Aaron Connor

by Nathan Davey

  “I think we all are” said Ernest with a smile, “Now Aaron, tell us the story of the adventures that the two of you have been on”

  Once again I told the story like I did before. I tried to tell it the exact same say I told it to Ernest just a moment ago. At the time I was telling the story, I was just like I was talking to Ernest again. The concept that everyone in the country was going to see and hear this didn’t really clock in my mind straight away. When I had finished, Ernest smiled at me and looked into the camera again.

  “There you have it” he said, “An incredible story and social justice all in one day. This has been Ernest Tremlett, Channel 4 News, Epping Forest”

  “And cut!” said the camera man, the red light went off and the boom microphone was lifted out of the way, “Nice one Ernest, can’t wait to see it tonight!”

  “Tonight?” I asked,

  “Naturally” answered Ernest, “This is big news. We’ve been after this guy for years. This will be tomorrow’s big headline. You’ll be on television tonight.”

  “Blimey” I said,

  “Do you have anywhere to stay?” Earnest asked,

  “No” Lizzie answered, “we’ve just been kind of going from place to place, why?”

  “Because I imagine” Ernest began, “that you’re going to become quite popular over the next few days. I know that we’ll want you for our chat shows and other news based programs. Probably best if you get a place to stay within a close distance of all the studios. We’ll arrange it for you, don’t you worry”

  “Are you sure?” Lizzie asked, “We don’t want to be any worry”

  “Nah” said Ernest, “It’s normal procedure, and we’ll make sure that you’re put in a very nice hotel, all expenses paid. You’re our guests and you shall be treated as such”

  “Thank you” I said,

  “No Aaron” said Ernest, “Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve got the best story I’ve ever had! This is going to be very exciting Mr Connor, very exciting”

  We rode back into London in the Channel 4 van with the rest of the crew. When we arrived back in the City, Ernest called up the executives and arranged for me and Lizzie to stay in a very fancy hotel. He then drove us to a nice hotel in the centre of London. We got out the car. Ernest kept the door open so he could talk to us from the sidewalk.

  “Right guys” he said, “I hope the room’s alright. The executives have only just bought it for you.”

  “Thank you” I said,

  “You are scheduled for a live chat show” Ernest said, “it’s at 7.00pm at ITV Studios in Studio one. Someone will come to pick you up and drop you off afterwards. We will keep you updated if anyone else wants you for interviews or appearances. If you need anything tell the people at reception, as everything will be paid by us during your stay. OK? Right, I’ll see you two tonight then”

  “See yeah” I said,

  “Bye” said Lizzie.

  He closed the door of the van and was soon speeding away down the City streets. We watched him drive away. After he left we went up to our room which the broadcaster hired for us. A man dressed in a fine suit was waiting for us in the foyer. He led us up to the room and assured us that we wouldn’t have to pay a penny for anything. He also gave us a menu and the phone number to call to order food from. Once he was happy that we were settled in, he promptly left us two alone.

  It really was a lovely place. There was a lot of marble and expensive linen. The workers at the hotel welcomed us warmly and kindly. A bottle of the finest champagne was waiting for us in the room with two glasses, I think they bypassed the fact that we were underage for that one occasion. The bed large was unbelievably soft. The tub in the ensuite bathroom was massive, there was even a television in the wall above the bath with a waterproof controller sitting on the side. It was like something off MTV: Cribs.

  That night we sat on the bed and watched the news report on the room’s large, flat screened television. I couldn’t believe that it was me talking on the screen, on national television. I had no idea who might be watching this. We watched the program completely mesmerized. I still couldn’t believe that I had survived, even though all of the evidence was present. When something incredible happens to you, the reality of it takes a long time to digest. It just felt so unreal.

  “You scared me today” said Lizzie, she held my hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze, “I thought I was going to lose you”

  “I can’t thank you enough” I said, “you saved my life, how can I ever repay you?”

  “There is, one thing you could do” said Lizzie,

  “What?” I asked, “Anything, what is it?”

  “Kiss me” she said.

  We kissed. The feeling was almost electric as I felt the emotion rocket through my body. It was the most passionate kiss we’d ever had. Within that kiss there was no bed, no hotel room and no world. All that was left was just a black void in which only we inhabited. Within those few moments, we were the only two beings in existence, everything outside of that kiss dissolved away into nothing. When we parted, the world, the bed and the hotel room came back. I’d never felt so happy in my entire life. When I was holding her in my arms, I knew that I was exactly where I was meant to be.

  CHAPTER TWENTY –SIX

  There was a knock on the hotel room door. I went across the room to answer it. Standing in the corridor was a pleasant woman who had an ITV Studios pass hung around her neck. She held a clipboard which had many documents clipped to it, this included the timetable for filming at the studio. I could see our names on the timetable underneath a program called Roger Bueller: Talking.

  “Mr Connor?” she asked politely,

  “Yeah, that’s me” I said,

  “Is Miss Penny with you?” she asked,

  “I’m here” called Lizzie as she walked towards the door,

  “Good, good” said the woman, “My name is Lara and I’ll be your assistant today. Are you guys ready to go?”

