Ghost Diaries 1_Gigi's Guardian_Paranormal Romance Page 23

  “Thank God I’m not showing yet.”

  “Mmm, yes. Respectable and pregnant don’t go together, do they?”

  “We’ll be good,” Gigi promised, with a giggle.

  “For as long as possible,” Adele added. She sounded mischievous but Jane only laughed.

  “I trust you.”

  “Silly girl.”

  21st April 1968, Sunday, London.

  We’ve got our opportunity!

  As Leilani observed, “They’re coming to London - Stage One is complete.” Then she added rather anxiously, “How do we manage Stage Two?”

  “How to make them realise Tommy is the right person for Jane, you mean?”

  Leilani nodded. I gave a sudden laugh.

  “What are you thinking about?” They both turned to me.

  “I just imagined Tommy riding up on a white horse, dressed in armour. He killed the dragon and saved Jane, his damsel in distress. They were in a modern London street with both her parents watching.”

  The other Guardians smiled as they pictured the scene too. Then Maude said, “That’s not actually as silly as it seems. Take away the horse, the armour and the dragon and the scenario works. If Jane’s parents saw Tommy putting himself in danger to rescue her, they'd realise how much he loves her. It’s hard to refuse a man anything, if he’s just saved your daughter’s life.”

  “But what if he doesn’t save her and they both die?" Leilani squeaked. They’re not supposed to for years and years yet. Brenda would be furious with me.”

  “We’ll have to make sure he gets things right. After all, isn’t that why we’re here?”

  “There may be a way to find out in advance if this would work,” I said thoughtfully.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Computer modelling wasn’t around when you two were alive. It was cutting edge technology in my day and in all the disaster movies. People ran computer models to find out the consequences of their actions.”

  “So why did the disasters happen anyway?”

  “The models in the films had flaws. The real ones seemed to work most of the time. There were various types for different purposes. Surely if they had such things on Earth, they'd have better ones in Heaven?”

  Leilani looked doubtful. “I’ve never heard of them.”

  “I think they use one when they’re making up the Action Plans for us," Maude said, doubtfully. "I’m not sure, but the person who will know is Ariane's friend, Norm.”

  Norm - of course, the very man, and I hadn’t even thought of him. They both glanced at me, with the same sly gleam in their eyes.

  “He is your friend...”

  “And this is your idea...”

  “Please will you go and speak to him for me, Ariane?” Leilani took my hand and asked, in a wheedling tone of voice.

  What could I say? I had to agree but - oh no, not another visit to Big Orange!

  Now I’m on my way to find Norm and I’m not looking forward to meeting him. After all, he asked me to the fancy dress party and I spent most of the time with Ivan. Oops.

  Day 235, Heaven / 22nd April 1968,

  early Monday morning, London.

  Big Orange was having a good day because no one was arguing. In fact, the room seemed to be almost empty.

  “Where are they?” I asked Norm, who was sitting at his desk as usual.

  “They’re watching the Celestial Cup match.”

  “Why aren’t you?”

  “I’m an American. I don’t do soccer.”

  “No, of course you wouldn’t.”

  “How can I help you?”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t see much of you at the party,” I said, getting the worst part over with first.

  “I searched for you after the chess finished, but you’d vanished.” He sounded miffed.

  “I met an old friend whom I hadn’t seen for ages. We had so much to catch up on, it took ages. The party had finished by the time we got back and I couldn’t find you anywhere.” Actually I had never bothered to search for him, but he didn’t need to know.

  A gong sounded, a small grey cloud appeared over my head and drenched me with cold rain.

  “What happened?” I spluttered, shaking the icy water off my face.

  Norm grinned. He took a towel out of his desk and tossed it over to me. “You lied. You’re not allowed to tell fibs here. You’re lucky. You must have only told me a white one. Otherwise you’d have got the 1812 Overture, complete with thunder and lightning.”

  Now I know! You can lie in Heaven – but at your peril! I rubbed my hair and gave the towel back to him. “Thanks. Okay, he’s not an old friend and ‘ages’ was a few hours, rather than months. Sorry I lied to you.”

