Scene Sixty
The senior's dorm would have been a great natural hangout place if it weren't for the head of dorm. The new senior teacher ran a strict regime inside and outside the classroom, having been especially selected by the Mother Immaculata. Everything about her manner suggested an uptight, repressive nature as she imposed her views on the students as to essay content and form discussion of the great classic writers and any spark of originality was stamped on as lacking in respect. She drilled her students as if they were on a parade ground so it meant that there was no latitude in the running of the dorm either. Any idea of staying up late on a weekend or ordering in a pizza was completely out of the question and the letter of the law was obeyed as she bitched at a delay of a few minutes settling down. Behind her back, an undercurrent of mutinous rebellion set in amongst the more spirited seniors who conspired to secretly break the rules where they could get away with it. They looked on with derision as the airheads of the class were rhapsodizing about hooking up with some geek from St Paul's and riding off into the goddamn sunset like the cliched happy ending.
"Say, why the hell does the Mother Immaculata get so uptight about last year's End of Term dance?" whispered one curious senior to another one night while the teacher's back was turned.
"It's the great unmentionable. I have my contacts. I heard it on good authority that the Mother Immaculata caught Senator Tillman's daughter going down on the English teacher morning after the dance. That's why Miss Thompson was hired," the second girl said in slow, dramatic tones which testified to how ahead she was on the latest gossip. She took care to keep her voice down low though.
The first girl's eyes popped wide open as if they were standing on stalks. A certain degree of sophistication was necessary to be part of this group of schoolgirls and, while she didn't get the message in graphic detail, she had a pretty good idea of what had been going on.
"Oh wow. Like in wow," she gasped non-committally.
"I mean I'm not going to like fall into the arms of some goddamn creep. I mean, he's going to have to be really hot with the dress I'm wearing," came the cynical reply just to confuse matters. A score of little discussions went on in snatched moments right up to the night of the dance. All possibilities were left open.
True to the promise, the invitations had come through the post at the reception desk at Nikki and Helen's hotel but Helen was surprised to hear Nikki broach an unexpected matter of how to actually get to the End of Year dance. To Helen's logical point of view, all they needed to do was to drive there in their hire car but her partner started talking in a mysterious fashion of cadging a lift from 'The Creation's van and getting some insurance for their admission. After all, Nikki explained that wouldn't it be cool to arrive as part of their entourage? Instantly, the word slipped from her mouth, Nikki gave the game away.
"Entourage?" questioned a grinning Helen, eyes dancing with mischief."Let's face it, Annabelle and Simone's visit last year brought out a frustrated rock and roller in you. I've seen the gleam in your eyes as they've talked to you about their experiences of 'life on the road.' Come on, just admit it."
Nikki grinned sheepishly. Her partner had read her mind in every last detail. She hunched her shoulders and dug her hands in her trouser pockets which illustrated the point. Helen put her arm round her partner's shoulders and squeezed her affectionately. Come to think of that, she was tempted.
As the two women sat outside on the front steps of their hotel, they saw a travel-stained van approach them and pull up in a stylish arc. Annabelle's gleefully waving hand could be seen through the front windscreen. She jumped down, hair flying and dressed in casual T-shirt and jeans and kissed them both warmly. She grinned, gestured to the van's back doors, wrenched them wide open, The two women's eyes opened wide at the concentrated assembly of purposeful amplifiers, guitar cases, drum components and coiled cables around which women's bodies were artfully intertwined, even looking halfway comfortable.
"Hi darlings," cooed Simone from somewhere in the depths of the van, reclining elegantly.
"I've got two seats spare for you- well, kind of," Erin said laconically, patting two spaces set out for them.
"Is this how you rock stars travel?"Nikki asked in an attempt at light-hearted irony before her careless words fell flat in front of her. "I'm sorry, that was shit."
"We really wanted to come along for the ride," put in Helen coming to the rescue. Erin grinned back understandingly.
"I'll shut you in. The journey won't be long,"Annabelle said hopefully, conscious that they'd become immune to the tedium of miles and miles of travelling."I'm keeping Bette and Lisa company upfront. They're part of us as they help us set up, make sure of our sound on stage and move us from gig to gig. There's a word commonly used to describe them but we don't."
With that, the sunlight at the back of them was shut out and the van pulled off down the road, which was a mobile bubble of existence that Nikki and Helen could tune into.
