Diamonds by Brian Ritchie

by Brian Ritchie

  Chapter 20: June and July.

  Throughout June and July wedding arrangements were beginning to unfold like a military battle plan with Tracey, Catherine and Mum taking command of every detail.

  For my part ‘the honeymoon’ I had decided as Tracey’s passport was due to expire soon and my seldom-used one had only one more year to run we should just as easy have a honeymoon within driving distance of home. Sarah arranged an array of options for me to pick a suitable ‘secret’ destination.

  Jaclyn thrived in her new environment depending on Sarah and Debbie as they became the best of friends. Sarah regularly came to the flat to pick up Jaclyn and Debbie for nights out – sometimes she would borrow my car if I wasn’t using it.

  Sarah introduced Jaclyn to the members of her church.

  With a great deal of trepidation and doubt at first, Sarah managed to convince Jaclyn that church could be a fun place to attend and they had several evenings meeting new friends and participating in the social activities of the congregation.

  Rachel eventually received a reply from Aleesha’s father in Kenya who reluctantly requested the return of her ashes and paid for his daughter’s belongings to be returned to Africa.

  Rachel was less successful with Jaclyn’s father who was refusing to give her any information.

  Most weekends Tracey found she was spending more and more time with Debbie than she was with me as they talked for long periods about how the wedding plans were unfolding.

  Debbie wanted to know everything about her role for the big day – what she was expected to say and do and when and where she was to do and say it.

  ‘Diamonds’ became a great deal busier as their reputation grew and spread like wildfire and the girls loved all the attention they were receiving from newfound public acclaim.

  On the occasions when ‘Diamonds’ visited I took the opportunity of getting to know them while Tracey was deep in conversation with Debbie.

  At first I thought they were all lesbians, like Melanie and Rachel, however, they were all very different and I even managed to tell the triplets Angel, Heather and Karen apart.

  Angela Quinn - or Angel as her friends know her - is the eldest by a few minutes and as such she is the most dominant of the three and constantly watches over the actions of her younger sisters.

  “Even when we were at school,” Angel told me one night; “We had our ups and downs.

  One of the advantages of being identical is that nobody could tell us apart and that meant we could get out of trouble by sticking together and not admitting to anything, but more often than not, the two innocent ones would get punished also.”

  “When and why did you take up music?” I asked them one night.

  “Oh that was more accidental than anything else,” Angel answered.

  “There was always music playing in the house and we all loved to sing along with the radio, which sometimes annoyed our parents, and on occasion the neighbours.

  Anyway, when we started primary school they had a piano class, which we all joined.

  I have always loved the sound of the piano and found that I could easily pick out any melody on an old battered piano our Dad had.”

  “Heather preferred the sound of the guitar so after a while she dropped out of the piano class and joined a guitar class at the local community centre.”

  “Karen was a troublemaker”, Heather laughed, and “she was hyperactive and could never manage to sit still for long periods.

  Karen didn’t have the patience to learn the piano or the guitar, but we knew she loved music as much as we did.”

  “One Christmas, Dad bought her a cheap second-hand drum kit.

  You should have seen her face when she saw it.”

  Angel’s face lit up as she recalled her parents delight that Christmas.

  “For the best part of a week, she recalled, all we heard day and night was a constant banging until she mastered how to move her hands and feet in rhythm and then we would all spend every waking moment accompanying any song that came on the radio.”

  Angel was very modest about her own abilities in mastering the keyboards, but heaped praise on Heather and especially Karen as they became proficient with their instruments.

  Later I spoke at length with Heather and Karen and found them equally modest.

  “I’m the black sheep of the family,” Karen laughed one night, “How I managed to wait in our mother’s womb to allow the other two to leave first has always been a complete mystery to me.”

  “Angel and Heather had to learn scales, chords and all kinds of techniques to get a string of notes from their instruments – I didn’t have their patience - all I had to do was figure out how to move my feet and hands in rhythm.”

  “How did you get ‘Diamonds’ together?” I asked Heather.

  “In the beginning, when we were at primary school, we were called ‘Three’s company’ then we became ‘Cherry velvet’ when we started High School,” Heather recalled.

  “I met Susanna at guitar classes then we would put on small shows in Dad’s garage for our friends and family.

  We would play while Susanna sang, but although she sings very well she was very nervous every time a microphone was put in front of her.

