Stocking Tops Pt. 06

CHAPTER 1

The years had been kind to Lee Peach. He lived outdoors a lot, being big into boating, and the fierce Australian sun had bleached the top of his natural blond hair platinum, contrasting with the natural darkening blond beneath that, leaving him with mix of shades that women -- including wife Claire -- found very attractive. He wore it collar-length and cut ragged.

Women also liked his tan, arising from the olive skin inherited from his mother Victoria and passed on to Claire's and his two children -- the upbeat and brain-sharp Vicky (soon to fight her mother to be allowed to become Vicki with an 'i') and five-year younger and very reflective Payton. Lee had caught Claire during a period of mild pre-birth depression with that startling name choice and she yielded to send her pressing husband off to allow her to suffer in peace. To her despair, his little buddies were already calling him 'Pay'.

Lee retained an athletic figure, having purchased a shareholding in a gym so he attended it regularly and hauling the trailer-boat out of the water, swimming and water skiing helped keep him in shape. Like most women, Claire preferred to spend the extra money on clothes for herself and the children so did not employ a maid, and doing most of the work around the house and cutting the lawns and keeping the hedges groomed helped keep her trim. The nanny's contract precluded her from involving herself in housework or even vacuuming the swimming pool she used daily for eight months of the year.

Oh, Claire also toned her fitness by running a series of hot short-term affairs. She'd capitulated into yielding into extra-marital lust after the birth of Payton. She allowed Lee to run wild with other women, so thought a little relaxation of hitherto rigid standards should add a bit of passion to her life and wasn't wrong about that. But for both of them, at the end of the day they knew they had bonded into a near-perfect match. Both had inherited their promiscuity from their mothers. Even after all the years that had passed, Claire still couldn't believe her mother had gone after Lee and had a piece of him. Wisely, she kept her mouth shut and daughter and mother remained the best of friends.

Lee arrived home on that Saturday morning at a gallop. He'd been into the office to run a creative meeting because James was away in Perth pitching to a client. Little Miss Seven already wearing her hat and sunglasses with sun block she'd applied extremely competently. Two-year-Payton clung to his mother's shorts and looked shyly at his father while his father looked at the mother's legs and licked his top lip, sending a flutter through Claire.

"Take Payton with you guys, get him used to the boat."

"Aw mom, we want to have fun."

"I just called Kevin on radio. The annual picnic is already five miles down harbor. If Vicky and I travel full throttle we'll catch them before they reach the picnic spot. The idea is to cruise as a flotilla swapping insults across the water and the women flashing their t-i-t-s."

"Grow up daddy, I can spell. My boobies will be big enough to flash when I'm fourteen."

Both parents looked at Vicki and sighed.

At that Claire yielded, as she'd known she would. "Off you go Tarzan and Jane. I'll look after the abandoned baby. You both know he's terrified of speed."

"Let's go and get those pricks daddy."

"Hush, don't let your mother hear you using that word. I'm not sure Aunty Sheila is the right sort of person for you to associate with."

"She told me mom had smaller tits than she did but mom's grew soon after she met you and you pumped them up."

"Aunty Sheila definitely is not a good influence on you."

"Well Aunty Sheila and I bond daddy. Can we talk about something else?"

Hearing that father-daughter conversion under the deck as the powerboat trailer was being attached to the Range Rover, Claire sighed, knowing nothing would change. Everyone in the family loved Sheila and even Payton went to Sheila without a fuss.

Later that morning Claire and Payton met Sheila, who was married to Lee's business partner James, at a coffee shop. The two women kissed. They had been the closest of friends since they began boarding school as thirteen-year-olds. They had both recently turned thirty-three. After kissing the sleepy Payton, Sheila placed him back into his stroller.

"Well, I call this meeting to order," Claire said. "The only item on the agenda is Lee's fortieth. His parents have advised October 14 suits them and they will come earlier and tour Queensland before arriving here on the day. We need to appoint a committee of five more people and we can do that recruitment at work on Monday."

"Right, I can report the Professional Dance Group has approved of the script for the revue, A Celebration of Stocking Tops and has secured Channel 7 as the main sponsor. David Morgan the director of the group says the season will run for a month and predictions are it will be a hit and the season will be extended. Selection of the cast begins in a fortnight with rehearsals to begin soon after. The opening night, Lee's birthday, is set in concrete and David is waiting news from Paris that Monique Caas will accept the lead role."

