Hearing the door slam, Susan sat up and hid the test behind her back. It was Kev’s birthday tomorrow and, fingers crossed, she’d be able to give him the best present ever.
Maureen opened the oven door and put the tray of potatoes in. The rib of beef her Tommy had bought her looked bleeding handsome, and she could hardly wait to dish it up. ‘Do you want another cup of tea, Mum?’
Ethel shook her head. ‘I can’t sit here no longer, Maur. An hour ago she was meant to be here, I’m gonna have to go and look for her.’
Maureen felt sorry for her mother-in-law as she trudged off down the road. Her best mate, Gladys, was losing her marbles and her forgetfulness and erratic behaviour were breaking Ethel’s heart. It had been Maureen’s idea to invite her round for Sunday dinner. Poor old Gladys had no family near by and looked a shadow of her once proud and sprightly self.
Maureen glanced at the clock. The boys had gone to the gym and then onto the pub, but they’d promised to be home by three. Maureen smiled as she thought of her clan. They were no angels but, over the last few months, all three of them seemed to have got their act together. James was in the middle of his exams and revising hard, like a good boy. His future was already mapped out for him. Harold had been to see her recently while James was at school. He wanted her son to work full time for him until he reached eighteen, then James would take over the shop and Harold would retire.
Maureen was gobsmacked. ‘He’ll never be able to raise the cash. We’ve got no money and he won’t get a loan at his age – he hasn’t even got a bank account.’
Harold had waved away her worries. ‘The boy’s the nearest thing I’ve ever had to a son, Maureen. I trust him implicitly and all he has to do is pay me off weekly.’
Overjoyed, Maureen had repeatedly thanked him, hugged him and then sat impatiently waiting for her son to come home from school. Her baby, all grown up and running his own business: she could barely believe their luck.
Unfortunately for her, James was less than enthusiastic.
‘It’s very kind of Harold, Mum, but I’m really not sure. Sometimes it can be so bloody boring and I dunno if I wanna make a full-time career out of it.’
Furious, Maureen had laid the law down to him. ‘It’s the offer of a lifetime, James. Other boys would kill to be in your shoes. Just think, at eighteen you’ll have your own business, you can take driving lessons, buy a car. You can even go abroad for yer holidays. I’m sure Harold would cover for yer, if yer wanted to go away for a week.’
Knowing her son had been car mad all his life, Maureen prayed that her speech would make him see sense. Fortunately, it did. He accepted Harold’s job offer and was due to start full-time work in the shop as soon as his exams had finished. Grinning stupidly, as she always did when she pictured James running his own business, Maureen turned her thoughts towards Tommy.
When he had returned home after their argument, armed with a bouquet and an apology, she’d taken it with a pinch of salt.
‘It’s all an act, he won’t fucking change,’ Ethel told her.
At first Maureen had thought her mother-in-law was right, but she’d since had second thoughts. Her son had been a pleasure to be around lately. He’d even got himself a job working on a building site for Freddie’s cousin.
‘I’m ever so proud of him, he’s really starting to turn his life around. He’s paid for our new three-piece suite and he’s always bringing me home little presents,’ she told everyone that would listen.
Ethel thought differently and regularly took the piss out of her. ‘You’re so fucking gullible. I bet the little bastard ain’t even working on no building site.’
Maureen was annoyed. ‘Don’t be so stupid. Of course he’s bloody well working. He leaves the house early every morning and comes home knackered and covered in shit every evening.’
Ethel shook her head. ‘I bet you any money you like, he changes out of them clothes as soon as he leaves the house. My mate Lil saw him last week, said he looked a million dollars in a dark grey suit. Glad saw him as well, standing in the betting shop done up to the nines.’
Hearing the names Lil and Glad put Maureen’s mind at rest. Both were going senile and were blind as bats. ‘I know you’re usually right, Mum, but you’re wrong this time. He’s my flesh and blood and I can sense when he’s lying.’
Shrugging her shoulders, Ethel said no more. She knew full well that the little bastard was up to no good, but like all mothers, herself included, Maureen was destined to learn the hard way.
Thinking of her mother-in-law, Maureen smiled. She was too proud to admit it, but for once Ethel had been proved wrong. Last Friday, Tommy had been made foreman at his new job and he’d even given her half of his £200 bonus.
