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Image Credit: Picture from PublicDomainPictures.net. Free for commercial and personal use with restriction. Girl in Red.

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Chapter 12 A visit to Cricklewood
 
In the event, Lucy and I never made it to go shopping in Oxford Street as planned. She rang me with an alternative suggestion on Sunday afternoon, just as I was getting ready to go into work.

‘Andy was telling me that his landlord will soon be disposing of a number of good quality second hand clothes in our size. Apparently, one of his former tenants has ‘done a bunk’ and is now being sought by the police, together with her boyfriend. She arrived back at the flat one night, collected her passport together with a few valuables and has left everything else behind. They appear to have skipped the country and nothing has been heard of them for several weeks now. The landlord is entitled to dispose of her belongings to cover her unpaid rent, if she doesn’t return by this coming Thursday. He was going to sell them to a second-hand clothes dealer, but says that they are very good quality and he would rather sell them privately if he can. I thought I might go along to see if he has a winter coat for sale. Would you like to come with me and have a look to see if there is anything to suit you as well?’ she asked.

‘I don’t mind having a look at them and maybe pick up a dress or two if they’re not expensive,’ I answered.

‘I’ll ring him up and tell him we’re coming on Wednesday afternoon as we are both free then.’

She called me back a little while later to confirm an appointment for us to visit the flat in Cricklewood at about 4.00 pm,.

‘What did you say to him about me?’ I asked.

‘Nothing at all, I only told him that I would be coming with my cousin. What else was there to say?’

I half hoped that I might have heard some news about my future employment after the weekend, as they must have been on the point of making a decision, but no news was forthcoming. I thought no more about our appointment until Lucy called me again before work on Tuesday afternoon to confirm the arrangements for the following day. She suggested that we should meet at the entrance to Oxford Circus tube station at 3.00pm and take a 189 bus from Marble Arch. I agreed to go, although I was now beginning to have second thoughts about whether I wanted to spend any more money on clothes for Becky as she didn’t seem to have much of a future, but Lucy had clearly gone to some trouble to arrange the meeting, and so I owed it to her at least to turn up and keep her company.

In the end I decided that I’d take the bull by the horns and talk to Randi before going home.

‘What can I do for you, Becky, my dear?’

‘I’ve almost completed four weeks as a barmaid and am running out of things to wear. Lucy has offered to take me shopping tomorrow, but what I buy will depend to some degree about whether or not I have a future working at the club.’

‘Would you like a future with the club?’

‘Oh yes, I’ve been having a wonderful time. I’d love to stay.’

‘Our plans for the new floor show have been delayed and put on hold until after Christmas, but nobody could fault you on the effort that you’ve made so far. Of course the final decision will be for Jack to make, but I honestly don’t think he’ll want to go to the trouble and expense of training a new barmaid if you’re willing to continue in that role for another three months or so. If you like I’ll talk to him and let you know for sure on Friday, but in the meanwhile, if you want to go out and buy yourself a new frock, I’d be inclined to do so.’

‘Thanks very much, I might just do that,’ I said looking relieved.

On the way home in the car I thought about the implications of staying on. A three month extension to my contract would take me well beyond the time when I would be bound to see Mum: there would be no way in which I could avoid telling her what I’d been doing. Also, I decided that I wouldn’t tempt fate by saying anything to Lucy and Carol, until I knew for certain.

~o~O~o~

I dressed myself with care the following day, wearing a blouse and skirt, leather boots and the black coat either given or loaned to me by Carol. I didn’t want to look too girly, but at the same time I wanted to be sure that there could be no suspicion that I was really a guy. I need not have worried for after having had the makeover and nearly four weeks of working in the club there was now little danger of me being ‘read’. Nevertheless I checked that my false breasts were still securely fitted and were displaying no signs of soreness. My ear piercings had all settled down and I had no difficulty removing or replacing earrings as necessary, and I was quite used to wearing a gaff. I now enjoyed having long shapely finger nails, but had to replace the nail varnish from time to time if it became chipped at work. I also noticed that my original hair colour was just beginning to show at the roots and the extensions were becoming noticeably looser. I made a mental note that I’d have to do something about them as soon as I was sure about my future.

Lucy and I eventually found the address in Cricklewood in another large Victorian house converted into several flats.

‘Is this where Andy lives?’ I asked.

‘No, he lives half a mile away, but his landlord owns several of these properties,’ she replied.

Lucy selected the relevant front door bell and rang an intercom buzzer.

