The Feud

by Kimberley Chambers

  Joyce couldn’t help but giggle. Stanley looked so funny lying on the carpet in a heap. ‘I want you to get yourself ready, Stanley. We need to drive over to our Jessica’s. Something’s not right, she’s got problems, I know she has. Our Raymond was over there last night and Jess barely spoke to me on the phone this morning.’

  ‘Probably something to do with that dodgy old man of hers. Ain’t got himself nicked, has he?’ Stanley muttered, standing up.

  ‘Now, don’t start all that. We’ve no idea what’s wrong yet. I know my Jess and she sounded to me like she’d been crying. For all we know, Stanley, it could be something to do with the baby,’ Joyce told him.

  ‘Shouldn’t we ask if it’s OK for us to visit? We can’t just turn up,’ Stanley said. Fortunately, he wasn’t as nosy as his wife.

  ‘No, because Jess’ll say no and then we’ll never find out what was wrong in the first place. Now go and get changed, quick as you like,’ Joyce said.

  ‘I’m all right. I’ll go like this,’ Stanley said miserably.

  ‘No, you bloody well won’t. Them trousers have got pigeon shit all over ’em. Go upstairs and put your nice grey ones on.’

  Stanley tutted, but knew better than to argue. ‘What am I meant to say to Jock? I’m meant to be meeting him at eleven to fly our pigeons,’ he moaned.

  Joyce shook her head furiously. ‘You and Jock can get your cocks out any day. Now, chop-chop, Stanley. I’m not one to be kept waiting, you know that.’

  ‘Wicked old witch,’ Stanley spouted as he stomped up the stairs.

  Back in Rainham, Frankie’s heart was beating nineteen to the dozen as she crouched down behind the big bush in her next-door neighbour’s front garden. ‘Move over a bit, Jed. Your legs are sticking out, someone will see you,’ she told her boyfriend.

  Jed shook his head in disbelief. He loved his woman very much, but sometimes she had the brains of a rocking horse. ‘I’m telling you, Frankie, this is a stupid idea. Does it matter if your dad’s there? He’s gonna find out when your mum tells him, anyway. We should have done things my way, instead of sitting here like a pair of dinlos.’

  Frankie said nothing. Jed had wanted to drive over to her parents, face them and tell them the news together, then load all her belongings onto his truck. Petrified of the fracas that was bound to happen, Frankie put her foot down. She had no doubt whatsoever that her dad would barricade her in the house, then smash both Jed and his new pick-up truck to smithereens.

  Hearing the sound of an engine starting up, Frankie peered through the bushes just in time to see her dad’s Land Cruiser pull off the drive. ‘Right, me dad’s gone out. The only people in the house are me mum and possibly me Uncle Raymond. His car’s on the drive and I don’t think he was with me dad,’ she told Jed. She knew Joey was out, as she had seen him jump into a cab about half an hour ago.

  ‘Please let me come with you, Frankie. We’re getting married; your mother’s gonna think I’m a right div if I don’t face her like a man,’ Jed pleaded, as Frankie stood up.

  Frankie shook her head. ‘You don’t wanna come in while me Uncle Raymond’s there. He’s me father’s henchman, so he’s bound to kick off. I promise you, once the initial shock’s worn off, you can meet me mum. Today, though, I need to talk to her alone.’

  Watching Frankie walk away, Jed made a decision. He didn’t like the sound of Uncle fucking Raymond and if Frankie weren’t back in half an hour, he was going in there, whether his girlfriend liked it or not.

  As Frankie walked up the drive, her mind was a whirlwind of emotion. She felt guilty at letting her parents down, but her love for Jed was far too strong for her to put her parents first.

  Frankie let herself in with her key.

  ‘There you are. Where have you been?’ her mum asked, obviously relieved to see her.

  ‘Mum, I need to talk to you,’ Frankie mumbled.

  ‘You OK?’ Raymond asked, poking his head into the hallway.

  Frankie nodded. ‘Fine, thanks. I just need to talk to Mum in private.’

  Knowing when he wasn’t wanted, Raymond retreated back into the lounge.

  ‘Come on, we’ll sit in the kitchen, I’ll shut the door,’ Jessica said. She knew by Frankie’s face that whatever she had to say was very serious and she was dreading hearing it.

  Not usually one to eavesdrop, Raymond knew he had little choice. Eddie would want to know what was going on and, for all their sakes, he had to find out. Taking his shoes off, Raymond crept into the hallway and placed his ear against the door.