  Melanie was in Angel’s piano class and joined the group when her father bought her an electronic organ.”

  “Melanie reckoned we needed a better name than ‘cherry velvet’ and we eventually decided on ‘Diamonds’ after Melanie’s father’s shops and we became a five-piece band.”

  “Throughout High School,” Susanna told me, “we would look for any opportunity to play at parties, school assemblies, and shopping Malls - basically anywhere they would let us play for a few pounds pocket money.

  We were so inexperienced we had no idea there was always something missing.”

  “We were seriously thinking of ‘calling it a day’ when we left school and each got jobs and boyfriends,” Angel recalled.

  “Then one day Melanie turned up with her new friend, Rachel Rabinowicz, and we immediately discovered what was missing – a bass guitar. So we then became a six-piece band.”

  “One night,” Karen recalled, “we had this gig at a social club in Sighthill, but Susanna turned up with a cold and couldn’t sing a note.

  We were almost at the point of packing up and heading home when Rachel volunteered to sing until Susanna got better – and the rest is history.”

  “As soon as Rachel opened her mouth to sing,” Angel laughed, “she became our permanent lead singer and we have had a pretty-full diary ever since.”

  I became fascinated with the various accounts of the ‘Diamonds’ story, and discovered they all have partners which is how their heavy equipment gets from gig to gig.

  I also surmised that Melanie’s father’s business helps to finance any expenses they have.

  Angel, I realised was the bandleader, has been engaged to Brendan Walters since schooldays and intended to marry him within a few years, but never quite got around to it.

  Angel and Brendan were always hand in hand and kissing whenever they are together.

  Brendan’s other passion was Heart of Midlothian football club and when he wasn’t selling insurance he talked non-stop about their chances of winning anything.

  Heather found it difficult to keep a ‘steady’ boyfriend and had a few lovers before she met Roddy Thompson.

  As an electrician Roddy comes in handy whenever a patch lead needs soldering or an amplifier blows a fuse – which happens regularly.

  Karen’s passion is engines and she loves all things mechanical.

  She loves nothing more than messing about up to her elbows in oil and grease inside a car bonnet - often with Andrew Lannie who sells commercial vehicle spares and talks about pistons, exhausts and engines all the time.

  Karen and Andrew have been inseparable since they met a few years ago and although they are very well suited neither have any intention of getting married.

  Susanna�
�s intended is a telephone engineer named Jim Monroe and is a valuable asset to ‘Diamonds’ because his firm let him take a transit van home at night.

  This is used to transport the ‘gear’ around without his employer’s knowledge.

  The last Tuesday in June Rachel was unusually quiet and strangely nervous about something, but, she wouldn’t let on about what was bothering her when we asked her.

  She sat uneasily fidgeting with her meal when the 'phone rang.

  “I’ll get it,” she suddenly shouted, as she sprang to her feet and ran out the door like a tornado.

  We sat anxiously wondering what all the fuss was about while we overheard Rachel’s echoed conversation.

  “Hello – yes – you’re kidding - of course we will – that’s beautiful – Thank-you, Goodbye.”

  Then throwing down the receiver we heard her scream in exhilaration “Ya beauty.”

  We were all confused and as all eyes descended on Rachel as she hurriedly re-took her seat to gulp down her unfinished meal with tears in her dark brown eyes.

  “Hold it” Marcie called as we watched Rachel force more and more food into her already-full mouth. “Before you make yourself sick,” Marcie continued, grabbing Rachel’s fork. “What’s happening?”

  “I’ve got it.” Rachel mumbled through a mouthful of food.

  Lynda laughed saying “If you’ve got it, for God’s sake, don’t give it to me.”

  Marcie looked scornfully at Lynda before turning to Rachel saying “Rachel calm down - finish what’s in your mouth, and tell us girl - What’s happening? What have you got?”

  Rachel did as she was asked and cleared her mouth, washing it down with a glass of water, smiling she breathlessly announced.

  “That was Caledonian Records on the ‘phone.

  They came to our concert last night.

  They’ve given us a record contract and they’re going to release ‘Baby - You’re an Angel.”

  We all gave her our congratulations before she jumped up again calling as she ran to the ‘phone. “I’d better call the others.”

  We were all genuinely pleased for ‘Diamonds’ and wished Rachel and the group well.

  Debbie was especially pleased because ‘Baby - You’re an Angel’ written by Rachel was for her and although Jaclyn didn’t fully understand the significance of the song she joined in our celebrations.

