Fireworks to Thailand Page 2
She worked the fields and milked the cows. But her favourite job was going with the farmer to help deliver the milk churns to the Americans by horse and cart. They were a friendly bunch of horny young men and she was in her late 20s, at the height of her pretty young womanhood. It was fair to say she was a flighty, feisty woman with long fair hair which she would usually put up into a bun. She was quite petite, below average height, who sometimes struggled with buying clothes to fit, having to alter them all herself. In consequence she became a good seamstress and actually began to enjoy making her own clothes and knitting.
Chas had had his eye on her from the moment he first saw her and made a beeline for her, before any of his comrades. She was flirty and excited at first but she didn’t think anything would come of it. He gave her cigarettes and chocolate and she was won over.
One day she told the farmer that she could manage on her own to deliver the churns. She knew how the villagers would gossip if it got around that she was ‘playing away’. She thought it best to go on her own, so the farmer wouldn’t know what she was up to. The American camp was only two fields away from the farm so she sallied forth with the usual order of two churns, twice a week. Chas greeted her as soon as she arrived.
“I’ve got something special for you this time,” he told her as he produced a paper bag. She opened it in anticipation and pulled out a pair of stockings.
“Oh, they’re lovely, thank you so much. How can I ever repay you?”
“I’m sure we’ll think of something!” he said with a glint in his eye.
Chas was one of five men who had to stay on after the war ended in order to tidy things up. It was more difficult for Betty to see him after her husband had returned. But she was still working at the farm so she made sure she found the time.
Chas left in the summer of 1946.
Betty found out that she was pregnant a few weeks later and Geoffrey Charles was born the following January. It was easy for Betty to pass her baby off as her husband’s. After all, he might well have been his. He certainly took to him, so to all intents and purposes he was the baby’s father. He never suspected that he wasn’t anyway. Betty was happy to keep the secret, forever if need be.
Chas went home none the wiser.
Geoff never liked his given names, once he was old enough to notice. He thought they sounded posh and pretentious. So when he was 15, he announced that he wanted to be called Geoff. So everyone – except his parents – had to call him that.
Betty had had to watch her only child grow up very quickly after his father died when Geoff was only 18. Actually, Geoff did know exactly where his life was heading, and fast.
Wedding arrangements were traditionally organised by the bride and her family so Geoff didn’t really have to worry. He would lie low and let them arrange whatever they wanted. He would just turn up at the appointed time…
He had already done his bit.
Chapter 2
“I can’t afford a proper wedding dress,” Jan told her friend, Paula, one day. “I’ve only managed to save £20 but I’ve seen a dress for £16 at a second-hand shop so that will have to do. But I’m not sure if it will fit me by the time of the wedding, my tummy is getting really big. Mum and Dad have said they won’t help me – except pay for the small wedding in Devon, away from prying eyes in Bristol. I can’t complain because I feel so ashamed. I don’t care if people think a white wedding dress is inappropriate, it’s the only time I shall be able to wear one.”
Paula had been very clever at school and passed all of her exams with high grades. She was extremely talented and musical too. Jan felt quite inferior alongside Paula but she never let it show. They had been good friends for several years, but not best friends. Jan’s best friend at school was a girl called Marian, but since school Jan had been spending more time with Paula.
“My parents are shelling out a fortune for my wedding,” Paula began. “They’ve already booked the local church – and that swish hall for the reception near where we live. We’re having both sets of my grandparents and all my uncles and aunts, cousins, and my parents’ friends. You name it they’re all coming. It’s like my parents want to show me off.” Jan was starting to feel even smaller, it was something she had dreamed of since she was a little girl, to have a big white wedding. “Of course you’ll come, won’t you? You could be my bridesmaid if you like,” Paula finished. Jan worked out the time of Paula’s wedding, much later than hers, of course, because it didn’t have to be brought forward because of any baby due. It was at about the time she that would be giving birth…
“I don’t think so,” Jan said sadly. “You’d be better off with someone else. I don’t think you can rely on me, much as I would have loved to be your special bridesmaid – or maid of honour, as I should already be married by then! Marian might be able to be your bridesmaid, or what about Elspeth?” She was almost in tears, knowing how much she was going to be missing out.
Marian had been Jan’s best friend at school. They were both the same height, the tallest girls in the class. Marian had jet black hair and was very artistic. They had drifted apart after they left school, with different interests.
She had met a Thai boy at college, Kai, and it looked like she would soon be off to the States with him to live. No one had seen very much of her since she met Kai. Jan missed her terribly. She had told Jan and Paula that if she got on well enough with Kai, they would probably go to Thailand to get married and then they would live there permanently.
‘Wow, what a life that would be!’ thought Jan.
Kai was one of a big family who owned several hotels and a huge department store in Bangkok. Marian told her friends that they lived like kings there, with servants and maids to help with every part of their lives. Both Jan and Paula couldn’t help but be a little envious but, of course, they were happy for their good friend too.
