Chapter 15

Sunday 2nd August

The bus arrived at the town terminus at exactly midday, the air brakes hissing as it lurched to a halt. Lauren was disappointed to note that a brief shower that had threatened all morning had picked the same moment to arrive in town. She looked through the windscreen as she made her way to the door, trying without success to catch a glimpse of her man at the railway station across the road. As she left, she opened the umbrella and skipped over to the station.

She found Jim leaning against the wall, sheltering from the shower that was gaining in force, water splashing off the cobbled streets onto her legs. Sandals, she decided, looked a little out of place. They kissed timidly, providing the reassurance that Lauren needed, and indicating that their parting embrace in the park had left Jim wanting more just as she did. He looked at her and smiled, noting that she had chosen to wear a pale blue summer dress with a floral pattern, trimmed with lace around the hem, giving a picture of healthy innocence as the dress swirled out from her shapely legs when she turned. They walked together under the umbrella, away from the station and up the deserted main shopping street, gazing in windows and chatting about what they would buy if they had the money. Lauren relaxed noticeably, surprised again that walking and talking with a boy was so simple, and all those first lines and wise remarks that she had rehearsed so often in her mind (and in front of the bathroom mirror) were unnecessary and would even have been considered out of place. The shower abated as steam rose off the pavement, heavy drips falling from the tiled roofs of the buildings. The main street was colourful, with flags of each of the cantons sprouting from the shops along with their coats of arms.

Jim led her into a small cafe on the west side of the street, open despite the Sunday regulations that forbade trade. They took a table in the window where they were able to watch couples walking past, often hand in hand, themselves looking at the shops wondering what they might buy. Lauren felt she belonged in a restaurant now, rather than feeling self-conscious and out of place as she had before she met Jim. He ordered a dried beef salad and she chose the same, even though she would have loved to have tried the lasagna that was the special of the day.

Their conversation soon turned to the studio, and Jim confessed that the woman wasn’t really his aunt, more like a friend of his family that they had adopted. She had built her photographic business up herself after leaving university, and had received much acclaim for her model portfolios from several of the larger fashion houses and glamour magazines. Even Vogue had run an article on her, depicting her tiny cottage industry struggling and winning against the major firms like a David and Goliath contest. Lauren listened in awe, convinced that she was not even going to have her photo taken when his aunt saw her, let alone model any clothes.

They ate in silence, Lauren taking tremendous care to justify his decision to bring her into the restaurant with her etiquette and impeccable table manners. After coffee he made a call to his aunt, letting her know that they would be at her station at about a quarter past two. They left and wandered over to the river at the end of the main street, leaning on the old railings to watch the ducks squabbling over the remains of bread left by a group of children, now disappearing with their parents towards the shops. Lauren could remember clearly the same outing with her parents and Mike, throwing huge chunks of old bread into the river, delighted as the ducks flew in over the water and landed in their ungainly way. They moved on, and in time their circuit of the town brought them back to the railway station, where they bought their own tickets to Thun and made their way over the bridge to the platform.

The train was almost empty as they boarded the carriage marked `2’, finding a group of seats that they could have to themselves. Lauren sat by the window and watched the platform disappear as the train moved jerkily off towards the west. Jim sat next to her, looking also at the scenery and the magnificent mountains that formed a backdrop to the town. Jim noticed the cable car pulling out of the base station and pointed to it. Lauren turned and smiled, nodding. He took her hand lightly and leaned forward, kissing her gently on the lips. She returned his kiss, parting her lips slightly as she put her hand on his shoulder. Her heart beat quickly as the taste of the lunch returned and her hand slipped around to the back of his head, playing with his curly hair. He exhaled deeply, taken off guard by the passion that he had aroused in the girl, unprepared for her tongue as it flicked over his teeth and explored his mouth. Lauren fought her emotions, shouted at herself that this was a public train, and a boy she had known only a few hours. Moreover, it was a boy she wanted to see again. She wrestled with her desires until she broke his kiss, and flopped her head backwards against the seat. Jim swallowed visibly, suddenly a little unsure of himself. He eventually rested his hand on her knee, squeezing it occasionally to confirm his pleasure in being with her, rather than to try and resume their embrace.

Their journey continued, stopping twice at stations before Thun. Jim introduced Lauren to Marlene at the station exit, and chatted to his aunt as they drove off to her house. Lauren sat in the back, leaning forward to catch every word they said, gleaning little bits of information about Jim as they traveled out of the town and up the mountain. Lauren had been to Thun once before but had little idea where they were heading. She noted that the houses were quite grand, with their own large gardens and ornate shrubs and flower beds.

After ten or fifteen minutes, they pulled into the driveway of a three story brown chalet, with classic Swiss roof and balconies all round the upper floors. The garage door closed automatically behind them as they walked up the stairs into the house.

“Actually, this is my house, studio and holiday home, Lauren” said Marlene, guiding them through the hallway and into what appeared to be a reception area, much like an office suite. “I’ve done the downstairs as my studio, and the upper floors are just like a normal house. Saves taxes, you know!”

The reception area contained a formal office desk on the right, with a sofa opposite it. A door leading off the far end, marked `Dark Room’ was closed. A sign above the door looked like it would say `Do Not Enter’ when it was switched on. A coffee table stood by the sofa, built of solid wood and looked strong enough to jump on. The walls were crammed with photos of people of every age, some younger than Lauren, posing in every conceivable position. She was fascinated to see the covers of some famous magazines, including Paris Match, Bild, Vogue and Cosmopolitan.

Lauren liked her. She wore an orange shirt which looked too large, even with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and green corduroy trousers, which may have been the right size but were covered at the top by the cascading shirt. She moved quickly, but in a considered manner, showing them to seats and sitting on the edge of her desk.

“Now, my dear, I’m told you are the next Kate Moss! Is that true?”

“I don’t think so” said Lauren, giggling.

“Well, let’s have a look. Stand up my dear. Have you done any modeling before?

“No, none” she said, as Marlene turned her round.

“OK, then I’ll tell you what we’ll do. I’ll show you the studio so that you feel at home, and I’ll see what catalogue work I need doing. I think you’ll be able to do some of it, and we can just stop when you’ve had enough. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great” she beamed, looking at Jim.

They went out of the office and crossed the hallway, entering through one of the two large doors that made up the entrance to the studio. Lauren saw nothing until the lights cracked on, and then the sheer size of the room struck her. It was all of the rest of the floor, plus, she thought, a lot more out of the back of the house. The roof was covered in a criss-cross of gantries and pulleys, from which lights hung pointing mainly to the right-hand side of the room which contained a small white door. Straight in front of her was the window, which look like they could be covered by black curtains. And on the left side was a sofa and dressing table with make up and lights surrounding a big mirror.