  Throughout June there were a lot of happy smiling faces around the house as Rachel’s happiness was contagious and infected everyone who visited.

  Jaclyn, at first, often came to me for money whenever she and Sarah were going out on shopping sprees and although I didn’t grudge giving her one penny I kept a book of how much was in her ‘bank’ as her weekly pay cheques came through my account.

  I had to teach her how to budget her expenditure and with Sarah’s help I watched her blossom into a very beautiful and mature woman.

  Thursday 2nd July.

  I was up to my eyes in my usual paperwork when the office telephone rang at 10:45 and Sarah announced;

  “That’s Rachel for you and she sounds really upset.”

  “Brian, Brian, Brian,” she started breathlessly, “I need to see you, right away.”

  “Okay, Rachel,” I called calming her down,

  “Could you meet me under the clock in the Waverley Centre at High Noon?”

  “I don’t know if I can,” she sighed, “I don’t know if it can wait that long?”

  “Calm down girl,” I commanded, “Meet me at Noon and you can tell me all about it.”

  “Okay,” she conceded, “I’ll see you at Noon.”

  I wondered what could have Rachel so flustered.

  Has she fallen out with Melanie?

  Has Melanie found out about the night I spent with Rachel?

  Has Rachel found out about the night I spent with Melanie?

  I speculated all morning and resigned myself to accepting my fate as I made my way to the shopping Mall for 12 o’clock.

  Standing beneath the huge clock I remembered the day I met Lynda on the same spot - the day after a very strange night with Debbie.

  I was speculating how the clock face would look with my blood spattered all over it as both hands met and it whirred into action striking Noon very loudly.

  I waited a few more minutes, smoking a cigarette, until I saw Rachel hurrying towards me obviously very upset.

  She came to me and buried her head into my shoulder as I wrapped my arms around her.

  “I just can’t believe it,” she sobbed.

  “Can’t believe what?” I asked.

  Rachel wept uncontrollably as I held her and it took several minutes until she composed herself enough to tell me what was amiss.

  There was a seat nearby, which became vacant, so leading her to it we sat with my arm around her waist as her head rested on my shoulder.

  “Is this about Melanie?” I enquired softly.

  “No,” she was very surprised at the suggestion. “It’s about Jaclyn.”

  “I’m confused now,” I sighed, “what about Jaclyn?”

  Rachel took a deep breath and asked. “What about Melanie?”

  I had almost given the game away and had to stop myself speculating any further and prayed I had not landed both of us in bother and caused trouble between Rachel and Melanie.

  “Nothing,” I lied, “what about Jaclyn?”

  We wrote to Jaclyn’s father as you requested.” She informed me.

  “We have a standard letter in the office, whenever we need information on someone.

  Although I knew she was involved with a police investigation it is very cleverly worded so that it says nothing about why we would be looking for someone’s details.

  Whether you were looking to ‘help’ or ‘hang’ someone you should feel obliged to fill in all you know about him or her.

  I nodded my understanding.

  After a few weeks of hounding him he gave us the info we needed a few days ago so I decided to write off for her birth certificate.”

  “I see,” I sighed, “or I think I do.”

  “This morning,” Rachel produced a brown envelope from her briefcase.

  “This birth certificate arrived from the registrar with a copy of her adoption papers.”

  “So, she was adopted then?” I sighed, “That’s brilliant Rachel.

  At least she was correct about that part. Good girl – Great work.”

  “No,” her breathing became very irregular,

  “That’s not the whole story.”

  Rachel handed me the envelope and I removed the contents slowly.

  “It says there,” she continued,

  “She was born eighteen years ago on 24th April in Paignton, Devon and her original name was Christina Louise Jamieson.”

  I looked at the certificate to confirm it. “Yes, I can see that.

  Daughter of Christopher A. Jamieson and his wife, Evelyn M. Jamieson.”

  I still failed to see why she was so upset and examined the document very closely as Rachel continued.

  “It also says mother’s maiden surname was Willis?

  The mother’s middle name is Marisa?”

  I looked at the document for confirmation.

  “NO WAY!” I exclaimed suddenly seeing the significance of these names.

  “THERE ARE,” Rachel wailed, “SIX BILLION PEOPLE on this planet.

  You have to ask about that ONE.”

  I stared at the certificate in disbelief. “Jaclyn is Christie?

