by K Leitch
Getting herself together she decided that she had to confront Jools about this, she knew from bitter experience that the longer you let these things fester the worse they became. So she sent her a text asking to meet her for a coffee later in the day, Jools’ reply was almost immediate.
OOH LOVELY, COULD DO WITH A CATCH UP X SEE YOU AT 3 XX
Well if she was slating Maggie left right and centre then she was a much more duplicitous than Maggie had given her credit for. Maggie went back into the kitchen; Maylee obviously noticed her red rimmed eyes and gave her a little moue of sympathy.
‘So how’s the birthday plans coming on Mum?’ said Dom oblivious to Maggie’s misery.
‘Oh…pretty good I think,’ said Maggie fiddling with the coffee machine. ‘I managed to get him that watch that he wanted…I found it online, so hopefully it will arrive in time. Did you manage to get hold of your dad, Dom…is he back from France yet?’
‘Oh yeh I meant to tell you soz…um he said he hoped he would be able to make it for the dinner, but things are a bit touch and go with Felicity at the moment, so he’d have to let you know…’
‘Oh for fucks sake!’ shouted Maggie flinging down the teaspoon she’d been holding. ‘Surely he can put his son before his love life just once!’
Dom, shocked at his mum’s sudden outburst came and put his arms around her. ‘Hey, don’t worry Mum, I’m sure he’ll try his best…and if he doesn’t make it well…we’ll be there, and don’t forget Jukie is coming…it’ll be fine…’
‘Yeh my Jukie is sooo excited to meet you all,’ Maylee gushed. ‘Oh and you should see this little outfit I got him Maggs…it’s Burberry, cutest little black jeans you’ve ever seen and this top with the Burberry logo on it, but not too in your face though…subtle like, he looks so flash doesn’t he Dommie?’
‘Dommie’ just smiled indulgently, and Maggie said all that was appropriate and then escaped to her room to prepare what she was going to say to Jools when she met her later.
A few hours later she was sitting in a coffee shop in Redbank waiting for Jools. She saw her parking her car across the road, Maggie heaved a sigh this was going to be so difficult, she thought as Jools came into the coffee shop with a wide smile on her face.
‘I was so pleased to get your text Maggs,’ she said as soon as she was sitting down opposite Maggie. ‘I feel like we haven’t had a good catch up for ages, so what’s new with you Magoo?’ she laughed, using the old jokey phrase that they had always used whenever they met up with each other.
Maggie took a deep breath, ‘I have to ask you something Jools,’ she said looking at her sadly.
‘Oh my god Maggie…what’s up,’ Jools asked worriedly.
‘I heard something…or rather somebody else heard something, something that you said about me…they said you were laughing about me…’
‘What,’ said Jools all at sea, ‘who said I was laughing at you…what was I laughing about…I don’t understand Maggs.’
‘Okay,’ taking a deep breath, Maggie began again, ‘I have been told that you have been telling all and sundry that you have me wrapped around your little finger and that I am a push over for a sob story…there…so I need to know if that is indeed how you see me, because…’
‘WHO TOLD YOU THAT?’ Jools shouted at the top of her voice, causing several people to swivel round in their seats. ‘I don’t believe this…who would tell you such a thing, and why would you believe it…surely you’ve known me long enough…’
‘Well that was why I was so hurt by it Jools…I had always thought we were friends…more than friends really so…’
‘Then how could you think I would say something like that about yyooouu Maaggiiee…’ Jools collapsed in tears.
