Where Memories Are Made (26 page)

Jackie looked aghast. ‘But I can't go back into Groovy's with you. Terry will still be there.'

‘I should have explained myself better – I meant, off the camp. We could go to Skeggy. Meet me by the fountain in a couple of minutes,' Vic told her, and before she could ask why he'd shot off towards the camp entrance.

Assuming he'd gone to use the public telephone to ring for a taxi she made her way to the fountain, hoping Terry didn't come looking for her in the meantime.

Looking for a sign of Vic returning through intermittent groups of holidaymakers coming out of the Paradise and cinema to make their way back to their chalets, Jackie was surprised when a dirty old transit van pulled up beside her. The driver's window was wound down and a grinning Vic poked out his head, saying, ‘Your carriage awaits, Ma'dam.'

She chuckled to herself as she hurried around the other side and climbed in through the passenger door he'd leaned over and opened for her, settling herself on the bench seat beside him. Her so far disastrous evening was suddenly turning into a much better one.

The front well of the van was full of old food wrappers, empty bottles and discarded items of clothing, which Vic had obviously swept off the seat before she had got in. He said to her apologetically, ‘Sorry about the state of the van. If I'd have had more time I'd have given it a clean out in your honour.'

Jackie was no snob. Keith hadn't had a car so they'd used her scooter to get around when the bus wasn't an option, and before him any lad she had been out with had had no transport either, so to be with a man who did was a novelty to her.

When Vic parked the van on Skegness sea front half an hour later, despite the hour the promenade was still teeming with holidaymakers buying souvenirs and rock from the parade of canvas-topped stalls and enjoying themselves in the arcades, in the funfair or strolling down the pier. The pubs were shut by now but there was still food to be had in fish and chip shops and a couple of restaurants, and dancing at several night clubs which didn't shut until one.

‘So what do you fancy doing?' Vic asked her.

Jackie really didn't mind and told him so. Vic suggested they should try their luck on the slot machines in the arcades. Having both changed silver coins into pennies and halfpennies they tried their luck on several, emerging a while later having lost their stake. They then went to a shop and bought a bag of chips each, liberally sprinkled with salt and vinegar. They walked down to the beach and sat on wooden benches looking out across a wide expanse of golden sand illuminated by a full moon in a starry sky. While they ate they chatted amicably together.

Many times in the past Jackie had visited Skegness with Keith and done exactly what she was doing now with Vic. At this realisation she couldn't stop the memories crowding in, and feelings of sadness and loss engulfed her.

Vic obviously noticed she had suddenly gone very quiet. Guessing the cause, he said to her, ‘Best be getting you back to the camp or you'll be accusing me tomorrow of making you too tired for work.'

She realised that he'd guessed the reason for her sudden change of mood. What a thoughtful man he was, wanting to get her away from a situation that was obviously causing her grief. The more she got to know Vic the more she liked him.

She was just about to stand up when a couple walking barefoot across the sand about thirty feet away from her, their hands clasped tightly together, heads bent towards each other deep in conversation, arrested her attention. It wasn't their obvious closeness or apparent contentment at being in each other's company that drew her eye so much as who the couple were. It was her mother and Keith. And if ever Jackie had witnessed a couple in love, it was these two.

Suddenly something changed within her. Witnessing them together, the two people she cared for the most in the world, their total devotion towards each other made her feel proud that she was responsible for bringing it about. The emotional pain she had suffered as a result felt worthwhile suddenly. She knew fate had brought her here tonight to make her understand that Keith had come into her life not to be her own life-long partner, but to bring her mother the happiness Jackie had so vehemently wished Gina would find. All the hurt and anger she'd felt towards them was gone, to be replaced by an inner peace. She could let the past go now and move forward, allow another man into her life who was meant to bring her the same sort of happiness that Keith and her mother shared. It was still too soon for her to rekindle her relationship with them both but seeing them together tonight had brought that time closer.

Vic broke into her thoughts by asking, ‘Ready to go?'

Jackie turned to look at him, smiled and nodded. ‘Thank you so much for bringing me here tonight.'

