Responding to the warmth of his hug, Debbie rubbed his cropped head, and smiled lovingly at him. ‘I had a great day. Really enjoyed myself. Did you see Peter going into one when Mother was doing “Knees Up, Mother Brown”? His face was a picture.’
Steve shook his head and laughed. ‘I was probably too busy rabbiting to Mickey.’
‘I was really proud of Charlie today, Steve. He was so polite and well-mannered. Maybe he’s coming through that stroppy teenage stage now. What do you think?’
Not wanting to burst her bubble, Steve was honest but tactful. ‘He’s got the hots for Lois, that’s why he bleeding well behaved himself.’
‘Has he?’ Debbie asked, surprised.
‘He couldn’t take his eyes off her all day. Good job Mickey never clocked it, there’d have been murders.’
Steve’s comment angered Debbie. ‘What’s it got to do with Mickey? Charlie and Lois aren’t blood-related. So what if he likes her? He’s a normal lad, he’s gonna take an interest in girls. There’d be something wrong with the boy if he didn’t.’
‘I don’t think Mickey would see it that way somehow, do you?’ Steve laughed, trying to make a joke out of it, but hoping she’d see sense at the same time.
‘Nothing he can do,’ Debbie replied, annoyed that everyone and anyone seemed to have it in for her son.
Turning the shower off, Charlie put a towel round himself, went into his bedroom and rummaged around in his wardrobe until he found what he was looking for. As he opened the bedroom door, he was pleased to hear voices coming from downstairs, which meant his mother and Steve weren’t lurking nearby.
Excited, he put on a DVD and turned the sound down in case he woke his sisters. He loved the film Pussy Galore, it was his favourite. Dropping the towel, he lay on his bed, clenched his right hand around his rather large penis and thought of Lois as he shot his load.
Debbie was making breakfast the following morning when Charlie appeared, looking full of the joys of spring and reeking of Steve’s expensive new aftershave.
‘You’re up early, love. To what do we owe this pleasure?’ she asked, shocked that he’d risen from his pit so soon.
‘You going over Uncle Mickey’s later, Mum?’
‘Yes,’ Debbie replied, thinking he wanted the house to himself.
‘I think I’ll come too,’ Charlie said awkwardly.
Debbie looked at him in amazement. Maybe Steve was right and he did have the hots for young Lois. He usually avoided family outings like the plague and she couldn’t remember the last time he’d invited himself out with them.
Swiping Rosie’s bacon sandwich off her plate, Charlie shoved it in his mouth, grinned at her annoyance and sauntered back to his room.
Feeling hyper, he rang Kevin and told him all about Lois. Kevin had never even got as far as kissing a girl and was in awe of his friend’s expertise with women. ‘What does she look like? Has she got big tits?’
‘Massive,’ Charlie bragged. ‘She’s well fit.’
‘So are you definitely going out with her then?’ Kevin asked, hoping that she had a mate for him.
‘Yep,’ Charlie replied confidently.
He then went into detail about how she’d come to his bedroom and made a play for him. ‘Honestly, Kev, she’s well up for it. She couldn’t take her eyes off me all day.’
‘Find out if she’s got a mate for me,’ his mate asked optimistically.
‘I’ll ask her,’ Charlie lied. He intended to do no such thing. Kevin was an embarrassment. He certainly wasn’t about to introduce him to Lois.
Debbie and Steve stood freezing their bits off as they watched Louise giving the girls their first proper riding lesson.
‘Look at me, Mummy,’ Rosie squealed excitedly as she held the reins for the very first time.
‘Look at me, Daddy,’ Gracie piped up, not wanting to be outdone by her younger sister who was looking much more of a natural than she was.
‘I’m fucking frozen. Maybe buying poxy ponies wasn’t such a good idea after all,’ Steve complained under his breath to his wife.
‘Cheer up, you miserable sod,’ Debbie said, as she aimed a playful punch his way. Frozen herself, she looked at her watch and signalled to Louise to call it a day.
‘But, Mum, we’ve only been out here a few minutes,’ Rosie whined.
‘I wanna stay with Britney,’ Gracie insisted.
‘You can see her again and have another ride tomorrow. We’ve got to be at your Uncle Mickey’s by four and you’re not even ready yet,’ Debbie said sternly.
