The 'retreat' for Digger, Lucille and Angie, the day after Lucille had personally completed interviewing all personnel, was nominated by Digger. He'd suggested his hotel room which he'd upgraded to a two-bedroom suite to accommodate intensive meeting requirements.
Since Digger was managing partner Lucille had little option but to accept his direction, her main concern was to work in retreat, free from outside interruption. They commenced at 7:00 with a light breakfast.
Lucille impressed them from the outset, removing any doubt about her lack of knowledge of magazine content, design, over-all layout and sectional themes.
"We'll skip with what's right with
Fashion Up
, concentrating on its weaknesses," she said, and ruthlessly ripped it apart verbally.
Angie bristling at criticism of pages she'd designed angrily challenged the contentions but was hushed by her brother.
"Angie let this session be constructive," Digger urged. "As the criticism widens and deepens we'll benefit from seeing it as a whole, giving us better perspective before we become defensive or counter argue."
"Angie?" Lucille responded.
"I suppose he's right Lucille. Don't let me stop the flow."
The heaviest criticism referred to the design and layout being more catalogue-like in style rather than a sophisticated high-end market informer that allowed the reader to look and reflect without being distracted by a crush of other featured material.
"There's too much display competition, too little white space, too much gimmicky design resulting in failure to allow the featured product tells its story visually."
She asked Digger to associate one word with the word fashion.
"Style."
"No although fashion clothing is displayed or worn with style although one could say a photograph of a beautifully designed and crafted diamond necklace reeks of style, but I'm wanting to hear the word that goes hand in hand with high-end fashion."
"Angie?"
"Elegance?"
"Exactly."
Lucille tossed them a copy each of the current issue of
Fashion Up
which over recent nights she'd examined minutely.
"Just hold it like this and allow the pages to flick by like so, and thinking 'elegance' tell me your principal impression."
"Jesus," Digger said, dropping his magazine on to the table and cupping his chin, shaking his head. "How could we be so blind?"
"What?" Angie asked, looking at him and dropping her magazine. "The ads?"
"Yes," he said. "Most of the ads reflect product elegance and have been composed as an advertisement with great elegance. Beside them, except overseas features which have come to us already laid-up, many of our pages look mundane and too busy."
Lucille said, "Exactly."
She then showed them pages from top international fashion magazines.
"You're designers, with an eye for style and elegance. Watch these pages I've scanned but without comment until I've finished. I'll show ten pages and then begin another run of ten pages and finish with ten more. You'll see each page for five seconds and please noted this is not a test to find the hidden thimble. It's to arrive at a general observation with one significant finding."
After the viewing, Angie was asked for her comment.
"Thirty great pages, all editorial, from some of the great magazines and I recognize several as I make it my business to study the competition. My principle conclusion is all pages are at least as good as our very best. Most of them very much better but then they have huge numbers of expert staff whereas we do it on a shoe-string."
"An excellent answer, Angie, but you missed it. Digger?"
He was on to it, saying the first ten and the last ten pages were all from twenty different magazines; the middle ten were from the same magazine although extracted from different sections. He said those pages had an integrated look about them reflecting the chosen style that the producers of the magazine wished to project.
Digger was praised for his answer.
During the lunch break Lucille talked about her new apartment, saying she would take time off over the weekend to buy furniture, furnishings and bedding.
Digger came up with a proposal.
"You're under pressure with this work project. I suggest we finish today at 3:00 and then rush out to Furniture City to help you choose items, requesting delivery to your apartment on Saturday morning. On Saturday evening you can invite us to your house warming, with your other friends of course. This way you get everything done in a rush, leaving your mind clear to proceed with your tough project."
Lucille agreed it was an enterprising solution.
Then Digger made another suggestion.
"Why don't you two stay here tonight? There are twin beds in the second bedroom. After returning shopping we can dine here at the hotel and come back and crash, ready for a quick start in the morning. I get housekeeping to do the suite at midday when we will have finished here because Lucille you have to be at the lawyer's office for the signing."
"That all sounds great, doesn't it Lucille?"
"I...well yes it does Angie; another excellent idea."
During the shopping spree Lucille choose everything from two mega-stores including crockery, towels, wall paintings and ornaments.
Over dinner Lucille related her life story.
Digger and Angie listened particularly attentively when she recalled her time with Winslet Graham.
