Chapter 7

I just sat and finished my wine as Geraldine made a number of calls. One was to her photographer to get the studio ready for a single model shoot, this afternoon, and to organise lighting.

One was to her office to find someone to come to Harrods and take over from Annette, while another was to a Bobby, to come to us at our table when he can – but to make it snappy! The penultimate one was to her legal person to pull out the files of Jenny Goodfellow, and to meet her at her house for dinner. The last one to tell someone that there will be a guest for the night and three extra for dinner.

She then did her magic trick and a waiter materialised at her side.

“Alfonse, can you please go down to the cosmetic section and speak to Annette. Please ask her to join us here when she’s able.”

Then she turned to me.

“That’s set things moving. How did you enjoy lunch?”

“It was lovely, the salad was interesting and not something I would normally order but was delicious. I noticed that it was all brought out without you ordering. Is it something that you usually have?”

“Guess?”

I thought a bit and then laughed.

“A test, really?”

“Jenny, you’re the first model who got through the whole thing without missing a beat. Some refuse the wine but want spirits, others want to see the menu because they’re peeved that they hadn’t had a chance to choose. I set it up with a word to the waiter when he seated us. I like it, and others like other things. If they’re reasonable about it, we give them the other things, but I usually find that they order the expensive plates and then leave half of it. I know I shouldn’t do it, but it does bring out the best, or the worst, in people when they just get served something they’ve never seen before.”

We were talking about the quality of the cake when Annette came up to the table.

“Annette, can you go down to the shop and put together a full kit case with what you think works best on Jenny, then add some things that you think may work, but haven’t tried yet. Then do another with the proven items for her to take home and add a travelling kit for her. I’ve organised someone to come here and take over from you, and you will be joining us this afternoon at the studio for a shoot. If it all works out, you could find yourself as her personal cosmetician when she takes over from Miss Gimmee when her contract runs out in September. There will be dinner, at my place, and Bobby will take you home. Are you happy with that?”

“Oh! Yes, perfectly happy. Jenny has an amazing face, I think it will shine, no matter what colours we put on it. Thank you, Geraldine, I’ll do my very best.”

She left us and I then smiled.

“Geraldine, there’s something you should know. Today is the first time I have worn your brand, and it feels just right. Those original pictures had me wearing my cheap stuff.”

“I know, that’s why we have edited the pictures. You’ll have to give away all your old stuff when you get home. I won’t have the face of the brand wearing anything else. When we get you properly signed, I’ll give you a card which you can take to any stockist, and they’ll book it against the company. It will be a pleasure having you on board. I guess that you realise who Miss Gimmee is?”

“Her pictures are big enough, down at the shop. I read the magazine that my picture was in, and there was a bit of gossip in that about her grasping ways. Her ex-husband was quite scathing. I can’t blame him, considering what she took him for when they divorced.”

We were joined by a young man, who was the spitting image of Gerald and Alex. It was obvious what genes were dominant in this family.

“Bobby, please say hello to Jennifer Goodfellow, who will be joining us as our main face in September if this afternoon goes as planned. This card has the hotel where her car is in their garage. Jenny, please give Bobby the keys. Now, Bobby, you’ll be driving us to the studio, and then you go and fetch her car. Get Astrid to drive you. Take her car to the house and wait for us to join you. Annette will be joining us for dinner and then you can take her home.”

I saw his eyes light up at that.

“When you see Astrid, tell her I want her to join us in the studio with her kit and to take us home after the session. Oh! There’ll be a full kit and a travelling kit to take and put in Jenny’s car for her to take home. Now, go and get the Roller and meet us outside the front in exactly thirty minutes, I know the parking inspectors are pretty hot around here.”

He smiled.

“Yes, Mum. See you in thirty. Welcome to the roller coaster, Jenny.”

With that, he was off, like a shot. I looked at Geraldine, seeing her with a wry smile.

“He has the hots for Annette, I think. I wonder if it’s reciprocated.”

“Oh! Yes. Plenty of eligible daughters of the landed gentry around, wanting to take him home so that he can bail out their families and renovate their ramshackle mansions, and he goes and falls for a shop girl. That’s one of the reasons I’m giving her this chance to improve her own status in the business. Being at your side will introduce her to the rigours of upper-class life. It will make her, or break her, but it may also be the making of Bobby. He can’t stand our present face, and she puts him down at every chance she gets. He’s a good lad but needs to focus on his future. He is, by the way, a damn good photographer but the Gimmee refused to let him on her shoots.”

