I opened the year with an end-of-the world story, and this continues the subject of earth-shattering occurrences . Like the previous story, this one was started early last year, and had to wait until the end of the year, when my muse came back from where-ever it had disappeared to.
Marianne.

Part 1

“Say cheese!” Those two words summed up a lot of my young days. My father, Allan, was an avid photographer, while my mother, Wanda, had been a model. They told me that when they met, it was a marriage made in heaven.

As the year draws to a close, I would like to wish you all a happy and safe Festive Season. I thank all the wonderful writers on this site who have raised my spirits during the year. I hope that 2023 will be better for everyone. My writing had hit a block due to a book project and other things this year. I hope to get back writing in 2023. Before that, though, here is a little story which has a tenuous link to the Christmas story.

Marianne Gregory

Chapter 1

Chapter 11

When we went to leave, Jim, who had been very quiet, then asked us all if he could stay with us over the break. He said he could use the smallest cabin and that he had some experience with boats. The girls were happy to let him, so he hugged everyone and thanked me.

I checked in with the marine chandler that looked after the moorings, and he was surprised at my appearance. I told him that it was only for the tour that I was flying around and found out that he and his daughters were booked in for the third show.

Chapter 9

Our company ground crew finally came on board to take the plane to its parking spot and check it over again. I signed off and picked up my personal bag, put my heels on and left them to it. I knew that Betsy would be in good hands because she was our meal ticket. Without her we may as well go by bus.

Chapter 7

When we arrived at the hotel, we were quickly given our pass cards and shown to our rooms. Our whole planeload was in a single wing that had hotel security on the doors, the receptionist having told me that they had detected intruders already.

Chapter 5

We spent the afternoon lazing around the hotel pool and being well looked after by the staff as well as being chatted to by several tanned and fit young men. The band had been spending the day in interviews and we all had dinner in a separate dining room.

Chapter 3

When we got out at the hotel, she still held my hand as the driver left and kept hold of it all the way to her bedroom door, opening it one handed and then pulling me in, closing the door and putting her arms around my neck. What else could I do but look after her like the lady wanted to be looked after.

What made me smile was that when we took our clothes off, I saw that there was a casual outfit for me already in the wardrobe. The company does think of everything, and I expected there would be a day dress for her in my room already.

Chapter 1

I had, I think, the best job in the world. Most people look at an airline pilot and think, “Overpaid layabout, sitting in an armchair surrounded by beautiful air hostesses while a computer takes the controls.”

Chapter 4

Sammy got his phone out and made his call.

“Inspector, we have a positive identification of James Norman as Jamie Murphy, brother of Jock Macready.” He listened for a few moments and then hung up.

“The Inspector says to thank you for that. We have James Norman on our radar as an associate of one of the Angels’ Chapters. I think that he may have a group of thieves who steal the goods and then the items are sent elsewhere for sale in pubs, or even on the internet.”

“That will be a good one, boss,” commented Arty.

Chapter 2

In the nurses’ office it was a little cramped so we took it in turn to get changed. One by one we took the uniform off for the last time and passed it to those outside to put with the other uniforms in the spare room. Ingrid was first, coming out in a shortish shift in the school blue, accentuated by a white belt and piping.

Just a Lark

It was all just a lark, a little harmless fun. I mean, what could go wrong?

Chapter 11

When we had finished the meal, Suzette and I packed the dishes in the washer while my mother chatted with our guests. May was regaling her about some of the odd ladies she had made dresses for and when she mentioned that a few had been men my mother said “Wouldn’t that be difficult?”

I said “Mother dear, have you looked at the photos in the window of the shop?”

She nodded so I carried on. “One is of a lot of local ladies at a celebrity wedding and the other is a group at a party.”

Chapter 9

At the shop I found that my bolt ends had been delivered so I stored them in the ‘special’ room. Everything seemed to be ticking over nicely and I chatted with everyone for a while until Roberta commented, “You’re happy today. I would think that you may have got a good seeing to last night. Was it Jim or have you found another stud?”