  Marcie’s Christie? No way.”

  “Marcie reverted back to using her maiden name after her divorce and always preferred to use her middle name.” Rachel informed me as I stood up walking slowly towards the clock examining the certificate very closely.

  “You’re trying to tell me that the baby Marcie gave up all those years ago is actually living under the same roof as her?” I just could not believe it.

  “Yes,” Rachel sobbed, “and I don’t know how to tel
l her.”

  “That’s absolutely incredible,” I laughed, “That’s bloody marvellous.”

  “How do we tell Marcie?” Rachel asked breathlessly.

  “Let me think,” I continued, “I do my best thinking while I’m walking, so follow me.”

  We walked from the Mall into the bright sunshine to sit on a bench outside. The same bench used after meeting Lynda.

  “If Sandy and Charlie were here they might be able to make sense of this.”

  “Who?” Rachel asked.

  I thought about the situation for a few minutes, and then it came to me. “It says here Marcie’s birthday is this month.”

  “Yes,” Rachel confirmed, “13th July.”

  “Rachel,” I pulled her to me, “can you keep a lid on this until Marcie’s birthday?”

  “I don’t know,” she sighed, “what do you have in mind?”

  “We could organise a surprise birthday party for her.

  We could get a venue, and invite ‘Diamonds’, and all her friends and any girls who have stayed at the flat since Marcie arrived 15 years ago.

  We get the usual ‘boring’ presents for her and at the end of the night we ask Jaclyn, as the newest flatmate, to present her with the ‘BIG’ present.”

  “Which will be?” Rachel asked.

  “This certificate in a frame,” I answered,

  “When she recovers from the shock we announce the person presenting it was ‘her’ baby.”

  “There’s not a chance of that working.” Rachel warned.

  “There’s no way Debbie, Lynda or Jaclyn would be able to keep this to themselves for the next 10 days.

  I’m not even sure I can keep silent that long.”

  “That’s because we don’t tell Debbie nor anyone else – we’ll keep it as ‘our secret’.

  We tell the girls, and the former flatmates, we are just trying to help Marcie get over the tragedy of losing Aleesha by celebrating her birthday - no more or less than that.”

  Rachel thought long and hard about the task.

  “Could we organise a surprise birthday bash in 10 days?”

  “Course we could,” I assured her.

  Then the cannon from the castle sounded and Rachel hurriedly kissed me and left me alone to plan this shock to Marcie’s system.

  Needless to say the activity within the household became frantic as each girl was given instruction from Rachel as they quickly arranged Marcie’s birthday celebration.

  Monday 13th July.

  By the morning of Marcie’s birthday, we were, as normal, seated at the table having breakfast.

  Marcie was very quiet as Rachel announced ‘Diamonds’ had another gig that night so wouldn’t be home for tea.

  Jaclyn smiled as she said she was going to a ‘revival’ meeting with Sarah so would not be home either.

  “Actually,” Debbie smiled, “One of the girls from the bank is leaving and we are having a night out for her, so, I’ll not be in either.”

  “Me neither,” Lynda sighed dreamily, “I’ve got a dinner date with a wonderful guy.”

  “Looks like,” Marcie sighed, “it’s just you and me then, Brian.”

  “Looks very much like it.” I confirmed sounding surprised.

  “Oh,” Debbie suddenly looked shocked; “I’ve just remembered it’s your birthday today.”

  Jaclyn and I feigned ignorance as we swore we didn’t know and wished her. “Happy birthday Marcie anyway.”

  Rachel apologised saying ‘Diamonds’ were so busy lately she hadn’t remembered either.

  “Okay,” I stated, “Since it’s your birthday and it’s just you and me for tea tonight, let me take you out for a meal instead.”

  Marcie agreed and I arranged I would pick her up at teatime.

  “Put on your best party frock and I’ll take you to the best restaurant in town.” I smiled.

  It was all going according to plan.

  At 6:30 p.m. I made sure Marcie looked absolutely stunning and ready to go.

  Marcie suspected nothing as I parked the car.

  Leading her by the arm we walked into a darkened hall.

  Then SURPRISE the hall was full of girls who had stayed in the flats over the years and their various partners and Marcie’s colleagues from the Hospital who had kept the party secret all week.

  All the current flatmates were there and ‘Diamonds’ supplied the entertainment.

