Weeping Willow. Book 2, Chapter 22 of 23

Chapter 22

Willow spent a little while looking at her course notes and the subjects that would round out the year in Music Studies. The first half was called Remix, and the second half was Gamelan, with a group performance listed. She looked up the instruments in a Gamelan band, finding that most of them were percussion, and generally hit with a hammer. That, she thought, may be a hilarious way to end second year.

She was reading an incoming email when the doorbell rang. It was a courier to pick up the USB. She had put it into an envelope, addressed to Peter, which she gave to the courier, who gave her a signed receipt and left. She went back to the email.

It was from Racheal, asking her to be at the farm on Thursday morning, to help her get ready for the wedding. They were booked at a salon in Coventry and then for lunch and dressing at the Britannia. A car would drive them from the farm and to the registry for the ceremony, and then Willow could join her parents to go to the reception. She would be able to retrieve her normal outfit to wear home from the hotel, as the room was booked to the following morning and would be hers to use if she wanted to.

There was also an email from Wendy, sent from work. It told her that the fashion label was sending a photographer to Racheal’s wedding to get some preliminary shots to show the owner.

Willow printed off Racheal’s email to show her mother. Both of her parents would be taking the day off on Thursday for the wedding, so her mother would be able to drive her to the farm. The new dress was in a garment bag, with another bag with shoes, a clutch, and jewellery in. She had even bought a fascinator in the same colour to wear, although she thought she may look a bit silly with it.

In the afternoon, she suddenly felt very tired, and went up to her room to lie down. Waking up a little over three hours later, she felt refreshed. It had been a very stressful week, and she still had some effects of her operation to overcome. A lot had happened in a very short time, and she had been at the pointy end of most of it. She recalled Malcolm telling her to slow down, realising that her body had just told her the same thing.

She went down and started preparing for dinner, leaving her phone and computer alone. As she worked, she invariably started thinking about things. Her laptop was one that she had from the previous school and was sounding a bit loud when the drive was operating. Tonight, she decided, she would transfer everything important to the SSD memory and research something modern with an internal SSD.

That evening, after they had tidied up the dinner things, she went up to her room and transferred all the music and other memory to the remote SSD, amazed at how little space it had taken up. She ran through all her emails, cutting and pasting the most important to a word document to save on the SSD. That done, she went downstairs to see her father.

“Dad, can you transfer a thousand from my account to the debit card account. I want to go into the city, tomorrow, and get myself a new laptop. I’ll get a taxi in and out.”

“What about Maisie taking you?”

“She’s very busy with a special gown for Cassie’s wedding and sorting out house stuff. I’ll be all right. I have the card that the taxi driver that brought me home from the hospital gave me.”

He went into his office and called up the account.

“Peter put a thousand in this morning, so that’s your laptop paid for. Have you heard from him?”

“He emailed today. I’ll get my laptop so we can print it out.”

When she came back, he had transferred the money. She plugged in the printer and printed out today’s emails for him to look at.

“I think that I’ll get a printer at the same time, Dad. Then I can print stuff in my room.”

“That will be good. Look, these events that he’s putting together; they’re both a big step forward. The Belgrade isn’t a huge arena, but a TV show filmed there of the three bands is a huge exposure. The dinner dance will be great, we’ll have to get tickets. Perhaps we can get your grandies over from Cambridge for that.”

“I’ll have to clear the spare room if that happens, Dad, I’m slowly filling it with stuff.”

“How would you like it for me to go by the hardware store and get a couple of lockable metal cupboards that can go in the garage? That way, you can store all the extra stuff out of the way. It’s not as if you’ll be using it every week. I can get myself a workbench and get them all delivered together.”

“Sounds good, Dad. There’s an email here from Racheal. She wants me over at the farm in the morning and I won’t be back with you until after the ceremony. She’s booked a room for us to dress in and has told me that we can use it for the night, as it’s paid for until morning.”

“If we do stay overnight, you and I will have to taxi home so I can go to work on Friday. If we take your mother’s car, she can take a workday outfit and go to work from there. I can tell work that I’ll be a little late and work the extra time in the afternoon.”

She said goodnight to her parents, took the laptop back and went through the nightly rituals before getting into bed. Even with the afternoon sleep, she dropped off quickly and slept deeply.

In the morning, after her parents had left, she called the number on the card. The driver asked her where she wanted to go to, and she told him that she needed a good electrical store in Coventry where she could find a laptop. He took note of her address and told her that he would pick her up in about thirty minutes.

