Summer's Out at Hope Hall

by Pam Rhodes

  Mili felt a little shy when Mariana introduced her to Jayne and Ali, but as the two newcomers waved a hello in her direction, Mili gradually felt herself begin to relax in their friendly company. Andy reached across to give her hand a squeeze.

  “So, now you’ve met most of our crowd. Jake’s up there giving everything a final check. He hasn’t got a girlfriend; he’s just here for the music. I’ll introduce you when he comes down for a drink. Anyway, I know the girls will look after you while we’re up on stage playing. I hope to see you dance.”

  Mili grinned. “My mother taught me dance. I don’t think my dance is good here.”

  Andy laughed. “I can’t dance at all.”

  “You play music. Everybody dance!”

  Suddenly, the hall was filled with sound as the DJ burst into action with a pulsing beat that provided a backdrop as he welcomed everyone to the great evening they were about to have. And as he lined up the first track, at least a third of the crowd now sitting at tables around the edge of the hall leapt to their feet and made their way on to the dance floor. There were so many different styles of dancing that Mili’s head was spinning. There were groups of girls bopping around their handbags, four young men doing some sort of line dance, which others joined in with once they’d worked out what the steps should be, and several couples doing a series of impressive and complicated jive moves that cleared a big circle around each of them. When she looked back towards the entrance of the hall, she could see three older couples doing some sort of ballroom dancing.

  “Are you coming?” yelled Terezka from the other side of the table.

  Mili shook her head with alarm.

  Shrugging, Terezka marched on to the floor herself, grabbing Mariana’s hand as she went.

  “No Carlos yet,” Andy shouted into Mili’s ear.

  Her eyes widened. “No? Where he is?”

  “Who knows? He just hasn’t managed to join us yet.”

  “He’s coming?”

  “Probably about five minutes before we’re due to play.”

  “Is a problem he’s late?”

  “We’ve had no sound check. We can’t do that without our singer.”

  “But it will sound okay?”

  “Yes, it will, because we know what we’re doing. It’s annoying, though. He should be here.”

  “Whoosh?” Mili clapped her hands together, her eyes dancing.

  Andy laughed his agreement. “Yes, whoosh! Friction!”

  Just ten minutes before the band were due to start playing at eight fifteen there was a bit of a stir as Carlos walked straight through the dancers in the middle of the hall, acknowledging greetings and stopping every now and then to shake hands with a friend here or to hug a pretty girl there. Mili caught a glimpse of Mariana’s expression as she watched Carlos gaze lovingly into the eyes of one girl for whom he’d diverted his route to make sure he had a chance to embrace her. But the Spanish girl’s eyes lit up when he finally made his way over to their table, where he put one arm around her waist, pulled her roughly towards him and kissed her passionately. While Mariana’s eyes were still glassy with emotion, Carlos moved away, clicking his fingers towards the rest of the group.

  “Ready, boys? Shall we make this place rock?”

  Mili felt Andy stiffen with resentment beside her, and she leaned in towards him in silent support. He turned to gaze at her, his eyes warm with thanks.

  “Showtime!” he said quietly before getting up to follow the rest of the band on to the stage.

  It didn’t take more than the first song for Mili to realize this band was good, really good. Each player was a great musician in his own right, especially Andy, who was obviously the musical leader, almost imperceptibly controlling all the starts and finishes, and setting the tempo for each song. And even though she hated herself for thinking it, she had to admit that Carlos was a magnet for the eye. The undulating rhythm of his moves, the expression he put into each line, the way he held the mike as if it were a woman he loved – everything about him enhanced the fact that he had a strong, raspy voice that could punch out rock rhythms one minute and melt your heart with emotion the next. He was good and he knew it. There was an arrogance about him that seemed to demand recognition and admiration from his audience. Mili could see exactly why the rest of the band were in a quandary when it came to Carlos. Without a doubt he was an asset to the group, but he treated the others as if they were there simply to support Carlos the Star.

