Under New Management

by June Hopkins

  Florrie owned stupid amounts of this sort of stuff in full size pots and bottles. Mollie knew this, as she was usually the individual charged with Florrie’s unpacking when they were honoured with a visit.

  Checking herself out in one of the full length mirrors Mollie tells Lou to, “Get a move on! I’m gagging for a drink.”

  She sways from side to side ensuring that the skirt of her electric blue, fifties style dress, is definitely not caught in her knickers. The skirt is made up of acres of material, more than she’s used to and that would be just her luck tonight. Once pissed, she would have to be extra vigilant.

  Mollie messes briefly with her hair, which falls long, thick and beautifully waved down her back to her waist. Checking her makeup she ensures her false eyelashes are still attached and haven’t migrated to her cheeks. She feels satisfied that she looks good.

  Lou eventually leaves the toilet and moves to the basin to wash her hands, “You look lovely. That colour is gorgeous with your eyes you know. Where did you get it?”

  “Oh I bought it two years ago in France when we were on holiday, David chose it.” Mollie’s voice falters slightly. “I haven’t ever had the chance to wear it so I thought what the hell!” She smiles weakly.

  Having dried her hands on the fluffy white towel handed to her by the silent attendant, Lou quickly moves to Mollie’s side and hugs her.

  “Ah Moll, don’t get upset babe. It’s his loss, the tosser!” she says with feeling.

  “I’m OK Lou, I think I’m getting there. I just find it hard, you know, not having him around. It still feels strange, even though I could never have him back, not now, not knowing what I know.” Mollie sighs deeply. She shakes her head and then adds more forcefully, “Christ, what am I saying? He wouldn’t come back, he’s gay. I need to get a grip. It’s not like he ran off with another woman is it? There’s no chance of reconciliation in these circumstances.” She shakes her head again and Lou gives her another hug.

  Tonight is the first time she has been out socialising on her own, that is, without David. Going to the local pub with her parents or friends doesn’t count.

  She misses the whole dressing up bit. She remembers how they would move comfortably around the bedroom in their underwear, fogging up the room with their various sprays. Getting dressed and adding jewellery, David would put on a tie and his watch, telling her to get a move on as he left the room, always before her.

  By the time she had got herself organised and made her way downstairs David would be impatient to get going. But he would always spare the time to look her over. She would give a twirl and David would give a verdict, normally a complimentary one. He liked her to look good.

  Now she realised she had been nothing more than a mannequin for him. He expected her to compliment him, too; be an unwitting participant in his game of deceit. Mollie scowls in the mirror.

  Her dad had filled the role admirably this afternoon. He’d given her the once over, demanded a twirl, assured her she looked beautiful. He’d gone slightly overboard in the end, telling her how proud he was of her, blah blah blah. But it just wasn’t the same.

  Mollie feels terribly sad about it all, but she is determined to enjoy herself tonight. She won’t be employed by the Sedgwicks come midnight and the new people don’t want her. So stuff the lot of ‘em, apart from Lord John of course, who had told her earlier to get as drunk as a skunk and be utterly badly behaved, as it happens, that is exactly what Mollie intends to do. She is going to be flirty and sexy and as badly behaved as she damned well pleases and Lou has happily agreed to help her which is bloody good of her. What a mate.

  She smiles in the mirror as Lou fluffs her hair, checks the corners of her eyes for sleep, her nose for stray bogeys and bares her straight, white teeth at the mirror.

  “What are you expecting to find in your teeth?” Mollie asks with a laugh.

  Lou gives her an indignant look as she puts her teeth away. “Oi, you can never be too careful. Nothing worse than speaking to someone and being totally unaware you have food stuck in your teeth. Gross, very gross!” She shudders. “Just think, Mrs Jones in the post office.”

  An image of Mrs Jones floats into Mollie’s mind. The woman really does have unfortunate teeth and invariably they are splattered with remnants of her last meal, or, quite possibly, the one before that. Eeeuggh!

  “Fair point.” Mollie concedes with a shrug.