"We're here you guys,"called out an excited Annabelle from somewhere up front as she saw the van pull up at the back entrance of the hall where the dance would take place. When the back doors were opened, the momentary blindness from adjusting to the sudden sunlight gave way to what looked like the servant's entrance. Bette and Lisa, in their practical way, gauged that they could sweat in the large amplifiers though the large double doors straight into the hall. Nikki and Helen offered to carry in coils of cables and bits and pieces of drum kit as part of a fine cooperative effort.
Once inside the hall, Nikki and Helen could see that they were superfluous to their friends and helpmates, who were working with practiced ease in assembling their equipment for their sound check. They strolled round the otherwise deserted hall with its display of balloons and illuminated backdrop to the stage and edged off into the rest of the school. They found themselves strolling down a corridor from which doors led off to form rooms, complete with neat lines of school desks and chairs and teacher's much more imposing desk at the front. In this environment, everything was ageless, unchanging and could so easily have been transplanted back to their home country.
"We might be mistaken for respectable mothers," grinned Helen as their smart outfits, little disturbed by the journey was good camouflage. Nikki didn't answer.
To the smaller woman, this was idle curiosity in checking out the part of their friends shared life that they'd talked about so much to them. To the dark-haired woman striding so tall, a very different train of thought started to take a much darker direction as for a start, they weren't holding hands.
Suddenly, a little girl, dressed in a dark blue tunic and white shirt, was walking down the corridor, lungfuls of breath coming in fast and ragged and nerves like a coiling spring. Something in her wasn't looking either right or left, only down the endless wooden flooring which carried on forever, converging to a point in the far distance. She desperately wanted to get out somehow, anyhow. Suddenly, a hand was placed on hers from out of nowhere.
"Nikki, wake up," a warm, soft voice suddenly called out to her, making her jump out of her skin. The next second, an immense wave of relief swept through her system,leaving her skin clammy to the touch but the nightmare had passed. Her head swivelled round and there she was, back in Simone and Annabelle's old school and she was the thirty something confident lesbian once again.
"Darling, thank God you're here,"she added shakily.
"You looked awful a second ago, like in another world,"Helen replied, stroking a spare lock that had trailed over her lover's eyes.
"I was," shivered Nikki."I was fourteen years old, back in public school and freaking out. I need to hold you- right now."
Helen glanced rapidly around her, grinning. The girl's toilets were at the back of them and no sounds of footsteps. Thinking like lightning, she rapidly pulled Nikki in with her.
"Simone!" the loud accusatory voice rang out in the empty hall just as Nikki and Helen reentered the hall. By sheer coincidence, Simone was wearing her favourite white dress, just as she'd worn it for the previous end of year's dance which had seen the smouldering attraction between Simone and Annabelle at last catch fire and for the Mother Immaculata to catch them out half-dressed with the very same word. She'd been calling 'one – two, one-two" into her microphone and playing basic guitar chords to test for sound like any musician would. Now she put her hand over her mouth and felt as uncovered as she had felt last year, clutching a red T-shirt to her red bra."What are you doing here?"
She looked round dazedly trying to gather her scattered wits. Annabelle had been studiously fine-tuning her guitar while Erin had just plugged into her amplifier and had her back to the developing drama and she put two and two together. Diane let loose a powerful drum break and this snapped the malevolent spell. Nikki glared down at this hated woman she'd heard so much about from her friends. She was the spiritual sister to the long ago headmistress who'd let loose a fusillade of moralising denunciations of her moral degeneracy and expelled the defiant woman who'd been caught out with her first love. Helen's rage blew up in sympathy. Somehow, everything that had ever happened to all these rebel women lives over two continents were pulled together and drawn tight in this instant. They knew that Simone had the right and the power to hit back.
"So what's your problem? We're booked to play the end of year dance," Simone retorted coldly. Anger flowed powerfully through her veins that she had never known existed before. Her consciousness of rock and roll equivalent of housemaid's slightly roughened hands and subtly different cadences in her voice from practiced singing meant that she wasn't the teacher but a jobbing musician with performer's rights. That made all the difference.
"Well, I really don't think you can possibly play. You're too well known. It's highly inappropriate," the Mother Immaculata said stiffly, concealing her discomfiture that Simone had struck back so forcefully, For the first time ever, she doubted her ability to control her niece. The sharp eyed opponent saw this flash of weakness and it empowered her.
"We've got a contract to play this gig,"Simone lied, pressing home her advantage and playing her pauses to the delight of her friends."Our manager will sue the ass of you for breach of promise if you try to stop us. Besides, the Los Angeles Tribune may get to hear of this. We'd love that as it would be great publicity for us. It would seriously hurt your reputation. Me, I have absolutely nothing to lose."
