Post by Vicki on Dec 27, 2005 18:37:59 GMT
Below is a story I am working on called Crossing Boundaries. The main charecter is Debbie Alexander, a Monaco born novellist. She meets Darcy and wants to marry him. But her parents don't want her to. Darcy becomes ill and she must choose to save his life or be disowned by her parents if she marries him. Well, I'm only partway atm but that's the plan. ANYWAY, here it is. Please feedback!
Crossing Boundaries
By Vicki
It was a warm and sunny July morning in the small principality of Monaco. Everything was as it should be, the birds were singing tunes of joy, the people were going about their business as they regularly did, pausing every so often to look at their reflections in a shop window, or indeed to look at the contents of the shops and ponder buying something.
It was a normal day too, for novelist Debbie Alexander. She was sitting in her crisp and sterile white kitchen enjoying a cup of Parisian coffee, reading the local papers and contemplating another day writing her newest book, “Living for Lizzie”. It was a romantic tale about a man who was willing to give part of his liver to save his fiancée and childhood sweetheart. She decided it was about time she got dressed and wandered into her bedroom to ponder what to wear that day. She eventually decided on a lilac blouse and skirt combination with matching sandals. She applied deep violet eye shadow to the lids of her deep green eyes, pencilled round her eyelids in black kohl pencil and applied a gentle peach lipstick to her lips. She then swept her long black hair into a side parting and clipped it into place. She then walked down from her penthouse flat to the street below and began to browse the shops.
Debbie wandered around until she came across a shop she had not seen before, so decided to check it out, find out what was going on, it was a brave soul who set up a shop in Monaco, there was so much competition. She walked up to a man who looked like the owner and said, “Why, hello. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before, and this being such a small place, everyone knows everyone else. So, who are you?” The tall man swept back his long, shoulder length blonde hair from his face and replied in an English accent, “Hello, you must be Debbie; I believe I’ve met some of your friends, they talked a lot of you. Anyway, my name is Darcy Burrows. I moved into town a few weeks ago, I ran a secretarial business in England, and had enough saved up to buy a flat here. I wanted to keep earning so I opened this little jewellery shop.” Debbie gazed into Darcy’s deep, swimming pool like blue eyes, and said, “Well, may I just say, welcome to the area. Do you have any friends here yet? It can be hard to mingle here if you don’t have some sort of fame. I’m a writer myself; you might have seen my books in England, “Dance with the Devil” and “Seeking Love”. Anyway, I’m rambling; I’ll take a look around and leave you alone.” Darcy smiled and said, “Well, since you asked, I don’t have any friends here, sadly. I’ve read both your books, and look forward to the next one. Do take a look around; there should be something that catches your eye.” Debbie wandered round the shop, gazing at the dainty gold and diamond chains, stone clad rings and fabulous earrings, all shapes, even a pair with Ferrari badges on them. Eventually, she set eyes on a necklace with a heart shaped pink sapphire. She picked it up and took it to the counter, where Darcy said, “I was hoping someone kind would buy that one, it’s one of the best pieces I’ve ever made.” Debbie smiled and said, “Well, I never knew you made all this jewellery by hand. I’ll bear that in mind next time I need a special present for a friend.” She handed over the money, and left the shop.
After she finished buying in her additive free, organic food for the week, Debbie headed home to try on the necklace. It hung perfectly around her neck, making her pale skin look even paler. The sapphire glistened in the light, and it felt cool against her neck. She sat down at her computer to begin work, and as the hours passed she became more and more aware that she had a funny feeling in her stomach, like the one she got when she met her last boyfriend, Clark, so she knew what was wrong, she had a teenage crush on Darcy. She sensed she was going through the alphabet; first there was Aaron, the exchange worker at the publishing agency. Then there was Bruno, a racing driver. After him came Clark, who was a journalist. And now there was Darcy. All her other relationships had ended in tears, and she was slightly worried this one would go the same way. But, as ever, the feeling of loneliness crept back into her soul. She decided to phone her friend Patricia, to get her advice. She dialled the number, and after five rings Patricia answered. “Bonjour Debbie, how are you?” Debbie always loved the way Pat answered the phone, “Hello Pat, I was calling for a little advice, on men. As you know, I usually ask Eloise, but after three failed relationships using her advice I’ve decided to try someone else. And that someone else is you.” Patricia waited a moment and then said thoughtfully, “OK, so what’s his name? And what does he look like?” Debbie laughed and said, “Well, his name is Darcy, and he is so nice. Long blonde hair, deep blue eyes and a bubbly personality that is so sweet it is unbelievable.” Pat smiled to herself and said, “Oh, this is that nice English man with the jewellery shop isn’t it? Yeah, he is mighty fine, but not really my sort of man. If you want him, the way to do it is by gaining his trust and friendship, then going for it.” Debbie thanked Patricia and hung up the phone, safe in the knowledge she had sound advice. She went to sleep that night feeling the cool pink sapphire brush on her neck.
