Schemer

by Kimberley Chambers

  Pam hadn’t wanted to upset Stephanie, but she had once confronted Wayne about the subject. He vehemently denied it all, and laughed. ‘You know what your Angie’s like. She’s a dreamer, a chancer and a terrible fucking liar. She had a crush on me in school. She lied about her age. I met up with her a couple of times, snogged her face off, then dumped her when I found out she was thirteen. That’s it,’ Wayne had told her. Pam believed him, as she remembered Angela telling her the same bloody story years ago when she and Stephanie used to refer to him as Jacko.

  ‘Where’s Aidan?’ Pam asked.

  ‘Downstairs with Dannielle and that other brat,’ Angela said coldly. She couldn’t stand Tyler. His little tantrums did her head in.

  Stephanie leapt off the bed and pointed a finger in her sister’s face. ‘Don’t you dare call my son a brat, and what you said about Grandad earlier at the graveside was absolutely disgusting. I weren’t gonna tell Mum, but I will now.’

  Pam stared at her two daughters in dismay. She hated it when they argued – so much so that she was relieved that they rarely saw one another any more. ‘Will yous two stop it? We’ve just buried your grandfather, for Christ’s sake. Have some respect, the pair of you.’

  Stephanie wasn’t usually a grass. Angela was the master of that, but for once she couldn’t help but spill her guts. ‘Respect! Angela wouldn’t know the meaning of that word, Mum. As Grandad’s coffin was being lowered into the ground, she told me what a horrible selfish old bastard he was. She said that instead of spending his meagre bit of savings on a horse and cart and a piss-up for his mates at his own funeral, he should have left it to her.’

  Unable to take any more stress for one day, Pam put her head in her hands and cried. It had been she who had forced Stephanie to ask her sister to be a bridesmaid at her wedding and she so wished now that she hadn’t. They didn’t get on, never had done, and Pam knew in her heart of hearts that Stephanie’s big day had disaster stamped all over it. She could feel it in her aching bones.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Wayne Jackman opened his overloaded wardrobe and sifted through the quality clobber he had inside. He had always been a sucker for a designer label. As a teenager he’d had a passion for Sergio Tacchini, Fila and Lacoste, but now he was a successful businessman, it was all about Gucci, Armani and Ralph Lauren. Choosing a crisp white shirt, Wayne studied his physique in the full-length mirror. He trained for hours in his own gym and his dedication had paid off big time. His stomach was taut, he had arms that were toned to perfection, and he always wore his jeans or trousers that little bit tighter to show off the rippling muscles in his legs.

  Checking his watch, Wayne pulled his favourite jeans out of the wardrobe and took his expensive tan leather shoes out of their box. He was running a bit late, and didn’t have time to ponce about for ages as he usually did when he was going out. Stephanie always took the piss out of him. She reckoned he was a right tart and took longer to get ready than she did. Glancing in the mirror again, Wayne added a dab more Brylcreem to his hair. Gone was the dodgy Eighties wedge style: he now wore it slicked back to give him a more sophisticated look. Finishing off his beauty regime by dousing his cheeks in aftershave, Wayne smirked as he stared at the finished article. At six foot two, he was tall, but because he was supple and fit, he didn’t look lanky. His body was in perfect proportion for his height. Picking up his car keys, Wayne grabbed a jacket and sauntered out of the bedroom. Tonight he was meeting his old school pals, Mark Potter, Chris Cook and Danny MacKenzie. Danno, Wayne had kept in regular contact with since school. Cooksie and Potter he hadn’t seen for years, but had made an effort to contact them because of his forthcoming wedding. Wayne grinned as he leapt into his BMW. It had been ages since he’d had a decent night out with the lads and he was looking forward to this one immensely.

  Tammy looked stressed at she dashed into the restaurant. ‘Sorry I’m late. Somebody chucked themselves under the train at Liverpool Street, so I had to arse about getting a cab to Mile End. Why are people so bloody inconsiderate these days? Couldn’t whoever it was have just took an overdose of tablets or jumped off a cliff? Rather then ballsing up everybody else’s day, mine included.’

  Laughing, Stephanie stood up and hugged her best friend. Tammy’s wonderful sense of humour was just one of the many things she was going to miss when her pal emigrated to Spain. ‘I ordered us a bottle of Pinot, but I’ve already drunk half of it. Shall we have another bottle before we eat? I’m not that hungry yet and I haven’t got to go home early. My mum’s got the kids for the night, thank God.’