Elspeth was an old friend from school too, who also went to the same secretarial college as Jan and she was just about to embark on her own journey. She had had some disastrous relationships in the past and was feeling very let down when she met Brian on the rebound. He was in the throes of finishing his college course and he had told her he would be going out to Australia to live. His ambition was to be a forest ranger there. He invited her to go with him and she had the option of going, or staying and licking her wounds. Jan suggested to Elspeth that she might as well go, as she could always come back at some stage if it didn’t work out. Jan thought Elspeth was in a very vulnerable state of mind and she told her to be careful after her previous bad relationships.
They had all met at a small private school in Clifton, near the famous Suspension Bridge from the age of nearly 12. Jan had failed the Common Entrance to her sister’s school, much to her parents’ dismay and disappointment.
She had been very popular at school. She was kind and considerate. She always showed interest in her friends and in what they were doing, and she cared what they thought about her too. Which was why it was hard for her, in her predicament, to admit to her friends that she had made a mistake by getting herself pregnant. Would they judge her?
Paula’s boyfriend, Stuart, was the youngest son of a family who lived the country life just outside Bristol. They had stabling for three horses. This was Paula’s absolute love as she had a horse of her own at her parents’ farm, not far from Stuart’s home. Stuart was away at university but he was finishing soon. He would then be an articled clerk at his father’s very successful business in the centre of Bristol. They would live at Paula’s parents’ farm in a little cottage, not far from the main house. They could remain there as long as they liked – or at least until Stuart was earning good money once he was qualified and would eventually take over the family firm of solicitors.
“I’m not allowed any bridesmaids as it would be too awkward for my parents with the wedding being in Devon,” said Jan to Paula – making her feel bad for having boasted
about her own big day. “I just feel they want to get it over and done with as soon as possible, without too much fuss. But you’ll come, won’t you? I can’t really ask any other friends or they’ll find out about the baby. Only you know about the baby out of all our friends from school. So I’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself, at least for the time being. I know they’ll find out eventually but that’s too bad. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Geoff doesn’t seem to make friends very easily. Bob is a friend of his from school and he lives in the same village so I expect he might ask him to be his best man. But I really don’t know. He had talked about asking my brother but they don’t really know each other that well, even though they shared a flat for a short time, they seemed to go their separate ways. Geoff only has a very small family, one aunt and uncle plus a cousin with her husband and their son. And his Mum, of course.”
“I don’t mind not being your bridesmaid,” Paula tried to comfort Jan. “And I’d love to be there with you on your big day. It will be special, albeit small, and we’ll have a great time, you’ll see.”
All the arrangements were done in record time. There were no flowers, no cars and no bridesmaids and Jan’s dress was ‘off the peg’ from the second-hand shop. There was just the B&B to book for Jan’s favourite aunt and uncle, who said they would like to come. The rest of the family and Paula were going to stay with friends of Betty in Shaleham. She said it was the least she could do towards her only son’s wedding, to arrange for people to stay. Her friends were very accommodating .
“We only need one car once we’re married,” Geoff told Jan a few days before the wedding. “We will just have to make do, we can’t afford both cars.”
“But I love having my own car!” Jan huffed. “But I suppose you’re right, we can’t afford both. I’ll sell mine and you keep yours,” she conceded.
Jan’s father had bought her a car when she passed her test first time when she was 17. She had always been interested in cars since she was about five or six when Ken used to go racing at a track near Bristol. He had his own racing car but he wasn’t a professional, he just did it for fun. Jan had wonderful memories of going to the track with the family and watching while having a lovely picnic on the grass verge as the cars went whizzing by.
It was ironic that the money used for Jan’s car was left to her by her godfather who had been killed in a car crash a few years earlier. Ken had kept the money safe until he was able to buy the car for her when he knew she would appreciate it. He kept it as a surprise, but he had told Jan that she would have to look after it. She would have to learn how to change the oil and water and know all about car maintenance. The car was a ten-year-old Morris 1000 and Jan just loved it. Her own wheels! She could gad about all over Bristol, visiting her friends.
Geoff had inherited the family car after his father had died; his mother had no use for it because she couldn’t drive. Before that time, Geoff’s only means of transport had been a motorbike. When Jan first met Geoff, Ken had warned him not to take Jan as pillion because he just didn’t trust motorbikes and thought it not safe for his daughter. Geoff complied and never took her as a passenger, even though she nagged him; her passion was to ride on the back of a motorbike with the wind in her long hair.
The wedding went ahead in the small village church, with its tiny congregation of 16 people. The old Saxon church was nestled in the valley next to the only village pub. It had seen many weddings, funerals and christenings in its time. And the nearby graveyard showed a host of local names and characters etched on its gravestones.
There were more than twice as many people outside the church than inside. It was a tradition in the village when there was a wedding, that the villagers came to the church to send off the happy couple. A few trotted out of the pub for the occasion, still with beer mugs in hand. But mostly they came from their homes with confetti, ready to throw over the couple.
