Faith - Lesley Pearse [62]
During the spring Jackie broke up with Roger. He had been promoted at work, and his new job involved much longer hours and a lot of travelling. Jackie thought he was using work as an excuse to get some time away from her, and after a blazing row they parted.
Laura pretended to be very sympathetic, but in reality she was delighted. She came up with the idea that they both needed to get out of London for a while, and she found unlikely allies in Jackie’s parents. They had liked Roger, but had always felt Jackie was too young to settle down, and it was they who suggested the girls should apply to a holiday camp for the summer season. They said that a complete change would be the making of both of them, and that Jackie would benefit from learning to take care of herself.
They couldn’t get in at Butlin’s because they applied too late. But they got accepted by a far smaller holiday company called Drake’s, which had several sites in Devon and Dorset, as entertainers.
Both of them were very excited, even though the grand job description only meant they had to entertain children on the site during the day, and organize games with the adults during the evening. The pay was very poor, just £2 a week, plus accommodation, and meals in the site café, but the manager said they would get tips from the holidaymakers if they worked hard, and they would get a bonus of a further £2 for every week if they stayed till the end of the season.
They arrived at Drake’s near Brixham in Devon in mid-May in heavy rain to find the site a desolate sea of mud. They were tempted to turn tail and run, for the place looked run down, deserted and grim. There were no chalets, only caravans, and the amenities consisted of a shop, café, children’s playground, shower block and a club room, all of which badly needed a coat of fresh paint.
In their naivety they had imagined a swimming pool, pretty flower beds, fairground rides and continental-style cafés. They’d seen themselves in the glamorous role of Butlin’s Redcoats, but it was immediately clear they would not be that.
The caretaker, who introduced himself as Alf, was well over fifty, with rotting teeth. As he showed them to the old and tiny caravan which was to be their home, he warned them the damp could make their clothes and shoes go mouldy.
He left them to settle in, saying he would make them a cup of tea later and show them where the games equipment was stored. He seemed to be somewhat amused that they had been taken on as entertainers, but didn’t explain why.
‘It’s going to be awful, isn’t it?’ Jackie said in a shaky voice. She prodded the seat cushions which doubled as a bed, and winced because they felt damp. ‘Can you imagine what sort of people would come here for a holiday?’
Laura could. People like she’d grown up with in Shepherds Bush! There wouldn’t be any nice boys, just men with braces over their vests and their trousers rolled up. The children would be evil little guttersnipes, and they’d have mothers who screamed at them all day, then got very drunk at night.
She might have known there would be a catch to the job. At the interview, the general manager hadn’t even asked them what sort of relevant experience they had of organizing games with large numbers of children. All he’d really said was that they would be there to make sure everyone had a good time, and to deal with any problems which might crop up.
He’d made more of an issue about the tips they’d get if they made sure the holidaymakers enjoyed themselves. The girls were so convinced they could make the holidaymakers ecstatically happy that they imagined they’d come home rich at the end of the season. They’d almost bitten his hand off for the job.
They were unpacking their clothes and trying to fit them into an inadequately small wardrobe when the sun suddenly came out.
The caravan was instantly warmer, and when they looked through the grimy windows they saw the mist had lifted and the sea was visible at the end of