  ‘Suits me, girl,’ Tammy replied, helping herself to a glass of wine.

  ‘So how’s Tricky Dicky then? Has he been ringing you up from Spain?’ Steph asked, nosily. Tricky Dicky was her nickname for Tammy’s new boyfriend. His real name was Richard, but Steph rarely referred to him as that. Seeing as he’d appeared out of nowhere and was now taking her best friend away from her, Tricky Dicky somehow suited him better.

  ‘Yep, he’s been ringing me every day. Business is booming at the moment by all accounts, so it all looks promising for when I move out there. I love your hair, Steph. You’ve had it done different, haven’t you?’ Tammy remarked, changing the subject.

  Stephanie ran her fingers through her bouncy dark curls. Everybody had always said she was pretty – stunning, in fact – but she had never really felt that way. Being five foot eight, she had always felt a bit gawky. She knew she had a cheeky smile, nice white teeth and cute dimples, but other than that she had always felt quite plain compared to her sister, Angela. ‘I’ve been using heated rollers on it, but I don’t put them in every day. I can’t be arsed unless I’m going out somewhere. Do you think I should have it like this for the wedding? I’m not sure it will look right with that little tiara thing I’ve bought.’

  ‘I’d have it like that, but you want to feel comfortable, Steph. You will look beautiful either way,’ Tammy replied, honestly.

  ‘Aah, you’re so sweet, Tam. I dunno what I’m gonna do when you move. I shall be so lost without your advice. Can we try and see more of each other before you go? I’ve hardly set eyes on you the past six weeks.’

  Tammy downed the rest of her wine and gesticulated to the waiter to bring over another bottle. ‘I’ll try and see you as much as I can, mate, but work’s absolutely manic at the moment. They aren’t happy that I’m leaving and some nights I don’t get finished till eight or nine. I promise we’ll go for it on your hen night, though. I’ve booked a couple of days off for that and we can party till we drop.’

  ‘I won’t be able to drink too much. I’ll have to look after the kids the following day,’ Stephanie replied.

  ‘You said that Wayne was taking care of the kids. You’ve got to have a good hen night, girl.’

  ‘I will enjoy myself, but I don’t wanna go too mad. Tyler’s tantrums do Wayne’s head in and he can’t handle him like I do. You know what men are like – they don’t have much patience, do they?’

  ‘Wayne don’t hit him or anything, does he?’ Tammy asked, bluntly.

  ‘No, course not,’ Stephanie lied. Wayne had clumped their son a few times just recently, but Steph had never told anyone, not even her mum. Wayne had never done any real damage to Tyler; he’d just lost his temper with the child’s unpredictable behaviour. Steph could remember her mum smacking her and Angie when they were naughty as kids, so it was no big deal. ‘You’ll never guess who Wayne’s meeting up with tonight?’ Steph said.

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Cooksie and Potter,’ Stephanie replied, laughing.

  ‘What’s he going out with them pair of plonkers for?’

  ‘Don’t ask me! You know what Wayne’s like, he gets these dumb ideas in his head and won’t rest until he’s acted on them. Apparently, he’s got in touch with Potter and Cooksie again because he wanted them to go out on his stag do with him. I reminded him what a pair of dickheads they were, but as per usual Wayne knows best. Men are strange creatures, Tam,
and I’ll never understand them as long as I live.’

  Tammy chuckled. ‘Wayne probably wants to relive his youth because he’s getting hitched, Steph. I bet him, Cooksie and Potter spend the evening talking about their ICF days, their bright tracksuits and silly haircuts.’

  Stephanie giggled. ‘Wayne does drive me mad at times, but I do love him, Tam.’

  ‘And the fact he’s rich and you’ve got a nice house in Chigwell is a bonus an’ all, mate,’ Tammy added, cheekily.

  Stephanie leant across the table and squeezed her pal’s hand. ‘I know I ain’t met Tricky Dicky yet, but I want you to know that I’m really pleased that you’ve met the one, Tam. Obviously, I wish you weren’t moving to Spain, but I so want you to be happy like I am.’

  Looking at the sincerity in her best friend’s eyes, Tammy couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. Her and Steph went way back, and Tammy knew when she stepped on that plane to start her new life, it would be Steph rather than her family that she would be thinking of.