“Are you going to let him work in tandem, today?”

“Not today, but we may get him to join you somewhere in the countryside to do some natural pictures. I have to keep my main photographer happy first. Come on, let’s find Annette and get out to the pavement.”

We went down to the cosmetics area and found Annette putting the finishing touches to a large box of make-up. She picked it up, with her tunic over her arm, while I took the other two. She looked shocked as I started for the doors, following Geraldine. We only had to wait a few minutes when a claret Roller pulled up outside. The doorman rushed to open the back door for Geraldine. Bobby had popped the boot and we put the boxes in. I was ushered into the back seat, while Annette quickly claimed the passenger seat next to Bobby. With the ease that she found her seat belt, I expect that this wasn’t her first time in this car.

We quietly glided out of the city centre and arrived at an industrial building some forty minutes later. Annette claimed her box and shut the boot, while I followed Geraldine to the main entrance. I didn’t look back, but with the time lapse before Annette joined us inside, I expect there had been a rushed kiss or two.

In the studio, we met Pierre the photographer, and Jim the lighting man. There was a seat, over on one side, with a mirror and a workbench. Annette was told to set up there as we would be doing everything in the one room unless it was a toilet break. The photographer had top-of-the-range equipment, both film and digital. There was a stool for me to sit on, and we were into the shoot inside five minutes of arriving.

It was similar to the shoot with Tracy, except we stopped every fifteen minutes or so for Annette to take me to her work area and change my looks. No orders were given, it was up to her to provide the raw material. The only things the photographer said were instruction for me to show some emotions, or to the lighting man to move things around. He took both film and digital.

As we got into a rhythm, Pierre looked very serious, often glancing at Geraldine who was just sitting in an easy chair watching. About an hour and a half into the session, we were joined by a girl who was introduced as Astrid. She had a big case with her, full of hairdressing equipment. She set up next to Annette, and each break now had me with different hairdo’s as well as looks. I expect that the two had sorted out what they were aiming for while I was in front of the lens.

The only breaks were for me to use the toilet and have a drink of water from the dispenser, and we didn’t stop until around six. Geraldine called a halt to the shoot and Pierre looked like he wanted to keep going. I had no idea of how well we had done, until Pierre gave me a big hug and a kiss on both cheeks. Both Annette and Astrid also gave me a hug, and then Geraldine followed suit, whispering that if this was a test, I’d passed it, twice.

As Annette and Astrid were packing, Pierre told Geraldine that he would have a full folio for her on Monday, and then went into another room, coming out with a CD for her. We left the building to get back in the Roller, now with Astrid behind the wheel. Our destination was deep into the stockbroker belt in Surrey. It was a big house, and my work car was parked outside. When we entered, we were met by a maid and she led Annette and me to the dining room, while Geraldine and Astrid went to their own rooms to freshen up.

In the dining room, Bobby met us with a glass of the family favourite wine for me, and something coloured blue for Annette. He asked me how I was bearing up, and I told him that the afternoon had been very full. Annette told him that I was a natural. I looked at them.

“Go on, you two, have a cuddle before your mother comes back. I’ll just have a look at this fantastic picture.”

It wasn’t a big picture, but very powerful. Astrid joined me while I was looking at it.

“That’s a picture that makes you want dry land under your feet.”

“It’s wonderful, Astrid. That’s the South Bank Number Seven. I spent six months on that one in my youth. The plate says, ‘Burns Day Storm - 1990.’ I remember those few days well. The thing swayed from side to side, and we all huddled near the escape shute hoping that it would keep upright, not eating and having to piss into our waterproofs. We were choppered back to the mainland a couple of days later and I never went on a rig again.”

“You, likely to be our new face, were on that thing? What were you doing there?”

“I’m a qualified Marine Boilermaker, and I was on that rig welding split pipes. It’s a job that girls can do as easily as boys, plus, we can get into tighter places. It was my trade. I came ashore after that rig and have no desire to be back on one, ever again. Mind you, it was truly exciting when we went out to them. It was like landing an albatross on a postage stamp. Makes you happy to be alive when you walked away from the chopper.”

I went to my bag and showed her my credentials, all safely showing Jen Goodfellow.

“Jenny, you are simply amazing. All I’ve done is learn to be a hairdresser, as if that’s what I was destined for. I’ve always wanted to fly but was afraid to talk to Mum about that. I might look for somewhere I can try it out, to see if I can actually fly. One of my grandfathers was in the air force, and I have his medals and books.”

