Several weeks later, Frankie meets a girl on Facebook. He tells me her name is Penny, and she wants to meet me. I am honoured because this is the first girl he has brought home. I assume that he has known her for a few weeks at least. I meet her, and she seems a little young in her ways for eighteen years, but I say nothing. A week later, Frankie tells me that they are going for a night out and staying in a hotel overnight, because it is Frankie’s best mate’s twenty-first birthday. I ask Penny if she has ID to get into the pubs, and she tells me that she hasn’t, but it will be OK because she won’t need it. Later, I tell Frankie that she will need ID if she is going to the city to drink, or else she will not get served. Penny tells me that she hasn’t got any and is not worried. They go and have to remain in the hotel room because Penny cannot get served. I ask Frankie if he minded missing his best mate’s birthday, and he tells me it’s OK. He is smitten!
Eligh, Polly, and I have noticed that Penny is a little controlling and cries if she does not get her own way. She wants Frankie to see her every day and expects me to drive them to her home each night. Frankie and Polly have started having driving lessons, and both pass their theory tests. Penny mentions that her mother has said that when Frankie passes his test, he can drive her car. I tell her that is very good of her, but he will not be able to afford insurance on a car with that sized engine. Penny insists; she knows best. A week later, I get a call from Penny, and she says that I can buy her mother’s car for Frankie for two hundred pounds. I remind her that although it is a generous offer, he will not get insurance. She tells me that her mother said that he would, and it will be OK. I hang up the phone. I text Frankie and tell him that he will not be getting that car. The next day, Penny rings me in work to tell me that her mother is sending off the documents of the car to get them put into Frankie’s name. I am fucking furious! However, for his sake, I take some deep breaths and calmly tell her that Frankie is not buying that car.
A week later, Penny texts me. “Frankie’s car has run out of tax. If you don’t move it within twenty-four hours, it will be towed away. By the way, it needs two new tyres, and the MOT has run out. Mam says you need to do this first.” She adds that her uncle has a spare driveway and he can store the car on there. Oh, and she wants me to fetch the money for the car payment because her mam wants to go shopping! Frankie is practically living at her house, and this makes it hard to speak to him without her listening. I am starting to realise that she is a nutcase.
I decide the only way to get through to her is to stay calm. I text back, “It is not Frankie’s car!”
Eligh does not show much emotion or say a lot these days, however, even he tells me, “You have to get Frankie from her. She is fucking crazy!” I tell Eligh I am trying, but if I go mad, it will only push him closer to her.
Over the next three weeks, we have to suffer Penny. If Frankie comes home, she is with him. When I am at work, they stay at the house, and Eligh is also there. When I get home, Eligh takes me into the kitchen and says, “Mam! You have to get Frankie away from her. She is crazy!” He says that as Frankie walked down the stairs earlier, she called him and said, “Frankie, do you want a fuck!” Eligh heard him reply OK, and ten minutes later, Frankie comes downstairs white as a ghost and rubbing cream in his arse! I ask him why he is rubbing cream in his arse! Eligh replies, “He burnt it on the light bulb when he was shagging her!” I am hysterical. He adds, “Mam, please get him from her!”
Penny’s family is also crazy. I learn that her mother is waiting to go into hospital for a hernia operation. This is why she hasn’t worked for fifteen years! Her stepdad is a heroin addict who rings an ambulance once a day to demand his morphine injections for his dicky stomach. Penny’s sister is pregnant, and Penny informs me that her stepdad doesn’t like her boyfriend and beats him up all the time. I tell Frankie that he had better not get her pregnant, and he tells me that he won’t. I am relieved when I find evidence proving that he is taking his own precautions. The one person Frankie listens to and takes advice from is Jonah. I ring him and tell him I need him to talk some sense into him. Jonah texts him and invites them both to dinner the following Friday. I go because I am the designated driver.
I introduce Jonah and Laura to Penny, and we order takeaway and chat. Jonah starts to tell Penny about how Frankie was when he was little. He mentions a story about when Frankie was young, he would hide for hours at a time, and eventually I would get really worried about where he was.
Penny replies, “Oh, that was like me. When I was little, I went on a picnic at the ponds with my family. I was only three at the time, and I decided to hide under the picnic blanket. No one could find me. They called out the sniffer dogs and everything. Ten hours later, I shouted surprise and jumped from under the blanket!” We are all speechless.
I am imagining her parents trying to put the food onto the bump under the blanket and the food tipping over). I reply, “Oh, well, then.” I don’t know what else to say.
Laura starts chatting to Frankie and asks him whether he has seen his friends lately. Penny replies, “Oh, no, we don’t like that crowd anymore.” She continues to tell us how she has fallen out with all of them. Jonah and I exchange glances.
The following Thursday, I get home from work to find Eligh unhappy. He informs me that Frankie and the “cookie monster” have been in all day, arguing. He says she is so loud that he hasn’t been able to watch the telly in peace. I shout up hello to them, and within five minutes, I hear Penny thudding down the stairs. She informs me that it is her birthday next week, and Frankie has bought her a new mobile on contract. I raise my eyebrows and tell her that he hasn’t got one on contract himself, mainly because he cannot afford it.
