Chapter 15

After the food had been eaten, Malcolm went to the stage, asked for quiet, and then smiled at the full house.

“Tonight, it should be Willow and Gina playing honky-tonk piano for a sing-along. However, tonight, we’re giving them the night off. Many of you have been here, in Studio Two, to see G-Force playing, and many have danced away the evening to Summer Rose. Tonight, we bring you both these bands. Not on this stage, but in Europe. First will be G-Force in Paris, and second will be Summer Rose in Berlin. The shows go for three hours, and we’ll have a break between them, so be prepared for an entertaining night.”

He stepped away from the stage as the first DVD started. Willow and Gina both watched the show, having been backstage when it was happening. They were pleased that the Gees had moved on, with a lot of original material for Zara to sing. They sipped their lemonade and thought back to that week, now six weeks in the past.

In the break, they tried to answer the questions that were mainly about their own group, but also about Zara. There was about a quarter of an hour of that, and then their own DVD started. Through the PA, the sound of the crowd was almost feral, and the music was loud and proud. At the end of the ninety minutes, the questions came thick and fast. Mainly about the new direction and some bemoaning the move away from the soft rock.

Willow gave her stock answer to those.

“Do you think that we would have filled seven nights in those stadiums if we were singing Carpenters songs? Big venues mean big music. Berlin was the smallest place, with only seventeen thousand. When we played to a big crowd in Coventry, for the first time, it was under nine hundred with a full house.”

Someone asked what sort of money were they earning, so Willow gave them some details about the summer tour.

“When we did the tour around the Midlands and ended in London, last summer, the box office takings were over eighty million. We were paid twenty-five thousand per band, per show. That’s for the band, not each. After the costs, the charities received over forty million. When I say costs, I don’t mean just food and drink. The stages we used cost a quarter of a million to build in each venue, on-ground staff for every show was around a hundred thousand each night. There’s an awful lot of costs that go into putting on a single show, which is why we don’t do it every weekend.”

There were a lot who wanted signatures afterwards, and the younger ones with their parents all wanted a hug. When Willow and Wendy walked home, they were quiet until Willow broke the silence.

“Was that our two DVDs that were shown tonight?”

“No, Malcolm is now one of your biggest fans. He went out and bought those, just to show tonight. I suspect that he may be in there, alone, with your show and the PA turned up during the week. Did you make any arrangements for the church this Christmas?”

“I’m playing tomorrow, and then Jim will take over until we get back from Sydney.”

Sunday morning, Willow was up early to check the hymns, staying in the organ loft to start playing Bach as the bells started. It allowed her to think about the exams to come. Next year, she had given herself an extra load with the certificate course, but there wouldn’t be a first-year musical until after summer. She thought about Jacob, feeling both sorry for him, and also angry at him. She wondered about Garry, who was nice but would be out of the school before her. His kisses had been different; less lust and more loving.

After the service, she went home to work on her books for the exams. Sebastian would be picking the two of them up in the mornings, but they would call an Uber to get home, seeing that the timings were dependant on the exam finishes. Sebastian would be taking the rest of the band to the Dorchester on Saturday morning in a coach and bringing them home on Sunday.

Monday was typical of the rest of the week. Get to school, look at the books for the exam, do the exam, have a break looking at the books for the next one, and so on until it was time to go home. Some days there was only time for two exams, others had four. When Friday came around, she only had one in the morning, but waited in the lunchroom for Gina to finish her last one. Mister Bamborough saw her and sat down.

“A busy year, Willow.”

“It certainly was sir. We got through it, though, didn’t we?”

“We did. And I have to say that ‘we’ included you and Gina, who have done so much more than is usual for a student. It has been a roller coaster ride with that musical and the Messiah. The Head tells me that you’re taking an outside course next year.”

“I’ve been accepted to study Business and Financial Management through the University of London, on-line, with two Zoom lectures a week, in the evening.”

“Not advanced music?”

“No. I have no desire to be ordered around by promoters. If we can keep Summer Rose going for another year, with tours in the holidays, I’ll have enough money to invest in more property and then I can pick and choose what I play and when, should anyone want to hear me.”

“An admirable plan. Are you resting for the holiday?”

“Actually, sir, Gina and I are staying in London after the party, and then fly to Australia after Christmas to record an interview and do some sightseeing, coming back in the New Year, with a day off until school starts.”

“My! That’s a long way for one interview. I hope that they think it’s worth it.”

“We’ll enjoy it. I may start the first day back with a tan. I might bring you back a boomerang for you to conduct with.”

He laughed and stood.

