Born to Dance

by June Tate

  She clung to him. ‘I need you now more than ever.’

  ‘I’ll be around and if I can’t be I’ll call you. Now come on, get some sleep. You look exhausted and I’m not surprised, it’s been quite a night.’

  Bonny’s eyes were heavy by now and she was soon in a deep sleep, curled up in the arms of the man she loved.

  Foxy Gordon had been among the first night audience and had been thrilled at the success of the show, knowing that his financial interest would pay high dividends as a major shareholder. It made his position that much stronger. No way was he going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg, but there would come a time in the future when his position would give him a voice that would have to be heard. He could make life very difficult for Giles Gilmore. He would just pick his moment.

  Wally Cole had not been at the theatre, but, of course, he read the glowing reports in the morning papers and was more than a little miffed that he’d been unable to buy shares in the production and Foxy Gordon had. But his time had been otherwise engaged with Gerry Pike recently.

  Various members of his mob had been doing their job very thoroughly, collecting information about each gang member behind Gerry Pike and Pike himself. The young blood had collected a strong bunch of villains, some of whom had worked for his father before him. Hardened criminals, out to help their boss move up the ladder and usurp Cole if they could. However, whilst hunting for a weak link in the organization, one of the men had found somebody to suit their purpose.

  Jackie Williams, a young thug who had been a mate of Gerry’s since their schooldays, was a cocky kid, full of his own importance, who tried to lord it over the other members due to his long history with Gerry. The older men would put him down at every opportunity. Their lack of respect for him only fuelled his anger as he strived to prove himself. His one saving grace was his love for his younger brother, Barry. Fourteen-year-old Barry, retarded with the mental age of a five year old, idolized Jackie. He was his hero.

  Barry’s love was the only true love that Jackie had ever known. His parents were both drunkards and as young children both Jackie and Barry had been unmercifully beaten regularly in the father’s drunken rages until one day, when he was old enough, Jackie had retaliated and turned on his father, putting him in hospital. Then when, shortly after, he became a member of Pike’s gang and had a little money behind him, Jackie moved his brother into a shabby flat to live with him.

  The boy had been so grateful to his brother that, when they moved in, he had thrown his arms around Jackie and hugged him. ‘Oh, Jackie, thanks a million. We can now be happy on our own.’ He suddenly looked scared and glanced at the front door. ‘Dad won’t come here, will he? He won’t beat me any more, will he? He hurts me real bad.’

  The complete innocence of the youngster touched Jackie deeply. ‘No, Barry, you’re safe now. We need never see the old bugger again.’

  Barry beamed. ‘The old bugger!’ he kept repeating and laughing as he walked around the flat, exploring every room. ‘You’ll take care of me, won’t you, Jackie? You won’t let anything bad happen to me, will you, Jackie?’

  ‘I promise, nothing bad will ever happen to you ever again. I give you my word. Look –’ he led him to a small box room with a single bed in it – ‘this is now your own room. I’ll sleep in the one next door.’

  The boy sat on the bed and patted the cover. ‘Mine, all mine,’ he kept saying quietly to himself. ‘No old bugger ’cause Jackie’s going to take care of me.’ He looked up at his brother and grinned broadly. ‘I’m hungry!’

  The two of them settled down to what to them seemed like paradise. Barry was able to dress and feed himself and keep his room tidy, which he did almost to distraction. Forever tidying the bed, dusting the chest of drawers and wandering from room to room with absolute delight. He would walk to the nearby park and play on the swings. Go to the corner shop with a list and money that Jackie would give him from time to time to do the shopping. Then he would spend the day reading comics and listening to the wireless. He loved music and would dance around the room as it played.

  His schooldays were now behind him. They had been torturous times for the boy, who had been teased unmercifully until Jackie turned up at the playground and threatened the boys concerned. But it was with great relief to both of them when it was time for Barry to leave.

  When, during the following days, Barry saw publicity photos in the newspaper from the show Broadway Melody he pestered his brother to take him to see it. The only tickets that were available were in the gods, so Jackie booked them.

