Part 1
My brother, Charles and I were born just twenty minutes apart. We were, so my mother was told, identical twins. So, it proved, as we grew. We were the same height, the same weight, looked the same, had the same likes and dislikes.
In school we were impossible to separate, the teachers getting us to wear badges so that they could tell which one they were speaking to. That wasn’t totally successful, as we would swap badges in the playground, or toilets, just to see what would happen. The crazy thing was that, although we were on opposite sides of the class, we would always get the same marks for the same answers in every test we did.
I don’t know how she did it, but our mother could pick us, we thought it may have been by smell, or something. Experiments with underarm spray didn’t faze her, even a squirt of our sister’s perfume wasn’t good enough to defeat her uncanny skill. Our sister, by the way, was born two- and a-bit years before us and was an integral member of our little trio. Or, should I say, we were her sidekicks.
I suppose that I had better introduce myself. I am Thomas Gaynor, and my brother is Charles. Our sister is Angelica. The male line of the family is littered with Thomas and Charles as the Christian names, as we can trace our line back a few generations. What’s more, it all happens in the same part of the countryside, near a cluster of houses called Wambrook, near Chard.
An ancestor, Thomas Gaynor, had acquired some twenty acres of land back in the mid- nineteenth century. At that time, he had used manual labour and horses to farm the land. Sometime, towards the end of that century, he had bought a pair of Fowler ploughing engines, which allowed him to till the fields without needing the horses. These traction engines had an underslung pulley wheel which dragged the plough across the field, from one to the other, then they moved one furrow over and the plough went back to the other side.
He had two sons: Thomas and Charles, with Thomas dying of a lung infection. Charles carried on farming the land, and then enlarging the holdings due to neighbours losing their sons on the fields of France. By the time his eldest son, Thomas, took over, the farm was close to three hundred acres, and was using rudimentary tractors. I can see a few eyes glazing over, stay with me, I’m trying to explain how a family evolves.
My grandfather, Charles, found the Fowlers in a shed, gathering dust and chicken poop. He wasn’t a farmer, more a tinkerer of the mechanical world. He had become the farm mechanic and kept the old Fordson tractors going. In the late thirties, the two brothers sat down and divided the holdings. Thomas keeping most of the acreage, with Charles keeping around twenty acres, which included one of the farmhouses and the land with the sheds. They arranged that Charles would provide the engineering skills if Thomas provided farm produce. This was all put on hold when the Second World War broke out. Thomas stayed at home while Charles went off to war.
My grandfather didn’t talk much about his war, so I was told, only that he had been captured and spent over three years as a prisoner of the Japanese, working in a coal mine in Fukuoka. He died, in the mid-sixties, of a massive and unusual cancerous growth. My father swears that the Americans killed him, as the coal mine was halfway between Nagasaki and Hiroshima. He says that the coal heaps diverted the blast, but he doubted that radiation works in the same way as wind.
By that time, my father was in his late teens, and had caught the mechanical bug. Grandfather had been a supply sergeant in the Engineers, so had lots of contacts when he came back. He had partially restored the two Fowlers before he left, and had rebuilt the shed, more than doubling the size. He then built another shed to house the pair of pre-war Burrell Showman’s traction engines that he had picked up, for a song, in the early fifties. By the time he died, he had bought ex-army trucks and had started a small trucking business, known as Gaynor Transport. My father continued the business, with a good team of ex-military drivers, and the company slowly grew. He was able to buy a pair of surplus army tank transporters, and, by the time he married, was taking the traction engines to various shows that were starting to spring up.
In the same period, so my Uncle Tom told me, his father had changed the farm from a cropping operation to a mixed produce one. It now had cows and a milking shed, with a cheese making section. Uncle Tom had introduced sheep, chickens, and goats, with some of the acreage carrying livestock, some for feed, and the rest with flowers, herbs, vegetables, and the like. He had built a farm shop next to the road and was doing very well, with Auntie Jean opening an organic café.
All of this leads me to where I am, today. I grew up, roaming among the trucks, gazing at the traction engines when they were fired up, loving the sound of the steam whistles, and staying well clear when they were on the move. My brother and I would go over to the farm and help out with the animals, while my sister would be helping with the cheese making and the café. How the three of us found time to go to school, I don’t know, but we went, and all of us were good students. I suppose a diverse knowledge helped, as some of the other kids had never even figured out that you need a chicken, somewhere, before you could scramble the egg.
Some of the things that we had to thank my grandfather for was a row of four Nissen Huts, more army surplus. One was a canteen and washroom for the truck drivers, one was a store for spare parts, one was the business office and cleanroom workshop. The last was our playhouse. It was also where Charlie and I have our bedrooms, one each, with a shower room. Angelica slept in the farmhouse. Much of one end was an open space, and it was here that the foundation of our adulthood was created.
By the time we were in second year at High School, Angelica was nearly sixteen, and totally enraptured by music and dance. She had a couple of best friends that she would spend time with, talking about music and boys, boys, and music. Charlie and I would spend some of our time helping Dad with the work on the traction engines, but, usually in the evenings, we would help Angelica with her project. She had developed the idea that she could be a singing star, like the other young girls in the charts.
We had borrowed a set of speakers from the roundabout that Dad was restoring, and we had a cheap amplifier and microphones. Angelica was a good singer, and the two of us could do reasonable back-up. She would get her cassette player and a tape that she had made of all the top hits that she wanted to sing, as well as some older songs. She was well into the Spice Girls, Shaia Twain, Destinys Child, Cleopatra, Steps and Honeyz, with a dash of Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Over a few months, we helped her develop a stage presentation. Both of us guys were reasonable dancers, and, between us, we put together a show that lasted about half an hour. The next thing she did was to drag her best friends into the act. Lucy and Janine were around the same size as Angelica and were good dancers from the outset. It took Charlie and me a week to teach them the steps that the three of us had worked out. I danced alongside Lucy, while Charlie danced alongside Janine.
Once they had mastered the steps, they then worked on the backing vocals. Angelica had a boyfriend, Archie, who was good with audio, and he had reworked the backing tape to filter out the vocals, which meant that the three girls could be the singers. He came around, one Saturday afternoon, with a tape recorder and video camera, recording the full show for them to watch later. After that, the six of us went out to a teen dance in Chard. Dad drove us over and promised to be outside the hall at ten.
That evening, I danced with Lucy, two years older than me, and even got a kiss. I have to tell you that both Charlie and I were a bit tall for our age, and could pass for fifteen, with ease, so we didn’t look, or feel, out of place with the girls. I should rephrase that last bit. We were as tall as a fifteen-year-old girl. After that evening, we both had girlfriends, of a sort. It was more that we helped them develop the stage show by being supportive.
Although Dad would take one or two of the traction engines to the various rallies, there was one event that he worked hard to be at. This was the annual Great Dorset Steam Rally, now being held near Blandford Forum, on a six-hundred-acre site. For 1999 we were going all out. We would have both Fowlers, set up to give a ploughing demonstration, and both Burrells, completely decked out with new paint and the dynamo-powered lights. One will be driving the Prancing Horses merry-go-round, which would get its speakers back.
The two Fowlers would fit onto a low loader, pulled by a modern truck, and the two Burrells would each have a tank transporter. The Horses would fit on an articulated lorry, and the rest of us would go in a small convoy of cars, with the caravans hooked up. This was all needed, because the show went for five days, in late August, and was huge. They usually got more than thirty thousand a day through the gates, and it included working horses, tractors, agricultural machinery, a funfair, a market, autojumble, classic cars, and the best as far as Angelica was concerned, live music. Dad had pulled a few strings, and the three girls were set to open the Thursday evening show. We were to leave on the Tuesday morning, to give us time to get set up before the gates opened on Wednesday.
Of course, you’ve guessed it! On Saturday evening, we got a phone call from Janine’s mother. The two families had been in Wales, on a hiking trip, when Lucy had stumbled in a rut, turning her ankle, and fell against Janine, who fell over onto a rock. Lucy was now nursing a severely swollen ankle, and Janine was just out of the hospital with a cast on her arm. Angelica was devastated.
In order to placate a sobbing daughter, Mum looked at the two of us and asked how much of the routine we knew. We, having helped develop it, knew it well. Mum ordered Angelica to go and fetch the outfits from her room, where they were all stored with the underwear and accessories, because, she ordered, “You boys can do this for your sister. You know the steps, I’m sure that you’ve seen the girls do it often enough to sing the backing. Angelica is going to get her time on the stage. Got that!”
What could we say, but “Yes, Mum.”
That evening, Mum stayed with us in Angelica’s room as we tried on the stage outfits. They fitted, and the bras were already padded as the two girls weren’t that well developed, yet. The only things that would have to change was the shoes, as we both had feet a couple of sizes bigger. We were allowed to get back into our own things and sent off to get a good night, as Sunday would be the start of the change, from being the two sons, to being two daughters.
When we were safely in our hut, I asked Charlie what he thought about all of this.
“Tom,” he said, quietly. “This is something I’ve thought about for a couple of years. I think I want to do this, but I’m afraid of how it will turn out. Will we get laughed at, or, worse, get rotten tomatoes thrown at us. I love Angelica, but she is more of a shining example of what I’d like to be. What about you?”
“Charlie, you know that there’s nothing that you want that I don’t think about. Like you, I’m afraid of what may happen on Thursday evening. All we can do is be the best Lucy and Janine we can be, for our sister.”
On Sunday morning, at breakfast, Dad told us that he wasn’t too happy about what Mum had planned, but would go along with it, as long as we could show him what the show would look like, as neither parent had seen it. We were to run through it, without the outfits, to prove that we were not bringing the good name of Gaynor into disrepute.
He helped reclaim the speakers and set them up in the hut. We tested the microphones and the cassette player for sound, then wound the tape back to before the first song. It was, I realised, ironic that the first song was “Man, I feel like a Woman” by Shania Twain. We had chosen it for the good intro, lasting long enough for us to all start at the same time. Angelica liked it because it set the tone for the whole show.
Mum and Dad sat on chairs in front of us and we did the show. I know that us boys were a little rusty, having left it to the three girls some weeks before, but it only took a couple of minutes before we were grooving along, Our voices hadn’t broken yet so there were times when we sang in good harmony. At the end of the set, we stood, and Mum came to us and hugged all three of us. Dad just nodded and then said that we were great, and that he had no worries about our performance, just that us boys couldn’t look like a couple of teenage girls. Mum glared at him and told him, in no uncertain terms, that when she had finished with us, he had better be prepared to treat us like his daughters.
From that moment, the plan was put into motion. Mum called her friend at the salon she would go to for special occasions, getting us in before normal opening time on Monday morning. Angelica raided her wardrobe for two outfits that would be good for us to wear on Monday, when we would shop for two pairs of shoes that fitted the stage outfit, in a size that we would be comfortable with. After lunch, we were sent to the main bathroom, where Mum had run a sudsy bath. One at a time, she got us soaked and washed, then we had to stand while she went over our bodies with a safety razor. We had our hair washed twice, with much better shampoo than we had ever used, followed by a double conditioner.
One of the main things that made us three children stand out from the rest of the family is that all of our relatives are dark haired, while we took after Mum in being strawberry blondes. We wore our hair to below the ears, as was usual among lovers of the popular artists of the time. After we emerged from the bathroom, we were dressed in the stage outfits that Angelica had chosen. When we looked in a mirror, the three of us looked like triplets. I looked at Charlie and he had a big grin on his face. I knew, now, what was making him smile because I felt a little of the same.
From that moment, I was to be called Lucy, while my brother was Janine. Dad had sent the organisers a little bit of information about the act, so we had to continue the pretence. The stage outfit was a short dress, in silver, with fringes that would swirl as we moved. We went back to the hut and went through the show again, for Mum and Dad. We did it barefoot, to all be on the same disadvantage, and doing it in a dress made it totally different. Angelica was better, and the two of us were more girly in our movements. Dad was much happier.
The rest of the day, we wore the outfits that had been picked for Monday, learning how to walk, sit and act like teenage girls, with Angelica leading us and with Mum only chipping in when she saw something glaring. We had our evening meal, while being shown how to eat slowly and with smaller bites. The more we learned, the better I felt about myself. When it was time to go to bed, Angelica gave us a nightie each, telling us that until we got back from the Rally, we would have to stay in character.
When we were safely back in the hut, we did something we had never done before. We hugged and kept it going for a while. It felt good. When we parted, Janine was the one looking at me.
“How do you feel, now, Lucy?”
“I’m still trying to work out why this feels so comfortable, Janine. I never want to have to wear scratchy clothes again. Do you think that we’ll be able to continue this after the weekend?”
“We’ll just have to play it by ear, sister, we just have to get Thursday evening over, and then stay like this until we get home again. I hope we do enough with the show so that Angelica can move forward with her singing. I do know that there will be some good bands there on the Friday and Saturday, no doubt with their usual entourage. You never know, there may be a talent scout there.”
Monday morning came too quickly, I just didn’t want to get out of bed, luxuriating in the feeling of the nightie against my smooth skin. We were roused by Mum, given a light breakfast, checked that we had dressed properly. At the salon, the three of us were worked on by Mum’s friend, Sarah. Angelica was first and didn’t take as long as the two of us, seeing that she was already looking good.
When the two of us walked out, we had properly shaped eyebrows, pierced ears with studs, new nails, and hair extensions that matched the length of our sister. We all had matching make-up and Mum had a bag of products that she should use on us over the next week, to maintain the look. We then went and looked for matching shoes that followed the silver theme for the show, as well as two more pairs of what Mum called Mary Janes for normal wear, and a cheap pair of boots for getting around the showground. The girl in the store didn’t twig that we were boys, so Mum took us to buy some of our own underwear. Knowing our sizes, we didn’t have to try anything on.
What we did try on, however, was jeans and tops that we would travel in and wear around the Rally site. I was starting to think that this was a lot of money to spend for just a few days. I mentioned it to Mum, and she snorted.
“Lucy, love, the two of you are taking to all of this like a duck to water. Do you really think that you two can go back to normal as soon as you get home. Look at Janine, there’s no sight of Charles there, and this is only the first full day in a skirt. If that show of yours goes down well, you may be asked to repeat it on another night. You realise that there may be scouts down from London. There will be several hundred watching you, if not thousands. If you’re as good as I’ve seen, there may be a future in it for all three of you. I have to say that I’m excited for you all, especially for Angelica. This weekend could make her dreams come true, or it may just shatter them. We don’t want that to happen, now, do we?”
Tuesday morning, we were showered and, in our tops, and jeans, with knee-hi stockings and the Mary Janes. Mum spent a little while getting us made up, then we were off. First though, we were introduced to the other drivers as Lucy and Janine, Mum telling them that Tom and Charlie were staying over at the farm for the weekend.
We were in one Cruiser, with Mum driving, and the caravan had all of our clothing and show outfits in. It was to be where the three girls would have been sleeping but would be our home for the weekend. Mum and Dad would have the caravan that Dad was towing, now able to stretch out without needing space for two boys. Archie rode with him, his tent packed in the back. The truck with the Prancing Horses had a caravan for our guys hooked on it. It was quite a convoy, with the three big low loaders, a truck and two Cruisers with vans behind.
The trip threw up a number of firsts. It was the first time we went into the ladies with Mum and Angelica, and needed to be told that we would not be welcome in the gents, although Mum did say that we may be more than welcome there, given the looks we were getting. It was the first time I had a door held open for me by a guy with a big smile. It was also the first time we were both referred to as love and miss, by perfect strangers. That was something that we became more used to as the weekend wore on.
When we arrived at the Rally site, I just had to gasp. It was huge and already crowded. We were guided to the parking area, where we all lined up the trucks, with Mum and Dad going over to the edge of the field, where other caravans and tents were already set up, next to an amenities tent and a row of portable toilets.
The merry-go-round was the first item unloaded at its site. We all helped to get it set up and wiped over all the horses. Then the two Burrells were fired up. When they had a head of steam, they were backed off the transporters and driven to their display area, where one was connected up to the Prancing Horses, the electrical connections made, and the ride was tested. It was a magnet for all the kids already on site, so Dad ended up running the ride for an hour, with us three girls helping the smaller kids get up on the horses.
The other guys got the Fowlers fired up on Wednesday, and driven to where the ploughing demonstration would happen, over the next few days. Of course, all four boilers had to be allowed to cool, and then the ash removed. They would get new firewood and coal every morning. I watched as wonderful traction engines arrived, along with classic cars. The display area filled, and I knew that there was no way I would be able to have a good look at everything. It was huge already, and it looked as if more arrived through the day.
By Thursday morning, the place was packed, even without the public in. Mum brewed up breakfast after we had all used the shared toilets and showers, taking care not to give away our secret. We spent the day wandering around the place but not seeing it all. The four of us spent quite a while in the market, where Janine and I bought a couple of flashy, but cheap, rings. It was odd, having to delve into a handbag to find a purse to pay for our purchases. We ate food that wasn’t good for us but tasted great, and we did everything we could to stop the butterflies that were starting in all three stomachs.
At six, we were back into the caravan, getting ready for our small part in the show. Archie went off to the stage area to make sure he could use the sound system. The real Lucy and Janine had arrived, one in a moon boot and the other in a cast and a sling. They told us that there were a few others, from their class, that they’d seen, so we may have a fan base in front of us. Of course, they would be thinking that the Lucy and Janine that were singing were the real ones. We made sure that we were all correctly dressed, and Mum accentuated our make-up.
When it was time to go, we put on coats to hide the stage dresses, group hugged and walked to the stage area. We were fitted with radio senders that we had to put on under our dresses and did a quick sound check with the cordless microphones. We then took our places behind the wall of speakers to wait for our cue.
The announcer welcomed everyone to the rally and to the evening entertainment, starting with, he said, the debut performance of “Gaining Traction!”
Marianne Gregory © 2024
Part 2
The stage was set up with a bank of speakers on either side, where we would come out from behind. The backing tape went through those, with our voices going through a PA system. As we emerged, with Angelica singing the first lines, I was almost pushed forward by the impact of the sound.
What we had perfected, in the Nissen hut, now became a true performance. We strutted, we twirled, we shimmied, and we shook our butts as we moved back up the stage. As I got into the show, I found that I could notice individuals in the crowd. I saw some girls in the front that I knew from school. I saw my parents some rows back, along with Uncle Tom and Aunt Jean. Lucy and Janine were there, with their parents.
We were into a pair of Cleopatra songs when I saw a guy, about thirty feet from the edge of the stage, with his phone in his ear. I wondered at the lengths people go to stay in touch with their friends. The crowd got on board early, singing along with some of the songs. It looked to me as if they were enjoying themselves. The fact that we had started with a song that had hit the charts just a few months ago would have helped set the tone. After a dip into Steps and Honeyz, we finished off with the Spice Girls hit, ‘Wannabe’.
We ended the show, back near the speakers, with our microphones in our left hands and our right arms raised. The crowd were loud, and someone called for more. I had never thought that we would need it, but, just in case, we had worked on an encore, very early in the development. Archie had left the backing track on the tape, and called to us that it would start in ten seconds.