“Have a good trip, Willow. I’m looking forward to seeing what we get up to next term. If nothing else, having you around has made this teaching game a lot more interesting.”

“A Merry Christmas to you and yours, sir. We’ll see you tomorrow at the party. I doubt that you’d look any more dapper than you did in tails last week.”

He was still smiling as he left the room. Ten minutes later, Gina came in and they had lunch before calling for their Uber driver to pick them up outside the school entrance. That afternoon, Willow made sure that her bags were all right. She had an overnight one with underwear, shoes, and a clutch for the party, along with nightwear. She had another with a range of outfits that she was going to leave in the wardrobe in her apartment, and a roller case with enough for a few days in Sydney, knowing that she could buy more on the way there. Her mother had much the same set of cases, and her father had just the one. His PJ’s would be in Wendy’s bag for the night in the hotel, along with his shaver. They all had a garment bag, with Wendy’s and Willow’s being much longer than Ashley’s.

When her parents got home, with both leaving early, they quickly changed, loaded up the company car, and went to collect Maisie and Gina in their car. Willow had called Carlo to book a table for dinner, tonight, so they didn’t stop for any food on the way. The two cars were stopped near the restaurant and unloaded, then Maisie followed Ashley to the parking station as Willow opened up and they put all the bags inside. They carried them up to the apartments, one at a time, and they were all in the rooms by the time the drivers got back.

Maisie was amazed at the quality of the fittings in the apartments as she put her things away in the lower bedroom. Gina, like Willow, liked the upstairs suite better. She didn’t have Brent to keep her warm, but she did have a little friend that had been purchased on-line.

They all went down to have dinner, and then back up to watch a bit of TV until bedtime. Next morning, they had breakfast and got their overnight bags and garment bags, calling an Uber people mover to take them to the Dorchester. When they arrived, the concierge opened the doors and helped them out, snapping his fingers for a couple of uniformed lads to carry the baggage for them. Inside, they were given room cards, and the lads were instructed which rooms the luggage was destined for. They had two suites, side by side, so it was an easy job, and the lads were happy with the notes that Ashley gave them.

The rest of the band, and their parents, arrived before lunch, and they all gathered in the dining room to eat, at a table reserved for them. They were joined by the girl who was in charge of getting them ready for the evening.

“Hello. I’m Lauren, and I’m your queen of all things beautiful. This afternoon, I’ve been given a room in the spa to get you all ready. Well, all the girls. I’ll work with all the mothers first, because I know that you can stay looking elegant longer. Then we’ll work on the four girls in the band. Any gentleman who wants some help in looking good can see me after that. I can tie bow ties. We don’t have time for any of you to use the spa, as it’s by subscription and they take over six hours with a full service.”

After lunch, the first mother went to get her garment bag and followed Lauren from the room. Twenty minutes later, a very elegant woman came in, told her husband that he needed to change, and another mother followed Lauren to be transformed. One by one, the eight others went off to me magically turned into goddesses, with the men and boys going off to their rooms. Then it was Maisie’s turn.

“See you later, Mum.”

When she came back, it wasn’t the careworn mother that had left. Wendy muttered to herself as she stood.

“What was that, Mum?”

“I said that this was going to be a bit different to the hairdresser near the warehouse.”

When she returned, she came back as a heartbreaker angel, in the black off-the shoulder dress with the split up one side, waggling a finger at Ashley to follow her. Then it was Nancy’s turn, followed by Vivienne. The two friends went to their rooms to get their garment bags and underwear, going back to wait their turn. Jill came in.

“How are you two. Waiting for Lauren?”

“Yes. She’s worked on all the mothers. It’s just the two of us left.”

“She’ll be calling the two of you in together. She’s been told to make you look something similar, as the guests of honour.”

“Can you get her to work on the Head and Mrs. Bamborough?”

“I suppose that will be all right, I’ll give their rooms a call to bring their things down and wait to be worked on. We do owe it to the Head, with the way she has been helpful all year. Is everyone here?”

“All except for Jacob. If there are any awards for him, Roy can collect them on his behalf.”

“Didn’t he want to come?”

“He can’t. He’s in a clinic. He picked something up in Paris and got quite sick after we got home, about the time he made that folk album.”

“Oh! I’m sorry to hear that. Any idea when he’ll be back in the band?”

“He’s not coming back. His father has put his foot down and Jacob will be under parental control until he turns twenty-one.”

“So, by ‘sick’ you mean something self-administered?”

“You may say that. I could not possibly comment.”