‘Oh god Jools,’ said Maggie coming round and putting her arms round her. ‘I didn’t want to believe it…I was stunned actually…but you’re right I should have known better…I’m so sorry, please forgive me honey, but you must see I had to ask you didn’t I…’
Jools sniffed for a while and Maggie waited for her to speak. ‘I suppose I can see that you would need to check it out, that’s just the kind of person you are…but what I can’t understand is where this came from. I mean what a tale to make up and who…’ she stopped suddenly and a hard look came over her face. ‘Oh I am so stupid…this is bloody Maylee’s doing isn’t it? For fucks sake Maggs, don’t you know that girl hates me…she’d do anything to see you and me fall out…’
‘Yes but she must have known I’d talk to you about it…’ said Maggie. ‘She must have been really confident to have completely made something up like that…’ she stopped seeing that Jools was beginning to look indignant again. ‘No, no Jools, I know you didn’t say exactly what Maylee said you did, but maybe she took something the wrong way, she said she spoke to you about it, told you not to be so out of order apparently…’
‘Ooh the lying little bitch!’ said Jools furious again. ‘She had never said one word to me Maggie, and do you know why…because I have never said what she says I have…’ Jools stopped suddenly then with her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh I did say something…no nothing nasty, I was having a laugh with my friends a few nights ago, we were at the Bull having a few drinks and I was telling them about the meal for Jed’s birthday…oh and Martha was there and she kept piping up about how wonderful you were and how kind you’d been taking her out for lunch.’
‘Oh for crying out loud I might have known Martha would have had something to do with it…’ Maggie said giggling.
‘Yes, well one of my friends, Jane…Jane Cordon, you remember her Maggie she was in my class at school…lazy eye, unfortunate ears.’ Maggie nodded. ‘Well she said you’d better watch it Jools, looks like Martha’s muscling in on Maggie…she won’t have any time for you soon it’ll be all Martha this and Martha that,’ Maggie tutted and rolled her eyes. ‘Yes well anyway I said to her something like I wasn’t threatened by Martha…’ she stopped and looked a bit embarrassed. ‘Oh it sounds terrible now, but then I said something like…Maggie and me we’re just like that,’ she held up crossed fingers, ‘and it would take a better woman that Martha to come between us, I could just snap my fingers and you’d come running back to me again…oh I know I know…but I wasn’t being serious Maggie, I was just teasing Martha, we were all laughing you know. I would never hurt you or take our friendship for granted please believe me…I just said something stupid…as a joke, only that little cow must have heard me and decided to make trouble.’
Jools put her head in her hands and started crying again, Maggie gave her a hug and assured her that everything was alright but in her heart she felt a deep dread. Why was Maylee trying so hard to cause trouble in her family…and how did she stop it from happening?
She chatted with Jools for a while longer and then drove back home. Even before she put her key in the front door she knew she had more problems, she could hear Maylee’s high pitched shouts from outside the house.
‘What the hell is going on in here?’ she asked Dom, who was standing in the hallway looking furious.
‘How could you do it Mum,’ he said angrily, ‘Maylee told you that about Jools in confidence, and because she cares about you and was trying to stick up for you, and you just go and tell Jools all about it behind her back…that’s just low Mum. And now she’s got that bitch Jools shouting down the phone at her.’ Obviously Jools had got straight on the phone to Maylee as soon as she’d said goodbye to Maggie.
Dom was pacing backwards and forwards furiously as he was speaking, Maggie couldn’t ever remember seeing her son this angry or aggressive.
‘What did you expect I would do Dom?’ she said as calmly as possible. ‘Of course I’m going to speak to Jools about it, ask her to explain why she would say such a thing. You must know me well enough to know that I wouldn’t just let it go…’
‘Well you should have thought about Maylee’s feelings shouldn’t you…’ he said turning on her, ‘thought about her for a change instead of your f
ucking precious Jools, who we all know can’t do anything wrong…and I warn you Mum if Jed says one more word to me about Maylee I am going to smash his fucking face in…I’ve told him that…and I will do it if he pushes his luck.’
Just then Maylee came running out of the kitchen in tears…she gave Maggie a hard reproachful look and ran past her up the stairs.
‘See what you’ve done by being so selfish,’ Dom shouted at her. ‘And don’t expect us at Jed’s fucking birthday dinner either,’ he finished as he followed Maylee upstairs.
Maggie went into the kitchen, sat down at the table and put her head in her hands. How the hell did she sort this out? Her lovely boys were at each other’s throats and apparently it was all her fault.