Frankie enters the kitchen and confirms that they have been shopping today, so if a phone is delivered in the morning, I should not open it. He adds, “It’s coming here because her stepdad doesn’t want her to have a contract phone.”
I reply, “Wait a minute. So you have a phone registered to this address, and the contract is in Frankie’s name. To make matters worse, you have done it knowing that she is not allowed to have one?”
Frankie says, “Yes. It’s OK, Mam. I am going to make the payments. It’s only twenty-five pounds a month.”
I am fuming and reply, “How dare you do that without my permission! This address will be blacklisted if the payments are missed. It is not happening. Don’t open it, because the phone is going back.”
Penny starts to cry and thuds upstairs. Three hours later, she is still howling. Frankie comes downstairs to try to reason with me. I tell him, “She can howl all she likes. It is not happening.” He goes back upstairs. I ring Jonah and tell him, “Jon, you have to talk to him!”
The next morning, I get up and go to work. When I get home, the phone is left unopened on the chair. I open it, ring the company, and arrange to have it picked up from my work address the following day. I notice that the house is quiet, so I go upstairs. Frankie’s bedroom door is open, and I pass it to go into my bedroom. As I sit on the bed, I notice a letter addressed to me in childlike handwriting. It is written by Penny. She says Frankie has moved into her parents’ house with her, and they will never come here again!
I email Drew and tell him a little about it. I ask him if he thinks have I gone too far. He tells me, “It will be all right. No worries!” I tell him I am distraught. Then I ring Jonah and Laura. Laura rings Penny and tries to reason with her, but Penny tells her to mind her own business because she isn’t his sister-in-law. She adds that she and Frankie are getting engaged!
Jonah rings him, and Frankie is upset that everyone is against him. Jonah replies, “We are not. We just want the best for you.”
The next day, I get a text off Frankie’s best friend. It reads, “Hi, Lauren. I am worried about Frankie. Penny has stopped him from bothering with me and his other mates. I think a lot of him, and he deserves better than her.” I text him back, telling him th
at I am trying to sort things out, and so is Jonah. I thank him for letting me know. He replies that it is no problem and asks me to let him know that Frankie’s OK, because he is worried about him. He also adds that he has heard a lot of things about the family, and they are always in trouble with the police.
Jonah rings me back and tells me that he has managed to get Frankie to talk to me. I text Frankie and ask him to meet me for a chat, because we need to clear the air. He agrees, and I tell him I will be there in ten minutes.
I arrive outside Penny’s house in record time and beep the horn. Frankie gets into the car. He asks if I want to speak to just him, or should Penny come along as well. I state I will speak to him on his own. He shouts to her that he will be about fifteen minutes.
I drive down the road and tell him that I am going to park and want him to listen to me for ten minutes. Then he can tell me what he wants to do. He agrees. I tell him he has two paths he can take. The first one is stay with her. I add that I have heard a lot of bad things about this family, and he knows better than anyone that I am not a snob and will talk to everyone the same. But this family are nutters. I tell him that her mission in life is to drop one or maybe two kids, and then she will expect him to look after them, and he will never be able to afford to give them anything. I tell him that I know that the stepdad deals and takes drugs. He beats up her sister’s boyfriend, and it is only a matter of time until the man starts to hit Frankie.
I also add that if he is in the house when it gets raided, they will blame him, and before he knows it he will have a criminal record. Then will never be able to get a job. I add that worst-case scenario, he will get sent to prison. Then Penny will be “lonely” and start sleeping with someone else, and the stepdad will get away scot-free, whilst he will be getting his head pushed against the shower wall, and some thug will rape him. I tell him I can help him now. But if he goes down that path, I cannot help because it will be too late. I tell him that just before he is raped, his thoughts will be of this night, and he will be thinking, “Why didn’t I listen to my mother?” I add that he will never be the same person again.
I show him his best friend’s text to me and tell him that everyone is worried about him. I add that the second path is he can come with me now. Fuck his clothes – I can replace them, but I cannot replace him. I will take him to Jonah’s. He can come to Australia next year with all of us and have a good life. I tell him that he will eventually meet a nice girl, but Penny is not it!
Frankie replies, “Drive!”
On the way to Jonah’s, I ring him and tell him I need him to put up Frankie for a week. He asks what’s going on, and I tell him we are on our way. Forty-five minutes later, we arrive at Jonah and Laura’s flat. They ask him if he is OK. He looks shattered and starts to sob. I am devastated and wonder whether I have done the right thing. Jonah tells him to go in with Laura, and we will go get KFC for them all. I ask Jonah how can he think of food right now, and he says, “I want to ask you what happened. Fill me in.” I tell him everything and show him the best mate’s texts. Jonah replies, “Jesus! Mam, that was fucking harsh!”
I tell him, “I agree it’s worst-case scenario, but it could actually happen!” We get back to the flat, and Frankie says he is not hungry. Jonah tells me he will be OK and tells me to go home. Jonah also takes Frankie’s phone off him. There are fifty-seven missed calls from Penny!
