Westpoint Tales - Entangled Tales, 89 - Justin & Co.

Whozzat were busy and Crispian kept them even busier. They still rehearsed several nights a week at the Union Hall. Sometimes they left the doors open and the hall filled up; sometimes they kept the doors closed for some ‘alone time’.

Most weekends saw the opening of yet another Billy’s Burgers bar and they played two concert/dances in each new town. One was free to promote the burgers and one was paid to make money (and sell records of course). Billy’s songs were popular – Something Good was the one they were continually getting requests for. Tony sung them on stage. It wasn’t the same but he did a pretty good job.

As well as the concerts, they played regular dances for the locals – usually Fridays but sometimes on a Sunday. Time Out, often supported by Jonathan, filled in when they couldn’t make it.

Claire and Dee both had part-time jobs assisting Crispian and looking after the record business. And, Crispian kept filming.

Everyone was getting tired of having a camera constantly pointing at them and they protested that he must have hundreds of hours on tape by now, but he kept on. As well as filming Whozzat on stage he was having each member of the band re-enact the way that they came to join the group – with a bit of poetic licence and glossing over of personal details.

They filmed Jay watching the sunset from his treehouse, Dee coming up to join him and then watching him drumming and going and dragging Peter around to see him. Then again, Dee walking down the street, hearing Sandie’s bass and going in to collar her as well.

Dee was having a ball. She thought she was going to be a movie star, but then she lost interest in all that as she had another project to keep her busy – her dad was getting married! Paul’s engagement to Marcie Sheridan was announced and Dee was delighted.

Marcie’s daughters weren’t around and so she would need help, wouldn’t she? There was so much to be organized with the engagement party and all the wedding planning. Dee got herself the job of chief bridesmaid and arranged for Lucas to be Paul’s Best Man. (“That would be a nice touch, and it was only fair, wasn’t it?”)

She also decided that Justin and Jonathan should sing at the wedding. (“So cool! And a change from singing at funerals.”)

They filmed Toddy and Jinks taking the Guitar-man off to Jay’s garage to meet Whozzat, and Tony’s arrival on the scene. Crispian wanted to gloss-over the reasons for Tony’s coming back to live in Westpoint, but they insisted on telling the whole story – briefly and making it clear what their relationship was about. They didn’t dwell on it too much as they didn’t want a X-rated movie.

They filmed Crispian’s arrival in the town, but they had to hire an actor to play the part of Carl. That produced some weepy eyes when they watched the results of that filming – the guy really did look a lot like Carl, it was eerie.

Justin played himself in those scenes but that was going to be his total involvement. He wasn’t going to sing in Whozzat’s movie. As it turned out, he did though. Crispian spliced in scenes from the party in the Square of Justin singing his song – Over the Rainbow – and of him and Jonathan encouraging the Next Generation back into their songs.

Finally, Crispian was satisfied that he had enough on film. He and Peter and Peter’s mum, sorted out what they wanted to include in the movie and he took it all off to Auckland for editing. He had one more special surprise planned, but, apart from Peter, he wasn’t telling anyone about it.

All of Whozzat, their friends and families and a good slice of the town were glad, when the filming finally stopped. But then Crispian came back and insisted on recording one more, very appropriate, song. They sang, at a Friday night dance in the Miners Union Hall, the Hooters’ song – ‘And We Danced’.

(“She was a bee-bop baby at the Union Hall. She could dance all night and shake the paint off the wall.”)

Crispian was convinced that it would be yet another ‘hit’ for them, but they delayed the song’s release until the movie was done.

After much debate, they agreed that their film would simply be titled, “Whozzat’s Movie”. It was short, sharp and a bit down-home and amateurish which was the image they were looking for. They didn’t expect to win any awards for this effort – it was strictly an amateur production. There was no big business involvement here, it was just kids having fun together and making music for kids.

(It was much more fun once Crispian put his bloody cameras away).

They woke to rain on a Thursday morning – heavy, driving, rain-forest rain. It was like it was making up for lost time and making everyone pay for the glorious sun-filled days they’d had lately. It poured.

Peter sat up in bed, opened the drapes and looked at the rain on the window. “Damm. There goes today’s cricket.”

“Good job too.” Jay stretched beside him. “I hate cricket – boring bloody game.”

“It is not!” Peter’s probing fingers attacked Jay’s ribs and they giggled as they bucked around, wrestling in the narrow bed.

