by Karen Woods
There was an awkward silence. This was not what Clare had expected.
Kevin kicked himself. Bleeding hell, what was he doing dropping the love bomb the minute he’d got out of the nick? He should have just played it by ear and seen how the land lay before he jumped in. Too much, too soon.
Ged was loving it though, smiling like his heart was melting. Maybe his parents could rekindle their love and they could be a happy family again. That’s all he’d ever wanted, not loads of money or designer clothes, just his family together. Was it so much to ask?
But then there was this Sam bloke on the scene now with his mum – he needed to get out of the picture sharpish if these two were going to have a hope.
Clare stood firm, even though she could see what was going through her son’s head. No. No way was Kevin playing the sympathy card to get back in her knickers. She had to shut him down.
‘Whoa, Ged, let’s get one thing straight. Me and your dad are over, done. He can have a relationship with you but as for me and him, don’t even go there. That ship sailed a long time ago. I’ve moved on.’
Kevin tensed like someone had stabbed him deep in his heart. ‘Fucking hell, Clare, kick a man while he is down, why don’t you?’
‘Well, I’m just making sure we are all singing from the same hymn sheet. I don’t want to give you any false hope when there is none.’ Clare was straight to the point, she owed him nothing. She stood up and grabbed her coat from the back of the chair. She couldn’t fall for his smooth words again.
‘I’m just going to the shop to get some fags. You two can have a chat while I’m gone. Oh and Kevin,’ she turned to him before she left the room. ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea that you come here all the time. When Ged is feeling better, he can come to your mam’s house and see you there.’
‘I’m not staying at my mam’s, Clare. I’m on the sofa at our kid’s for now.’
Clare was lost for words. Kevin had always gone back to his mother’s house when he had nowhere to go – all the times she’d kicked him out for his lies and dodgy schemes. Why wasn’t he staying there like he normally did?
‘I’ll sort something out with you later then, Kevin. Do you want anything from the shop, Ged?’
‘Can I have a Twix, Mam, I’m just craving one.’
Kevin looked up at her with his puppy dog eyes. Bleeding hell, was she expected to get him something too? Less than twenty-four hours out of the nick and he was expecting her to wait on him hand and foot.
‘Do you want anything?’ she asked in an abrupt manner.
‘Oh, yeah, ta. Can I have a Mars bar please, babe?’
He was at it again, calling her babe, making her skin crawl. She left the house ramming two fingers up behind her. He had more front than Blackpool and if she had her way he could ram his chocolate bar where the sun didn’t shine, too.
Kevin waited until he heard the front door slam shut. No more beating around the bush. It was time for the truth, and he didn’t waste any time in getting it. ‘So,’ he paused and looked at his boy. ‘Let’s have it then, no lies, just fill me in. The truth.’
Ged was white-faced. His dad would go ape when he knew what his son had been up to. There was no way of sugar-coating it.
‘Dad, before you start, I was doing this for us. I wanted to help my mam out and try and get you a few quid for when you got out of jail.’
Kevin nodded his head, waiting for the rest of the story. Ged carried on. ‘I think I was set up. I was doing a few drop-offs for my mate Frankie, the one I told you about, and when I told him this was the last one he wasn’t happy. And then I was jumped in Blackpool when—’
He never got to finish. ‘Fucking Blackpool? What kind of drop-offs were you doing? Don’t think I don’t know how these things work just because I’ve been off the streets for a bit. You mean to tell me you was up and down the country supplying drugs? Are you fucking right in the head? If you would have got caught you would have had a four-year stretch, you daft cunt.’
Ged fidgeted. ‘Frankie told me that I’ll have to work the debt off and pay back what was lost.’
‘So how much are you in the hole for? Are we talking weed here or what?’
Ged dropped his head in shame. ‘No Dad, heroin, crack, cocaine.’