When he arrived, she locked up and with her big bag got in the back of the taxi. He was the same driver that she had been with before, and he asked her how she was. When they got into the city, he pulled up outside a big store and asked her how she was getting home. She told him that she would be a while and he told her that he would work in the city until she called him. She paid the fare and thanked him, then walked into the store.

Inside, she was looking at computers when a girl came up to her.

“Can I help you, Miss?”

“I’m looking for a laptop with a fast chip, plenty of working memory and the biggest SSD I can get. I also want a small printer that will go in a bedroom and a monitor that’s bigger than twenty-four inches.”

“That’s a lot of firepower for home and homework use.”

“I have a new professional mixing software which can take up to six feeds and produce good visuals sync ’ed to an audio track. We used it last week recording a couple of bands.”

“Oh. Which bands?”

“G-Force, Rick and the Hikers and Summer Rose.”

“That’s quite a line up. Do you have a relative in any of those?”

“I play keyboard in Summer Rose.”

“You’re Willow. Wow! My folks love the Carpenters stuff. You’re all over the airwaves at the moment. I guess that you need something that will endure the rough and tumble. An SSD is the only way to go. The thing with the latest units is that they’ve dropped having an inbuilt disc drive, so you’ll need a remote drive to play and record to. They don’t cost a lot, though.”

An hour later, Willow was the owner of a new laptop with more internal memory than she had ever had before, a remote disc drive, a printer that used ink tanks that she was assured lasted a very long time, and a thirty-inch curved monitor that she just had to have after seeing the clarity of the screen. She had also been supplied with the way to subscribe to the new MS suite, rather than having it on a disc, as well as a good virus protection starter. When it was all totalled up, she had enough to get herself a new music player with a link to Google and Spotify. All her boxes were taken near the door that she had come in, and she rang the taxi driver. He told her that he was ten minutes away and she waited for him. One of the assistants helped carry her things to the taxi and she was home, her boxes piled in the hallway, before lunch.

After she ate, she took the items up, one by one, and spent a few hours setting up. The monitor was fantastic, and the printer was Wi-Fi, so didn’t have to be anywhere near the desk. She nipped down to her dads office and took a bundle of printer paper back up. She found out that she needed a bank account to set up ongoing use of the MS suite and the virus protection, so she left those for a moment and loaded up the post-production software using the remote disc player. Xavier had been right; it was so much easier on a big screen.

When her father arrived home, she asked him about setting up her own account.

“Funny you should ask, sweetheart. The accountant rang me at work and we’re seeing him tonight. When we come home, everything will be running. How was your quest?’

She took him up to her room and showed him what she had bought. He loved the new screen and said that he needed to get one for himself.

After a quick dinner, the three of them went to see the accountant, with all three needing to sign the paperwork for the new company. The accountant gave her the new account details, set up with a seed from her uni account, and a credit card in the company name. She gave him the account for the computer equipment, the first purchase of the company. He gave her the details of her first personal account, also set up with a seed from the uni account. She got a debit card for that one. He also gave her details of three commercial properties to look at. He told her that if she wanted to see any, to ring the agent for a viewing. Before they left, she asked him if he could register the trading name ‘Summer Rose Band’ and the variations as a trademark in her name.

On Wednesday, she activated the MS suite and filled in the account details. When she tried Word, she found it to be chalk and cheese from what she had been used to, then realised that she had moved from Windows ten to eleven, and that everything was bright, shiny, and new. She loaded up and activated the virus protection. All of this was done as WR Holdings, with the company credit card to pay the subscriptions. She logged on to Outlook and set up her old email account, with all of the history empty. For the last thing, she created a Gmail address under the company, wrholdings. This would be her private account, only made known to those with a valid reason to know. She emailed Jacob to let him know to use it for private messages. Ten minutes later, she got her first message, which just read ‘Willow, I love you, JE’.

That evening, she went to the club and again let Gina play the organ for the choir. She sat at a table and wrote lyrics in her notebook, based on a busy life. She saw Tom looking across at her as he worked the choir with professionalism. Even Malcolm gave her a smile when she went for a drink. She was there, if needed, but was staying out of the way.

By the time she got home, the usual inbox had messages from various friends. There was one from Peter with a mock-up of the upgraded website to look at, as well as a similar one for each of the other two bands. He also told her that he would see her at the reception, now invited as Rick’s manager.

