Stocking Tops Pt. 04

The cameras followed Lee as he went to the front of the stage and cried, "Show us your stocking tops ladies." As the credits rolled at least half the women in the mainly female audience lifted their hems amid great laughter and some very red faces.

James took Lee and Claire to the Daily Telegraph newspaper for interview. Lee dressed in jeans, a blue netting shirt, sunnies perched on his forehead and was wearing flip-flopping wearing the Australian footwear almost regarded as a national treasure, Jandals. He held a pencil. Claire had undressed for the photograph to be wearing a blue and white bustier, a blue thong and white stockings.

James then left with Claire for the airport. She had a modeling assignment in Melbourne. Lee stayed to talk to Gwen the reporter. She whispered to Lee, "I'm wearing stockings" and the reply was he didn't believe her so had his hand seized and pushed between her legs. The thirty-year-old mother of two gurgled and dug into her handbag for tissues. They met again in Lee's room mid-afternoon and spent a couple of hours mucking around until he placed the exhausted woman into a cab to pick up her children from school, a task she shared every other day with her husband.

The page three sensational photo of Claire with Lee in the 'Tele' next morning was all the upcoming fund-raising project could ask for. The headline screamed, 'Our Sexy Man Resurfaces'. The story stated Mr Lee Stocking Tops Peach had consented to give the 'Telegraph' an exclusive about his mystery project he claimed would rock Australia to its core.

Mr Peach: "It centers on pencils and the like and stocking tops. It will be sexy and fun and everyone will want to be in. That's all I can say until we are ready to announce complete details."

Reporter Gwen Cave: Are you expecting to raise $1 million dollars?

Mr Peach: No comment.

Gwen: Is this a planned huge rip-off of Australians?

Mr Peach: That's typical of the media to twist the truth like that, isn't it?

Gwen: What is the truth?"

Mr Peach: God, you could twist an arm off a statue. No comment. Do you wear stockings?

Gwen: Mr Peach!

Mr Peach: That ends this interview. Ponder about the connection between stocking tops and pencils and the like.

Lee wrote to his mother, outlining the project, and invited her to Australia to assist with the pre-launch. A few minutes later he took a call from Jill checking up on his welfare and saying she and Royce were in the city. They could pick him up and take him back home with him if that's what he wanted. He said yes, packed and went down and paid his hotel bill.

CHAPTER 3

The project planning group had agreed with Lee's suggestion to allow his mother to announce the project on her arrival at the airport. The timing of the airport press conference would allow Channel 7 to broadcast the interview live feeding directly into its breakfast show Sunrise some time between 6 and 9, depending on the arrival time of Vicky's flight. The channel would then unleash it's national newscast for ten minutes every two hours on the half hour all day Thursday through to 11:30 and on Friday, Stockings Top Day, from 5.30 am through to 11:30. Media advertising throughout Australia had also been arranged, sponsored by the Stockings Network of Australia. The police, civic authorities and social services had been advised of the arrangements and the Combined Churches had given their written consent to the project, mindful of the event's somewhat controversial nature, and acknowledged that it would be the beneficiary of all money raised, net of incidental expenses.

Everything was set to go. On the previous Saturday James had leaked sketchy details of the project to the Sunday newspapers complete with a photograph of Claire and some of her fellow models showing their stocking tops. As hoped for, the media choked itself with speculations that ranged from women throughout Australia being asked to join hands with a pencil between their lips and wearing only stocking tops to a swinging new stage show called Stocking Tops that would include the principal characters having sex on-stage, naked.

Cries of shame came from pulpits on that Sunday morning and morality groups throughout Australia were writing letters to the Prime Minister asking for direct intervention 'to stop this moral decline that would catapult Australia into the cesspit of the world.'

Just as James and his advisers predicted, media representatives from throughout the world sensed something big was about to happen and began arriving, uninvited, in Australia throughout that week and in many countries including Australia the manufacturers of pantyhose/tights/leotards published advertisements declaring stockings were dead, the body-cladding sculpture of pantyhose/tights/leotards with their exquisite femininity were much preferred.