“Whatever you do, Astrid, don’t tell your mother that I encouraged you!”

Geraldine came in and told us all to find a seat. With her was an older man, with a beard and a twinkle in his eyes. He was the legal eagle of the office and had my file with the details of my contract as a casual with Tracy. It wasn’t a very thick file, and it was set aside while we ate. The maid was the waitress, and the meal was lamb shanks cooked perfectly with fresh vegetables. The drinks were optional, and I settled for a glass of the family favourite. Over the course of the meal, Geraldine noted that I had dined with Cousin Gerald, the night before, and I had to explain my work with Janet.

After the meal, I gave Annette a hug and told her that I was looking forward to working with her, and then Bobby took her home, no doubt via the long way. Geraldine sat down with the lawyer and me to look at the file. He declared that it would be work of moments to buy it from Tracy.

“She’s a pragmatist. I’m sure that she wouldn’t mind losing Jenny if the offer was made. She could keep her on the books until September, when we’ll be clear to sign Jenny as an exclusive face. How was the shoot, this afternoon?”

Geraldine took us into her office, where she put the disc into her computer and set it to scroll through the digital pictures. After about ten minutes, he told her to stop, then turned to me.

“Jennifer, I have seen enough to want you on our payroll. Geraldine has told me that she wants you on board. We’re prepared to give you a holding deposit, so that you don’t sign anywhere else before we get the signatures on the proper contract. That will allow you to spend the summer as you wish, with work from that agency. I will, however, try to get Tracy to keep you away from headshot adverts, so that our campaign can run its course. I’ll make her an offer she can’t refuse. What do you say, are you in?”

“What else can I say, but yes, thank you. I think that Pierre was happy today, from his attitude. He was very focussed and serious but totally professional when he worked with me.”

I was starting to flake and went out to the car to get my cases, then the maid showed me to a room that made the hotel room look dowdy. I stripped and took a long shower, after cleansing my face with the new products. I put on my nightie and went off to sleep very quickly.

In the morning, I was up and dressed early, and went downstairs to find breakfast was served in the dining room. It was all in heated tureens, and I served myself an eggs and bacon. I had finished and gone back to my room before anyone else was up. I put my cases in the car and then went back inside to read the morning paper until the others came down. I joined them for coffee and then we had hugs before I left their mansion to drive home. Geraldine told me to make sure I told Janet to call her sometime.

On the way I had a lot of thinking to do. Had I made a mistake agreeing so quickly? What would Carol say? What did Geraldine mean when she said that being next to me would give Annette insight into the upper class? Then I thought of something that Tracy had said about the top models working for top magazines. Perhaps I’ll see my face in Vogue one day. That thought made me chuckle.

I had dressed in a new skirt that I had bought, along with a good blouse. It looked ordinary, but underneath was my lush underwear that I now loved to feel next to my skin. I had taken some time on my make-up this morning. Geraldine hadn’t said anything but had nodded when she first saw me. I took it easy, as usual, and arrived home just before lunch.

After greeting Carol and the girls, I unloaded the car. My case and garment bags went up to our room and the cosmetics cases were on the kitchen table and open when I came down.

“How the hell did you get these?” Carol demanded.

I sat them down and took them through my time away, from Wednesday. With stops for drinks and questions, it was almost mid-afternoon when we got to my Harrods experience. Carol tried one of the lipsticks and I told her that it was a gift from my future employer, along with the travelling case. I explained that my time with Tracy would be ending at the end of Summer, and my time as the new face starts then. That would mean that we needed to have the project up and running and I wouldn’t do any more with the other agencies.

I told them that I’d take them all out for dinner, so the girls went off to be bathed and dressed, and Carol went upstairs to get ready. I rang a good family restaurant and made a booking for us. I took the cases up to our room while Carol was in the shower and unloaded a range that replicated the things I took away, putting all the old items in a plastic bag for the girls to play with. I added the things in my bag and replaced it all with new.

The evening meal was totally different from my last two, but was lovely to be there, in a normal place with my family. The girls told me about their week, and Carol filled me on things that had happened in the house. She told me that her friend had called, telling her that she told her husband to leave for a while, with our meal there being the last straw. Carol assured me that I wasn’t to blame, as it was purely that if her husband could get heavy with an old friend in a dress, then he had passed the point of no return. She had told Carol that she hadn’t told him who I really was.