  Lou is still faffing, it’s her lipstick now. She looks stunning tonight.

  Lou has thick, long strawberry blonde hair. She never colours it; her hair definitely has a touch of the ginger about it, but it is striking. Lou has a dusting of dainty freckles over the bridge of her nose stretching down over the tops of her cheeks, which she hates. Her eyes are dark green. She spent most of their school years with the nickname of ‘Pippy Longstocking’. She is tall and graceful now at 5ft 9ins, but back then she had been very gangly and skinny with braces on her teeth. Not anymore. Lou has grown into a beautiful woman. She has a great figure which Mollie envies. Lou can eat pretty much anything and never puts on any weight. Mollie merely glances in the direction of cake and her thighs bubble.

  Lou and her husband George were married for nine years. They got together when Lou was eighteen. George is six years older. They have been separated for nine months and she is expecting the Decree Absolute any day now.

  George walked out one day after a particularly vicious argument. He is very controlling and Lou, well Lou isn’t the type to be controlled. Lou is rather wild and has a tendency to be badly behaved. George is a quiet sort of chap, quite serious really.

  Lou, who had been deeply in love in the beginning, she hadn’t really noticed whilst they were going out. Only when they got married did George noticeably display his controlling side. It hadn’t bothered Lou that much, she had gone along with it for the first six years of their marriage. She had kept the peace, towed the line and reined herself in. but during the last few years things had changed. George changed and Lou got bored. They had started trying for children around the six year mark but it never worked out. During year seven they went for various tests, and it turned out the problem was with George.

  Lou had been more than a little relieved to hear that IVF wasn’t an option for George. George was infertile. Lou didn’t really want to do babies anyway and the thought of being impregnated artificially by a stranger was even less appealing. Luckily George did not want to go for that option either. Lou, it seemed, was off the hook.

  However it appeared not, when George began to change. He hadn’t had a large supply of fun chips in the first place, but after the bad news he seemed to lose all of them.

  He started to pour his energies into his work as an architect. He worked longer hours; he liked to be in bed by nine thirty; he took up running and began getting out and pounding the pavements by six each morning. He used to adore Lou, sometimes to a suffocating extent but part of the change involved distancing himself, and he started to ignore her.

  It drove Lou insane. She could cope with most of the changes, as long as George was at least attentive to her. That made it worthwhile, but to be ignored and snubbed into the bargain, well that was too much. Feeling alone and unloved Lou eventually rebelled, as everyone expected she would, and the arguments began.

  Lou created her own social life. She went out with anyone who was going. People from work, friends from the town. She wasn’t above going to the pub alone and joining in with whatever activity was going on at the time. She joined a skittles team and a local book club. Lou surrounded herself with friends.

  She would go for nights out and invariably turn up at home pissed, crashing unintentionally about, waking George up and causing a row.

  By the time they split Lou was relieved. She was glad that George had walked out as she hadn’t been sure she would have had the strength. George had always been well off and generously signed their three bed-roomed house over to her four months ago as part of the divorce settlement. Lou is now secure
and starting to be happy again.

  George is seeing a woman he met at work who is five years older than him with two teenage kids who he gets on well with. Lou and George now get on well enough. It seems that things can turn out for the best.

  Mollie sighs. In time, hopefully, she will be happy again. However tonight she isn’t going to worry about anything other than having a good time. Dragging Lou away from the mirror they leave the warmth of the toilets to get the party started.

  Tottering back down the walkway the girls enter the barn and stand admiring the decor. As promised, Florrie had spent the afternoon dressing the staff for the evening. She had brought in a plethora of outfits with a Western theme. The barmaids are dressed as saloon girls, the bar staff in matching red waistcoats and flouncy shirts. Even Eddy the local DJ and the entire cast of the band ‘The Mismatches’ were kitted out in cowboy costumes. They looked fab. As Florrie had also promised, none of the costumes were tacky they were all very authentic.

  There aren’t many guests this early and the girls make the most of the empty bar to get in a couple of cocktails.

