Chapter 2
Friday morning, I was awake and dressed early. During breakfast, Mum spoke about the pictures.
“How did you feel about the last ones, love, with you in a dress. I have to say that you looked every inch a model.”
“Mum. I’ve gone through the bulk of my life knowing that very few people look like me. I’ve never met another hairless guy. Some have spoken about Yul Brynner, but I looked him up and he shaved his head for a part and kept it because it made him look exotic. Wearing a dress, once I got over my own fears, was just that. It wasn’t much different from walking back to my bedroom in a dressing gown after a shower. What was different and wonderful was the feeling of having hair brushing my ears in the first set, my shoulders in the second, and having it in full view in front of my eyes in the last. Now, that was something that I’ve never experienced before.”
“It was amazing how well you looked in the last pictures. Your smile was real, and there are so many other things that can be done to enhance your image. Earrings, painted nails, stockings, heels. They’re all additional items that weren’t added. No doubt, you may be asked to pose with them one day.”
“That would mean me looking totally like a woman, and the ears would be permanently pierced. That would look funny on a bald man, don’t you think?”
“Love, those male wigs aren’t that expensive. I’m sure that you could get one at a discount and wear it every day. That way, you would be able to mix with the rest of the world.”
“If you say so, Mum. I’ll wait until I hear from Janice again. She may come back and tell me that it was all for nothing.”
“Don’t be such a pessimist, Harry. Those pictures are the beginnings of your portfolio, mark my words!”
We locked the ‘box’ and Mum walked off to work while I rode towards the Village. Oddly, Uncle Bill was already in the kiosk when I arrived.
“Good Morning, Harry. I’ve come in to check things are still good. Your mother rang me yesterday to tell me that she had broached the idea that you’ll have to look for another job soon. I’m sorry about that. I should have spoken to you earlier, but it’s a matter of profit or loss.”
“Yeah. Janice from the salon told me about having to earn enough to pay your way.”
“I plan to close the kiosk for a month then open over the festive season, and then close it again until Easter. The Village admin will allow those times to be rent free. At the moment, you may have noticed there aren’t the crowds that we’ve been used to.”
“What about me?”
“It’s not usual to pay casuals holiday pay, but I spoke to my accountant about it. He told me that I should have paid you as a full junior, seeing that you’ve been working five days a week for more than three years. This isn’t my only site, and I’ve been skirting the law with all of them. I plan to pay you for the holidays that you should have been given, that makes it nine weeks to cover the three years you’ve worked here, and worked well I might add. I will need you to sign that you agree to that payment as a full payment of what you’re owed.”
“I can do that, seeing that you gave me a job in the first place. What about my immediate future?”
“I’m about to put up a sign to say that the kiosk will be closed after Sunday until Christmas. If you want, you can work through to Sunday afternoon. I’ll come by to take away any valuable items as well as the banking equipment. You’ll see the money in your bank tonight for wages to then, and for the nine weeks. If you have anything you want to make using the equipment, do so before I close down.”
“There’s nothing I need to do, Uncle Bill. Thank you for employing me for the three years. Only Tuesday, I was standing in the kiosk and feeling that there’s nothing out there that I can do. Today, I have something in mind, and having some time may be all I need. Mum knows what it may be, but we’re saying nothing until it happens.”
“Look, Harry. You should have gone on to get higher education. You have the brains for it if you wanted to apply them. I know that you’ve had your looks as brakes on your thinking. You’ll never do as well as you can unless you take your foot off those brakes and start thinking of yourself as a person with skills.”
“Thank you, Uncle Bill. I’ll keep it in mind. Do you want me in the kiosk now?”
“Spend the morning as you like. I’ll continue to tidy up until twelve. If you come back at one as you normally would, you can take it through to closing time. On Sunday, I’ll see you about four, and we can make sure the kiosk is secure.”
I nodded and walked away, thinking that my Uncle may be in hotter water than he was letting on. Nine weeks pay would be enough to buy me a phone, something I hadn’t needed while I’ve been a recluse. I had to laugh.
“The Horrible History of Harry the Hairless Hermit.”
I was passing the bookstore, and the owner was at the door, trying to be a customer magnet.
“What was that, Harry? Is it a Holmes story that I’ve never heard of?”
“Just a passing thought, Jim. My Uncle is closing the kiosk in the quiet times until the Christmas rush. I’ll be finishing on Sunday afternoon.”
“That’s a pity, Harry. I’d give you a job here if I could afford it. I’ve seen how you work, and how you have your customers all leaving with a smile.”