The next morning Debbie awoke feeling fresh and happy, and decided that day was as good as any to start to get her man, Darcy, and she slipped on her pale pink summer dress and sandals, left her silky hair hanging by her shoulders, and went for a walk. She passed her favourite café, the Dolphin Café, and decided to call in for a coffee. As she sat down, she was joined by a familiar face. “Hello Debbie, nice to see you again. I didn’t know you frequented this lovely little establishment.” Said Darcy, with a smile. Debbie winked and said, “Well, not many people know this place exists. I like it that way. Anyway Darcy, what are you doing here? I thought you’d be working in the shop.” Darcy explained that he worked part time with his business partner taking on the rest of the time. They talked about the glorious Monaco weather, the economy, their interests, and anything else that cropped up into the conversation. Eventually Debbie said, “Well, I guess I’d better be going, I have to withdraw some money from the bank. And then there’s the birthday card I need to buy for my sister.” Darcy helped her from her seat, and waved to her as she walked down the road. She smiled as she saw the bonds of a small friendship begin to form in front of her eyes. She knew this was the right way to go with the relationship, not pushy, not reclusive, just neutral. She called into the card shop and bank and then headed for home. Once there she decided to treat herself to some of her favourite food, the Alexander family soup. She got the necessary ingredients and realised to her horror she was out of rosemary, which was key in giving her family chicken and herb soup it’s flavour and zip. She pondered going out to the shop, but thought maybe it would be better to make something else, when suddenly there came a knock at the door. Debbie hit the intercom button and said, “Who is it?” in calm, singing voice. There was a somewhat awkward pause and then a reply, “I’m so sorry to do this, but I was selling herbs in the area and saw your name plate, and thought you might like some, I only have one plant left. It’s Darcy by the way.” Debbie opened the door and looked at the single plant in Darcy’s arms, a rosemary plant. “Oh Darcy! You are a lifesaver! I was going to make soup and needed some rosemary, how much would you like for that plant?” Darcy said it was no problem; she could have the plant for free. Debbie thought it only right to repay his kindness, and said, “Darcy, if you aren’t busy, would you like to stay for dinner and a glass of wine?” Darcy paused and thought for a moment, then said, “Well, I have no other friends, so I would be delighted.” He sat down on the plush leather sofa whilst Debbie flew around the kitchen, chopping chicken, garlic, rosemary and adding a pinch of pepper to the mix of water and stock cubes. A little while later she poked her head around the door and said, “OK, Darcy it’s ready!” Darcy wandered in, captivated by the smell, sat down and said, “You know, I know what this is! Your sister Dianne made me some as a housewarming gift, but it wasn’t as good as this!” Debbie smiled and said, “Well now, that might be because I use all organic products. My diet is almost additive free, except for cakes, which are hard to get here.” Darcy smiled and said, “Debbie, have you been in a situation where you really think you might love someone and you’re too scared to admit it to them?” Debbie explained she was feeling that way right then, and the topic was dropped.
The next day Debbie was due at a PR event for “Living for Lizzie” and got up extra early to prepare her appearance. She ate breakfast and then began the three hour transformation that changed her from pastel and peachy Debbie into a new Debbie, the dark side of herself. First she washed her long black hair, but instead of leaving it straight, she attacked it with a set of hair curlers. Then she cleansed, toned and moisturised her face. After that was done she applied a foundation of Peach Cloud to make her seem ghostly pale, and atop this she applied heavy black kohl eye liner and black eye shadow and lipstick. She attached her coffin earrings and pendant, and then set about clothes. She decided on a long sweeping black dress and coat to match, along with black tights and high heels. That was the exterior sorted; she now had to transform her personality into a rude and abrupt woman, although she never resorted to profanity. Transformation complete, she decided to call in on Darcy before she left for Nice. She walked to his block of flats but met him half way walking to his shop. “Morning Mr Burrows.” Debbie said abruptly, as she walked briskly by. “Debbie, what has happened to you? Can we talk about this?” Debbie flicked her hair back and said “Terribly sorry Darcy but we cannot talk about this now, because I have to drive to Nice.” Darcy shrugged and watched as Debbie walked to the residents’ car park and climbed into her blue Mercedes E55 AMG.