  For Mili, though, the real star on stage was Andy. From the side of the hall where she was sitting, she could see his fingers moving across the keyboard with skill and ease. Sometimes his face was full of concentration as he played. At other points, he was animated and involved as he sang backing harmonies, his thick brown hair sliding down over his forehead as the music became more lively and animated. And every now and then, he would catch her eye and smile across at her, and she felt something deep and exciting churn in the pit of her stomach. If only Father Peter could see her now. He might regret encouraging her to leave the safety of home for excitement like this.

  The first set of music came to a spectacular conclusion as the group performed their version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, during which it became abundantly clear that Carlos was not the only great singer. Every member of the band sang those famous harmonies with sweet precision, especially the guitarist, Graham, whose voice was superb. His style was very different from Carlos’s, but his intonation and clear purity on the long notes was stunning. The other guitarist, Jake, was deeply into the music, his face a picture of concentration and emotion. Nigel, the drummer, skilfully altered the tone and atmosphere from dramatic to softer sounds by adding his own deep voice with intricate rhythms that didn’t always come from the drum kit, but often from an array of smaller percussion instruments. Andy too had a soulfully expressive voice that enhanced the emotion and meaning of each word and verse. This band was brilliant!

  After what felt like minutes of applause, the band members made their way down to their table, except for Carlos, who sat on the edge of the stage surrounded by a crowd of adoring girls. Meanwhile, the rest of the people in the hall helped themselves to the buffet that had just been served. Mili’s heart went out to Mariana, who was visibly unhappy that her boyfriend was ignoring her for so long in favour of his devoted fans. In stark contrast, Andy had arrived at Mili’s side minutes after the band finished.

  “So?” he asked anxiously.

  “So,” she began, taking his hand, “your notes very good. Your voice very, very good. You – I think very good for me.”

  And right there, with the hall crowded with people around them, Andy leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on Mili’s lips.

  Maggie had barely reached home, dropped her bag and switched on the kettle before she heard a key in the door. Alarmed because she wasn’t expecting anyone to visit, she was surprised to see her daughter Steph walk into the hallway with grandson Bobbie squirming in her arms.

  “Hello! This is a nice surprise,” smiled Maggie, stretching out her arms to claim and cuddle the wriggling little boy. “I’ve got a chocolate cake for you, young man; your favourite with sprinkles and Smarties on top!”

  At that moment, Maggie caught sight of Steph’s expression and realized with alarm that this was not just a social call.

  “Are you okay? What’s happened?”

  Without a word, Steph walked across to put an arm round her mum’s shoulders as she held out her phone so that they could both clearly read the message displayed on it.

  Great news! Our daughter Aurora Giselle was born at 2.24 pm today, weighing 8lbs 3ozs. Mother and baby are doing well, and our whole family is delighted at the news. Please feel free to come and meet your new sister as soon as you can. Love, Dad and Mandy xxxx

  Slumping back against the kitchen work surface, Maggie drew in a deep breath. “So, are you going over?”

  “Nope.”

  “He’s right though. She is your sister.”

 
; “My sister, and my son’s auntie – and she’s two years younger than him. How insane is that!”

  Maggie said nothing. There was nothing to say. They stood in silence for a while, each absorbed in her own thoughts.

  “Aurora Giselle. Only Mandy could choose Disney names for all of her children.”

  “Has she really?”

  “Disney princess names for both of the girls, and the boy, Marlin, is named after Nemo’s dad – a stripy orange clownfish!”

  Suddenly, laughter bubbled up inside Maggie until she was almost crying, not out of distress, but with sheer delight at the ridiculous idea of Dave, her Dave, having a daughter named after not one but two Disney princesses. Dave hated cartoons. He always had, even when the kids were small, and he would stomp out of the room if they wanted to watch Mickey Mouse or any sort of animation. This couldn’t be happening to a nicer fella! As the same thought obviously hit Steph, a rather bemused Bobbie looked on with curiosity as his mum and nan hugged each other, crying with laughter.