‘I’m not taking it, son. It’s your bonus, you’ve worked hard for that. You keep it.’
‘Mum, I don’t want it. Look, you stuck by me through thick and thin when I was in nick. Now I’m doing well at work, I wanna show yer how grateful I am. If yer don’t take it I’ll be really annoyed, so please don’t insult me.’
With tears in her eyes, Maureen put it in her purse. ‘Well? Ain’t it time you admitted you were wrong, Mum?’ she gloated to Ethel.
Ethel kept schtum. She was too busy trying to fathom out what robbery the lying little bastard had been involved in.
With James and Tommy both sorted with work, Maureen was determined to help Susan find something. Since leaving school seven years ago, her daughter had grafted for the grand total of two weeks. Packing sardines into tins was her only career move to date and she’d been living off the state ever since. But recently Maureen had been flabbergasted by the change in her daughter’s behaviour. Gone was the stroppy, nasty little cow and in her place was a nice, polite young lady.
‘Have you got a new boyfriend?’ she’d asked her a few weeks back.
‘Actually, Mum, I wanted to talk to you about that.’
Sitting opposite her, Susan held her hand for the first time since infancy.
‘It’s Kevin, Mum. We’re trying for a baby and we’re gonna move in together. He’s a changed man, honest.’
Maureen shrugged her shoulders. What was the point of reminding her that he’d knocked her senseless? She wouldn’t listen, she never did.
Surprised that her mum hadn’t gone into one, Susan carried on talking. ‘I swear, Mum, he really has changed. He’s gonna get a job to provide for me and the baby, and he’ll be a brilliant dad.’
Maureen felt like laughing as she heard the words ‘Kevin’, ‘job’ and ‘provide’ in the same sentence. Her daughter’s boyfriend was the laziest bastard ever to walk this planet. Looking at Susan’s happy face, she decided not to broach the job conversation. If Susan had decided to try for kids, getting a job was totally pointless anyway. Maureen smiled at her sympathetically. She was a lost cause, bless her, it ran in the family. All the women, including her and Ethel, had ended up with bastards.
‘If you’re happy, Susan and it’s what you want, then I really hope it works out for yer. I’ll always worry about him knocking yer about, though.’
‘Honestly, he ain’t laid a finger on me for ages. I swear on my life, he really has changed. Give him another chance, Mum. If he’s gonna be the father of your first grandchild, you’ve gotta bury the hatchet at some point. Please, Mum, let him back in the house. Even if you can’t forgive him, just do it for my sake.’
Not wanting to burst her daughter’s bubble, Maureen reluctantly agreed. Unable to forget the six hours she’d sat up in casualty after he’d knocked the shit out of Susan, Maureen barely spoke to Kevin at first. She’d only mellowed the last week or so. He’d tried so hard to be polite and Susan was so bloody happy with him that Maureen eventually called a truce.
‘I’ll give yer one final chance to prove yourself, Kev, but if you ever lay a finger on my daughter again, I will personally fuckin’ kill you.’
Kevin was delighted to finally be forgiven. ‘I love Susan and I swear I’ll never hurt her again. We’re happy now and when she has my kids, I’m gonna be the best dad and boyfriend in the world.’
Enjoying her daydream, Maureen was jolted back to reality by the sound of the front door opening.
‘We’re early and we’re starving, Mum.’
Handing her sons a plate of bread and dripping, she shooed them out from under her feet.
‘You’ll have to wait for yer dinner, boys. Glad’s gone missing again, Nanny’s out looking for her and Susan and Kevin ain’t arrived yet.’
Tommy smiled. ‘As we’ve missed out on valuable drinking time for no reason, I’m gonna pop up the offie. Do yer fancy a Guinness, Mum?’
‘Yes please, love, and James, can you knock next door and speak to Maria while dinner’s cooking? Twice today and once yesterday that poor girl’s knocked here for yer. I know yer like spending all your time with Tommy now, but you’ve been mates with her for years and yer can’t just dump her like a bag of old rags.’
Feeling incredibly guilty about the way he’d been treating Maria, James took a slow walk up the path. He’d apologised weeks ago for the argument they’d had, but had avoided her like the plague ever since.
When Maria opened the door, his stomach did its usual somersault. ‘All right, mate? I’ve just got in and Mum said you knocked earlier.’