  He was still grinning. “What hurts most is that I wanted you to vote for me in the Elvis contest and you didn't - no one did.”

  “You don’t look like...” I started to say. “It’s the flip-flops,” I finished, as I remembered the rainstorm.

  “Everyone says the same thing,” Norm said sadly. “Elvis used to wear flip-flops and I had mine made to match the suit.”

  “Norm, Elvis wore boots with that outfit. Flip-flops, even white ones with diamond studs, don't go. If you want people to vote for you, find something else to put on your feet. Otherwise dress as Elvis did in ‘Blue Hawaii’. That way, you might get more votes.”

  “I’ll think about it. But you didn’t come here to apologise to me, did you?”

  “No.” I explained Leilani’s problem. There are computer models in Heaven!

  “Couldn’t survive without them,” Norm confirmed proudly. “All the Boss’ best ideas get worked out right here in Big Orange.” Oh my God (literally!), no wonder the world is in such a mess!

  To cut a long story short, we ran lots of trials and found a plan which seems to work. I hope Leilani likes the concept.

  Afterwards, Norm and I went to MackieDee’s for a burger and shake. Beats any fast food on Earth, but it would, wouldn't it? Norm told me some of the funny things that happen every day in the Orange Section and B.I.G. in general. I enjoyed being in his company, although he isn’t Ivan. I like him lots, but not in the same way. As I was saying goodbye, he shot his thunderbolt. “I meant to tell you before, I ran through your assignment one day last month. I had nothing to do and I was bored. Did you know James can’t have children of his own?”

  “What?”

  Norm nodded, “He’s sterile.”

  “Then why all the fuss? Why was I assigned to Gigi in the first place?”

  “Someone goofed. You’d be amazed how often things get screwed up. The fact he’s sterile doesn’t change anything. He’d still be a terrible father and an even worse husband to Gigi. Arabella's marriage won’t be made in Heaven, though she’ll be better able to cope with his moods. Gigi would curl up and die. She'd leave him, but not before the damage was done to her babe. James won’t find out about his sterility for years, until Arabella insists on check-ups for both of them. He’ll be stunned, but that’s not your problem.”

  “So I keep going? My job is still necessary?”

  “Definitely, they’re all counting on you.”

  26th April 1968, Friday, London.

  Jane’s parents surprised me. Jane had made me picture her father as a big stern man, the stereotypical pater familias, and her mother as a bit hysterical. They’re not. Both of her parents are small people, quietly spoken, dark and gentle, very like Jane herself. Uncle Hugh, on the other hand, is tall and seems as if he would be fun to be with. They’re nice, although we were not seeing them at their best. Jane’s parents were uneasy and Uncle Hugh fidgeted with the tension all around him.

  Jane had taken the day off work, but Tommy couldn’t meet them until later.

  “Will you please come with me? I’m so nervous.” Jane asked Adele and Gigi.

  “I can be with you after four. Friday’s one of our busy days, but I'll swap my last appointments and work through lunch,” Gigi answered.

  “I'll
take a few hours off. I’m sure they’ll let me, after doing so much overtime,” Adele offered.

  Jane and Adele met Mr. and Mrs. Jackson and Uncle Hugh at the station. Jane introduced them and they went to the Kardomah for a snack. The food tasted fine, but the conversation kept flagging. Everyone was being polite. You could tell Jane’s parents had other things on their minds. They did not want to discuss anything personal while Adele was with them. Only at one point did they become animated, when Adele told them about her trip to India.

  “Aren’t you brave?” Mrs. Jackson exclaimed, admiringly. “I would never have the courage to go so far away on my own.”

  “You think you’re being daring coming up to London,” Mr. Jackson remarked, unwisely reminding them of the reason they had come. The conversation abruptly flagged again. Adele couldn’t bear the tension any longer. She nudged Jane, excused herself and went to the Ladies, where Jane joined her.

  “Jane, I’m going to leave you to it. They’re all sitting there like stuffed dummies. They obviously want to talk to you alone and I’m in the way.”

