by Agatha Frost
“I’ll leave that to the professionals.” Barker put the shirt back and pulled out one of his usual plain white ones. “I’ll play it safe tonight. I have all week to experiment with colour.”
Julia reached the bottom drawer where there was a notice letting her know to ask reception for a hairdryer. Julia looked around for a phone to call down, but there did not seem to be one. Leaving Barker to pick between his almost identical white shirts, she pushed her feet into the matching pink slippers before making her way down the hallway to the lift at the end. When the elevator reached the ground floor, the doors opened onto the full restaurant. Julia looked down at her dressing gown and pulled it tighter together. She nearly went back up to her room to put some clothes on, but people were already giving her strange looks. With an awkward smile, she hurried across the diner, keeping her hands firmly on the front of the gown to stop it fluttering open.
The reception desk was unmanned, but there was a glittery pink doorbell on the wall. She was about to press it when the door behind the fish tank counter opened slightly. She stepped to the side and saw Russell holding the door open with his back to Julia. In front of him stood a tall drag queen unmistakably dressed as Dolly Parton in a signature white jumpsuit and giant blonde wig.
“Just go and get ready for your show,” Russell demanded, the charm and happiness from earlier absent in his voice. “I’m not going through this again, Simone.”
Simone Phoenix, the celebrity illusionist, walked to the open door, but she stopped directly in front of Russell’s face. Russell was tall, but Simone towered over Russell in her heels.
“You’ve got a bad memory, Russell,” the drag queen hissed in his face. “Let’s not forget how empty this place was before I came here. You were on the edge. Simone Phoenix is the star. I saved this place. People come to see me.”
“You’re not irreplaceable. Nobody is.”
“If I go, the people will follow me to wherever I work next. I gave you a good deal because of our history, but the trial period is over. Increase my salary, or I walk.”
Simone marched out of the small office and past Julia without so much as a glance in her direction. Simone picked up a guitar that was leaning against the wall and walked into the bar. Julia hovered for a moment, unsure of what to do. The office door closed again, so she rang the doorbell. Russell appeared seconds later with a wide grin, showing no signs of the conflict that she had just witnessed. Julia was impressed by how good an actor he was.
“That’s certainly a look,” Russell said as he took in the dressing gown. “Although I have to say, I preferred the dress you were wearing this afternoon. Hairdryer?”
“Yes, please,” Julia said, feeling her cheeks blush as she pulled the gown together even tighter. “I think I forgot I wasn’t at home for a moment.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” Russell opened the office door and nodded for Julia to follow him inside. “C’mon. Let’s get you away from prying eyes. People will start questioning what kind of establishment I’m running.”
Julia hurried into the office, grateful for Russell’s humour. Out of drag and with a clean face, Julia could see how classically handsome he was. Despite his earlier remark about looking double his age, he was faring better than some forty-two-year-olds Julia had met.
“Welcome to my drag den,” Russell said before walking over to a tall cupboard labelled ‘hairdryers’. “People kept stealing them because they were pretty and pink.”
Julia accepted the glowing hairdryer as she looked around the room. Even though it functioned as some sort of office, it was evidently much more than that. One of the walls was covered entirely in shelves packed with wigs on plastic heads, every style and shade of the rainbow represented. The opposite wall had two long rails, one on top of the other, both crammed floor to ceiling with sparkly gowns and flamboyant costumes. Bright makeup cluttered the counter on the far wall, which had a vanity mirror with similar lights to those that outlined the door outside. In the soft glow, Julia’s skin looked more perfect than she had ever seen it. Russell appeared behind her and pulled up her brows slightly.
“I knew it,” he said with a confident nod. “You’d suit a sharp wing. You have the bones for it, dear. Not everyone does. You are really beautiful, Julia. I can tell you have a face that can take makeup.”
“I never really wear it,” Julia admitted as she looked at herself in the mirror. “A little mascara and maybe a lip tint if I’m in the mood.”
