Toni’s speed took Charley by surprise, and before she could jump off the stool her mother had flown at her, slapping her face and chest with open palms, small speckles of spit flying from her mouth and her wig of thick black hair slipping askew atop her head.
“You stupid little girl,” she was shouting, “You filthy tramp.”
“That hurts,” Charley shouted, “Stop.”
She managed to escape her mother’s flailing arms and skirted around the worn wooden table, banging her leg on the corner and wincing in pain. Toni seemed to compose herself, and wiped sweat off her brow, before readjusting her wig. She leant against the chipped Formica counter to catch her breath, her huge body heaving.
“You’ve thrown away your life, you silly girl,” she panted, “Pregnant by that good for nothing criminal.”
“He isn’t a criminal,” Charley moaned, half-pleading, “I love him.”
It was true. Charley had been in love with Bolton since she had first set eyes on him. Sure, he might shift a bit of weed and coke here and there, but he wasn’t a bad person, and he only did it because he needed the money.
“Oh, you love him?” Toni sneered, “Hah. You don’t even know the meaning of the word.”
“Oh? And you do then?” Charley retorted, her own temper beginning to rise.
Toni’s eyes narrowed and they did a dance around the table, Toni trying to grab her daughter and Charley trying to avoid her mother’s meaty hands. She felt her mother’s fingers in her hair, and shrieked as pain shot through her scalp, as Toni yanked her towards her.
“What’s going on?” a male voice called from the doorway.
Toni hastily released her grip and Charley hurried away, afraid that her mother would strike again.
Charley looked at her older brother standing at the kitchen door in his underwear and a sleeveless white vest that still had stains leftover from dinner. His dark hair was ruffled from sleep and his eyes were glazed as he looked from one to the other, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the strip lighting.
“Ask your sister,” Toni said, shooting Charley a venomous look.
Asher, not picking up on the tone of his mum’s voice, or the glare she had given his sister, moved forward with concern.
“Charley, what’s going on? Something happened?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Fine? Hah.” Toni snorted.
Asher looked between them again, and put his hands on his hips, much like Toni had done a few minutes ago.
“Will someone just tell me what the hell’s going on?”
Charley looked at her mother, wondering which one of them should deliver the news, but Toni made the decision for both of them.
“She’s pregnant.”
A few moments of silence followed, as Asher registered the news. Without speaking or looking at either woman, he grabbed the stool nearest to him and sat down, resting his arms on the table as he always did.
“Right,” he finally managed.
Charley moved forward and put her hand on her brother’s shoulder.
“Asher?”
“Sorry, it’s just -”
“Don’t you dare apologize to her,” Toni interrupted, moving forward and towering over her eldest child, “It should be her apologizing.”
With this, Toni pointed accusingly at Charley. Charley moved to the other side of the table, not wanting to be within reach of her.
“Mum -”
Toni ignored her son, and continued.
“She should apologize to us. And to God.”
“Mum!”
Asher’s voice had risen, and Charley knew that normally her mother would have stopped, at least for the time being. Toni usually seemed to have eyes only for her eldest son and no-one else. She would only take instructions from him and none of her other children. His father, her first love, had been killed in an accident. The fathers of her other children had simply left her, for which she seemed to blame her children.
Toni turned to Asher, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“She’s carrying that Bolton Smith’s baby. What will people say?”
“I don’t care what people say or what they think,” Charley said, “I love Bolton and you can call him whatever you want, but it won’t change my mind.”
“You’re not to see that boy again,” Toni said.
“You can’t stop me.”
“Oh yes I can,” Toni said, voice rising, “I’ll chain you to the kitchen sink if I have to.”
Charley watched as her mother drew herself up to her full height, which wasn’t very much, but her body was a mass of solid flesh and she knew all too well now the momentum her mother could gain if she put all of her weight into a blow.
“Calm down, mum,” Asher warned her gently.
“Calm down?” Toni repeated incredulously, nearly shouting now, “When that she-devil stands there acting as if she’s done nothing wrong? Do something, Asher.”
“Do what? It’s too late now,” Asher sighed.
“If you’d have acted sooner,” Toni hissed, eager to shift the responsibility onto somebody else, “When I told you about her and that boy, you should have gone down there and knocked some sense into him. But oh no, you just stood by and let your sister throw her life away, shame the rest of us, and bring a bastard into the world.”
“Bastard?” Charley interrupted, her cheeks flushing, “You think I’ll be a single mum? Bolton won’t dump me.”
“You mean you haven’t told him?” Toni clapped her hands together, eyes bulging hopefully, “Hah! He’ll be onto the next foolish girl within a day, I’ll bet.”
“No he won’t. He’ll be happy. We love each other.”
“Love?” Toni laughed. “That’s just a fairytale. Something boys say until they’ve had what they want, and you fell for it.”
“He does love me,” Charley persisted, her fists clenched, “I can see it in his eyes.”
“Was that before or after you slept with him?”
Charley sighed heavily, eyeing her mother with a mixture of anger and pity. How could a woman with four kids not believe in love?