  Marcie was completely surprised and said so several times during the evening as she spoke to girls who were writing her frequent letters regarding their progress.

  Three-quarters of the night passed before Rachel called for silence.

  “Marcie, could you come up to the stage, please?” she announced.

  Marcie did as she was asked and immediately began to thank everyone who was there for coming to help her celebrate.

  Rachel indicated to me that she couldn’t carry out our plan and asked Debbie, Lynda, Jaclyn and me to join Marcie and ‘Diamonds’ onstage.

  “Marcie,” I began taking Rachel’s microphone, “I think you should be sitting for the next few minutes.”

  A chair arrived and she sat smiling with drink in hand.

  I looked towards Rachel for guidance as I had no idea how to break this news to Marcie.

  Rachel just looked at me blankly as she was the only one in the hall who knew what was about to transpire. I could safely say I was completely on my own if it all goes wrong – it’s never stopped me before.

  “Marcie, I think you can see how much you are loved by a lot of people. There are more who, for various reasons, cannot be here this evening - most send their apologies.”

  “We, your current flatmates, and all your friends and colleagues from the hospital and ‘Diamonds’ all look to you as a mother figure and we feel we couldn’t have more motherly love for you.

  However, there is someone here who has a very special surprise for you.”

  The time had come to reveal the BIG surprise.

  “Could we ask Jaclyn, as our newest flatmate, to present you with a very special something?”

  Jaclyn, right on cue, walked to centre-stage with a small wrapped parcel handing it to Marcie wishing her ‘happy birthday’ as Marcie accepted it.

  “Now, before you open that,” I warned her,

  “There is a very special reason for it, so don’t throw it at me, please.”

  I could hardly look as Marcie laid down her drink and slowly unwrapped the parcel believing it to be a photograph, but it was not. Marcie stared at it in disbelief as her smile vanished. “What the fuck is this?” she hissed.

  As I still had the microphone I announced to the assembly, “What Marcie has is the birth certificate for the baby she gave up for adoption all those years ago.”

  “Marcie, unknown to all of us, it is also the birth certificate for someone who has been living with us for the past 6 weeks.”

  All eyes turned to Jaclyn, as she stood confused.

  “What? I don’t understand.” They both said.

  “Marcie, the baby you gave up for adoption eighteen years ago has been living with us for some weeks now.

  Jaclyn Bradley, unknown to all of us, is Christie, the baby you gave birth to eighteen years ago.”

  Everyone cheered, many screamed, some whistled and a few like Marcie and Jaclyn were dumbstruck.

  It was the perfect end to a perfect birthday for Marcie.

  Marcie very slowly and shakily rose to her feet clutching the framed certificate. With tears blinding her she slowly walked towards Jaclyn who was rooted to the spot and they hugged tightly.

  I could feel tears begin to well up inside me as I looked forlornly towards Rachel who was standing behind me sobbing her heart out – as were every member of ‘Diamonds.’

  It took several minutes for the tears and cheering to ebb and ‘Diamonds’ to restart their repertoire with ‘Baby, You’re an Angel’.

  From that moment onward Marcie and Jaclyn never left each other’s
side and kissed and hugged throughout the remainder of the evening.

  “I knew,” Marcie explained later, at home, thanking us for the best birthday surprise, “from the very moment I met Jaclyn and looked into her navy-blue eyes I have gazed longingly and lovingly into identical eyes a lifetime ago.

  I needed no further proof than that - that she was my baby.”

  “Everyone in the household, Emily, was extremely happy for the next few days,” I, again, looked at the photograph mentioned at the start of the story, which was taken during this evening.

  “Marcie and Jaclyn spent almost every waking moment in each other’s company discussing what they have been doing over the past eighteen years.

  Debbie, as instructed, opened a bank account for Jaclyn and under the watchful eyes of Marcie, I paid every penny owed into it.

  Rachel and ‘Diamonds’ were awaiting the release of ‘Baby - You’re an Angel’ and were very excited and extremely busy promoting it.”

  “You can see, Emily, everything was going very nicely for everybody and there were a lot of happy smiling faces around me at that time.”

  “I can see that.” Emily smiled looking again at the photo.

  “How was I to know everything was about to come to a tragic end.”

  Emily inserted a new tape into her Dictaphone after making another cup of tea while I excused myself to have another cigarette on the balcony as I prepared myself for the most difficult episode of my ‘complicated’ life.