  “Please don’t go,” Jane begged her. “Gigi should be here any minute and Tommy won’t be long. Stick it out until he comes. I don’t want him to walk in on a row. It’s not fair if we are at each other’s throats when he arrives. They'll start on me when you leave. If you stay, they can’t get into their stride. Don’t desert me yet.”

  Adele could not resist the appeal in Jane’s dark eyes. “Okay. I’ll stay till Tommy comes. Then Gigi and I will vanish.”

  “Thank you. I know it’s awful, but I do need you.”

  “Right, party faces on and into the fray.”

  Both girls went back to the table and continued to talk about unimportant things. The strain was dreadful. Adele felt absolutely delighted when she saw Gigi walking in through the door.

  Jane spotted her first and jumped up, waving. “Here’s Gigi now,” she said, relief evident in her voice, although she was trying to disguise it. “Mum, Dad, Uncle Hugh, this is my friend Gigi. I told you about her.”

  “Glad to meet you, Gigi,” Mrs. Jackson held out her hand.

  “Goodness Mrs. Jackson, you're just like Jane or rather Jane’s just like you,” Gigi blurted out as she shook hands. The resemblance is striking. Mrs. Jackson smiled and the two men laughed the first natural laugh we had heard.

  “I keep telling her so,” Mr. Jackson said.

  “Chip off the old block,” Uncle Hugh added.

  “Less of the ‘old’, Hugh, if you please,” Mrs. Jackson corrected him with a smile.

  “Old is the wrong word, Mrs. Jackson. You might be Jane’s sister not her mother,” protested Gigi. Mrs. Jackson must have been beautiful, when she was young, and she still appears younger than her age. Jane is a bit taller and she has her father’s eyes, otherwise she is a younger version of her mother.

  “A flatterer as well,” Uncle Hugh remarked.

  “Thank you, my dear,” Mrs. Jackson said, ignoring him. “How kind of you to say so. Now tell us a little about yourself. Aren’t you the young lady from the sunny Caribbean?” Gigi gave her an edited version of her life story. She ended with, “... I was lucky enough to find a room with Jane and Adele. We’ve enjoyed being together. We’ll miss each other when Adele goes off to India and I go home. It’s a pity we won’t be living nearer, but we’ll write lots of exciting letters.”

  Gigi’s lively personality and good manners seemed to be doing the trick. Jane’s people obviously liked her. Gigi hadn’t spoken about her childhood difficulties. She’d only described the two halves of her family from opposite sides of the world. She made them chuckle at some of the early misunderstandings. “My grandmother couldn’t talk English and Mum had five words in Norwegian. Three of those were ‘beer’, ‘bread’ and 'toilet', so they had a bit of a problem.”

  “What happened?”

  “Gran went to English classes and speaks better English than I do now. Mom can just about hold a conversation in Norwegian, although her best subject is still food and beer!”

  Everyone tittered, as she intended. She had finished telling them how much she liked living in London, when the door opened and Tommy arrived at last. He certainly looked different from the first time I had seen him. He was scrubbed and shaved. His long hair had been drawn back into a pony tail at the nape of his neck. He wore a sports jacket with a white shirt and a striped tie.

  “Where did he get the smart togs?” I hissed to Leilani.

  “Borrowed them. Hush!”

  “This is Tommy,” Jane introduced him.

  Mr. Jackson and Uncle Hugh both stood up to shake his hand.

  “I’m delighted to meet you,” Tommy said, “Jane told me so much about you.”

  “We need some fresh tea.” Jane waved to the waitress.

  Adele and Gigi exchanged glances. Adele seized her cue and rose.

  “Not for us thanks, we must be going. Lovely to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, Mr. Willis. See you again, Tommy. Please excuse us now.”

  “Delighted to meet you both.”

  Adele squeezed Jane’s shoulder in passing, as they left the table. The girls were so keen to get out of the awkward situation they almost ran. Gigi had done well to keep everyone diverted while they waited.

  “Be outside in a few minutes. This won’t take long,” Leilani whispered to Maude and me, as we followed Gigi and Adele.

  We asked Leilani what happened inside the cafe after we left and this is what she told us.

  “Such nice girls,” Mrs. Jackson said, looking after them.