“Thanks for the thought, Jim. I may have something on the go for me. It’s all up in the air at the moment, so I can’t talk about it.”
“Best of luck, Harry. I’ll come over to the kiosk and leave you a little parting gift.”
“Thank you, Jim. You don’t have to, but I appreciate the thought.”
I walked to the salon and walked in, bold as brass. Sally saw me and spoke to her customer and then came over to me.
“Harry, what’s up?”
“I just popped in to let you know that my Uncle is closing the kiosk for a while, and I finish on Sunday afternoon. I’ll be back between twelve and one and will be in the kiosk until closing.”
“OK, I’ll tell Janice your news and I’ll see you for lunch. Go to the Pizza Express and order a large Hawaiian pizza and we can share it. I’ll get the drinks.”
She smiled and put her hand on my arm, and then went back to her customer. I walked to the tech store and looked at expensive phones for a while, and then went to BB’s and sat with a large coffee to think about my future. If Janice had someone I needed to see, I would be able to do so after Monday. It was an odd feeling. I should be gutted at being out of a job, but instead I was looking forward to doing something to move forward. I’d give the photos a week and then start looking at other things. Perhaps, once it was known that I was available, some of the managers in the Village outlets may talk to their home office to let them know that there was a great shop assistant looking for a job. I had to smile at that thought.
There must have been some kind of secret system in the Village, as I had a few other outlet managers come up to me while I was sitting there. All were sorry about my situation, but I could tell that they were also on the edge of shorter hours or closing on weekdays. When I finished my coffee, I strolled over to the swimming centre and watched the real swimmers training for a while. There was no way that I had that level of commitment.
I got back to the Pizza Express at ten to twelve and ordered the pizza, finding a seat at an empty table. I was still waiting when Sally walked in with Janice, who came to give me a hug.
“You poor boy! This makes everything much more urgent, but also makes things far more doable. I sent your pictures to my old agency in London, and Yvonne rang me as soon as she looked at them. She wants to see you next week, after I could convince her that the pictures were all the same person. Come over to the salon when you close this afternoon and I’ll give you the details that you’ll need to get to Yvonnes’ agency. It will be train to Liverpool Street and underground to St. Pauls, the nearest station. If she wants you to work for her, she’ll send you to get an examination from the doctor down the road. He’s a good guy and has seen everything, but I doubt that he’s seen someone like you.”
She smiled and left us to our pizza, which had just been called. I went and got it while Sally ordered a couple of coffees. At this rate, I’ll still be awake when the alarm rang on Saturday. As we shared the pizza, we talked about things. I told her about all the nice things that had been said to me that morning. She told me that it was all earned, and I blushed.
“Harry. If you go into the city on Tuesday, I can go with you. It’s my day off.”
“I’d like that, Sally. My uncle will be paying me some back pay he owes me, so lunch will be on me. It’s odd. At the beginning of the week, I was feeling down, and now I feel as if I’m on the edge of something fantastic. I decided that I would give the photos a week before I started looking at anything else, but I’ll reset that for a week after we’ve been to the agency.”
When we had cleaned up the pizza and finished the coffees, we both stood. On a sudden impulse, I put my hand out and Sally smiled as she took it. We walked, hand in hand, back into the Village and she allowed me to give her a hug at the salon. I walked back to the kiosk, now keen to see the end of the weekend. The afternoon dragged with me reduced to calling out to people if they wanted their shoes looked at without charge, in case there was anything needed to be done. Two pairs needed new soles and heels.
One customer agreed and sat at the seat I had put out while I worked on their shoes. At five, Uncle Bill turned up with the paperwork I needed to sign to let him off the hook with ripping me off for three years. I signed, he smiled, and I made the resolution to make sure I read the small print in future. That’s when I realised that I had taken the job without seeing any print of any size.
I arrived at the salon and Janice opened the door for me. Sally was still there but the customers had all gone. We sat in her small office as she wrote out the directions on a piece of paper and clipped it to a photocopy of a page from a directory. She handed it to Sally.
“I’m told that Sally will be coming with you, Harry. That’s going to be a good thing as Yvonne asked me who did the work on you, and now wants to talk to Sally. Who knows, it may be the turning point for both of you. It couldn’t happen to a nicer couple. Now, the first train from the main station to London is a quarter to six and runs every hour. The return would be from four, every hour until nine. The fare is over sixteen pounds each way, but you can book a return for under thirty. Your appointment with Yvonne is at ten-thirty, and she may take you to lunch if she likes you. I would aim at meeting at the Freeport station at half past seven to get the quarter to eight down.”