The next day, I ring Jonah and ask how he is. He tells me he is much better and adds that Frankie has told him he didn’t know how to get out of the situation. I am so relieved. I get a text from Penny that reads, “I am going to smash up your house, car, shop, and face!” Charming.
A week later, she has made it her goal in life to abuse and threaten all of Frankie’s friends on Facebook. He has seen her true colours and tells Jonah, “When she threatened Mam, that was the last straw, and I hate her for that.”
A month has gone by since the psycho girlfriend. Facebook has a lot to answer for! I talk to Frankie about it, and he admits that he is glad he is away from her. He tells me that she threatened all his friends. He has had to block her on his phone and Facebook.
Polly has started dating a new fella who is in the army, and his name is Eric.
Work is as busy as ever, and with me doing three days teaching, it means that Ali, my stylist, has taken over most of my regulars. I have built up a good clientele over the last thirteen years. I do not need to pay for advertising anymore because I get new clients through word of mouth.
I get texts from Drew about once a month. I tell him about Frankie, and he tells me how his children are getting on and sends photos of all the different places he visits when he is travelling for his job. I tell him how beautiful the place looks, and how I cannot wait to go there. I think about what I will be giving up here. I have a lot of good friends, but my parents are gone now, leaving me with only Sophie, Andy, and Lorna, as well as my nephew and two nieces. I have an uncle, aunty, and cousins here. I will be leaving about fifteen family members behind. I know Sophie has always wanted to go to Australia, and she will visit me. We have become closer over the last few years, and I decide to tell her my plans. She is happy for me and cannot wait to visit. I tell her not to tell Lorna because I do not want to upset her yet.
I have heard from the Migrate Me team, and I have to complete a photographic record of before, during, and after evidence of all the hair services I offer. I tell the clients it is for my CPD with my teaching job, and they all agree to help. My teaching job is hard work. The IV I have been appointed is dyslexic, and although I am all for equal opportunities, this is ridiculous! I cannot do a thing right, and I change the work as instructed by her, getting the learners to achieve it. Then she changes the criteria again! She is driving me insane.
I text Drew and ask for his advice. He tells me if he were there, he’d slap me on the arse and tell me to hang in there. I tell him she is a bitch. He replies, “One day the bitch may be gone, and someone like you will be running the show.” I thank him for the good advice and tell him he always makes me smile, and I miss his cwtches.
Polly and Eric have been together for three months, and they are getting on really well. He is a nice, and so is his family. He is the eldest grandson and the golden boy. Polly is not enjoying working for me anymore and has decided that hairdressing is not for her. I tell her that she must complete her NVQ level two apprenticeship; then if she decides to change her career, I will support her.
A week later, I go into work, and Ali tells me that she is finishing. She has a new job in a clothes shop and is giving up hairdressing! She gives me two weeks’ notice. I have no cover for the shop. Polly is a lifesaver and offers to hold the fort until I get another stylist or my maternity cover finishes.
Two months later, I book my skills test for my visa and have to go London to complete it. I work in the shop most days now because my maternity cover with my teaching job has ended, and I am only teaching one day a week. Polly has nearly finished her apprenticeship. She helps me in the shop most days now, and I am grateful. I have been offered government funding to complete a level five business and management diploma with a company called T2. It takes twelve to eighteen months to complete and would normally cost around six thousand pounds. I accept a place on the course, and it starts next week. The course will take twelve months to complete. I have just completed my CAVA qualification; This will cover my CPD for over a year. I have a gut feeling I will need both qualifications.
I applied for a personal protection insurance refund three months ago. Last month I was notified that I had qualified for a repayment. It is enough to have my implants changed; the cost is £2,800. I have received £2,240 and have saved hard to make up the shortfall. A month later, I go into hospital and have them replaced. This is a weight off my mind. I am told that I need two weeks off work. I take four days because I have no cover. I go on light duties and am careful not to overdo it, but I still need to earn mon
ey. Five weeks later, I go for my six-week post-op check-up. The doctor tells me he is pleased with the results, and so am I. I email Drew and send him a photo with my bra on. He is impressed!
I haven’t dated much this year. I have been too busy and have decided that I do not want to mess anyone around. I haven’t met anyone worth dating. The problem is I always end up comparing them to Drew, and there is no comparison. I also do not want to start a relationship and end up hurting someone when I tell him that I will be leaving the country!
Eligh keeps changing his mind and tells me he is seeing someone now, so he does not want to come away. I tell him he has to come even if it is for a holiday, and his girlfriend can come with us. He says that she doesn’t want to, and there will be spiders under every toilet seat.
I reassure him that is not the case.
Polly and Eric arrive at the house the following weekend and announce that they want to get married. She tells me she is not pregnant, but Eric has been deployed to Portsmouth. If they get married, it means that she can live up there with him. Polly is like me: if she wants something, she wants it yesterday and she is very determined to get it. I like Eric; she could do a lot worse. I agree to the wedding, deciding that I would rather help her and be happy for them both than be upset and push her away. I know her, and she will do it anyway!
My True Colours Page 17