By the candy floss and confectionary stall, laughing hysterically, three youths were vigorously rolling around a wooden barrel between them. No harm in that to Gem, just a bit of fun which is what the youths had come to the fair to have themselves, but not when a pair of legs was sticking out of the open end of the barrel and a torrent of muffled expletives was emitting from inside, courtesy of the legs’ owner. Knowing the owner as well as she did, Gem was absolutely outraged that these youths were treating that person in such way. A small crowd had gathered to watch, some laughing, others in obvious disapproval but, regardless, not doing anything to halt the proceedings.
To ensure the lads would hear her over the rest of the din the crowds were making, and the blaring music from nearby individual rides, she launched herself over to the rolling barrel, bringing it to a stop by using her weight against it. ‘Oi, stop that now. What the hell do you think you’re playing at?’
She was a shapely, attractive strawberry blonde, with humorous violet-blue eyes and dressed in a full apple-green skirt with layers of netting underneath. She wore two-inch black stiletto court shoes.
A thick black belt was around her trim waist, a scoop-necked white, sleeveless blouse and short red cardigan with black embroidery down both sides of the front completed her outfit.
The three teenagers stared at her, stunned for a moment at the abrupt interruption into their fun and it was the lankiest, spottiest one of them that finally answered her, in a cocky manner, more to impress his other two mates than actual bravado. ‘Just having a laugh, missus, no harm done.’
‘Yeah, that’s right, just having a laugh,’ the two other lads parroted.
She sneered at them and snapped, ‘That’s your idea of having a giggle, is it? Risking hurting someone by putting them upside down in a barrel and rolling them around!’ She wagged a finger at them. ‘Like me to get some of the gaff lads to do it to you and see how funny you think it is then?’
The three boys looked horrified at the very thought and, before she could carry out her threat, they kicked up their heels and shot off to be lost in the crowd, gesturing with their fingers as they went. Show now over, the gathered crowd dispersed too.
Gem addressed the person in the barrel. ‘It’s me, Mrs Grundy. Those louts have gone, so stop thrashing your legs about so I can grab hold of them and get you out.’
The response was too undecipherable for Gem to translate but it was apparent that her message had gotten through as the legs stopped flaying. Grabbing hold of the ankles, she pulled until the body they belonged to slid free. As they scrambled upright and straightened their clothes, Gem said, ‘You alright? Did those clots hurt you at all?’
Renata Shawditch glanced down her body, all four foot three of it, before lifting her head and bringing smiling hazel eyes to rest on Gem. ‘All me bits and pieces still seem to be in place and, apart from a few bruises, I’m fine. It could have been worse had you not come to my rescue, so ta very much, Mrs Grundy.’
‘Glad I happened to be passing.’ She then eyed the tiny woman, confused. ‘What on earth got into those idiots to do what they did to you?’
‘I caught one of them red-handed, trying to help himself from the penny dip when I was serving a customer. I threatened to bash his thieving head with me trusty tennis racket that I keep under the counter to protect meself with from such brain-dead sorts if he didn’t put back what he’d stolen or pay up. He didn’t like being bettered by a woman and, to boot, one half his size; especially not in front of his mates or the other punters as I’d a queue at the time. Next I knew, him and his mates had up-ended the barrel of its sawdust and prizes and forced me into it and… well… you know the rest.’ Her face then screwed up with annoyance. ‘And not one of those in the crowd came to me rescue, did they?’ Then her face crinkled good-naturedly. ‘Must have thought it was part of a side show. If anything like this should happen again, I’ll stop the proceedings until I’ve gone around the crowd and collected money from them first to watch.’