He was bemused by her gratitude. As far as he was aware he'd brought her here to help make up for the miserable time she had suffered with that awful Terry Jones, albeit Vic was secretly grateful to the little weasel for giving him the opportunity to spend more time with Jackie. He responded, ‘Well, if you enjoyed yourself that much maybe you'd like to go out with me again? A proper date next time. Wednesday night is the band's night off.'

Certain that she was ready now to start dating again, Jackie readily agreed.

She entered the chalet a while later to find Ginger sitting up in bed reading a Mills and Boon romance which she immediately slapped shut, desperate to hear the gory details of how her friend's dreaded evening out with Terry Jones had gone.

‘Well?' Ginger demanded.

Throwing herself on the bed, head propped on one hand, with a dreamy look in her eyes, Jackie said, ‘It was a wonderful evening, Ginger. He's such a lovely man. Very thoughtful. I think I could get to like him very much.'

Ginger was gawping back at her astounded. ‘Have you lost your mind, gel? That man is a lecherous cretin! What happened with your mam and Keith must have affected you more badly than you realised. First thing in the morning I'm going to make sure you go and see Sister Stephens. I'll drag you there myself if I have to!'

Jackie snapped, ‘There's nothing wrong with me, Ginger. I thought you'd be happy that I'd met someone who made me want to start dating again?'

‘Yes, I am, of course I am, but not the likes of Terry Jones, for God's sake!'

Jackie burst into laughter. ‘I'd sooner die than go out with him again. It's Vic, the drummer with the Upbeats, I'm talking about.'

Ginger exclaimed, ‘Oh, thank God for that! Bloody hell, you had me worried you'd lost your marbles for a minute there, Jackie.' Then she asked, bemused, ‘So how did you end up with him tonight then when it was Terry you had the date with?'

Jackie told her all the events of the evening.

Ginger sat listening, entranced. When her friend had finished, she said, ‘Well, it seems to me, whether you like it or not, you have a lot to thank Terry Jones for.'

‘Not that I'll ever tell him so and make his head any bigger than it is already, but yes, it seems I do, in a roundabout way. If he wasn't so full of himself, Vic wouldn't have needed to come to my rescue. And if we hadn't been on Skeggy front tonight, I wouldn't have seen my mother and Keith together and realised what I did.'

Ginger nodded. ‘God moves in mysterious ways, so it's said.' Then she looked excited. ‘You being back to normal is a good excuse for us to throw a party. Leave it to me, I'll organise it for Friday night.'

As Jackie scrambled off the bed to put on her night clothes, she replied matter-of-factly, ‘Since when have you ever needed an excuse?'

H
arold Rose was looking curiously at Jackie as she stood closely watching the employee manning the helter-skelter ride. They were positioned a discreet distance away, just by the dodgem cars.

‘Miss Sims, may I ask why you're watching that young man? He simply appears to be doing his job to me, so why are you so interested in him?'

‘Yes, he does seem to be doing an exemplary job, chatting and laughing with the campers, getting them to have a go on the ride, but as we were passing I saw him slip a fare into his own pocket instead of his money pouch. Just to make sure, I'm watching to see if he does it again. Of course, he might have spotted us going by so if he is up to something he won't risk it again until he knows we've left. I've a pile of work to do back at the office so I'll give it another couple of minutes then go and find the funfair manager. Tip him off to keep an eye out.'

Harold took a glance around at the rides and side stalls in his line of vision, and asked, ‘How do you know all the ride operators and stall assistants aren't up to the same thing?'

‘We don't, Mr Rose. There is no way the funfair manager can be sure what any of the rides' or stalls' takings will be on any particular day. We just have to trust that those running them are being honest with the takings they hand over each night. They're warned at the start of their employment that should they be caught doing anything they shouldn't, then they will be instantly dismissed and face prosecution. Most of the employees are as straight as a die, but you do get the odd cocky one who thinks they're too clever to be caught.'