  ‘What is it, love?’ Jessica asked as Frankie began to cry.

  ‘You know that boy I’ve been seeing? Well, I didn’t bring him home because his dad’s Jimmy O’Hara. His name’s, Jed, Mum, and he makes me so happy.’

  ‘Don’t cry. I sort of already knew,’Jessica said, cuddling her.

  ‘There’s more, Mum, and you’re not gonna like the rest.’

  ‘Go on,’ Jessica said, her heart in her mouth.

  ‘I’m pregnant and we’re getting married,’ Frankie stated. Blurting it out was the only way she could say it.

  Feeling her legs turn to jelly, Jessica grabbed one of the wooden chairs and slumped down on it. ‘Oh, my God! You can’t be, Frankie. You’re only a baby yourself.’

  Frankie fiercely wiped her tears away. She needed to stand up for herself, be strong, not weak.

  ‘I’m not a baby, Mum. I’m sixteen and I know my own mind. Dad’s gonna hate me, I know he is. That’s why I’m leaving home today.’

  Unable to stop himself, Raymond burst into the kitchen. ‘You’re going nowhere, Frankie. You dad’ll be home soon and he’ll sort this mess out.’

  Frankie stood up, her eyes blazing. ‘You can’t tell me what to do. I’m sixteen and I can legally leave home if I want to.’

  She turned to her mother. ‘Let’s not forget, Mum, you were only one year older than me when you got pregnant with me and Joey. You married Dad and had us, didn’t you? Why should things be different for me? I love Jed and I will always love him.’

  Raymond glared at his niece. Without knowing it, the stupid, brainless girl had just revived the feud that he and everybody else had been dreading. ‘I’ll tell you why things are different for you, Frankie – because you’re with Jimmy O’Hara’s son, you idiot. This is gonna break your dad’s heart and cause so much fucking trouble. Don’t you realise what you’ve done? Are you that fucking stupid?’ Raymond yelled.

  ‘Please stop arguing,’ Jessica sobbed.

  Having changed lookout positions, Jed was now in Frankie’s back garden and could hear almost every word.

  ‘Who do you think you are? Go fuck your grandmother, you cheeky cunt,’ Jed shouted, flinging open the back door.

  As Raymond went for her boyfriend, Frankie screamed.

  Jessica tried to grab hold of her brother. ‘Stop it, will you? Violence isn’t the answer,’ she wailed.

  ‘Come on, Frankie, leave your stuff here, I’ll buy you more. We’re going,’ Jed said, grabbing her hand.

  Raymond took hold of Frankie’s other arm. ‘She’s going nowhere, not till her dad gets home. Get upstairs, Frankie, your boyfriend’s leaving now.’

  Frankie was hysterical as her uncle got Jed into a headlock and marched him out of the front door. As Raymond slammed the door and walked back inside, he tried to stop a hysterical Frankie following Jed.

  ‘You’re going nowhere, you stupid little cow,’ he spat at her.

  Jed had never been frightened of anyone in his life and he certainly wasn’t frightened of Uncle fucking Raymond. ‘I’m not leaving here without Frankie,’ he shouted, as he repeatedly booted the front door.

  ‘Lock the back door and shut all the windows,’ Raymond ordered his tearful sister.

  Like a raging bull, Jed tore a big branch off a tree and put it straight through one of the windows. ‘Frankie, Frankie! Don’t take no notice of your wanker of an uncle. Come on, hurry up,’ he yelled.

  Ordering Jess
ica to make sure her daughter stayed inside, Raymond ran out to his motor. He always carried a baseball bat for emergencies and this was definitely one of them.

  ‘I ain’t frightened of you, you fucking dinlo,’ Jed shouted at him.

  Confident that he could fight Raymond off, Jed changed his mind as soon as he spotted the baseball bat coming his way.

  ‘You go near Frankie again and I’ll fucking kill you,’ Raymond screamed, as he chased Jed down the driveway.

  Streets ahead of him, Jed couldn’t resist turning round and doing a wanker sign. ‘Shut up, you muggy cunt,’ he said, smirking.

  Incensed, Raymond carried on chasing him.

  Never ones for perfect timing, Joyce and Stanley chose that exact moment to turn into the driveway. Joyce looked at Stanley to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. ‘Was that our Raymond chasing someone with a baseball bat?’

  Stanley nodded dumbly. He was far too shocked to speak.