On Thursday morning, Willow had breakfast and then showered and dressed in one of her nicer skirt and top outfits. Ashley dropped her off at the farm and then left to look for the items for the garage. They weren’t at the farm long; just long enough for Willow and Jacob to have a cuddle, and then a car arrived to take the two girls on an adventure. Neither had been for a salon experience, having not been able to pay for one before.

At the salon, they were preened and pampered, had their hair washed and worked on, while other attendants looked after their fingers and toes. They both had their dresses with them, and the make-up was applied to suit the dress colours as well as their own colouring. When they left, they both had bags with the products that had been used on them.

At the Britannia, they were given the room card, and a lad carried their things up to what turned out to be a suite. With the dresses, a suitcase and the cosmetics bags, it was almost as much as you would have for a long stay. When the things were stored with the dresses hanging in the wardrobe, they went down to the dining room for an early lunch.

They spoke about the next events of the day, and then Willow asked about where Jacob would be living when Racheal and Rick moved in.

“The thing is, Willow, that we are just buying the farmhouse and the right to farm the land. My parents will retain ownership of the acreage and will receive a part of the profit as an annual payment. Dad has done some work on one of the old barns; making it watertight and internally insulated. He had started it so I could come back and help him. It has some internal walls and has been plumbed for water and a septic tank. All we need to do is finish the fit-out, and Jacob can move in. There will be enough room for him to set up a large music room, which Rick will use as well to store his stuff. I’ll feed Jacob, but he will essentially be living in a bachelor pad.”

“Will you be moving in soon?”

“About two months for our lease to run out on the flat. Enough time to throw some money at the barn and the parents to shift to Stoneleigh. There are things that they want to do with that house before they move in. Nothing will change until summer. And we need to go and change for the big event.”

Back in the room, the two girls made ready for the ceremony, putting on luxurious underwear and stockings. It was the first time that Willow had worn stockings and a garter belt, and she felt very lady-like. Willow helped Racheal get into a tight-fitting dress, then put on hers. They both stepped into shoes that neither would enjoy but made them both look fabulous.

They had rechecked their make-up when there was a knock on the door. The car driver was ready to take them. Racheal followed him, with Willow behind and carrying both of their clutches. There were some looks as they walked through the reception to the car, and then they were off to the registry.

When they arrived, Wilhelm was there to escort his daughter with Willow in attendance. In the office, Rick was waiting, Jacob in a very smart suit standing beside him. There wasn’t a lot of room, but enough for the parents. Once the paperwork had been signed, they went outside, where there was a small crowd of well-wishers. Maisie and Gina stood with Wendy and Ashley; the Hikers were all there with their partners. The bride and groom were showered with rice, as the local council didn’t allow confetti, but allowed rice as the pigeons would have it all gone within five minutes. Willow gave Racheal her clutch, and then went to stand with Gina, who had a stunning dark red outfit on. There was two or three photographers, one of them made sure to take several pictures of Willow and Gina.

Willow was taken back to the hotel by her parents, where she used the card to open the door to the room. She took her bag and garment bag through to the smaller room, leaving her parents the big bed. She changed into a skirt and top for the reception, changing her shoes for her more comfortable ones.

They went down to the hotel bar, where most of the wedding guests were having a drink and sat with Maisie and Gina. Jacob joined them. Rosalie and Wilhelm were sitting with a couple who she knew were the new in-laws, and the Hikers were enjoying drinks at the bar. As it got towards five, they all gravitated towards the function room, which was set out with a lot of table settings, with some guests already seated. At one end, Willow noticed a grand piano, next to where a DJ was setting up. They found their places, near the DJ, and sat down. The bridal party were on a table next to them, arriving just on five and joining both sets of parents. Racheal had changed from the wedding dress into something a lot more comfortable, no doubt assisted by Rick, Willow surmised.

The meal was good, and the room was filled. There were a lot of family, old school friends, and friends of the two families. Willow noticed Peter and Marcus with their partners, as well as Geoff and Zara. There were no set speeches, but Rick’s father stood to make one. The DJ stopped the quiet music. When he had waffled on about his layabout son and the angel he had married, he said that the happy couple would now have the first dance.

Racheal came over to Willow.

“Willow, friend. Could you please do that last song of the new album for me to dance to?”

“Certainly, Rach. Would you like me to add a few on, so that we get more dancing?”

“That would be lovely.”