  Arriving in Gidea Park ten minutes late, Wayne Jackman parked his car in a side road and walked towards the Ship pub. Danny MacKenzie had done quite well for himself in life. He owned four tyre shops and had recently moved to a five-bedroom house that backed onto the local lake. It had been Danno who had tracked down Potter and Cooksie for him. It hadn’t proved too difficult in the end, as Potter still lived locally in Elm Park. As he strolled into the pub, Wayne was shocked as he came face to face with his one-time best friends. Cooksie was skinny and as bald as a coot and Potter looked so fat he was almost unrecognizable.

  ‘Fucking hell, Jacko, you look like an Indian waiter. You just got back off holiday or something?’ Potter exclaimed, laughing.

  Wayne smiled politely. Neither Potter nor Cooksie had ever had much decorum. ‘No, I ain’t been on holiday for ages. I’ve got a couple of sunbeds in me gym and I’m addicted to the bastard things.’

  Cooksie gave Wayne an awkward bear hug. ‘Shall we have a whip or what?’ he asked him.

  Seeing as Cooksie reeked of BO, Wayne used his question as an excuse to end their hug. ‘Did you sort the booze out like I asked you to?’ he asked Danno.

  When Danno nodded, Wayne slapped both Cooksie and Potter on the back. ‘Tonight’s on me, lads. I asked you to come, so this is my treat. We’ve got six bottles of champagne on ice here. Once we’ve polished them off, I’m taking us all out for a nice curry.’

  Cooksie and Potter grinned at each other. Cooksie worked for London Underground, while Potter was currently unemployed, so neither were going to argue with Wayne over his generosity.

  ‘Why the champagne? Is this some kind of special occasion, or what?’ Potter asked when Wayne handed him a glass.

  ‘Yeah! I thought the champers was a nice touch, seeing as we ain’t laid eyes on one another for years, plus I’m getting married in three weeks’ time. That’s why I tracked you down. I couldn’t have me stag night without having me two oldest muckers getting pissed with me, could I now? I thought we’d go to one of them lap-dancing clubs up town, have a bit of a giggle like. I’ll be footing the bill, so you won’t have to worry about dosh.’

  ‘What’s a lap-dancing club? Is it a bit like line dancing?’ Cooksie asked, seriously.

  Wayne, Danno and Potter all burst out laughing. ‘You’re such a fucking cock, mate. It’s one of them clubs where you pay the birds to entertain you. They strip off and dance for you and stuff,’ Potter explained.

  Cooksie’s face lit up. His bird, Sharon, was no oil painting and he could do with a fresh piece of meat. ‘If there’s gonna be tits and fanny involved, then count me in.’

  ‘What about you?’ Wayne asked Potter.

  ‘What date is it?’

  ‘Friday the fourth of Feb. I’m getting married the following weekend. Steph’s always loved Valentine’s Day, so we’re getting married the weekend nearest to it. I surprised her on Christmas Day. She had no idea I’d booked it.’

  Potter grinned. ‘Count me in an’ all. Can’t miss me old china’s stag night, can I? Danno was saying you’ve got two kids now. I’d heard you had a girl, but I didn’t know you had a boy an’ all.’

  Wayne grinned. ‘Yeah, Tyler. Looks just like me, he does – and he’s got my temper. Do you remember our fisticuff days at football, lads? We were sadistic fuckers once, weren’t we?’

  ‘Do you still go over West Ham, Jacko? I live in Southend now, but I’ve still got a season ticket. It ain’t like the old days no more, though. I hate all these middle-class pricks who have jumped on the football bandwagon. Ruining the game, they are,’ Potter complained.

  ‘I don’t get time to go week in week out any more, but a pal of mine has got a box over there, so I manage to get to about half a dozen games a season,’ Wayne replied.

  Slurping champagne like it was going out of style, Cooksie slapped Wayne on the back. ‘I can’t believe you and Steph are still together after all these years. Does she still look the same? Is she still tall with dark hair?’

  Danny MacKenzie spat his drink back into his glass and roared with laughter. ‘No, Steph’s shrunk, you dopey cunt. She’s only four foot tall now.’

  ‘You know what I mean? I meant, does she still look the same?’ Cooksie replied, getting slightly agitated.

