Chapter Twenty-Three #2
‘It’s your decision, Mandy, of course. But I’m sure it will. Do you want to go viral, to influence others, for all the right reasons?’
We were disturbed by another knock and then the door opened. Jimi peered around the corner. His curly brown hair looked windswept and framed his face, his restless dark eyes sparkling. I sat bolt upright, conscious the bump was sitting on the seat beside Mandy.
‘Is everything okay?’ Jimi asked.
She didn’t flinch.
‘We’re just talking about the photos and a potential new angle,’ said Mandy. ‘Will you grab Jose please, Jimi, then come back. We need him here for this.’
Jimi disappeared down the steps and we heard him call for Jose to join us.
Within seconds they were both entering the Winnebago and Jose joined Mandy and I in the seating area.
‘You both look serious. What’s happened?’ Jose asked. ‘Do I need my lawyer?’ Then his eyes lowered, and he took in the discarded bump. ‘Oh.’
‘It’s more what’s going to happen,’ replied Mandy. ‘Amber knows, and she’s had an idea.’
‘Another one,’ he said sardonically.
Mandy’s nose twitched. There was a feverish intensity about her now, I could tell she was almost sold on the idea. ‘Pregnancy is a symbol of creation and new beginnings, right?’
Jose replied, ‘Yes, of course, what are you getting at, baby?’
‘Well, I originally thought it meant I needed to wear a fake bump in order to conform to the expectation that being pregnant equalled making a baby and carrying it in the traditional way. But why bow down to the pressure to maintain that facade? Amber has encouraged me to see that there is no shame in sharing our true experience. In fact, in doing so, we will help others to relate and engage.’
‘Authenticity builds trust,’ I added, ‘and trust is essential for building a loyal audience over here in the UK, as well as globally. Your truth will have a much deeper impact and stand out in a sea of polished content.’
I paused, giving Jose a minute to get his head around what we were asking. Jimi was holding back, standing by the door.
I turned to him. ‘Did you know?’ I asked.
‘About what?’
‘Come on, Jimi. About Mandy not carrying the baby herself.’
‘Of course, I did, Amber. Who do you think started the pregnancy rumours?’ he replied.
‘That trending video from the party; with me dancing like an idiot – it was you?’
‘Who else? I was initially capturing you, to record those epic dance moves you were throwing.’ He shot me a cheeky smile. ‘But then we thought it was the perfect clip to start the rumour mill turning.’
My heart rate quickened.
‘Who else was in on it?’
He shrugged, glancing across at Mandy and Jose.
‘ Everyone ?’ I turned to Mandy.
‘Blair and Coco didn’t know initially,’ she said. ‘But they do now. I couldn’t bear being banned from eating sashimi for the next few months.’
‘Remember, you’re the newcomer, Amber. It was a huge secret, a personal secret. And we didn’t know whether it was going to be successful or not.’
‘I can be trusted,’ I said. I swivelled and muttered this comment in Jimi’s direction.
‘So, are we agreed?’ Mandy turned to Jose. She seemed brighter, an energy returning to her limbs.
‘If it’s what you want,’ Jose said and squeezed her knee. Then he turned to his brother. ‘Do you think it will go down well with Mandy’s fans online, Jimi?’
I held my breath as we waited for him to speak.
‘I agree with Amber. There’s a huge opportunity here,’ said Jimi.
‘Posing without the bump, while releasing the news that your surrogate is carrying your baby, it will grab people’s attention, that is for sure.
’ His eyes lit up, thinking about the engagement figures she would get for this.
‘You will show there is no right or wrong way to fall pregnant,’ I added. I felt desperately passionate about this point. ‘There is absolutely no shame in that. You have nothing to hide, Mandy and Jose. Being unapologetically you – it is the greatest way to be.’
‘Plus, that strap-on was really starting to chaff,’ Mandy conceded. ‘I have no idea how actresses do it.’
Her eyes seemed to regain their sparkle in that moment. I could tell something had clicked. Jimi had found the right way to present this to her. And if there is one thing Mandy Sykes loves, it is engagement.
‘Come on,’ I said, standing up, ready to leap into action. Jimi peeled back one of the Winnebago curtains to reveal sunshine breaking through the dark clouds.
‘I’ll see you outside,’ he said, opening the door.
Mandy stood up and I watched with pride as she adjusted her underwear and gazed at herself in the full-length mirror. I tweaked her dress and hair, and watched as Lola was called inside to hurriedly touch up her make-up. Her eyes nearly popping out of her head too when she saw the discarded bump.
‘It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later,’ said Mandy.
‘I’ll be right beside you,’ Jose reassured Mandy when she was ready to leave the Winnebago.