Gem couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Trust Ren to see the funny side. But then that was Ren all over, always seeing the humour and positive side of life. She eyed the woman fondly. Twenty-four years ago Ren’s parents, both from showmen families who had travelled with Grundy’s for years operating their hoopla stall, had welcomed their daughter into the world with all the love and protection anyone would shower on their most precious possession. Both in their mid-forties at the time, they had long ago given up on being blessed with even one of the dozen or so children they had planned to have when they had gotten married over twenty-five years before. Ren’s arrival one bitter winter’s night in early February had come as a bolt out of the blue, Ren’s mother having no idea she was pregnant. In fact, she was convinced she was on the change of life when her periods had suddenly stopped nine months before. She had thought the pains she was experiencing were caused by a dish of potted shrimps she had had for her tea and it was an aged crone who had helped to bring many fairground babies into the world who was to put her straight; that she was in labour.
Ren had been physically perfect in every way and achieved every milestone that all other children did as they grew and developed, except that height-wise she was always many inches shorter. Before she was a year old it became apparent to her parents and everyone else that, by a freak of nature as there was no family history on either side of this happening before, Ren was a midget. This could have devastated other parents, but not Ren’s. Whether she grew to six feet tall or only reached three foot was of no consequence to them whatsoever. They raised her to be confident and proud of herself and to ignore completely any slights aimed her way from others. She was encouraged to view any as the culprit’s show of jealousy for the fact they were not so petite and pretty as she was. She wasn’t at all the sort of woman that won beauty contests or that men did a double-take at, just pleasantly attractive, but what drew people to her in droves was that she had a great sense of fun and an extremely kind and caring nature and could always be relied upon to do whatever she could for those in need of help.
Gem had a great respect for her and she knew, without doubt, that Ren would make a wonderful wife to a special kind of man who would not let her lack of height blind him to the array of other qualities she possessed. Gem knew Ren had had her fair share of boyfriends over the years; most had ended because, when all was said and done, the men in question could not cope with what others threw at them for being involved with someone they deemed not normal. Gem believed though that one day a man worthy of her would see her worth and Ren would then get the happiness she deserved.
What Gem or anyone else of the Grundy community did not know was that it was doubtful that even if any of those men had been enamoured enough to turn a blind eye to the taunts and ridicule of others, the relationship would have gotten any further than friendship in respect of Ren herself.
Her heart belonged completely to another and had done since she had first clapped eyes on Donald Douglas, or Donny as he was known. Both had crawled upon the grass together as babies whilst their mothers sat on stools outside their living vans and shared gossip over cups of tea and chunks of homemade cake. The pair had been close friends since that time. Indeed, so much did he think of Ren that friendship might have turned to love for Donny as it had for Ren on her reaching an age when she recognised just what love actually was, had not another girl arrived on the scene and set her cap at the then fourteen-year-old Donny, using her good looks and wily ways to turn his attentions away from Ren onto herself. And all because to Susan Potts even at that young age, in ordinary-looking, gangly Donny, whose parents owned their own ride which as the eldest male child he would one day inherit, she saw a good prospect for a future husband. She reckoned he’d give her a better life than the one she had with her own family, who scraped a living from a stall selling cheap penny-type toys and trinkets that broke not long after the purchasers bought them. Before Donny was aware of what was happening to him, at the age of sevent
een, he was married to the then sixteen-year-old Suzie and was living with her in a modern, two-bedroomed caravan bought for them as a wedding gift by his family.
Despite her own heartache that the man she loved more than anything in the world would now never be hers, generous-natured Ren would have been happy for Donny had she been convinced that this marriage was a good one. She was far from sure about it as she had seen with her own eyes how Suzie had systematically manipulated him up the aisle and, right from the start of their marriage, it was very apparent from passing comments Donny made just how lazy Suzie was. It was Donny who did most of the cooking, cleaning and other chores, as besotted with her as he was, accepting Suzie’s never-ending excuses for her laziness.
But as if watching the man she loved being made a fool of by his wife was not torture enough for Ren, when no one else was around to witness it, Suzie wasn’t the amenable, helpful young woman everyone believed her to be. She was jealous of Ren’s friendship with her husband, rightly guessing that Ren felt more for him than friendship; out of pure spite she would taunt and belittle Ren.Ren usually managed to brush Suzie’s nasty remarks off but occasionally, after a particularly nasty onslaught, they did get the better of her. Never would she allow Suzie the satisfaction of knowing it; she would always nurse her upset in private.
