Chapter 18: Wednesday 20th May.
At 7 am I awoke to the sound of the radio and opened my eyes to see Jackie, smoking a cigarette, waving to me from her window.
I motioned to her there wasn’t any time to waste as I listened to the local news, while I watched her flit around getting her clothes together.
I got up and followed my usual routine until 8:15 when I went down to my car. Jackie was already standing waiting for me.
She looked much cleaner than Monday, but she was wearing much the same clothes. Her hair, teeth and face looked immaculate though, so I complimented her.
“I’m Sorry,” she apologised as we boarded the car, “these are all the clothes I’ve got.”
“Jackie, don’t apologise,” I assured her, “you look and smell fantastic.”
“The first thing we’ll do today is get you out of these clothes into the clothes of a lady.
Once you look like a lady we will work on acting like a lady.
I’ve got big plans for you girl, so, you listen to everything I say from now on and maybe things will work out fine.”
All eyes were on Jackie as she walked beside me through the warehouse.
“Good morning.” I smiled to everyone I met on the way to the lift.
“Good morning, Jessie.” I smiled cheerily to the lift attendant as we boarded it.
“Good morning,” Jessie Lamont replied eyeing Jackie up and down as we ascended to the sixth floor. “Who’s your friend?”
I ignored her question as we reached our destination and disembarked under Jessie’s curious eye.
“Good morning, girls.” I called to Julia and the others, who all looked up and said “Good morning” staring at Jackie as she followed me to my office.
I held the door open for her to enter motioning Sarah to join us.
I took my seat while Jackie stood in front of the desk.
Sarah walked around her surveying her appearance.
“Sarah, this is Jaclyn Bradley. Jackie, I’d like you to meet Sarah Nicholson.”
They smiled and said “hi” to one another.
“Sarah, there’s something I would like you to do for me this morning.”
“You’re the boss.” she smiled cheekily.
“Sarah, I want you to take Jackie around all the departments here and buy her as much of everything she needs to make her look as much of a lady as you do.”
“Sure boss.” Sarah smiled.
“Charge everything to my staff account then dress her up to look like a Million Dollars and bring her back here by 10 o’clock and don’t forget to visit the lingerie department.”
Sarah laughed looking at Jackie’s unsupported breasts. “Okay boss.”
She took Jackie’s hand leading her out saying, “Come on kid, we’ve only got an hour.”
I smiled because if anybody could transform Jackie into a lady Sarah could and although she bought the best of everything, I knew her to be a shrewd bargain hunter.
I had completely forgotten all about Jackie by 10 o’clock when the door opened and they returned.
Jackie following Sarah looked every inch a lady in an outstanding array of new clothes, which consisted of a white silk blouse, navy-blue woollen cardigan, a long navy wide skirt and black shoes.
Her face had been skilfully made up to highlight her radiant smile and the most outstanding part of her, her breasts, were supported and stood out proudly from her chest.
I sat backwards in my chair, speechless at this transformation, while the girls stood smiling from the other side of the desk.
“Well,” Sarah smiled, “what do you think?”
My smile already answered her question.
“Jackie you are beautiful, and Sarah you’re wonderful.
Now could you call Tom Beveridge and ask him to join us for tea and coffees - if he’s not too busy.”
“Sure boss” Sarah answered making for the door.
“If he doesn’t give you a job dressed like that kid, he’s crazy.”
Jackie and I looked at one another for a few seconds before I asked her to sit in one of the two chairs at the other side of the desk.
“Jackie, now you look like a lady let’s see if you can act like one, okay?
If anybody asks you anything answer them very politely and if you don’t know the answer don’t be afraid to say so.”
“Okay,” she said reaching into her bag.
“By the way,” I said before she located her cigarettes.
“Ladies don’t smoke while they’re working, okay?
Now, if you have any problems come to me at any time and I’ll try to help you out, Okay?”
“Okay,” she nodded, “I’m just a little nervous. I won’t let you down Brian, I promise.”