  Wayne put a comforting arm around his old pal’s shoulders. ‘Of course I know what you meant. Yep, my Steph is still slim and even more stunning than you would remember. She’s like a fine wine that’s matured superbly with age, and I can’t wait to marry the girl.’

  ‘Fuck me! Never thought I’d see the day when you turned into a nicely spoken romantic softie, Jacko,’ Potter said, chuckling.

  Wayne smirked. ‘Don’t be fooled. I ain’t no mug, boys. Anyone pisses me off, they soon regret it afterwards. But when it comes to my Steph, I’m completely different. She’s my life and I love her dearly.’

  Over in Loughton, Stephanie had just been telling Tammy about her grandfather’s funeral and what Angie had said. She hadn’t stopped eating and was still picking at the numerous dishes that she and Tammy had ordered. ‘Jesus, at this rate I am never going to fit into my wedding dress. What’s up with you? You’re normally a greedy cow with Chinese, but you’ve hardly eaten anything,’ Steph said to her friend.

  Tammy sighed. ‘I was just thinking of Richard, or should I say Tricky Dicky? I wonder what he’s doing now? He was going out with some business associates tonight.’

  ‘You’ll be seeing him soon enough and I’m sure he must be trustworthy. He would hardly have asked you to move to Spain with him if he were seeing other girls, would he? So, am I still gonna meet him next week? What day’s he coming back?’

  ‘I’m not sure yet, but you’ll definitely meet him before the hen night.’

  Stephanie grinned. ‘Only three weeks now till Wayne makes an honest woman of me. I’m so excited. My mum can’t wait, especially now she knows Wayne’s dad’s definitely not coming. She was dreading him being there because of what he did.’

  Wayne’s father had been locked up in 1978 for murdering Wayne’s mother. He had got life, but had been let out after thirteen years and had since started a new life abroad. Wayne had had a fall-out with his dad soon after his release. They’d gone out drinking one evening, the subject of the murder had arisen and a massive argument had ensued back at the house. Wayne hadn’t seen his father since. He had tried to track him down to invite him to the wedding, but Lenny Jackman had disappeared without trace. Wayne had heard through the grapevine that he had moved to Greece, but nobody knew if that was true or false.

  ‘So, has Wayne given up searching for his old man now?’ Tammy asked.

  ‘Yeah. To be honest I don’t think he would have bothered getting in touch with him again if we weren’t getting married. Never mind, his nan and grandad will both be there, and seeing as they virtually brought him up, that’s all that matters. I did tell Wayne to try and contact his sisters again, but he wasn’t interested. He said they
were adults now and if they had wanted to find him, then they would have.’

  ‘How are the legendary Doris and Bill?’ Tammy asked, laughing. She had met Wayne’s dysfunctional grandparents at a couple of parties in the past, and found them highly entertaining.

  ‘They’re still exactly the same. Never sober or without a fag hanging out of their gobs. Actually, Wayne’s arranged for us to go for a meal with them the weekend after next. If Tricky Dicky’s about, it would be great if you and him could come along too. I’m sure Wayne wouldn’t mind and you’d be doing me a massive favour.’

  ‘If Richard’s back, I’ll do my best to twist his arm,’ Tammy promised.

  ‘You’re definitely bringing him to the wedding with you, aren’t you? Me and Wayne getting married, eh. Who would ever have thought it?’

  Without any warning, Tammy started to cry.

  ‘Whatever’s wrong?’ Steph asked, squeezing her best friend’s hand.

  Tammy took a deep breath and waved a hand in front of her face. ‘Take no notice of me. I’m just pissed and thinking of how much I’m gonna miss you when I leave England.’

  Stephanie stared fondly into her friend’s eyes. If she didn’t voice her fears now after they’d had a few drinks, then she might not get another chance. ‘Please don’t think I’m being selfish when I say this, Tam, but I am worried about you. You’ve only known this Richard for a couple of months and it is so unlike you to do anything rash. Are you sure you’ve thought this through? I mean, what does your mum and dad say about it all? And your sister? Being a policewoman, surely she must be worried about your welfare?’

  ‘Richard ain’t a mass murderer, Steph. He’s a lovely bloke, and if I hadn’t thought it through properly, then I wouldn’t be going. I know I haven’t known him long, but I knew he was the one the first time he kissed me. As for the sex, it’s amazing. You just know these things, don’t you?’