“Ah! So, the band is now a ten piece. I’ll adjust all the bookings to reflect the new look. It won’t affect the sound, from watching that show. He did look a bit seedy at times. We’ll run with the sickness story if anybody asks.”

She went off, and Vivienne came back, with Lauren telling both of them to follow her. By the time she had finished with them, they looked almost like sisters, but a good few years older than they were. Their ordinary clothes were in the garment bags, on a rack with all the others and a room number marked on them, to be delivered to their rooms before the party.

They went up to their rooms, getting looks along the way. When Willow went into the suite, she saw her father looking like someone in a movie with Fred Astaire.

“Wow, Dapper Dad!”

“Who are you, young lady, and what have you done with my daughter.”

They sat, quietly, until a housemaid knocked on the door and handed Wendy the two garment bags then wheeling the rack off towards Gina’s room. Wendy gave Willow her bag, and they went to hang them in the room. Willow got a text on her phone, telling them to head for the dining room and to leave all phones in the rooms. Wendy and Willow put on their new jewellery and the three of them strolled to the lifts and went down to the floor where the dining room was. They were directed to a separate function room, which looked like a gathering of supermodels and their rich husbands.

The room literally sparkled with jewels, in the band’s case, all of it new. There were singers and members of bands that they had seen on television, but all were keen to meet these new kids on the block who had turned the business on its head during the year. There was a lot of introduction, talking, and swapping of stories of happenings while on tour, and then they were all called to the tables that were set with genuine silverware. The places were set with names, and the parents found themselves at one end, while their children were scatted among a bevy of stars that none of them could have ever dreamed that they would meet, let alone share a meal with. The Head and Howard were in the middle, on opposite sides, with their partners.

At the head of the table were the bosses of the label, with Clive, Jill, and Harold Withers. Xavier, Frank, David and their parents were just on the band’s side of the Head. The meal was wonderful, and all were very careful with eating, and had the napkins spread over their laps to catch any drops.

After the coffee and cheese was placed on the table, and anyone who wanted a different drink catered for, the CEO stood and tapped his spoon on a glass.

“Good evening, everyone. Tonight, we are here to acknowledge those in the room who have made our label one to be envied by others. We are going to hand out some awards. Please come up when your name is called and pose for the official photograph. These will be featured in the reception of our offices for the following year.”

He stood by a table with a cloth over it, removing the cloth to reveal a lot of Gold and Platinum awards. Clive stood by him and started calling out names, along with the winning song, with each one standing, accepting their award, and posing for the photo. For the big group of parents, it was songs and stars they had heard on their radios over the year. Each one received generous applause.

The awards were taken back to the table and proudly exhibited. Then Clive called out the first one that Willow had been waiting for.

“We now have a very rare occasion. Earlier in the year, we had the Orchestra from the Blue Coat School in Abbey Road. The double CD that was recorded has achieved Gold record status. We have three awards here, the first goes to the Orchestra, and will be presented to their headmistress.”

The Head went up and took the award, posing for the camera. The CEO asked her to stay with him, while Clive read out the next name.

“We have another award for the conductor of that fine orchestra, Mister Howard Bamborough.”

Howard went up and received his award and posed, then there was a picture taken of the two of them, smiling broadly. They went and sat down, and Clive carried on.

“The producer who recorded the album is Harold Withers. Come on up Harold.”

Harold took the award, posed for his picture and then turned to the table.

“I have to say that this was the easiest recording session with an orchestra that I have ever had the pleasure to oversee. I will ask that the members of Summer Rose who were in that orchestra to put your hands up.”

There were gasps from the other pop stars when seven of the band put their hands up. The Head had a big grin. Harold went to sit down, and Clive carried on.

“We discussed how to do this before tonight. We will give out all the awards to each person and a photo taken. There are ten of Summer Rose here tonight, and we’ll start with the production crew first. There are two Double Platinum awards for production, to be given to Xavier for recording both the ‘Journey’ album and DVD.”

Xavier went and collected his awards and returned to the table.

“For the vision of the DVD of the ‘Journey’ album, we have one Double Platinum award for both Frank and David.”

The two boys went and collected theirs, posing together.

“For the recording and vision of the album ‘Homegrown’ we have Double Platinum awards for Harold Withers.”

Harold collected his awards, posed for the camera and then spoke again.

“For all you other members of our profession, this album was recorded in real time, in a single take. The recording time was the same as the album time. Please try to emulate these talented youngsters and leave your egos outside the door when you next visit.”

The table was now bare, but the CEO went to another table and pulled the cloth off, revealing another load of awards. Clive smiled.

