Bang Gang (29 page)

There were some grumbles, but most of them took it just fine. It’s not as if they had a choice.

I’d have my shit together by then, I
had
to have my shit together by then.

I ventured out for a cigarette just before lunch, walked into a load of banter that would normally have amused the fuck out of me, but not today.

Today’s humour was at Petey’s expense. Some fucking idiot had loosened the lid on a big can of lubricant then sent the lad over to pick it up. Cue the inevitable fucking mess of spilled lubricant all over the fucking floor.

The lads were in hysterics, cracking all the pissing jokes about Petey spurting it everywhere, Petey dropping his load everywhere, flooding the place before he’d even got the fucking lid off.

Poor kid was beetroot, looked like he was gonna fucking cry.

I lit my cigarette and told them to knock it off. It only made them laugh all the harder.

“What’s up with you, boss?” Jimmy goaded. “On your fucking monthlies or something?”

“Just sick of your shit,” I said. “It’s fucking tiring, Jimmy. Someone better get a mop and bucket and clean that fucking mess up quick sharp.”

He pulled a scowl, never knowing quite when to shut his fucking mouth. “This little hissy fit ain’t got nothing to do with us fucking your missus by any chance?”

“Leave it, Jimmy,” Buck said. “Just fucking leave it.”

“I won’t fucking leave it,” Jimmy said. “He told us to fucking do it, now he’s got his frilly fucking knickers in a twist. Do the crime, take the time. Don’t like what went down, suck it up and get fucking on with it.”

I glared at him. “Are you quite fucking finished?”

He nodded, gave me the usual Jimmy O swagger. “Yeah, I’m finished,” he said. “Just telling it like it is.”

I took a drag on my cigarette then stubbed it out, made my way back over to them. “
This
is how it fucking is,” I said. “We’re taking a break for a few weeks, I’m booking in nothing til mid-November.”

“Why?” Hugh asked. “Christmas is coming, was counting on the cash for that.”

I shrugged. “You’ll have plenty of backlog to catch up on before Christmas, Hugh. Overtime here, too. The diary’s rammed full of car shit.”

“This is bullshit,” Jimmy snapped. “Putting the dampeners on everything just because you can’t get your dick in fucking line.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I barked. “Got no fucking problem with my dick, Jimmy.”

He laughed. “Yeah right, mate. Don’t think we didn’t fucking notice your little
erectile dysfunction
issues last week.”

“You’re talking fucking shit,” I said. “Did I look like I had
erectile dysfunction
issues this fucking weekend, Jimmy?”

He shrugged. “You sat on the reserves bench for most of it, how would we fucking know?” Buck shook his head, told Jimmy to leave it, but Jimmy was on a roll. “Why don’t you pop some little blue pills and get over yourself? Save us all the fucking bullshit.”

“Why don’t you just shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you?” I said.

“You want a piece?” Jimmy said. He dropped his spanner, slapped his hands on his chest. “It’s not my fucking fault your missus wanted my fucking dick, Trent. You just gotta deal with that shit.”

I pictured Jodie riding Jimmy’s cock, his grubby hands on her waist. His face between her legs. I was up and at him before he’d really prepared for it, but Buck pre-empted me, pushed his way between us while Hugh grabbed hold of Jimmy. I swung for him but I was too far back, too many fucking bodies in the way to get a punch in.

“What the fuck?!” Buck yelled. “Jesus Christ, guys, just chill the fuck out! Leave it! Just fucking leave it!”

He shunted me backwards once, twice, three times until I’d calmed down enough to shake off the red mist, but even then I was seething, on the edge of blowing my fucking fuse all over again.

I held my hands up. “Alright,” I said. “I’m fucking calm!”

Buck wrapped his arm around my shoulders to be sure, steered me back outside. “Fucking hell, Trent,” he said. “What the fuck’s wrong with you?”

I said nothing.

“Is this about the shit with Jodie? Christ, mate, nobody was out to cross any lines. You said it was fine. You said you’d be cool with it.”

“I am,” I lied. “This is just about Jimmy and his running fucking mouth.”

“If you say so,” he said.

“I do fucking say so.”

He sighed. Patted my back. “Look, Trent, you want to hold off until mid-November, we’ll hold off until mid-November. It’s your fucking gig.”