For the first time in her life, the Mother Immaculata was speechless. She didn't know what to do or say and Father Harris's arrival didn't help as he kept Simone's secret quiet.
"Tell you what, we're reasonable women," Simone pursued smoothly with the last turn of the screw."We've got a special repertoire that's not gender specific that's ideal for a high school dance. So why don't you let us finishing setting up and we'll try and act normal?"
The Mother Immaculata beat a hasty retreat while Father Harris smiled genially. Nikki came over, glowing with emotion and energy and hugged Simone emotionally. The fair haired woman looked around at her band mates and grinned triumphantly. They were going to play this gig and have a good time.
"Hey, that's Miss Bradley – and Annabelle Tillman,"whispered the girls in the know about what was going on. Their words resonated around the crowd of those girls, dressed in their best party dresses as tongues started wagging. Standing more in the shadows and away from the spotlights, Erin sized up the situation and exchanged brief words with the others who nodded in agreement.
"Hi, we're 'The Creation and we've come to play for you tonight," announced Annabelle, wearing her favourite outfit of white sleeveless top and tight blue jeans.."We're a woman's band because we're the getting together type. I'm Annabelle and, like my partner in crime, Simone, we sing and play guitars. Erin on bass also sings harmonies with us and Diane drums with us. We're here to get you into the groove and dance."
They led off with "Orange Moonlight" and they loved to play this dreamily drifting song as Diane's drum brushes whooshed around Erin's lazily meandering bass line while Annabelle and Simone's interlocking voices and chiming guitars lazily drove the song along. Father Harris watched from the back of the hall and loved his star pupils singing that they were "up against the western sky...Soon we'll see all our troubles disappear underneath its watchful sky." He knew what they meant and his heart was at peace. A couple of soft beguiling songs got the audience in a soft romantic mood but the boys and girls, rigidly segregated, wouldn't permit themselves to step onto the dance floor to be the first. They followed up with 'Distant Friendship' and 'Tomorrow is a Long Time' which the audience applauded once they'd got attuned to the music. The women on stage knew from experience that this is how it would be and resolved on a change of tack.
"Just to get you in the mood for dancing, we'll play an oldie rock and roll song ,'Proud Mary," Simone said in her oh so soft, cotton candy voice, the spotlight shining on her fair looks and white dress. Instantly, Diane pounded away on the drum beat and the others jumped in and were soon rocking away, Erin joining in on harmonies. For a moment, the audience didn't move.
"Hey, we have to do it. No one else will if we don't," Helen said, recalling school dances in her youth when it was the girls who were on their feet without anyone thinking about it. They'd planned on sitting out the dance while the kids danced but now was the time for a change of plan. Nikki grinned as she'd seen all the cool kids sitting in rows as they were nervous as hell in performing before their peers. Up on stage, a woman was on stage singing her heart out as she moved to the rhythm of the music and picked out that spiky lead guitar line. She was only a year older than the kids but hell, Annabelle was Annabelle. She grinned sideways as her long hair waved in the wind and she looked round at Diane who laid down those exuberant drum rolls that powered the song along. Up on stage Simone smiled happily as she knew what stylish dancers their friends were and, sure enough, they strutted their way to the middle of the dance floor and shook it down, feeling the music and feelings of joy in their hearts. They could see the Mother Immaculata glare in their direction as they had that stone-cold certainty that they were doing absolutely the right thing.
"Come on, join us. Everything's going to be all right," Helen smiled and gestured to the kids around them. There was one girl nearest them who caught her eye. The dark-haired girl who had cheeked the Mother Immaculata when the dance was first announced had turned up on sufferance, determined to sneak more than their share of punch and exchange snide comments with her friend. The composition of the band was a jolt to her preconceptions so she and her friend were immediately interested. Both of them hadn't known what to think when these slightly different looking older women started dancing away. They sure as hell didn't look like parents as they weren't disapproving enough. The smaller woman's nice smile, fetching body and rebellious glint in her eye gave her the once in a lifetime electric charge of courage to take her friend by the hand and dare the dare of a lifetime. The warm smile and the light in the taller woman's extraordinary brown eyes as she rocked back and forth told her that they were in the right place after all so a massive shot of adrenaline made her urge others to join them. To her amazement, a trickle of girls started to join in.
Up on the stage, the four women felt that his gig was powering its way along just like any other gig and the oppressive feel of St Theresa's past was being dissipated so long as they shuffled their set around. The rock and roll numbers were catching fire with the audience so they had to keep with the groove.
"What next?" called out Simone to her musical partner as they played out the last musical chorus.