‘Who is it?’ an elderly male voice asked.

‘Mr Turner, it’s Lucy and my cousin Becky; you are expecting us. We’ve come about some second-hand clothing that you have for sale’

The landlord let us in and introduced himself as Sam. He took us into a well-furnished first-floor flat and pointed towards the open door of an adjoining bedroom.

‘You’ll find everything in there. All the clothes are for sale. From what I remember the former owner was about the same height and build as both of you. I’ll leave you to have a look through them for a while. I shall be downstairs in the kitchen, call me when you’re ready and we can discuss terms.’

We quickly looked through a large number of very expensive dresses, skirts, blouses and tops hanging in the two wardrobes or else neatly folded away in a chest of drawers. Several of them looked as if they’d never been worn before, and others were still in plastic covers from a dry cleaner. The clothes included outfits for the office, day wear, business suits and leisure wear of all kinds. In the drawers were sets of matching lingerie and several pairs of stockings and tights still in their unopened packets. I noticed three outdoor coats, including one full-length dark red leather coat which must have cost a fortune to buy and half a dozen expensive looking handbags. There were at least a dozen pairs of shoes in different styles and colours, many of which seemed to have hardly been worn.

On the dressing table was a box containing costume jewellery, and a drawer full of cosmetics, and various other beauty products. There was also a set of curling tongs, a hair dryer and even a blonde wig on a block. On top of the wardrobe and under the bed was a set of expensive ladies luggage. The former tenant of the room, whoever she was, clearly had good taste and enjoyed spending a lot of money on her appearance.

‘My goodness, there’s some good quality stuff here,’ said Lucy looking at the labels and then putting on one of the coats. Shall we try the shoes on?’

‘Alright,' I replied.

I selected a pair of expensive looking high heels to put on, which seemed to fit me fine. Lucy found herself a pair of leather boots to match the coat she was wearing.

‘I would love these boots and this winter coat, if they aren’t too expensive,’ said Lucy. ‘How about you Becky?’

‘I’m not sure,’ I replied suddenly revising my previous decision and wondering how much I could now afford to spend.

‘Well at least try on one of the dresses to see if it fits you alright.’

I selected one and it appeared to fit me very well indeed.

‘You wouldn’t need to alter any of the dresses, if there are any that you like,’ she said.

There were, in fact, a large number that I liked.

‘Well let’s see how much he wants for them first,’ I replied.

We both changed back into our own clothes and called out to the owner who returned shortly afterwards.

‘So what do you think?’ he asked as he walked back into the room.

‘Surely your tenant can’t have just abandoned all of these clothes, they’re too good for anyone to leave behind,’ commented Lucy.

‘I think she only had enough time to grab her most valuable jewelry and her passport, and left everything else,’ he said.

‘What would happen if, someday, she decides to come back and wants to collect her things?’ she asked.

‘In the unlikely event that she does come back, I have instructions to notify the police straight away, as they will want to talk to her and her boyfriend about a great deal of money that’s missing from the office where they both worked. She has now been gone for almost six weeks and according to her contract, she must claim any of her belongings before nine o’clock tomorrow, and pay me all the back rent that she owes me, or else she forfeits her legal rights to everything that has been left behind in the room. I’ve checked with my solicitor, my former tenant would have no legal redress over any subsequent purchaser who bought them in good faith. If you decide to buy them, I will provide you with a valid receipt for everything and they will be legally your property’.

‘I see’.

‘Don’t worry, she’s had plenty of opportunity to get in touch with me over the last six weeks, but clearly doesn’t want to be traced,’ he continued. ‘I bet she is now having a great time spending the money she stole on lots of replacement clothes in Spain, and has forgotten all about these.’

‘Well, I’m not sure where to start. Shall we select some things that we would like and you can tell us how much you want for them?’ asked Lucy.

He seemed surprised by the idea.

‘No, I’m sorry but I’m not going to sell them piecemeal. Andy should have explained to you that I need the room cleared by this weekend, for a new tenant to move in. Whoever buys them must take the contents as a whole,’ he said in a tone of voice that allowed for no further discussion.

‘Oh! So how much are you asking for all these clothes?’ she asked.

‘My former tenant currently owes me fourteen hundred pounds in back rent, but I’m holding her original deposit of nearly a thousand pounds. I’ve no wish to make a profit from the sale in case her company’s insurance company should wish to make a claim for it themselves. So long as you agree to have everything cleared away by midday on Saturday you may have everything for only four hundred pounds. I’ve arranged for a new tenant to move in on Sunday. If you do not want to accept this offer I will telephone a second-hand dealer tomorrow morning, and I’m sure he will offer me that much for them,’ he said.