After the drive to Nice, Debbie was in a bad mood, which added to the transformation perfectly. She turned to the group of journalists before her and said coldly, “OK you lot, if we make this quick and painless it’ll be better for all of us.” She answered all questions easily until one lady asked her about her thoughts on the world economy. “You fool! I’m a writer, not an accountant!” The woman blushed and said, “Sorry, wrong room!” and rushed out of the small hotel conference room they were in. After the interviews, Debbie’s mobile rang, she answered it by saying, “Alexander here, what is it? Oh, Darcy, I’ve just finished work down here in Nice. Yes, of course we can talk, come to my flat and I’ll make you an organic curry. Au revoir my friend!” She ended the call and started the drive back home.
She arrived back at around five o’clock and began cooking a curry for two, and as she finished Darcy arrived. “Come in Darcy. What did you want to talk about?” By this point the two were eating and Darcy said, “Well, I wanted to talk about you actually, today, all of a sudden you’ve changed. Why?” Debbie finished her meal and said, “Look, give me half an hour, go and watch television or something.” Darcy shrugged and Debbie disappeared into her room. She straightened her hair, removed the make up, changed into a pair of jeans and a t shirt and more importantly, dropped the attitude. She re-entered the room and Darcy smiled and said, “So, what was going on today?” Debbie smiled back and said, “Darcy, you might not believe it but a few years ago, when I started writing, I was a Goth, and it turned out the public loved that. Well, I saw a light and had an image change, to become the woman you see now. But, the public thought that was boring, so for every PR event I do, I return to my former self, and sadly, that means the attitude. I should have told you, everyone else knows about it, and goes along with it.” Darcy grinned and said, “Well, you’re my friend, and in friendship one must take the rough with the smooth.” Debbie was glad Darcy was going to accept her other self, and decided to do something brave. She was supposed to see a film with her sister, but Dianne had to back out due to work commitments, so she thought she might as well ask Darcy. “Excuse me, Darcy, but would you like to come to the cinema with me? Dianne has had to work and I don’t want to go alone.” Darcy sighed and said, “Well, actually, I wouldn’t.” Seeing Debbie’s shocked expression, he continued, “What I would love to do is take you out for a meal, then go bowling.” Debbie smiled and said, “I take it you’re not a film person then? Never mind, bowling and food sound great. When do you want to go?” They agreed that it was too late that night, and decided to meet in three days time, on Friday night. Debbie said goodnight and began the task of cleaning the pots, pans and plates she had used that evening, then she decided to have a bath. She told her electronic smart bath to prepare itself to her chosen temperature, and set it to keep that temperature constant. She lit some candles, reached for her favourite women’s magazine, “Select” and laid back to relax. An hour or so later she emerged and slid into her pink silk nightdress, when suddenly the doorbell rang. Debbie rushed to pull on her black flannel dressing gown and answered the door. It was her parents, the two people Debbie despised more than any other. They grew up in Monaco in the glory days of racing drivers and their wives, and they thought all the film stars and models were ruining the atmosphere. “Hello Mother, Father. Come in and take a seat. I’ll make some tea.” She said as she moved aside to let them pass. Secretly, Debbie was hoping they were just here to discuss her career, but she had a sinking feeling they were here to talk about the £10,000 she had borrowed two years ago and not been able to pay back due to travel costs, and all the other costs her wages didn’t cover. She brought in a pot of tea and some biscuits and then sat down opposite her parents. “So, Mother, Father, what brings you to my humble little flat? I haven’t seen you for quite some time.” Her mother smiled and said, “Well Debbie, you know how it is, I bring up two daughters, one becomes an up and coming novelist and the other becomes a party planner. I bring you girls up so that you can marry off quickly, but alas, Dianne has had zero contact with men and you, well, you seem to jump from man to man, never giving yourself the chance to pop the question. It saddens me, that’s all, to see you all alone here, at twenty three.” Debbie shuddered, it was worse than she had thought, her mothers’ retirement from dancing had forced her to start asking of her children’s’ love lives. “Well, Mother, I am actually in the middle