  “Sure” we said,

  “Brilliant” said Lara enthusiastically, “come along then”

  We left the room and locked the door behind us. The three of us, led by Lara, went downstairs via the elevator, across the foyer and out of the front door. A London taxi cab was waiting for us on the curb. The driver opened the door for us to climb in. Once we were all inside the driver closed the door, climbed into the front seat, turned the key and started to drive the vehicle down the road.

  “Are you guys feeling nervous at all?” asked Lara,

  “A bit” I said,

  “Do you know what kinds of questions we might be asked?” asked Lizzie,

  “I imagine it will be just about you two and everything you’d done” Lara answered, “I doubt it’ll be anything too personal. You don’t have to answer a question if you don’t want to. If that happens, just say “no comment” and Roger will just move on to the next question”

  “What’s Roger like?” I asked,

  “He’s not as nasty as everyone makes him out to be” Lara answered, “That doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll go easy on you. We’ll see though, we’ll see”

  We were silent for the remainder of the trip. We passed Big Ben and went over the bridge across the Thames. Once again we turned into the South Bank and parked in a small street behind the National Film Theatre. The taxi driver opened the door for us as we got out. The cold night air swept over us and made goosebumps run across my skin. Lara led us up the street where we finally arrived at the ITV Studios.

  If she hadn’t led us there, I doubt that either of us would have known it was even there. The building itself looked so ordinary. From the outside it looked like an ordinary office building, square and covered in windows. The large “ITV” logo reassured us that it was indeed the place we needed to be. Lara led out of the cold and into the warm foyer.

  To the left was a waiting room. I noticed that in the waiting room was a wall covered in several televisions. All of the televisions were showing different pr
ograms which were being broadcasted live from this studio. I still have no idea how someone could watch all of those screens all at the same time. I think I’d go a little bit bonkers after a while. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait in there, as a security guard by a lift allowed us to go straight through without any hassle.

  We went into the elevator and allowed Lara to stand by the controls, being that she worked there and knew what each of the buttons actually did. She pressed a button which beside it said: Studio One. The doors closed with a loud whir. The compacted space jolted, in a way which made all our stomachs sink, as the elevator began to ascend towards the Studio. A red L.E.D clock above the door said that it was 6:30pm, there was only half an hour left before broadcast.

  “When this door opens” said Lara, “You are to follow me and go straight to your seats to get your microphones set up. Do any of you need the loo?”

  “No” I said,

  “I’m feeling ok” said Lizzie,

  “Cool” said Lara, “The interview will only last about fifteen minutes, so you should be finished by, at the latest, 7:20. When you are finished you can leave or, if you like, you can stick around backstage and watch the rest of the show, which ends at 8:00.”

  “What do you think Lizzie?” I asked,

  “We might as well stick around” she said, “We’re not in any hurry, are we?”

  “That’s true” I said, “yeah, we’ll watch the rest of the show”

  “Cool” said Lara, “Ah, here we are, get ready you two”

  The doors of the elevator slid open to reveal a white corridor. Almost instantly, Lara started to walk out and we followed her obediently like a couple of puppies. She led us towards a double door in front of us, above the doorway was a sign which said “Studio One”. Various people wearing headphones and carrying clipboards were running in and out of the room frantically. Everyone looked stressed, some of their faces were just beginning to go bright red and the fluorescent lights were reflecting off of their sweaty faces.

  We went through the doors and into the studio. We were led up onto a stage where a couch was facing Roger in an armchair. Roger was a middle aged man with grey hair, he is well known as the media industry’s top critic and satirist. He was watching something on his touch screen phone. When we sat opposite him, we discovered that he was watching the last few minutes of the news coverage about me and Lizzie. He was watching it on one of those live news streams. This discovery made me feel a bit more relaxed, as he now knew a little bit more about us.

  Some make-up artists darted over to me and Lizzie and covered us in foundation. We were told that it was so that the cameras could pick up our faces probably, also it was so that we didn’t come up as seriously pale. Through the yellowish haze created by the studio lights, I could see the many faces of the studio audience. The audience were pointing at us and chatting among themselves, the majority looked confused. This show was known for interviewing high profile celebrities, the audience were probably confused because they had no idea who we were.

  Roger put away his phone as some more make up artists came up to him to do his layer of foundation. Some more studio lamps came on and lit up the set behind us. The set was made to look like the interior of an old fashioned hunting lodge. A fire was blazing in a fireplace underneath the stuffed head of a deer. The wallpaper was the similar brown colour and pattern they you’d find in a pub. Roger’s public persona is that of an “upper –class, witty, funny British man” and the set was supposed to reflect that. It was like being back at Lord Grumsby’s again.

  The stage manager called for silence and everyone obeyed. The make up artists cleared the stage. I saw Ernest standing by the doorway and giving me a thumbs up, I nodded and smiled to acknowledge him fondly. The stage manager came out and counted down from five, just like Ernest’s camera man did earlier in the day. The stage manager called out the numbers and mimed the “one” silently. A bright, red light came on at the back of the studio above the door, the show had officially started.