‘Fuck, fuck, fuck,’ thought Maggie, this was new territory for her and she was completely lost.
She picked up her phone and automatically pressed Duncan’s number, it rang a couple of times before she remembered that she was keeping her distance and ended the call. Two minutes later her phone rang…it was Duncan.
‘Hey Maggs,’ he said when she answered, ‘did you try and call me just now?’
Just hearing his lovely deep voice was the last straw for Maggie and she burst into tears.
‘Oh god Duncan I don’t know what to dooo,’ she sobbed breathlessly into the phone.
‘Bloody hell Maggs what’s wrong…oh no it’s not one of the boys is it…’
‘I’m such a terrible mother…sob sob…always get things wrong…sob hiccup sniff…they all hate me…snort sniff gulp…’
‘Oh for god’s sake Maggie you are NOT a terrible mother and your boys adore you. So for crying out loud go and get a fucking tissue and blow your nose and then tell me all about it,’ Duncan said gently.
But by this time Maggie had pulled herself together a bit and was kicking herself for phoning Duncan, really how was this keeping a distance if she carried on running to him every time she had a problem.
‘No, no…don’t worry,’ she said as calmly as she could, ‘I’m so sorry I called you, embarrassed really…I’m just getting all upset over nothing at all…sorry again…bye,’ and she ended the call. Duncan called back twice but she didn’t answer …she just sat there, tears streaming down her face, watching the phone until it stopped ringing.
CHAPTER 27 - 1987
Franklin was locked in his room.
The door was locked as it always was, but it had been a whole day and night and Mum hadn’t come to let him out.
He had called her over and over until his throat had hurt. Cried and screamed so much he had thrown up all over himself.
He’d bashed on the door, thrown himself at it, kicked it until his feet were so sore that he could barely walk.
He was scared…so scared…Mum always opened the door in the morning…always.
Now he was hungry and thirsty as well. He’d finished the glass of water he kept by his bed yesterday, and he wasn’t allowed food in his room.
The bucket, Mum had put in the room for him to go for a pee in the night, was half full and it really smelt bad…it was making him want to puke again, and he couldn’t open the window…Mum had fixed it so that it wouldn’t open…to keep him safe she said.
He had climbed up onto the window ledge to try and call out to someone, his room was at the back of the house overlooking the gardens, maybe Mrs Gosling next door would spot him. Sometimes she would be in her back garden…but it had rained all day so she hadn’t come outside. He’d stayed up there for ages, until he was so tired he’d climbed back down and burrowed under the covers of his bed.
He had thought about breaking the window…he had a very big heavy tractor, if he threw that at the window it might break and then he could shout for someone…someone might hear him then. But Mum would be so angry with him if he broke the window.
It was getting dark again…please Mum…please come home soon.
Franklin shivered under his covers and waited for morning.
The sun was shining brightly through the window when Franklin woke the next day. His bed was wet…and his mouth was so dry, he felt dizzy with hunger…he looked over at the door…it was still locked.
As he lay there, weak and disorientated, he became aware of the faint sounds of Mrs Gosling in her garden. As quickly as he could, he climbed unsteadily back up onto the window sill and pounded on the window desperately. Mrs Gosling looked up and waved at him, he pounded harder and harder, crying out to her…couldn’t she see he needed help. But she just waved at him again and then looked as if she was going to go back inside, no, no, no, she couldn’t go…Franklin needed to get her to fetch Mum.
In a panic he climbed back down and hauled his big tractor over and up onto the bed, it was really heavy but he managed to get in onto his shoulders and with an almighty shove he hefted it towards the window…glass smashed everywhere, all over his bed and all over him but he was oblivious to it…slicing into his hands and feet, as he clambered back up to the now broken window.
Down below Mrs Gosling was looking up at the broken window in shock. She was even more shocked when Franklin, his hands covered in blood, pulled himself up and screamed at her.
‘DON’T GO PLEASE…DON’T LEAVE ME… MUMMY…I WANT MUMMY…PLEASE GET MY MUM,’ he sobbed, his tears and snot mingled with his blood as he wiped his bleeding hands over his face.