of becoming friends with a man, whom I think I like a lot more than just a friend. So there is nothing to worry about.” At this point her father piped up, “Well my dear, aren’t you going to introduce us? It would be nice to check you aren’t selling yourself short. I rather liked your last boyfriend, Clark, wasn’t it?” Debbie nodded slightly and her mother said, “Well, I would enjoy meeting this man, what is his name by the way?” Debbie said shyly, “His name is Darcy Burrows. I am friends with him, and hope to be more soon.” Her mother sighed and said, “Hmmm, it really seems you are going through the alphabet a bit there darling. Let’s hope this works out for you.” Debbie was amazed, normally her parents were only supportive when they want something, and sure enough, her mother dropped a bombshell. “Debbie, darling, sweetheart, I have something very important to ask of you. Your father has an arthritic hip and was contemplating having it replaced. But, we can’t afford it on our pensions, so we would be so grateful if you could pay. It’s only £10,000 and we did lend that to you a few years ago, this would make it even.” Debbie was saddened to see her dad in pain, but she knew she could never afford to pay for the surgery. “Mum, I’m so sorry, you know I barely make ends meet as it is, I can only treat myself once in a while.” Her mother smiled and said, “Never mind, we’ll work something out. Come along Henry.” Her dad, aided by silver handled walking stick, rose to his feet and said, “Coming Brenda. Give an ailing man a chance to get his balance.” She sadly watched as her father limped away, and hoped he somehow got the surgery he needed. Dionne then had an excellent idea, she could do fundraising work to help pay for her dad’s hip. Debbie began to play some of her favourite Queen tracks in order to help her think. Eventually she decided to wash cars for money. She walked to her computer and began to draw up a poster advertising her services. She finished at around 11pm so decided to go to sleep.
She awoke at 6am the next morning full of purpose. She hassled local businesses to put her poster in their windows, and placed an advert in a local magazine. She was going to have a whole day of washing cars the next Saturday, and then branch out to other areas of the country after that. She was determined to raise that money, one way or another. She met Darcy that Friday and they enjoyed a fantastic meal at the Mount Blanc restaurant and then headed out of town to the King Pin Bowling Alley. They played an exciting game and then sat back to watch the professionals. Darcy pulled out a copy of the magazine where Debbie had placed her advert and said, “What a wonderful thing to do Debbie. But you have a reputation to protect, and so I would like to offer you this.” And with that he pulled out two cheques, each worth the Euro equivalent of £10,000 and said, “The first one is for the operation, the second is to help you cover your costs until the book comes out. I went to all the shops and told them to put up a notice saying the money has been raised, and wrote a retraction for the magazine saying the same thing.” Debbie was stunned into silence, but eventually she said, “Wow, you know you’re the first friend I have ever had that has helped me out when I needed it. I rang a few friends to try and get help but they were too worried about their reputations to help me out. Although I have to ask how you got the money. I thought you earned very little as a jeweller. It seems odd that you came into money at the same time that I needed it.” Darcy smiled and replied shyly, “Well, actually, you forget that I used to run a big company, I still have tonnes in the bank, enough to live on for many, many years. So when I saw the notices and the advert, and saw what it was to help, I couldn’t really sit there with all that money and look on as you tried to raise it all alone.” Debbie nodded and said, “Well, that means my father can thank you in person, because my parents are dying to meet you and they’ve invited us to a party they’re throwing. Black tie, next Monday evening, 7pm until 11pm, and they said I should bring my boyfriend, but since I don’t have one they said to just bring a friend. This means you.” Darcy was flattered to be considered a friend, and graciously accepted the invitation. Debbie went home that evening and began to plan what she was going to wear. She had many exquisite dresses, but none seemed appropriate, mainly because she had been given them all by ex boyfriends and it would have offended her parents if she had turned up with a new male friend in an ex’s present. So Debbie decided that before the party she would have to go shopping for a new dress. All hers were black, so she decided a change was in order.