After ordering the girls to go upstairs and change into the pretty matching dresses she’d bought them for Christmas, Debbie sat down at the kitchen table and eagerly accepted a glass of wine from Steve. ‘Did I tell you, Charlie wants to come with us this afternoon?’
Steve was pouring himself a beer and had his back turned to his wife. Now, normally he trod carefully when it came to Charlie, but since Mickey’s stepdaughter was involved he was determined to say his piece.
He swung around. ‘I don’t think that’s a very good idea, Debs. Poor little Lois didn’t know where to look yesterday when Charlie was gawping at her and I don’t think it’s fair to put the poor little cow through that again, especially in her own home.’
Furious, Debbie jumped straight down his throat. ‘What the fuck you on about? I was here all day yesterday and I didn’t notice anything untoward. You make my Charlie sound like some kind of a weirdo. What if Lois likes him, has that thought even occurred to you?’
Steve gulped at his drink. He and Debbie rarely argued and he absolutely hated it when they did. Normally he just let things sail over his head, but not this time. Not when it involved Mickey and his kids.
‘Look, Debs, I don’t wanna argue with you but you were pissed yesterday. I wasn’t. I saw what was going on and it wasn’t pleasant. Lois has got her whole life in front of her, she looks like a model, that girl, and she certainly ain’t gonna be interested in someone like Charlie. Anyway, with Mickey being your brother you shouldn’t be fucking encouraging it. It ain’t on, Debs.’
Debbie was shaking with temper now. How dare he insult her beloved son?
‘What exactly are you implying, Steve? That my boy ain’t good enough. That what you’re trying to say, is it?’
Getting angrier by the minute, he was determined to make his wife see sense.
‘Don’t put words in me fucking mouth, Debs. All I’m trying to say is, the girl is your brother’s daughter. He adopted her. She’s Charlie’s cousin, for fuck’s sake. I ain’t into incest and I ain’t having it in my house.’
‘They’re not fucking related!’ Debbie screamed back. ‘And I’ll tell you something now, Steve – if Charlie ain’t welcome then I don’t go. Got it?’
Throwing his empty can into the rubbish bin, Steve stood up. ‘That’s fine by me. None of us will go. I’ll ring Mickey and tell him why, shall I?’
‘Do what you fucking like,’ Debbie shouted, storming out of the kitchen.
Hearing his mum coming up the stairs, Charlie crept into his bedroom and shut the door. He’d heard the whole argument, every single fucking word of it, and he was furious. How dare Steve say that he wasn’t good enough for Lois? Well, he’d show him. He’d show them all. Anyone who had ever doubted him would have a shock coming to them. Lois wanted him, he could sense it, and he was determined to prove all his doubters wrong. The girl was gagging for it.
Annoyed that his plans had been spoiled and he wasn’t going to be seeing her today, Charlie scrolled through his phone to find her number. Deciding to text rather than ring, in case his uncle got wind of their romance, he punched in the letters.
Hi sexy. Mum n Steve have had big row, so wont b cmin over 2day. Mum is ok bout us goin out, but Steve went mad (fat bastard). Wot u doin next wkend? Do u fancy meetin up?
Smiling, Charlie pressed Send, got under his quilt and rubbed himself in anticipation.
Steve picked up his car keys and slammed
the front door shut as hard as he could. He was fucking seething and drove down the road like a lunatic. One-handed, he picked up his phone and rang Mickey. ‘Me and Debs won’t be coming over, we’ve had a massive fucking fall out.’
‘Whatever’s the matter?’ Mickey asked, surprised. When he’d left them yesterday they’d been happy as pigs in shit.
Steve asked his pal to meet him for a pint and told him he desperately needed a chat.
Karen gave Mickey the green light. ‘I’m knackered anyway, Mick. I still feel hungover from yesterday. You go out and have a drink with Steve. Honest, I don’t mind.’
Steve arranged to pick his friend up and forty minutes later they were sitting in one of their old haunts, just off the Mile End Road. Mickey had never seen Steve so angry and wondered what the fuck had happened. He and Debs had been fine all day yesterday. Knowing his pal like he did, Mickey knew something pretty serious must have happened.
