Stephanie said goodbye to her mum, then rang Tammy. There was no answer and Steph guessed, with it being Friday, that Tammy had gone out with the city crowd after work as she usually did. Deciding to take her mother’s advice, Stephanie went upstairs and got into bed. She shut her eyes and, not for the first time since she had heard Barry Franklin was back home, pictured his face. She had no idea what he looked like now, but she could remember his cheeky smile, his kiss, and his touch – as though it were only yesterday that she had last seen him. Stephanie leapt out of bed and rummaged about in the bottom of her wardrobe. She had never thrown it away. Taking the half of the jagged gold heart out of its black velvet box, Stephanie held it in her right hand and stared at it. She knew how much she loved Wayne, but Barry returning to England had stirred up all sorts of weird emotions for her and she wished he would just sod off back to Spain, pronto. Putting the heart back in its box, Stephanie snapped the lid shut and put it back in its hidey-hole. She had never really believed in God. How could she when he had taken her father away from her in such a cruel manner? But, for once, Stephanie decided to see if the Lord above did actually exist. Clasping her hands together, she shut her eyes and tilted her head towards the ceiling. ‘Please God make Barry go away because, putting it bluntly, I would rather die than ever have to see his face again.’
Unaware that Stephanie was currently kneeling on the floor praying, Wayne was busy discussing her in the restaurant. Barry seemed cool with the conversation and also genuinely interested.
‘Well, I’m glad it’s worked out for the pair of you. You seem ever so loved-up and happy, and I know how that feels now I’ve met Jolene. Do you wanna see a photo of her?’ Barry asked.
Wayne nodded, then stared at the snap of the pretty blond-haired girl who was standing next to a boat wearing a skimpy red bikini. ‘Fucking hell, no wonder you’re happy, she’s a right sort! The boat’s a beauty an’ all. Who’s that belong to?’
‘It’s mine,’ Barry replied, casually.
‘Is it? Jesus, you must be doing all right for yourself, Bazza. What is it – a houseboat?’
‘Yeah, a fifty footer. I’m doing OK. And Martin tells me you’ve cracked it an’ all. To be honest, me and you were always destined to be cakeo. Even as kids we knew how to earn a few bob, didn’t we?’
‘We sure did, but things ain’t been good for me lately. Between me and you, I’m in shit street at the moment.’
Barry was shocked as Wayne began to go into details over his financial difficulties. Martin Gowing had always kept him up to date on Wayne’s business activities, and even though Barry was sure that Wayne was nowhere near as rich as himself, it was still a surprise to learn he was in dire straits.
‘Even the car’s on credit and I don’t know what I’m gonna say to Steph when I have to explain that we ain’t got no money to buy another house. I will have to sit her down and tell her everything, but not until after the wedding. I would never forgive myself if I spoilt her big day for her, so please keep what I told you to yourself,’ Wayne said, solemnly.
‘See no evil, hear no evil, me. Surely you must have some dosh left if you’ve sold a massive chunk of the gym, though? How much did you get for it?’
Wayne suddenly clammed up. ‘Not as much as you’d think. The geezer I sold it to knew I was desperate for readies and took full advantage of the fact. Let’s talk about something else, eh? If not, I’ll only get on a downer.’
Barry nodded. ‘How’s your nan and grandad? They are still alive, I take it?’
‘Yep. Still drink like fishes, smoke like chimneys and bet like dockers. They don’t change and are still as fit as fiddles.’
Remembering Doris and Bill from when he was a small boy, Barry chuckled. ‘Do you remember when we used to do your nan’s weekly shopping and she would give us fifty pence each?’
‘Yeah, we used to nick all the dear stuff and put it in her shopping trolley. Then we’d tell her we lost the receipt and pocket the money for what we’d chored. We had a right little earner out of that, didn’t we? And we never got caught.’