‘What exactly would we be buying for that money?’ I asked.

‘The contents of those two wardrobes, the chest of drawers, the dressing table, and the two suitcases under the bed are all hers. There is also a bag of dirty washing, but that has not been touched in six weeks and so you will probably want to throw that away. The furniture and fittings in the room are mine.’

‘Can we have a few more minutes to talk among ourselves?’ said Lucy.

‘Alright but I’ll need to know your decision this afternoon,’ he said and left us once again.

‘The price he is asking is only a fraction of what they must have cost and is far less than they would be likely to sell for on the second-hand market. I would offer to go halves, but even that is more than I wanted to spend, and I don’t really have enough room in my flat for many more new clothes,’ said Lucy.

I thought for a moment. She was right about the cost. There was everything there that I might conceivably need for a future life as a young woman, but it was still a lot of money to spend if it was only going to be for the next two weeks. Could I rely on Randi’s rather vague assurance of a further three months extension to my contract? But on the other hand there would never be another opportunity for me to furnish my wardrobe so cheaply.

’Even if they didn’t keep me on at the club, was I really willing to go back to living as Nick?’ I asked myself.

As soon as I’d allowed that thought to enter my head I knew the answer and knew what I needed to do.

‘Lucy, I have nearly five hundred pounds from my mother’s birthday present in my savings account. What if I were to buy them and then give you the coat and boots as a present?’ I suggested.

‘But where would you keep them all?’ asked Lucy, a little surprised by my response.

‘There is a large built-in wardrobe in my bedroom, a chest of drawers and a dressing table, each of which is only about a quarter full of Nick’s clothes. Also my room has access to a loft area in the roof, which is boarded and where I could store the remainder in the suitcases until I get an opportunity to sort through them all and decide what to keep and what to give away.’

‘I must say that he’s offering them at a very good price, but whatever will Carol say?’

‘I’ve no idea, but I noticed there is an expensive looking red leather coat which I just know that she would love to own; perhaps I could offer it to her as a sweetener.’

‘How will you move them all by the weekend?’ asked Lucy.

‘I’m not working tomorrow. If I come and pack everything, would you be able to help me to move them on Saturday morning before I go in to work?’ I asked.

‘Yes, I suppose so, since you are offering to give me the coat and boots.’

‘We could hire a couple of minicabs.’

‘Andy has a large car with a hatchback. Maybe I could ask him, if he would be prepared to deliver them in his car for you.’

‘I’d be happy to pay for his petrol if he did do so,’ I replied.

‘I’ll ask him tonight, but you’d better also clear it with Carol as well, I don’t want for us to turn up with piles of new clothes for you without her prior agreement. She hasn’t entirely forgiven me for dressing you up as Marilyn Monroe.’

‘The last time I spoke to her I got the impression that she was becoming a little more reconciled to having me staying as Becky.’

‘I sincerely hope so.’

‘She tends to stay out late on Wednesdays but I’m likely to see her tomorrow evening, I’ll tell her then.’

‘Just make sure you do.’

Sam came back into the room. This time I took the lead.

‘Alright Mr Turner, we'll take everything. I’ll come round tomorrow to pack everything and then we’ll collect them on Saturday morning,’ I said.

‘I would like to have the room cleared as soon as possible, but when you’ve packed you may leave all the cases and the bags in the garage until they can be collected, they should be safe enough there.’

‘Alright then.’

‘In that case I’d like you to give me a 25% deposit now, and pay the remainder when you clear the room tomorrow.’

‘If we give you  £150 now may my cousin take that coat and those boots straight away?’ I asked.

‘I suppose so, as long as you promise to return first thing tomorrow.’

Between us Lucy and I could just about manage to raise  £150 which we handed over to him, and he wrote out a receipt.

‘How will I contact you tomorrow morning?’ I asked.

‘I’ll be working at the flat from 9.30 onwards,’ he said.

~o~O~o~

‘Well Becky, you are now the proud owner of a complete wardrobe of female clothing and accessories,’ said Lucy as we were travelling back on the bus together.

‘So it would seem,’ I replied, beginning to wonder what I’d just done, and what Carol was going to say when she found out.

One thing I noticed about Becky compared to Nick, was that she does sometimes get a little carried away by her enthusiasm.

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