Steve was glad that none of their old cronies were in the pub. He shouted up some beers, urged his pal to sit down and, start to finish, told him the story. Mickey’s temper was close to exploding point as he heard that his evil cunt of a nephew had a thing for his stepdaughter.
‘If he goes within a hundred yards of her, I swear I’ll fucking kill him! I’m telling you, Steve, he’ll go the same way as his scumbag of a father did, if he tries it on with Lois. I’ll beat the cunt out of him, my life I will,’ he declared, slamming his bottle down on the table.
Steve tried to reassure him that it was a one-way thing and nothing to do with Lois. ‘Honestly, Mick, the girl couldn’t wait to leave the house last night. Poor little cow, I felt sorry for her all day. She’s clued-up is Lois, and she knows Charlie’s a fucking loser.’
Mickey downed his drink. Chucking some money at Steve, he asked him to go back up to the bar again. He had to calm himself down and needed a couple of minutes on his own to do so. He wasn’t worried about his daughter being interested in Charlie, as there was no way in this world she would be. Lois was beautiful, with everything going for her, while Charlie was a freak with nothing in his favour. That part was simple. The part that worried him was the fact that he didn’t trust his nephew. The kid was a monster. Mickey had never forgotten the kitten episode. Charlie was a ringer for his evil fucking father. A piece of shit, in other words. But the thing that had annoyed Mickey most was Debbie’s reaction to this. How could she even think of encouraging that notright of a son of hers to pursue his Lois? Mickey was wild, fucking wild, and he’d have it out with Debbie, if it was the last thing he did. Snatching the drink that Steve handed to him, he assured his pal that he had calmed down and was now okay.
‘It all falls into place now, Steve. Karen told me this morning that Lois had been reserved all day yesterday. That’s why, innit? She had that fucking piece of shit on her case. And as for my Debbie … I’m disgusted with her.’
Steve sipped his drink, trying to find the right words with which to get his wife off the hook. ‘She’ll soon realise she’s wrong, Mick. I think deep down she knows Charlie’s not normal and is probably just desperate for him to become the son she really wants. If he had a girlfriend and that, Debs would be over the moon. He’s never shown much interest in girls before, so I suppose Debs is just happy he’s got a love interest, even if it is Lois.’
‘Well, best she fucking thinks again,’ Mickey replied angrily.
Meanwhile, back in Brentwood, Debbie was just as angry as her brother. Desperate for somebody to confide in, she toyed with the idea of ringing her mum but quickly decided against it. June and Charlie had never been that close, and if her mum sided with Steve it would only cause ructions.
Debbie poured another drink and searched through the contacts on her phone. Normally Karen was the only person she would ring in a crisis, but she could hardly do that this time. Remembering Bev, from the girls’ school, she decided to give her a call. Her daughter Ruby was in the same class as Rosie. Single and bitter, Bev had just been through a messy divorce. A self-confessed man-hater, she was a good listener and would be sure to offer a sympathetic shoulder to cry on.
‘Oh, Debs. What a fucking bastard!’ Bev said vehemently. ‘Look, we can’t discuss this on the phone. Come round here and we’ll have a drink. Ruby’s staying over at the arsehole’s tonight, so I’m on my lonesome. Surely you can leave the girls with Charlie? I’m only bloody five minutes away. If they need you, they can ring your mobile.’
‘I’m not sure I should leave them,’ Debbie said awkwardly. She didn’t know what to do for the best. Steve hated the girls being left alone with Charlie. ‘He’s only a kid himself and not capable of looking after them,’ he’d always insisted.
Hating all men with a passion after her divorce, Bev loved nothing more than putting her jaundiced views across. ‘Look, Debs, your Steve has sodded off out. As we speak, he’s probably surrounded by a table full of women, pissed out of his head somewhere. Why should you sit indoors like silly-girl-got-none? I did that and look where it got me. The no-good cunt ran off with his twenty-year-old secretary.’
Debbie laughed at her friend’s choice of words. Judgement clouded by the amount of drink she’d consumed, she decided to be a devil. ‘Oh, sod it. Give us twenty minutes and I’ll be round.’
Rosie and Gracie were sitting in the living room, watching the musical Oliver on DVD. ‘Girls, I’m gonna pop out for an hour. I’ll only be round at Bev’s. Charlie’s upstairs if you need anything.’
‘Okay,’ Rosie said.
