As Sally Anne started to drive the truck out into the London traffic, she was feeling uncomfortable from the word go. She had driven the truck down to Chix at a moderate speed and had started to get the hang of the feel of it. Now she was nursing it along at a slowish speed, she was highly conscious of a succession of cars zipping past them and tooting their horns. She was only too conscious that she was carrying all their friends and children on the back of a semi-open flatbed truck and their safety came first.
"I suppose we'll be OK as the speed we're going isn't axactly illegal," she said hopefully to Trisha who, with common consent, was detailed to help keep her partner company on this part of the drive.
"I'm not sure we won't be stopped by the police into trouble as the guys on the back haven't exactly got seat belts on," Trisha offered nervously. It had seemed such a good idea to assemble everyone at Chix rather than at the main assembly point which would be a nightmare for everyone to park. All of them knew that the more successful a Pride event was, the more difficult it was to form up. Too late, she saw that all of them had overlooked a vital point.
"Oh shit. I hadn't thought of this," Sally-Anne exclaimed as she dealt with this nasty surprise while continuing to drive smoothly."Look here, we'll have to chance it. I'm turning left at the next junction and we'll wend our way down the backstreets. It'll take a little longer but it'll reduce the risk of being nabbed."At least we won't end up in prison over this. "
"I'll phone Nikki to warn them of the turn," Trisha resolved now that she'd got over her temporary loss of nerve. Up till now, she had been worrying a little about how their friends had been getting on as they were certainly moving quite a bit faster than when they'd join the parade so now was the time to find out for sure.
"Hi Nik," Trisha said in as casual a tone of voice as she could make it."We thought we'd warn you that we're turning off the main drag just in case we get stopped by the police. The turn is about a hundred yards up but we'll slow down in plenty of time."
To Nikki, her friend sounded nervous and she figured ouit why this should be the case. She knew Trisha of old and realised that she was genuinely worried about how her friends were coping.
"Thanks for the waning. We're managing OK up here as we're either sitting down against the back screen or holding onto the PA system and the staging. We know you can't drive dead slow even if it is a bit draughty. Nobody's complaining," Nikki said clearly as the backwash from the truck's forward motion ruffled her hair and cut through her suit..
"Thank God for that. we're only a mile or so away from the assembly point," Trisha answered in sounds of relief. Sally-Anne got the drift of the conversation as she put on the indicator, took her foot off the accelerator and prepared to gear down.
The women and children had got used to impatient motorists pipping their horns and clung on tight as the truck swung round the corner. They knew that their time would come after the initial discomfort. As the truck wended its way down the back streets, it slowed down so that the ride on the back of the truck became more comfortable and they got used to figuring out when the truck was due to turn. They cheered up when distant sounds of percussive dance rhythms sounds started to grow by slow degrees and percolate into the group's senses. As the truck proceeded, they started to see friendly women and men in all sorts of outfits walking the same way and as the truck overtook them, they cheered and waved to them as they were now amongst friends. Michael, Niamh and Rose caught on fast. Behind the wheel, Sally spotted a woman in a Pride 2010 T-shirt, jeans, a pink boa and a clipboard waving to them for some reason.
"That's one of the organisers Sally. I think she's calling to us to stop," called out Trisha excitedly.
After Sally grought the truck to a gentle halt, she opened the side door. She and Trisha were starting to feel good as she senses the start of the payoff for all their hard work.
"We're the Chix float. I guess you can tell if you look at the side of the truck," she said with mingled pr ide and self-deprecation.
"We're really glad you've made it. You're looking good," the redhead said with a cheery grin.
"Hi there," Rose called out from space well above and to the side of the organiser. Startled, she looked up at the little girl and read the slogan on her chest. Her face split into a grin and, for one moment, she laid her cares and responsibilities on one side and called back, waving her free arm madly. This was totally novel but this encounter fitted her mental landscape perfectly.
"There's space left for you in the parade. Go straight ahead and when you turn right, you'll be on the main parade route. Good luck you guys," she called out.
"One moment," called out Sally as a thought struck her."How far is it to the asembly point. We've been here loads of time before but I've never driven a truck here. I'm a bit disoriented."
"Keep on down here for the next hundred yards or so and turn right into the main street. That's where the parade assembles. You'll recognise it when we come to it. You'll come across a steward dressed just like me who'll tell you where to position your truck," came the gently reassuring reply.
"That's great," Sally Anne replied as she edged the truck into movement and relayed the news to Trisha. It suddenly struck her that there was a compression of traffic. A very flash looking pink open topped nineteen fifties Cadillac was the next vehicle ahead plus another truck further ahead. There was a definite feeling that this was a strand of the procession in the process of formation.