Racheal went back to her table and Willow went to the piano, quickly opening and propping the top. She uncovered the keys and started playing ‘Her Day’. As she played and sung, Racheal and Rick were dancing. Racheal beckoned others to join them, and the floor slowly filled. When the song from the album ended, she segued into ‘Close to you’ and ‘Only Just Begun’. As she was nearing the end, she nodded to the DJ who was ready to carry on the music when she finished. She quietly put the cover on the keyboard as Jacob closed the piano top, then they joined the other dancers.

“That was nicely done, darling. Rach has been playing my CD of the album all week, with that song on rotation. After all the angst of the earlier numbers, that one is the most uplifting. It was good of you to play it for her.”

“It’s the least I could do, sweetheart. That was a nice piano. One day, we may have a house big enough to have one.”

“There’s another old barn at the farm that has a lot of room.”

“Surely the new farmers might have a use for it. If they embrace modern methods, they may need more plant and equipment.”

“You could be right. What are you doing tonight?”

“We’re staying in the room that we changed in. Mum will go to work from here and I’ll be going home with Dad in a taxi. I’ve got the other wedding on Sunday, and then we do that reception at the club. I’m amazed at what we fitted into this holiday.”

“It would never have happened without you wielding the shoehorn.”

They danced and sat, sat and danced. Over the course of the evening, several of Racheal’s old friends came over to say hello to Willow, Gina and Jacob, taking selfies. It encouraged the three to get up and move away from the bridal table, heading to where their manager was sitting.

“Hello, Peter, nice to see you and your good wife.”

“Hello, Willow. That was an interesting take on your songs back there.”

“The first time I did the new set was at the club when we had an impromptu Saturday night. Just me and the keyboard. I think it has more depth of emotion with the full band.”

“It certainly has, from the number of crying women in the club on Wednesday.”

“Someone suggested that we put a packet of tissues on every seat, but I reckon a concession stand selling them might be more lucrative. Nice work on the bookings.”

“When I de-finger, Willow, I go all out. Marcus has been to London and has some news for the band. I would like to set up a meeting before you go back to school.”

“I’ll be home, alone, tomorrow, then Saturday I need to be over the church to run through the wedding music again. We’ll all be at the club for the reception on Sunday. Maybe you can email the others to arrive early. Remember the wind players.”

“That wedding is at four, with the reception starting about six-thirty for the eating, right?”

“There will be a period between five and six while the bride and groom go and change in the vicarage. Maybe we could meet then, in the club.”

His wife sat forward.

“Who is it getting married, dear.”

“It’s Cassandra, the daughter of Baron Leigh, and Terry, son of the Earl Appleby. I’ll be playing the church organ for them.”

“A real society wedding. Didn’t I read something about that in the Observer this week. The story was about a many great niece of the third Baron playing the organ. Is that really you?”

“It is. My four times great grandfather was the brother of the third Baroness. We only found out about it by a twist of fate. It doesn’t make me family to the current Baron, though.”

“Still, it’s an interesting thing to tell your children.”

They moved on to talk to Geoff and Zara, and then the other members of the Hikers. As the evening wore on, the happy couple made their escape under a cloud of confetti, and the guests started to leave. The three friends went back to their tables. When it was quiet, Gina turned to Willow.

“I was going to bring this up before. At the registry, there was one photographer that seemed more interested in us than the happy couple.”

“That’s because we were why he was there. The boss where Mum works has a friend who runs a fashion business. They print the quarterly brochures for them. It appears that the friend is keen to have us model teen outfits. I’ve already put her off for the spring collection, but she sent him to take a few of us dolled up to see what we look like. I expect that Mum will hear what she thinks in the next week or two.”

“So, we may finish the term as rock stars and models. That’s wild!”

“Hey, it’s only a clothing brochure in the paper, it’s not Vogue.”

“It’s the first step on the ladder of super modelling. Catwalk by day, rock gods by night!”

“You’ve had too much raspberry cordial, friend. I think it’s time I hit the sack. My folks need their beauty sleep, Dad’s either nodding off or all that beer is getting to him. Goodnight, friends. I’ll see you Saturday for the sing-along.”

They hugged and Jacob kissed Willow before she rounded up her parents and went to the room. She cleansed in the bathroom and wondered what the meeting would deliver. It had to be something big if Peter wanted a full-band meeting. She decided not to worry herself and dived into a strange bed without her furry friends to talk to. As she went to put out the bedside light, she saw her shiny red fingernails and smiled.

Marianne Gregory © 2025