Sunday, I caught up with my laundry, and put away the clean things. Both Saturday and Sunday night, we made up for my time away. Carol had been incredulous when I had undressed, and I promised her that we would go shopping when I was earning good money. We all went for a walk in the park and threw a ball around for a while.

Monday, I wore one of my skirt suits and a new blouse, with my refreshed sexy underwear and a spray of perfume. I had a meeting with Cyril, where I told him that I would be leaving the Union at the end of July. That gave him enough time to source his successor, or just stay in the seat. My replacement as B.U.M. would be in my seat next week. Raylene had found a nice house, and they were in the process of moving their household goods south.

When I had caught up with everything, I drove to Hull and my meeting with the union leaders, or whoever they had sent. The meeting went well, with all of them impressed with the changes made. Janet was amazing and charmed them with her vision for a well-paid and happy workforce. In the end, we all shook hands on a deal which had N.U.M.B. as the link between the workers and management, but with each of the other unions having access, through our representatives on the Board. One of the deciding factors was the history of our good relationships at the other Harrison workplaces, with the civil engineering site being a stand-out.

When they had left, I caught up with Suzi, now on her first day and busy with contacting her old workmates who had indicated they were interested in coming south. I had brought her my records from the office so that she could contact the others. She showed me a few things that I hadn’t seen. One was a well-equipped nurses room, and the other was something I hadn’t been a woman long enough to think of. It was a creche and playroom, with an office for an attendant.

My last visit was back with Janet, when I related my dinner with her husband and my lunch with his cousin. I told her that Geraldine had insisted that she get in touch. She told me that she hadn’t spoken to Geraldine for a good ten years. She also picked up on my new make-up, as she was a customer. I said it was due to me being in the adverts. I had seen a lot more people on site, this time. We were now three weeks to full production and Janet told me that between her and Suzi, with help from Tina, they would be ramping up the workforce with a lot starting next Monday. She said that Tina was doing so well with this, she would likely be the boss of the Human Resources department.

Tuesday, I spent most of the morning in the office, catching up with the news from around the country, and letting Cyril know about our convivial relationships with the other unions. I told Bernice that I was now resigning and that my modelling work would boost my bank account.

The lunch with the girls was interesting. They picked up on my new make-up quickly, and I had to tell a little white lie about being given some freebies at the Harrods store. Tracy was very quiet and whispered for me to come up and see her after lunch. In her office, she told me that she had been contacted and had accepted the offer to give up my contract at the end of August. In the meantime, she said, she would still find work for the girls, while I would get small crowd scenes. I thought that she wasn’t very happy about the situation.

I didn’t tell her about the real reasons for the changes, and that I had decided not to sign the contracts for the girls should one be put on the table. I left the office early and went home to re-sort my side of the wardrobe. I then sat down with a notebook and made a couple of lists, sorting out a guesstimate of what my future might look like. It looked murky at the moment, but it would become clearer as time went on. One thing was certain. I now realised that I was feeling happy about saying goodbye to the union, and at the same time, my own history as a tradesman, with man being the operational part of the word.

For the rest of the week, I took Carol and the girls with me when I went to Hull. I took them on a quick tour, and Carol inspected the sick room, having trained as a nurse before we met. The girls tried out the playroom, and we watched them with Carol making notes. I introduced them to Janet and Carol gave her the notes to follow up on. Then they took the car to go to the Maritime Museum, coming back to pick me up later in the afternoon.

The other days, we went down as a family and dropped me off, while Carol took the girls to other attractions, one day spending the day on the beach at Cleethorpes. Suzi and I worked on making everything ready for the influx of workers next week. The weekend was quiet, and the following week showed me how far we had gone, and how close we were to succeeding.

Monday, I went early, and Suzi and I did a mass induction to make sure the newcomers would work safely, also pushing home the need for hygiene and cleanliness. We already had foremen, who took their groups off to set them to work, first getting used to the site and making sure they knew where everything was. Suzi now had a full team of girl welders, all our members, but the bulk of the other inductees were from various unions. One part of the induction covered the close working ethos we wanted.

There was another group on Tuesday, as well as a big delivery of steel, so everyone had something to do with the working drawings handed out. Our machine shop was now tidy and overhauled and was busy making swarf by Wednesday. By the end of the week, there was enough finished goods to load on a couple of trucks and deliver to the clients for inspection. The approval came back on Monday morning, and we were now in production.

Marianne Gregory © 2024