"So it's true - you've never worked on a fashion magazine," Angie said in awe, when Lucille ended her story.
"It's true but perhaps your brother and sister would prefer you kept that little secret to yourself."
"I've really come to like you Lucille, so please don't think this question is meant to be rude: Do you really think you can do something that we professionals have failed to do which is to turn
Fashion Up
into a profit center?"
"Yes I see clearly what needs to be done to achieve that, every step of the way."
"Using what that Mrs Graham said about your gift of conceptualization?"
"Yes Angie and using my extensive knowledge base.
"I've studied fashion magazines critically for years, I've worked in cutting rooms, selected garments, shipped garments, been responsible for design successes and failures, worked as a model in fashion stores in New York, Milano and Paris, being interviewed countless times by newspaper, radio, TV and magazine reporters but, as you say, never worked on a fashion magazine. But don't worry if you don't have faith in me I have faith in myself, and that's what really counts."
After they returned to the suite Angie kissed them both goodnight and grabbing her handbag said, "I'll see you two love birds at seven sharp."
"Angie!" Lucille cried. "You can't do this to us!"
"Oh yes I can," she grinned and blowing them kisses closed the door behind her.
"I don't wish to embarrass you Digger, but I think I should also leave."
"You'll embarrass me more if you leave, giving me the impression that you don't think I'm good enough for you."
Lucille looked horrified. "Oh Digger, I don't think that way at all. Quite the contrary, I..."
She tailed off and flushed.
Digger smiled.
"I see we have secret desires do we?"
Lucille shrugged helplessly.
* * * *
Digby Ivan Morrissey was much clever than his initial schoolboy nickname suggested. Later during his time at high school when he became known for his tenacity his nickname of 'Dim' was playfully upgraded by an influential schoolmate to Digger and the new nickname spread and stuck.
The origins of that name 'Digger' had agricultural and cemetery connections but in Australia it was particularly associated with early gold-diggers. During World War I the name was adopted to affectionately describe the Australian infantrymen portrayed in photographs digging trenches with enthusiasm.
The challenge had arrived for Digger to dig deep, to show his class and ability to influence because Lucille looked ready to depart.
Rather than locking the door and crying, 'Got you!' he intelligently slumped on to the sofa and said, "Make us coffee if you wish - or go."
He made a great show of rubbing weariness from his eyes and face, not looking back towards the door.
Lucille locked the door and asked softly, "White or black coffee?"
"Black with just a dab of milk," he said, brushing back his hair, still not looking at her and keeping his voice very neutral. At the same time his stomach flipped.
"Do you want me to stay the night here unchaperoned and risk upsetting your moves to secure a divorce?" Lucille asked, putting their mugs down on the coffee table.
"No worries because Meg has been served notice of my intent and already she's returned to live with her parents; we have an agreement on the split of our shared assets in place."
"The only requirement left now is to stay separated for the required period before our application is considered by the Court. She shows no remorse for her actions, no regret about being involved in a divorce and as calmly as you like told me, using her words, to fuck off.
"So she's lost her heart?"
"I'm afraid so and the realization about this has helped me come through this in one piece. It's all happened so quickly and for the better."
Lucille looked at him, the thrust of her chin and asked, "What now?"
"That depends on you. I suggest we toss the cards and see how they fall."
"Pardon me?"
"Just allow it to take its course."
The square jaw look was back again.
"If sex with me is on your mind, I'm not sleeping in bed with you until your divorce comes through."
"Your three months restriction in working for us under your terms of entry into Australia will expire well before then."
"I'm aware of that. If something develops between us we'll have to attend to that problem, won't we?"
The handsome face wore a slight scowl.
"That sounds like an ultimatum."
"Take it how you wish; it's just my business practicality showing its class."
Digger ran a fingernail between his two front teeth thoughtfully and pulling his sucking thumb away and spoke profoundly.
"You actually haven't said we can't have sex before my divorce is absolute; you've indicated you won't be sleeping in my bed until it does - right?"
"Actually any bed for that matter; it's just a stupid sense of proprietary my mind seems to demand of me."
Digger's face broke into a huge smile.
"Have I interpreted you correctly - no bed, but we can do it on the street, on hay, at the beach, in a car, on a riverbank or attempt it on the flying trapeze?"