The next morning Debbie threw on her old black Nike tracksuit and trainers and wandered down to Frederica Bettina’s Dress Shop. As she browsed the rows upon rows of gorgeous dresses in every colour imaginable, she was stuck. Apart from black she knew nothing about dress colours, about what flattered her and what didn’t. She needed help. She walked over to Frederica and said, “Oh, Miss Bettina, I know you’re awfully busy, but would you mind helping me out?”
Crossing Boundaries
By Vicki
It was a warm and sunny July morning in the small principality of Monaco. Everything was as it should be, the birds were singing tunes of joy, the people were going about their business as they regularly did, pausing every so often to look at their reflections in a shop window, or indeed to look at the contents of the shops and ponder buying something.
It was a normal day too, for novelist Debbie Alexander. She was sitting in her crisp and sterile white kitchen enjoying a cup of Parisian coffee, reading the local papers and contemplating another day writing her newest book, “Living for Lizzie”. It was a romantic tale about a man who was willing to give part of his liver to save his fiancée and childhood sweetheart. She decided it was about time she got dressed and wandered into her bedroom to ponder what to wear that day. She eventually decided on a lilac blouse and skirt combination with matching sandals. She applied deep violet eye shadow to the lids of her deep green eyes, pencilled round her eyelids in black kohl pencil and applied a gentle peach lipstick to her lips. She then swept her long black hair into a side parting and clipped it into place. She then walked down from her penthouse flat to the street below and began to browse the shops.
Debbie wandered around until she came across a shop she had not seen before, so decided to check it out, find out what was going on, it was a brave soul who set up a shop in Monaco, there was so much competition. She walked up to a man who looked like the owner and said, “Why, hello. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before, and this being such a small place, everyone knows everyone else. So, who are you?” The tall man swept back his long, shoulder length blonde hair from his face and replied in an English accent, “Hello, you must be Debbie; I believe I’ve met some of your friends, they talked a lot of you. Anyway, my name is Darcy Burrows. I moved into town a few weeks ago, I ran a secretarial business in England, and had enough saved up to buy a flat here. I wanted to keep earning so I opened this little jewellery shop.” Debbie gazed into Darcy’s deep, swimming pool like blue eyes, and said, “Well, may I just say, welcome to the area. Do you have any friends here yet? It can be hard to mingle here if you don’t have some sort of fame. I’m a writer myself; you might have seen my books in England, “Dance with the Devil” and “Seeking Love”. Anyway, I’m rambling; I’ll take a look around and leave you alone.” Darcy smiled and said, “Well, since you asked, I don’t have any friends here, sadly. I’ve read both your books, and look forward to the next one. Do take a look around; there should be something that catches your eye.” Debbie wandered round the shop, gazing at the dainty gold and diamond chains, stone clad rings and fabulous earrings, all shapes, even a pair with Ferrari badges on them. Eventually, she set eyes on a necklace with a heart shaped pink sapphire. She picked it up and took it to the counter, where Darcy said, “I was hoping someone kind would buy that one, it’s one of the best pieces I’ve ever made.” Debbie smiled and said, “Well, I never knew you made all this jewellery by hand. I’ll bear that in mind next time I need a special present for a friend.” She handed over the money, and left the shop.
After she finished buying in her additive free, organic food for the week, Debbie headed home to try on the necklace. It hung perfectly around her neck, making her pale skin look even paler. The sapphire glistened in the light, and it felt cool against her neck. She sat down at her computer to begin work, and as the hours passed she became more and more aware that she had a funny feeling in her stomach, like the one she got when she met her last boyfriend, Clark, so she knew what was wrong, she had a teenage crush on Darcy. She sensed she was going through the alphabet; first there was Aaron, the exchange worker at the publishing agency. Then there was Bruno, a racing driver. After him came Clark, who was a journalist. And now there was Darcy. All her other relationships had ended in tears, and she was slightly worried this one would go the same way. But, as ever, the feeling of loneliness crept back into her soul. She decided to phone her friend Patricia, to get her advice. She dialled the number, and after five rings Patricia answered. “Bonjour Debbie, how are you?” Debbie always loved the way Pat answered the phone, “Hello Pat, I was calling for a little advice, on men. As you know, I usually ask Eloise, but after three failed relationships using her advice I’ve decided to try someone else. And that someone else is you.” Patricia waited a moment and then said thoughtfully, “OK, so what’s his name? And what does he look like?” Debbie laughed and said, “Well, his name is Darcy, and he is so nice. Long blonde hair, deep blue eyes and a bubbly personality that is so sweet it is unbelievable.” Pat smiled to herself and said, “Oh, this is that nice English man with the jewellery shop isn’t it? Yeah, he is mighty fine, but not really my sort of man. If you want him, the way to do it is by gaining his trust and friendship, then going for it.” Debbie thanked Patricia and hung up the phone, safe in the knowledge she had sound advice. She went to sleep that night feeling the cool pink sapphire brush on her neck.