We waved to the crowd, who were getting more insistent, while counting down. Archie called, “three, two, one, go!” and Janine walked forward, singing the first lines of “You’re the One that I want”, from Grease. I know that it was twenty years old, but everyone knew the words. I followed with the second line and Angelica came forward with the bulk of the song.
I don’t know how it happened, as we hadn’t fully worked it out before this, but we found all three of us at the edge of the stage, Angelica in the middle with the two of us on either side. We sang the title line while pointing to various guys in the crowd, making a few blush, and others beam with pride at being picked out. All of us were vamping it to the maximum. I didn’t dare look at our parents during this song. We ended up, waved at the crowd, and walked back to the speakers and out of sight.
We went back to the tent, behind the stage, as there was another band already setting up, and waited until we were in a quiet corner before we had a group hug, which included Archie. We all had tears flowing freely, from the excitement of the show to the realisation that it was over. We went behind the screens to remove the microphone senders, giving them back to a smiling stagehand. Archie gathered up his tape player with our precious tape in it, we put the coats on and went out to walk back to the caravan to change.
We left the tent and walked straight into a large group of well-wishers. Parents, friends, even fans. We were smothered in hugs and kisses, to the point where Mum had to step in to ask our fans to give us some room. It was a large group that went up to the caravan, while the next band got into its set. They were a blues/rock group and I found myself singing along as we walked, arm in arm with Lucy on one side, and the two Janines on the other. Angelica had Archie’s arm around her shoulder.
While I would have liked to listen to the later band, Mum was firm. I was washed out so didn’t argue when she told us to go to the caravan and get ready for bed. In the van, we hugged again, and Angelica thanked us for putting the show together and stepping in to make it work. It didn’t take me long to go off to sleep, I don’t think that my sisters were far behind me.
When I woke, needing to pee, I got out, quietly, put the coat on over the nightie, and let myself out to go to the communal wet room. After relieving myself and washing my hands, I went back to the caravan, standing outside as I watched the suns rays’ peek over the horizon, taking in the whole atmosphere as the rally site started to wake up. It was an experience that I had never had before and was a moment in time that would stay with me for life. The van door opened, behind me, and Angelica said “Good Morning” as she dashed to the loos.
The van door opened again, and Janine joined me to watch the sun rise. We held hands in silence, until Mum came out of the other caravan and told us to get our towels and washing stuff, so that we can get use of the showers before the rush started. We didn’t talk about last night, it felt like it was another world, far from the light of day. Showered, then dressed in tights and jeans, with new tops and cardigans, we sat around a table, outside, until Dad came back from the food tent with containers of eggs, beans, bacon, and toast. Mum had got an urn heating and we all ate well, in relative quiet.
The other guys had joined us, and Geoff, the youngest of the crew, broke the spell by remarking, “You girls were fantastic, last night. I haven’t seen anything so polished before. Whatever happens, today, I think you all have a future.”
That started the discussion on what we had done. Dad commented that we looked like a trio of sex kittens on stage, and Mum told him that this was the whole point, the songs we had were not the sort you sing in church. The guys were all nice with their praise, and Geoff wondered if we would be asked to go back on another night.
“Looks like we’re going to find out, now,” Dad said, as we saw the show manager come towards us, with, oddly enough, the guy who I had noticed with his phone in his ear. I hadn’t been in the loop at how we became to be here. I had the feeling that Stuart, the show manager, and an old friend of Dad, had allowed us to perform as a favour, no doubt ready with the proverbial sheep crook to pull us off stage if we bombed.
Geoff told the other guys that it was time to go and get the traction engines ready for the day, getting up to leave us some privacy. Stuart and Dad shook hands and Stuart introduced Garth. They both sat and took a cup of hot tea that Mum gave them. Stuart started the conversation.
“Look, Charlie, I had my doubts when you asked me if your daughter could go on stage. Last night was a real eye-opener, though. That show was something like you would see from a professional group, with hit singles in the charts. Garth, here, has a group in that position, and he has told me, this morning, that he had been mightily impressed. I want you to open the show tonight, at seven, as well as Sunday, but not Saturday, as we already have a full list of artists. We nearly didn’t, but Garth can take over and ask you girls a question.”
“Thanks, Stuart. I am the road manager of the group, Cleopatra. We were booked to close the show on Saturday night, and I had come down to let Stuart know that we would have to cancel. Zain and Chris are both sick with the flu and aren’t allowed to sing. While you were on stage, I heard you sound like I was in the studio with the band, and called Cleo, to let her hear for herself. What we want is for you to come up to London, today, and see if you can fill out our sound. There’s no money in it, but you’ll get a bunch of merchandise. If you do end up on stage, we’ll supply the outfits for you to keep. I’ve told Stuart that we will donate half our fee to a charity of your choice, just for giving us the chance to play. What do you think?”
I looked at Angelica, who was slowly glazing over. I got up and went to her before she fell off the chair and helped her put her head down to her knees. While she recovered, Dad and Mum had a quiet talk. He looked at Garth.
“We’re happy with that, if the girls want to do it.”
Angelica looked at us with such a pleading expression, we couldn’t say no.
“Right, then. I’ll get our minibus here for about ten, so you can be taken to our rehearsal room and studio. What we’ll do, today, is just see if you fit in, learn the words and some of the steps. If it works, you’ll have to go back, Saturday, to run through the show with the band before coming back to perform. If that happens, you’ll be in the stage gear when you arrive. I think we’re on at nine, so it may be a late night.”
With that, the two of them left us to contemplate what had just happened. The guy had said that we should learn the words. That was something we didn’t need to do, as Angelica had the CD and had it on repeat for almost three months. In our earlier messing around in the hut, we had done the entire ‘Comin Atchu!’ CD as a show. Mum asked why we were so quiet.
“I know you don’t follow the charts, Mum,” said Angelica. “The band we’re going to London for haven’t long finished a tour as the opening band for the Spice Girls. They haven’t had hit singles, true, but they have had a couple in the top fifty, this year. To be asked to fill out their sound is a real compliment. They’re four sisters, from Manchester, and Cleo is the lead singer. This is something I could never have dreamed about, to be on stage with an established group, if only for one show, is a dream come true.”
“Right, then,” Mum said, firmly. “We can’t let the side down. The three of you, back in the van and change, no child of mine is going to London in jeans. Lucy, go and wake Archie up, I think he may enjoy a trip to the big smoke.”
I went to the small tent and pulled the flap open, calling out to Archie to wake up as there were places to go and people to see. He opened one eye and told me to go away until lunchtime. When I told him we were all going to London to meet Cleopatra, he didn’t believe me, but it did wake him up.
“There’s breakfast at the table, go and get some before it goes cold. Then shower and get dressed to meet music royalty. There’s a bus coming for us before ten, so get your skates on!”
I then went off to see what Angelica had chosen for us to wear on our outing. We didn’t have a lot to choose from, but she had put together a few items that looked good. When we emerged, we all had denim skirts, with the tops we had worn earlier. The Mary Janes made an appearance, to highlight our legs, now encased in tan tights. She had spent a bit of time on our make-up and had spritzed us with a dash of perfume. We had shoulder bags with everything we may need for the day, so were all set to go.
Archie had made some attempt at looking good, as had Mum, who wasn’t going to let her brood out of her sight. It wasn’t long before the bus came over to us and we all clambered in, joining Garth. As the driver took us to London, Garth was quite chatty, asking Mum about the family and what we did. When she told him that we had the two Burrell Showman’s in the display, he was animated, telling us that he loved the traction engines and that explained how we got our name.
“Yes,” I asked. “About the name. I only heard it for the first time as we were being introduced. I thought that it was to be ‘The Gaynor Attraction’?”
Mum looked sheepish.
“That’s my fault, love. When your father asked me what the name was to be, I thought that the other one was a bit too pretentious, so I told him the one you heard. It’s catchy, though, isn’t it?”
The trip didn’t take too long, and the driver pulled up outside an industrial building in Twickenham. Inside, we walked into a reception area and then through a few doors to a recording studio, where Cleo and Yonah were working on a song we hadn’t heard before. We waited in the control room until they had finished, with Archie in seventh heaven.
When they had finished, Cleo waved us in, and Garth introduced us. He then went back to the control room to join Mum and Archie, who I could see in a conversation with the sound technician. Cloe told us to be comfortable and asked us what songs we knew. Angelica told her that she knew all of the album, and that the two of us were good with most of it.
“Right, that makes it easier. The show is the album plus four new songs from the next album. These will be performed for the first time, tomorrow night. Let’s get you set up with microphones and we’ll take the album first. Then we’ll play you the others and give you the words to read. Albert! We’re going to work through the album, then take a break. Can you set up the backing tape, please.”
We stood at a microphone, each, facing the two of them, and she gave us earphones to wear.
“This is so you hear the sound as if you were listening to the CD. Have a bit of a chat and Albert will let you know when he’s ready to roll.”
As we talked, I could hear the sound in the headphones being altered. Then Albert told us that we start in ten seconds. I counted down in my head and then the opening notes of the first track, their biggest hit so far, thundered in my ears and we were off. I closed my eyes, and it was like singing along to the CD, back in the Nissen Hut, with Angelica coming in as the third voice, alongside Cleo and Yonah. Janine and I did the backing vocals, as we had done in the hut. We worked through the album, track by track, without a break, and I was really in the groove by the time we finished.
As the last notes faded, Cleo said, in my ears, “Garth said you were good, but that, girls, was fantastic!”
Yonah handed us some sheets with the words of the other songs on, and we read through them as Albert played the recorded tracks. Janine and I had the easy bits, but it took Angelica three plays before she was happy with the first, but nailed the others as she figured out the hierarchy of the group’s dynamic. It finally got through her head that she was third wheel. We then spent an hour, working as we had before, before Cleo was happy that we had the four songs good enough to have a break.
Garth had organised a caterer to bring in lunch and we sat around a table, eating and chatting. Albert told Garth that Archie was a bright lad and had a future in the industry. Cleo told us all that she was happy that she had been born some years earlier than us, or else she may not have been able to follow us. That brought a laugh. After the meal, we were led into a rehearsal room, where the rest of the band were starting to set up. There, we met Molly, the dresser, who measured the three of us, looking at Janine and I closely as she did so. Garth told her that we needed something to wear for the Saturday night show, and also something for our own performance, tonight. He showed her a short clip of us, on stage, so that she could see what we were doing. I’d never thought that we would need anything different from our silver outfits but decided that he was the professional.
That afternoon, we learned just what it takes to be a band on stage. Cleo was running with a small group, just the three guitars, drums, and keyboard, rather than the dozen or so they had used on tour. The new thing, for us, was being fitted with headset microphones and earbuds. Cleo told us that we would be welcoming them once the band cranked up. The two of them were out front, with Angelica, while the two of us were back, alongside the band, for most of the show, only coming forward for the last four songs. We were told to “Just Groove” until then.
Janine and I chatted with the guitarists while Cleo showed Angelica the main steps that they used, much of it we had seen on their videos. By the time we were deemed ready to go, there was a crowd in front of us, Molly with a few of her helpers, by the tapes hanging around their necks, the sound man, and some others who I took to be other band members. I was starting to get worried, then Cleo clapped her hands, and I heard her voice in my ears.
“Right, let’s get this going. I want to run through the whole show twice, today, if we can. The song list is there, on that board, it doesn’t run in the same order as the album. You have the words for you to use, should you need them, but just for the first run through. Let’s get this show on the road!”
The opening chords of the first song almost pushed me over, and then we were off and running. Whenever I looked at Janine, she had a big smile as she sang, a smile that must have matched mine. We did our backing part, watching as our sister really got into the groove, singing along with one of her favourite bands. For me, it was the sheer experience of being in a live band, not just singing to a backing tape, that was the thing that got my adrenaline moving. I was getting hooked on performing with each passing song.
With the last four songs, the two of us moved up to be alongside the other three, and followed their movements as we sang, ending the last song, their previous hit, as a row across the front of the band.
In the silence that followed, Cleo called out, “What do you say, boys?” and the band all shouted “Yea!!!”
We had a pee and rest break before doing the whole thing again, this time being much neater as we now knew where we were heading. At the end of that, Cleo turned us over to Molly. We had the headsets and buds removed, and Molly took Janine and me into her own workroom.
“Right, boys. How long have you been dressing?”
“Since Sunday,” whispered Janine. “How did we give ourselves away?”
“I’ve been around this industry my whole life, laddie. I’ve seen all kinds, from drag queens to good impersonators. You gave nothing away, it’s just that I can see through the make-up. You are two of the best I’ve seen for being so new to it. There has to be a story behind it. Get stripped while you tell me how you got turned into girls.”
We got undressed, down to our panties, but she told us to get them off as well, because she had something better for us to have as a foundation. The ‘something better’ turned out to be, as she called them, padded gaffs, which hid any male bits and gave us bubble butts. We related how we had helped our sister and had to step in to save the day. She was very interested when I told her that we had developed our show in a Nissen hut.
We got a new pair of red panties, next, followed by a red lace bra with a much bigger padding than we were used to. It took us a while to pull on the sheer, black, tights, and then she handed us black, see-through blouses. Then we shimmied into tight, red leather skirts that almost made me swoon with delight. Finally, she found some strappy sandals with two-inch heels that fitted us.
“Get used to walking in these before you go out. Lead with your groin and you’ll get the motion. Garth said you needed something different for your show, tonight, and you now look the part. Here’s a bag with what you came in, now go to the next room, where your make-up artist awaits. I’ll work on your sister, now.”
In the next room, we sat as a couple of women cleansed our faces and started from the bare skin. By the time they had finished, and played with our hair, we both looked about eighteen. Back in the rehearsal room, it was a bit quieter, the band had left everything set up, and Archie was nowhere to be seen. He walked in from the control room, as Angelica walked in from the make-up area, and the look on his face had to be seen to be believed. She was stunning, in the same outfit that matched ours. We were going to break hearts tonight.
There was a bit more refreshment and then it was out to the bus. This time, however, we were joined by Cleo and Yonah, Molly and Albert. Albert carried a small case, while Archie had a big grin as he sat next to his girlfriend. The trip took a little longer, seeing it was into the peak hour, and we arrived back at the rally at a little after six. Mum went off to tell Dad we were back, while the rest of us went into the tent behind the stage.
Albert and Archie fitted us with the headset mikes and buds, just as we had on in the afternoon, and they were tested. It was going to be odd, not holding a microphone, but it was something we needed to nail before Saturday evening. The Cleopatra group wished us well and left the tent to get a vantage point. I had the sudden thought that a top band had come along to see us, on only our second performance.
As seven approached we went up to be behind the speakers. The crowd was noisy, and someone called out “Gain–ing Tract-ion” and it was taken up by the rest. Stuart was smiling broadly as he brought a microphone to his lips and called out, “And now, the new sensation from last night, the group you want to see, the magnificent ‘Gaining Traction!’” as Archie started the tape and we emerged to a loud cheer.
Whatever he had been up to with Albert, the sound of the backing tape was crisper, with more depth than our old one. We sang our way through the set, with the crowd singing along with us. I felt as if I was a genuine teenage girl, out to enjoy myself, and I could see the others felt the same. At the end of the set, we stood by the speakers as Archie counted us down to the start of our encore. I know that we had made an impact, with the red skirts and the red bras showing under the blouses.
When we finished, and had got back to the dressing area, we gave the headsets and buds back to Albert, who congratulated us on the show as he put them in his case. Outside, once again, there were parents and fans, as well as some bemused members of a top band. Cleo had decided that she wanted to see some of the exhibits, and we took her, along with the rest, to our site, where the Horses were going around, and the Burrells were happily steaming away.
Of course, she and Yonah wanted a ride, so we five got on board for a lap or two. Three of us riding side-saddle because of the tight skirts. Garth asked Dad if the whistles were allowed so Dad went over to our guys and called out to give a toot on his mark. When they blew the whistles, it was a sign to everyone else to blow theirs, and the rally was resounding with steam whistles for a few minutes.
After some pictures of the five of us, with the Burrell’s as background, we said cheerio to the others. Cleo told us that the bus would pick us up about eleven, and to get a good night of sleep. We would do the show in the afternoon, in full stage gear, and come to the site in time for our set. The band members would be leaving earlier. I wondered what we would be doing in that hour or so.
Marianne Gregory © 2024
Part 3
We went back to the caravan to get the sleep we needed. It had been a very big day. Mum wanted some pictures of the three of us before we changed. She laughed and said that we looked old enough to go out to work.
It was a difficult thing to get out of our outfits. All three of us didn’t want to shed our new look. Angelica was very quiet; I think that the enormity of what had happened today was closing in on her. As for us, both of us didn’t want to remove the patina of total femininity. We sat in the van and talked quietly about the future. Janine and I had to go back to school in a few weeks, looking like girls, no matter how we dressed. Angelica had a year to go before she could leave, I was sure that she would have a job in entertainment and would have a gap year, or two, before going to university. We did, eventually, remove the clothes and make-up and get into our nighties for bed. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.
We all slept late on Saturday, and dragged ourselves to the ablutions tent a little after nine. The others were already running the ride and had fired up the traction engines. We managed to get some breakfast in the food tent, served up by a few smiling ladies who told us that we put on a hell of a show. After that, we walked around the site, catching up with our parents and having a look at some of the other exhibits. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with big smiles and made very welcome. We were given battered hot dogs for being us and didn’t have to pay for the soft drinks that were thrust our way.
When the bus stopped at our caravans, it had Garth and Molly in it. Garth got out, said hello, and walked off with an air of intention. Molly told us that she was here to make sure that we hadn’t gone over the top, as she would be putting us into the stage outfits and the make-up would be done before we came back for the show. We had our outfits for her, from last night, but she told us to put them back in the caravan. We did, she said, deserve to keep them, as they did so much for us. I know that Angelica had been thinking about wearing hers on a Saturday night in Chard, sometime in the future.
We rounded up Archie and headed back to London. We stopped at a services for lunch, with Molly telling us that we may lose some weight with the exertion tonight. “Being a pop star is no easy life, young ones. It can age you very quickly if you let it.”
At the studio, we were ushered into the dressing area first and put into outfits with more colours than I’ve seen on one dress before. The shoes were a kaleidoscope of colour, as were the tights. The microphone sender was clipped to our panties and turned on. Next was the make-up, which was totally over the top, not for day use, that’s for sure.
The band was waiting for us when we arrived in the rehearsal room. Albert fitted us with the microphones and buds, and we were tested for sound. The band was tuning, and Cleo was conferring with her sister. We were all ready at the same time, took our places and Cleo called out “Hit it!”
As we swayed and sang, I could see two photographers walking around and taking pictures from every conceivable angle. The main difference that I noticed was three microphones hanging from the ceiling, and the fact that neither Archie nor Albert were in the room. We did the whole show and hadn’t finished for more than a couple of minutes before Cleo called “Hit it!” again and we did the whole thing over again.