“If there’s no such thing as love,” Charley snapped, struggling to keep tears out of her eyes, “Then why do you still kiss that photo of Asher’s dad every night before you go to bed?”
The look on her mother’s face told Charley that her words had hit the raw nerve she’d been aiming for. Toni bellowed and lunged for her, sending the table flying across the room, the stools clattering onto the tiled floor. Charley shrieked and ducked, narrowly avoiding one of her mother’s arms. She dodged her mother and the table, and flew out of the kitchen and down the small, darkly lit hallway to the front door.
“Mum, calm down!” Asher was shouting, trying to restrain Toni.
Doors flew open in the hallway and Charley saw, from the corner of her eye, her brother and sister staring sleepily from half-closed doors, eager to see what the shouting was about, but not wanting to encourage their mother to turn on them.
She flung the front door open and inhaled the cold night air.
Behind her, from the kitchen doorway where her mother and Asher were now a tangle of arms and legs, Toni yelled, “If you walk out that door, you don’t dare come back here!”
Charley turned around and let the door slam shut as she set off into the heart of the Goldsworth.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Charley sat on the floor of Leigh-Ann Gallows’ bedroom, wiping the tears out of her eyes.
“What are you going to do then?” Leigh-Ann asked, perched at the end of the single bed.
“I’ve got to talk to Bolton tomorrow,” Charley replied. “He’ll know what to do.”
“You mean you’re keeping it?”
“Of course. I already told you that.”
Charley pulled the spare duvet back over herself and lay back against the pillows. Leigh-Ann didn’t move.
“You really think Bolton will be happy?”
Charley
nodded. He would be, she knew it in her heart.
“What if he isn’t though?” Leigh-Ann pressed. “What will you do? It doesn’t sound like your mum’s going to take you back now.”
Charley sighed heavily. Leigh-Ann had never been in a serious relationship; that was why she found it so difficult to understand.
“I don’t need to worry, Leigh, honestly,” Charley smiled. “And neither do you. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.”
“Okay,” she muttered, “I guess we better get some sleep. You look shattered.”
* * *
Toni paced the kitchen angrily. She had tidied up the mess made earlier but that had done little to take her mind off her eldest daughter.
“Mum, you need to get some sleep,” Asher said from the doorway.
“Did you find her?” Toni asked.
“She’ll be at a friend’s house,” he replied. “You know what she’s like. She’ll be back tomorrow and we can sort everything out then. She won’t come back tonight, so you might as well try and get some sleep.”
“When I get my hands on her,” Toni grumbled.
Asher sighed and filled the kettle with water and put it to boil.
“I’ll get you a cuppa to take to bed.”
Toni smiled at her son, and reached up to place her hand on his shoulder.
“You’re a good boy,” she smiled. “Always looking after your mama. You’ll go far in life, you will. You’ll make me proud.”
The kettle whistled and Asher turned to make the tea.
“I should’ve known from the day she was born,” Toni continued, “In fact, before then. She was trouble even in the womb. Made my ankles swell to the size of melons. Didn’t let me get one good night’s sleep in nine months. Then she made me push for hours and hours, she did.”
“Your tea’s ready,” Asher interrupted, ignoring his mother’s mutterings, and placing the mug on the kitchen table. Toni sat on a creaking stool, and continued.
“Never had a minute’s rest with that one. Of course, you were no problem, Ash, my love. I glowed when I was pregnant with you, your father said that all the time. Everyone did. I was radiant then. And you’ve still never given me grief. You’re a good son.”
Toni sighed and took a sip of tea.
“Oh, Ash, what are we going to do?”
“First, you need a good night’s sleep. It’ll help you think clearly tomorrow.”
“She better not show her face here,” Toni growled. “The shame she’s brought on us. No thought for her poor mother. What will people think of me?”
“I’ll sort it out,” he said gently, “Don’t worry about it.”
“You’re such a good boy. Always looking out for your dear mama.”
“Get to bed. You need some rest after tonight.”
“You’re right,” Toni nodded.
She rose to her feet and picked up her tea, then headed for the kitchen door.
“I know you won’t let me down,” she smiled as she retreated down the dark hallway to her bedroom door.
“Just leave it to me,” Asher sighed.
CHAPTER TWO
The following morning, Charley sat at the Gallows’ kitchen table, half-heartedly eating the bowl of dry cornflakes Leigh-Ann had poured for her.
“You’ve got to eat something,” Leigh-Ann said, eyeing the nearly full bowl.
“I’m not hungry,” Charley replied. “You know, morning sickness.”
“That doesn’t mean you can stop eating. You need to keep your strength up. If you’re keeping it, you’ll need to eat for two now.”
“It’s not just that,” Charley said. “I’ve got butterflies.”
“I thought you knew Bolton would be happy?” Leigh-Ann asked, her tone still doubtful.
“I know he will be,” Charley persisted. “I’m still nervous, though. I mean, what should I say to him?”
“I don’t think it matters how you say it. You can dress it up all you like; it’s still going to be a shock for him.”
“Should I get him a present? To take the edge off, you know?”
Leigh-Ann laughed.
“What, like, take him some beers so he can wet the baby’s head, or whatever it is?”
“I was being serious, Leigh.”