Ren kept her knowledge about Suzie to herself as she knew the truth about his adored wife would break Donny’s heart and she cared far too much about him to ever do that to him. For Donny’s sake though, all Ren hoped for was that one day Suzie would wake up and realise what a good man her husband was – one she would find it very hard to better – and start treating him the way he deserved to be.
Through the crowds Ren’s nemesis, dressed in a tight pair of bright green capri pants, a waist-length box-style red blouse with a short bolero-style cardigan over the top, flat black pumps on her feet and long brunette hair tied up in a high ponytail, suddenly materialised. She was breathless from running and with her pretty face screwed up, clearly annoyed, she blurted out, ‘Oh! I missed all the fun then.’
Gem looked at her incredulously. She had always found Suzie such a pleasant, helpful young woman whenever she had had dealings with her since she had arrived with her mother and father ten years ago and secured a pitch from Sam for their toy and bric-a-brac stall, that this show of acute disappointment that she had missed out on the humiliation of one of their community greatly shocked her. ‘Surely you can’t think that was funny, Ren being shoved in a barrel and rolled about? She could have been seriously hurt.’
Suzie stared stupefied at Gem, mouth opening and closing fish-like. She had spoken her thoughts out loud without considering just who was present. When she had overheard what was happening to Ren via two gossiping women happening to pass by Ren’s stall at the time and who then had stopped by Suzie’s parents’ stall to have a peruse of the goods on sale, she had pelted over in order to witness Ren’s humiliation. She planned to use it later to make the woman look foolish and belittle her in the eyes of her husband. Donny was so blind and stupid not to have realised, or have an inkling even, that Ren was head over heels in love with him and in truth although Donny was besotted with herself, deep down it was Ren he really loved. Had Suzie not manipulated him into it, it was Ren he would be married to now, not herself. Suzie cared for Donny but didn’t love him as a wife should and never had. But being married to him was a damned sight better than the life she was living with her parents and two younger brothers in their ancient, damp four-berth caravan surviving on the paltry amount their stall brought in. Until someone with better prospects than Donny came along – something she was working hard at finding herself – she meant to keep him, never give him a chance to question his feelings for her or especially those she knew were lying dormant for Ren. Except for Ren, every other member of the Grundy community believed her to be a devoted wife to her husband and a thoroughly helpful and caring woman to have around. And that was the way she intended to keep matters until she was ready to let them know her true colours. With a look of deep concern on her face, she spoke earnestly. ‘Oh forgive me, Mrs Grundy, that didn’t come out as I meant, really it didn’t. As soon as I heard two women giggling about what they’d seen, I told me mam I had to come over and put a stop to what those lads where doing to Ren. Mindless idiots.’ She looked at Ren then in feigned deep concern. ‘Glad to see you’re not hurt.’
Ren just looked back at her blankly. Suzie deserved the lead in a play for that performance. She might have sounded sincere but she certainly wasn’t one iota. Ren was in no doubt that Suzie was fuming she had missed the actual show because it was just the sort of incident she delighted in coming across so she could use it to torment her with. She would certainly use it to make a fool of her in Donny’s eyes in a continual effort to erode their friendship which, despite numerous efforts up to now, she had failed to do. Now, same as always in such situations, she smiled at the malicious young woman and said sweetly, ‘It’s very thoughtful of you to come to my rescue, Suzie, but Mrs Grundy beat you to it.’
Just then, a loud voice rent the air. ‘Is anyone serving or do we just help ourselves?’
Ren turned around to see a crowd queuing at her stall. She spun back, smiling at Gem. ‘Best get back to it.’
‘Yes, I must get back too. Muriel will be wondering where I am,’ said Gem. Then, patting Suzie’s arm in a gratified manner, she said to her, ‘So good of you to put your own safety at risk to come and help Ren when you heard she was in trouble instead of alerting some of the men to deal with it. You should be proud of yourself.’