Elated to see him, Maria’s face lit up.
‘I wondered if you fancied coming to the pictures with me tonight? I’ve checked out the films and there’s a good horror on. Please say yes, James. We haven’t been out together for ages and I know you always enjoy making me jump.’
Wanting to say yes more than anything in the world, James shook his head. ‘I can’t tonight Maria, I’ve already made arrangements,’ he lied.
Determined not to melt at the sight of her beautiful face, he stared at the ground. It had been two months now since he’d first admitted his true feelings for her to Tommy, and ever since then his brother had forced him on a mission.
‘You want her, James, just do as I say and you’ll get her. Stage one, stay away from her. Obviously you’re gonna see her, ’cause she lives next door, but don’t be alone with her at all.’
James nodded. ‘What am I gonna say when she knocks and wants to do stuff?’
‘You say you’re busy, you div.’
Tommy smiled at his brother’s naivety. Ten years he’d been locked up, and he could still teach James a thing or two about women. ‘Stage two, you start coming down the gym with me, you get that bastard hair cut and you let me take you shopping to sort your wardrobe out. The shell suits need binning, James, you look a knob in ’em.’
Not one to take offence, James laughed. ‘What’s stage three?’
‘Stage three’s the happy ending. She can’t fail to notice how good you look and she’ll be missing you dreadfully. Within weeks, she’ll be begging to see yer. Obviously you say no, yer need her to realise she was in love with you all along and actually admit it to yer before you give in.’
James had never believed that the plan would work, but when Maria grabbed his hand, he began to think that he would make it to stage three after all.
‘Please tell me what’s the matter, James. I know you’ve been spending time with your brother, but I know it’s not just that. Have I done something to upset you? Tell me if I have, because I don’t know what I’ve done wrong.’
Eyes glued to the ground, James shook his head. ‘You ain’t done nothing to upset me, Maria.’
‘Please come to the pictures with me. We need to talk, sort things out. There must be something wrong.’
Pulling his hand away, James spoke abruptly. ‘I can’t, Maria, I’ve already told yer I’m busy.’
As he went to walk away, he was aware that she was crying. Praying for her to declare her undying love, his heart was in his mouth when she called him back. ‘What do you want, Maria?’ he asked hopefully.
‘I just want you to know that I hate your guts, James Hutton, and I never, ever want to see you again.’
Furious, Maria slammed the door in his face. Shocked by her words, James trudged away, heartbroken.
SIXTEEN
‘What’s the time?’ Freddie asked impatiently.
Ignoring the butterflies leaping about in his stomach, Tommy glanced at his watch.
‘Half bloody two. I told yer we should have waited a bit.’
Freddie didn’t answer. Tommy always got like this before a job; his nerves got the better of him and he’d do nothing but moan in the lead-up to it.
Glancing towards the betting shop, Tommy could feel the sweat running down the back of his neck. So far, him and Freddie had been thoroughly successful in their promising new career. They always worked alone, were careful not to show off any wealth and studied thoroughly any job they chose to do. In reality, today’s little number should be a doddle.
An independent bookmakers owned by a simple old boy. They’d been watching the gaff for weeks and, apart from the owner and some drippy bird behind the counter, there were no other staff. The place itself was a goldmine. The old boy prided himself on giving good odds and, seeing it was situated in the heart of Whitechapel, it was always packed with piss-heads and losers who had nothing better to do than spunk their money up the wall. Tommy and Freddie had been in there the last couple of Fridays. All suited and booted, they’d quietly placed a couple of bets while watching the old boy’s movements. Three o’clock on the dot the owner would count the takings, place the dough in an old blue sports bag and take a nice slow walk towards the bank.
‘I can’t believe the lack of security. I mean, Whitechapel’s full of tramps, junkies and winos. How the fuck don’t he get done every week?’ Freddie said.
Tommy agreed. They didn’t want to hurt the old boy, just planned to teach him a lesson. At three o’clock exactly, the door opened and the man appeared with his blue sports bag.
As cool as a cucumber, Freddie jumped off the back of the bike, threatened the old boy with a replica gun and made a grab for the bag. The old boy clung to his takings for dear life. A war veteran, he wasn’t going to be frightened by a bit of a kid and a fake shooter.