When we finished for the second time, she gave the three of us hugs and told us that we were better than we had any dreams of, the second set was to see if we had a break point and we had passed the test. As we removed our headsets, the band was packing up and they all told us that they were looking forward to the show as they left. Cleo took us through to the rest room, where we were given drinks. We were joined by a couple of guys who had ‘executive’ written all over their shiny suits. They wanted us to sign contracts for them to be our managers. We put a stop to that by pointing out that we were all underage.
“Sorry about that,” said Cleo. “They insisted on having the chance to get you signed on. I wouldn’t have signed with them if I’d know how they would rip us off. The band are all contracted by the gig, but we sisters are on salaries. Now for the fun bit. We are going to be taken, by limo, to a studio where some guys are waiting to take lots of pictures. After that it’s time for some food and then we head down to the show. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
That’s how it panned out. We all had individual and group pictures, followed by a meal in a nice restaurant where we were welcomed with open arms. We were joined, there, by three guys who had been in the studio yesterday.
“These guys are Henderson, Watson, and Merriweather. They have been writing new songs for us on the new album. They saw you sing yesterday and want the chance to see if they can come up with something you’ll want to sing. They will be coming to see you at your last show on Sunday, to gauge the sort of material that will match your voices.”
Over the meal, we were quizzed about our likes and dislikes, in music, as well as listing our favourite artists. Then it was back to the studio to pick up Molly, Albert, and Archie, before heading off to the rally site. We arrived just after eight, going straight into the tent and taken to an area we hadn’t seen before. It was set up as a better dressing room, with hot and cold drinks available. Molly unclipped the senders we still had and clipped new ones on. We got re-fitted with the microphones and settled for the show.
We could hear the band that was on stage closing their set. They were a favourite of mine, and I was sad not to see them live. I did get to meet them, however, as we went up towards the stage and they were ridding themselves of their sound equipment. They greeted us as friends and the lead singer went out of his way to give us all a hug. He told us that they were hanging around to see the new-look Cleopatra. He said that rumours had been flying around and that there were a lot of music journalists out in the crowd.
A voice that sounded like Archie came through my buds.
“Three minutes. Band is ready to go. Up on stage, please.”
We made our escape and went up behind the speakers. Us to the left, and them on the right. Cleo had asked us to hold back until she called us forward and I wondered what devilishness she had planned. The lead guitarist gave her the nod and the two of them went out to the stage, to a great roar from the crowd. She made gestures for them to quieten down, and when she could be heard she made an announcement.
“As you can see, we are a couple short from our usual line-up. Two of my sisters are too ill to be with us tonight. However, we have been able to get the help from three sisters who have wowed you for the last couple of nights. Now, in order for them to join us, we need you to give them a steam rally welcome, how about we bring ‘Gaining Traction’ on stage by giving them a toot!”
As she said that, every steam whistle in the place sounded and the crowd roared. So that’s what Garth was setting up this morning. We went to our places as the roar continued and then the band hit the first notes and we were into more than an hour of entertaining the crowd. It was, I have to say, intoxicating. The last two days with the band behind us was nothing to having a band behind us and several thousand fans in front of us. It took this performance experience to a whole new level.
I loved it, I could see that Janine loved it, Angelica was sounding better than I had heard her, the band was smiling as they grooved and, better than that, the crowd was loving it. I could see our parents with big smiles on their faces, and there was Lucy and Janine with their folks as well. As I looked closer, I saw a number of cameras on tripods, taking both still and video.
As we worked through the set, I was sure that this would be my future. Not just a singer, but a female singer. Janine and I could do a duet if Angelica had moved on, but I would be happier if we could be a trio. The thoughts swirled in my brain as I did my part of this from what was now ingrained into me from all the work we had done. I could see now why we had gone through the show a second time, this afternoon. There was no way I would be forgetting my lines.
At the end of it all, we were standing, a riot of colour, across the front of the stage and the crowd was going wild. At the sessions, we had gone straight into their biggest hit, but we stood there, waving to the crowd, for a few minutes, before the riff of the hit sounded in our back and we stayed in a line, just swaying, as we did the big hit. I felt as if I was a real pop star, and not sure if my future life would throw up anything more exciting as this.
When we left the stage, I felt as if all the air had left me deflated. Back in the dressing room, we were all given re-hydrating drinks and sugar hits to get our bodies back in order. We rid ourselves of the mics and senders, and just relaxed for a little while. Then we were invaded by well-wishers, parents, friends, and the press. Dad took charge of us three and took us out of there, much to the annoyance of some pushy scribes. He told them that we would be at the camping ground, tomorrow, as we had another show of our own that evening. If they wanted answers to their questions, then they would have to come back in the morning. We left the others to handle the throng, they had just been on tour, so they should handle it.
Mum clucked around us and helped us undress, then helping us take the make-up off. I know that I didn’t have much left in the tank. She made sure we were all tucked in, and probably wished us a good night. That bit I missed, already asleep.
In the morning, there were a couple of other campers in the ablutions when I went in. They, happily, waited until I had been into a cubicle and had washed my hands before giving me hugs. They told me that the show, last night, had been amazing, both visually and with a fantastic sound. I was waking up as we talked, and then Janine and Angelica came in and we all ended up having a chat as we headed for the food tent. There, we were treated like royalty as we tucked into a big breakfast. I know that I needed to stack up with calories after last night. We attracted new people like magnets, and it was a big table of happy fans chattering when Dad came in.
He told us that Stuart wanted to have a chat, when we had finished, and waited until we could eat no more. We said cheerio to our new friends and followed him back towards the stage area. Stuart was in a separate tent and was in a jovial mood. What he wanted was simple. All we needed to do was to put on our Friday outfits, then go around various places in the site, to get promotional pictures taken to advertise the next show. He said that we would be welcome back to perform, if we wanted, and that he would donate some money to add to that which the band had committed to. Next year, we would be paid for our performances.
As we changed, and allowed Mum to help us with make-up, I wondered what we could do, next year, to even come up with the excitement of this year. We were having pictures taken when a journalist turned up, wanting some answers to his questions. He wanted to know hao many shows we had done, how long we had been on the stage, what we liked in music, what we liked in boys, what food, drink, cars, colours, and almost everything else under the sun that we liked or disliked. It was hard to give him straight answers without breaking into laughter.
Everywhere we went, we drew a crowd of smiling people. There must have been those who had only come to the show today, but even they were caught up in the general happiness. Someone mentioned that it was unusual for pop stars to be around during the day, and I realised that we may be pioneers in that respect, if you discounted that we were here with our parents, who were part of the rally.
Stuart had organised a special lunch with the rest of the organisers, at a long table in the stage tent. Although we had eaten a good breakfast, we did this meal justice, especially the ice cream that followed. There was a lot of talk about the steam whistle chorus last night. We had to say that we had nothing to do with that, and Dad let on that Garth had gone around the exhibitors, giving them all a fiver to blow the whistle when they heard Cleo ask for a toot.
We stayed in the Friday outfits, agreed that they would be good for tonight. We spent the afternoon as ambassadors of the rally, going around the entire site, with Stuart, saying hello to everyone we met. He was getting feedback from the exhibitors, as well as prior commitment for the following year. Many asked us who we would be on stage with then, and we laughed and told them that they would just have to wait and see.
We had an early tea and went into the caravan so that Angelica and Mum could rework our make-up into something more glamorous. As we came out, the minibus pulled up by us and out stepped Cleo, dressed exactly like us. We just stood there, amazed, as she gave us all a hug.
“I’m here to help you girls finish the weekend. The boys have been dropped off at the stage, with their gear. They’ve worked with your backing tape, today, and will add to the sound. Tonight, girls, you are going from magnificent to awesome.”
Molly was there to make sure we all matched. I could hardly believe it, a star coming all this way to be a backing singer for us. Well, she could take the lead on her own numbers that we did. Molly then went back to the bus and pulled out a big bag.
“You didn’t have time to choose anything, so I’ve grabbed you a selection of Cleopatra merchandise to help you remember the weekend. You three have done something that’s not very common in this game. You gave your time and talent freely, never demanding and always following orders. You are a lesson for us all, and, I know, it has helped Cleo a lot. That’s why she’s here to just have fun.”
Mum told us that Archie was already at the stage area, so we got into the bus to be taken, like royalty, to the tent. Stuart welcomed us, with a smile like the Cheshire Cat. He knew that we would be talked about and bring the public in, next year. Archie helped us clip the senders to the back of our skirts and set us up with the microphones. The three of us thanked the band for coming back and were told that they wouldn’t miss it for the world, as every musician just likes to perform and that they could see that we had caught the bug.
Before we went out, Cleo told us that the part between our last number and the encore would have a few songs from last night added, and to just go with it as they were all starting with her singing. Now I knew why Stuart had that smile, he was getting some of last night’s show repeated for nothing.
There was a distinct murmur from the crowd as the band went out and plugged in. They would have been expecting us and a music tape. Then, it was time for us, and Archie started the tape. We strutted out and started the show, with a cheer that got bigger as Cleo joined us. The band added to the backing tape, and it was fantastic. We did our set, with Cleo leading on her own numbers, and ended up with a very funny version of ‘Wannabe’ with Cleo hamming it up which we all followed. I expect that she had learned it while on tour with the Spice Girls. When we finished that, we took in the adoration of the crowd and then the band hit the first notes of one of the new songs. Angelica had soaked up the lyrics and took the second voice with the two of us doing the back-up.
We did all four of the new songs and there was a short break, with us all still at the front of the stage, then the first chords of the Grease number started, and we did that, with Angelica and Cleo doing the main part as a duet. I was entranced, it was magic. We spread out along the front and did the pointing at guys part and the came back together, arms around each other, to take the applause. We turned to wave at the band, and they got a rousing cheer.
Back in the tent, Cleo gave us all a hug and told us that it had been a lot of fun, and that there may be a surprise for us, in a few weeks, in the post. The band got their gear together as the next act set up, and we went out of the tent into another mass of family, friends, and the press. This time, the press was more interested in Cleo than us, so we hugged and smiled at each other and left her to it. It was along walk back to the caravan, and there were a lot of new friends who told us that tonight was much more than they expected. It had been a lot more than I had expected as well!
Tonight, we stayed in our outfits and welcomed a stream of well-wishers as we sat outside the caravan, until Mum decided that we all looked sleepy and deserved our rest. In the van, Angelica took us both in a group hug and told us that the weekend had been more than she could have hoped for, and that we were the best sisters she could have had. We had a quick look in the bag of stuff that Molly had left, and found signed posters and CDs, along with colourful tour tee shirts, all signed by Cleopatra and all the Spice Girls, and various rulers, pens and notepads from the band and the tour. It was, as far as I was concerned, full payment for our work.
On Monday morning, it was time to pack up. There was a bustle of activity on the site. The small exhibitors had gone last night, with just the larger stalls and all of the traction engines having to be reloaded. Instead of firing them up, our guys backed the transporters up to them and winched them on board, after clearing the fireboxes and dumping the ash at a collection point. We helped where we could, mainly taking down the Prancing Horses. At one point I was working next to Dad and apologised for not being much help over the weekend.
He straightened up and took me in a big Dad hug.
“You girls have worked harder than anyone over the last four days. I’m so proud at what you did on stage. Your own show, on Thursday, would have been enough, but all the rest of it was totally awesome. I can see why that Cleo was so taken with you. Let me guess, that part of last night where you did those new songs, that was a surprise, wasn’t it?”
I told him that it was sprung on us, at the last moment, but we had rehearsed those songs enough to just sing them. He then gave me another surprise.
“I think that the three of you aren’t cut out to drive trucks, or even be farmers. Your Uncle Tom and I had been talking about you helping on the farm. Thursday night he told me that that was one plan that had been tossed out. I had asked your sister who had worked out the dance steps and she told me it was mainly the two of you, so there could be a future for you in dance. Now, tell me, and I’m serious. Do the two of you want to go back to being Tom and Charlie when we get home, or are Lucy and Janine here to stay?”
“I don’t know, Dad, not right now. I’m dreading going to school as Tom, looking like a girl, but I don’t know what I can do about it. A lot depends on how we are treated when we’re home, and before school starts. I don’t know what I’ll do if we start getting bullied and called names. Right now, I feel more like a girl, so I’ll probably cry.”
“When we get this lot unloaded and cleaned down, we’ll have a family chat tomorrow. Tonight, I’m treating my girls, Archie, and the drivers, to a meal at the Cotley Inn. Your mother can do with a break, and it’ll give you girls a chance to dress up and mix with normal people. That way we can get a good idea of how you will fit into ordinary life.”
With the traction engines and the Horses loaded and tied down, we hooked up the caravans. Before the drivers left, we thanked them for helping the family and Geoff told us that it had been a good trip, with a lot more to see and hear than usual. Dad had Archie with him as he led the convoy out, with a lot of other exhibitors giving them a wave. I stood there, wondering why Mum hadn’t even got into the Cruiser.
“Right, girls. Back into the caravan and out of those jeans. The denim skirts with tights will do, and you can keep the boots on. Your father is taking us out for a meal, tonight, and the place he’s taking us to is a bit swish. I’m going to stop in Dorchester, and we’ll get you proper dresses for tonight,”
She was sitting in the car when we came out of the caravan and latched the door for traveling. We piled into the Cruiser, Angelica in the front, and Mum left the rally site, with several people waving to us as we went. It didn’t take that long to get to Dorchester, and Mum went into the town, then down Trinity Street to a carpark, where she was lucky enough to get a space big enough to fit our long rig. She led us through Marks and Spencers, picking up packs of panties and tights on the way. We came out, at the other end, in a shopping street, with Goulds Fashions across the road. By the time we left there, it was almost lunch time and we had bags with our new dresses, as well as a few more skirts and tops. Of course, the two of us had chosen similar outfits, but the dresses were a real find. They had been on a rack signed as ‘end of season’ and we found two, in dark blue, that fitted us, and Angelica found an emerald-green one.
I hadn’t been to Dorchester, before, and loved the quirky streets and walks. Mum took us further along the street to Antelope Walk, where we first stopped for a bite to eat at a café, and then went into a lingerie shop, where we all bought new bras, and us twins walked out with bags containing three lovely nighties, each. We needed slips for our dresses as well. Angelica had decided that the strappy sandals we had for the leather skirt outfit would be all right for each of our dresses.
We hung the dresses in the caravan so that they didn’t get creased. On the way to Crewkerne, Angelica asked Mum the question that I wanted to ask but was not certain whether I should.
“Mum, you’ve spent heaps, today, on top of all that you spent on my sisters before the weekend. Can we afford it?”
Marianne Gregory © 2024
Part 4
“Girls, I wouldn’t have spent it if we couldn’t. You know I do the books for the business, and I can tell you that we do very well. We owe nothing on the house and land because they’ve come down through the family; the original truck fleet were bought just after the war for next to nothing, and the tank transporters came out of a military auction. The Burrells cost about fifty pounds each, so I was told, and are now worth over a quarter of a million, each.”
“The business does well from our general cartage contracts, but the three low loaders are the icing on the cake. The big companies charge, by the hour, from depot back to depot, and any big stuff that has to be moved, here in the west country, is an expensive proposition. That’s where we’re the go-to people if you want to move a railway train or a dynamo. We have a good bank account, and, if you’re interested, there are three accounts with money set aside for your further education. Yes, my talented daughter, we can afford it and it’s been a pleasure shopping with the three of you.”
Further along the road, Janine asked another question.
“Mum, how did you and Dad meet, and why did it take so long before you had Angelica?”
“Now we come to the hard ones! You twins have done a lot of growing up in the last four days, I can tell you! Right, first things first. Back in 1978, I was helping out in my father’s shop. He had a men’s outfitters. Your father came in for a shirt and tie, to wear for a special occasion. I can’t remember what he told me it was for, but Tom has told me since that it was a hot date. I served him and fell instantly in love. It took him buying three more shirts before he had the courage to ask me out. He was very shy, and neither of us were still young. We married in 1980, so next year will be our twentieth anniversary.”
“As far as having babies was concerned, as much as we worked at it, I didn’t conceive. The idea of ‘test tube babies’ had been around for a while, and I was sent to a specialist in the new ‘egg freezing’ methods. Your dad was taken in and gave the sperm, that’s when we found out that his count was low. The treatment worked and you, dear Angelica, was the result, in1985. You twins happened in the same sort of way, only, this time, the twins effect was passed down. I carried all three of you to full term and natural births. That’s why you’re all so precious to us. Without modern technology, you may have never been born. The IVF experiments only got truly successful a year or two before I was referred.”
“Will we be the same, if we grow as men.?”
“I doubt it, love. Your grandfather, as you know, spent some time as a prisoner in Japan, during the war. Where he was, in the middle of the two nuclear explosions, meant that there would have been some radiation fall-out. On top of that, when they were freed, they were taken out of Japan through the docks at Nagasaki. No-one had any idea of what those bombs did to you, even when you lived. Your fathers problem may stem from that, seeing that he was born in 1950. If you’re worried, we can take the two of you in to see the doctor, and he can take samples. You both are old enough to have wet dreams, aren’t you?”
“Sorry, Mum,” I said. “We don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ah! That may account for how easily you’ve taken to looking like girls. Next week, I’m going to get you both in for blood tests to see where you stand. You may just have delayed puberty, or it may be something more permanent. What we need to know is if you have boy cooties, or girl cooties. In the meantime, you stay as Lucy and Janine for a while and don’t let it worry you.”
When we got home, the trucks were parked, and the drivers were nowhere to be seen. Dad was in the house, on the computer. He had been looking at pictures that he had taken over the weekend. Mum sent the three of us off to get undressed while she ran a bath for us. Angelica went first, then the two of us had a wash and hair wash. We were given a safety razor and told to check each other out for any stray hairs.
When we had finished, we were given our bags of goodies, and the two dresses, and told to see how good we can make ourselves. After the weekend, it wasn’t hard to do. We had a spare gaff left over, and the other two went in the wash basket, along with the other things from the weekend. We both had new panties and bras, and unopened packs of tights, so it was an easy job to get dressed. Mum had bought us fillers for the bras, so we both had typical girl curves under the dresses. It felt a lot different with a slip under the dress. We put on the strappy sandals and then had a closer look at the goodies that Molly had given us, immediately putting a poster up in each of our rooms, to remind us of what we had been doing, not that I could ever forget it!
When we went back to the house, Mum sat us down at the kitchen table and did our make-up.
“You’re going to have to learn to do this, sooner or later. Most girls are pretty good at it by the time they become teenagers. I have to say that you both look good enough to eat. You’re going to break some hearts if you’re not careful.”
We sat and waited until Mum, Dad, and Angelica were ready, then we went to have our meal. Dad had gone overboard with his invitations. It was no wonder that we were greeted with much bowing and scraping. Our table took up half the room, Uncle Tom and Aunt Jean were already there, along with the real Lucy and Janine with their parents. Our drivers had brought their wives. Archie was the only one alone, until we arrived, and he fell into Angelica’s arms.