Kevin’s mouth swung open and he swallowed great gulps of air trying to get his breathing together. He rammed his finger into the side of his son’s head. ‘What fucking planet are you on? Fucking dealing smack, you daft muppet.’
Ged was getting riled too now. ‘Yeah, I know, but come on where did you expect us to get money from? You’ve been in jail for years so you can’t talk. I done what I done to survive, to keep our heads above water. So, don’t fucking judge me when you know shit about what we’ve been going through. We had bills to pay, food to buy. I couldn’t see you sending any money to us so shut the fuck up.’
Kevin was livid. ‘You could have spoken to me. Told me how bad things really were. I could have sorted something out, got a borrow or something. You’re a kid, a fucking stupid bastard kid who could have gone to jail.’
Kevin stood up and walked towards the back door. They both needed to calm down. What was the point in shouting and screaming now it had already happened? ‘I’m going to get a bit of fresh air. Ged, you’ve shocked me, knocked me for six. I’m gutted, heartbroken in fact. How could you have been so stupid? I’m no saint but I thought you were too smart to repeat my mistakes.’
Ged closed his eyes; he’d let his old man down and he knew it. ‘Dad, I’ll fix this. I’ll just sell weed to work off the debt.’
‘Over my fucking dead body you will. Give me a few minutes to get my head around this and we will sort it out. No lad of mine will be getting done over, trust me.’
Kevin stormed into the garden leaving Ged with his head in his hands.
Clare sat chewing on her Snickers and played with the wrapper in her hand. She flicked her eyes one way then another. Had she missed something here or what? Since she’d got back from the shop Kevin was deathly quiet and Ged was barely saying a word.
‘Are none of you eating your chocolate, after I’ve gone and got it for you?’
Kevin pushed the bar to the end of the arm of the sofa. ‘Lost my appetite, babes, shove it in the fridge.’
Ged reached for the remote for the TV and didn’t say a word. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife.
‘So, when are you two meeting again? I’m not rushing you, Kev, but I need to get ready for work soon.’ Had she just called him Kev? Old habits die hard, eh?
Ged turned to face his mother and knew before he asked that she wasn’t going to like what he had to say. ‘If you’re at work, why can’t he stay with me for a bit? I mean, you don’t get in until after midnight?’ The little shit, why the hell was he telling him that? Kevin turned to face her.
‘I’ll be gone before you come home, and it will be good that we can spend some quality time together.’
‘No, Kev, I don’t want you here when I’m not. I’ve said he can come and meet you where you’re staying once he’s well enough.’
Kevin shook his head. ‘I’ve told you I’m sleeping on a sofa at my brother’s.’
She was backed into a corner. If she said no, then she’d be the bad guy yet again. She shrugged. ‘Just be gone before I get home then. Ged, do you want me to make you something to eat before I go?’
Kevin jumped in before he could answer. ‘I’ll get us a kebab later if that’s alright. Is the Doner Hut still going or what? Eh, Clare, do you remember when we had it nearly every night? It was mint.’
She nodded and for the first time she broke a smile. ‘Do I remember? Of course I do. I banged on about three stone because of them kebabs. It’s took me ages to get that weight off.’
Kevin was quick off the marks. ‘You’ll always be perfect to me, babes, whatever size you are.
’
Nancy had been texting Ged all day. She wanted to come over and chill with him, but he kept blanking her. She had texted him to say she had some news to tell him, big news. But he hadn’t replied. He had his dad now.
Kevin sat with his feet up. Clare had gone to work, and it was time to relax. It felt like he had never been away. He’d told Ged that everything was just like he remembered it, and in fairness it was.
They sat eating their kebabs when there was a loud knock on the door. Kevin tensed. Being in jail made a man jumpy. Ged sighed.
‘That will be Nancy, I told her yesterday I was chilling with you, but she’s still come over, the cheeky cow.’
‘Bring her in and don’t be tight. It’d be nice to meet her. Check you out with a bird and all that, go on, Son.’