  Chapter 6

  “Idon’t care, Tyler!” Shirley’s voice echoed around the house so the whole street could probably hear it. “I’m not having you lying around playing games on your phone all day long while your dad and I are out slogging to pay for everything. If you’re going to stay here, you’ve got to work!”

  “But what if Jasmine decides she wants me back again? I’ll be out of your hair and then I’ll get a proper job.”

  “Jasmine threw you out because you’ve been worse than useless at finding a proper job, so she was the one doing all the work. That girl always was too good for you. She’s far too sensible to take back a good-for-nothing layabout who just wants to play computer games day and night.”

  Tyler grinned at his mum. “Oh, you don’t know. I might have other qualities she finds very endearing—”

  “What’s most endearing in any relationship is to have a partner who helps pay his own way. Grow up, Tyler!”

  “I will work, just as soon as I find something I like!”

  “Well, until you find a job you like for someone daft enough to employ you and pay you wages, you’ll do as you’re told, especially if you want to live and eat in this house.”

  “Look, I’m no good at gardening. You know that. I’ve always hated weeding and mowing the lawn.”

  “Everyone hates weeding and mowing the lawn. It’s hard work, but it’s got to be done. Ray has a busy job at Hope Hall, and he needs to have his lawn cut because he hasn’t got time to do it himself. And he wants the flowerbeds weeded, and a few overhanging branches sorted out. He’s expecting you this afternoon, so get up off that settee, get yourself dressed and get round there. And if you don’t, you may as well pack your bags, take all your rubbish with you and find somewhere else to doss.”

  And so it was that half an hour later a stony-faced Tyler was standing on the doorstep when Ray opened his front door.

  “Hello, Tyler. Your mum just rang. Gave you a hard time, did she?” asked Ray, standing back to let him in.

  “You could say that.”

  “Don’t you think she’s got a point? You are living off your parents at the moment. Is that fair?”

  “No, but I’m so fed up with the way she talks to me as if I’m a little kid.”

  “Can you blame her?”

  “Yes! Why can’t we just have a normal conversation? Why does she have to shout all the time?”

  Ray chuckled. “Well, our Shirley does have a voice like a foghorn—”

  “When we were kids, our next-door neighbours used to be so scared when Mum was yelling at us at bedtime they’d rush upstairs to clean their own teeth and get into bed!”

  Ray threw his head back and laughed. “That’s our girl!”

  “That’s my mum, and I’ve had enough.”

  “So, what do you want to do? What are you good at?”

  Tyler perked up at this question. “Computers. I’m good at technology. I did really well with it at school, and I’ve always found it makes sense to me. It’s the logic of it that I like. Do everything in the right order and you get the right result.”

  Ray huffed. “Not for me. My computer hates me.”

  “What sort have you got?”

  “I’ve got two – a PC in my office upstairs and a laptop I keep down in the lounge. And, of course, there’s the other one at work that has me completely foxed.”

  “Want me to look at the ones you’ve got here?”

  “I’m not even sure how to explain what’s wrong. Half the time I can’t get the internet on my laptop. And then when I try to write letters and documents on my PC I can never work out how to get diagrams and pictures where I need them. And I’ve got dozens of adverts popping up all over the screen, which really gets on my nerves when I’m trying to think what to say. It drives me crackers!”

  “I can fix all that.”

  “Really?” Ray eyed Tyler with suspicion.

  “Try me!”

  “Does that mean I won’t get my lawn cut?”

  “Mum always says you are one of the most capable and efficient workers she’s ever met. We both know you’re perfectly able to cut your own lawn. You’ve only got me here because Mum asked you to do her a favour and give me some jobs to do. Am I right?”

  Ray’s noncommittal shrug spoke volumes.

  “So, why don’t you try letting me provide a service you can’t actually do yourself?”

  “You promise you won’t break the computer or make it even worse than it is now?”