We found out that Angelica had rung Janine, who had called Lucy, while Dad had called Uncle Tom, who had organised a minibus and a driver to take them all to see our Saturday show. I noticed, that while the adults hadn’t changed, both Lucy and Janine were a bit more awe-struck. Seeing us doing the show they should have been in wasn’t the problem, it was seeing us on stage as part of Cleopatra that had shifted their point of view. I made sure that I spoke to Lucy as I had always done, and my Janine caught on and spoke to his Janine.
There was another table set up for a party, and when they arrived it was three friends of my sister, who were having a family dinner to celebrate their mother’s birthday. All three girls had been at the show on Thursday night and squealed when they saw us sitting there, coming over to give the three of us hugs. By the time they went to sit down, we had arranged a girls day in Honiton, with Mum promising to drop us off at Coffee One, on the High Street. We managed to placate Lucy and Janine by inviting them to the house to have a pick of the things we had been given.
The four of us were standing outside, waiting for the parents to get the cars, when Lucy leaned into me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Tom, both Janine and I were sorry to throw you into helping Angelica, but, seeing the three of you on stage on Thursday, made us both realise that you are far better than we could ever have been. I don’t think that we would have been invited to London. Even if we had, we could never have learned the words and moves that you had mastered by Saturday night. I was a bit jealous of you, being up there, but now I’ve seen that it hasn’t changed you, I’m now proud to be your friend. If you come to school as Lucy, in the new term, we’ll be there to support you.”
“Thank you, Lucy, that means a lot. I don’t know who I’ll be by the time the school opens, but Mum is going to organise a visit to the doctor to find out if one of me is stronger than the other. It’s been fun for the last week, and I’ve learned a lot about myself and the people around me. As Lucy I can see past the outward appearances and have learned to gauge people by their hearts, rather than their speech. I’m happy that you still want to be friends. Until we got together with this project, I hadn’t had a friend, outside of school, who was a girl, before. By the actions of your schoolfriends, tonight, I may end up with more than I can handle. Will you be my own BFF, whatever the future brings?”
She hugged me fiercely and we air kissed. Angelica talked enough for the three of us on the way home. When we got to the hut, we undressed and put on one of the new nighties that we had bought. As we creamed our faces to remove the make-up, my brother emerged for a while.
“Tom, this isn’t going to go away, is it? I haven’t felt so alive as I have been this week, whether we were on stage or off it. Janine told me, tonight, that she had been peeved when we got the invite to go to London, when Angelica had called her. She said that seeing us, on Saturday night, made her realise that she wouldn’t have been able to do what we did. She wants to be our friend but told me that I have to change my name. I was just getting used to being called Janine, as well.”
“Lucy told me much the same, but didn’t insist on the name change, though. We’ll have to think about it. Everyone we met over the weekend now knows us as Lucy and Janine, but I suppose that we can give ourselves names which come back to sounding similar. I we do that before we go to school, it should be natural after a while. We weren’t named, individually, on stage, so that doesn’t matter what we call ourselves, now.”
“Yes, I thought about that on the way home. I can become Janet and be known as Jan. You could be Lucinda and be called Luce. We’ll have to talk to Mum and see what she says. Now, let’s have a good look at these goodies.”
The bag we had been given was emptied on his bed. We counted out five Cleopatra CDs, all signed, two Spice Girls CDs, also signed, and eight tour tee shirts with all the signatures from both bands.
“Janine and Lucy are Spice Girls fans, they’ll love these. We could all wear them when we go to Honiton.”
There were several more posters, and, among the pens and notepads, several business cards. We had the direct numbers for Garth, Cleo, and Molly, and she had also put a card in from the supplier of the gaffs, so we could order by phone.
We put the things back in the bag and I put it into our rehearsal area. We then hugged and went to our separate beds. I lay there for some time, thinking over the ramifications of what we had done, and what we were likely to do, and just before I went to sleep, I wondered what on earth a wet dream was.
The morning hadn’t answered the question, unless it was the dream that I was having about being at a beach, looking at the crashing waves that caused me to jump out of bed and go for a pee. We had a shower in our little bathroom, so I put my hair in a shower cap that had been added to the clutter on the shelf, showered, and went back to my room to dress. Today was a working morning, so we both went over to the house, for breakfast, in our boots and jeans.
Dad and the guys were pretty slick with unloading. The first tank transporter was backed up to be in line of where the Burrell would end up, and Dad positioned a tractor at the end of the ramps with a chain hooked up to the rear axle. Dad went up to the driving section and unwound the brake. Then, with him pulling and the loader winch as a brake, he pulled the Burrell down onto firm ground. When the ramps were put back up, the tank transporter was driven away and taken to its usual parking spot.
Then Dad unhooked the chain and took the tractor to the front of the Burrell, backing up to hook a yoke onto the front axle. He then backed the engine into its spot in the shed. Our part in all of this was to be on both sides, to call out if there was any problems, and also to indicate when the Burrell had reached the parking place. After he had wound down the brake, the same procedure happened with the second engine.
Once they were safely parked, the low loader was put in place in front of the shed where the Fowlers lived. The only difference with this operation was that the winch chain ran under one Fowler to be hooked to be unloaded, and that the low loader needed to be repositioned once the first one had been put away.
In the meantime, the other drivers had unloaded the Prancing Horses and put it away in another shed. The caravans had been parked yesterday, but this morning it was our job to go through them all with a vacuum, dusters, and wipers, so that they would be good to go the next time. By the time we had finished that job, it was time for lunch. We were joined by Lucy and Janine, whose father had dropped them off as we were putting away the cleaning gear and emptying the waste bins.
We had lunch, and then took them over to the hut to have a look at our goody bag. Angelica hadn’t had a good look, herself, so it was a fun time as they went through the booty. We decided that the five of us would have a tour tee shirt, each. We gave our friends the signed Spice Girls and a Cleopatra CD each. They preferred Spice Girls posters so ended up with a couple of them. During the general conversation, I found out that tomorrow, in Honiton, was just the start of our adventure. It had grown to a group of a dozen or more, and the Honiton spot was just a meeting place.
The girls we had met, last night, had parents that ran the local bus service, I had been taken to school in their bus for the last two years and didn’t notice who owned it. Their father had nominated one of his female drivers to be in charge of a minibus which was going to take us all into Exeter for the day. It was to be a full-on girls shopping day. That would be two firsts for us, a girls shopping day and a day in Exeter, another place that I hadn’t been to.
Before their father came to pick them up, we all sat in the kitchen, with our parents, and talked about our names. Although we weren’t in the same year as the girls, having two Lucy’s and two Janine’s at the school could be a problem. Charlie suggest that he could be Janet, with the shortened Jan. I was nominated as Lucinda, to be known as Luce. Mum and the girls were happy with that. Mum suggested that we let Cleo know, in case they were talking about us. I went and found the business cards and Mum called Molly to let her know what we had decided. She knew that Molly had seen through our disguises immediately and would understand the reasons behind the change. Mum outlined the reason for the call and then she listened for a while, then put the phone down.
“Right, that’s that sorted out. Molly said she would tell the others about your decision. She said that she was glad we called as it will let them alter a press release.”
Before our friends left, we had decided that tomorrow we would all wear the tour tee shirt, with denim skirts and boots. Our skirts had gone through the laundry while we were outside, helping Dad, along with all the soiled things from the weekend. Mum had an industrial machine and drier in one of the sheds, so it wasn’t a big job for her.
As I was settled in bed, my last thought, before dozing off, was, ‘Press Release!!!’
In the morning, after breakfast, we made sure that we all looked as good as we could be, and Mum took us to Honiton and dropped us off. Before we got out, she passed each of us a wad of notes.
“There’s two hundred there, for each of you. That will allow you to get some things that you like. You can’t go on a girl’s day out without coming home with bags of things. Be careful. And stay with the group, the three of you are attractive enough to catch the attention of guys. Don’t go down dark alleyways or speak to strangers that aren’t shop assistants. Now have fun.”
We thanked her and put the money in our bags before getting out of the car. In the café, we met a couple of the other girls and sat with them, talking. Our tour shirts getting a lot of attention. I discovered that our group would consist of a range of years. The three girls that would arrive in the bus were from the third, fourth and fifth year, with Angelica and her friends going into fifth year when we went back. The two of us would be going into third year then. As we were talking, one of the girls said something that was a little catty.
“Brenda has to bring her sister, Sandra, today. She couldn’t get out of it. Sandra will have a hard time with us, as she has never been part of any group in school, a bit of an odd one.”
I didn’t think that Sandra was odd. We sat close to each other in some lessons and had paired up in some science experiments. She, like us, would be starting third year, and she had gone to the end-of-term dance with me before summer. She had been a little distant, as we danced, but did give me a peck on the cheek as we were waiting for our parents to pick us up and thanked me for a pleasant evening.
Lucy and Janine were dropped off and came in, Lucy with an ankle now small enough to wear normal boots, but still favoured the other leg. The rest of the group arrived as the bus pulled up. I stayed back as the girls boarded, and, when I got in, I saw Sandra sitting, alone, so I went and sat next to her.
“Morning, Sandy, are the bees still humming?”
She looked shocked. This was something I said often, as her folks had hives.
“Tom, is that you? You look beautiful, I just love the shirt. You’re going to have to tell me how you are sitting next to me, in a skirt, when the last time I saw you, outside the dance, you were looking good in a suit.”
As we went to Exeter, I gave her a quick catch-up on the last week or so. I pointed out my brother, a few rows ahead of us, and told her that he was now Janet, while I was Lucinda, for as long as we could continue.
“Wow, you were on stage with Cleopatra, I love their music. I bet Lucy and Janine weren’t happy they had injured themselves.”
“They came to see us, at the show they should have been in, as well as our big show with Cleopatra, and have both said that they don’t think that they could have done it as well as we did, so I think they’ve got over the disappointment. It was hard work, I can tell you, we were in our beds pretty quickly after the shows and slept like logs. If we do more shows, we’re going to have to do more fitness training.”
“So, I’m sitting next to a pop star, am I?”
“Not on one weekend on stage. I think it might have been a flash in the pan. Who knows what the future brings. If the doctors tell me that I’m only good to be like this for a year or two, I might have to go back to being Tom.”
“In the meantime, Luce, will you be my girlfriend?”
“I’d love to, Sandy. We have always got on well. I’m just sorry that I didn’t tell you how fabulous you looked at the school dance. I went through that evening just happy that you came with me, and the brain just froze.”
“You were a bit quiet, which I liked. I wasn’t happy to have to go, but my parents insisted. Of all the boys in our year, you were the only one I was happier with, all the others are gorillas, compared to you.”
Her hand had found mine and we entered Exeter in a haze of introspection. At the carpark, Claire, our driver, turned the engine off and stood to face us.
“Now, girls, your parents have put a lot of trust in me to keep you together. I don’t want anyone wandering off. If you want to go to a shop, then let me know and stay at the shop until I come to fetch you, or the rest of us catch up with you. I’ve shopped here, many times, and I know the sort of places that will interest you. If you do get separated, I’ll need your phone numbers so I can call you. I have a clipboard, here, write your numbers on it next to your names as you get out of the bus. This is the Bampfylde Street carpark, and across the road is the main bus station. If we walk back the way we came in, we’ll get to Cheeke Street. Turning left, and left again, we will be in Sidwell Street, one of the main shopping streets. If we just walk down that, it takes us into High Street, where there are a lot of shops. We’ll walk down one side, and when we reach Macca’s, we’ll cross over and walk back on the other side. By the time we get back here, you should have some bags and sore feet. Let’s go shopping!”
I didn’t have a phone, but Sandra had one, so she put down the number for both of us. We set out, the two of us near the back, hand in hand. Angelica noticed this and gave me a smile and a nod as she joined the chattering group. It was exactly like Claire had said, with High Street being the real fun.
We were all in one of the teen girl dress shops, with us commandeering the change rooms. I went into one to try on a top I liked, and Sandra followed me in, pulling off the top she was wearing to try one that she had picked. There we both were, crammed together, with our bras in full view, when she put her arms around my neck and kissed me in a way that I had never dreamed about. My hands were on her bare midriff and the kiss went on forever. We did buy the two tops and went back into the changeroom to put them on for the rest of the trip. Somehow, hers ended up in her bag, along with the one she had been wearing. We left the cubicle, after another kiss, with me in my new top and her wearing my tour tee-shirt.
Further along the road we passed a newsagents. There, on a placard was the words - “Stop Press! Is this the new Cleopatra line-up?” I went in and bought the magazine, ‘Hit Music’. There, inside, was a big picture of the five of us across the stage on Saturday evening, in our highly colourful outfits. The three of us stood out, with our lighter hair. The text didn’t say much, just that the picture was taken at a Cleopatra show, on Saturday, with two of the Higgins sisters missing, replaced by a set of unknown triplets. More was promised with the next issue. They must have sent this to the printers on Sunday, to get it on the stands by today.
When I showed it to Sandra, she dashed in and bought her own copy, followed by most of the others as they saw what we had. A few had seen us, but most probably thought it had been made up. This, however, set it in stone.
Marianne Gregory © 2024
Part 5
At another shop, my denim skirt was replaced by a lovely, pleated skirt in a colour that Sandra told me was light tan. When I stood still, it looked straight, but flared out as I walked. I added another couple as we dived in and out of the shops. We had lunch at Macca’s and then went back to the bus on the other side of the road.
I told Claire that I wanted to go into a jewellers and she kept the group busy, a couple of shops further on, while I bought a couple of earrings for myself and a friendship ring for Sandra. When we re-joined the group, I was finding that the weight of the hoops in my ears knocked against my neck in a most intoxicating way, while the feel of the new skirt and top were totally girl.
It didn’t strike me, at first, but as we got to the bus, I saw Jan wearing a new top and skirt, both items something I had looked at and passed over. On the way back to Honiton, the three of us were kept busy signing the picture in the magazine. I noticed that Angelica was signing over her picture as Angel, while the two of us were Jan and Luce. The girls who had only found out about our weekend escapade today had a lot of questions about the rest of the band, and we all just told them that they were all lovely people.
Any reservations I had about being in a bunch of teenage girls were blown away by the time we got back to Honiton. There was a line of vehicles waiting for us as we got off the bus. Everyone hugged everyone else, even Sandra was included. When we hugged, she kissed my cheek and whispered that she would ring me, at home, in the morning. When Mum saw us, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“You two are amazing. I expected Angelica to come back looking like a princess, but the two of you have gone to the next level. Lucinda, that outfit is funky, yet elegant. Janet, that looks so good on you, as well as being totally girly. Angelica, what can I say, that new dress is stunning, but don’t you think it’s a bit short?”
We got in the Cruiser and Angelica talked about her time in Exeter, then dropped the bombshell.
“Lucinda has a girlfriend, Mum; that Sandra that went to the school dance with her. I’ve always been told that she was a bit odd, lately. Something to do with not liking boys. I expect that she went to the dance with Tom because he’s a good dancer and totally neutral in the gorilla department.”
“Just hold it, Sister. She went to the dance because we sat near each other in some classes and worked together in science. She told me, today, that she had been put off by those gorillas that you mentioned, while I had always been friendly. Anyway, she’s going to ring me tomorrow, and if she wants me to go out with her, then I will, if Mum says it’s all right.”
“I think I know her. Isn’t her sister in your year, Angelica?”
“Yes, she is. And I think that she’s the source of the rumours, she can get a bit catty if she doesn’t get her way, and Sandra is growing to be the prettier of the two of them.”
At home, after tea, we all had to model our purchases. Angelica had bought well, with a couple of outfits that accentuated her hair colour and youthful prettiness. Jan had bought a few items that I had looked at but had walked away from, as being little girly. My items were plainer than the other two, but in styles and colours that I thought suited me, for both my looks as well as my outlook on life. I was the only one who had bought jewellery, and Mum commented on my new earrings.
We took our things through to the hut and hung them away. We were starting to run out of hanging space. When we had cleaned our faces and were in our nighties and dressing gowns, Jan put her hand on my shoulder.
“Now, sister of mine. What’s up between you and Sandra. One of the other girls told me that she’s becoming a lesbian, so why would she be pashing you in the change room. I noticed that you’d both redone your lipstick when you came out, and she went home wearing your tour shirt.”
“I don’t know, Jan. She does like me, even as Tom, and we have been friends for most of the last school year. We talk as we work together, and she told me that she enjoyed dancing with me. Today, if she likes girls, then I must have fitted the bill, I’ve had a couple of kisses that you could only dream about. You didn’t seem to mix with any one girl, weren’t there any that you particularly liked?”
“Lucinda, the only problem I have with them is that they’re all girls. I was looking at some of the guys we saw on the High Street. There were a couple I fancied. I think I’m going over to the other side more than you. Anyway, let’s get some sleep, another day tomorrow. I wonder what Cleo thought of that picture in the magazine. I suppose any news is good news.”
I went to sleep thinking about the day, especially the kisses Sandra had given me. I had a strange dream and woke up, in the morning, with a stiff willie, my first woodie! I sat on the toilet and waited for it to wilt, so that I could pee. It shook me to my core. After just a couple of weeks in dresses, was I finally getting puberty? Will my voice break so that I can’t sing?
Mum commented on how quiet I was at breakfast, and I just told her that I was thinking about what we may do for the show, next year. It wasn’t far from the truth, but I was thinking about it as a duet with me looking on. When the phone rang, it was a welcome distraction. Sandra told me that she really enjoyed her day out and thanked me for the tour shirt. She then asked me if I could go over to her home and help out with the bees, seeing that I always asked about them. Her sister would be going down the coast with a few of her friends and her mother wanted to have a talk, over lunch. I asked Mum and she said that she would drive me over, but I told her that I could use my cycle, as Sandra lived on the other side of Higher Wambrook, just up the road. She told me that I had better take Angelica’s, as she was one of the crowd going to the coast.
That allowed me to wear a skirt, which I was happier about, seeing that I was having lunch with Sandra’s mother. I made sure I had everything I needed and slung the shoulder bag over my head and cycled off to see my girlfriend. Now that was a bit different. What was more different was that I was leaving Jan behind, to help Mum around the house. She had told me that it was something she felt that she had to do, to totally embrace her new personality.
I knew where Sandra lived, because she got off the school bus there, with Brenda. I rode in through the gate and saw an older style of farmhouse, with a conservatory off to one side. There was a picket fence which I leaned the cycle against, and I went to the front door and knocked. After a few moments, a lady opened it and welcomed me in. It took me a couple of moments to remember where I had seen her, and then it hit me. She was Miss Harris, who taught the girls physical exercise at the school.
“Hello, Miss Harris, I’m Lucinda Gaynor, and I’ve come to help Sandra with the bees.”
