Lonely People

Dress for Sucess

Ellen proved to be a great manager mere minutes into us signing. The very first thing she did was negotiating with Clive to raise our pay. That was not difficult, as Clive was our 'biggest fan'. He agreed to raise our paycheck three pounds each.

The decision was already making our lives better. Ellen was showing us how to be a good band inside and out. She even gave Janice more methods to deal with her pre-show anxiety. She was teaching us everything we needed to know about show business, including giving me a lecture about cursing on stage. 

Just after raising our pay, Ellen told us she was going to get us new clothes. When we asked why she said exactly what Brian told me.

"Image is everything."

That includes clothing. We couldn't have a greaser, a mod, and a hippie all in one rock and roll band. The image that sold was a band that seemed unified, both in personalities and appearance. That meant we needed matching outfits. It all sounded like a child's game of dress up to me, but I went along with it for the sake of the band. 

We were to meet Ellen on Dark Horse Street where all the good clothing shops were. It would take twenty minutes to walk there, even in the snow flurry. Just before it was time to leave, I was in Molly's room searching for my boots.

"Alright, Mum!" Molly exclaimed, slowly backing into her room.

She shut the door and sighed, "We've got to get our own place."

"What was it this time?"

"I didn't eat a big enough breakfast to go out in the snow," Molly huffed, "It's not like that helps!"

I shook my head. Molly had steadily been growing more and more frustrated with her parents. I have to admit, as much as I loved Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie, I was beginning to become frustrated with them as well. They were helicopter parents, and that was not something either of us could tolerate. Mrs. Mackenzie was always on us to eat more, claiming we were 'too thin' and that we needed 'energy'. Mr. Mackenzie would never let us leave the house unless we were dressed like nuns. 

"With this new pay raise, we'll have enough o get our own flat," Molly said, stepping into her boots.

I smirked, "Who said I still want to live with you?"

"You wouldn't know what to do without me," she cheekily replied.

I couldn't argue with her there. After living with her for so long, I wasn't sure if I could leave. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I couldn't talk to her every day. 

Once we both had our shoes and sweaters on, we left the room. Mrs. Mackenzie was standing in the living room dusting her book collection.

"Be careful, girls," she smiled her warm smile, "Stay warm, and make sure to look both ways, and-"

Molly interrupted, "We will, Mum, bye."

"Bye, Mrs. Mackenzie."

We didn't give her enough time to say anything more. We quickly grabbed our coats and stepped out into the afternoon.

"We could get a flat near the club," I suggested, "Then it wouldn't be such a long walk."

Molly nodded, "It would be easier. Expensive, though."

"Damn."

We chatted about different flats in different areas of town all the way to Dark Horse Street. All we could come up with were the cheap ones on the coast. The only reason they were so cheap was that they were positioned between the shipyard and the canal. Either you smelt fish or you heard them building the ships, both options took a toll on your sleep.