CHAPTER 1
Angela Cherrington left the party disgusted after she'd gone into the family room and saw a guy with a beer bottle hanging from his bared butt and two middle-aged nude women on the floor going at it, head to tail. She left seeking a bed at her girlfriend's home, annoyed her parents continued to have revolting parties.
The only child's parents wouldn't be aware she'd gone. Her mom would be tied up and hanging upside down from the ceiling of the gym and having pegs applied to her nipples and pussy while her dad would be dressed in his rabbit suit going around and having women screaming in laughter when introducing himself as Fuck Bunny.
It was amazing that her parents survived in their jobs, her father being a property services manager for a multi-branch bank and her mother being a student adviser at a large high school.
Next morning after her parents had gone to work, Angela returned to her home situation in a village in East Anglia, England, packed her bags and left by cab to the railway station, leaving a note that she'd gone to live with Aunt Mae, her mom's youngest sister who lived south in Kent.
The eighteen-year old had written: 'Don't worry about me in deciding to seek my own way in life. I'll be fine and I'm not sorry I decided not to go to college to have my mind filled with intellectual rubbish and my body perverted by my tutors and fellow students. Keep happy. Angela.'
Aunt Mae, wife of a small-town vicar, welcomed Angela warmly and said, "Yes dear you are welcome to stay with us so long as you attend church on Sunday mornings."
"Fine Aunt Mae."
"Um how will be find money to live on until you get a job?"
"I'll guess I'll have to resort to prostitution."
"Oh darling no and please don't jest like that with me. I'll draw fifty pounds a week from the church's family relief fund for you."
"Could you make that sixty pounds? Facial and hair grooming costs have gone through the roof."
"Have they? I only buy lipstick, but very well then. Tell me, what have your parents been up to?"
"Oh you know, a bit of this and a bit of that like most parents do."
"Well yes, just like the dull routines that your Uncle Reg and I have to deal with."
"Well you did tell me once some of the old guys you visit as part of the church's Outreach program sometimes grope you."
"Yes when I'm cleaning their mouth of dribble. They are senile darling and are only attempting to hang on to me to get me to take them away. Can you recall your second birthday?"
"No, I wouldn't have a clue."
"Well that's how those old men are like about sex. They can't remember if they ever did it, let alone when they last did it."
"You are funny Aunt Mae."
"My dear, you are a little vixen drawing me out to comment like that." And that's how one of the nation's top film presenters moved to begin her illustrious career.
After fifteen fruitless job interviews ranging from assisting on a vegetable stall at the Street Markets to being trained to become a security guard, Angela's momentum faltered.
"I can't get a job. I'll have to fall back on to prostitution."
"No darling. No way."
"Would it make it any easier for you if I only took on female clients?"
"Good god, please do something for this child."
"With Him the poor are last in line."
Aunt Mae looked quite shocked.
"Goodness I really don't know if you're right dear. I'd never thought of it like that but He can't be everywhere at the same time. Leave it to me. I'll seek ministerial intervention from your uncle."
Mae appealed to her husband, "You have to help the poor child Reg. Her going into prostitution would bring shame on us and to others of her extended family."
"Um how much does she propose charging?"
"Reginal Pike!"
"Oh sorry. Look I'm dealing with Charlie Birtwistle at the moment who has confessed to seducing his sister last week. As a newspaper editor the fool shouldn't go around confessing a wickedness of that gravity."
"Well how is that going to help?"
"Leave it to me. I hope to perform wonders in my own way."
Rev Pike said to the editor, "Well Charlie I'm reluctant to ask for you to be dropped from the church council as punishment for your wickedness. I've been thinking redemption might be a sufficient alternative to punishment because it will be no easy task."
"Let me try Reg. I need to be on the church council to reinforce my public profile as a community do-gooder. If I did that would it wipe the slate clean for me?"
"I should think so but can't speak for Him high above."
"You mean the chairman of the council?"
"Oh much higher than that Charlie, Reg said stretching his finger high above his head.
Charlie bowed his head reverently.
The HR manager went into another office and called the editor.
"Charlie is this a joke? That female you sent me to sign on is not a woman, she's barely eighteen, and understandably at that age has no college degree and after examining her school record I have to say she would have a struggle to gain admission to any college."
"You have your instruction Claire. Have her signed on as a first year cadet and then taken to the chief reporter who's already been briefed."
* * *
Angela had already officially changed her name via her aunt's solicitor and had her driver's license reissued under her new name of Cherrington Vixen. She's recalled Aunt Mae calling her a vixen and that name appealed as her new surname. Cherrington as a first name sounded rather classy to her.
Cherrington had studied the news and entertainment media at high school but hadn't paid attention, doing her fingernails instead. All she knew was reporters reported.