  “I’m so glad you like them, Mum. They’re real friends.”

  “Have you come here straight from work?” Mr. Jackson asked Tommy. He brought him into the conversation, with strained good manners.

  “Yes.”

  Silence fell. No one knew what else to say. The important subjects hung over them, but they didn't want to talk about it. In such public place, they might be overheard. Some one had to make the first move and break the tension. Eventually, Tommy said, “I don’t live far from here. Would you like to come back to my flat, so we can talk in private?”

  Jane gave a small gasp. They had not arranged this in advance. She thought the whole thing was better being thrashed out in public. Tommy caught her eye and shook his head slightly, so she said nothing.

  “What a good idea. Thank you.” Uncle Hugh looked relieved.

  They left the cafe and walked along the street to the nearest bus stop. Our moment had come, the one we had rehearsed over and over again. The computer model was certain it would be a success.

  “Ready?” I asked Leilani.

  “Are you sure about this?” she cried. “What if it goes wrong?”

  “It won’t. Norm ran the program three times and got the same result. You even read the printout yourself. Get ready. Here’s the taxi now, right on time!”

  The black London cab overtook a number 16 bus and cut back into the left lane. Maude and I stood in the street with our cans of oil. Leilani hovered near Jane, ready to distract her attention at the right moment. The big black monster came sweeping along the road in our direction. My heart started pounding, although I knew I was in no danger. It missed us by inches and skidded on the puddle of oil we had created, exactly as predicted.

  The taxi surged towards the queue, out of control, the driver wrestling with his steering wheel. Everyone jumped out of its way except Jane. She glanced in the wrong direction as Leilani made a loud bang behind her back. She would have been badly injured if Tommy had not acted instantly. With a perfect rugby tackle, he swept her to one side and they ended up in the gutter. The taxi skidded into a wall and shuddered to a stop.

  “Are you all right?” Everyone crowded around them.

  “I think so,” Tommy said, as he climbed to his feet. He bent down to assist Jane, who lay on the floor, holding her leg and groaning.

  “What about you, love?”

  “My leg’s hurting. I can't get up.”


  The driver was shaking. He climbed out of his cab and hurried over to them.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, “I don’t know what happened. I just lost control.”

  “Not your fault, mate. Look at the oil all over the road.” One of the onlookers pointed to the glistening puddle, spreading sluggishly right across the street. Someone started to flag down the traffic. “Here’s a policeman.”

  The Bobby soon sorted things out. He took details and let everyone go. Jane was lifted into the taxi, which had only mangled its bumper and was still drivable. The driver couldn’t have been more helpful; he was so relieved he hadn't killed anyone. The local hospital soon discharged Jane. Her leg was only bruised and she had pulled some muscles.

  Her mother was shuddering as they walked away and her father kept his arm round her. “Thank God you saved her.” She looked at Tommy with her eyes full of tears.

  “Fine tackle,” said Uncle Hugh. “You should play for England.”

  Tommy smiled rather shakily. “I’m not as fast as I was and I never played at that level. I still enjoy a game when I get the chance, though.”

  “You were quick enough today to save my daughter’s life,” Mr. Jackson said, stopping and holding out his hand. “Thank you.” He had tears in his eyes, too.

  “You might both have been killed.” Mrs. Jackson was properly crying with relief by now. Another soggy gathering.

  Tommy kept looking at Jane. “I wouldn’t want to live without her.”

  “Don’t we need to discuss a wedding?” Uncle Hugh asked, seizing his moment.

  “Yes, we do,” Mrs. Jackson answered firmly. Her husband nodded.

  Jane appeared radiant the next day, when she told Adele and Gigi all about what had happened. “I can’t believe we're getting married.”

  “They’re coming to the wedding?”

  “They realised Tommy loves me enough to put himself into danger to save my life. So they started seeing him as the person he is. Mum told me later they think Tommy is a nice boy and she thinks he’s handsome. Mum will organise everything, just as I always hoped she would. I’m going to marry Tommy with my family around me. My worries are over. The rest of our future can take care of itself. All I need to do now is find a wedding dress.”