Thoughtfully, Harold stared across at the employee in question. As Jolly's accountant he'd felt no need to educate himself in the day-to-day management of the business, but since this young girl had taken it upon herself to help him overcome his shyness, over the last month he'd been having his eyes well and truly opened. It had never before occurred to him just how much work was involved in the daily running of Jolly's, as well as the time-consuming ad-hoc situations that cropped up. He felt guilt-ridden for having left her to cope with it virtually alone all these weeks. But if this young girl could find the strength within herself to do all she had, then surely he could find it within himself to control his nerves and lift some of the burden off her young shoulders.

He shocked Jackie now by suggesting, ‘If you need to get back, I'll find the manager and have a word with him.' As soon as the words were out of Harold's mouth, he could have kicked himself. Now he'd have to deal with someone he'd never met before and present an authoritative manner towards him, warn the man that one of his staff had been observed lining his own pockets – something the manager should have noticed himself. He might not like the implied criticism, and choose to retaliate!

Jackie tried to hide her shock at Harold's offer, knowing what it was going to take for him to see it through and also wondering what had suddenly given him the impetus to make this momentous leap forward. But not wanting to say anything that would give him any cause for self-doubt, she responded, ‘I'd appreciate that, Mr Rose. Can I leave you to it then?'

Harold fought the urge to tell her that he'd changed his mind, that he wasn't up to doing this and had said it in a moment of bravado, then reminded himself he had promised to start pulling his weight. He managed a firm, ‘Yes, of course. I'll see you back at the office shortly.'

Jackie immediately hurried off.

En route she was just passing the sports field and tennis courts at a fork in the path when she spotted a middle-aged woman hurrying out of the chalet complex, heading towards her to join the path leading to the front of the camp. The woman looked extremely upset and distracted. Jackie automatically changed direction to meet her and enquire what the matter was and if she could help.

‘It's … it's my Fred,' she burst out, panic-stricken. ‘I woke him up from his afternoon nap. He got up, clutched his chest and collapsed on the floor. I can't wake him up. I'm on my way to fetch the nurse.'

Jackie's thoughts raced. ‘Carry on to the surgery and tell Sister Stephens what has happened. Meanwhile I'll go to your chalet and see what I can do for your husband.' Not that she would have a clue about the medical procedures necessary but the woman wasn't in any state to be sent back to wait with a sick man until help arrived. ‘What's the number of your chalet?' Jackie enquired.

In her deeply distressed state the woman was obviously still trying to take in Jackie's instructions. ‘Er … three two one. Oh, no, that's the number of the chalet we stayed in last year … or is it? Oh, dear, I can't remember. Four five two … or is it four two five? Yes, that's the one.'

‘Four two five,' Jackie repeated.

The woman looked doubtful but responded, ‘Yes, that's it.'

Sending the distraught woman on her way, Jackie was about to hare off to the chalet and what awaited her inside when out of the corner of her eye she saw Harold Rose heading up the path towards her, on his way back from the funfair. The fact that he looked extremely upset and seemed to be in a desperate hurry to get back to the office did not register with her – or that he seemed to have dealt with the problem there very quickly. Jackie just saw someone to accompany her into the unknown territory she was about to enter.

Grabbing his arm as he hurried past, not seeming to see her, she blurted out, ‘We have an emergency, Mr Rose.' She quickly told him what had transpired and ended, ‘Will you come with me? I'm terrified the man is dead. I've never seen a dead body before.'

Having been worried himself about how he was going to face Jackie and tell her that, at first sight of the fiercesome-looking, barrel-chested funfair manager, he had completely lost his nerve and made a bolt for it, Harold brightened up unexpectedly. For once he could be of some use because of the simple fact that during the long lonely nights after his mother had died, books and the radio had been his only friends, and one of the books he'd studied from cover to cover had been on first aid.

He confounded Jackie for the second time that day by telling her, ‘Lead the way.'

Being almost half his age, she was much quicker on her feet and was a good distance in front of Harold, reaching chalet 425 well ahead of him. Outside, she hesitated just enough to take a deep breath and steel herself, then she opened the door and hurried inside.