The next morning Debbie awoke feeling fresh and happy, and decided that day was as good as any to start to get her man, Darcy, and she slipped on her pale pink summer dress and sandals, left her silky hair hanging by her shoulders, and went for a walk. She passed her favourite café, the Dolphin Café, and decided to call in for a coffee. As she sat down, she was joined by a familiar face. “Hello Debbie, nice to see you again. I didn’t know you frequented this lovely little establishment.” Said Darcy, with a smile. Debbie winked and said, “Well, not many people know this place exists. I like it that way. Anyway Darcy, what are you doing here? I thought you’d be working in the shop.” Darcy explained that he worked part time with his business partner taking on the rest of the time. They talked about the glorious Monaco weather, the economy, their interests, and anything else that cropped up into the conversation. Eventually Debbie said, “Well, I guess I’d better be going, I have to withdraw some money from the bank. And then there’s the birthday card I need to buy for my sister.” Darcy helped her from her seat, and waved to her as she walked down the road. She smiled as she saw the bonds of a small friendship begin to form in front of her eyes. She knew this was the right way to go with the relationship, not pushy, not reclusive, just neutral. She called into the card shop and bank and then headed for home. Once there she decided to treat herself to some of her favourite food, the Alexander family soup. She got the necessary ingredients and realised to her horror she was out of rosemary, which was key in giving her family chicken and herb soup it’s flavour and zip. She pondered going out to the shop, but thought maybe it would be better to make something else, when suddenly there came a knock at the door. Debbie hit the intercom button and said, “Who is it?” in calm, singing voice. There was a somewhat awkward pause and then a reply, “I’m so sorry to do this, but I was selling herbs in the area and saw your name plate, and thought you might like some, I only have one plant left. It’s Darcy by the way.” Debbie opened the door and looked at the single plant in Darcy’s arms, a rosemary plant. “Oh Darcy! You are a lifesaver! I was going to make soup and needed some rosemary, how much would you like for that plant?” Darcy said it was no problem; she could have the plant for free. Debbie thought it only right to repay his kindness, and said, “Darcy, if you aren’t busy, would you like to stay for dinner and a glass of wine?” Darcy paused and thought for a moment, then said, “Well, I have no other friends, so I would be delighted.” He sat down on the plush leather sofa whilst Debbie flew around the kitchen, chopping chicken, garlic, rosemary and adding a pinch of pepper to the mix of water and stock cubes. A little while later she poked her head around the door and said, “OK, Darcy it’s ready!” Darcy wandered in, captivated by the smell, sat down and said, “You know, I know what this is! Your sister Dianne made me some as a housewarming gift, but it wasn’t as good as this!” Debbie smiled and said, “Well now, that might be because I use all organic products. My diet is almost additive free, except for cakes, which are hard to get here.” Darcy smiled and said, “Debbie, have you been in a situation where you really think you might love someone and you’re too scared to admit it to them?” Debbie explained she was feeling that way right then, and the topic was dropped.
The next day Debbie was due at a PR event for “Living for Lizzie” and got up extra early to prepare her appearance. She ate breakfast and then began the three hour transformation that changed her from pastel and peachy Debbie into a new Debbie, the dark side of herself. First she washed her long black hair, but instead of leaving it straight, she attacked it with a set of hair curlers. Then she cleansed, toned and moisturised her face. After that was done she applied a foundation of Peach Cloud to make her seem ghostly pale, and atop this she applied heavy black kohl eye liner and black eye shadow and lipstick. She attached her coffin earrings and pendant, and then set about clothes. She decided on a long sweeping black dress and coat to match, along with black tights and high heels. That was the exterior sorted; she now had to transform her personality into a rude and abrupt woman, although she never resorted to profanity. Transformation complete, she decided to call in on Darcy before she left for Nice. She walked to his block of flats but met him half way walking to his shop. “Morning Mr Burrows.” Debbie said abruptly, as she walked briskly by. “Debbie, what has happened to you? Can we talk about this?” Debbie flicked her hair back and said “Terribly sorry Darcy but we cannot talk about this now, because I have to drive to Nice.” Darcy shrugged and watched as Debbie walked to the residents’ car park and climbed into her blue Mercedes E55 AMG.