  Barry was ecstatic about going to the Adelphi Theatre, and the morning of the performance he bought a small bunch of flowers to take with him to give to Miss Bonny Burton whose picture was also in the paper.

  Once he sat in the theatre, Barry was enthralled. He bounced about in his seat to the music as he watched the dancers perform, and when the show was over, he dragged his brother to the stage door to wait for the star to appear. Clutching his now somewhat battered flowers.

  When she emerged, Bonny was surrounded by fans. She signed autographs, smiled and chatted to the people, until a small fist pushed a bunch of flowers into her hand. She looked up and saw young Barry. ‘Thank you,’ she said, smiling at him, ‘these are lovely.’

  The youngster blushed, but with bright shining eyes he said, ‘You are beautiful. I saw you dance, it was great. I can dance,’ he stated proudly. ‘I play the wireless and dance around the room all on my own.’

  Bonny immediately recognized the boy’s weakness and was deeply touched. ‘What’s your name?’

  ‘Barry. This is my big brother Jackie.’ He pulled Jackie forward by his coat. ‘He takes care of me, making sure nothing bad happens to me. He brought me here tonight to see the show.’

  Seeing the embarrassment on the older lad’s face, Bonny tried to put him at ease. ‘I hope you enjoyed the show, Jackie?’

  He looked relieved. ‘Yes, thanks, miss. Mind you, we couldn’t see too clearly. We were up in the gods, and everything looks smaller up there.’

  Bonny frowned and then she looked at the innocent face of Barry, beaming at her. ‘Well, we must do something about that. If you are free on Saturday of next week, I’ll have two tickets waiting at the box office for you in the stalls. You’ll be able to see so much better there.’

  Barry clapped his hands with glee and jumped up and down. ‘Say we can come, Jackie, say we can come!’

  Ruffling the boy’s hair, his brother chuckled. ‘Of course we can, and thank you, Miss Burton, that’s very kind of you.’

  Bonny sniffed the flowers. As she did so, some of the petals fell. The boy looked crestfallen. ‘It’s all right, Barry, I’ll put them in water, they’ll soon perk up again. I’ll see you again,’ she said and climbed into the waiting taxi. She waved as it drove away.

  All of this was reported to Wally Cole.

  It was the final performance of the second week and the box-office bookings were pouring in. Giles was greatly relieved. His financial situation would now ease and the worry of meeting his bills lessened. He just prayed for a long run.

  Bonny now realized what being a star entailed. She was followed by photographers wherever she went and had been booked by Giles to give interviews to various magazines and on the wireless. This took up all her spare time, and she would return to the flat that she now shared with Shirley completely exhausted. Her picture was seen everywhere and when she went into a store in the West End she was immediately recognized and people would gather round her until she managed to escape. Shopping became a nightmare. However, she remembered Mickey’s advice about dealing with the press and used the same approach with her many fans. She was always charming to them and they loved her for it.

  After the Saturday evening performance, she left the theatre by the stage door, longing for the peace and quiet of the Sunday before her. She could sleep in and rest up, slip out the back door of the flat with Shirley, scarves over their heads, sunglasses on and w
alk in one of the parks. Hopefully unrecognized.

  As was usual, fans awaited her departure and among them she saw young Barry. Hair slicked down, waiting impatiently, hopping from one foot to another.

  Eventually the others left.

  ‘Hello Barry, did you enjoy the show tonight?’

  ‘I did, it was great to be able to see everything.’ He smiled shyly. ‘You were very good, Miss Burton. The stage looked very big. Do you ever get lost?’

  She laughed. ‘No, Barry, I have to know exactly where I’m going.’

  ‘What about all those big buildings? How do they move them?’

  She realized he meant the scenery. ‘Look, come with me.’ She looked at Jackie and said, ‘I’d like to take him on stage where he can see everything. Is that all right with you?’

  ‘That would be marvellous. Are you sure you can spare the time?’

  Putting an arm around Barry’s shoulders, she smiled and said, ‘For my biggest fan, of course I can.’