  Joyce got out of the car and did a little jog back to the entrance of the driveway. ‘Raymond! It’s your mother. Get your arse back here. What do you think you’re doing?’ she screamed.

  With her son nowhere to be seen, a furious Joyce stomped back to the car. ‘Come on, Stanley. Don’t just sit there, we need to find out what’s going on.’

  As Stanley got out of the car, he felt nauseous. He hated trouble of any kind and certainly didn’t want to be involved in it.

  Jessica opened the front door. ‘What’s going on?’ Joyce asked, as her daughter fell sobbing into her arms.

  Frankie knew that this was probably her only opportunity to escape. Desperate to get away, she sprinted past her mum and nan and sent her grandfather flying as he tried to walk through the front door.

  Losing his balance for the second time that day, Stanley landed on his arse. ‘Gorden Bennett!’ he exclaimed as he tried to get up again.

  Jessica could barely speak for crying. ‘Frankie’s pregnant. Eddie’s gonna kill her. What am I gonna do, Mum?’ she said between sobs.

  Joyce sat Jessica on the sofa. ‘Now, come on, dear, stop all that crying. Everything will sort itself out,’ she said gently.

  ‘It won’t. She’s pregnant by the gypsy boy down the road and Eddie’s had a feud with that family all his life,’ Jessica wept.

  Aware of his balance letting him down once more, Stanley fell onto the sofa in utter shock.

  ‘Gypsy? What do you mean? Is that who our Raymond was chasing?’

  Jessica nodded. ‘Jed’s a gypsy boy. All his family are travellers.’

  Seeing her husband’s face go deathly white, Joyce felt her own turn the same colour. ‘Oh, my Gawd. I feel ill,’ she gushed.

  With his baseball bat still in his hand, Raymond ran back to the house. He had chased Jed for about a mile, but the cocky little bastard was as fast as a whippet and he hadn’t got anywhere near him. Out of breath, Raymond ran into the house and put his hands on his knees.

  ‘Where’s Frankie?’ he asked panting.

  Jessica burst into tears again. ‘She’s gone. She ran off and I couldn’t stop her.’

  Ignoring his parents, Raymond picked his mobile phone up off the table and ran out the back. Willing the phone he was ringing to answer, he breathed a sigh of relief when it did.

  ‘Ed, it’s me. Something terrible’s happened. You need to come home right now.’

  FORTY

  At ten to one, Joey left the coffee shop and crossed the busy main road. Dominic took his lunch break at one o’clock and, although dreadfully nervous, Joey couldn’t wait to see him.

  Joey had travelled up by train and, while pretending to read the paper, he’d had a long, hard think about his future. Living at home without Frankie by his side really didn’t appeal to Joey. He loved his mum, but his sister was the only one who really understood him.

  As Dominic walked through the huge glass doors, Joey’s heart skipped a beat.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Dominic hissed at him.

  ‘I need to talk to you,’ Joey pleaded.

  ‘I’ve already told you, I’ve met someone else. Now please just leave me alone,’ Dominic told him.

  Upset by his ex-lover’s reaction, Joey followed him as he walked off in the opposite direction. ‘I know you’re lying, Dom. I found out the truth and I know my dad came to see you. Please, let’s go for a drink so I can say my piece. Ten minutes of your time, that’s all I ask.’

  Dominic had never felt so petrified in his entire life as the night Joey’s father had paid him a little visit. He still couldn’t sleep even now, and every time he closed his eyes, he could feel the tip of that knife on the base of his helmet.

  Deep down, Dominic still adored Joey, but he wasn’t about to tell him that. He couldn’t – it was too dangerous. ‘Ten minutes, then I want you and your thug of a father out of my life for good,’ he said venomously.

  Eddie took the phone call from Gina, which confirmed what he had already been told.

  ‘I’m still in the vicinity. I’ve taken loads of photographs. Do you want me to meet you now, Mr Smith?’

  Guessing that Raymond’s phone call had something to do with Frankie, Eddie asked Gina to do him a big favour. ‘Look, I don’t care how much this costs. I want you to keep my friend’s daughter and the bloke she’s with in your sights. Anywhere they go, I want you to follow ’em. Can you do that for me?’

  Gina smiled. She would literally do anything for the gorgeous Mr Smith. ‘Of course I will,’ she told Eddie.