Sally nodded.
“I’ll book the two tickets on-line, Harry. I’ve been into the city with my sister. I think that we both have a multi-trip for the underground with a few on them. I’ll borrow hers as well. If you see your bank on Monday, draw some cash and you can pay me back when we meet on Tuesday.”
“That will be good, Sally. I have to admit that the only time I’ve been to the city was by coach on a school outing to the Tower.”
“OK, Harry. If you need to hold my hand, I’ll let you.”
We left the salon together, with Sally putting the papers in her bag. I stood still and tried to conjure up enough courage.
“Sally. This is something I’ve hardly ever done before. Would you like to go to the Cineworld tomorrow night. Your choice of picture.”
“I’d love to go to the pictures with you, Harry. I’ll look up the choice and let you know the time and screen tomorrow.”
She kissed my cheek and squeezed my hand, then walked off to the South exit. I went to the North, where my bike was chained to the bike rack. I was in a haze as I rode home. Mum was already home when I arrived. I locked the garage and went in.
“Hello, Harry, love. How was your day?”
“Other than your brother telling me that I finish on Sunday afternoon, and then having to sign an agreement which might just keep him out of court, it was all peachy, Mum.”
“Sit down and tell me all.”
I told her about her brother and his ‘oversight’ when he employed me. Then I told her that he was paying me to Sunday afternoon, plus nine weeks holiday pay. She sat and listened.
“He may be my brother, but this is not good. I knew that he has always been a bit loose with his business dealings, but if he’s being looked at close enough to pay you out, he may be in more trouble. I won’t say anything, but if he comes to me for money there isn’t any to give him. What else happened?”
“I have an appointment with an agency in London on Tuesday morning. Sally will be joining me in the trip, as the agency wants to talk to her as well. One other thing. I’m taking her to the pictures tomorrow night, and Uncle Bills’ money should be in the bank in the morning.”
Mum sat back and laughed.
“You’re so precious, love. You go years without even talking to a girl, and now you’re taking her to the pictures and going for a day in the city with her. She must be special.”
“She is, Mum. She was the one who worked on me for the photos. I realised that I trusted her to do the right thing. We had lunch today and we talked a lot. I like her, and I like being with her. I know that it may seem sudden, but I think that I’ve broken through the shyness barrier. It may have been being seen in a dress that redefined my outlook.”
On Saturday morning, the first thing that I thought of was that next Saturday the kiosk will be shut, and I would know some more about my future. I showered and dressed and then checked my bank account. Sure enough, there was a full nine weeks pay plus this week to Sunday. The numbers almost swam on the screen. It was certainly a good boost, but not if I wasn’t adding to it by Christmas.
I thought about the phones I had seen yesterday and realised that I would need to look for something a lot cheaper. I rode into the Village and chained my bike, then opened up the Kiosk for the day. Surprisingly I was busy, mainly engraving gifts. I wondered what they would do when the kiosk closed for a few weeks. Sally and I met for lunch, and she told me what we would be seeing. After we had eaten in Wildwood, we were going to see ‘Wicked’ which I didn’t mind, and she had booked a pair of seats in my name. Before we went back to work, I asked her where I could get a new woolly hat, and she helped me pick a couple. There was no way that I would be wearing the Fast Fix one after tomorrow.
After I closed the Kiosk, I went home, stripped, and had another shower. I chose the best outfit I could find and polished up my shoes. Sally had told me that she lived within walking distance of the Cineworld, so I was going to leave early and walk to Wildwood. It was a nice walk, a bit on the cold side, but I had a good fur-lined coat which I sometimes wore on the bike.
We both arrived at Wildwood within minutes of each other and I stood outside to watch her walk towards me. She had leather jeans and a faux fur coat, and her hair flowed free. I believe that this may have the very first time in my life that I could hardly breath. She grinned as she walked up to me, and I put my arms around her. We kissed lightly, for the first time, and I told her that she looked fantastic. She was kind enough to tell me I looked good.
We had a nice meal and then walked the short distance to the Cineworld. I collected the tickets, we got some goodies at the sweetshop and waited to go into the cinema along with a crowd of others. During the film, I put my arm over her shoulders, and she leaned in on me. By the time the credits rolled we had kissed again, this time seriously.