  Barry was enthralled by everything he saw. To see the enthusiasm and curiosity in the young boy’s face, and his complete innocence of life, moved Bonny, and she took him to her dressing room, showed him all the theatrical make-up, the various wigs she wore, and signed a photograph of herself and gave it to him.

  He was so excited he didn’t know what to say. But Jackie did. ‘I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for my brother.’

  ‘It was my pleasure.’ She walked to the door. ‘We’d better go or we’ll be locked in.’

  As they made their way outside, Barry talked to her non-stop. And when she was ready to get into her taxi, he flung his arms around her. ‘Thanks, Miss Bonny. I’ll pin your picture to my wall in my bedroom. I’ve got a room all to myself. No old bugger now!’

  She looked at his brother with raised eyebrows.

  ‘It’s a long story,’ he said and, after shaking her hand, he took his brother home.

  Twenty-One

  Wally Cole was determined to find where young Gerry Pike had hidden the money from the bank robberies. After all, these banks were on his patch, so to his mind any proceeds from such a raid were rightfully his. So far none of his men had been able to trace the loot and so he had to put his plan into action …

  Young Barry Williams bought some sweets at the local grocery shop and made his way to the playground in the park. He headed for the swings and, settling on one, he pushed himself off the ground with his feet, humming one of the songs from Broadway Melody, sucking on a sweet as he did so. As he swung to and fro, he was unaware of two men entering the playground.

  One of them sat on the swing beside him.

  Barry broke into song. ‘Give my regards to Broadway,’ he sang. The man beside him joined in. The two swung backwards and forwards until they reached the end of the melody.

  The young boy beamed at the stranger. ‘I’ve been to the theatre and seen Miss Bonny dance. She gave me a picture,’ he said proudly.

  ‘I’ve been to the theatre too,’ said the man. ‘I enjoyed it so much I’m going again this afternoon to the matinee.’

  ‘What’s a matinee?’ asked Barry.

  ‘It’s a show in the afternoon for people who can’t go at night.’

  ‘Me and my brother went at night. It was dark, but Jackie took care of me.’

  ‘Would you like to come with me and see the show and Miss Bonny again? I have a spare ticket. I’ll take care of you, just like Jackie.’

  The boy was delighted. Then he frowned. ‘Not in the gods, you can’t see very well there. We went again and sat in the stalls. It’s better there.’

  ‘I’ve got seats in the front row!’

  This was too much for the boy. He was overcome with excitement. ‘You mean no one sitting in front of us?’

  ‘No one! The only thing in front of us is the stage.’ He got off the swing. ‘If you want to come we have to go now or we’ll be too late.’

  Barry jumped down. ‘I’ll wave to Miss Bonny. She’s my friend. She said I was her biggest fan.’

  ‘Then she’ll be really pleased to see you,’ said the stranger. He held out his hand. ‘Come along, I’ve got a car, we can be there in a few minutes.

  The boy went with him.

  It was dark when Jackie Williams put his key into his front door. The house was in darkness and he frowned as he entered the hallway. ‘Barry!’ he called. There was no reply. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he went from room to room, calling his brother’s name. Realizing the house was empty, he ran to the corner shop and asked the owner if Barry was there.

  ‘No, Jackie. He came in earlier this afternoon and bought some sweets. He said he was off to the swings. I’ve not seen him since.’

  Jackie ran to the park, but when he got to the playground it was empty. Beneath the swing were a few sweet wrappers – but nothing else. The young man began to panic. Lighting a cigarette to calm himself, he tried to think where his brother might have gone. Knowing how enamoured he was with Bonny Burton, he wondered if the boy had made his way to the theatre. It was highly unlikely, he thought, but he couldn’t think of anything else.

  Running back to his car, Jackie drove to the Adelphi Theatre and entered the stage door. ‘I want to see Miss Burton,’ he demanded.

  ‘Yes, son, you and all of London.’ The stage doorkeeper was dismissive. After all, his job was to protect his stars.

  Jackie became agitated. ‘Listen to me, you old fool, my brother’s gone missing and he’s besotted with Miss Burton. Please … at least ask her if she’s seen him.’