‘Don’t leave us, Mummy. We don’t want to stay here on our own. Can’t we come with you?’ Gracie pleaded.
Debbie sighed as her eldest daughter burst into tears. She was always so clingy. Rosie was the opposite, much more independent. Debbie sat down next to Gracie and cuddled her. ‘You’re a big girl now, Gracie. Don’t cry. Look at your sister, she can’t wait to get rid of me. You are silly sometimes. I tell you what, shall I ask Charlie to come downstairs and sit with you?’
‘No,’ Gracie insisted.
‘I promise I won’t be long,’ Debbie said as she stood up.
‘Oom Pa Pa’ had little attraction any more for Gracie as her mother left the room. She was far too upset to concentrate on Nancy.
Feeling guilty, Debbie knocked on her son’s bedroom door. ‘All right to come in, love?’
Charlie was in a foul mood. He was still waiting to hear back from Lois and wanted to be left alone. ‘Go away,’ he shouted.
Debbie ignored him and let herself in. ‘Charlie, I need a favour from you. I’m popping out for an hour. Your sisters are watching a DVD in the living room. Be a good boy and go downstairs, will you? Keep an eye on them and make sure they’re okay for me.’
He smiled. ‘No problem, Mum.’
As soon as he heard the front door close, Charlie wandered downstairs. Rarely did he get a chance to torment his sisters, but if and when he did, he grabbed it with both hands. ‘Well, well, well, this is cosy,’ he said, as he sauntered into the living room.
Rosie smiled. She didn’t particularly like her brother but was far too young to realise just how nasty he could be. Gracie could feel herself shaking. She knew differently.
Charlie sat down opposite Gracie and stared at her. He knew she was scared of him, and her fear made him happy. Leaning towards her, he watched her flinch. He laughed, picked up the remote and switched off the film.
‘No, Charlie. We’re doing Oliver at drama school. Put it back on,’ Rosie demanded.
Still laughing, he took the remote into the kitchen with him. He opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. Sitting down at the table, he checked his phone. Still no text from Lois. What the fuck was she playing at? He knew her phone was switched on. He had delivery reports on his, so she’d definitely got his messages. Surely even if her mum and Mickey were about she could have sneaked out of the room? Pissed off, he downed his drink and lobbed the empty can into the bin. He was bored and needed to cheer himself up. Scanning the kitchen, he spotted the
bread knife on the work top. He smiled, picked it up and strolled back into the living room.
‘Wanna play sword-fighting?’ he shouted, as he brandished it towards his sisters.
‘Stop it, Charlie!’ Rosie screamed, covering her face.
Gracie stayed silent. She wanted to protect her little sister, but was mute and unable to move.
‘I know what we’ll do.’ Charlie was enjoying himself now. ‘Let’s go and see what the ponies think of the knife … I bet they like a bit of sword fighting.’
Gracie and Rosie screamed as he ran off towards the stables.
‘Please don’t hurt Britney,’ Rosie sobbed. ‘No, Charlie, no!’
Gracie sat rooted to the sofa as her sister chased after him. Sobbing, she prayed for her mum to return. Why did she have to go out? Why? Why?
Aware that Gracie hadn’t followed them out, Charlie concentrated on Rosie’s pony.
‘We’ve got no carrots today, Britney, but you can have this instead,’ he said as he pointed the knife at the terrified creature.
Rosie was frantic and her continuous screams did nothing but egg Charlie on. He opened the stable door. ‘I think Britney’s tail is too long. Shall we give it a little trim for her, Rosie?’
Unable to ignore her sister’s screams any longer, Gracie found some inner strength. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and ran after them.
‘Leave Rosie and the ponies alone, Charlie,’ she called to him. ‘I swear if you don’t, I’m gonna tell Mum and Dad. And if I tell them about this, I’ll tell them everything else as well.’
Charlie smiled at Gracie’s threat. He’d terrorised her as a kid. Now, she’d become far too grown-up for his liking. If this, or any of his other pranks, got back to that fat cunt Steve, there’d be murders. Charlie leaned lazily against the stable door. He still had the knife in his hand. ‘I’ll do a deal with you. I promise I’ll never go near either of your ponies again on one condition: you keep your trap shut.’
Gracie nodded. ‘Okay.’
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