  Lou immediately sets her sights on one of the barmen who is particularly dishy and makes mouth watering cocktails to boot. Mollie smirks at their flirting and catches the eye of another barman who winks at her. Unperturbed and determined to enjoy herself, she winks back at him. He smiles and starts towards her but gets called away as new guests arrive.

  Mollie watches the door as guests suddenly start pouring in. Blimey did they all come by coach? She smiles brightly as her parents enter, followed by Dan and his wife, Julie. She can hear Lindy “Oohing” and “Aahhing” at the decor and smiles again.

  As she is already at the bar, Mollie turns in the hopes of catching her barman but no joy. Instead, Amber a local girl who Mollie recruited for the day comes over to take the order.

  “Hi Moll, thanks for this, it’s great ain’t it? What do you think of the outfit?” She asks as she gives a twirl in her bright green dress.

  “You look lush Amber, colour’s great on you. Can I grab some drinks for the family please?”

  “Course that’s what I’m here for. What can I get you?”

  Just as they join her at the bar, Mollie starts the order with lagers for the men. “Hi you lot! Mum, Julie what do you want? The cocktails are awesome.”

  Lindy lets out a squeal, “Cocktails oooh lovely! Is there a menu?”

  Mollie hands it over and asks Julie for her choice, “I’ll have wine please Moll, I know where I am with that. Well, at least for the first couple of hours!” Julie tells her with a snort.

  Mollie laughs with her, “Yea well, try and refrain from throwing up in the flower beds this time, Ju.”

  Mollie is referring to a night out last year. They had managed to get horrifically drunk at a wedding reception and Julie had ended up falling into the flower bed outside the hotel. She’d managed to pick herself up into a position where she was on her hands and knees, then just before help arrived to get her to her feet, she’d suddenly projectile vomited spectacularly. This would not normally have been a problem, but the Bride and Groom were taking their leave at the time, and this ensured Julie had a large audience for her misdemeanour. Members of said audience rarely miss an opportunity to remind her.

  Julie squirms and gives Mollie a look that says, ‘leave it.’

  Mollie laughs at her, “Don’t worry about it. The way I’m feeling tonight I may actually beat you to it.” They snigger together.

  Dan moves over behind his wife and puts his arms around her waist whilst nuzzling her neck. Looking up, he asks, “What’s so funny you two?” Before returning to his nuzzling with relish.

  “Flippin ‘eck you two, get a room will you?” Mollie laughs at them.

  Dan looks up at his sister, a big smile on his handsome face. “You’re only jealous our Molls.” He teases her.

  “Yea, whatever.” Mollie snorts at him.

  She smiles at the pair of them, still head over heels after five years together, and four married. Mollie feels a stab of jealousy at their happiness. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have that?

  They suit each other. Julie is tiny, only about 5ft 5ins. She is perfectly formed, with short bobbed brunette hair and is pretty in an unobvious way. She is naturally pretty and doesn’t require trowels of makeup to enhance it. She has dancing conker brown eyes and is always smiling.

  Dan is as tall as their father but much broader. He keeps his head shaved and has a ‘Grant Mitchell from Eastenders’ thing going on. He manages to frighten people without meaning to. However, when he does mean it he really frightens them! Mollie adores him. He has always looked after her, and Julie has calmed him right down.

  Amber brings Mollie back from her thoughts as she hands her a bright orange concoction for Lindy, Mollie isn’t too sure about it and eyes it distrustfully. But hey ho it’s free, they may as well make the most of it. They have a minibus booked for one thirty in the morning, as it’s nearly a two mile walk home and walking is not really in the plan for any of them.

  As the barn fills up they make their way to a large round table near the dance floor and take their seats. Lou keeps sending flirtatious looks at her barman and flicking her hair about.

  “You’re wasting your time, babe, he’s working tonight. You’d be better off getting his number and saving it for another time.” Mollie tells her.

  Lou gives her a look. Leaning in and keeping her voice down, she says, “Yea, whatever. I saw you winking at the other one. What if we just save them for later, period? At least we’re covered if nothing better comes along before then. You’re staying at mine anyway, so who’s to know?” She says with a wicked glint in her eye.