Claire clapped her hands in delight. "God, she's a fabulous singer as well. Fingers crossed. Well that concludes the meeting. Have you heard about the dilemma of Margaret Quirk?"

"Taken another restaurant apart after ensuring a freelance photographer was passing by?"

"No, she's pregnant."

Shelia sniffed and said, "It happens to us all darling."

"Her husband has been engaged without leave on mineral exploration in Russia for fourteen months."

"Oh shit. Poor Margaret. Let's drop around and see her, taking flowers."

Claire asked, "What about Payton?"

"Oh crap, she could tear him apart if she's in a mood, as she will be. We'll drop him off at my mother's."

The three women, who'd played in the same hockey team at boarding school, went into a huddle and shed their tears; that act made them feel as one.

"Who's is it?" Sheila asked.

"I really don't know," Margaret sniffed. "I've been running amok lately -- sometimes two guys a night, but not together of course. I feel I'm such a slut."

"Hush dear. Don't be so cruel on yourself. It's your body crying out to be a mother."

Margaret and Sheila starred at Claire.

"Ohmigod, I think she's right," yelled Sheila, knowing someone had to say something.

"Ohmigod," the celebrated TV presenter said, clutching a straw. "You are so right dear Claire. Now tell me what I should do?"

Margaret and Sheila stared at Claire.

Claire began to sweat until she had the necessary brainwave. She pulled out her phone. "I'm calling Lee, he has the mind for this sort of thing.

Claire interrupted the call to ask Margaret was she in email contact with Clive and she said yes.

When Claire finished the call Margaret lost it. "The father's not your Lee, it's at least three years since he had me. Oh god, I shouldn't have said that."

"Margaret, who hasn't Lee fucked? I look forward to the day when some beauty we know screws up he face and wails, "He hasn't fucked me...what's wrong with me...he must know I always wear stockings?"

They laughed and then Margaret and Sheila stared at Claire.

"I'll give it to you straight Margaret. Lee said keep it simple and express no emotion. That will keep Clive focused while he decides his reaction. Lee said send an email and here are the words: 'Clive. Ooops I'm pregnant. Should I have an abortion or will you come home and be father? Marg'."

Margaret and Sheila stared at Claire, mouths open.

Claire left the room and returned with Margaret's laptop. "Just do it Margaret. Sheila and I are here to support you."

Margaret tapped out the message and her finger hovered over the SEND key. "No I can't...it's too brutal."

Claire calmly leant over and pushed Margaret's finger down on to the SEND key. "There, all done. Now what should we talk about?"

"Coffee, I need coffee," Margaret croaked.

Margaret listened wide-eyed as Claire told her about the Stockings Top revue. Sheila tried to keep Claire from saying anything but Claire told her to shut up, it was the way to go. Even Margaret was nonplussed.

"Why are you telling me this when you say Channel 7 will be principal sponsor? You know Channel 9 runs my show."

"It's tactics darling. You break the story so that gives Channel 9 a sense of ownership and so the two channels will battle for new lead stories about the Stocking Tops revue. We are thinking smart about this, aren't we Sheila?"

"Are we? Oh yeah. Definitely."

Margaret left her despair on the bed. She jumped up in full professional mode. "Look, if I switch my planned interview tonight to next Saturday night, will you two appear on my show tonight?"

"No," Sheila said.

"Yes." Claire said, taking Sheila's hand and holding it. "We'll appear providing you insist Wardrobe dress us up grandly and Make-up works miracles so we both look like sexy thirty-year-olds."

"Cheating to peel back three years with the sun skin damage of you two will take miracles," Margaret said. "Okay, we have a deal."

"And we want generous appearance fees, made payable to Blewitt Street Kindergarten," Sheila said emphatically.

Margaret said fine and what a good choice of beneficiary. "Clive and I would be sending our child to Blewitt Street. If he doesn't agree to that he won't be getting you know what." She then briefed her girlfriends about the show the time they should arrive at the studio.

Strapping Payton into his safety seat before taking Sheila back to her car and then going on to have lunch at Sheila's home, Claire said, "Oh shit."

"What?"

"There will be an opening night party with the cast on the 14th."

"Well shift birthday boy's big event to late lunch Sunday. He's too smart for us to keep anything a secret from him. But we'll bowl him over with the scale of his birthday lunch."