  “I need to know what’s wrong before I have any idea how to answer that. I just know I’m good with computers. Do you want my help or not?”

  An hour later, Ray’s PC was purring with contentment. All the irritating adverts had been sent packing, and the whole system was tidied up. Ray even found that his laptop was happily connecting to the internet first time every time.

  “Well, young man, you’ve done a very good job. What do you charge for computer repairs?”

  “I’ve no idea,” replied Tyler. “What’s it worth to you?”

  Ray thought for a moment. “I know that when I’ve taken my laptop down to the computer shop in town – as I have on far too many occasions in the past – they’ve charged me £50 an hour. You’ve accomplished more in one hour this afternoon than they ever did.”

  “Oh!” Tyler plainly didn’t expect such an enthusiastic assessment of his work. “What do you think I should charge then?”

  “How much would you have charged me to cut the lawn and weed the flowerbeds?”

  Tyler glanced through the French doors towards the garden. “That would have taken me a while, probably four hours. Mum says you were thinking of paying £10 an hour, so probably about £40?”

  “Well, young man, I’m going to give you that £40 for the excellent job you’ve done for me today, and the work in the garden is still up for grabs if you fancy a bit of extra money during the week. But I think you should consider very carefully what you’d like your future to be. It’s clear you’ve got a natural instinct for this electronic technical stuff, but it’s a huge subject, and if you’re going to make a career of it, you need to study and practise at a much higher level than you are now. Have you thought about going back to college?”

  “I’m twenty. Aren’t I too old?”

  “I would have thought you were just the right age. There’s an excellent technical and vocational college down in Portsmouth, and you can get there easily enough from here. Why don’t you do a bit of research to see if you could get a place on a course you’d really enjoy, starting in September?”

  “Mum wants me to work.”

  “Your mum wants you to have the ability to work and earn money; not just for this week or month or year, but for the rest of your life. Then you can do the proper, decent thing and marry a girl like Jasmine, knowing you can support your family properly.”

  For once, Tyler seemed lost for words, his mind whirring at the possibilities he was considering. “Maybe I
could even get a grant.”

  “That would be worth looking into.”

  “And perhaps I could do some work on the side to help pay my way?”

  “I’d say that was highly possible.”

  Tyler grinned. “I could come and cut your lawn…”

  “And you could keep my computers in excellent running order.”

  “What do you think Mum will say?”

  “Why don’t you ask her?”

  Tyler took a breath, then straightened up his shoulders with determination before heading for the front door. “Wish me luck!”

  “Oh, I do,” smiled Ray. “I most certainly do.”

  “Oh, I’m glad it’s Southsea,” enthused Doris when the announcement had just been made to all the members of the Grown-ups’ Lunch Club that their summer outing in the second week of July would be down to the well-known seaside resort on the South Coast. “I don’t think that funfair’s changed a bit since I used to go there as a teenager. My mum said I shouldn’t go at all because it was a dangerous place full of unsavoury types—”

  “Boys, you mean?” grinned Flora. “I remember my mum saying the same thing. It only made me want to go more!”

  “I always thought it was a little common,” sniffed Ida. “The funfair, I mean. Southsea itself is glorious for its place in history, and that magnificent harbour it looks out over. If those sea walls could only speak—”

  “They’d say that this is a great place for sitting on the wall eating a pennyworth of chips smothered in salt and vinegar, all wrapped up in newspaper!” laughed Doris. “Was it only me, or did we all do that?”

  “My brother used to take me,” said Flora. “Mind you, he’d find a girl he liked and leave me to my own devices until it was time for us to get the bus home.”

  “And what did you get up to while he was gone, you saucy minx?” chuckled Doris.

  “Actually,” said Flora, her eyes suddenly misty with memories, “my best friend Maureen and I used to like those sound booths there where you could go in and make your own recording. We used to sing whatever record was at the top of the pop charts at the time. No one ever offered us a recording contract, so I guess we were terrible.”