At that moment the door opened and Sarah popped her head in announcing, “Tom Beveridge is here.”
“Okay, Sarah, show him in.” I smiled standing up; motioning Jackie to stand also, as Tom entered and shook my hand.
Tom was a few years younger than me and had been employed by the company since leaving school, slowly working his way through various sales departments to his present job as manager of the shoe department.
He confessed to me one day it wasn’t a very glamorous job, but it was a step in the right direction to a senior management position.
He enjoyed the responsibility although he could not keep his staff, as it was an unpopular department.
“I can’t stay long,” Tom apologised, “Liz hasn’t appeared again and I’ve left Colette on her own down there.”
“Okay Tom,” I sympathised, “I may have the answer to all your problems - meet Jaclyn Bradley. Jackie, this is Mr Beveridge.”
As Tom shook Jackie’s hand he surveyed her appearance and smiled.
“Jaclyn has recently arrived here from the Aberdeen area,” I informed him, “She’s not had much experience of dealing with the public, but she is a very hard worker and keen to learn.”
“That’s fine,” Tom stated, “Do you know anything about shoes?”
“Yes sir,” smiling Jackie answered, “You wear them on your feet.”
“Good girl,” Tom continued, “correct answer, so when can you start?”
Jackie beamed a radiant smile and gasped, “I can start right now sir.”
“Okay, you’re hired. Let’s go. We’ll talk over the details later, okay?”
Tom hurried to the door and held it open for Jackie as she ran to me, hugged me, kissed me on the cheek saying “Thanks Brian.” and then went through the open door as Tom followed,
“Cheers Brian, I’ll catch up with you later.”
I sat back down hoping that I had given Jackie the confidence to do the job well, when Sarah entered and stood before me with her arms folded deep in thought.
“Thanks, Sarah for helping Jaclyn out today. Now what can I do for you, honey?”
“Have you seen her back?” she asked concerned.
“Yes I have, I hope nobody else did”
“Nobody,” she assured me. “We were in the ladies loo in the lingerie department.
I was showing her how to put on a bra and when I went behind her to clip it I couldn’t believe what I saw.” She covered her eyes.
“How could someone do that to her?”
I ran around the desk to hug her whispering, “Now you know why I have to help her? She needs all the friends she can get.
Will you help me by becoming her friend too?”
“You know I will,” she replied.
I kissed her forehead and whispered, “That’s another secret between us, Okay?”
“Okay” she confirmed while I returned to my chair and she composed herself before leaving in silence to rejoin Julia and the others.
I couldn’t wish for a more confidential secretary, as Sarah certainly kept, all my secrets very confidential despite a little bit of animosity from the other girls who tried to prise any gossip from her.
Sarah only gave minimum details away and
I am sure they respected her silence.
By noon I was itching to find out how Jackie was doing so I made my way to the shoe department on the ground floor.
I found her standing behind a counter watching Colette’s every move as she wrapped a box for a customer while chatting as she did so.
Colette Hawkins, a twenty-year old, petite, very attractive, bubbly sort of dyed blonde, didn’t need any encouragement, or excuse, to talk to people and seemed to chatter all day long to anybody who came anywhere near her.
She always seemed to be smiling also which endeared her to everyone she spoke to, but she never bored anyone - to the best of my knowledge.
The boys in the canteen, who give nicknames to everyone, call her ‘chatterbox’ for obvious reasons.
I leaned on the edge of a counter and watched Colette as she explained to the customer what he should do with the sales slip she handed him and the procedure for the collection of his parcel, which he had probably heard dozens of times before.
Colette handed the box to Jackie to deposit at the parcel collection point and then there was silence after she bade the customer to ‘have a nice day’ he thanked her and walked away.
In the silence that followed she sighed and leaned onto the counter while she awaited Jackie’s return or another victim to chat with.
She noticed me.
“Hiya,” she smiled, “How are you doing?”
“Tell me Colette,” I smiled as I crossed to stand at her counter, “do you talk in your sleep?”