"Hey, what about telling the rest of the guys? We can't hog the good news to ourselves. They can't see forward," Trisha thought suddenly to herself a minute later. It only crossed her mind by accident that the high metal wall at the back of the cab blocked off any forward view of their friends. She reached for her mobile again.
"Hi Trisha," Nikki answered in a carefree fashion while mixed sounds of merriment sounded in the background."we're doing fine up here. The children have been having a great time chatting to passers by. We were a bit cold and wind blown earlier on when we were on the bypass but we've warmed up now so we're ready to rock."
"I'm so pleased Nik. We've been told that we're coming to the assembly point in a hundred yards or so when we turn sharp right," Trisha said in jubilant tones.
"That's brilliant. Our day has finally come, everyone's day," Nikki called out excitedly.
Behind her, Roisin was holding Michael's hands as they conjured up an impromptu dance. Niamh and Rose looked out on the passers by and waved and shouted excitedly uincluding the bosomy creature wearing a long tight dress, vivid makeup and large hands. This was like a carnival and birthday party combined and the two girls felt extraordinarily safe.
"Hey, let's have some music on," exclaimed Cassie with a broad grin and it prompted a happy George to start to move to the music before it had even started. The girl who was DJing for the day had got well used to the fact that Chix had been transported to the open air as she felt the same excitement in the air. She clicked on the sound system and she chose a longtime favourite amongst the women.
"Hey, I like this," exclaimed Roisin as a brilliant smile lit up her face in a way that was her most endearing feature to Cassie."I play this in my car when I'm going to work."
All the other women got into the action and, as the truck moved slowly along, it was transformed from being just a vehicle with some women and children on it to a small, vibrant part of Pride. It was increasingly obvious that the men and women who were now walking alongside the truck weren't just passers by but were heading for the same destination as the pavements were now more crowded . It was if a stream of lava was moving along with slow but irresistable force to where is must go. In the cab, Trisha and Sally felt the faint propulsion of the music and grinned to each other briefly before Sally turned back to the job in hand, of driving the truck onwards.
"The tuirn's just ahead," Trisha called out to her friend when she saw the crowds bunching particularly on the street corner. The dark-haired woman saw a space open to drive into edged the truck forward and swung it round into a sharp arc. She saw the pink Caddilac come to a stop so she followed suit. Meanwhile, Helen was looking backwards as the truck swung into place and the broad thoroughfare leapt out of nowhere. She saw multitudes of people she was sure she would love from just one snatched glance and they were crowded atround floats which had been decked out in flamboyant colours and styles. The crowds around her whooped when their float came into view and Helen found herself jumping up and down and waving at them all. Amidst this riot of colours and people, other melodies and rhythms joined their own float and made for a glorious cacophany of sounds. She entwined her arm with Nikki's and gave her a warm, soft kiss.
"They're playing our music sweetheart."
"Darling you say that every time we come to Pride," murmured the dark-haired woman. She figured that possessive pride in her lover's beauty and intelligence didn't seem wrong at this moment.
"Ah but I've never seen it from on top of a flatbed truck. I feel I'm looking at the entire universe," Helen declared with a grand sweep of her arms.
"Heyt I'm glad you guys can make it. We saved this empty space especially for you," a friendly man wearing a Pride T-shirt called out to Trisha who had leapt down from the cab to sort out business. He ticked off their float against his list.
"So what do we do now? This is the first time we've got together a float so this bit's new to us," Trisha queried.
"We're forming up the procession. That'll extend back who knows how far. You're early and you'll notice when the parade starts moving. Just hang loose in the meantime," the man said in his relaxing fashion. Trisha gently smiled back, figuring out that this guy was quite a charmer. The DJ gathered what was going on and decided that, in this open air dance scene, this was the time to talk so she turned the volume down For the first time since they'd started out , Trisha had the chance to chat to her friends who comprised the open air cabaret and she stared in wonder at the sight. Could this really be the real life product of her dreams?. It really was true as the on stage scenery was striking, the music was playing away and all her friends were in the mood for dancing and they all looked stunning.
"So what's happening next?Cassie and I are new to all this," Roisin called out to Trisha below her. She had put on a sensible dress while Cassie was wearing a work suit and both women might have felt uncomfortable. Michael, bless him, had spotted the opening left for him, Niamh and Rose to help with the balloons and they'd set to work to help get the float ready. A wave of welcoming warm vibrations radiated out to them from all these women that they'd never met before and that clinched their identity. She'd ridden on down with Cassie and their family all the way here and everything felt right.