After the drive to Nice, Debbie was in a bad mood, which added to the transformation perfectly. She turned to the group of journalists before her and said coldly, “OK you lot, if we make this quick and painless it’ll be better for all of us.” She answered all questions easily until one lady asked her about her thoughts on the world economy. “You fool! I’m a writer, not an accountant!” The woman blushed and said, “Sorry, wrong room!” and rushed out of the small hotel conference room they were in. After the interviews, Debbie’s mobile rang, she answered it by saying, “Alexander here, what is it? Oh, Darcy, I’ve just finished work down here in Nice. Yes, of course we can talk, come to my flat and I’ll make you an organic curry. Au revoir my friend!” She ended the call and started the drive back home.
She arrived back at around five o’clock and began cooking a curry for two, and as she finished Darcy arrived. “Come in Darcy. What did you want to talk about?” By this point the two were eating and Darcy said, “Well, I wanted to talk about you actually, today, all of a sudden you’ve changed. Why?” Debbie finished her meal and said, “Look, give me half an hour, go and watch television or something.” Darcy shrugged and Debbie disappeared into her room. She straightened her hair, removed the make up, changed into a pair of jeans and a t shirt and more importantly, dropped the attitude. She re-entered the room and Darcy smiled and said, “So, what was going on today?” Debbie smiled back and said, “Darcy, you might not believe it but a few years ago, when I started writing, I was a Goth, and it turned out the public loved that. Well, I saw a light and had an image change, to become the woman you see now. But, the public thought that was boring, so for every PR event I do, I return to my former self, and sadly, that means the attitude. I should have told you, everyone else knows about it, and goes along with it.” Darcy grinned and said, “Well, you’re my friend, and in friendship one must take the rough with the smooth.” Debbie was glad Darcy was going to accept her other self, and decided to do something brave. She was supposed to see a film with her sister, but Dianne had to back out due to work commitments, so she thought she might as well ask Darcy. “Excuse me, Darcy, but would you like to come to the cinema with me? Dianne has had to work and I don’t want to go alone.” Darcy sighed and said, “Well, actually, I wouldn’t.” Seeing Debbie’s shocked expression, he continued, “What I would love to do is take you out for a meal, then go bowling.” Debbie smiled and said, “I take it you’re not a film person then? Never mind, bowling and food sound great. When do you want to go?” They agreed that it was too late that night, and decided to meet in three days time, on Friday night. Debbie said goodnight and began the task of cleaning the pots, pans and plates she had used that evening, then she decided to have a bath. She told her electronic smart bath to prepare itself to her chosen temperature, and set it to keep that temperature constant. She lit some candles, reached for her favourite women’s magazine, “Select” and laid back to relax. An hour or so later she emerged and slid into her pink silk nightdress, when suddenly the doorbell rang. Debbie rushed to pull on her black flannel dressing gown and answered the door. It was her parents, the two people Debbie despised more than any other. They grew up in Monaco in the glory days of racing drivers and their wives, and they thought all the film stars and models were ruining the atmosphere. “Hello Mother, Father. Come in and take a seat. I’ll make some tea.” She said as she moved aside to let them pass. Secretly, Debbie was hoping they were just here to discuss her career, but she had a sinking feeling they were here to talk about the £10,000 she had borrowed two years ago and not been able to pay back due to travel costs, and all the other costs her wages didn’t cover. She brought in a pot of tea and some biscuits and then sat down opposite her parents. “So, Mother, Father, what brings you to my humble little flat? I haven’t seen you for quite some time.” Her mother smiled and said, “Well Debbie, you know how it is, I bring up two daughters, one becomes an up and coming novelist and the other becomes a party planner. I bring you girls up so that you can marry off quickly, but alas, Dianne has had zero contact with men and you, well, you seem to jump from man to man, never giving yourself the chance to pop the question. It saddens me, that’s all, to see you all alone here, at twenty three.” Debbie shuddered, it was worse than she had thought, her mothers’ retirement from dancing had forced her to start asking of her children’s’ love lives. “Well, Mother, I am actually in the middle of becoming friends with a man, whom I think I like a lot more than just a friend. So there is nothing to worry about.” At this point her father piped up, “Well my dear, aren’t you going to introduce us? It would be nice to