“I have never had any complaints about what I do in bed” she smiled wickedly.
I smiled at her remark as Jackie rejoined us.
“How are you getting on, kid?” I asked her.
“Fine,” her enthusiastic reply, “I didn’t know there was so much to learn.”
Colette interrupted with “It’s a very skilled job, you know - selling shoes.
There are so many styles, colours, and types.
Men’s, women’s, children’s.
Leather, plastic, rubber wellies, high heels, sandals, trainers….”
“Colette!” I interrupted, “Before you give me a detailed inventory, how’s my girl doing?”
“She’s doing okay.” she smiled, as Tom appeared from behind a fixture greeting me.
“Hi Tom,” I smiled, “I was wondering if I could take this young lady to lunch, if that’s okay?”
“Sure,” he smiled putting his arm around Colette.
“Would you not like to take this one instead and give us some peace and quiet for an hour?”
“No thanks,” I laughed, as Colette elbowed Tom gently in the ribs and we all laughed.
“Colette would you mind,” Tom asked, “taking your lunch later?”
“No problem, I can take my lunch anytime, I’m easy, I’ve got nothing to do, no-one to see, no place to go.”
We all looked and smiled at her as Tom laughed, “A simple ‘no’ would suffice.”
A few minutes later I was walking beside Jackie in the direction of Princes Street while she rubbed her ears saying “That girl never stops talking.
I have seen every pair of shoes in the place and got a detailed description of every pair.
I know her, Tom and Liz’s life stories backwards.
Where she’s been, who she’s seen and what she’s been up to recently.”
I chuckled as I purchased two fish suppers and cartons of milk.
“Try to learn from her how to talk to people.
I know Colette goes well over the score, when it comes to chatting, but she does know HOW to talk to people, okay.”
“Okay,” she confirmed as we crossed to where PC Kelly stood against the same wall as yesterday.
“Hi, Kelly.” but he did not answer as he stared in disbelief at Jackie.
“Jackie?” He asked, “This can not be the same girl we saw last night?”
“She’s not a girl any more,” I assured him, “she’s a young lady now.
She has a job, a new place to stay and a lot of new friends.
This is the new Jaclyn Bradley.”
“I must say,” Kelly smiled, “I much prefer this one to the old one. Jackie, you’re beautiful.”
Jackie smiled and quickly curtseyed to him saying, “Thank you, Officer Kelly.”
Kelly covered his eyes and shook his head saying, “I wish Nicola was here to see this.”
“Can’t you call her?” I asked indicating his ‘walkie-talkie’.
Kelly walked away a few feet and mumbled into his radio as Jaclyn and I ate our lunch.
“Foxtrot-three-eight to control” “Foxtrot-three-eight go ahead” came a female reply.
“Carol, do you know the present location of Bravo-four-seven? Over.”
“As far as I know she is on mobile patrol in the city centre area, over.”
“Carol could you contact her and ask her if she could meet me at the castle wall opposite Marks & Spencer’s – could you tell her It’s pretty important to the case we were working on last night, and there’s something I’d like to show her, over.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls Kelly, stand by.”
We waited in silence as Carol relayed the message.
“Foxtrot-three-eight,” came Carol, he answered. “She’s on her way.”
“Thanks Carol, foxtrot-three-eight out.”
“Isn’t modern technology a wonderful thing?” I said smugly as Kelly produced his notebook and read aloud - while we ate our lunches.
“At ten hundred hours this morning we relayed to our colleagues at CID and Vice Squad in Aberdeen, the statement we took from you, Miss Jaclyn Bradley, of no fixed abode, last evening, followed by a declaration by myself and WPC Braid to our belief in your statement.
With the aid of a quantity of cocaine to verify it, they have stated that there will be no charges brought against you at present.
As you are of no fixed abode they have asked us to keep in touch with you if you are called to attend trial as prosecution witness in the case of her Majesty’s advocate versus, Miss Georgina Turnbull - known to you as Elaine - if so required, okay?”