"Oh I'm sorry Roisin. It feels like you have always been around us," Trisha apologised in the most charming fashion imaginable."It takes time to form up a parade as there's such a lot of us. That's a good thing. Has everything been all right so far?"
"We're really happy Trisha," the dark haired woman replied with her brilliant smile and sliding her arm through her partner's as she stood on the edge of the flatbed. She loved the thought of being up on high. "We don't normally get out much but this is a family outing with a difference. It's our best experience for ages"
"That's so good. It helps me appreciate this as I can try and see this through fresh eyes," Trisha said warmly. Both Roisin and Cassie had heard Nikki talk about Trisha from time to time and they realised that this woman was as good a friend as she'd made out.
"You don't mind Beth not being with you?" asked Rose of Karen with her wide open eyes, seeing that she was the only one on her own.
"I'd obviously like her with me but her job is doing a news report on this parade so she has to get out and about. Besides, I've got you and all the rest of my friends with me. They help," Karen said honestly. When the fair-haired woman thought about it, she really did feel this way. From when she and Beth had first childminded for Rose, she'd found that the little girl's startling candour did her a power of good in clarifying her thoughts.
"That's cool then," came Rose's friendly reply after which she flitted away to chatter to Niamh and Michael who were waving to the crowds. They loved the feeling of being up pn high.
"Just when are we going to set off?" asked George of Jo with a touch of impatience as she adjusted her wig."I mean I'm enjoying myself but oughtn't we just get going?"
"Nothing changes, George. You were always the impatient one," laughed Jo affectionately at her friend."Oh yes, Jane and I are getting hitched, civil partnership kind," she added in a distracted fashion as a couple of women walked past, dressed up in the frothiest of white wedding gowns. Jane smiled back with the certain knowledge that this event marked their moment of betrothal.
"Oh so when did you decide this, Jo Mills? You might as well have let me in on the secret and told me first. You know I'm your best friend from way back and I hate to not know things," George exclaimed with considerable force.
"I'm sorry George, really we are. With this Pride march on our minds it slipped our minds. It felt as if everyone should be able to read our minds," Jo said so contritely having blundered in being so casual. George's anger was partly pretend as she knew she had a reputation to maintain and when Jo was so apologetic, George instantly forgave her.
"What's that you said Jo?" Karen asked as her ears caught onto the conversation. George grinned as word spread round the stage like wildfire and excitement rippled round the crowd. This made Jo feel quite self-conscious. She hadn't meant to announce it to all and sundry in this haphazard fashion.
"Might as well put it over the crowd on a PA system," Jo groaned under her breath. George's wicked grinalarmed the other woman in thinking that just might happen. At that moment, there was a flurry of movement and a cheer from the crowd.
"Guys, we're moving off," called out Trisha from the pavement as she'd been told that by one of the organisers. Nikki extended her arm to Trisha with a grin and she scrabbled her way onto the float, helped by a couple of passing bare-chested men dressed in jeans. She rolled onto the float and, picking herself up, started waving with both arms to the crowd just as Sally-Anne started up the engine and slid it into gear. On top of all these happenings, the DJ picked out a classic dance standard and that belted out over the crowd in a moment of celebration.
"Saved by the bell Jo," George clearly mouthed over to Jo as it was impossible to speak right now. While Jo Mills was starting to dance with Jane, she smiled ruefully at her friend and then put this incident behind her as she saw the crowds in the street sing along with the music as the float progressed down the street.
Alice looked around herself with a sense of bedazzled wonder, loving the feel of the swirl of her dress around her. George looked drop dead gorgeous as she swayed around her in her elegant black gown, white shirt and black skirt. Jo Mills matched her with her movements when set against the leggy beauty in the short pink beauty that was to be her wife. Nikki's cool besuited movements moved up against Helen's glowing curviness which her dress brought out. Roisin and Cassie had long since shed any inhibitions by this stage in the parade and were smooching together in their sober blue outfits with a spare coloured boa flung round them. Karen in her black dress joined Trisha in her patterned trouser suit as they alternated between waving madly at the crowds and playing with the three children who were happily enjoying themselves. They felt that this was as good as a holiday as anything with their mummies being close by yet not treating them like babies. All the happiness amongst all these kindly grownups didn't mean they were treated as invisible by them as one or other of one would do or say something. Everything felt right and this was an extra special treat in being allowed to show off to the limit to all the friendly people below them. Never before in their young lives had they'd been given such freedom to be who they wanted to be right now and their homes were a million miles away.