"Brilliant. Thanks darlings," Claire said, blowing kisses at her friend.

"I don't want kiss."

"Oh listen to Little Grumpy," Claire said. "At least he's not going to be like his father. In comparison his sister is likely to be sexually active from a very young age."

"Claire, you can't speak like that," Sheila shrilled. "And the way things go in life you are likely to be wrong on both counts."

"Ah yes," Claire sighed. "Will Tammy and Matilda be home to play mothers with Little Grumpy?"

"Yes, they are currently next door with Mrs Jason. She's a former kindergarten director and just loves kids. I'll ask if she will baby-sit the three of them plus Vicky tonight while we push out our boobs and flashed our expensively maintained teeth on TV at 8:00. Thinking about that, I have to agree that tactically you are in the process of initiating on-running publicity beyond the wildest dreams of the producers of the revue and your friends at Channel 7 will be after you butt."

"Oh God, that reminds me," Claire said. "As soon as I get to your place I must call David Morgan and ask how much detail about the revue I can reveal and I definitely want to say he is attempting to persuade Monique Caas to come out and do at least a month as the main lead."

"He won't allow you to say that because is she says no, anyone else David approaches will know they are rated second-best."

"What's wrong with that -- only one can be the best as Monique is a suburb dancer with glorious legs and sings like an angel? Ohmigod, I'll tell David if he goes to Paris to plead with Monique and her agent I'll send Lee with him. Lee is a fan and has four of Monique's DVDs."

"Well, if David can't talk Monique into submission then Lee will be there to screw her into submission," Sheila laughed. "I guess you know David is gay."

"Surprise, surprise," Claire giggled. "Miss out on him did you honey?"

"God, you are almost as devilish as your husband."

"No, no, it's too early for publicity," David screamed down the phone to Claire.

"David darling, early publicity is better than publicity that is too late or no publicity. Can you tell me when you are likely to get on 'Margaret Quirk Tonight'?

"How can I know that -- her show schedule is booked up months ahead? Oh. I see."

"I'm over at Sheila's home for lunch. Come over and join us and bring the photo of yourself you like best and I have Margaret change it for the one they intend using."

"No one can tell that bitch what to do."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh, have you heard the rumor she's pregnant."

"That's impossible David. Clive put her into a chastity belt before he went to Russia."

"Is that the truth?"

"Of course. You wouldn't expect me to lie to you would you David?"

"Of course not Claire. I'm on my way as soon as you give me Sheila's address."

Every half-hour that afternoon Channel 9 broadcast the teaser. It showed a picture of stocking tops. 'This evening's program for 'Margaret Quirk Tonight' will screen next Saturday. Tonight Margaret talks sensationally to two of her friends, one of whom is married to the man who more than five years ago gave us 'Stocking Tops Day Australia'. Tonight's revelations will blow your socks off.'

Lee arrived home tired. His wife thought, too much water-skiing and probably he found someone with acceptable boobs. Claire sent him off to shave and shower and dress suitably, telling him about the TV show and he would be picked out by cameras panning the studio audience. She took Vicky over to Shelia's home and returned with Shelia. On the way over Vicky came close to sending Claire off the road: "During the picnic I saw daddy walking off with Mrs Humphries. They may have mated."

Oh, out of the mouth of babes, thought Claire. It was unlikely they had mated because Olivia Humphries never wore stockings and had a bust no larger than 32B and had huge thighs. Very unlikely indeed.

Mrs Jason preferred to have the children stayover at her house and had her young married daughter over to assist. She had the phone numbers of both mothers and arranged for the children to be picked up at 9:00 next morning.

"Want to stayover with us?" Claire asked, as they approached her house and they saw Lee, as arranged, waiting for them on the sidewalk.

"Yes, that would be lovely. Perhaps we could double fuck Lee?"

Claire came close to running down Lee. "Was that a joke?"

"No."

"Okay...um, I suggest we say nothing about it."

The show opened with Margaret walking down steps, dressed in a black suit and a violet silk shirt and walking to the edge of the stage. "Tonight I introduce our celebrity guest among our audience, Mr 'Stocking Tops' Peach, better know to us these days as the creator of our beloved rams, Herbert and Cecil. Please stand Lee and welcome to the show where tonight you wife Claire is one of the stars. Watch the big screen everyone while I walk to my chair. This clips will bring back memories of Lee Peach's amazing event called Stocking Tops Day Australia'.