“But you’d look utterly gorgeous!” Russell announced, pushing her into a chair in front of the mirror. “You must let me paint you, dear. Nay! I insist! It’s an hour until show time, which gives me half an hour to play.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Julia said with a shake of her head. “I really appreciate the offer, but -”
Julia attempted to stand up, but Russell pushed her back into the chair and spun her away from the mirror. He had a playful smirk that made her feel like he was plotting a devious plan.
“It wasn’t a question, dear,” Russell replied as he clipped Julia’s wet hair away from her face. “It’s just dirt with pigments. If you don’t like it, you can wash it off. I might paint myself like a clown, but I do know my way around a woman’s face. I gave makeovers at a department store for years on the side before buying this place.”
Russell applied light moisturiser before squirting pale foundation onto a glass palette. He bounced the product around her face with a pink sponge before setting it with dusty white powder. Without the aid of the mirror, she could only imagine what he was doing to her face, and even though he had assured her he knew what he was doing, she could see the half-finished exaggerated face that had greeted her on arrival that afternoon.
Like an artist working on a painting, Russell danced brushes across her face, pausing to assess his work. He worked at whirlwind speed, switching between products, his smile widening as he grew closer and closer to completing his masterpiece. After pulling up her brows to apply eyeshadow, he skilfully gave her a coat of mascara before gluing on false lashes.
“Do they always feel this heavy?” Julia asked as she blinked, suddenly more aware of her eyes than she ever had been.
“You should try wearing mine,” he replied as he outlined her lips with lipstick. “I stack four pairs. They could kick up a wind stiff enough to rid Blackpool beach of its sand. Pout for me, dear.”
Julia did as she was told. Russell nodded his satisfaction and stepped back with a pleased grin. He squirted something from a bottle all over her face before popping open a hand fan with a flourish and wafting her skin. When he was satisfied, he spun her around in the chair.
“You don’t have to close your eyes,” he said as he spread something through her still damp hair. “Just have a look and be honest.”
Julia opened her eyes, uncertain of what she was going to see. She stared ahead at the mirror, her eyes instantly darting up to Russell, his pleased grin growing. Instead of seeing a clown, she saw the face of a striking 1940s star.
“There are wipes on the side if you want to do your own thing,” Russell said as he plugged in the hairdryer. “I just like to play.”
Julia looked at the wipes, but she had no intention of wiping it off; she never wanted to take it off. As Russell blow-dried her hair, she edged closer to the mirror. Her skin looked fresh but had angles she had never seen before. Her cheeks glowed in an ethereal way, as did her sparkly eyelids. Her brows had somehow taken on a near-perfect shape, as had her lips. Even though she could feel the lashes, they looked natural in the mirror.
“I don’t know what to say,” Julia said, turning her head from side to side. “I’ve never seen myself like this before. I look –”
“Beautiful,” Russell called over the sound of the hairdryer. “That’s the word you’re looking for, dear. I said to myself, ‘Russell, paint her like she’s a young Hedy Lamarr’.”
“Hedy Lamarr?”
“A 1940s Austrian film star,” Russell said.
“She was incredibly beautiful. She married six times, but she died alone and a recluse, a telephone her only means of communication with the outside world. Probably for the best because she turned to plastic surgery to preserve her looks and ended up looking like a melted Barbie doll, but isn’t that always the way? Quite a fabulous woman.”
“She sounds like a character.”
“She was,” Russell replied with a distant smile. “Sometimes I feel like I’m destined to become her, but I think most drag queens do. It’s our curse to be filled with pointless pop culture knowledge, and yet we rarely have people to share it with when we’re not entertaining on the stage. Not many people can look past the art form to see the person underneath.”
Julia was troubled to hear that someone so focussed on entertaining other people could feel so alone, especially in a full B&B. She was drawn to Russell in a way she had not expected to be from their first meeting. She liked him, and she could sense his goodness as well as his sadness.
The minutes passed by as he finished blow-drying her hair into perfect waves. He applied some hairspray and something to make it shiny before declaring that he was finished. As Julia stared at herself in the mirror, she could barely believe she was looking at her own reflection.
