Page 42 of Old Girls Go Greek
I thought of my clean, comfortable bed upstairs, the bedroom which would have been straightened up and hoovered by the cleaning staff, my own little bathroom, and the lovely view out over the twinkling Mediterranean, and I sighed happily at the prospect.
The big windows onto the balcony would be open to allow the breeze from the Mediterranean in, but the shutters would be closed and the sunlight would be filtering through, casting dappled shade onto the bed. Maybe the kittens would be out there, snoozing in their canvas hammock. Perhaps they would poke their little furry faces over the edge when they heard me come in. The whole thing sounded irresistible.
‘In fact, that’s a great idea,’ I said, standing up.
The other three followed and we made our way to our rooms to sleep off thentópio krasiand gather our resources together for another evening.
Back in my room, I undressed and slipped into my dressing gown. I’d have liked a cup of tea actually, and for a moment I looked over at the little cupboard in the corner where there was a kettle and my plastic zip-lock bag of proper teabags brought from home, but in the end I decided I couldn’t be bothered and lay down on my bed with a sigh of relief. This was absolute bliss, and I felt marvellous.
As I closed my eyes and felt myself relax deliciously into a snooze, my mobile buzzed with a text, and of course I looked. As a parent there is always the tiny thought at the back of one’s mind that back home,something might have happened. Although even if it had, what I could do about it was anyone’s guess.
It was from Nicky.
Nicky
Looks like you’re having a brilliant time, good for you. No more news about the library, we are going to start a petition and also try and think about doing new things to make the place more visible. The weather here is horrible, it’s cold and raining on and off. I had to stand on the edge of a muddy pitch the other day watching Joe play in a football tournament. It was hours of purgatory. #badwifealert
Ivan is fine, he hoovers up his food like a good ’un. I took him some leftover sausages this morning, and he was delighted. I sat in the kitchen for an hour yesterday doing some paperwork, and I thought he might like some company. Ivan came and sat on my lap and purred like mad. And then he kept lying across my laptop and getting in the way, it was so funny.
By the way, I showed your pictures to Joyce just now (you met her, she was retired and then volunteered to come in and help with the pre-schoolers reading group) and she said what is Doctor Bill doing there? She says he hasn’t been heard of for years. I can almost remember him but I wouldn’t have recognised him. He’s devilishly attractive. Joyce asked if he was filming?
13
I sat up so fast that for a moment I felt quite dizzy, although of course that might have been the effects of the wine. I hung on to the edge of the bed until everything calmed down and then I reached for my laptop. I’d left it on top of the dressing table in a jumble of adaptors, plugs and cables, and it took me a few minutes to untangle everything. Then I made the cup of tea after all and sat back down on my bed with my laptop on my knees.
Search: Doctor Bill
Even as I waited for the information to load up, I could suddenly vaguely remember him. And then I wondered why it had taken me this long to put the pieces together and realise who he was.
Morning television had been in its infancy back then in the 1980s. All I could remember was a lot of loud, rather smug presenters (look how early we’ve got up, aren’t we marvellous) plus some irritating, childish entertainers making a racket with sock puppets. Malcolm had hated it, saying it was annoying and patronising, and for once I had agreed with him. It was something that we therefore didn’t see very often, although sometimes when I was at home with Nicky when she was little I’ll admit I had switched it on. There weren’t that many channels back then, and not much else to watch.
As time went by, some of the presenters became more well known and had begun to appear on other programmes as celebrities. And Doctor Bill had been one of them.
He had started out as the resident doctor onMarvellous Mornings, popping up from time to time to talk about flu and immunisation, or perhaps giving expert advice on varicose veins or the problem of glue sniffing in schools. He had always been well-dressed in a suit and tie, well-spoken and polite, even when faced with the most outlandish theories. He’d had a fan base of women who should have known better who sent in silly questions to his ‘Ask Doctor Bill’ spot.
He became quite a celebrity himself, appearing on cooking shows and panel games where he would be pawed rather embarrassingly by other female panellists, the sort of thing that these days would never be allowed.
And then he had simply disappeared from screens everywhere, almost overnight. There had been no explanation, no scandal, no awkward photographs of him emerging bleary-eyed from hotels or nightclubs. No claims that he had been something of a predator or unpleasant to work with. And not that I would have read them, but I couldn’t remember any kiss-and-tell exposés in the Sunday papers from fading starlets desperate for attention who had hooked up with him. Nothing.
I scrolled through the links to find out more. There were images of him, with longer, dark hair. He’s been much younger, of course, obviously taken in his television days, some with celebrities grinning next to him. There were pictures of him with the rest of theMarvellous Morningsteam when they celebrated their first anniversary, and there was a very brief Wikipediapost which said nothing very much.
Dr William McKenzie James, born in Dorset, qualified from medical school in Oxford, worked for Médecins Sans Frontières in Europe and Africa for several years before pursuing a career in media on Marvellous Mornings. He appeared several times on Ask the Doctor, Medical Matters and a regular on Your Health Your Choice, and then left to pursue other interests. Married Selena Montgomery 1988–1990. No children. Update needed on this post.
There were a few old posts from people wondering what had happened to him. And that was all.
I frowned, wondering what the mystery was, and then I drank my tea and opened the shutters. A kitten came zooming in, scuffed up the bedside rug and went out again.
Perhaps Will had just gone back to being a doctor, and there was no mystery at all. But then I discovered there had even been a fan club, The Bill-Lovers, started by a woman called Fifi in the West Midlands who, for a small yearly fee, would send updates and photos, allegedly signed by him. I clicked on the most recent link, which was from nearly a decade ago.
No news to report this year, Bill-Lovers. And sad to say I’ll be closing down this site. Remembering Doctor Bill with love and hugs. Or should that be Heimlich manoeuvres? Haha! I’m sure you miss him as much as I do. Sad face.
I had a message last month from a Bill-Lover in Spain who thought she saw him at the beach in Marbella, but having seen the photo, I don’t think it was. And I’m sure Doctor Bill wouldn’t have been serving ice cream anyway. Even if he did give her an extra flake. Which of course is exactly what he would have done. If it had been him.
I know you lovely fans will miss talking about our favourite Doctor Bill moments. I think the best one was when he was spotted in Waitrose buying asparagus. I never eat it now without thinking of him. Wasn’t he gorgeous, ladies? Signing off for now, Fifi.
I looked back at the images of him as a young man again, recognising the same lovely eyes, kind face and tall frame. There were even some of him at awards ceremonies in a DJ, and didn’t he scrub up well. In a couple, the elegant blonde woman beside him was identified as his wife Selena. My word, she was a stunner – tall, willowy and gorgeous. What a fantastic couple they made, and yet…
I sat back and stared into space. Flipping heck. I’d discovered the whereabouts of the elusive Doctor Bill, and he had resurfaced all these years later here, on a painting course when he wasn’t actually doing any painting as far as I could tell. He’d taken me out to dinner and been incredibly friendly. And he’d kissed me. Goodness, that would give the Bill-Lovers something to think about.