On her first day in Editorial, she was sent on an assignment with a senior reporter to observe.
They came back from that assignment and chief reporter, Stanley Guinness, eyed those two huddled in front of a computer screen noting that new kid was at the keyboard. He sniffed, flicked his moustache on both sides and strode down to investigate.
"Elizabeth, why aren't you writing the story?"
"Because Mr Guinness it's Cherrington's story. She conducted the interview of the retiring dog pound keeper because she told me she's worked at a dog catcher once. She asked good questions, appeared to have a good grip on what was required and so I thought she should write up her interview."
"Firstly Elizabeth, call the girl by her first name. We don't want your public school airs contaminating this office."
"But Cherrington is her first name sir."
"Rubbish."
"Yes it is Stanley. Check your records. I signed on as Cherrington Vixen. I agree it's an assumed name but it's also my officially registered name."
"Why are you calling me Stanley?"
"Because..."
"Stop right there young lady. It is newspaper tradition for reporters to address their chief reporter formerly."
"May I ask a question sir?"
Stanley twiddled his moustache and said certainly.
"How do you think traditions are broken?"
"Far be it for me to discuss breaking down 500 years of newspaper tradition. Carry on girls. The noose is around your neck Elizabeth. If I dump this story I'll pull the noose tight."
"Yes sir."
Cherrington whispered, "Ignore him Elizabeth. He's all smoke and puff."
Stanley, already some distance off, heard that comment and grinned. He knew it was happening; after seventeen years of being chief reporter, a new recruit worthy in character to become his hand-crafted protégé, had entered his domain. Pity about her prat of a name.
Elizabeth filed the story under her name because the kid hadn't been given computer access yet.
Stanley couldn't fault the story. Well Elizabeth would have coached the kid on points of style. The questions put by the kid must have been good for her to draw out Alec Brimlow like this. Jesus a Bulldog got through his defenses fifteen years ago and crushed one of Alec's testicles. Stanley knew Alec well and often had a pint with him at the rugby club but had never known his beer-drinking pal had lost a nut to the surgeon's knife. Well probably it was not something for a man to man conversation. Hmmm that little bit would have to be referred to the editor.
He looked up and the girls were watching him. He gave his version of a grin and watched as Elizabeth almost fell off her chair. Jesus that really was funny and then froze as the kid blew him a kiss.
Christ that was extreme insubordination. Stanley knew he should bawl her out. But the 48-year old felt his nuts tighten. He slumped back in his chair devastated to learn his body was sexually interested in the kid because she was only eighteen, a couple of years younger than his youngest child.
The editor thought the bit about the tragic end to the man's testicle had been tastefully written and in its particular context revealed one of the workplace perils of being a pound keeper for roaming or misbehaving dogs and therefore it should be published.
Next morning Mae shook Cherrington awake and boggled when her niece sat up. Cherrington was nude and her aunt looked at breasts she would have dearly loved to have possessed at eighteen when discovering the real reason why boys played with their cocks.
"Darling I awoke you to share our excitement. You story on your first day at work is on the front page and a tiny head and shoulders shot of you is at the top with your by-line. The story is great but darling I do think when I see your new name in print, Cherrington Vixen does sound rather pompous."
"Oh, it was meant to be an unforgettable name."
"Um, oh perhaps it will be. Your uncle is so proud of you and wonders if one day you might attempt to modernize the Bible with a re-write."
"Nah the devout are dying off uncomfortably fast as it is without upsetting them to drive them away in droves."
"That is a very astute comment for one so young. Um could you ask that next time the newspaper publishes just a little bit more of you than just head and shoulders?"
"Oooh do you like my breasts Aunt Mae?"
Mae fled from the room.
During the next twenty weeks, as ordered by the editor, Cherrington underwent an hour's intense tuition each working day. Stanley took the majority of those sessions but the heads of other departments and subsections of the newspaper also tutored her.
Five week after the completion of that, under special permission Cherrington was permitted to sit East Anglia's regional examination for students taking the Newspaper Journalists Preliminary Training Course to gain the NJPTC diploma. She was the youngest by nine weeks of the 29 students to sit the exams and finished as one of the five top students to get an honors pass mark. Actual marks were not disclosed.
"How did it go?" Stanley asked, confident she would have made the grade.
Cherrington, head own, handed him the envelope.
"Come on sweetie, you can never be shy," he grinned.
"It's my version of modesty."
He laughed and pulled out the certificate and cried, "Jesus."
Roland the chief sub turned around in his chair and came over and took a look.
"An honors pass? Jesus Cherrington, well done. Well you have taken to your work like a dog taking to a bone."
"Like a dog with only one nut?"