“I look like my mother,” Julia said, her voice barely above a whisper. “People always said I looked like her, but I never really saw it until now.”
“Your mother must also have been beautiful.”
“You’re a wizard!” Julia was unable to look away from herself. “I can’t believe you did all of this in half an hour.”
“Fifty minutes, actually,” he said after checking his watch. “Which leaves me ten to get ready.”
“Oh,” Julia said as she got out of his seat. “I’m sorry, I didn’t –”
“Don’t apologise! You were my beauty hostage, and it was worth every second. I’ll just do my quick face. Dark eyes and I’ll grab a wig with a fringe. I’m the host, so people’s eyes will be turned to the stage.” Russell sat down and started to run a stick foundation across his face. “Now that I’ve chewed your ear off, you’ll want to get back to your fiancé. He’ll be thinking I kidnapped you.”
Julia nodded and turned to walk away, but she remembered what Russell had said about rarely having anyone to talk to outside of his drag world.
“I’d quite like to see how you do your face,” Julia said, trying to sound as casual as possible. “Maybe I can pick up a few tips?”
“You don’t want to copy any of my tips,” Russell pulled up a stack of crates next to his chair, draped a pink glittery piece of fabric across it, and patted for Julia to sit. “Do you like piña coladas?”
Chapter Four
Two piña coladas, two mystery pink shots, and half an hour later, Julia walked as smoothly as she could along the corridor to her room. Russell transformed into Lulu Suede before they had finished their first cocktail, but he pushed show time back and persuaded Honey to play another round of drag bingo to ease the crowd.
Realising she had been gone for well over an hour, Julia pried open the door, not wanting to startle Barker. To her surprise, he was still by the window in his towel, pen scribbling in his journal.
“Sorry I took so long,” Julia said, trying to hide that she was a little tipsy. “Russell offered to do my makeup and hair.”
“Huh?” Barker mumbled, his pen still gliding across the paper. “Sorry. I had an idea. I had to write it down before it vanished.” Barker glanced up at Julia, but he quickly returned to his work. “You look nice.”
Julia pulled out a daring red dress she had never worn. It had been a Christmas present from her sister, who had a habit of buying her glamorous clothes she never had a use for. She had only packed it on a whim. After grabbing underwear from her case, she ripped the tags off the dress and disappeared into the bathroom with instructions for Barker to get ready. Five minutes later, she emerged feeling like a new woman.
“Blooming heck, Julia!” Jessie cried when Julia knocked on her bedroom door. “You are Julia, aren’t you? You look like you were abducted by aliens.”
“I think she’s trying to say you look gorgeous,” Alfie offered from behind his sister. “New dress?”
“It’s just a little something,” Julia said, brushing down the front, unsure of how she felt about how tight it was. “Should I change?”
“No!” Jessie and Alfie replied in unison.
Barker joined them after finally dressing. He locked the door and turned to Julia, taking in her transformation for the first time without the distraction of writing. He opened and closed his mouth, a small throaty sound escaping. Alfie slapped him on the shoulder as he walked past, and Jessie shook her head.
“Has anyone ever told you that you look just like Hedy Lamarr?” Barker asked, the words sounding foreign as they left his mouth. “Before the scary plastic surgery.”
“That’s surprisingly not the first time I’ve heard that today,” Julia said, arching a brow as she looked sceptically at Barker. “How do you know who Hedy Lamarr is?”
“My mum was obsessed with the black and white movies,” Barker said, his eyes dancing up and down the red dress. “Did you know Hedy invented Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology in the 1940s during the Second World War?”
“I didn’t,” Julia said, impressed by the fact. “You’re full of surprises, Barker Brown.”