‘Do you remember when we used to nick all the empty Corona bottles and sell ’em back cheap to the geezer on the float? And what about when we used to pick the lock of that market trader’s van who sold the toiletries. We used to stagger down the road with dustbin liners full of kitchen rolls, bleach and hairspray. The bags were that fucking heavy, our knees used to buckle under us,’ Barry recalled, chuckling.
Wayne sniggered. He and Barry had been right little sods as kids. From the age of seven, they had always had their fingers in one pie or another. ‘Why don’t you come round for a meal tomorrow night, Bal? I’d love you to see the kids. Dannielle’s definitely her mother’s daughter, but Tyler’s a ringer for me.’
‘Oh, I dunno, Jacko. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to come round, but you better check it’s OK with Steph first. I don’t wanna cause any unnecessary problems.’
‘Steph would love to see you again, mate, I know she would. She’s a good cook an’ all, so I’ll get her to rustle us up something nice. If you do, I know that we’ve truly laid the past to rest and we can be good mates again.’
Not wanting to give Wayne any reason to believe that he hadn’t forgiven him, Barry grinned. ‘OK then. Dinner it is.’
Wayne was absolutely elated. This was all working out much more perfectly than he ever could have imagined. ‘I’m just going for a slash. Order another bottle of bubbly, and don’t worry about the bill – I’ll sort it. I eat and drink in ’ere for peanuts.’
Watching his once best friend swagger towards the toilets like he owned the gaff, Barry allowed himself a wry smirk. If Wayne Jackman honestly thought he had forgiven him for his awful act of betrayal, then the mug had another think coming.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Wayne Jackman woke up the following morning on the sofa. He had an awful headache and vague memories of ending up in a nightclub somewhere, then having an argument with Steph on his arrival home.
‘Daddy,’ Dannielle yelled, leaping on top of him.
‘Get off me, babe. Daddy don’t feel too good. Where’s your mum?’
‘Getting Tyler dressed. Why did you sleep on the sofa, Daddy? If you sleep on there again, can I sleep downstairs with you?’
Remembering that he had invited Barry around for dinner this evening, Wayne put his head in his hands. He had no idea if he’d told Steph when he had come home last night, but if he hadn’t, then best he did so quick.
‘Daddy, I said, can I sleep down here with you?’ Dannielle repeated.
‘Don’t ask me now, babe,’ Wayne said, as he gingerly stood up. Feeling his stomach rumbling with hunger, he headed up the stairs. Steph wasn’t going to be happy, he knew that, and he was desperate not to start World War Three.
‘You all right, babe? Sorry I didn’t get in till late. Me and Bazza had plenty of catching up to do, and you know what it’s like.’
Wrapping a bath towel around Tyler, Stephanie turned to Wayne and glared at him. ‘No, I don’t know what it’s like! Worried sick I was, and I rang you about a hundred bloody times. Why don’t you ever answer your fucking phone, eh? There’s no point in you having a mobile, is there?’
‘I’m sorry. I left the phone in the car, then when I went to ring you later in the evening, the battery had died a death. Don’t be angry with me, sweetheart. We’re getting married in a few weeks’ time, so just give us a hug, eh?’
‘It’s only because I love you, Wayne, that I worry so much,’ Steph said, trying to hold back the tears.
Wayne held Stephanie tightly. He obviously hadn’t yet told her about Barry’s planned visit, as he knew she would have mentioned it immediately.
‘So, how did you get on? I take it Barry doesn’t hold any grudges? Did you tell him that we’re getting married?’
‘Bazza was sweet. He definitely ain’t got no grudges and was asking all about you and the kids. He’s engaged himself now, to a girl called Jolene. She’
s beautiful, he showed me a photo of her. Done right well for himself, he has an’ all. You wanna see the boat he owns. I hope you don’t mind, but he was so nice about everything that I invited him round for dinner this evening?’
Stephanie felt her whole body seize up with fear. This had to be one of Wayne’s little jokes, surely? ‘You’re not serious, are you?’ she mumbled.
‘Course I’m serious! Why? What’s the problem?’