  Desperate to get home, Eddie ended the call and pressed his foot hard against the accelerator. He had been on his way to pick up some money off a geezer in Kent, when Raymond rang him. He had immediately turned around and headed back towards Rainham. Unfortunately, it had taken him ages, as there’d had been an accident at the Dartford Crossing.

  Eddie breathed a sigh of relief as he finally pulled into his driveway. Raymond had been reluctant to talk on the phone and all the way home Eddie had been going over what might have happened. Eddie had never been a person to be kept in the dark and the suspense was fucking killing him.

  Eddie opened the front door. ‘Well, what’s going on?’ he yelled, as he saw Jessica, Joyce, Stanley and Raymond sitting in the living room with faces like ghosts.

  Jessica burst into tears. ‘You tell him, Ray, I can’t do it,’ she sobbed.

  ‘Fucking tell me then!’ Eddie screamed at Raymond.

  ‘Sit down, let me pour you a brandy,’ Raymond said.

  Eddie was getting more wound up by the second. ‘Fuck sitting down and fuck the brandy. Just spit it out, will ya?’

  ‘Frankie’s pregnant. She’s left home and says her and Jed O’Hara are getting married,’ Raymond told him.

  Eddie couldn’t have been more shocked if an elephant had walked into the lounge. ‘What? Over my dead body. Who told you this?’

  Seeing the cold, calculating look in his son-in-law’s eyes, Stanley felt his bowels loosen, and made a quick exit.

  ‘Where you going, Stanley? Why are you walking funny?’ Joyce yelled at him.

  ‘I need the toilet,’ Stanley replied, as he did a clenched-arse shuffle down the hallway.

  ‘There’s something wrong with that man,’ Joyce commented.

  Raymond glared at her. ‘For fuck’s sake, Mother, shut up,’ he said as he turned to Eddie.

  ‘Frankie told us. She came home after you went out. He was with her, that Jed, cocky little bastard he is. I chased him off with a baseball bat. I’d have mullered him if I’d have caught him, Ed, but he ran as fast as a greyhound chasing a rabbit.’

  Unable to stop himself, Eddie flew into one almighty rage. ‘I will fucking kill that scumbag pikey cunt. Come on Ray, me and you are going over to the house. I want my daughter home and I want her home now!’

  Eddie stormed into the kitchen like a bull in a china shop. ‘This should do the trick,’ he spat, as he grabbed hold of a carving knife.

  ‘Please, Eddie, don’t go round there,’ Jessi
ca screamed, as she got down on her hands and knees and clung to his legs.

  ‘Jess, get off of me. This is our daughter we’re talking about, and I need to put a stop to this shit right now. May God be my judge, she ain’t having that pikey cunt’s kid. I’ll rip it out of her with me bare hands if I have to,’ Eddie shouted.

  ‘You’ll get arrested. Please, Raymond, do something. You’re the only one he’ll listen to,’ Jessica screamed.

  As Eddie stormed out of the house, Raymond caught up with him and grabbed him by the shoulders. ‘Listen to me. Jess is right, this ain’t the way to do things. For fuck’s sake, use your brain. It’s broad daylight. If you go round there and stab the cunt, you’ll spend the rest of your life in the nick. Think about Jess. You’ve got a baby on the way.’

  Realising Raymond was right, Eddie threw the knife on the gravel, sank to his knees and cried tears of pure anger.

  Less than half a mile away, Jed paced nervously up and down his trailer. His old man had gone away to a horse fair for the weekend and his mother was staying at her sister’s.

  ‘What’s the matter, Jed?’ Frankie asked, giving him a hug.

  ‘Us travellers are psychic, Frankie, and I’ve got a bad feeling about us staying here alone. If me dad was here, we’d be all right, but he ain’t.’

  ‘What we gonna do then? I need some clothes, Jed, and underwear.’

  Jed squeezed Frankie and rocked her from side to side. ‘I think we should get out of here. Me dad’s got a trailer in his salvage yard in Tilbury. We can stay there till he gets back from the horse fair. I’m not frightened of no one, Frankie, but we should get away and let things calm down a bit. Don’t worry about clothes and stuff. I’ll stop on the way there and take you shopping. Trust me, my nan sensed stuff happening and I’m the same.’

  Frankie smiled. Life was one big adventure with Jed and he made her feel so safe and loved. ‘Are you sure everything’s gonna turn out all right, Jed?’ she asked him.

  Jed tilted her chin. ‘I know everything’s gonna be OK, but I also know the quicker we get out of here the better.’