“Now, to keep things moving along, we will present these to each member of the band, individually, and could you please stand here until everyone has been presented. Then we will take a band picture. There are Double Platinum awards for the CD and the DVD of both ‘Journey’ and ‘Homegrown’, as well as a Gold award for the DVD ‘Live in Berlin’, which passed the mark during the week.”

He called up Bryan, then Edward, Vivienne and Nancy. Then it was Brent, Herb, Victor and Roy. He announced that Jacob’s awards would be collected by Roy, afterwards. Then he called up Gina. She was standing with the others when he looked at his notes. Willow could see six awards left.

“I call on the most talented teenager I’ve ever met to collect her awards. Willow, please come and collect your Double Platinum awards for the two albums, the two DVDs, and the Gold award for the live DVD. There is also another for you. We did overlook the fact that you were the main writer of the entire ‘Journey’ album, so there is a Double Platinum for you as composer.”

Willow went and collected her awards and then went to stand with the others, with the photographer taking several pictures, before they were allowed to return to their seats.

After that, there was a lot of talk, some drinking for the adults, and some discussion between the band and the other stars, being asked how on earth they could record a complete album in one take. The entertainers grouped together, and it wasn’t long before some acapella singing of the various awarded songs broke out as the older ones got slightly inebriated. There was a lot of laughter and smiles, but it did peter out as the stars left. The band and their parents went to their rooms, with fathers helping to carry the awards. When they arrived at their rooms, each one had a big hotel carry bag at the door, so they could carry their awards away on Sunday. Wendy turned her phone on and got Willow to take a picture of her and Ashley looking good, then took pictures of Willow with all the awards for her own album.

The next morning, they were all back to looking like normal people and having breakfast. The atmosphere was happy, and they were all looking forward to Christmas. Jill came in as they were finishing.

“Congratulations to all of you. It was one of the biggest award parties I’ve been to. Now, the back catalogue of albums are taking off around the world, and that’s probably due to the effect of the Manchester and Liverpool overseas fans. The ‘Homegrown’ album has been selling well in Australia, with the ‘Greenhouse’ album starting well. The live DVD has been released, and Willow and Gina will be going there in the New Year on a short promotional tour, getting back in time to go back to school. I’ve been told to go with them to smooth any problems, so we’ll see the New Year in on Sydney Harbour. Thank you all for your hard work, and thank you, the parents, for the support of your children. I’ll see you two at the airport, and I wish the rest of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

They all wished her well and she left. Herb laughed.

“The things that you two do for the band. It will be hard to be on the beach, in your bikinis, while we shiver in the snow.”

“It’s all work, Herb. If we do our job right, we’ll all be down there in summer. It’s their winter, but I’m told that their winter is about as bad as our autumn.”

They all went back to their rooms and packed to leave. They carried their bags down to reception, where some were waiting for the coach. Willow and Gina talked to the other band members, and the parents, while they waited. When Sebastian arrived, everyone got on board and the friends waved them off as their Uber people mover arrived to take them back to the apartments.

They relaxed in the apartments until it was time for lunch, then went down to the restaurant to eat. They took the tube into Regent Street to look at the shops until the lights came on, three adults with a couple of teenage girls in hoodies. They looked, tried things on, and all bought things that they couldn’t have afforded this time last year. That became their next couple of days, meeting up with Ted and the others. Christmas Eve, the restaurant was closed, but the apartment dwellers had a private dinner that Carlo put on, with them watching the Messiah on the big TV over the counter. When the camera panned along the choir, Hazel screamed.

“That’s Herb, right there.”

On Christmas morning, Maisie and Gina joined the Roses for breakfast in their apartment. They gave out small gifts, mainly jewellery, with nobody being left short. The next day was the Boxing Day sales, so they were in the city again, ready to buy up big. In the afternoon, Ashley went and got his car, parking outside as they loaded it with extraneous luggage, keeping the cases and carry-on’s that were going to Australia. Maisie and Gina’s extra things went on the back seat, and Maisie went back to the parking station with him to load them into her own car, ready for when they returned.

The next day, they all had lunch and talked about things for the upcoming year. In the late afternoon, they called for an Uber to take them to the airport, with Ashley waving them off. He had planned to go and see some movies that he wanted to see, and some pictures in art galleries. He would then see in the New Year in Trafalgar Square, having bought a money belt to wear under his pants. It was something that he had always wanted to experience since he had seen a report on TV when he was young. Then, he was going home, via Oxford, to see if that cowboy outfit was anywhere.

Marianne Gregory © 2025