Holding her head high, Julia let Barker lead her down the hallway to the lift where Alfie and Jessie were waiting. After descending to the ground floor, they walked through the full restaurant. This time, she garnered slightly different looks than the ones she had got when walking through in a pink dressing gown with wet hair. Julia knew it was an illusion that would vanish when she showered later, but for now, she felt worlds apart from that woman who had been in search of a hairdryer. As she walked towards the cabaret bar with all eyes on her, she understood the appeal of transforming oneself into a new person entirely.
The bar was themed similarly to their bedroom. A grand stage with a single spotlight and red velvet backdrop commanded attention. Honey was on a stool in the spotlight pulling bingo balls from a basket and announcing them unenthusiastically. Small tables with candle lamps filled the space all the way to the bar at the back of the room. The place was packed out, with all tables full apart from one table at the front with a ‘RESERVED’ sign. Julia was about to walk over to the back when Russell, now dressed as Lulu Suede, caught her eye from the DJ booth and nodded at the one remaining table.
Feeling like she had made a friend in Russell and Lulu, Julia appreciatively took the table. As though someone up on high had read her mind, a tray with four sparkler-topped piña coladas appeared. When Jessie reached out for one, Julia arched one of her defined brows.
“I’m on holiday!” Jessie cried, taking a sip of the frothy cocktail before anyone could snatch it off her. “And I’m eighteen on Friday! One week until I’m legal to drink. You’re not going to make me drink pop for the sake of a week, are you?”
“You couldn’t get served at a bar,” Alfie reminded her. “That week makes the difference.”
“And I’m an ex-detective inspector,” Barker said, winking at Julia before frowning at Jessie. “Do you think I can sit by and let this happen?”
Jessie’s mouth opened as though she was about to launch into a squabble, but they burst out laughing, causing her cheeks to darken.
“I don’t even want it now anyway,” she muttered, folding her arms. “Tastes like a rubbish pineapple milkshake.”
Despite Jessie’s protests, she finished the drink along with the rest of them. Julia trusted her, and she was under no illusion that it was Jessie’s first alcoholic drink. She knew Jessie was sensible, and they were on holiday after all. After ordering their second round of drinks from a handsome waiter in a bowtie, the lights dimmed. Julia looked to Lulu in her booth next to the stage as she picked up a microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Sparkles by the Sea’s
world-famous nightly cabaret show!” Lulu announced, her voice travelling through the speakers dotted about the club. “My name is Lulu Suede. Why ‘Suede’ I hear you ask? Because suede is softer than leather, and I’m as soft as they come, just don’t get too close or you’ll see the stubble poking through the spackled-on makeup on my chin. Do you know what hot new tool drag queens are using to apply their makeup? A trowel.” Lulu paused for a smattering of laughter. “I’d recommend it, ladies. It gets the job done in seconds, and by the looks of it, some of you need a little extra help tonight.” Lulu paused again, the laughter growing. “I won’t apologise for being late. I was having a cosmetic procedure done out back. I asked the surgeon to turn back the hands of time, but instead, he gave me a face that could stop the clocks.” Lulu pressed something on the laptop under the booth, and a ba dum tss! drum sting crackled through the speakers. “Thank you, thank you! That’s about the standard of jokes you’re going to get tonight, so I’d suggest grabbing the nearest waiter and asking for a strong drink. I hope you’re all strapped in and ready for an amazing night of cabaret. Our first act is so old, they’ve cancelled her blood type, her last cake had more candles than actual cake, and when she was at school, they didn’t have history lessons because nothing had actually happened yet. She says she’s still got it, but it’s a question of if anyone actually wants to see it, and I know I don’t. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome and a loud round of applause, especially because I’ve turned off her hearing aids, for Blackpool’s very own prehistoric fossilised specimen, Feather Duster!”
Applause and laughter erupted around the room as Feather Duster shuffled into the spotlight where Honey’s bingo stool was waiting for her. She flashed Lulu a grin, letting everyone know the teasing was in good fun. Under the makeup and costume, it was hard to determine the drag queen’s true age, but Julia would have guessed whoever was under the costume was past retiring age. A piano track started, and Feather performed a beautiful rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.