  The upbeat theme song started to blast out of the speakers. The audience began to applaud when told by a man who was holding up placards. A camera on a crane swept over the audience and rested on a wide shot of the entire set. Roger looked directly into one of the stationary cameras that were facing him. The broadcast was being shown on a monitor which was sitting on the floor, from here we could see the image cut from the crane camera to the camera that Roger was looking into in.

  “Hello!” cried Roger over the slowly dimming audience applause, “and welcome to Roger Bueller: Talking. Tonight, other then popular young singer Tulisa, we also have a surprise guest with us today. Our studio audience saw these guys come here with much confusion. Being here in the studio, they wouldn’t have seen the news report which has given these two teens instant fame. For those who missed it, here’s the report again”

  The monitor then cut to a replay of the same News report, once again I heard myself telling my story in a nervous manner. I remember sitting there and being taken aback by what Roger had just said, not all of his opening speech but one word alone: fame. We had only been on television for at least a few minutes now, surely we weren’t already famous?

  “There you have it folks” said Roger once the replay ended, he had to wait before continuing as the audience clapped the story I’d just told, “within minutes of the broadcast, other news channels and websites have taken up the story. Social websites are telling us of a mass wave of positive comments about the event and about these two teens. The video has gone viral on the internet and is already clocking up a considerable amount of views. Ladies and Gentlemen, please say hello to the one’s who’ve caused all this excitement. Let’s give a huge round of applause for Aaron Connor and Lizzie Penny”

  The image on the monitor suddenly cut to me and Lizzie. The audience began to clap and cheer again. The monitor showed the embarrassed and shy images of ourselves that was being broadcast to the entire nation. I felt like I was on an acid trip or something. When Roger was talking about the record breaking time that our fame developed, it didn’t feel like he was talking about us. It felt like they were talking about someone else. I saw Lizzie’s expression on the monitor, it was a mixture of fright and fake smiles, bless.

  “What an incredible story” said Roger, “The first thing I’d like to ask is this: what message would you give out to young people, like yourselves, watching this now?”

  I and Lizzie looked at each other, equally unsure who should answer that question. Lizzie gulped and nodded towards me, telling me that she thought that this would be best for me. She never liked talking in front of an audience, even when she was asked to do school assemblies, so she didn’t mind much when I talked for the both of us. It took me a few moments to compose in my mind what I wanted to say. I took a deep breath and just said what I felt.

  “I just wanted to say” I began, “if you don’t have all the fancy qualifications and employability, it isn’t the end. Even if the world tells you otherwise, being unemployed is not the time to throw in the towel. Either you can stay where you are and become another statistic, or you can go out and do some good.

  “This world needs more people who are willing to lend a helping hand to those in need. Do community services, social services, work in a soup kitchen or do what we did: just go around and see who needs any help. We are only here for a certain amount of time. There’s no point in wasting it. I’m not saying that education and work isn’t important because it is. What I’m saying is, if all else fails don’t waste your life moping about it. Make a change, one person at a time”

  The audience applauded after I’d finished. Roger’s mouth was wide open, he looked completely gobsmacked. I had no idea how deep my speech would become. I just wanted to summarise the real meanings for everything me and Lizzie had just been through. I don’t really know if I achieved that. I hate watching that show back. I had to watch it back so I could write down everything I said accurately. I’ve had people come
up to me and tell me how moving my speech was, I’m personally not too sure about that. Maybe it’s just me, I dunno.

  “Wow” said Roger, “Well said Mr Connor. Lizzie, you saved this young man’s life. If it’s not a too personal question, why did you go back? Why did you go back into No-Man’s Land when you could have got away?”

  “Because my life would have meant nothing without him” said Lizzie, “If I got back and started living my life normally again, I think I’d end up killing myself. I couldn’t live without Aaron and the guilt of leaving him there would haunt me for the rest of my life. I love him. Simple as Roger, I love Aaron Connor!”

  Once again the audience burst into another wave of appreciation and praise. A single tear ran down Lizzie’s face, which she wiped away with her sleeve. Roger gestured with his hand to tell the audience to calm down and quieten.

  “They’ve haven’t half warmed to you!” said Roger, “This question is for both of you. If you could change one thing about the World, what would it be? Lizzie, why don’t you start of?”

  “Well . . . “said Lizzie as she thought, “I just wish that people wouldn’t be so judgemental. Just because something is different, doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I hope that we’ve helped some people realise that lower class teens are capable of more then earning ASBOs. Yeah, I would want people to be more accepting”

  “That’s a very good point Lizzie” said Roger nodding his head in agreement, “good answer. Now Aaron, what would you change about the world if you could?”

  “I would wish that people would stop using the word “Chav”” I answered, “that word has become such a hateful term. It was once just a humorous thing to call us modern teens, but that’s how most of those offensive terms start of as. We’ve been treated badly by others who feel they’re superior to us, even though we’re all the same. We need to stop labelling each other. There’s no point. Like I said before, we’re only here for a short time, so why do we deliberately make life well difficult by being so hateful to each other? That’s what I’d change, I’d make people realise they’re wasting their time with all this negativity”