"Well, wasn't that an astonishing day. My two guests, Lee's wife Claire on the right, then Claire Cobb and Lee's business partner's wife next to her Sheila Krug, then Sheila Smith were on the five person committee that began the development of Stocking Tops Day Australia. Sheila, you two women blew me away this morning when you, as my friends, told me about your project. Let's hear it Sheila."

"Well, Lee Peach turns forty in October and I had been talking with his wife Claire about a birthday party. That evening I was sitting at a function next to David Morgan, director of Sydney's Professional Dance Group and he mentioned their next production had fallen through because they couldn't attract sufficient money to underwrite the production. I suggested they consider marking Lee Peach's birthday with a stockings tops show. He said don't be daft Sheila. Next day he called me and said he thought he could pull off a full-fledged stockings top revue providing he could find seeding capital. I opened my mouth and said I'd get that money for him and asked how much. He said four million dollars. Oh lordy."

Margaret laughed along with the audience and then said, "Fortunately for you, your best friend is Lee's wife Claire and she doesn't hide her brain under a bushel. Tells us about it Claire."

"Sheila called and I said, no problem. Ask my dad to get a syndicate going. My father Royce Cobb is a lively beef cattle breeder out Dry Creek way which is where Lee saw two rams head-butting that one day would be re-created at Herbert and the smaller ram would be called Cecil. Lee also made quite a hit out there when I first took him to Utopia Downs. The women just loved having a man in their midst who had more than a passing interest in stocking stops. So Sheila and I chartered a plane, flew out the 460 miles, landed at the sheep pens where dad was working, asked him. He said yes, we had a beer and flew back to Sydney. He and his friends have fronted up with four million dollars as an investment. Fortunately there was plenty of rain in our district during the past year.

Margaret: Four million dollars. That's scary -- what if the show bombs?"

Claire: "No fear of that happening. This will be Australia's way of belatedly saying thank you for liberating stocking tops in Australia Lee Peach."

Margaret: You have to be kidding?

Claire: Those investors out Dry Creek way do things for a cobber, and they regard Lee as a real cobber. We go out there four times a year and he's learned to ride a horse, swear like a farmer, dip sheep, castrate young ram lambs -- he hates doing that but accepts the necessity -- and he makes the women flash their stocking tops."

Margaret: Does that get on your goat?

Claire: No, I join in. Most days I flash privately for Lee's benefit.

Margaret: Ohmigod.

The audience clapped and cheered.

Claire: You are right of course Margaret. Loyalty alone won't pack out a show each night. Tell Australia about our trump card Sheila.

Sheila: Well, the score has been written; David Morgan -- that's his face on-screen now -- has made a major contribution with that. David is so brilliant. The theatre has been booked and auditions start next week. The show is to be called, A Tribute to Stocking Tops and will be rich in theatre as well as dance."

Margaret: And that's the trump card?

Sheila: We are inviting Monique Caas to star.

Margaret (when the huge applause died): Then you have her under contract?

Sheila: No, but she'll come.

Margaret: I'm sorry, but I can't see that happening. She's really big time in France, throughout Europe in fact.

Sheila: I don't think you understand Margaret. Monique Caas has worn stockings since she was eight years old. She's thirty-five now.

Margaret: Well we are running out of time. I'm sorry; perhaps you will find an Australian singer-dancer of merit to substitute.

Claire: As an understudy yes. Have faith Margaret, she will come. As Lee says, think it, believe in it and it will happen.

Margaret: Sheila, your final word.

Sheila: The part has been written for Monique. She will come. We will be staging a special performance into the season for the filming of a DVD for immediate release in Europe so Monique remains in the limelight back home. It will be a reincarnation of the Can Can; just you wait. Thank you for this opportunity Margaret

Margaret: You now have me believing I'll see Monique starring here in Sydney in The Tribute to Stocking Tops. Thank you Sheila and Claire. I appeal to Australians to support this worthy event scheduled to open on October 14, Lee Peach's birthday.

The two guests stood on either side of Margaret, their hair up and the tops down, showing acreage of cleavage. Only when they stood did it become apparent they were in Can Can costumes, with black stockings. The studio audience went wild.

As Lee drove the happy women home after a few drinks at the studio after the show he asked, "So I don't get an informal birthday event with family and friends?"