  The man saw the desperation in Jackie’s eyes, and getting up from his seat he said, ‘Wait here.’

  Knocking on Bonny’s dressing-room door, the man passed on the message. Bonny looked worried. ‘Where is this young man?’ When she was told, she hastily made her way there.

  ‘Jackie, what’s this I hear about Barry?’

  ‘He’s not at home, miss, he went to the swings in the park, but after that I don’t know. I’m worried to death; this isn’t like him at all. He’s always home before dark.’

  ‘Then you must report this to the police. If he comes here I’ll ask the stage doorkeeper to tell me immediately. Write down your address and leave it with him. I promise if I see him I’ll let you know.’

  ‘Thanks, miss, I’ll do that.’

  ‘Try not to worry, Jackie. I’m sure he’s all right. You know what young boys are like, they lose track of time.’

  ‘But Barry doesn’t like being out in the dark unless I’m there.’

  ‘You’ll let me know what happens, won’t you?’

  ‘Yes, Miss Burton, I will and thanks.’

  Young Barry Williams was very confused as he was led into a room and told to sit down. This wasn’t the Adelphi. He was supposed to be seeing Miss Burton dance and this wasn’t the theatre, he knew that. He wasn’t silly!

  Turning to the man who had taken him from the park, he looked accusingly at him. ‘You told me a fib! You said we were going to see Miss Burton dance.’

  ‘Shut your face!’ the man snapped.

  The threatening tone of voice made Barry cringe with fright. It reminded him of other days. Days when he’d been terrified. Days when he’d been hurt. He looked round the room, scared that the old bugger would walk in, and when the door opened suddenly he hid his head in his hands, waiting for the first blow.

  ‘Hello, Barry.’

  The boy peeped out from behind his fingers to see who had spoken.

  Wally Cole stood looking down at him, a smile on his face. ‘Would you like a cup of tea and some biscuits?’

  Suspiciously, he answered, ‘I want to go to the theatre like I was promised.’

  ‘Yes, sorry about that, but we had to change our plans.’ He placed a mug of tea and a packet of chocolate biscuits in front of the boy. ‘Here you are, tuck in.’

  ‘I want Jackie!’

  Cole remained cool. ‘You’ll see your brother soon. He’s going to help us and the
n you can both go home.’

  Barry’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the man. He wasn’t angry at him like the other one. Then he saw the biscuits and slowly reaching forward, he took one. He glared at the first man as he ate. ‘I don’t like you!’

  Cole laughed. ‘Don’t you take any notice of him, son. He’s a miserable old git!’

  ‘He shouted at me. I don’t like no one shouting at me. The old bugger did that, then he’d hit me.’

  ‘No one’s going to hit you, Barry, I promise. I’m going to call Jackie now. He’ll be here soon. You finish your tea.’ He then walked out of the room, leaving the boy munching on his biscuit and glaring at the other man.

  Jackie Williams left the police station in an agitated state. What was wrong with these coppers, didn’t they realize how serious the situation was? The sergeant on the desk had taken down all the particulars about Barry, but had said the boy would probably turn up, though if he was still missing in the morning, Jackie was to return to the station and inform them. Nothing Jackie could say would change the man’s mind.

  ‘Listen, lad, boys wander off playing and forget the time. I’m sure you did the same when you were your brother’s age. He’ll come wandering back and wonder why there was such a fuss. I’ve seen it happen time and time again.’

  Just as he was about to put his key into the front door, a car pulled up. The driver wound down his window. ‘Want to see your brother, Jackie?’

  The youth recognized one of Wally Cole’s men and his heart sank. This was not good news. Whatever would they want with his brother? They must have a reason but it wouldn’t be a good one. ‘Where is Barry? What have you done with him?’

  ‘He’s fine. Last time I saw him he was tucking into some chocolate biscuits and a cup of tea. Jump in; I’ll take you to him.’

  Jackie stood hesitating for a moment.

  The driver’s tone became immediately threatening. ‘Don’t piss me off, lad. You don’t want nothing bad to happen to that boy, do you? After all, he’s not the brightest kid on the block, is he?’