“What?” Jackie asked.
“Thanks Kelly,” I interrupted, “Now can you give it to us in English?”
He smiled as he announced. “They said that you’re in the clear but you might have to give evidence at Elaine’s trial.”
I shook his hand to show my gratitude as Jackie jumped up and down with sheer joy, saying, “Thank-you officer Kelly, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
She threw her arms around him and hugged him, “Give Nicola a special hug from me.”
Kelly held her in his arms for a few seconds, speechless, as a police car screeched to a halt nearby and Nicola emerged hurrying towards us - with all eyes of Princes Street upon her as she called
“Kelly, put that woman down.”
“Why don’t you thank Nicola yourself?” He smiled.
Nicola, resplendent in her uniform stopped in her tracks in astonishment when Jackie turned around to see her.
“Jackie,” she gasped, “I don’t believe it.”
They hugged one another as the officer who was driving the police car crossed to us and asked Gerard. “I hate feeling left out, am I missing something?”
“It’s a very long story Jeff.” Kelly sighed.
“Let’s hope this is the happy ending,” I sighed as the sound of the cannon heralded our return to reality and we all dispersed very happy.
At 5:30 I helped Jaclyn load her parcels and boxes into my car before we set off home.
“Brian,” she sighed, “I am so very happy,
I’ve finally found something I can be good at, and it is all thanks to you. I’ll never be able to repay you for all you’ve done for me.”
She placed her hand over mine on the gear lever and squeezed it tenderly saying “Thank-you Brian.”
“This is only the beginning, Jackie, it’s all up to you now.” I smi
led.
“All you need is confidence in yourself and you can achieve anything.
All I’ve done is start the ball rolling, it’s up to you to keep it going - hopefully in the right direction.”
“Life isn’t as rosy as I make it out to be however, but, I know you can make it, honey because you know what it’s like to have nothing.
Now you’ve got something and, with a little help from your friends, you can have everything, okay?”
“Okay,” she confirmed.
As we pulled into our street she sighed,
“It’s been a very enjoyable and happy day, but it’s been very exhausting. I’ll be glad to get in and put my feet up to relax.”
“Not yet you can’t,” I smiled as I parked the car outside our apartments, “I’ve got another surprise for you.”
Jackie stared at me in disbelief.
“You mean there’s more?”
“Look kid, I’m not finished with you yet.”
We got out of the car and as I locked it she stood at the trunk to retrieve her parcels.
“We’ll leave them just now,” I said passing her, “Follow me.”
She followed as instructed until we reached the dining table as Marcie, Rachel, Debbie and Lynda scurried to serve our meal.
“Girls,” I called once everyone had stopped to look at Jaclyn,
“This is Jaclyn Bradley; she would like to join our family.”
I introduced her to each girl who smiled and exchanged a “Hi” as she was introduced.
During our meal each of the girls asked Jackie a lot of questions, which she answered very politely and I was very pleasantly surprised with the confident way she handled herself.
“Okay” Marcie stated once they were all finished,
“I’ll show you the room.”
Marcie stood up and asked the other girls
“Does anyone have any objection to Jackie sharing with us?”
“Each one in turn said an emphatic “Nope” or “Fine by me” and then they looked at me for my opinion.
I smiled, “I wouldn’t have brought her if I didn’t believe she would fit in, so it’s fine by me also.”
Marcie stated. “If you like the room it’s yours. Walk this way.”
Jaclyn gleamed a radiant smile as she followed Marcie to inspect the room and returned a few minutes later to go through the usual routine we all had done at the table with Marcie while I helped Lynda with the dish washing.
“Brian.” Marcie called when I had finished.
I crossed to the table to sign the book as a witness.
“On a sadder note,” Marcie sighed, “There will be a short ceremony for Aleesha tomorrow in the hospital chapel at 3 p.m. - can you all make it?”
“Sure I’ll be there, no problem.” Each girl confirmed.
“Jackie, welcome to the family, you can move in tonight if you like.”