“Welcome, Lucinda. Sandra will be just a minute. I must say that you look lovely, that photo in the magazine was hard to pick you out from that mass of colour. You’re going to have to tell me how Tom, the boy my daughter went to a dance with, is now standing in front of me as a teenage girl. Sandra did try to explain it, but it sounded like a fantastic dream sequence.
“It felt like it, to me, at the time, but it all seemed to just happen. Lucy and Janine were supposed to be on stage with Angelica, but everything just blew up. I did have a lot of fun, but it was a lot of work.”
“How long were you on stage, and how did you feel, afterwards?”
“Our first show was about forty-five minutes, and we moved around a bit, so we were all tired after that. Being out in front of a crowd was draining. The second show was the same, but we did feel a bit better after that one. The show we did on Saturday was close to ninety minutes, and we had gone through the whole thing twice on Saturday afternoon. We needed hydration after that one.”
Sandra came into the hallway and came up to me to give me a hug.
“Come on, Luce, the bees are getting restless.”
Her mother smiled and watched us as I was led through the house. We went to a change room where I had to take off my skirt to put on a beekeeper overall, adding the netted helmet. Then Sandra took me out the back of the house. The hives were along a fence, some distance off, and my job, when we got there, was to wave a smoke pot over the hives as Sandra lifted the racks out. We worked along the row of hives, harvesting honey, and I found it to be educational, if a little scary with bees sitting on my arms.
When she had enough honey, we took it back inside, where we removed the helmets and coveralls. Before I could put my skirt back on, Sandra gave me one of those wonderful kisses.
“That’s for being such a good friend, Luce. None of the other girls have been brave enough to work with the bees. It provides our pocket money, but Brenda won’t spend a minute out there. Now, get dressed and we’ll have something to eat.”
I put my skirt on and made sure that I was properly dressed, then we went into the house and through to the kitchen, where the conservatory had extended the room to be a beautiful place. Her mother was already setting out some sandwiches and crockery. She smiled at us.
“So, Sandy, you’ve found someone who isn’t afraid of bees, then?”
“Yes, Mum, I think that Luce is a superwoman, able to do anything she wants.”
We sat at the table, and, between bites, I was able to relate the story in a manner that Miss Harris was able to follow.
“That was quite an experience, there. I know why you felt so drained. Entertaining is hard, but dancing makes it harder. As you know, I teach gym to the girls. We always have a stretch session before we do anything hard, and we always have a cool-down session after. I doubt that you did either of these. What you need, if you want to keep singing, is to get a fitness regime that doesn’t take long, but keeps you supple. I used to dance, a long time ago, and I teach dance now, as a side-line. Will you come with me and spend a little while for me to gauge what your body can do?”
“Of course, anything that helps is good. We never thought that we would do more than one show on the weekend, and I don’t know if we’ll ever do another, but I’m interested in what you have to say.”
We went back through the house and went through a door into what had to be an extension. It was set up like a sunroom, but with bars along the rear and side walls, with mirrors behind them.
“Take off your shoes. You too, Sandy. What we do is to take you through some stretching exercises first.”
We squatted, lunged stretched against the bar and then stretched our arms high above our heads. Sandra, of course, had done it all before. Then, she took me through a series that I knew ballet dancers did. With one hand on the bar, I had to extend one leg in front of me, then out to the side. Turning around I did it again with the other leg.
“Now, Lucinda, we are going to see how much separation you have. You shouldn’t be able to do the splits, as your pelvis isn’t made for it. One hand on the bar, lift your leg as high as you can go.”
Sandra did it in front of me, being able to lift her leg so that it was vertical, and she could touch her shin with her nose. I got nowhere near that but fell short by about thirty degrees. My right leg was a shade better than my left. I was so taken up with the procedure, I didn’t think about showing my panties until Sandra giggled and said, “Nice colour!”
We were back in the kitchen with a drink when I remembered that I had some goodies for Sandra in my bag. I had brought a few things with me; a Cleopatra CD, a couple of tour pens, and a couple of the smaller posters. Her mother put the CD in the player, chose a track and asked me to sing along, there in the kitchen, making the moves that I had done on stage. After two songs she declared that I was a good singer and a smooth mover.
“Lucinda, I can see what my daughter sees in you. You’re talented but humble, you’re kind and generous. They’re all good attributes for a girl, but hardly ever found in a boy. I’m prepared to teach you dance movements that will help you in the future. They will be easy enough for the other two to do. Now, do you play an instrument?”
“No, I’ve never had the time. In the past I’ve done everything with my twin, and it’s not something we’ve talked about. Seeing the guitarists in the band made me wish I could play music. It would be a help if we wanted to start singing our own songs.”
“There’s a good guitar school in Chard, I think that you should try it out, at least. You’re a bit old to start but you have the right kind of fingers for it. Are you writing anything, yet?”
“No, I’ve never thought about it. I do pick up lyric quickly, though. There were four new songs that we did with Cleo that only took us a little while to master. It’s funny about them. When we were going through the set in the rehearsal room, I saw some microphones hanging from the ceiling and the sound engineer was nowhere to be seen. I wonder if he was recording it.”
“That’s interesting, I think that you’ll just have to wait and see. Now, Sandy, do you want to take Luce to your room so you can put those posters up? Then we can let her go back to her home, in time for tea.”
I made sure that I took my bag with me, so that I could refresh my lipstick, and it was a good job I did, as Sandra wore it all away inside the first few minutes in her room. We did get the posters up, with a bit of blue-tack, and she held me close before I had to leave.
“Thank you for coming, Luce. It’s been wonderful. I hope that we have a lot more times like this. It will be good to have Mum on your side if you go to school as a girl, with her running the sports you’ll have a lot of help fitting in.”
Riding home, I thought over what Miss Harris had said, and what I thought about learning advanced dance movements. It would be interesting, and I could see where it would help with my career. The idea of learning guitar was also interesting.
At home, I went into the kitchen and helped prepare the vegetables. When Angelica arrived, she had Archie with her. I expect that the day down south, with the girls, was actually a day with the boyfriends. It did allow me to question Archie about his time in London.
“Archie, when we were going through the set, on Saturday, there were microphones hanging from the ceiling, and you were nowhere in sight. What was going on?”
“Ah, that was supposed to be a secret. Albert told me that they always recorded the run-through as a live concert, just in case there were tracks that came across really well, good enough to add to a live album, should they want one. You were taped on a sixteen-track machine, and I was allowed to set some of the levels. I learned so much that weekend, it’s not funny. It sounded really good. Albert did hint that they might put a special CD together, just for us, to remember it by.”
“Cleo did say that we may have a surprise, in the post, in a few weeks. That could be what she was talking about. I don’t think that I’ll ever forget it.”
Friday was laundry and hut cleaning day. We stripped our beds, and everything went through the big washer. It was a nice day, if cooling a little with the approaching autumn. In the early afternoon, Miss Harris called and asked us if we wanted to go for a session in the studio. I hadn’t got around to telling my sisters about this, but, after a quick explanation, they agreed to come. Miss Harris said that she had some dance outfits, in stock, that she kept for first timers, and that we could use them. If we wanted to continue, there was a shop in Chard where we could buy our own.
Jan and I were in jeans, so we could use our own bikes, and Angelica rode hers. I led them in the driveway, and we left our bikes against the fence. Sandra was outside, waiting for us, and welcomed us into the house and through to the studio. Her mother was waiting, with outfits that we went into a side room to change into. When we matched Sandra, in ballet flats and leotards, she took the four of us through a warm-up session, a bit harder than the one I had done, before.
Sandra showed me some advanced steps, while her mother went through the process of finding out where the other two stood with their range of movement. I could see Angelica able to get almost as high as Sandra, but Jan was getting frustrated that she couldn’t match her. Miss Harris assured her that her body wasn’t built to do the same, even though her brain told her that she should.
We all went through a period of taking a couple of steps and leaping, with one leg out forward and the other stretched back. It was tiring, but, as I saw us in the mirror, Jan and I were quite convincing. Then we tried to spin in one place. We were shown how to use our arms to create a gyroscopic effect, without flailing. We did fall over, a few times.
After we had cooled down, and changed back into our clothes, we sat in the kitchen and Miss Harris told us what was on her mind.
“As you know, I am the games mistress at the school. I have had my eye on you, Angelica, for a while, as you looked like you could do the moves you have done, today, but you always look as if gym is a chore. If Lucinda and Janet go to the school as girls, I’ll have you all in my gym classes. One of the things I’ve always wanted to introduce was gymnastic dancing. We do have all the usual equipment for normal gymnastics, but we have never had the girls with dance ability as well. If I get the streamers and balls, will you three have a go at it?”
“That would be good, Miss Harris. I’ve never felt that the normal stuff was for me. I’m not a fitness freak, but the idea of learning dance moves would be good. Do you think that these two are good enough?”
“I’m sure that they’ll come up to standard, quickly. After all, you’ve all spent a couple of hours on stage, and that style of dancing isn’t that far away from the easy parts of what we’ll work on. Do you think that Lucy and Janine would join in, seeing that they were supposed to be on stage with you?’
“I think they might. After all, we will be moving into fifth year and that’s the sort of thing that may be good to have under our belts.”
“Right, I’ll move ahead with it and talk to the headmaster. We should be able to use the gym after normal hours, and I’ll be able to bring you home. Now, on a different tack, I know that the school doesn’t have the best of reputations in regard to bullying. If the two of you come to school as girls, we should also talk to the headmaster about putting you through classes where you can stay safe. Sandra will be able to help you in the breaks.”
“Thank you for that,” I smiled. “That’s one of the things that has worried me ever since it became likely that I would be attending as Lucinda. We have an appointment with our doctor, next week, to see what side of the line we fall. It may be a week or more before we get the results, and that will be just before the start of term. I’m thinking that we should work as if we will be there as girls. That means that we’ll need to get the uniforms, I know what the girls have to wear, and we should be able to make it work.”
“You will be able to use some of Angelicas outfits, seeing that you’re the same size. Fifth year is a bit easier going as far as the uniform goes. We do realise that you are all young adults. Now, I think that the bees need harvesting, who’s going to help?”
Of course, it ended up with me helping Sandra, while the others cycled home. I didn’t mind, seeing that I was now alone with her, able to talk about all sorts of things. The time passed quickly, and we had a kissing session in her room before I put my face right to go home. I’m sure her mother knew what we were up to, but she stayed out of our way until I was ready to leave.
On Saturday, Mum took us into Chard, and we bought two sets of leotards and ballet flats to use while we learned how to dance. She was quite excited about this, something she thought that none of us would ever do. I asked her if we could go by the guitar school. They were open, and we went in. I asked about lessons and the costs involved. They weren’t happy that I wanted to take it up at thirteen but sat me down with an instrument and showed me a couple of simple chords. I was deemed dextrous enough to give it a try and said that there would be an instrument for me to use for a few weeks. By that time, we should know if I was good enough to buy my own. The others sat in the car and waited for us to come out.
Marianne Gregory © 2024
Part 6
Sunday, we had a day at the beach at Lyme Regis, with the parents. It was the first chance that Dad had to be where we could talk quietly. He spoke to Angelica as we walked along the foreshore, eating ice-creams. Whatever he told her, it must have been good, as she gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Then, he walked between us while Mum steered Angelica away.
“Now, kids, this last couple of weeks has been a big upheaval for the family. I had expected to kit out two boys for the next term, not two girls. Your sister told me that she could spare some of her old things and I told her that I would give her some cash for them so that she could buy more things suitable for a girl in fifth form. The two of you will be fourteen in a few weeks, and I’m afraid that your presents are likely to be school kit. However, a lot depends on what the doctor tells us, next week. Is there any one thing that you would like that we would never have thought of.”
“I’d like a sewing machine,” said Janet. “One I can set up in the hut so that I can learn to sew. Mum has promised to teach me. I’d like to be able to make any new stage outfits that we might need.”
“I’ll talk to your mother about that. If she wants a new one, will you take her old one?”
Jan nodded and smiled so Dad turned to me.
“I’m going to take some guitar lessons, to see if I’m any good at it. If I am, I would like a guitar of my own. I don’t mind waiting until after my birthday.”
“All right, I’m glad that you both are so level-headed. I told your sister that we will get her a small car when she turns sixteen, so she can get used to driving it around the property. She can’t get a full licence until she is seventeen, but, by then she should be able to look after it and will breeze through the test. By then, we’ll all know how your future in music will pan out. There has to be a future for you after what you showed us, I can’t tell you how proud you made me. I could hardly believe that my children were there, on stage, entertaining a huge crowd.”
It was a lovely, family day. We had fish and chips, sitting on a seat and looking at the waves. There’s not a lot of things better for settling you down and allowing you to just think. That made me wonder about any future shows.
“Angelica, if we are asked to go on stage at the steam rally next year, do you think we can do it with our own songs, plus one or two covers. We could get a few guys to be the band; there are a few in school who play. I’m sure they would be happy to help out.”
“We have to get our own songs, first. They don’t fall out of the sky.”
“I know, but we have a year to get something we can do. We may get something from Cleo’s friends, or there may be people who saw us, on stage, and could be busy writing stuff that they’ll post to us. Since that weekend, I’ve been thinking about lyrics myself, and have a few ideas running around in my head. If I’m any good at the guitar, I may be able to sort out a rudimentary tune. I do have tunes in my mind, I just have to learn how to let them out.”
The next week had us settling into a rhythm. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we went to see Miss Harris. We were joined by Lucy and Janine, and we all had lessons in leaping and a little introduction to tumbling. She had a hook, in the ceiling, where she attached rubber cords which we had hooked to a belt. This allowed us to start trying to do summersaults without falling flat on our faces. It took a while, but by the time we went to school, we could all do a forward one, and we had all had limited success with a backwards one. We were told that only the most accomplished gymnasts can do those successfully, with grace.
Before school started, I went to guitar lessons on Tuesday and Thursday. Mum took me in and came back for me three hours later. In the first lesson, Martin, my teacher, asked me what sort of music I wanted to play. I told him that I wanted to play rock and pop music, so that I can write songs, and maybe play in a band. He thought that I was a little young to have such lofty ambitions, so I asked him if he had a copy of the latest Hit Music magazine. When I pointed me out in the picture of us on stage, he was amazed.
“Some friends of my daughter had gone over to the steam rally on the Friday. They said that some local girls had put on a great show as a cover group with a backing tape. What’s this, you with Cleopatra and a band behind you?”
I had to give him the shortened version of the weekend, telling him that I may have a CD to play for him, sometime. We then got into the first lesson, with him seeing how flexible my fingers were, then starting with simple chords. With one chord, he got me to use the plectrum on certain strings, and I was amazed to hear the tune of a well-known song. He explained that this was how you learned to keep what you want to play in the right key. That ‘key’ thing was a bit of a worry, and he told me that it was something that came naturally, and not to force it.
Towards the end of the lesson, he showed me three common chords, calling them a ‘three chord trick’ that a lot of songwriters use. When Mum came to pick me up, I had the guitar in its case, on loan until I got my own. That was something he told me that I should do as soon as I could. I started sitting in my room, in the evenings, practicing playing the chords, then strumming them, and moving from one to another, sometimes keeping my fingers in one place and playing individual notes.
One of the things that had an effect on my future was when I found out that Miss Harris played piano, and sometimes did so for dance lessons. I had seen it, in the corner, but it hadn’t sunk in until I began noticing things. Sandra had been playing from an early age. This led me to cycling over in the mornings of our dance lessons, helping with the bees, and then sitting next to her as we played around with tunes. She, of course, had to follow what I could play, but we had fun, which usually ended with a kiss, unless her mother was with us.
At the end of the week, we had our visit to the doctor, who took enough blood to feed a vampire for a month. He got us to strip off and examined us, one by one, putting a Texta spot on Jan so that we couldn’t pretend we were the other. At the end of that, after we had redressed, he got Mum into his room and told us his findings, so far. It seemed that I had all my tackle, if a bit small, while Jan still had hers caught up inside. He knew the family history, and he wasn’t alarmed at this, saying that if hers didn’t descend in a year, there would be the option of having a minor operation, to bring them down or remove them completely. He said that she was much further advanced in her feminine growth, so the latter would be likely, along with hormones. That, he told us, was up to the bloodwork to decide.
When we got home from that visit, Dad joined us for lunch, bringing a sheet of paper from the office fax machine. It was the Press Release, which he read out to us.
“This came in today. It’s nice that they thought of you. I wondered if they would pass the whole show off as a flash in the pan, but this is what they say.”
“There has been much speculation about the Cleopatra show at the Great Dorset Steam Rally. The band had been booked for some weeks, but two of the Higgins sisters became too ill to perform. The band was helped out by the addition of the three Gaynor sisters, Angel, Jan, and Luce, who had performed a show of their own on the Thursday evening, as a cover band using a backing tape. Their rendition of a couple of Cleopatra numbers was so good, they came to London to be tested out to see if they could fill out our normal sound. The result was what you saw on the Saturday night, and we thank them for their help in our hour of need. The resulting show was so good, the four new songs destined for our next album, and release for the media, will be recordings that happened during rehearsal. The next CD will have the Gaynor Sisters credited for their input, and we have to stress that this is a single event, which in no way changes the usual Cleopatra line-up. We hope that these songs will be well received by our fans and the critics.”
“That’s that, then,” sighed Mum. “A one-off event.”
“Not so quick to write it off, Mum,” I said. “The release says that the four songs will be sent to the media. To me, that means that they are destined for airplay. If the radio stations pick them up, and they go up the charts, I’m pretty certain that the phone is going to start ringing. It will then be driven by the fans. We may find ourselves on stage for a short time at different shows. Who knows, they may allow us to do the four songs in our own show, just like we did on the Sunday evening.”
Just before we went back to school, Jan and I had a session with Mum and Angelica, trying on the hand-me-down outfits. There were enough correct green-grey skirts and slacks, and white blouses for two sets each, but only one blazer. As all we had were boys ones, that prompted a visit to the shops to get one. I was happy with the old one and I knew that Jan would be happy trying things on. Also, around that time, we had two deliveries.
The first was a package from Cleo that contained a box of ten CD’s. Five had the full show on, as we did it on the Saturday. It was titled ‘Cleopatra at the Steam Rally’, with the stamp ‘Limited Edition’, and a picture of us all, taken from the photo session. We were credited as being part of the line-up. There was also a card, signed by all four sisters, wishing us well. The other five CDs were similar on the cover, but only contained the four songs. It had ‘For Demo Use Only’ stamped on it. The back had a list of all the singers and band by name, with the sound technicians, including Archie. This, we supposed, was what had been sent to the media. It was this one that changed our future.
The second delivery was several boxes, addressed to Mum. We all gathered in the kitchen as she opened one to reveal bundles of tee shirts. They all had a picture of the three of us, taken by Dad with our original silver dresses, shown from the waist up. On the dresses were our signatures that we had used on the magazine. Over the top was ‘Gaining’ and underneath was ‘Traction’. The back had a picture of all of us on the Saturday night with the sentence ‘Gaining Traction with Cleopatra’ in a circle around it. Mum told us that it was hard for her to keep it secret but wanted us to have something to hand out to friends, thus getting a circle of them to help us at school. The boxes had small, medium, and large sizes.