‘I don’t want to see Barry, Wayne, and I certainly don’t want him coming round our house. This is exactly why I didn’t want you to contact him in the first place. I knew it would stir up a hornet’s nest and I would somehow end up getting involved. You better uninvite him, sharpish.’
‘I’m not uninviting him. I’ve been pals with the bloke since I was four years old, so why should I? I dunno why you’re so bothered about him coming round. You only went out with him for a matter of weeks and it ain’t like nothing sexual happened between you, is it? Or have you been lying to me all these years?’ Wayne asked, accusingly.
‘You know I never had sex with Barry. How dare you ask me that when you know full well that the only man I’ve ever slept with in my life is you.’
‘Well, what you so worried about him coming round for then? Have you still got feelings for him? Is that it?’
‘Of course I haven’t still got feelings for him. You know I love you,’ Stephanie replied, bursting into tears.
Wayne held Stephanie in his arms again. ‘And I love you too. Look, let’s not argue over this, it’s ridiculous. Bazza’s an old pal and he’s popping round to see us, it’s no big deal. I tell you what, why don’t you invite Tammy round as well? Her bloke will probably be back by now and it’ll give you a chance to meet him before the wedding.’
‘Pa, Daddy, pa,’ Tyler said, holding his arms out to Wayne and dropping his towel.
Wayne let go of Stephanie and picked up his naked son. ‘If you wanna go to the park, Tyler, then Daddy shall take you there. You never know, the fresh air might even clear his hangover.’
Drying her eyes with a piece of toilet paper, Stephanie managed a smile. ‘I’d best ring Tammy then.’
Wayne grinned. He was far too cute for Stephanie and always knew the right things to say to ensure that he got his own way. ‘You just worry about sorting some grub out. It ain’t gotta be nothing fancy, lasagne and salad will do. I’ll ring Tammy. If I beg her and say I fucked up by inviting Bazza round when I was pissed, there’s far more chance of her coming. I’ll take the kids to the park for a couple of hours, get ’em out your way while you’re preparing the food.’
Feeling a bundle of nerves, but desperate not to show it, Stephanie smiled. ‘Thanks, Wayne, that’ll be great.’
Over in Soho, Angela Crouch was sitting in a café with her new best pal, Roxy. The girls had met through working in a local lap-dancing club and had since moved in together. It wasn’t exactly the luxury apartment that Angela had told her mother it was, but their two-bedroom flat was extremely trendy with lots of home comforts.
‘We don’t want no butter,’ Angela snapped at the waitress, as she put the one slice of toast and two mugs of coffee on the table.
Roxy tutted when the waitress took the disgusting-looking butter tray away. In her and Angela’s job, it was unusual for them to eat carbohydrates, let alone plaster them with something as evil as butter. Roxy cut the toast in the middle and handed half of it to Angela. ‘So, how did you do last night? I earned a hundred and fifty and you seemed far busier than me.’
‘I earned about twenty-five more than you, but it was bloody hard work. Fucking perverts most of my clients were, especially that fat, bald-headed old bastard that kept mauling me all night. He offered me five grand to sleep with him and I told him exactly where to poke it.’
Roxy laughed. Neither she nor Angela were slags. Some of the girls who worked at the club were, and would sleep with anything that had a pulse for five hundred quid plus, but Roxy and Angela were both very choosy. Their men had to be rich and good looking to even be considered for any extras. ‘I met a nice chap last night. His name was Mark, he owns a club in Islington and he was very handsome. I gave him my number and he said he’d call me this afternoon,’ Roxy said.
Angela smiled at her friend. With her long dark curly hair and perfect features, Roxy was an absolute stunner. Her mum originated from Mauritius and Roxy’s dark skin only added to her beauty. But, unlike Angela, Roxy was very un-streetwise and had a habit of believing every yarn any man told her. ‘Don’t get too involved this time until we’ve checked him out, eh?’
‘No, I won’t, but I’m sure he weren’t no Billy Bullshitter, Ange. He was dripping with money from his watch to his shoes. You can just tell the wealthy ones, can’t you?’