Marcie stopped as she noticed tears streaming down Jaclyn’s cheeks and asked, “Whatever is wrong dear?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Jaclyn wept, “For the first time in my life everything’s all right.
I am so happy, thank you Marcie, I know I am going to like living here, and thank you Brian for everything.
Now I know what real friends are - I’m so happy.”
I patted her hands and whispered “Jackie, I’m happy for you too, now, let’s go, get your gear and get you settled into your new home.”
We both got up and as I passed behind Marcie I kissed her cheek and whispered “Thanks Marcie, you’re wonderful.” Then I left with Jackie to retrieve her possessions from across the street and my car.
In her old room I immediately went to the wardrobe and took out the suitcase while she stood and wept, looking out of the window.
I began by tipping everything out of the case scooping all the toiletries from the sofa into it followed by the hairdryer and alarm. I emptied all the drawers of clothes and underwear onto the debris checking if any of it was useable.
“Okay kid,” I closed the case, leaving it by the door, and crossed to the window.
I stood behind her, folding my arms around her waist and resting my head onto her shoulder, as she folded her arms around mine and leaned backwards against me sighing.
“Jackie, how do you feel now?” I whispered into her ear.
She was very quiet for a few seconds then taking a deep breath she whimpered,
“All my life this is all I’ve ever wanted.
A few friends, a nice happy home, nice clothes, people who care for me, a job, people to talk to, no worries, no nightmares, no pain - just so much happiness.” She turned and hugged me.
“Brian. You’ve given so much to me and yet I’ve given you nothing.”
“No,” I whispered, “You have given me something too.
Seeing you happy has given me a great deal of happiness.”
“See that pile of stuff of the floor?”
“Yes,” she sobbed looking behind me.
“That’s the old Jackie Bradley lying there. She is dead and may she rest in peace.
Do you know what a phoenix is?”
“A what?” she whispered.
“A phoenix,” I repeated, “is a mystical bird.”
“When it dies it is consumed by fire and from the flames a new phoenix arises.
It is younger, stronger, faster, and more beautiful than the old one.
You have got a new life now, just like the phoenix,
I know you can do it, do it for me, that’s all that I ask of you.”
We hugged for a few minutes before she took a deep breath,
“When Jaclyn walks from this room she’ll be like a phoenix.
A new person who’s forgotten all about her previous life.”
I kissed her tenderly on the forehead whispering
“The sooner we can bury Jackie the better, now let’s get out of here and let her rest in peace.”
A few minutes later we were both ready to face the world.
I picked up the case and we took a last look at what remained of Jackie’s turbulent past, forever.
On our way down the stairs to the car we passed a young couple, arm in arm, heading up to the door they both said “Hi” to Jaclyn.
“Ethan, can you tell the ogre that I’ve checked out - never to return?” She called back to them.
“Sure thing” the young man smiled. “I’ll tell him.”
We collected all the boxes from the car and within a few minutes we had deposited them all onto her new bed as she asked.
“Brian, how much do I owe you for all the clothes, and this room?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’ve still got your £523 which I’ll keep for you until it’s finished.
If you need any money until you get your first pay cheque just ask okay?”
“Okay,” she confirmed, “Thanks Brian.’’
“You’d better have an early night” I advised her,
“It’s been a long day for you.
Tomorrow we can sort out any minor details, but right now all you want is to have sweet dreams and I’ll see you at 7:30 for breakfast.” She smiled, moving forwards to hug me again but I stepped backwards rejecting her open arms.
“That’s another thing,” I told her, “you’ve thanked me enough for what I’ve done, and now you’ve got to make it on your own without me.
Although I’ll be happy to advise you, you must stop thanking me, okay?”
“Okay. Thanks.” she winked and smiled.
“I left Jaclyn alone as I returned to my own room, where I said a little prayer asking God to help her in her new life, before I fell into a very contented sleep, very pleased with the way things had worked out for her.”
I could tell Emily was not convinced.