No cars were needed because they all walked to the church. Audrey walked along with Jan’s brother and sister, John and Clare, and Jan’s friend, Paula. They met Jan’s Auntie Sandra and Uncle Cyril at the church. The women mostly wore pretty summer dresses rather than formal wear, as requested by Jan. Audrey insisted on wearing her mink stole even though it was summer, but everyone agreed she looked very elegant. She thought it went well over her best summer dress with big red flowers.
Geoff came from the other direction with his mother and his aunt and uncle. His cousin was also there with her husband and their son – together with Geoff’s best man, Bob. They all arrived at the church and went in together.
Not long afterwards Jan, in her second-hand white dress, walked along with her father. She had been told by the vicar not to be late like some brides like to be, so she had to comply. She had managed to persuade her parents that she wanted to have a small bouquet, but she carried it in an unconfident way. She was embarrassed because she knew what was beneath her dress and the flowers covered up her growing bump.
Geoff was waiting in the first-row pew with Bob.
“You’ve got the ring, haven’t you?” Geoff asked Bob nervously. Bob touched every pocket on his suit and looked worried.
“Just kidding. Of course I have.” Bob reassured Geoff when he saw the look on his face.
Jan glided down the aisle on her father’s arm, as Geoff turned around to look at her. He was relieved and pleased. ‘She’ll soon be all mine! Then I shall be the envy of everyone. I’ve got the most beautiful girl, already with child so she’s not likely to back out now. I just have to make sure I keep her now. I’ll be well in with that family with my feet firmly under the table. Nothing can go wrong now we are actually going to tie the knot.’ Geoff’s thoughts getting the better of him. He hoped his Machiavellian ideals would never be discovered. He did love Jan but he also loved the thought of a life tied to a wealthy family with influence and, hopefully, some perks for him too.
“I do,” murmured Jan when the vicar asked the question following all the usual wedding jargon and formalities. She really didn’t know if she meant it, but she knew she had to say it. She even said she would ‘obey’ – something Paula had told her not to say. Paula wasn’t going to say ‘obey’ at her own wedding.
Jan and Geoff went into the vestry to sign their names in the register and then he took her arm to guide her down the aisle to smiling faces. ‘Thank God that’s over,’ she thought.
They went outside and posed for some photographs taken by both sides of the family. No official photographer for this shotgun wedding… Jan’s brother John took charge of taking some semi-official photos. He had been given a nice camera for his birthday and he was determined to use it.
John was tall, over six feet – much taller than his father. At age 23, he had been having trouble with his hair and was starting to go bald, much to his chagrin. They say baldness is hereditary, but his father Ken had a lovely head of fair hair. John must have inherited it from his mother’s side as her father had been completely bald. John was annoyed at becoming bald at such a young age.
Jan made a beeline for her aunt and uncle who she hadn’t seen for years because they had moved away from Bristol. She noticed Uncle Cyril’s round weathered face, and he was also going quite bald, showing his age. As he was Audrey’s brother, the hereditary baldness was showing itself in him too. Auntie Sandra had put on a few pounds… but Jan didn’t notice that, she was just so pleased to see them.
“How lovely you were able to come,” Jan said genuinely. “It’s been, what, 12 years since you left Bristol? Thank you so much for the lovely present. And how are my cousins?”
‘Oh God, what ARE their names?’ Jan wondered.
“Carol and Edward? Yes, they’re fine thanks,” reminded Auntie Sandra who hadn’t realised Jan’s faux pas. “Carol is teaching at a local junior school and Edward’s joined the army.”
“Super. Shall we adjourn over the road now?” She proceeded to take Uncl
e Cyril’s arm to be escorted to the pub.
A short buffet luncheon reception followed at the White Lion across the road. It was an ordinary meal, a little bit like Christmas. Turkey with all the trimmings. That was all they were able to put on for a large party at the pub. Geoff’s best man, Bob, gave a very short speech about how he knew Geoff… and that it was the first time he had met Jan and he thought she was lovely. Geoff glared at Bob. ‘She’s mine now, so you keep off!’
Jan and Geoff left the party at the pub. They were going off on their honeymoon – to Cornwall for a few days. Jan went to change out of her dress before they left.
“Phew, I’m glad that’s over and done with,” Jan confided in Geoff. “I can’t wait to get out of this dress, it feels far too tight.”
“Well, it looks fine to me. I’ll help you out of it if you like!” Jan knew exactly what he meant.
“Not now, please. Maybe later,” said Jan feeling exhausted mentally and physically but relieved the traumatic day was over. She thought she might have enjoyed her wedding more than she did but she was disappointed. This was just the beginning of a life of disappointments.
He let it go for the time being but he did not like to be refused. He would soon have to let her know who was boss.
They got in Geoff’s car and set off. There was an awful noise coming from the wheels and Geoff stopped straight away to have a look. As he emptied stones out of the hubcaps, John came out of hiding, smiling.
“You’ve spoiled our fun!” he said. And then Jan saw the rest of the family had been hiding around the corner, waiting to wave them off. They had noticed John picking up stones in the graveyard and waited to see what would happen. Jan and Geoff laughed and waved and then set off again.