“In that case, just get it over with,” Leigh-Ann said gently. “Be honest and don’t pile the pressure on him. You know what guys are like.”
“Bolton’s not like that.”
“He’s still a seventeen year old lad, isn’t he?”
Charley rose to her feet and emptied the cornflakes into the bin and put the bowl into the already cluttered sink.
“Are you coming to school?” Leigh-Ann asked, “Or are you going to find him now?”
“I guess I should go find him. He’s probably round his mum’s.”
“I’ll say you’re sick then, should I?”
“Yeah, that’d be great,” Charley replied, smiling at her friend. “Thanks for everything, Leigh. You’re the best.”
Leigh-Ann blushed, and quickly grabbed her schoolbag, “Come on, let’s get going before you throw up again.”
Charley followed Leigh-Ann out of the small terrace house and into the street. The sky was bright but a cold breeze made her shudder. Now that she was going to see Bolton, the butterflies were going into overdrive. She would be lucky if she managed to make it across the estate without being sick.
They set off down the road together, Leigh-Ann shooting cautious glances at Charley from the corner of her eye.
“You sure you’re going to be all right?” Leigh-Ann asked, as they neared the end of the road.
“I promise,” Charley smiled, putting as much conviction in her voice as she could.
“You trying to convince me or yourself?” Leigh-Ann asked, frowning.
“I’ll speak to you later,” Charley said.
“Laters,” Leigh-Ann said, forcing a smile. “Good luck.”
Charley watched as Leigh-Ann took the left turning towards school, sashaying down the pavement and occasionally pulling her skirt higher up her thighs for the benefit of the passing cars.
Taking a deep breath, Charley took the right turning back towards the heart of the Goldsworth estate, where Bolton’s mum lived. She hugged her parka closer to her chest. To get to Bolton she would have to pass dangerously close to her own block of flats. Still, she reassured herself, her mother wouldn’t be out looking for her. She’d made herself perfectly clear last night.
As she walked, she allowed herself to imagine what the atmosphere in her flat would be like right now. She could picture her mother sat at the kitchen table in her nightdress, a mug of tea, glaring angrily into space. What would she tell her brother and sister? Asher knew the truth, but they didn’t, as far as she knew. Unless Asher told them what had happened, they would hear only her mother’s version of events. Charley grimaced. She didn’t want to think of the lies that would be spewing from her mother’s mouth.
She was torn from her thoughts when a hand reached out and grabbed her arm. Charley span around, instantly alert, heart racing. She should have known better than to let her guard down, even on a bright morning like this. Just the other night she had heard on the news that a teenage girl had been stabbed on the estate, left to bleed to death after a night out clubbing.
Face to face with the hooded figure, she felt an instant relief. She knew that coat. When he pulled down the hood, his face was stern and Charley began to worry again.
“Ash, what are you doing here?” Charley stammered, “You scared me.”
Asher’s jaw was still set, but she thought she saw his lips twitch.
“You going to talk to me or just stand there like a retard?” Charley persisted.
Asher’s face softened and he shoved his hands back into his pockets, releasing her from his grip. He looked tired and uncomfortable.
“Where did you stay last night?” he asked slowly.
“Leigh-Ann’s.”
“Oh, right,” Ash
er said, sounding relieved.
Charley picked up on his tone. He’d obviously thought she’d stayed with Bolton.
“Not that it’s anyone’s business but my own,” Charley added.
Asher ignored her and continued.
“So you haven’t seen Bolton?”
“I’m on my way to see him now.”
“Why don’t you come home first?” Asher suggested. “Sort everything out properly.”
Charley shook her head.
“Mum made it clear what she thought about it,” she said quietly. “I don’t want another row with her. I just want to tell Bolton.”
Asher gave her a look of resignation, and Charley felt a moment of pity for him. She had always felt sorry for herself, because of her mother’s obvious indifference towards her which, at times, bordered on dislike. She had never really spared a thought for her older brother, the apple of their mother’s eye. Her love for him bordered on adulation and the pressure that Asher must feel registered on his face now. Charley looked down at her feet.
“You never know, mum might come round,” Asher said, though Charley could hear the doubt in his voice. “And Torey and Huw miss you.”
“Tell them I’ll see them around,” Charley said, trying to keep her voice from cracking. “And tell mum that she’s got to accept me and Bolton if she wants me to come home.”
“You’re serious about this?”
“Yeah.”
“What if Bolton doesn’t want to know?” Asher persisted. “What are you going to do?”
“It won’t be like that.”
“You know that for sure?” Asher asked.
“We love each other.” Charley put a reassuring hand on his arm and smiled up at his face, “Everything is going to be all right, Ash, I promise.”
“I hope you’re right,” Asher said softly. “For your sake.”
Asher pulled Charley into a tight hug, and Charley was reminded how much Asher did to protect their family. How safe she felt when she was with him.
He released her and started walking down the road, not turning back, and Charley wondered what he would tell their mother. When he’d rounded the corner, she tore her eyes away and continued down the road, acutely aware that each step she took brought her closer to Bolton and her future.
The Goldsworth Series Box Set Page 41