Scrap 61

SCRAP 61
The first night at the holiday camp is the most important for the entertainers. It’s their chance to make a good impression on the campers to ensure they give generous tips on the last night and everyone has put on their best smile to greet the mugs as they rush inside the Pig and Whistle to grab tables and seats for the cabaret.
Once the stampede has died down and campers are settled the entertainments manager steps up to the stage, takes hold of the microphone and begins his tried and tested spiel. Most of this goes unheard as the assembly jostle for space at the bar or arrange themselves at their tables.
Frank and Scotty managed to get served first and order several rounds of drinks, crisps and nuts to keep them going. They weave their way to the table where Dawn and Mavis have spread out the coats and handbags to save the seats for them. Pete makes a beeline for them, his best fake grin lighting up his well-scrubbed face. A good looking 26 year old, he has worked the camps for the past six years and has developed a routine for getting the punters on his side. The ladies in particular are easy targets for his charm. He spends a few minutes chatting before moving off to his next victims.
‘Oily git,’ mutters Scotty, draining his first pint and starting on a second. Dawn and Mavis disagree, insisting that he seems genuine enough to them. ‘I think he’s very handsome,’ adds Mavis, noting that her daughter has a certain glow about her.
‘Now please welcome to the stage our own Pete Parker,’ the entertainments manager says, handing the microphone to the beaming Pete, who has sprinted up the room and leapt effortlessly onto the stage. The assembled campers clap politely, some of the women more enthusiastically and some of the men not at all.
Pete proceeds to welcome everyone to the camp; old friends and new, who he says are soon to be one big happy family. The middle aged drummer and his side-kick electronic organist strike up an intro and Pete launches into his version of ‘Friends and Neighbours.’
As the evening progresses there is a steady stream of people backwards and forwards to the bar and an equally steady flow of entertainers, who all seem to remember where ‘their’ particular clients are seated. There is hot competition amongst them every week to see who can score the most gifts and the most romantic trysts. Pete is always somewhere near the top of the leader board, a position he guards jealously from his rivals.
Scotty’s party sit in amiable chatter, enjoying the drinks and ‘free’ entertainment. Scotty is particularly interested in the gymnastics display by four of the girl entertainers, much to the annoyance of Dawn, who talks loudly to her mother throughout their act. Frank is happy to be doing nothing in particular for once. His mind is on other things.
The Scottish voice cuts in over the loudspeaker system, drowning out the entertainer who is trying to do a comedy turn. This is the best laugh he’s had all evening, as the voice announces there is a baby crying in chalet 56 row DH. Two women get up from their seats and scurry off to see to the child. Scotty is very pleased it is not their chalet and hopes that Heather and Janet are managing to keep the others in check. Frank has secretly given them a pound each to babysit but Dawn thinks they are doing it out of kindness and will no doubt show her appreciation later. They are good girls, her two. She has no idea that they plan on spending their money on cider to drink with the boys they met at the fair earlier on, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. As Janet said: ‘we are on holiday too.’
The boys are content to rush about with the other children. Uncle Frank has promised to pay for them to rent bikes for the day if they behave themselves for their sisters and they are excited at the thought of taking freedom of the camp after breakfast. They are soon fast asleep and dreaming of the great adventures they will have.
By 11pm the evening is winding up, the campers are happily inebriated and the entertainers line up on stage to wish everyone a goodnight and lead in singing the camp anthem which is sung at the end of every evening. The lights go up and the gathering slowly shuffles out into the cold night, having been reminded to be quiet on their way to their chalets so as not to wake other campers.
‘Well that was a good start to the holiday,’ says Mavis, as she links arms with her daughter. All are agreed and are ready for sleep after a long day, wishing each other goodnight before turning in.
Frank stretches out in his narrow bed, fuzzy with drink and tired after the day. He tries to sleep but his thought keep going to Rosa, he doesn’t know why.