On The Thursday, at my guitar lesson, I wore my ‘Traction’ tee shirt and showed Martin the four-song demo CD. He put it on a player and called in the others that were taking lessons to listen to. I felt proud, at first, but could see a couple who showed something in their eyes that I didn’t like. Jealousy, maybe. On the weekend before we went to school, we heard one of the songs being played on the radio. It sent shivers up and down my spine. On Sunday, the phone rang. It was the local radio station, Vale FM, wanting to see us, at their studio, on the Wednesday evening for an interview. We agreed, even though it was a bit of a drive to get there in Shaftsbury.
First thing, however, was to get through our first week at school. We had seen the headmaster, who wasn’t all that happy to have two transgenders in one class, and he told us that he couldn’t guarantee our safety. What he didn’t know about was the group of girls, starting with those we had gone shopping with at Exeter, that were happy to be considered friends, as well as fans. They ranged from the third to fifth years. They all had friends who would, so we were told, be happy to be considered friends as well.
Miss Harris had spoken to some of the teachers to treat us as girls, because she told them, that’s what we were. Archie had a group of boys that we knew of, but we hadn’t met as girls, who he had played his copy of the demo CD to. They were on board, so he told us, as long as we welcomed the boys into our circle. I thought that it was a sneaky way for them to be with a bunch of girls, but, if it worked for them, it worked for us.
Our first day back was a little frightening, but we were surrounded by helpers from the moment we left the car. Sandra was now considered normal by the others, and not frozen out. It helped that both of us were passable enough to be accepted. We were both welcomed in the female toilets, as long as we didn’t flash our boy bits. A couple of teachers were not happy, but settled down when they saw that we were not targets for snide remarks and jokes.
Our first gym session had us changing with the other girls, if in the corner, and we did enough to fit in when we had a game of softball. In fact, I wondered what I had been bothered about. We did, however, keep a strict routine of not being anywhere remote or secluded, and Mum was there as we came out to take us home, instead of being on the bus. She had enough room for Sandra, but Brenda opted to go on the bus with her friends. On two days a week, we would be doing after school training in the gym, and Miss Harris would be taking us home.
That now meant that we stopped our sessions in the dance room, in favour of more strenuous ones in the Gym. I now had my guitar lessons on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with Dad taking me over and coming back for me. One day, close to our birthday, he came back early and listened to me as I played a simple tune. He asked Martin if I was ready for my own guitar and Martin showed him some pictures of what was available, with an idea of where to go for one. I was given a little input and followed Martin’s advice to get an acoustic guitar with an internal pick-up and jacking to play through an amplifier.
The evening at the radio station was a whole new experience. They were a little put out when we turned up with our parents, but soon realised that we were still underage. The discussion went down the now-usual track of how we got to be part of the Cleopatra line-up and what we thought of it. They played two of the tracks from the demo CD, and before we left, they were getting callers who wanted to talk to us. We did do about five minutes answering questions, usually about when we were next on stage. As we left, Dad was given a message slip by the producer, who told him it was from a man who told him that he managed groups and would like to help us, just leaving his phone number.
When we arrived home from school on Friday, Mum said that there was a letter addressed to Angelica. When she opened it, she took out a cheque from the Steam Rally organisers. It was for nearly two thousand pounds and the payee section was left blank. Dad reminded us that it was supposed to be given to a worthy charity of our choice. After some discussion, we decided that it should be given to the Crowshute Centre, a Chard community centre where Mum went to play bingo and where we would go for dances. They did a lot of good with the older folk, but still had time for us ’youngsters’.
When our birthday came around, Mum got a new sewing machine, with a new cabinet, and Jan got her old one and cabinet. I now had my own guitar, with case, spare strings, a small amp and a tuning unit that plugged into the jack. After tea, we all helped carrying the sewing machine and cabinet over to the hut, and, once we were all there, I was asked to play a few things I had learned. I plugged in and played the whole repertoire in less than ten minutes. What I could do then was to strum the chords I was now good with, and sung a song from years ago, much to the delight of my family.
As the term moved towards Christmas, Jan started making her own clothes from material Mum had in store. I got better with the guitar, and we all got better with our gymnastics. Miss Harris was now talking about getting us a spot in the county competition, purely as a demonstration, seeing that they didn’t have any sections for group floorwork, only individual on apparatus.
One weekend, I had been helping with the bees and then we were messing about with the piano and guitar. I saw us in the big mirrors, and it caused something to click in my brain. Over the next week, in my spare time, I wrote my first song. I called it ‘Mirror’. It went like this….
“You see me every morning. You see me every night.
You see me when I look good. And when I look a sight.
As I look into my eyes. I can see my soul.
When my heart just wants to cry. You reflect my all.
Mirror, Oh mirror. You never lie, you just reflect the truth.
Mirror, Oh mirror. Without you I’d die. For you provide the proof.
With every day I see the changing, that time has wrought on me.
With every day I see the ageing, as I reach my puberty.
I paint my face, I hide the signs, of adolescent life.
I smile as I think I could. Be a woman, and a wife.
Mirror, Oh mirror. You never lie, you just reflect the truth.
Mirror, Oh mirror. Without you I’d die. For you provide the proof.
You will be there, a friendly face. To make me smile each day.
As long as you are there for me. No harm can come my way.
As life goes on. And reflections change. Your support will never falter.
Until that day I see myself, getting ready for the altar.
Mirror, Oh mirror. You never lie, you just reflect the truth.
Mirror, Oh mirror. Without you I’d die. For you provide the proof.
By now, I had enough skill to work out a tune. I plugged the cassette recorder into the output socket of the amplifier, and recorded myself singing, with the guitar. When I played it, the first time, I grimaced and recorded a second attempt over it that sounded much better. That evening, after tea, I played it to my family, expecting derision. I wasn’t ready for an outpouring of hugs and kisses when it finished. Angelica wanted the words, so I went and got them for her. We then played the tape again, with her singing and Jan and I adding backing on the chorus. All it really needed was some instrumental breaks and it would be long enough to do on stage.
When we settled down, Dad told us that he had rung the chap who had left the message at the radio station. It turned out that he was a cousin of one of our customers that we did deliveries for. That allowed Dad to double-check the man, which took a little while. He told us that he had been waiting for a moment like this, where we showed the first steps at being serious performers. He rang the guy that evening and made an appointment to see him the following Saturday, at his home in Shaftsbury. Angelica wouldn’t wait, she dragged the two of us into the hut, and we set up the recorder to tape her singing the song, with the two of us doing back-up and me on guitar. It took a while, but by the time we all went to bed, we had something we could play to this man that showed what we could do.
As I tried to sleep after the excitement, I suddenly thought of a dance concept that would go with it. Jan and I could dance mirror image steps either side of Angelica. As I drifted off, I pictured a scene in the gym, with the tune playing and Jan and I doing a gymnastic routine as a mirror image. It made me smile and I had a wonderful dream about dancing with Sandra.
I mentioned the routine to Jan the next day, and she was very supportive. She started talking about flowing skirts that would sway in opposite directions and that it would look good if we used streamers. We put the concept to Miss Harris one afternoon, in our late gym session, and she thought that it would be a wonderful demonstration piece, She immediately saw that us two blondes could be opposite, with Janine and Lucy, two brunettes, at ninety degrees to us. Angelica, she said, could stay in a central spot, doing the streamer moves, or – and her face lit up as she thought of it – actually singing the song to a backing track.
All we needed, now was the easy bits. We just needed to record it, finding a band in the process, and having it on the airwaves so that it made an impact when we did it live. A lot would depend on our discussion, on Saturday. Who knows what the guy would offer, or what demands he would have. Dad said that the reports were that he was an upright guy and had several other bands that he managed in the Bournemouth area.
I started trying to think about another song. I had discovered that song writing is like any form of writing, if you have a concept the words may flow, but, without the concept, the page remains blank.
Marianne Gregory © 2024
Part 7
On Saturday morning, we set out for Shaftsbury. The guy we were going to see was called Steve Harding. He had faxed Dad with directions to his house, and a list of the bands he already managed with a contact number for each one so we could get feedback. Dad had rung a couple at random, and had received good reports.
When I looked at the list, I saw that one of the bands had been on stage at the steam rally, after our show on Friday and also after we had crashed in the caravan. I wondered if this Steve had seen us there.
When we arrived at the address, we weren’t sure that Dad had got it right. The place was a detached house, on what looked like a couple of acres. Undaunted, he drove in and parked in a circular driveway next to the front door. As we got out, the door opened, and a lady came out to greet us.
“Hello, you must be the Gaynor’s. I’m Mary Harding. Steve is in the house and looking forward to meeting you. We were both at that steam rally on the Friday evening and saw your show. We can’t believe that you aren’t managed, yet. Although, on stage, you looked a lot older than you do now.”
“I’m Lucinda. That look was because we had been outfitted by Molly from the Cleopatra team, and had professional make-up before we got back to the rally site. We had spent a lot of the day in their rehearsal room, learning their routine for Saturday night.”
“My, they certainly did a job on you, then. I thought you all looked eighteen, but Steve now tells me that two of you are only fourteen, you’re amazing entertainers to be so young.”
She led us into the house and through to a room that was similar to the rehearsal room in London, just a bit smaller. It had acoustic tiles and there were microphones and amplifiers scattered around. Next to it was a lounging area, with settees and low tables. There, we met Steve.
“Good morning, I’m Steve. I have to tell you, right away, that I’ve only been managing bands for about five years now. I’m an accountant and have created a good business where I can now employ other accountants and step back to follow my childhood dream. I can’t play an instrument, or sing for toffee, so the only way I can be involved is by being part of the back office. It does get me to a lot of shows, and I’ve met a lot of good artists.”
Dad introduced each of us and we all sat down. Mary asked us if there was anything we wanted to drink and then brought us soft drinks. Once we were comfortable, Steve carried on.
“I have the room next door for rehearsals, but we use a recording studio in Bournemouth. We do have an in-house group who do backing, when needed. They were called ‘The Vagabonds’ but are all over having to perform as a group. They can back you in the studio, as well as help you work on new songs, as they’re all solid musicians. Now, when we saw you, the act was all covers, is that how you want to go on?”
Dad looked at me, so I led with the answer.
“The show that you saw was only the second time we had been on stage. We had put it together to help Angelica realise her dream of singing in public. On the Saturday, and the Sunday, we did new songs from the new Cleopatra album. Two of those were played by the radio station when you rang in. We don’t know how we stand with those, at the moment. They have sent us these two CDs, one being a recording that was done on the Saturday afternoon, and the other with a remix of the four new songs, I think that they have been enhanced to give a live feel. Since then, we have put a totally new song on cassette.”
“Very good. Let’s have a listen to a few tracks and then we can talk seriously.”
He had a CD player and put the disc with the four songs in, pressed play, and we listened to the four of them. I could see Mary with her eyes shut, nodding along to the beat. When the four had finished, she was the first to speak.
“Just on that, alone, Steve, I think we should give these girls our full attention. You could hear them come through clearly behind the Manchester accents of Cleo and her sister. Angelica, you were third voice, am I right?”
“Yes, Mary. Jan and Luce were in the background.”
“In the background, yes, but still easily picked out. When I saw you, on the Friday, I was sure that your backing tape had some of the vocals added, but now I can see that it was just the music, and the vocals were all you. Now, what’s this new song?”
Jan spoke for the first time.
“That was written and originally recorded by Luce. After she played it to us, we went into the hut and re-recorded it with Angelica taking the lead. The guitar on it is Luce, who has only been playing for a few months, so this recording is just the first attempt at doing something of our own.”
Steve put the cassette in his player and started it. We sat and listened to ‘Mirror’, with strangers hearing it for the first time. When it had finished there was silence for the longest time. I wasn’t sure what they had thought of it. Mary nodded and then Steve cleared his throat.
“If that’s what you can turn out, in a hut, with a beginner guitarist, I’m not letting you out of this house without getting you signed up. Now, let’s talk business. My cut is minimal, I don’t really need the money but there are overheads, and no accountant can stand a loss. I will give you time with my band, I’m sure that a day will see this track sound good enough to be in the top ten. We can open up a bank account for each of you, with you twins it will be a trust account until you’re sixteen. Angelica, yours will be a normal account which you can access immediately.”
Mary then spoke for the first time since hearing our tape.
“You will find that we can bring a lot of extra help to the table. We can supply a driver, so that you’re no longer a burden on your parents. We will work with you in regard to maintaining your schooling, we wouldn’t want you dropping out on the lure of the stage. Sometimes that leads to lost chances, later on. Both of our children have gone to university, even when they didn’t want to, at first. They both have well-paid jobs in industry. They had no desire to get into music, even though they both studied piano. Now, I have another question. Who taught you those dance moves, they looked very professional and fitted the music beautifully?”
“That was Lucinda,” said Mum. “She’s very good on her feet. All three have been taking dance lessons and are doing gymnastics. I have been told that they’re very good, but we’re waiting to see what they come up with.”
“You never cease to amaze me, Now, come and have something to eat while Steve and Mister Gaynor go to the office to sign the authority that will allow us to manage your underage ones.”
We were taken into the kitchen, where there were covered plates of sandwiches and glasses for us to pour drinks. We sat down with Mary, and she spoke about some of the other bands that they managed. A few were ones that I had heard of, being popular in the Bournemouth area. The others, she said, were up and coming but getting regular work. Then she told us that this would not be the way we would be going.
“You three have hit songs written all over you. Done properly, you won’t have to do the grind of Saturday night dances to get known. You already have the name that the Cleopatra gig has given you. There are friends of ours who have spoken about you as if you were pop stars already. It will just take a couple of good songs to add to that CD of yours, and there will be promotors who will be beating down our door to get you on stage. That way, you can keep up the schooling.”
When we left, we had signed on the dotted lines, all under our parent’s names as our protectors. We had an appointment for the following Saturday in the recording studio, and Steve would be sending a car for us. He had given us back the CDs but kept the cassette for his studio band to listen to. Mum asked us how we felt about what had happened and we all were happy with it. What Steve had set up would prove whether we had the talent to go further, and getting a start with one of our own songs would be a bonus.
We were home in time for me to ring Sandra and arrange to see her on Sunday. Angelica rang Lucy and Janine to go and meet them. Janet just sat down and started sketching outfits, talking to Mum about the right material to look good but wear well. Mum told her to see if she could design several outfits, because what we wore would depend on where we were performing. Somehow, I think Jan is getting excited.
Sunday morning, I cycled to see Sandra. I was led to the kitchen where her parents were sitting, having a drink. I had only met her father a couple of times, as he was a company representative and away a lot. I told them what had happened yesterday, and Sandra immediately asked her parents if she could come with us to Bournemouth. They discussed it and agreed, as long as I was happy with it. I told them that I wanted Sandra to experience something new, along with me, and that she had a good ear for music with her piano playing.
Back home, that afternoon, I caught up with the homework I had neglected the day before, and sat down in the hut with my guitar, and just played odd things and allowed my brain to wander. That’s when I thought that we should have a signature song, something that told the audience who we were, Out of that, some words came to me, and I wrote them down with gathering excitement.
Our life had stalled, we’d lost our motion.
Our journey done, in sad emotion.
We had no soul; no course was set.
No boiler coal, our wick was wet.
And then you came, into our world.
You lit the flame, our sails unfurled.
Within us, you’re our magic potion.
With your love and your devotion.
You get us moving into action.
We can move, we’re Gaining Traction.
I played around with a tune, as much as I could. This one should be a strong beat, as befitting the group anthem. I then added another two verses, retaining the last four lines as the chorus. Then I set up the tape and the equipment to record it. Jan came in as I was deep in concentration, and just stood there until I finished the song and stopped the tape. She then came over to me and kissed my cheek.
“I know this started out for Angel, but you’re the real star of the family. That was fantastic, something we can open a show with. With the leather skirt look, we will come across as the strong girls that we want to be, I can’t believe that you’re so clever at that, and I’m not. We’re supposed to be identical twins but there are so many differences now.”
“I think it could be that we were always together, before, and hadn’t got out much. There was no need to be different then. Now, we have different outlooks on life. You, dear Janet, are determined to be a girl, and that may be your future. Me, I’m not so sure. I can wear the clothes and act like a girl, but I don’t see myself being like this for ever. One thing I don’t want is to take chemicals to stop my normal development. If I start getting manly, then I’ll go with it. Gaining Traction can carry on with other girls. I’m sure that Lucy and Janine would be happy to finally get on stage, given the chance.”
“What about you and Sandra?”
“We now have a shared life. I think that she was just scared of having guys telling her what to do. We do things together and I think that she wouldn’t be totally upset if she was doing them with me in boy mode. She just needed someone to trust, Brenda wasn’t any help, she couldn’t see what was holding Sandra back. Stay quiet about this song, I want to play it next week and see what strangers think of it.”
That week we did all the usual things at school. By now, there were no bullies trying to pick on us. A gang of girls and a growing gang of boys who were our protectors saw to that. With our after-school gym sessions, we started working on a dance routine to go with ‘Mirror’, while the others continued to perfect their gymnastic moves with streamers. It was good that both Jan and I could hear the song in our heads, so didn’t need any tape to bother the others.
On Saturday, Sandra cycled over to our house for breakfast, and joined us for the trip to Bournemouth. Angelica sat in front, and the three of us were in the back, with Sandra holding my hand. The recording studio was a little out of the town, in an old cinema that had been too small to be redeveloped into a multi-screen theatre. That had been built as part of the new shopping centre. Both Steve and Mary were there, and I introduced Sandra to them.
We were shown into a room that had been built where the stalls used to be. Steve explained that it was ideal to be able to build a studio off the ground, and isolated from external vibrations. There was a control room on one side, with an impressive mixing board and several different recorders. Steve said that they could record on eight, sixteen or thirty-two track tapes.
In the studio, we met the guys who would, hopefully, help us shape our sound. They had all been around a while but greeted us as equals. One stepped forward as we went in.
“So, you’re the girls who Steve has been raving about. I’m Jake. I play rhythm. We have Joe, our lead, and Happy Harry, the bass player. We call him that because there’s nothing that can stop him smiling. Last, but the driving force of any band, we have Greg, our drummer. We’ve listened to the songs that the radio has been playing, and we thought that we were too old to be part of this, but Steve gave us that cassette to mess about with, and we can see that you really are new to this game, even if the songs with Cleopatra are so polished. We’ve played about with your song, so, perhaps we can start off by running through it.”
That said, the band took their places, and we were stood in front of a microphone each. Sandra was taken to the control room to watch on, I could see her smiling at me as we prepared to sing, after putting on headphones. Joe led off with a riff, close to what I had tried, but much more bluesy, then the band started the backing and Jake nodded to Angelica to come in with the vocals. I was standing there, eyes shut, as my composition was given body and soul. Angel was caught up in the mood and sang with more feeling. It was good, right from the start, but, when we finished, I had the feeling that something was missing.