‘Franklin...what are you doing up there darling,’ she called up bewildered, Franklin screamed something at her again, she couldn’t make out what he was saying but now she could see his face covered in blood and the panic in his eyes. ’Oh my days…oh goodness me…wait there Franklin…don’t move sweetheart,’ Mrs Gosling shouted back up nervously ‘I will get help…just DON’T MOVE OK,’ she said before running inside.
Franklin stayed where he was. A short while later Mrs Gosling came back outside, with her was Gillian Hill, another neighbour, who lived a couple of doors down, she called up to Franklin.
‘Ok sweetheart help is on its way…where’s your mum darling…is she there with you?’
‘I don’t know,’ whispered Franklin, ‘I don’t know where she is.’
CHAPTER 28
Tony ‘Turk’ Lahars sat in the corner of the pub and stared into his beer. The Red Stag public house was far from salubrious, with its slightly sticky carpets and strong all pervading smell of stale beer and old cigarettes that seemed to have seeped into every inch of the shabby bar.
But if Turk noticed its seediness he gave no indication of it, in fact he seemed miles away deep in thought. The truth was that he was a seething mass of rage and indignation A rage that was getting stronger the more he thought about his so called ‘mate’ Nellie and the things he’d said to him…the names he’d called him before walking away and leaving him lying in the dirt.
‘You fucking prick,’ Nellie had hissed, as he grabbed Turk by the throat and flung him up against a wall. ‘What the fuck is this all about…the fucking girl in the rug…you stupid cunt, I told you to get rid of it fella!’
Turk who could barely breathe let alone speak, tried to explain. ‘Thought I heard someone coming didn’t I…had to get rid quickly…’ow was I to know some busybody cunt’s going to search the garage…aaarrgh…no pleeaasse …aaarrgh.’
Turk screamed louder as Nellie pulled his arm back up and behind him until his shoulder popped out of its socket.
‘Nellie…aaarrrgh…no no…they’ve still got nuffin on us ‘ave they…’
‘What about the garage you tosser…your uncle’s fucking garage,’ Nellie spat at him. ‘How long do think it will take for them to connect us to that…’ he released his grip on Turk who fell to the floor with another grunt of pain.
‘I told you to take it to the wood didn’t I…prick, somewhere far away from the estate Why the fuck would you hide it so close to the estate?’ He seemed to suddenly think of something.
‘Unless you were fiddling with it…’
‘No…I wasn’t Nellie I promise…I just thought it would be a
good place to ‘ide it…I never touched ‘er I swear….AAARRRGH.’ Nellie brought his boot down hard on Turk’s dislocated arm, making him scream in agony.
‘You fucking sick bastard…you fucked her didn’t you, oh my god…you fucking did.’ His fist smashed into the side of Turk’s mouth and he went down again, groaning in agony as Nellie’s boot connected with his chest breaking a couple of ribs.
‘You stupid sick fuck…don’t you think they’ll know you’ve been sticking it to her? Are you so thick, they’ve got tests man, they’ll have you’re whatsit…DNA, you stupid dickhead…’ Nellie kicked him again in his frustration.
‘God…please Nell…I didn’t…don’t please…’ he gasped from the ground where he lay at Nellie’s feet. ‘Used a rubber didn’t I…they won’t find nuffin I swear…aaarrghh.’
Nellie grabbed him by the hair twisting his head round so that he could see his face. ‘Well let me tell you something you fucking freak, I ain’t going down for this…so you an’ me we’re through, you get me fella…you go your way and I’ll go mine, but I don’t want to see your filthy perverted face ever again…cus if I do…you’re a dead man.’ And with that he’d shoved Turk’s face into the dirt and walked away, leaving him where he lay.
And that was the last time Turk had seen Nellie. Oh he knew he was still hanging around, for some reason he was staying in the area. Seemed he had something good going on, Turk wasn’t sure what it was…but he’d been keeping tabs on him, at a distance.