Ged heard her knocking again and got up slowly to go and answer the door. As he walked into the hallway, he could see Nancy’s face squashed up against the glass trying to see inside. He yanked the front door open.
‘I thought I told you I was busy tonight. My dad’s here and I’m spending some time with him.’
‘Yeah I know, but I needed to speak to you. Can I come in or what? I don’t want to discuss it here. People might hear us.’
Ged had no other option. He closed the door behind her and followed her inside.
Kevin was all smiles as soon as he saw Nancy. ‘Oh, so you’re the girl in my boy’s life. Hiya, I’m Kevin, his dad.’
Nancy, as usual, was not shy in coming forward and went straight to where he was sat and flung her arms around him. Kevin was taken aback.
‘You’ve got a little beauty here, son. Lovely, aren’t you?’
Nancy grinned as she sat down. ‘I keep telling him I’m a keeper, but I don’t think he’s so sure, lets his mates dictate to him who he can see and who he can’t.’
Ged could have throttled her, was she right in the head telling his father their private business? He sat on the edge of the sofa, impatient to know what she had to say now she was here. ‘So, go on then, what do you know?’
Nancy was alarmed, did Ged not realise his dad was listening to them? She looked worried.
‘It’s alright, Nancy, my dad knows everything.’
‘Phew, I thought you’d lost the plot then.’
‘My lad has no secrets from me, love. You fight one of us, you fight us both.’
Nancy smiled, remembering she’d told Ged the same thing. ‘I went back up to Blackpool the other night—’
Before she could carry on, Ged interrupted. ‘What the fuck are you going back up there for? You could have got nicked.’
‘If you let me finish, I’ll tell you. Stop talking.’ Her eyes were dancing with excitement and she couldn’t keep still. ‘I’d had an argument with my mam and you know what I’m like; I just go on a mad one and go all over the show.’
Kevin was intrigued, there was more to this girl than met the eye.
‘I was sat at the train station in my usual spot when I saw Frankie out the corner of my eye. He didn’t see me, so I hid while I was watching. I don’t know why but I thought I would follow him. I wasn’t doing anything else, was I?’
Ged was caught up in the story, his eyes wide open as he urged her to continue.
‘He’d got off the train from Blackpool, so I followed him. He never seen me; he was walking along on his phone all the time. I could hear him talking from where I was. He was chatting to somebody called Wes.’
Ged punched his fist into the sofa sending a cloud of dust flying into the air. ‘That’s Wes from down this end. He’s a prick, I don’t like him he’s always got something to say for himself. Apparently he was grafting in the same area as me.’
Nancy raised her voice. ‘Shut up, will you, I’ve not got to the best part yet. I kept listening and what he said next made me want to puke. He’s a rat, a snake just like I told you. I heard him say well done for sorting Ged out. He called you a muppet, just sat laughing with Wes telling him how you had to pay the money back. Ged, he set you up just because you told him you wanted out. I knew he was a wrong ’un. He was never your friend, he just used you and then had you over. You don’t owe him anything. He’s got the gear he got those kids to take off you and he’s got you down to work off the debt at the same time.’
Ged was white as a sheet. He had to get some air.
Kevin waited til Ged had gone outside, then started to interrogate Nancy. ‘So, tell me more about where I can find this Wes and Frankie. I heard a bit about Frankie when our Ged come to see me in jail and he sounded like an alright lad.’
Nancy shook her head. ‘Honest, he would cause trouble in an empty room. He knows how to charm people, sure. But it’s all front. He’s never liked me, and it was him who told Ged to get rid of me. I told Ged he wasn’t to be trusted but he never listened to me. He thought the sun shone out of his arse.’ Nancy gave Kevin a bit more information before Ged came back into the room.
‘Are you alright?’ Kevin asked him.
‘Yeah, I think it’s these antibiotics knocking me for six.’
