into three stretch limos, to go to the hotel.

I could see the guys really starting to get with the flow. Their banter slowly dropped from boisterous to a more civilized tone. Even Jordan was perking up. I wondered if it was the sight of that wonderful Rolls Royce or the experience of being in a stretch that helped.

At the hotel we attracted porters again and our bags were whisked away to our rooms. That’s when I found out that each couple was sharing a room. No individual rooms had been booked. The look on Jordan’s face was priceless when we were both given matching keycards.

I took him aside. “Jordan, dear, if you want to make a fuss we can ask for a separate room, but I really would like you beside me tonight, even if we don’t do anything but sleep.”

He hugged me and whispered. “Let’s go and have a look at our room, it might have a sofa, I can stretch out on.”

“No, you don’t, buster,” I thought, “Tonight you’re mine.”

While we were together in the lobby, Kelly told us that we had dinner tonight with her in the hotel restaurant so stay dressed as we were. Tomorrow we would be picked up after breakfast. The TV station wanted to show us the final cut of the concert before it went on air. This would also be the master for the DVD.

Flora whispered to me that it would be interesting to see if they have got the Swan in, and if it had any effect on screen.

I told her that I thought that you just had to be there on the day. Also, if the effect still worked on the screen, the whole country may be walking around with smiles on their faces after they have seen it. We then would be listed as a medical treatment. In which case, a lot of therapists would be out of a job.

I grabbed Jordan’s hand and pulled him towards the elevator. “I just have to freshen up and change for dinner so come on up and see our room.”

On the way to the elevator he asked, “What do you mean, change? She said come as you are.”

We got into the elevator and pressed the button for our floor. “Jordan, sweet thing, when Lady Grove says stay as you are she means, ‘Don’t wear heels or put your hair up,’ it doesn’t mean ‘Stay stinky from hours in a plane.’ Now, I need a shower, are you going to help me wash my back?”

He swallowed and then grinned. “Of course, I can wash your back, Edie, is there anywhere else you would like me to rub?”

I smiled and told him that he was getting the picture.

“Edie, I’m sorry I’m not up with sexual references, I’m still a virgin.”

“I thought that. I did tell you that I’m one as well.”

“But.” He asked, “What about you and Josie?”

We got to our floor and the doors opened. As we walked along the corridor I said, “When Josie and I made love I was doing what I expect you to do. When you do what I expect you to do, I will, for the first time, find out what Josie felt. The good thing,” I grinned. “Is that if you go off-program, I can set you right again.”

We went into our room where we found a small suite with a lounge, a separate bedroom and all of our bags unpacked and put away. “I hope you didn’t pack anything you shouldn’t,” I said, “I should have warned you that first-class service means everything gets done for you.”

He stood in wonder at the sight of the huge bed.

I got behind him and put my arms around his waist, pressing my breasts into his back. I could feel the tension rise. He turned, held me close, and then we kissed. This time it was a fullbloodied one that lasted while he ran his hands over my back, and then down to my butt to pull me against something that had come between us.

We were alone, the blood was rising, and a bed waited for us both to lose our virginity. I made sure that he slowed down a bit, because I didn’t want him to feel the indignity of a premature ejaculation.

We left our clothes in piles on the floor as we moved to the bed.

He certainly didn’t need any signpost to see where he wanted to go. I think that our first coupling was the climax of too many months of thinking about it, because it drained us both. We ended up with him pinning me to the bed with his weight as we both panted words of love.

After some minutes I whispered, “I think you might enjoy that shower now.” We got off the bed and walked into the bathroom, with me holding my hand to my groin to stop drips from falling on the floor.

Jordan got the shower going and we both got in and kissed with the water cascading over us.

It wasn’t long before he was ready again.

I put my arms around his neck, and he put his hands under my butt and he entered me again as I wrapped my legs around his waist. I was pushed against the shower wall as we kissed the whole time, he drove into me before he came, again.

We finished showering after that and wrapped ourselves in the soft towels to dry. Jordan was quiet for a while. I knew better than to interrupt his thoughts. I patted dry, put another towel on my head in a turban, and then went back into the bedroom to sit at the vanity and inspect my face.

I could see him in the mirror as he came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.

He came over, stood behind me, and put his hands on my shoulders.

I looked into his eyes in the mirror and knew what he was thinking. I put my hands over his. “Darling, you’re wondering if I’ve had sex with you because you’re Josie’s brother. That, my love, is as far from the truth as it can be. You have a lot of the mannerisms that Josie had, but you aren’t her. You’re the one and only Jordan and I love you for that fact only.”

I stood, we kissed and then we needed another shower twenty minutes later. When we dressed, I helped him choose something casual but smart and dressed myself in a fresh set of underwear with a skirt, top, and low sling-backs.

Out in the corridor again we walked hand in hand, very much the couple. We met Pet and Anton at the elevator. She took one look at us and winked at me. Down in the dining room, I could see that all of the guys had that smug look that said that they, too, had gotten lucky.

Allan and Helen joined us. We stood around and talked for a while.

Kelly came in and got us all seated. I could tell that she approved of us all. She had not met the other four before. I formally introduced her to them along with their partners.

Kelly told them all that she was very happy to see us all tonight, looking so happy and rested after our flight. We started a lovely meal, probably the best meal the guys had ever had.

Pet asked her if she knew what tomorrow night was all about.

“No, I don’t, and I usually get told these things. Algernon and I have done the odd bit of business together and he has donated to the orchestra. His wife, Fiona, was one of those Stepford wife types, always perfectly made-up and dressed, but shy. From what I heard she’s a different person lately. Maybe this has something to do with what tomorrow will reveal. You must all be prepared for an experience like no other you may have had. Algernon made his money in IT and has branched out into Aged Care Homes and Full-Service End of Life Hospices. I believe he’s making a lot more money at that.”

We finished the meal, had a few more drinks and retired back to our rooms to carry on whatever we had been doing before.

I got the chance to wear my new nightie for a little while but put it back on around midnight.

Jordan proved to be a loving, caring, and magnificent lover. I didn’t have any previous experience to gauge him by, but he was more than good enough for this girl.

We had a morning wake-up call and showered again before dressing for breakfast.

I had to tell him that a three-day weekend doesn’t mean one pair of underpants worn three times. We went via the hotel shop to get him some more, meeting Pet and Matt in there doing the same thing.

Pet said, “Men!” and we laughed.

After breakfast we had ten minutes to freshen up before a bus came to take us to the TV station where we were welcomed with open arms. We went through introductions with our very friendly station manager, who was surprised to see the whole band on his doorstep.

We were taken into a big boardroom where chairs had been set out. We were joined by the main camera and sound men and the post-production people,

The concert had been trimmed to two and a half hours. They had done that by dropping the ‘Serenade for Strings,’ and shortening the applause and silent periods. The rest of the musical content remained.

Pet sat on one side of me and held my hand while Jordan sat the other side and held the other, as if they thought I may jump up and run.

It was as I remembered from the sound. Seeing the visual as someone in the balcony had done was different. Hardly anyone moved until the last notes of the Swan died away. The credits rolled over the vision of us all making our bows, and then leaving the stage.

Marianne Gregory © 2022