Daniel sat and grinned at them from the other single bed in Peter’s room. “Behave yourselves, Children.”

“Tony elbowed him. “Children yourself. Jay’s older than we are.”

“Okay. Enough.” Peter rolled out of bed. “I’m having the first shower because it’s my house. You coming, Big Guy?”

After breakfast, (pancakes by Claire, not Jay), Mrs. Lewis took Peter and Jay to school with her. It wasn’t far but it was too wet to walk. Claire took the others home in her car and waited while they got changed for school.

Claire had her own car now. Her parents had offered her one for her birthday. The only car she really wanted was Carl’s, so her dad had approached Carl’s parents about buying it from them. They wanted to give it to her and they finally agreed on a 50/50 split. The Lewises paid ½ the price of the car and they all presented it to Claire on her birthday.

She cried, really missing Carl but pleased to have something of his anyway.

It rained steadily all day forcing everyone to stay under cover.

It rained again on Friday, all day, but at least Billy agreed that they could use the car to go to school, so it wasn’t all bad.

At lunchtime, Billy and Justin drove out to eat their sandwiches parked at the end of the tiphead. That was great! Stormy weather, high tide and rough seas with waves whipped up by the winds and crashing into the tiphead. The car rocked in the wind and spray washed right across them.

It was almost like being out at sea in a storm, but they were warm and dry and enjoying it from the comfort of their car. There were definitely no fishing boats going out today.

The river was in flood too – dirty brown water running high and fast and carrying a succession of bits of trees of all sizes out to sea. They would eventually be washed back in by the combing waves to lie scattered along the miles of coastline and beaches. Good firewood for some, after they’d dried out.

All too soon, Billy insisted that it was time to be getting back to school. He sat up and started the car, (“Yes!”), and carefully made his way back into the town. Summer was taking a break, but life was good.

Friday night they were at the dance at the Union Hall. Justin went up on to the stage to talk to Sandie during a break in the music. When he turned to get down, someone called, “Give us a song, Superboy!”

“No way. Not my job, Tones does the singing. We’re just dancing. And stop calling me Superboy! My name’s Justin.”

He jumped down and Whozzat started playing and singing, “We don’t need another Hero.” That got laughs and raspberries from a red-faced, laughing boy.

It was still raining steadily but it was hot and sweaty in the crowded hall, despite all the doors and windows being open. Summer in Westpoint.

Justin and Billy slipped outside to cool off and get some fresh air. The long side-walls of the hall were lined with teenagers, leaning against the walls and sheltering under the over-hanging eaves. Lucas and Margaret were already there and they shuffled along to make room for them.

“Hey Guys. What’re you doing?”

“Hello Little Brothers. Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”

“We’re already going to be uncles – four times over. We don’t need any more you know.”

“Shut up, Justin.”

“Isn’t it lovely weather though,” Billy sighed. “In the middle of bloody summer too.”

“Just great,” his sister agreed. “Great for the ducks. I hope it’s going to clear for your mum’s wedding tomorrow, Lucas.”

“Yeah, me too. It doesn’t look good though. If it rains tomorrow, Dee’s going to be livid.”

“It’s not Dee’s wedding you know.”

“I know that, Billy, but I don’t think that Dee does. Dee thinks that the whole show is just so that she gets to be the chief bridesmaid. I’m not losing my mum, I’m just getting a bossy sister.”

“You’re not wrong, Lucas,” Justin laughed. “What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t the best man be out with Paul for his stag night?”

“Not likely, Superboy. The best man’s underage and the groom is a policeman. I’d rather be here anyway.”

“Oh – kay. We’ll leave you to it then. C’mon Billy.”

“ Justin, are you sure that Superboy can’t stop the rain?”

“No, not my department. Maybe my Sunny-Boy could though. He does for me.”

“Shut up Justin.”

They were back in the hall, dancing – with girls, not each other – when Daniel’s cousin came in, dripping wet from the rain, and tugged on Justin’s arm.

“Hey John. What’s the matter?”

He couldn’t hear the out-of-breath kid over the music, so took his arm and led him out of the front door.

“Okay, that’s better. Have you been crying? What’s wrong, John?”

“Justin, you’ve got to come – down to the wharf. I was crying, yeah – sort-of. Just because I was bloody wild. We were in a fight, Brian and me.”