I could see Sandra in an animated discussion with Steve, Mary looking on with a big grin. I leaned towards Jake and asked him if there was a piano, or keyboard, in the studio. He grinned and pointed at something with a cover over it. That’s when Steve brought Sandra into the studio.
“This little firebrand has just told me that what that song needs is more body, with organ. My wife agreed, so, if we can try this out, let’s see what an extra member brings to the sound.”
We pulled the cover off the keyboard and powered it up. Sandra tested the notes until she had the sound she was after. It was connected to the mix, and she was given a set of headphones of her own. This was a different Sandra, but one I had seen bits of as we developed our relationship. This was Sandra, coming out as strong as the next girl.
When we were all ready, and Steve was back in the control room. He gave us the thumbs up, and Joe started with the riff, once more. This time it was better, with a fuller sound. Sandra was brilliant, her piano lessons being evident. The band had smiles as they worked with her through the tune, and the three of us went the extra step, just as we had on stage. When we finished, there was complete silence as we all took it in. I think that the band was more surprised than us. Then there were laughs and smiles all round. I could see Mary and Steve in a clinch, so it must be better than I thought.
We did it twice more, and it got better every time. We did have to wait for Steve to call his sound man to come in and run the board, Then we did it again with the result being professionally mixed and recorded to a sixteen-track tape. We went into a lounging area, for a drink and a rest, as the result was played back to us over some speakers. I was sitting on a settee, with Sandra snuggled close as she took in the music.
“You sure showed us old guys how to make music, young lady,” Smiled Happy. “That was the best I’ve felt with a totally new song for a long time. Now, young Lucinda, what else have you got up your sleeve?”
I pulled the cassette out of my bag.
“This is something that came to me, last week. Only Jan has heard it, so far. I’m OK with the words, but I think that the tune has to be stronger. I’m sorry, but this is even more raw than the cassette you heard before.”
“Never you mind, Luce,” Steve said as he took it from me. “I’m sure that whatever you’ve come up with can take a lot of improving, without losing its original concept.”
He took it through to the control room, and when he came back, we all listened to my attempt at a Traction anthem. I was, and I admit it, a little ashamed at this one. It didn’t have the drive I had wanted. Joe looked at me, with a kind look.
“Lucinda - don’t be unhappy with this. It has the bones of a great song; the lyrics are good. What you were aiming at was something you are far too young to have heard. What that song needs is a splash of Bo’s Barbershop.”
Jake laughed.
“Spot on, there. It just needs a shave and a haircut – two bits.”
Happy took pity on us and explained it.
“Kids, a long time ago, back in the late fifties, there was a great guitarist and blues singer called Bo Diddley. He was born in the late twenties, and, if I’m not mistaken, is still alive. He was part of the original movement from country music to rock and roll, and he has influenced a lot of artists from Elvis to the Beatles. He had a signature tune which was hinged on the words “Hey, Bo Diddley” and he had a beat which he called ‘shave and a haircut – two bits’. It is simple – ‘boom tiddy boom-boom – boom-boom’. It can be played around with, say, ‘Boom tiddy boom-boom – tiddy boom-boom’. Your words fit it well, with a little improvisation. When we play it, I think that you’ll realise that it was what you were thinking of. It could, however, mark you out as a blues outfit, rather than a pop group.”
Joe then added. “The beat was used by Buddy Holly on ‘Not Fade away’, which the Rolling Stones covered on their first album, then also used on their song ‘Mona’. If you don’t know Buddy Holly, it’s one of his hits that’s the theme of the TV show ‘Heartbeat’.”
Steve took my copy of the words and went off to photocopy them for everyone to have. We went back in the studio with them and took our places. Angelica smiled at me; I think she was having fun. First, we let the band play us the tune, which I was happy with, as it fitted my idea for the song. I just had not heard that particular riff before.
The first run through was pretty dire, as was the second. It was only when we got the lilt of the words right with the beat that it started to come together. Maybe the band was slightly altering the beat to suit the words. Whatever was happening, it was starting to come together as a recognisable song. After about an hour, we were ready, from the smiles on the faces in the control room, to put it onto tape. By the time we were sitting in the lounge area, I was so flat I knew I couldn’t do any more.
When we listened to the recording, I could hardly believe that this was what I had walked in with. It was bouncy, it was catchy, and it was good. Jan and I had added in ‘Gaining Traction’ after the first chorus, which filled some of the bits in between the lines. Joe had done wonders with his lead work, and it sounded like something you might hear on a classic rock station. Before we left, the sound man had made a CD for each of us, with just the two final tracks on. That was certainly something our folks would be hearing, tonight.
Sandra and I had a hug and a kiss, as Steve and Mary were going to take her home, via their house so that he could pick up a contract, similar to ours, which would need her parent’s names on before she could be signed up. There was no discussion on this, all three of us knew that ‘Gaining Traction’ was destined to be a four-piece. On the way home, I went off to sleep.
I woke up, about halfway home, and found that I wasn’t the only one. Jan was leaning on me and quietly snoring. I asked our driver where we were, and he said that we were now on the road to Crewkerne. I asked him if he could stop there, as I would need to use the toilets. He smiled at me, in the mirror, and said that he understood, with the work that we had put in today. I asked him if he had heard anything of what we had been doing and he told me that he had been doing some admin work in the office, with a feed from the studio to a speaker there.
“You girls are going to be stars, no doubt about it. I believe that you wrote both of those songs. That alone is going to mark you out as an outstanding talent.”
“I don’t feel that talented at the moment, I’m bushed.”
“And so you should be, you kept going when others would have given up. I’ve heard other bands in that studio who don’t have one-tenth of the commitment that you have. The guys in the band haven’t had so much fun in ages. It made them work a bit harder than usual and I think that you may have four die-hard fans there.”
We stopped at place in Crewkerne, and the others woke up as I got out. We all used the toilets and splashed our faces, before checking our lipstick. I was about to leave, as Angelica was re-doing her lips. A thought struck me.
“I just thought of something. If Sandra is allowed to join us, Mum will have to organise more tee shirts. The originals could become collectors’ items.”
She had to wipe her chin and start again, as I giggled and left to go back to the car.
Marianne Gregory © 2024
Part 8
On Sunday, we were visited by Sandra and her parents. They wanted to know just what they were letting themselves in for. They had signed the contract after hearing the two songs, and were now having second thoughts.
Our parents assured them that their daughter was in safe hands, and that her schooling would not be messed around. One thing her parents wanted to know was how come Sandra left home her normal quiet self yet came back a determined young lady. All we could offer was it was knowing that you can create something for the enjoyment of others, that lets you move on. Dad told her father where he could get a reasonably priced keyboard.
Mum wasn’t worried about the shirt problem, she was already talking to Jan about creating four outfits, so that she could take a picture and design a new shirt. She had been very strong with her praises when we had played them the two tracks, last night. Dad thought the anthem might be too heavy for our image but they both liked ‘Mirror’.
During that week, we re-visited the doctor. He told us that the blood work matched his expectations. I was just starting puberty, while Jan had a low testosterone count. He suggested that we make a booking for early in the new year, now we had a baseline to work from. We had a serious talk with Mum and Dad, with Jan saying that she thought that she would like to move forward with being more of a girl. I wasn’t so sure.
At my guitar lessons, I kept quiet about our recording session. I had learned my lesson about bragging last time. The other students were all friendly now, with us all trying hard to hone our skills.
As we moved towards Christmas, Angelica had her sixteenth birthday and found a small but nice little Renault outside. Dad had borrowed a dozer and had scraped a track around the property, with crossovers, for her to learn to drive on. Sandra was spending a bit of time at our house now, and Mum had picked up a cheap keyboard at the op-shop. We would sit for hours in the hut, messing around, some of the time with songs and making the odd recording. We had a store of half-finished songs that we would get flashes of inspiration and come back to. By Christmas, we had put together eight new songs, which we put onto a cassette. When we played them to the others, they were amazed at what we had produced.
In the run-up to Christmas, we all attended the Community Centre for a meal, where we had Angelica present the President with our cheque. They said that it would fund a Christmas dinner for sick kiddies and other disadvantaged people in Chard. We were invited to that, putting on a small show, with Sandra on their piano and the three of us singing carols. That was the last time we saw Archie for a while. He told us that a friend of Albert’s had asked him if he knew of a likely young record producer to help out at a studio in Manchester. He was dropping out of school to work full-time in the New Year. We all wished him well and Angelica had a tear in her eye as he left us.
We had a lovely Christmas, with our family and our Uncle’s family getting together at the farm. Everything we ate had been sourced from our properties, some frozen after picking, and some still running around the week before. We had a family tradition to only give cards at that event. We had a small gift-giving session on Christmas morning. I had given Sandra a wrapped gift to put under her own tree, and she had given me a nice pair of earrings.
During the holidays, we were picked up and taken into Bournemouth to the studio. There we met the reason that Steve had been a bit quiet during the last couple of months. Jake was there and introduced us to a group of young lads, not that much older than ourselves, who had been put together to be our backing band. They had been working with the older guys, through the songs we had already put down, so the business of the day was to re-record everything with them. It sounded a little different, perhaps a bit less smooth, but it did come across as an honest sound that we could all live with. By the time we went home, we had an eight-piece ‘Gaining Traction’ band with the start of a song-list. I left them with a cassette of our new songs to work out.
The band was Josh, on drums. Oddly, his surname was Burrell, so Steve had used a picture of our Showman to be painted on the drumskin with our name around it. Kieran was on bass; Andy on rhythm and Jock playing lead. By the middle of January, we had mastered the eight new songs, so we could now do ten without needing to lean on the Cleopatra ones. We had developed a long version of ‘Traction’ by working through a medley of ‘Not Fade Away’ and ‘Mona’, giving us a solid ten minutes of pure dance music.
Steve set us up with a show to launch our careers. He had booked us in to a dance hall, in Bournemouth, as the opening act. He had also made a batch of tees and posters of the eight of us. The single, ‘Mirror / Traction’ was to be sold as a collectors pre-production issue. He had five hundred pressed by a small manufacturer, who had been promised the work should it take off. He also had a collectors issue of a ‘Gaining Traction’ CD, basically our show, with the drumskin artwork on the cover.
I have to say that the whole experience was tiring, sometimes frustrating, but overall wonderful. We melded with the guys, becoming good friends. By the time the show came around, Jan and Mum had produced our stage outfits and the boys had been instructed what to buy for themselves. We opened the show and got the crowd going. I can’t say that we sucked all the air from the following bands, but we did put on a good show, and everyone was happy, especially Steve, who had nothing left in stock by the time we had changed.
Steve had organised a meal afterwards, where we joined our parents, Sandra’s parents, and Brenda; along with the four sets of parents of our band, all having watched our full show for the first time. It was a jolly time; I think that the release of getting our first show out of the way led to us all sleeping on the way home. I was about to doze off, in the car going home, when ‘Mirror’ was played on the radio, waking us all up.
That night was, effectively, the true launch of the band. Between then and the end of the school year, we rehearsed and learned new songs one week, and played at dances the next. The long version of ‘Traction’ was a favourite with the dancers, and we often stopped singing to let them carry the tune. ‘Mirror’ was listed inside the top one hundred, probably on local sales alone.
At school, we had been working on the dance routine, after hours, and it had come together well. We did the routine to ‘Mirror’, with Sandra on piano and Angelica standing in the center of the square, miked up to sing the words. It was a slower version than the recording. She had a streamer in each hand and when she twirled one, the rest of us would be twirling in unison. Lucy and I were the right-hand, while Jan and Janine were the left, mirroring our actions. We didn’t have strong movements, just a few leaps and rolls while tossing the streamers and catching them. The catching bit took a lot of work.
Miss Harris had worked us into an interschools competition, as something to show during the break between sessions. It was a lot of work for very little time, but we had promised to do it. The competition was in a venue in the west of London. We didn’t need much setting up, just Sandra getting plugged into the sound system, along with Angelica. I don’t know what the organisers had expected; not the roar of several hundred schoolgirls as Sandra played the first few notes. We hadn’t realised just how far-reaching our songs had become. They quietened down after a few seconds, Sandra doodling a bit until she hit the riff that started our dance. We had stood still, with Angelica in the middle, until we moved away and went into our routine. At the end of it, we were back together, on one knee with the other stretched forward with the streamer leading.
There was hush as the sound of the last notes faded away, and then the place erupted. It was almost louder than our loudest show. Several hundred schoolgirls had just witnessed one of the bands they were listening to, dancing to a song still in the charts. What we didn’t know, was that the organisers had arranged for a film crew to record the competition, two days later we saw ourselves on the television. From an elevated view, the dance was even better than I had imagined it. Steve rang up the next day, to express his amazement at what he had seen, not being part of what was just a school project.
After that, the song sales went wild, and the production of the single was ramped up. We did one show that was properly recorded, becoming our genuine ‘live’ CD. We went to the school dance at the end of the term; as a four-piece doing our own songs, much to the delight of our fellow students. I played guitar and Sandra provided the bulk of the music on the school piano, with just the two singers. When the school year ended, we had a solid summer of shows booked, one being to close the Saturday evening at the Steam Rally that had kicked it all off.
Over the summer we worked along the south coast, sometimes opening a show, sometimes closing one. It was a lot of hard work, and we all became fitter, ate better, and did a lot of walking to build up our muscles. Jan was now on hormones and blockers, determined to be total girl. She would often walk in for breakfast looking like she was going on a date. Angelica usually got around in jeans but was forced to upgrade her dressing to prove that she was the real girl in the family. She had done well enough in the fifth year to think about taking the sixth year and look for a university after that. With the money she now had in her account she would be able to do that independently, though Mum assured her that there was enough to pay for it.
As for me, I had put on a growth spurt and was now a good three inches taller than Jan. I had also experienced, after a nice afternoon with Sandra, a wet dream, now realising what Mum had been talking about. I went to see our doctor and he took more bloods, the result being that I was a genuine male, and puberty had started to take over my body.
This led to a heart-to-heart talk with Sandra, one afternoon in the hut.
“Sandy, I think that I won’t be able to be your girlfriend for very much longer.”
“I was wondering about that. Sometimes your voice drops, and you have grown up a lot.”
“I’m scared that you will stop liking me when I go back to being Tom.”
“You have to know, by now, that whether you’re Lucinda or Tom, you are still the one I care about. Why don’t you go off and change, put your hair in a ponytail, take off the make-up, and come back to see if we still click.”
When I came back, in trousers that were clearly too short for me, she giggled and then held me close. We kissed, and it was slightly different now that she was the only one wearing lipstick. We kissed some more, and it developed into a more intimate session than any we had done before. Released from the gaff, I expected her to back away when she felt my penis against her. Her breathing got a bit ragged, and she held me even closer.
“Tom, darling. I’m so glad that you want me as a girlfriend. I’m ready to have you as my boyfriend, as the one I trust and the one I think I love. You’re going to have to let everyone else know what you are doing, and you’re going to have to go and buy new trousers.”
I went and put on some girl jeans so that I didn’t look a total idiot. We then went into the house and told my parents what I was planning. The next day, Mum took me to Exeter to get some new clothes to fit me. Luckily, the old school blazer I had used still fitted.
At the next rehearsal, I told the others in the band what was happening. It wasn’t such a shock to them, as we had revealed how we arrived on a stage the previous year. That’s when we had another little shock. Andy declared that he had been scared to tell us before, but he had passed his exams to go to university and would be leaving the band when the next school year started. That created an answer to my problem. Andy and I spent hours with him teaching me the rhythm chords of our songs, so that I could step into his shoes with the next show. We did some rehearsals with me on guitar, and it worked well.
That just left a place up front. After our demonstration dance, Lucy and Janine had been keeping close, and we asked them if either would like to join the singing group. Janine told us that she had been offered a job, so would be leaving school to work full-time. Lucy would be joining Angelica in sixth year and said that she would be happy to be part of ‘Traction’. In between shows we did some rehearsals with her, Janine made her some matching stage outfits, and the band did a couple of shows with her on stage and me looking on. That was a surreal experience, being forced to stop myself going up there and joining in. It did allow me to make sure that I could fill Andy’s spot when the time came.
By the time that the Steam Rally came around, Lucy was a permanent part of the show, and I was dressing as a guy. I had my hair cut short and donated most of my girl things to Janet and Sandra. I did keep wearing cotton panties and soft socks, as well as the less girly tee shirts. I gave Sandy all of the earrings, except the pair she had given me, and just wore small studs. I had acted as the roadie for a couple of weeks and helped with the instruments. I had bought an electric guitar, the same as the one Andy played, and made sure I was happy with it. I had stopped going to the guitar school because I had enough to see me right with the things I was going to play.
On some of our free days, I would take Sandra to the pictures, taking the bus to Exeter for afternoon sessions. We became more of a couple, being alone together. She had lost her fear of men, now being an equal to four guys in the band, and felt safe with me, even though I was starting to sprout a wispy beard. My birthday request, this year, was to get an electric razor.
The dynamics of the band altered, slowly, over that summer. Angelica and Josh had become more than friends, while Lucy had started seeing more of Jock. Janet still kept her eye out for ‘mister right’, but tended to sit with Kieran whenever we ate together or took a coach to a show. So, by the time we arrived at Blandford Forum, that year, we looked, for all the world, like a band of four couples. This time, however, it was our picture from last year that was on the hoardings, flanked by traction engines.
Dad had decided to take just the one Burrell and the Prancing Horses ride, so making it easier all around. We went on the Wednesday, in a smaller convoy; one tank transporter, the truck for the ride, with the caravan behind, and the two Cruisers with our caravans. Steve had organised a van and caravan for the instruments and somewhere for the guys to sleep. I was sleeping in with the drivers, while Sandra and Lucy would share the girls accommodation with Angelica.
We had agreed, between Steve, Stuart, and ourselves, to do the Thursday evening, when the crowd was smaller, and close the Saturday night. For the boys in the band, it was a new experience. None of them had been to a big steam rally, although the classic cars held more interest. It didn’t take long for the smell of hot copper and steam to hook them in.
We all spent most of Thursday walking around, being greeted warmly by those who had met us the year before. Some were a little put off, not realising that when they had met me before, I had been Lucy. The time to get ready for the show came around all too quickly. After a light meal, with us still full of hot dogs and ice creams, we got ready to go on stage. Andy had decided that it was time for me to be on stage, so I had changed into the band outfit, while the girls were in fringed chamois dresses. The first time I had been on this stage I was a girl singer in a cover band, tonight I was a rhythm guitarist in a live band, playing all original songs, most of them written by Sandra and me.