After the film, I walked her home. We crossed the railway line on the bridge next to the Village and she led me to a nice house on Putter Court. I was taken in and introduced to her parents, the Foremans. There was a few seconds of silence when I took my woolly hat off, but they soon accepted me for who I was. Sally had told them all about our trip to London on Tuesday, and I think that they just wanted to meet the guy she would be going with. We had a cup of hot chocolate and talked about what I expected at the agency. I could be quite honest when I told them that I didn’t know what to expect.
Sally escorted me to the door, and a little way from the house before we stood and clung to each other in a long and passionate kiss. I was walking on air as I went to the bridge and then home. The brakes were now well and truly over-ridden. Mum told me to wash the smile and the lipstick off my face when I got home, but I could tell that she was smiling as she said it.
Sunday arrived, my last day in the Kiosk. It was almost a relief to be up, dressed and on my bike to the Village. I opened up and was immediately given a pair of shoes for new heels. When it got to lunch, I closed and put the sign up, then went to meet Sally at BB’s. She was joined by Janice and the other girls with the salon closed for half an hour. I found that my new ease with Sally had multiplied itself with the others, and I was able to talk freely, discuss the movie and talk about my future without speaking about Tuesday, which was still between us.
That afternoon, I was visited by several of the outlet managers that I had spoken to, with most bringing something from their shop as a gift. Jim gave me a copy of ‘How to Make Friends and Influence People’. Mary, from the gift shop, gave me a new woolly hat with ‘I’m an Essex Boy’ on it, which I swapped for the Fast Fix one. There were a few bars of chocolate and one odd one from the shop where I had bought my new woolly hat. It was a bobble hat with ear flaps, which would be impossible to wear under my bike helmet.
I refused to take on any work after three, telling any customers that we would be closing the Kiosk for a few weeks, and that there wouldn’t be enough time to do what they wanted. A little after four, I was alone and put the shutters up and tidied things. I used one of our bags to put all the gifts in and left my keys on the counter before pulling the door shut. Uncle Bill was just arriving, so I told him that everything was tidy, there were no undone jobs and that my keys were inside. He shook my hand and I walked away from the Fast Fix Kiosk, hopefully for the last time.
I was outside the salon when Sally came out, and we kissed and arranged to meet at the Freeport station on Tuesday morning. I rode home, feeling that I had been released from the jail bars that I had erected around myself. I knew that when I visited the Village, there would be people that I could talk to who liked me for who I am.
At home, I put the chocolates in the kitchen and the other things in my room. I helped Mum make our dinner and then got my laptop going and researched mobile phones. The closest place to us was the big Tesco store, but they only sold new phones. I had a look at other places in the city centre and decided that I could easily buy a Doro phone for seniors. I could tell them that I was buying on behalf of my poor grandmother who was house bound.
On Monday morning, I rode the mountain bike into the town centre where my bank was very close to the Fonehouse. I withdrew some money for Tuesday, and went into the phone shop, coming out with a seniors’ Doro that just took calls and text. It cost me well under a hundred pounds, and not the many hundreds that I had seen advertised elsewhere. I had it put onto BT and paid the first month with an ongoing automatic payment.
I then went to the library to read as much as I could about modelling, surprised at the pictures of men and women of all sizes and shapes. I looked at one book about supermodels and gulped when I read the quote about not getting out of bed for less than a million pounds.
I rode home with my phone and set up the numbers of the people that I knew, which wasn’t many. Mum had a mobile, we had a home phone, Sally had given me hers, as well as the salon. Beyond that, there were no others that I could think of. A very sorry state of affairs for a twenty-year-old.
On Tuesday, I was up and ready to leave before Mum came down for breakfast, so I got hers, gave her a hug, told her the number of my new phone, which she entered into hers, and then I was in my warm coat, my new hat, and walking towards the Village, but skirting it to get to the Freeport station. There were a few waiting for the train when I arrived, and I realised now why the car park this side of the Village was always full.
Sally was warmly dressed as well, and we sat together to wait for the train. I gave her the thirty pounds that I owed her, and she showed me the tickets, which she would keep safe in her bag. When the train came in, we got on and found a seat. Then we were off to London and our talk with the agency. It was warm in the train, so we took our coats off and sat very close together. An hour after we had boarded, we arrived at Liverpool Street Station, put our coats on and checked that we had not left anything.
Then, we were off the train and walking to the platform gates. Next would be a couple of underground stops before we would arrive at St, Pauls. I was feeling nervous but excited at the same time. Would an adventure start today, or would it be just a day in the big city with a girl that I now cared about.
Marianne Gregory © 2026