Looking like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, Suzie waved a dismissive hand and said, ‘You don’t think of your own safety when you hear that one of your own is in trouble, do you, Mrs Grundy?’
‘You certainly don’t and God forbid that anything like this should happen to me, but then should it, I just hope that you’re around at the time.’
Now she was alone with Ren, Suzie’s whole demeanour changed in a flash. Gone was the sweet smile, replaced with a malicious smirk. She sneered at Ren. ‘What a laugh me and Donny will have over this tonight. I’ll make it my business to let everyone else have a good laugh about it as well.’ She then took a look around to make sure no other fairfolk witnessed what she was about to do and, satisfied there wasn’t, stepped over to the pile of sawdust and prizes that Ren had been left to put back into the barrel and spitefully kicked her foot through it several times scattering it all about, then turned back to Ren and laughed at her before she went on her way.
As she watched her go, Ren heaved a deep sigh and sadly shook her head. She had a terrible feeling that one day Donny would have a very rude awakening as to the real person his wife was and not the one she showed to him and everyone else. When it did happen she would be there to help him pick up the pieces as a good friend would.
* * *
Seventy-year-old, wiry, silver-haired Sam Grundy, dressed in a 1920s-style red-and-yellow striped jacket and black trousers – his trademark outfit as ringmaster – sported the battered face of a fist fighter; damage he had received over the years from defending his people and business from outsiders hell-bent on bringing down the fair for whatever reason they had at the time. He was leaning against the safety barrier that circled the big wheel, smoking a pipe and watching his youngest son skipping expertly between the racing dodgems to help a punter who had gotten themselves stuck onto another after crashing into them.
He saw Solly’s good humour and easy-mannered banter with the punter in the car defuse their annoyance at not being able to unlock one car from the other, which was eroding into his time on the ride. Solly lived and breathed the fair, would wither and die if the life was taken away from him, just the same as it was for Sam himself, his own father too and back down the line of Grundys. It was a pity that the same couldn’t be said for his eldest son, Sonny, who would inherit the business in the not-too-distant future when Sam’s own life came to an end. He couldn’t fault So
nny for the way he never failed to pitch in and do what was necessary in keeping the business running, but it was his way to boss others around, to assert his authority against Solly’s opinion, which in fact mirrored his own. They all worked together for the same end, and he should ask instead of command.
Sonny hadn’t always been like this; up until his twentieth birthday he had been very much like his brother in nature but then suddenly, overnight in fact, he had changed into a surly individual that gave the impression he felt the world was against him. No matter how much his family tried to get to the bottom of why Sonny’s personality should go through such a sudden, dramatic change, either Sonny didn’t know himself or wouldn’t disclose what had happened to him to bring this about; they had no choice but to accept him as he was now and hope that someday he had an equally sudden change back to being the affable young man he’d been before. That, though, had never happened and after all these years didn’t now seem very likely to.
Sam sighed, a frown furrowing an already deeply lined brow. Now the end of his life was getting closer, the future of the fair was becoming more of a problem for him. Fair tradition dictated that the eldest son of fair owners inherited the main business and the next male in line a ride each or whatever the owner thought suitable; nothing in some cases where there was discord between father and son. Sonny was his eldest living offspring and therefore should be the one to become its ringmaster when he died. The trouble for Sam was that he felt Sonny hadn’t the right temperament for the job itself or for keeping harmony amongst the Grundy community, which was equally as important to him. Solly, though, did. Sam felt that, under Sonny’s management, there was a great danger that Grundy’s would not flourish and prosper in the way he had striven for it too. Whereas under Solly, Sam knew, without doubt, it definitely would. Did he then break with tradition and make Solly his main heir or follow fairground tradition and leave it to Sonny? Showmen traditions were cast in stone to Sam but, as Solly had proved to him over his marriage to outsider Gemma, there are occasions when traditions need to be ignored.
All the Fun of the Fair Page 2