Stuart welcomed everyone to the rally, then reminded them of the debut performance that had blown them away this time last year, before getting the crowd to welcome back ‘Gaining Traction!’ We launched into the set to a big roar. We did the whole show with big smiles. The girls strutted and posed, we guys acted like guitar gods and Josh let loose on the supplied drums. At the end of the set, we finished with our signature number, keeping it going with the additional medley, then the girls stood aside for us to finish the number with a crescendo. This time, when we came off, there was no way we would be falling asleep, the past year of playing had given us a lot more stamina.
We went back to the caravans to freshen up and get a drink, besieged by fans and old friends. Garth and Molly were there, and both congratulated us on our rise in the pop world. Garth said that what we had just performed was much more than he had expected, seeing how young some of us still were. When we had the chance, we went and watched the bands that came on after, until Mum reminded us that we were still school age, so needed our beauty sleep.
Sandra and I helped out on the Prancing Horses ride during Friday. Dad was really happy and didn’t worry if we got caught up with talking to fans. Garth turned up, again, to let us know that the songwriters would be sending us a bunch of original songs, via Steve, to see if we liked them. He had also negotiated, with Steve, for us to receive payments for our part in the four songs that had been released last year.
On Friday evening, we all just listened to the bands, still surrounded by our own fans. Saturday was a repeat with Jan and Kieren working with Dad, and Sandra and I wandering the site. There were three bands before us in the evening, and we just relaxed and grooved until it was our time. Tonight, the crowd in front of us was about three times bigger than Thursday, and the excitement brought out the best in us.
This was the anniversary of our biggest show, and we made it a genuine party. The crowd was heaving and singing along; Jock and I played until our fingers were sore, and the girls did their thing magnificently. When we finished, the crowd didn’t want us to go, so we recycled the best of the four songs that we had sung with Cleopatra, the one that had done the best in the charts. When we came off the stage, there was no way I could stay awake, and it didn’t take long before I was in bed and asleep.
Sunday was strange, in a way. We all dressed casually and spent the breakfast time in the tent surrounded by fans, signing our autographs on CDs and posters. The guys left before lunchtime in the van with their instruments. The rest of us helped out with Dad and just relaxed. It had been so different to last year; we had closed the Saturday show as a pop group in our own right. Everyone we spoke to had smiles on their faces and, once again, the remark was made that it was unusual to have the Saturday band on site during Sunday. With just the one Showman, we closed the ride in the late afternoon, as the crowds abated, and the other small displays were packing up. We dismantled the ride and loaded it, then put the Burrell on the transporter. Monday morning, we would be leaving early.
Sunday evening, we watched the bands on stage and just settled. It had been a good weekend, our part going well, and being able to actually see the other bands was a bonus. The next morning, we were joined by Stuart as we were having breakfast. He told us that the crowd, this year, was a good ten percent bigger than the previous year, and that we would be getting a bonus along with our performance payment. I had to wonder at what we may look like if we come back.
In the last week or so of the summer holidays, I had to go into the school to tell the headmaster that I was coming back as Tom, once again. He hoped that my experience as a girl would make me a better man. I knew that I now had more of a chance of being bullied as I would be spending more time with the other boys. I didn’t have to worry, as the group of boys who had shielded me as Lucinda were happy to have Tom, a genuine pop star, as a friend.
My birthday, that year, did include an electric razor, along with some good sporting clothes, seeing that I was now spending my time with the boys, instead of in the gym with the girls. The dance demonstration had set up a whole new atmosphere among the girls, and Miss Harris was extra busy with lots of new dance aerobics students. During that winter, I found that my dance skills had given me an edge with soccer, able to weave around the defence as if they were statues.
We did about two shows a month up to Christmas, and Sandy and I would spend our times together making out, then working on songs, before making out again. Like last year, we had nine new songs to play when we got together for the first rehearsal of the new year. Sandy and I had put a lot into these, and with four new songs that we had received from Henderson, Watson, and Merriweather, we had almost a totally new show. As we learned and perfected each number, we recorded them. They became our next CD, called ‘Plough Time’.
Marianne Gregory © 2024
Part 9
Steve had eased off on getting us shows this year, in deference to Angelica, Josh and Kieran, all who would be doing important exams. With that in mind, he released a single from the CD to the media, followed it up with putting the CD on the market, and just scheduled one show for us, in the break between terms.
What a show it turned out to be! We would be opening the first half, at Wembley Stadium, with Cleopatra and the Spice Girls doing the second half. We were each allocated twenty tickets. After our parents and relatives, the biggest recipients of our allocation were our friends at school. That was enough for the parents to book two large coaches to take everyone from Chard who would be going.
We, the performers, were picked up on the Friday and taken to a hotel in London. There, we had a meal, with the other two bands, in a big restaurant. It was a big event for us, and it was wonderful to be in the same room as our favourite singers, although we tried hard to not act like besotted fans.
Saturday was a day I’ll never forget. We were taken to the stadium to do a sound check. For us, it was awe-inspiring to just stand on the stage and look out over the huge area that should have fans on tonight. We had finished our couple of songs when Cleo came on stage and asked us if we still did the four songs from last year. When we said that we did still play them, sometimes, she asked us if we would allow her, and her sisters, to join us at the end of our set to do the four songs as a big group for our encore. When we agreed, the four Higgins girls joined us and we played the four songs, twice, to make sure everyone was happy.
We had an early tea, most of us being too excited to eat. At the stadium, Mary had our stage outfits ready, and we changed for the show. The girls all had yellow skirts with black tops, while us guys had black pants with yellow shirts. It sounds awful but seemed right that night.
For this show, we all had radio mics, buds, and us guitarists had radio senders to the amps. I say amps, how else would you describe the Berlin Wall of speakers on each side of the stage. Sandy was back, next to Josh, and was plugged in the old-fashioned way. When we walked out, playing the first notes of our first song, the blast of noise that we produced was almost drowned out by the noise from the crowd. It was the biggest crowd I’d ever seen, all bouncing to our music.
We had started just before seven, so had planned a set that took us to after eight. It was magic and we all had smiles as it went from strength to strength. At the end of ‘Traction’ we stood for a while as the crowd roared, and then went into the first notes of the four songs as Cleo and her sisters came on stage. That four-song session took us to after eight thirty. We didn’t mind, it would be up to the others to finish the show on time.
At the end of the last song, while all the singers were at the front of the stage, waving to the crowd, I, and the rest of the band left the stage, switching off all our electronics as we went. We were replaced by Cleo’s band, and as Angelica, Jan and Lucy left the stage, that band started up the first song of their set. When they had finished, there was a short interval while the Spice Girls band got set up, and then they finished the night with a very polished performance of strong girl pop. We all watched from the side of the stage. At the end of their set, they called for us all to join them to say goodnight to the crowd. It was strange, standing there, waving to tens of thousands, most there to see the other bands, but by now, possibly wanting to buy our albums.
We had another night in the hotel, while the other bands went off to their homes. We were all quiet, and in the morning, it took a while to start discussing what we had achieved that evening. Josh was the first to comment that he had never, ever, thought that he would be sitting at his drums, looking out over a sea of faces such as we had witnessed. Steve and Mary joined us and congratulated us on our part of the show, as well as the extra bits with Cleo. We had made a lot of people happy.
Over the next weeks, leading up to the summer holidays, we didn’t have a rehearsal or show to do. We just hit the books to make sure we passed our exams. The kids from school, who had been at the show, were all full of praise for our set, as well as the rest of it. I was passing the gym, one day, when Miss Harris called me into her office.
“Tom, I have to thank you for letting me see my daughter in a way I would have never thought possible. She was totally part of your show, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy. Have the two of you decided on what you want out of your relationship? With most boys, I would have been able to make a guess, but with you there are so many levels to your being, I’m sure you’ve thought it out a bit deeper than mere sex.”
“I love Sandy, and she loves me. We are like two parts of a single entity. When we write songs, they come with such a rush, it’s almost too hard to get them on paper. Yes, I do think of other things when we’re together, but we have decided that we are too young to do anything that could harm our parents. I have another year to go before I can leave school and want to spend that year with Sandy. After that, who knows. We may be members of a waning band by that time. Whatever happens, we can make a living writing songs. I know that Angelica will be in Uni for the next few years, so it’s unlikely that we would be doing as many shows as we have been doing.”
“Well said, young man. You know that I’ll be happy to call you my son-in-law when the time arrives. You have given so much to Sandra, me, the school, and the community. I, for one, hope that you go to Uni, as you have a first-class brain and could have a life outside of music, should you want it. Sandra has spoken about her future, and she would be happy to shelve performances for Uni, as long as you are both still together. You could both get degrees in music.”
“Thank you for your faith in me. I’ll try to not let you down. As far as performances go, I’m not sure that I could stand a lot of nights like the one at Wembley. It was full-on, but, there again, we have gone from small crowds to bigger ones each time we play. I suppose that it’s a microcosm of life. Every time you get used to something; another comes along to challenge you.”
In the summer holidays, Steve had given us just six shows, all large venues, all in big cities, and all away from home. With three we would open for a top ten band, the others we would close for up-and-coming bands. We were all picked up, mid-week, for rehearsals, and stayed in hotels for our shows. Mum joined us for those, just to keep an eye on her children. We didn’t do the steam rally, this year, but, seeing that it was on a weekend when we didn’t have a show, we all went along to just help out with our display, Dad taking both Burrells this time.
For me, it felt as if we were letting the organisers down, but the bands they did have were happy to be there, having listened to all the previous bands who said that it was a great experience. The last show of summer was in Manchester, and Archie came to the hotel to see us. He was happy, doing well, and already had a couple of hit records under his belt. We stayed in that city, after the show, and went into his studio to put down four new songs that we had added, but not played live. It was a thank-you to him, but we all did very well out of the CD that he produced, which had a few of our newer masters added. The result was called ‘Gaining Traction in Heaton Park.’ That was enough to keep the fans happy until next year.
Over the winter period, we did some shows as a smaller band. Jan was out front, with Sandy and me either side of her. We had a new drummer, Bill, to replace Josh, and it was enough to maintain our name out there. By now, we had a big repertoire to pick from, with plenty that fitted the pared-down line-up. The band didn’t detract from our schooling and both Jan, and I got our good marks, as expected, and would be thinking about getting a job or going for sixth form. When we got to summer, expecting Angelica to be back out front, we were surprised to hear from her, telling us that she was heading for Europe with Josh, and that they were expecting a baby.
She had been studying modern languages at Exeter, with her main ones being French and German, and had scored a summer job in the Black Forest area as a tourist guide. Josh had a hidden skill as a climber, so was at the same place with beginner rock climbers. She did send us postcards, and one letter with a photo of her in costume singing in a beer tavern.
Steve acted quickly, and looked at his bands to see if there were any with girl singers to take over the empty spots. He had a pair of sisters, a bit older than us, who had been singing country music. He got us together in the studio to see if it could work. Luckily, they had been listening to our songs and were very happy to try out with us. The sound was different, with their older voices, and we tried things with both Sandra and me singing as well. In the end, it didn’t sound too bad, so we came back the next day and we all adjusted our presentation to work best with the line-up we now had. Steve had organised four shows, already, so we had a deadline to perfect the act.
When we did hit the stage, at a show in Brighton, we had been away long enough for most but the die-hard fans to forget who they had seen before. With Janet, Helen and Joyce as the main singers, Sandra and me as back-up and playing keyboard and rhythm. Jock was on the lead guitar. Kieren was on bass and our drummer was Bill. I think we did well, considering how little we had played together. It got better with every show, the reviews were good, the crowd still sang along with the songs and bought the merchandise.
At the end of that summer, Jan and I were going into sixth year, so we still needed to be looked after, timewise. Kieren was going back to Uni. We got a card from Angelica, telling us that the baby would be born in January, and that she and Josh had rented a flat near the Uni, and, that they would be married in three weeks’ time, at a registry office. That put the cat well and truly among the pigeons.
A trip was planned, Mum and Janet needed new outfits, Dad and I went to hire suits. On the day, we started before the sun came up to be outside the registry office at the right time. We met Josh’s parents there and we followed the happy couple as they went in to tie the knot. We all had lunch, then went to see where they were living. Angelica pulled Jan and I aside and apologised for not coming back to the band. We told her that it was all right, we now had a slightly different sound and would arrange to send her a new CD when we made it.
Back home, we had a family conference, realising that Angelica would not be singing for her living in future. We decided that the current line-up of ‘Traction’ would be our future. We let Steve know that this was the situation and he told us that any money that had been earned since the beginning of summer would be shared by the current band, with Josh and Angelica being cut off. They had both received a good income for the years they were in the band, so we weren’t being too hard on them.
Our plan, for the winter period, was for Sandra, Jan, and me to concentrate on sixth year, as well as to record an album with the new line-up. We had a couple more songs from Henderson, Watson, and Merriweather, and Sandra and I had added a few more. Our new singers surprised us by having a box of lyrics that they had written, over the years, without ever trying to turn them into songs.
They sent us copies of the ones they considered their best and we put music to them, giving us enough to head into a studio with. There turned out to be several that were about travelling or seeing things, so we called the album ‘Gaining Traction – Along for the Ride.’
Steve arranged a good set of shows for us over that next summer, now that we had a settled line-up. Next winter would see Jan and I going to different tertiary establishments. Jan had decided to follow a fashion and dressmaking path, while Sandra and I would be going to the London College of Music, in Ealing. Sandra planned to continue her piano and keyboard learning, while I was more taken with the notion of songwriting and production, seeing that they taught skills to record and produce.
Of course, there was a discussion regarding the propriety of two teenagers in a flat in London. That led to me proposing to Sandra and us getting her a ring. So, the shows, that summer, were in anticipation of our wedding in September. That took place on a free Sunday, in the local church with a lot of family, friends, and the rest of the band in attendance. Angelica, Josh, and little Barbara came up from Southampton, where they were living while finishing their studies. Our honeymoon was a week in Blackpool, where we were due on stage the following Saturday.
We found a flat within cycling distance of the college and moved there a week before our first attendance. We went to the preliminary meetings, spoke to the lecturers, and got our courses sorted out. Sandra was doing classical and modern piano, while I would be studying production and guitar. We were both in a small songwriting group that would give us all the tricks to turn mere lyrics into blockbuster hits, or so we hoped.
We had the odd weekend where we would be playing, over that winter period. Nothing too drastic in terms of distance. We did do some shows when the others came to us, in London, when we played in dance halls. That made it easy for the two of us, but also put the band into the spotlight in the capital. That led to us moving another step forward, being asked to do a summer tour as part of a four-band show, playing almost every night for three months. It hit almost every major city across the country.
Over that summer, we became a well-polished unit, able to take our place in the top twenty bands in the country. Before the tour, we had gone into the studio with me handling the mixing board, using the skills that I had gained in college. Sandra was sparkling on keyboard, and the whole album was made up of songs we had completed at college. It was called ‘Hitting the Road’ and sold well wherever we played over the summer months. The following winter period had us mainly playing in, or around, London, in bigger venues. We did our usual thing and put together another album for the beginning of summer, before we went on another tour, this time taking in Scotland and Ireland, with a week at the Isle of Mann.
When Angelica and Josh graduated, they moved to Europe, with Angelica getting a good job as an interpreter in Brussels. Josh had his degree in Sports Training and also had a good job. They came to see us play when we were in Southampton, and it was lovely to know that they were in the audience. We all had a late meal, after, and there were a lot of stories traded.
So, the years rolled on, with Sandra and I both graduating with our different degrees, the band continuing to play regularly. The odd thing, during that time, was when Janet announced that she would be going for her surgery, so would drop out of the band. After that, she told us, she had managed to follow Angelica to Europe, to work in one of the Paris fashion houses. She had graduated with Honours, from University and had been headhunted because of her design skills.
We carried on for two years with our two, older, singers out front, making a new album every year, like clockwork. The difference was that we were using more of their lyrics and the band slowly became a country-rock outfit. Sandra and I were in our early twenties when we, too, were headhunted.
The London College of Music wanted us to come back to run a course in Music Creation and Performance. We would be leading students through the things needed to become performers in their own right, with some hints and tips from us who had done it, for real, for close to ten years. We helped the band find a new guitarist and keyboard player and then pulled away. Finally, ‘Gaining Traction’ was without a single Gaynor in the line-up.
Now settled in one place, we started our family. You guessed it! We had twins. The grandparents were over the moon. Unfortunately, both were girls so the Thomas and Charles names could only be Thomasina and Charlotte.
In 2016, we were contacted by another college. After, several amalgamations and changes of address, the Taunton College had become the Bridgewater and Taunton College, then were now planning a new University, the University Centre Somerset, based in Bridgewater. When we went to talk to them it looked like a magical set-up. They would be doing a music course which would be having a full suite recording studio, performance capability and access to the real world with visiting professionals.
We were asked to help set it up and get the whole thing going, along with some other band members from older bands, who were getting close to retirement. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. We would be living close to our old homes, doing something that we loved, and, best of all back in the West Country. There was only one drawback. We would both have to learn to drive and get a car, never needing one while in London with the easy transport there.
We found a house near the Centre, and it was close to a primary school, which was good as the girls were now about to need one. The college was within walking distance but we both took our driving lessons and passed. We then had a car so were able to then go down to Chard to see our parents. With both Janet and Angelica in Europe, we became the mainstay of the ongoing family. Sandra’s sister, Brenda, had got married in Scotland, after eloping. The baby was born just five months later, and she came back to Chard two years after that, minus a husband. She was a bit prickly about it, so we didn’t pursue the matter with her.
During our time at the Centre, we both took a course in Business Administration, graduating in time to leave the Centre to take over the transport business when my parents decided to retire. It all worked out so that our girls finished primary in Bridgewater and started secondary school in Chard. We had enough lead-time to build a separate home for us on the property. With our years of performing, we had the money to please ourselves. That allowed the parents to remain at home.
When Sandra’s parents retired, they also stayed in their house, with Brenda and her child. She had got a job, in Chard, so was earning a wage, and the parents had saved during their working life. They had contracted an apiarist to manage the bees and he had enlarged the business with more hives and had added the output to his own produce, now one of the biggest suppliers of honey for miles. That added to the family income, so they were settled.
We made our living with the transport business, modernising the fleet as we could. The biggest outlay was a multi-wheeled low loader, to take over from the two tank transporters. The Gaynor’s and the Harris’s were regular attendees at some of the steam rallies. Usually with the Burrells, and I helped dad maintain them, as I had in the earlier days.
One year, we were all in the audience, at the one that had started our musical career when the current line-up of ‘Gaining Traction’ was on stage. I know that I now had another life, with the business, my darling wife and my two teenage daughters. We went to say hello to the band before they left, but the magic had gone.
Sandra and I still play, usually at the community centre, as a duo. She is in great demand at the school, as a piano player for the gymnastic dance classes, while I have set up a small studio in the hut and enjoy my time playing guitar and singing new compositions which I send off to Steve to use as he wants with his stable of bands. The income from these is a steady bonus. The only worry is that my daughters join me in there and sing on the demo tapes as well. Who knows, one day they might want to go on stage themselves. If they do, we’ll be right behind them.
Marianne Gregory © 2024