Cherrington Triumphs

Gayle said breathlessly, "Omigod, I expected a slow start rather than being hit between the eyes like this. Jesus the public will now view all of us suspiciously as prostitutes."

Graham told her to hush.

The documentary then began to trace the history of prostitution from earliest days when women used their bodies to reap some sort of gain and then the filming returned to the present and the stories were revealed of the eight women shown at that racetrack.

It wasn't long into the screening that Cherrington's phone went. She said she'd take the calls in the bedroom and left.

By 9:00 two local 'stringer' photographers, were in the hotel suite taking photos on behalf of London newspapers who'd hurriedly taken some quotes from Cherrington and then had called their on-call photographer to photograph her in the rush to make the deadline for next morning's newspaper.

Next morning Conn's parents stared in astonishment at the front page of their newspaper. The photograph below the centerfold was of their son with and arm around Cherrington and the heading of the story was, 'Cherrington Brings Prostitution In from the Cold'.

"Oh god," squawked Conn's mom. "Everyone will think she's a prostitute."

"Aren't all women?" teased her husband and had a piece of buttered toast thrown at him.

Conn's ex-wife in bed with the guy she'd become engage to the previous night looked at the photo in their newspaper of Cherrington sitting on Conn's knee and watching the screening of Part 1 on the film about prostitution. She began to weep without knowing why.

On Sunday morning Conn's ex-wife had an outburst of rage when she saw the big front page picture in her Sunday newspaper of Cherrington and Conn who'd just announced their engagement. She spat on the picture and then tore it to shreds, screaming at her bewildered fiancé who ran a home security agency, "Why is that bastard doing this to me?"

"Doing what?"

She screamed, "How the hell should I know Donald."

All mainstream critics generally agreed Part I was a triumph for the BBC, giving the impression it was a BBC film, and Part 2 screening consolidated favorable opinions.

Cherrington was annoyed by those fools in the media calling it a BBC film when it was a Froggy Pond film and angrily calling a media agent. She appeared on BBC news that evening to make the point that it was a Froggy Pond film.

The interviewer happily allowed Cherrington to make that point and then expertly guided Cherrington into revealing that Froggy Pond Studios had sold the two-part series to TV broadcasters in five countries but since last weekend's screening on BBC they had received a flood of enquiries leading to more negotiations to purchase screening rights.

"And what else?"

"Um I have no authority to announce this but since I've just become engaged to the studio's chairman I'll take the risk. We entered negotiations yesterday with one of the big four American networks for me to go to America with my same film crew and do a two-part film on the respectability of prostitution in America, just my impression of course because the industry over there is so vast."

"What network is negotiating with Froggy Films?"

"Jennifer there are occasions when one must keep her mouth shut. I'll call you the minute I am authorized to do so. You have earned that for allowing me to correct the claims made by those idiots on newspapers. I emphasis that all along the BBC correctly gave credit to Froggy Films as being the maker of 'Prostitution Gains Respectability'. Thank you."

Cherrington left that live interview feeling very pleased. She was now firmly established in a niche that appeal to her totally, a film scriptwriter/narrator. Perhaps if she worked hard enough and successfully she might one day receive a title for service to the film industry. The title of Baroness in her own right would be lovely.

She went to the nearby restaurant and returned Conn's wave. He was seated at the bar waiting for her.

Cherrington felt content: she'd triumphed over adversity of being a child in a dysfunctional family. She'd done very well for herself. The next step was to become known on both sides of the Atlantic. She'd adore making a film on the respectability of prostitution for the French but an invitation to do one for Italy would be a min d-blowing challenge. She could speak French but had no Italian. Ah her narration could be supported by subtitles in Italian. Many Italians of course understood English but did not understand the English. She laughed at her joke.

Conn wiped that smile off her face.

"I've been thinking about the possibility of starting a family."

THE END