In retaliation, the stockings industry published full-page ads of women wearing sacks with the huge heading proclaiming: 'You wouldn't look like this if you wore stockings.'

The media conference was jammed as to polite applause Lee Peach came on-stage wearing his white suit, no shirt, white boots, sunglasses and black Acubra.

"Hi guys, thanks for showing up. Show me your stockings girls."

The woman of the media was ready for this. Someone shouted 'One, Two, Three' and skirts and dresses were flipped up, to wolf whistles, cheers and jeers from male and butch journalists, all of that being broadcast live throughout Australia on breakfast TV with radio broadcasters chatting their heads off.

"My mother is my favorite woman in all of Great Britain. You may know she wears stockings, always has, and from an infant I played with her stockings, developed a fetish about stockings over the years and I still play with stockings. My mother has just the greatest legs even today and I don't even have to plea for you to make allowance for age. She's 53 and is my idea of the ultimate mom. Everyone, will you please welcome Victoria Peach who comes direct from London.

The cheers died to sighs of disbelief as Victoria loped out waving. Her blonde hair was up in a French roll and she wore swim goggles and a granny print dress that went over the tops of her black ankle boots.

"Hi everybody, what's up? I'm only dressed like this because I was warned about the pesky flies in Australia."

"Show us your stocking tops Vicky," yelled a cameraman.

Victoria cupped her ear.

"Show us your stocking tops Vicky," yelled the media.

Victoria let her hair down, threw her goggles aside and ripped her dress asunder and threw that aside. She was left standing in a black cami with a wide lace hem that came to an inch below her crotch. She wore black holdups with thick lacy tops and black ankle boots.

She looked gorgeous.

The media clapped warmly and she curtsied.

"I'm here to support my dear son to launch a fund-raising day tomorrow that is expected to sweep throughout Australia at noon. It is called Stocking Tops Day Australia. There you go, but first we want to show you just five slides on the big screen. Lee, please bring in superhero, the Flying Vicar of the Near Outback."

"Hi again everyone," said Lee. "Thirty-three hours after arriving in Australia I hitched a ride into Sydney with the Rev Bill Bishop known as the flying vicar who tends his out flung flock and as well has responsibility for coordinating seven of 120 learning centers for kids living nowhere near Government and fee-taking private schools. Bill mentioned he was on his way to see the Bishop and expected a rap over the knuckles because his accounts were in deficit. He told me about the Big Dry had cut through voluntary donations, hitting the ability of these inspirational learning centers from restocking their permanent and mobile resource centers and having to reduce staff. It wasn't a sob story but it made me feel like crying. So a small idea sprang to mind on how I could help. More about that in five minutes. Take it away Bill – Bill flew me to two of these learning centers last month after the Combined Churches' Organization that runs these centers approved of the Stocking Tops fund-raising project."

Bill showed the five slides that indicated the work of the learning centers and read quotes from the center managers describing how the Big Dry had dried up voluntary funding. "Six weeks ago I responded to a radio call to pick up a hitchhiker wanting to get to Sydney in a hurry. The only strip out there near Dry Creek was on a sealed highway but I landed and look off without scaring any motorists because none were passing at that time. My passenger was this guy beside me, two days after arriving from England. I arrived from England nine years ago and was a big cagey about talking to a greenhorn Pom. But he said 'G'day Mate, how's she going', and I knew I had a keen learner beside me. He confided he knew a lot about stockings but not much about Australia and then he was asking me these questions about what our learning centers wanted. I said pencils, rubbers, boxes of paper, crayons, reading books, sticky tape. He interrupted me and said, "I think I'm coming up with an idea of how to get you a million pencils."

"I laughed. He said just tell your Bishop you've met a git who's going to get your Combined Churches organization a million pencil equivalents to stock up its learning centers to last until the rains come and the regular voluntary contributors can afford to dip into their pockets again."

Lee handed the Rev Bill a pair of very dark glasses. "Pop them on Bill for the good of your heath. Oh Claire," he shouted.

Claire came out wearing a dazzling red bustier, red thong, red hold-ups and red shoes with six-inch heels and carrying a huge pencil of her height. 'This is my adopted Australian mom's daughter Claire Cobb from out Dry Creek way. Mom, announce the Big Day details."