I paused for a moment to take her in, the Koma dress looked so much better without the fake bump squeezed underneath it.
It wasn’t designed as a maternity piece and hadn’t really worked that way.
This was meant to be. Mandy’s hair was still a little damp and extra curly from the rain, but it didn’t matter.
She was a strikingly attractive woman, and even more so slightly undone.
‘Hey there, hot mama-to-be.’ I smiled, as I placed the Dryrobe back around her shoulders.
Outside, the rain and winds had eased.
Mandy passed Blair, to retrieve her coffee from Jose who had brought them in.
Blair looked down to the place where her bump once was and urgently waved their index finger above it, a figure of eight in the air.
‘Erm, Mands, have you forgotten something?’ they asked, eyes wide.
‘No, I haven’t. And there’s no need to pretend it’s a decaf either, Blair. Amber knows the whole story.’
As we headed back towards the sand dune we identified earlier as the ideal spot for Mandy to pose, I hung back from the group.
In the hurry to leave the trailer, I’d left behind my kit containing bulldog clips, tape, and a few other bits I might need to ensure the dress stayed in place on Mandy in the unpredictable weather conditions.
‘One second, I’ll catch you up!’ I called.
Turning back, I took a moment to look out to the horizon, where something caught my eye.
The multicoloured arc of a rainbow had appeared, its faint hues reflecting on the sea’s surface. It felt like a symbol of hope, just like the image of Mandy we were about to capture.
A familiar voice spoke from behind me. ‘What a gift. We need to get that in shot too.’
Jimi had decided to wait for me. He turned away from the rainbow and smiled at me, in the way that was guaranteed to make my heart flip.
At that exact moment my phone rang. I lifted it out of my pocket and looked at the screen. Rob. I paused before answering.
‘Someone’s calling you,’ Jimi prompted, looking over my shoulder. It was possible he saw Rob’s name on the screen. ‘Ignore it,’ he added.
‘I was picking up my kit, but I can do without it I guess,’ I replied.
‘Come on, you two.’ Julie-Ann was on a fast trajectory towards us. ‘The rainbow – we need that!’
Jimi peeled away from me. ‘Come on, Amber, let’s go!’
So, this is how we found ourselves watching Mandy atop a sand dune, being lashed by the wind, designer dress hugging her natural curves, cellulite on show, fake tan running down her leg, black mascara smudged, silicone baby bump discarded on the ground beside her.
Her gaze was fixed out to sea where the celestial arch of a rainbow was fading before our eyes.
Jimi captured her from all angles using his phone on a tripod – her beautiful imperfection, every last flawed detail, the rawness of her reality mixed with the pride of being an expectant mother, although not in the traditional sense.
The act of throwing down her fake bump was a symbol of female liberation akin to the concept of a bra-burning feminist, or a Victorian woman abandoning the corset to free herself from the constraint of societal expectations.
It was bold, beautiful, crude. It was real. Because that was exactly the point.
A second after Jimi pressed ‘post’ on Mandy’s favourite image, her surrogacy news was announced to the world on Insta, TikTok, Snap, and YouTube in tandem.
Barely a minute had passed when Julie-Ann received a phone call from the editor-in-chief of Wonderland magazine.
She burst into the Winnebago to deliver the message to Mandy, as I was packing up the excess clothing.
‘She wants to know if there are any unseen shots they could use as a front cover of the next edition. You’re invited back on page one, Mandy!
’ she exclaimed excitedly. ‘She’s a big fan – said she wants to personally applaud your bravery in speaking out as a voice for all the people around the world on a surrogacy journey too. ’
Mandy’s chest puffed up with pride.
‘I’ve also had calls from the Daily Mail , The Telegraph , and The Times , all delighted to be ahead of the curve because you announced the news here in Britain. Once America wakes up, they will go crazy too.’
I looked at Mandy with a big smile and breathed easy again.
We had delivered the objective of giving something back to her UK fans, and in a really big way.
Plus, the goal of achieving the financial bonus at the end of my stint in the Sykes household seemed back on track.
But, more than any bonus, it was so rewarding to see Mandy find peace and grow in confidence right before my eyes.
‘Of course, we can give them more images!’ Mandy squealed, eyes shining.
‘But I think we could do one better. Natalia, our surrogate, will be visiting in a week, so I can talk to the baby and be present at the next scan – Ebony thinks it will be great for our cosmic bonding. Why don’t we offer a new shoot to Wonderland , of the two of us together?
You can make the styling work, can’t you, Amber? ’
‘Absolutely,’ I replied, enthusiastically, ‘and I think I know how we can make it even more impactful.’