I had nothing to say, so I said nothing at all, just pulled out another cigarette and lit up like I hadn’t just launched myself at one of my employees.

The prick was fucking asking for it.

“Kiss and make up,” Buck said. “It’s not worth falling out over this kind of shit, Trent. Jimmy’s alright, he’s just got a dirty fucking mouth on him.”

“Jimmy can kiss my fucking ass,” I said. “I’ll make it up when I’m good and ready.”

Buck slapped my shoulder. “Ain’t none of us after your fucking missus, Trent, it was just a fucking gig.”

“Jodie’s not my missus.”

He sighed. “Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that.” He gave me a jab in the arm. “Gotta get back to it, that bloody Rover isn’t gonna fix itself.”

I nodded.

Maybe I’d have calmed it down enough to make it up with Jimmy. Maybe I’d even have calmed it down enough to laugh at Petey’s little lube accident, too.

Maybe I’d have put the whole fucking situation behind me and got on with business as usual.

If only Eleanor Hartley’s fucking Porsche hadn’t pulled onto the yard.

Fuck it. Fuck all of it.

This time I was in my fucking truck and out of there before she’d even turned off the ignition.

I played it cool, even to myself, pretended that I wasn’t hoping for a text or a phone call, wasn’t hoping for him to pop in for another coffee or be waiting outside for me in his truck.

Of course he wouldn’t. It was a job and now it was done.

But it’d felt so real.
He’d
felt so real. So…
there
.

Maybe he felt like that with all of his
clients
. The thought made me nauseous.

Oh well, fuck it. Fuck all of it.

Same customers, same gossipy school mums every morning, same people to wave at and shout good
morning to. Same
old same old.

I got on with it with a smile on my face, same as every other week of my life. There are worse things in life than a bit of routine.

I heard from Mrs Webber that she’d had Tyler Dean’s mum in for a meeting the very same day, assuring me that she’d made it clear that bullying was not to be tolerated on the school bus. I breathed a sigh of relief at the news, thanking her for her prompt action. I relayed it to Mia with a smile, telling her it was all done now and she wouldn’t be getting any more trouble.
Always the best way
, I said.
Speak up about your troubles and they’ll get sorted.

I just wish she’d have told me sooner, to save herself all the upset.

I still kept my eye on things, hanging on that few minutes longer at the bus stop to make sure the situation looked calm, but Tyler Dean and his friends never went within two metres of her, not while I was watching. They kept a seriously wide berth, and that brought a puff of self-righteousness to my chest – Mamma Bear at my finest. I hoped Mrs Webber had given those little dipshits quite a roasting.

In fact, I hoped they’d be in detention until the end of time. Serve the little assholes right.

“All’s well that ends well,” Tonya said. “Poor Mia, this should make those little bastards think twice before they open their mouths in future.”

“Definitely,” I said. “Mrs Webber takes this kind of thing
very
seriously. She told me so.”

We clinked coffee mugs, and life felt good again. The kids were all smiles, Ruby talking non-stop about this upcoming rally weekend, determined to drive me insane with her begging that we all go,
all
of us – even Nanna and Tonya.
Like Nanna is going to cope on a bloody airbed
, I said. Mia didn’t seem nearly so bothered about camping, knuckling down to her school test revision with the kind of dedication that made me proud. She didn’t even watch
Question King
with Nanna, just ate her dinner and went straight up to hit the revision.

I’d have to plan a celebratory meal out when she was done, maybe even get a cake. Maybe get Darren along, make a proper family thing out of it.
A proper family thing.
I laughed when I caught myself.

There
was
no proper family thing between me and Darren. A family thing between him and the girls, and me and the girls, but between us, no. Separated. We were separated. Long-time separated – even if the thought of being with him was still getting me off every night. Maybe sometimes in the morning, too.

So what if I was thinking about him sometimes during lulls at the cafe? So what if my tummy would tickle every time I thought about his face in mine?

So what about the other tickles… the dirty thoughts… the dirty thoughts that wouldn’t let up… not ever… not even knowing that he was probably fucking half the women in the village and barely giving me a second thought…

Luckily I had my girls’ night out to keep me occupied.

One epic night of drinks, dancing and good girly chatter, topped off nicely by the opportunity to wear my flash new bodycon dress.

I could hardly wait.