Victoria said a full-page advertisement of Claire and her friends would appear in all newspapers tomorrow morning. Throughout today and tomorrow, TV ads would announce Stocking Tops Day Australia would be held throughout the country tomorrow between noon and 12:30 when women – and guys if they wished – would post a minimum donation of $5 to the Combined Churches' Learning Center Appeal of Australia.

"As the donors post their donation they are invited to show their stocking tops for five seconds. Of course any exhibitionists can keep on making donations and lift their dress again. We want donors to wear their best stockings and be adequately covered you all know where. We have persuaded the newly formed Stockings Network of Australia representing commercial interests associated with stockings to underwrite all of our advertising costs. My son and his newly acquired friends and friends of friends and our close friend Channel 7 TV working on this project will not receive a cent out of donations. Churches associated with the Combined Churches' Organizations will supply volunteers to clear the mail deposited by security vans collected from Australian Post. Banks will provide staff to accept deposits and providing banking security. This has been a tremendous difficult project to keep the lid on it, with hundreds of people involved, but we've done it. We close now by asking Claire and her five friends similarly dressed to come on stage and treat you by dancing the 'Can Can'. Thank you everyone.

Lee called: "Refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the dance, there are press kits available for everyone and we'll take questions over a drink. Thanks for turning out you guys and everyone watching TV turn out on the streets at midday tomorrow to watch the fun."

CHAPTER 4

The Daily Telegraph and Sydney Morning Herald published stories next morning with photographs of Lee with his arms about Victoria and Claire and the Rev Bill Bishop in his dark glasses talking to Claire in her stockings and bustier. They also ran their own version of the handout stating the campaign center would be in Martin Place, Sydney where Australian Post would have five 18-wheelers with postal slots cut high on their sides and lined up on the far side of a stage allowing the donors to face the crowd in the street watching the showing of stocking tops. Journalist on both newspapers commented sagely the appeal was bound to 'bomb' because while it was novel young women had been given too little time to prepare for the event.

Well, how wrong can you be?

The first half of the news on Channel 7 that evening was devoted to the 'most sensational public appeal in Australia since the early years of World War 2'.

Extra police were rushed into many city centers to control the crowds. Australia Post urgently called in retired staff to handle avalanches of mail. Riot Police were called in to haul away drunken louts spoiling the occasion in Martin's Place, Sydney.

Reporters crowed that not only had young women turned up their dresses after making donations but also school girls, grandmothers some great grandmothers and the male gays were out in force as were hunks in football gear wearing stockings and everywhere traffic was in chaos as motorists jammed streets trying to get to a mail box to jump out, post their donation and flash their legs.

"Australia never has had such a fun day," concluded the female presenter, looking highly excited.

"Did you post and flash?" asked the male news presenter.

"Yes."

"Flash for us now."

Obviously rehearsed, she jumped on to her desk and hauled up her hem and held it under her chin.

"Wendy, architecturally you are magnificent and here for several years I have sat beside you in ignorance," said the male reader.

"That's the normal situation with a male," said Wendy.

"Thank you nasty Wendy. Oh, that exhibition will cost you another donation. And now for the normal news of strikes, parliamentary bickering, murders and mayhem..."

Wendy looked at her screen and broke in: "Here's a news flash coming in from the Bankers' Association. Stocking Tops appeal deposits have just passed $580,000 and with mail deliveries in chaos from estimates supplied by Australia Post on volumes it is projected that today's vast public appeal will raise at least $3 million for the Combined Churches' remote located learning centers network. This is a proud day for Australia, a great day for stockings but we are so thrilled to see those little kids on the fringes of the Outback benefiting to this extent. Lee Stocking Tops Peach, what a hero. This is Wendy Parrish, Channel 7 News, signing off," said Wendy, smiling and showing her stocking tops again.

* * *

The Channel 7-sponsored dinner that evening was attended by principal organizers, the Bishop and his wife represented the Combined Churches, the Rev Bill Bishop and his wife. After cocktails and dinner came the speeches, cut to two minutes a person and any woman who spoke had to flash. Victoria was invited to speak first and although brought the house down, as they say, when she said, "The last twenty-four hours has left me with a magnificent impression of Australia. Thank you and thank your Dear Australians for giving me this opportunity to flash."