Nancy was as proud as punch of her detective work but now she held her head to one side looking puzzled. ‘There’s something that’s still bothering me though. When I followed Frankie, he met some guy in a car. He was in there for ages and I heard lots of shouting. I sneaked up as close as I could and it looked like Frankie was getting a right doing down. I could hear him yelling. Whoever it was fucked him up good and proper because he was clutching his face when he got out the car.’
‘Fucking good,’ Kevin snapped. ‘See, it’s a dog-eat-dog world when there are drugs involved. There is no loyalty, everyone has each other over, trust me I’ve sat with so many lads in the nick who have told me stories about their so-called mates who’d set them up to earn a few quid.’
Ged still couldn’t believe it. Frankie was his friend, they were brothers-in-arms, how could he do that to him? He had nearly died. But then who had decked Frankie? He’d never clocked who Frankie’s supplier was – he was too new to the scene to know the chat about who really ran the show. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice that Kevin had gone quiet, off in a world of his own. But Nancy could see what he was thinking. Blood was thicker than water – and a father’s urge to protect his son was stirring.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Donny sat waiting for Susan to come home from work. He was restless, a bag of nerves. He couldn’t do this anymore. He’d come out of work early so he could prepare to drop this bombshell on his wife. There were no words to soften the blow, he knew she would go ape. But then who would take something like this lying down? Any woman who was told her husband had a child he’d never thought to mention would act the same way. The shit was going to hit the fan for sure.
After his conversation with Bethany, it was clear that his wife would find out his dirty secret no matter what. His ex wanted money. She wanted Donny to step up as a father and look after his child. But why now? He didn’t even know the kid. He was a stranger to him. Bethany was adamant that he should take a DNA test if he kept trying to suggest Dan wasn’t his son. The bitch had told him that he was going to have to pay in more than just cold, hard cash, too. She’d been clear that she’d make sure his wife knew about it too; he had no choice other than to come clean.
Donny checked the clock on the wall for the hundredth time; Susan would be here any minute. He was sweating, smoking like a chimney even though he knew she’d go off on that too. Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb. But, what if she left him on the spot – bin-bagged him right there and then – what would he do? His mind was racing, he couldn’t think straight.
A key in the door. He froze.
‘Donny,’ she shouted from the hallway.
‘In here, love,’ he replied, doing his best to keep his voice level.
Susan hung up her coat and walked into the room; she cou
ld tell just by looking at her husband that something was wrong, terribly wrong.
She dropped her car keys gently onto the table.
‘Donny? What’s up? You look a mess. Oh my God what’s going on?’ There was a pause. ‘Please tell me it’s not the gambling. I thought you were on a lucky streak – enough left over for some treat money. I still remember the time you were down after a bet and those guys came knocking. But you told me you always settled what you lost now and all that shit was over. This is why I keep telling you to pack it in.’
Donny swallowed hard and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. ‘Susan, love. Just come and sit down, please, just sit down.’
Susan was looking at him intently as she took a seat next to him on the sofa. He reached over for her hand and squeezed it tightly. She could feel how sweaty his palms were. What the fuck was going on?
‘Babe, I need to talk to you about something. It’s from my past and I hope you will understand how much of a shock it’s been for me.’
Now it was his wife’s turn to swallow hard. Susan clutched at her chest. ‘You’re scaring me, Donny, just tell me for crying out loud.’
Donny knew he just had to get the words out. There was no other way to do this. ‘When I was younger, before you, long before you, I was seeing some girl called Bethany. It was just a kid thing, we were only together a few months.’
Susan was holding her breath and he could already see her body was trembling. Donny forced himself to continue.
‘I don’t know how to say this, only I have to tell you. She’s been in touch. Told me her son, Dan, is mine. And what’s more, he’s just joined Second Chance.’ He dropped his head and cringed, waiting for her response.
Nothing, not a word.
Susan stood up and walked out of the room. Donny rushed after her into the hallway and put his hand on her shoulder to try and turn her round to face him. She grudgingly looked at him before she spoke.