  Mollie gives it some thought for about two seconds, “Good plan, it’s been that long since I got any, I think I might actually be a virgin again! I’ll take anything I can get.” They both laugh even though it strictly isn’t that funny.

  Two hours later they are all having a great time and consuming the free alcohol at an alarming rate of knots. Luckily all the guests are tucking in equally well and so the volume of noise coming from their table is lost in the general roar of the room. The band has just started their first set and the atmosphere is electric. Mollie feels slightly hysterical and her desire to enjoy herself has grown wings. She is rotating between laughing madly, talking animatedly and singing loudly.

  Lou is keeping up admirably and they are having a fabulous time. They are spending a large amount of time at the bar in order to flirt with their respective barmen. Perhaps this may not seem the best idea in the morning, as they are both drinking much faster than usual.

  Mollie has been chatting up Andy the barman, who is very charming. Not quite as good looking as Lou’s barman, another Dan, but he is nice and adequately shaggable. He’ll do.

  Dan and Andy are more than happy to participate in the flirting, and more. After all, the girls are stunners and what both their wives don’t know won’t hurt them.

  Mollie is glad that Lou’s chosen Dan as that would just be weird. Who wants to have random sex with someone sporting the same name as your brother?

  Mollie has just returned from yet another visit to the luxury toilet, and the band are playing Black Eyed Peas’, ‘Tonight’s Gonna be a Good Night’. She dances towards Lou who has now taken up residence on a bar stool right at the bar hatch.

  Heading to the bar, her ample assets swinging, she is drawing admiring glances and knows it. She feels like she did BD (before David). It’s been a long time but each drink frees her a little more and she intends to enjoy the feeling.

  David and Kevin have stayed away. Probably scared of Jim and Dan, Mollie hopes it stays that way.

  As she reaches Lou, she sees that she is smirking, “What? What are you smirking at?” she asks her.

  Lou laughs loudly, “You complete tart! I was watching you dancing over here. You nearly made Mr Cleaver choke on his beer, you Jessica Rabbit you.”

  Mollie snorts, “Serves
him right, bloody old perv.” They laugh loudly.

  Kieran is at the bar in close proximity to the girls. He hears their conversation and had watched Mollie dance over. Jessica Rabbit is a perfectly good description of her. She is gorgeous up close and instantly recognisable from last week, but he still hasn’t copped a proper look at those eyes.

  He turns to see where she is. She now has her back to him, and is up against the bar, her elbow on the top of it, her chin resting in her hand as she laughs with her mate. Leaning in close he whispers over her shoulder just to the side of her ear.

  “Is there any man that you actually like?”

  Mollie nearly jumps out of her skin. She spins round and comes face to face with Mr Buff from the tree the other night. She’d recognise him anywhere, even though it had been dark.

  She catches her breath. He’s very good looking up close. She sways slightly and not just from the alcohol. He has an aura about him and it is playing havoc with her senses. Wow!

  She stares at him without speaking while she tries to form a suitably witty reply.

  “Blue,” he states as he gazes at her.

  “Um, what?” She stutters, confused. What’s he on about, her dress?

  “Your eyes. They’re blue, azure blue in fact. I thought they might be but I didn’t expect them to be quite so breathtaking.” He says earnestly. He means it. He actually took a sharp breath when she turned round and stared. She has the most extraordinary eyes.

  Mollie is flustered to say the least and it doesn’t help that Lou is poking her urgently in the ribs and hissing, “Fuck me! He’s hot, you jammy cow.”

  Gathering her thoughts she tries to find a calm facial expression. This situation definitely calls for cool.

  “Oh yes I recognise you. Is there actually any conversation that you don’t listen in on? Don’t you have any friends to talk to?”

  Lou squeals at her and Kieran bursts out laughing.

  When he stops he says, “Beautiful eyes and witty too. Is there no end to your talents?”

  It’s Mollie’s turn to laugh. “Perhaps we should actually introduce ourselves. I am Mollie Pratt, I mean Brown.” She corrects herself quickly.