When Lee took the microphone he said would the people he called please stand.

"First the Rev Bill Bishop, known as the Flying Vicar. I hitched a flight with Bill and we got talking about the seven learning centers he was responsible for in the network of 120 administered by the Combined Churches. As I left him at the airport in Sydney the idea of raising money publicly for those remote learning centers was bouncing around in my head."

"Claire Cobb. Claire was hired by a newspaper to set me up for a sneaky story to blow my attempt to live unnoticed for a while in Sydney. She later felt guilty and came back to me to hand me over her fee. I said no, she took me home to sanctuary at her parents' place and now we are lovers."

James Krug. Employed by a very flexible advertising agency, James was given heaps of time on pay to attend to our needs and performed hugely in getting the campaign started and running. We rewarded that advertising company by making it responsible for the creation and placement of all campaign advertising."

"Sheila Smith and Beth Aitkin. These two girls are flat mates with Claire and James and they showed me their stocking tops, giving me the idea if we could get enough women flashing and paying a fee for the privilege we might rake in some moneys to help fund the learning centers. We owe a debt to Beth – we were all going well in wine when she drunkenly climbed on to the table, flashed and said 'Stocking Tops Day Australia'. Suddenly Sheila, James, Claire, Beth and I were no longer laughing. A bell had sounded and we had a concept forming."

"Brigit Mason. Brigit is a senior exec at Channel 7. James called he and she told him to hurry because she was in a spa with someone and something needed attention. James delivered his pitch. His flat mates and I listened, holding our breath. Brigit responded with words that told us James had rung her bell. James and I met her early next morning and Brigit opened doors that gave this appeal the horsepower it needed."

"Everyone, please give these few people a standing ovation. Many of you have helped in the project, and magnificently so, but these people were the initial shakers and movers."

At that moment Lee's phone went. He looked to see who the caller was and announced, "Standby everyone, it's the Bankers' Association. If we have topped one million my mother Victoria Peach has ordered two bottles of French champagne per table at her expense. Little wonder I lick her stockings. Here we go..."

"Lee Peach...okay, Lee Stocking Tops Peach...Hi Mr Worthington...What!...That's simply amazing...Right, you're closing down for the night but they are still counting in Western Australia...Yes it is fantastic news...Thank you for your courtesy call and good night to you."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I've just being blown away. Processing has stopped for the night in all states except Western Australia. The chairman of the Bankers Association Jim Worthington said the donations range from five bucks up to fifteen hundred. As at a few minutes ago the total money flowing into the banking system in the name of the appeal...oh dammit, excuse me Lee said, wiping at both eyes with his hands...was $3,160,750 with possibly another million yet to be counted."

People yelled and begin kissing or hugging people next to them, the dance bank struck up 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow' and Lee was seated on a chair picked up by four guys and carried around the room.

Later dancing with Claire, Lee invited her to sleep with him that night and asked if she had lots of bookings.

"No, it's rather slack right now. Most of my work is swimsuits and it's unseasonable to promote them right now. So it's down to the occasional request from an advertising agency wanting a leggy model, which in my agency is me."

"Could you take off a month, starting tomorrow?"

"Yes, I suppose so. I'd need to talk to my principal. What do you have in mind?"

"I'm booked to fly back to England tomorrow and invite you to come with me, at my expense for a month. I wish to find where my future is. If it's not in England it is here. I'd like you to be really exposed to me and at the end of the day to decide whether you'd say yes if I asked you to marry me."

"Christ, this is a bit sudden. No wait, ask me now."

"No, please, I want a marriage, if I am to have one, to last. It would be great if you could come with me. Victoria is staying in Australia for six weeks and Jill and Royce are flying in tomorrow to pick her up and fly her home for a week or so and then she and Jill drive to Melbourne and on to Adelaide and then returning on an inland route so mother can see the real Australia. After they return to the farm, Royce intends taking them as far north as Cairns. So I need to be at the airport at 11:00 when they arrive to collect mom to say goodbye to all of them."