check you aren’t selling yourself short. I rather liked your last boyfriend, Clark, wasn’t it?” Debbie nodded slightly and her mother said, “Well, I would enjoy meeting this man, what is his name by the way?” Debbie said shyly, “His name is Darcy Burrows. I am friends with him, and hope to be more soon.” Her mother sighed and said, “Hmmm, it really seems you are going through the alphabet a bit there darling. Let’s hope this works out for you.” Debbie was amazed, normally her parents were only supportive when they want something, and sure enough, her mother dropped a bombshell. “Debbie, darling, sweetheart, I have something very important to ask of you. Your father has an arthritic hip and was contemplating having it replaced. But, we can’t afford it on our pensions, so we would be so grateful if you could pay. It’s only £10,000 and we did lend that to you a few years ago, this would make it even.” Debbie was saddened to see her dad in pain, but she knew she could never afford to pay for the surgery. “Mum, I’m so sorry, you know I barely make ends meet as it is, I can only treat myself once in a while.” Her mother smiled and said, “Never mind, we’ll work something out. Come along Henry.” Her dad, aided by silver handled walking stick, rose to his feet and said, “Coming Brenda. Give an ailing man a chance to get his balance.” She sadly watched as her father limped away, and hoped he somehow got the surgery he needed. Dionne then had an excellent idea, she could do fundraising work to help pay for her dad’s hip. Debbie began to play some of her favourite Queen tracks in order to help her think. Eventually she decided to wash cars for money. She walked to her computer and began to draw up a poster advertising her services. She finished at around 11pm so decided to go to sleep.
She awoke at 6am the next morning full of purpose. She hassled local businesses to put her poster in their windows, and placed an advert in a local magazine. She was going to have a whole day of washing cars the next Saturday, and then branch out to other areas of the country after that. She was determined to raise that money, one way or another. She met Darcy that Friday and they enjoyed a fantastic meal at the Mount Blanc restaurant and then headed out of town to the King Pin Bowling Alley. They played an exciting game and then sat back to watch the professionals. Darcy pulled out a copy of the magazine where Debbie had placed her advert and said, “What a wonderful thing to do Debbie. But you have a reputation to protect, and so I would like to offer you this.” And with that he pulled out two cheques, each worth the Euro equivalent of £10,000 and said, “The first one is for the operation, the second is to help you cover your costs until the book comes out. I went to all the shops and told them to put up a notice saying the money has been raised, and wrote a retraction for the magazine saying the same thing.” Debbie was stunned into silence, but eventually she said, “Wow, you know you’re the first friend I have ever had that has helped me out when I needed it. I rang a few friends to try and get help but they were too worried about their reputations to help me out. Although I have to ask how you got the money. I thought you earned very little as a jeweller. It seems odd that you came into money at the same time that I needed it.” Darcy smiled and replied shyly, “Well, actually, you forget that I used to run a big company, I still have tonnes in the bank, enough to live on for many, many years. So when I saw the notices and the advert, and saw what it was to help, I couldn’t really sit there with all that money and look on as you tried to raise it all alone.” Debbie nodded and said, “Well, that means my father can thank you in person, because my parents are dying to meet you and they’ve invited us to a party they’re throwing. Black tie, next Monday evening, 7pm until 11pm, and they said I should bring my boyfriend, but since I don’t have one they said to just bring a friend. This means you.” Darcy was flattered to be considered a friend, and graciously accepted the invitation. Debbie went home that evening and began to plan what she was going to wear. She had many exquisite dresses, but none seemed appropriate, mainly because she had been given them all by ex boyfriends and it would have offended her parents if she had turned up with a new male friend in an ex’s present. So Debbie decided that before the party she would have to go shopping for a new dress. All hers were black, so she decided a change was in order.
The next morning Debbie threw on her old black Nike tracksuit and trainers and wandered down to Frederica Bettina’s Dress Shop. As she browsed the rows upon rows of gorgeous dresses in every colour imaginable, she was stuck. Apart from black she knew nothing about dress colours, about what flattered her and what didn’t. She needed help. She walked over to Frederica and said, “Oh, Miss Bettina, I know you’re awfully busy, but would you mind helping me out?”