I laughed. “About as far from a stud as it’s possible to get but I was satisfied and so was she.”

Chapter 7

The appointment at the fashion house was on a Wednesday morning so I made an appointment with Hector at his rehearsal rooms in the late afternoon and worked my butt off putting together a folio of drawings for him and the troupe to look at.

We had eight different guys, all built a bit differently but, thankfully all reasonably slim and about the same height. I had a basic shape but each had subtle differences to suit the individual characters.

Chapter 5

Back home I got my bag out of her car, gave her an air-kiss, and walked to my house. It was a lovely evening and I was feeling great. I let myself in and was greeted by my mother and Suzette who wanted to know how my weekend had gone.

I told them that I had been careful but had fun and that the concert was great. I didn’t think they needed to know any details. Back in my room I separated out the items for the laundry and put away the ones I had not used.

Chapter 3

Saturday morning we were all up bright and early and, after breakfast, we went off to the station in the little car. When we got there I could see why they used it as it was very easy to park. We caught the first train that arrived and travelled the forty minute trip into Victoria Station.

My mother told me, once we had walked to the Victoria Underground, that when I started at the Chelsea College of Arts I would need to take the Victoria Line to Pimlico and walk a couple of blocks.

Chapter 1

I really didn’t kick the dog, honest. It was an accident and it was my word against his but he was family so I wasn’t believed. The consequences were to change my life, maybe for the better but we’ll never know how else it would have panned out.

Spot Kick

I stood at the lounge window, looking out to the north and the vista of London in the distance. I was in my apartment, on the thirtieth floor of a high-rise block in Croydon. Up until recently, I had been a reasonably famous player in the sweet game known as football, or, as some others know it, soccer - the world game.

I was now at a crossroads in my life, brought about by a wayward knee, and my future had looked bleak. There were, of course, the two loving arms that encircled me, and the waft of her perfume. They made everything better.

Part 15

Monday morning Sarah went off to work and I sorted out the cleaning, dusting and a bit of washing before getting a light lunch and making ready for a trip into town.

The teller in the bank called the manager when I went to deposit the cheques and he asked me about them, ‘purely as a matter of prudent banking, in case I started to deposit similar amounts in future’.

I told him that the bulk of my cheque was for the sale of paintings I had done and that I would possibly be depositing similar amounts once I had put on a show in a gallery.

Part 11

Mrs. Butcher was nodding as I spoke and then remarked, “The change in you was almost too sudden to believe. There was no way the Sam I had been seeing would suddenly become the Samantha I now know any other way. I’m a believer.”

The Inspector was still not convinced and pulled out another file.

I said, “If that’s the William Williams file you can follow what I say”

Part 7

I asked about the Mythral gowns and he said that items being shown in the window are there to attract a particular customer and are not for sale.

The window was bare today because I had been granted a rare second visit and there was nothing he could show me that I needed at the moment.

Sarah wanted to know if it was the disc that caused our happiness yesterday.

Part 3

While we were waiting for the train she asked about the process of supplying the drugs, now that my fingerprints were on file. I told her that the baggies were pre-packaged and the dealer, or his assistants, used nitrile gloves.

They would come to me in a paper bag and I would transfer them to envelopes using tweezers and avoid touching the envelopes unless it was by the edges.

She then asked about the money and I told her that I was paid double what each baggie had cost me and that there were virtually no overheads.

This was a story I set aside to put up on Patreon last year. I don’t know if anyone read it. Certainly no-one interested enough to sign on to my page. It remains the only thing I have put on that platform. It’s one of the stories in a collection I sent to Erin for publication, should she want to. Anyway, here it is, in full, for your enjoyment as I hate to see a story wasted.
Marianne.

Chapter 1

Chapter 3 “Monkeying Around”

The following morning there was a table for four and they sat to eat a solid breakfast. Jasmin was still on a high after last night and hoped that there would be other evenings where the two of them could grace the stage. Shelly wasn’t so sure, thinking that every moment was already mapped out and that last night had been a one-off.