"Pancake," Annabelle called out tersely as the audience applauded."You lead. Diane and Erin will catch on."
Immediately, Simone played the ominous resonating musical figure, Annabelle slapping her guitar phrases on top and Diane and Erin stoking up the beat. Nikki and Helen's hearts leaped inside them, dancing to Tori Amos being such a turn on. This pulled more girls and a scattering of braver boys onto the dance floor, having been checking each other out for some time but not daring to make the first move before their peers. The four women on stage, feeling a million miles tall, poured the intensity of their music over the audience. It was both intelligent and seductive and the women on stage looked gorgeous as they had the power. Deep inside, the Mother Immaculata seethed with a terrible impotent rage as the undertow from this powerful music pulled all her pupils away from her tenacious grip. Worst of all, her one-time niece was responsible and loving every moment of it- that woman would still be a teacher under her thumb if she hadn't given way to a moment's blind impulse. Michael standing next to her was no help at all.
"We thought you'd like to play some slow songs that you'd feel good and romantic," Simone said with a sweet little smile on her face which drew murmurs and laughter round the hall. Instantly, the couples who'd been dancing together melted into each other's arms as the combination of music finally made the audience feel that they could live their dreams. Nikki and Helen needed no encouragement of course. Up on stage, Simone and Annabelle stared back as they smiled with deadly pleasure. Revenge is sweet, they thought as Diane and Erin and Helen and Nikki gave solid support.
As the van tore away out of the school gates, the women felt like Bonnie and Clyde except they'd traded culture for guns. They felt up high with emotion from the mischief they'd wrought and the sheer joy of playing their asses off or dancing to the music. From an unpromising start, it was a great gig
"I wouldn't care to do your job Lisa,"Nikki said cheerily to the other woman, strong in muscle and alert of mind.
"And why's that?" came the friendly reply to this really nice Englishwoman.
"I may be a bit of a butch on the quiet," Nikki said in her customary droll manner," but setting up amps and drum kits are a bit beyond me. I'll stick to being your occasional assistant and looking after the flowers in mine and Helen's back garden."
After the burst of collective laughter, those stray words made Simone and Annabelle felt intensely nostalgic for the time they'd spent in England. As they whizzed through the darkness, they reflected further on how far they'd come this last year. The full flowering of their love was a magical period, of sun, sea and sex. They'd stumbled into making music together which they'd come to pursue intensely as their career, channelling their connections with like minded women, even going transcontinental. Their hard fought for means of subsistence, Annabelle's trust fund, had become the bedrock of group finances which made them clean money that had never exploited nor denigrated anyone. They thought of all their friends outside the van who smiled down on them, even Colins and Jane who looked radiantly happy the last time they'd called in on Chico's. Despite their ever increasing activity, that place would always remain their favourite hangout, equal to Chix over in England. Along with Lisa and the sharp eared Bette upfront, Erin and Diane who were lying flat out tired loved these two great women who'd mucked in with them with no trace of airs and graces. Though Bette was alone at the wheel, she felt good hauling their van homewards.
"That reminds me," Helen broke in eagerly." Trisha and Lita send you their love. They feel that your visit to Chix was a good omen and they loved your company." Simone and Annabelle smiled fondly at the thoughts of two more women who were dear to them and that they would certainly look them up next time they were in England.
"When Juliet works all day and comes home, she falls into the arms of another Juliet and so on to bed," Simone declaimed lazily, her tired but happy mind pursuing a random trail of thought. For a second, she felt that she'd fallen flat on her face till Nikki rescued her.
"First time I ever tried to seduce Helen, we were in the prison library and I told her that Juliet and Juliet was more my flavour."
"Guess how I walked into that one and just what book she was holding?" laughed Helen.
"We really love our women," chimed in Erin, reaching forward to stroke Diane's hair from their constrained spaces. Simone and Annabelle were luckier in being able to caress each other's hands
"We know as some bastard gave us a single room with four double beds in it when we were last on tour. He thought he was being smart. Very educational as it turned out. Don't get me wrong, we're completely faithful," Simone intervened with an outrageously mischievous laugh that Annabelle knew that Miss Bradley would never have permitted herself in a month of Sundays. This made all the other women start to imagine delicious thoughts of the beds that awaited them.
"Like this?" came Helen's rejoinder as she slid into an embrace with Nikki, bracing herself against the slight jolting movement of the van. The other women in the van grinned the dark womblike sense of security of their van whizzing along the empty streets, outside lights flickered briefly and were gone. Everything had been stashed away and they all had someplace else to go. That would never keep them apart, of that they were all sure.
THE END