‘Yeah, you can, but don’t forget the last one you fell for, Rox. He told you he was single and had a chain of betting shops, then he turned out to be a married bus driver,’ Angela reminded her pal.
Roxy giggled. ‘I suppose I was a bit naive then, but it didn’t take long for the penny to drop, did it? So, what you up to today? You’re seeing Aidan, aren’t you?’
Angela sighed. She had promised to take her son to the pictures today, but the very thought of the boredom she would have to endure filled her with dread. ‘I’m gonna ring me mum up, tell her I’ve got a sore throat. I can’t be arsed schlepping all the way over to Essex, and the thought of spending two or three hours watching some crappy kids’ film don’t even bear thinking of after the amount we had to drink last night. Why don’t we go shopping instead? Let’s go up the King’s Road and check out that new boutique Pippa told us about.’
Roxy grimaced. She adored Angela as a friend, but thought she was an absolutely diabolical mother. When she was in her early twenties, Roxy had given birth to a stillborn baby and it had all but torn her heart to shreds. How Angie could treat Aidan with so little regard, Roxy would never know. ‘You can’t just blow your son out, Ange. He’s probably really looking forward to seeing you. Why don’t I come with you and we can both take him out? We haven’t got to go to the pictures, if you don’t want to. Why don’t we go to that Lakeside Shopping Centre. That’s in Essex, isn’t it?’
Angela felt herself blush. She had told Roxy that her mother was well-to-do and lived in a posh house in Chigwell, so how was she meant to explain the crappy council house in Dagenham?
‘Look, I know your mum don’t live in no posh gaff, and I know you were bought up in Dagenham as well, if that’s what you’re worried about. You’ve slipped up a couple of times when we’ve been drunk, but I knew before that anyway.’
Angela immediately relaxed. ‘How did you know?’
‘By the way you talk and by the way you act, Ange. You told me you went to a private school and I know people who went to private schools and they don’t talk like you, mate. I don’t know why you feel the need to lie. You’re such a nice person and it’s not as though me or any of the other girls are posh.’
‘I’m sorry, but you won’t tell the other girls, will you? My mum’s fat and common and Dagenham is such a dive. I’m just embarrassed by my upbringing, that’s all.’
Roxy squeezed Angela’s hand. ‘I won’t tell a soul, I promise, but you shouldn’t be embarrassed of your mumma no matter what she is or looks like. You should also try and see more of Aidan, Ange, ’cause if you don’t, some day you might just regret it.’
Feeling sorry for herself because the truth had been blatantly pointed out to her, Angela felt her lip begin to tremble.
‘Don’t get upset, mate. I’m only telling you all this for your own good. Now, dry your eyes and let’s go and pick that lovely little boy of yours up, shall we?’
Wiping her eyes with the cuff of her fake-fur jacket, Angela nodded.
Stephanie could feel her hands shaking as she tried to hold the wine bottle to pour herself a sneaky glass. She had cooked two big dishes of lasagne, but her mind had been so all over the place, she wasn’t even sure if she had added a
ll the usual ingredients.
‘You all right, babe? Is everything prepared?’ Wayne asked, poking his head around the kitchen door.
‘Yes. I’ve chopped all the salad up and all that’s left to do is the garlic bread, which I’ll cook fresh,’ Steph replied, trying to hide her glass of wine by putting a screwed-up carrier bag in front of it.
Wayne had eyes like a hawk and spotted the half-hidden glass immediately. ‘Why you necking the wine? It’s a bit early, ain’t it?’
Not wanting to admit that she was desperate for something to relax her and instil a bit of Dutch courage into her terrified body, Stephanie scowled at her fiancé instead. ‘Give me a bloody break, Wayne, will you? I’ve been slaving away in this kitchen for the past couple of hours because you decided that we were having a dinner party this evening, so please don’t begrude me one glass of poxy wine.’
‘Sorry, babe. I weren’t getting on your case, honest I weren’t. It’s just unusual for you to drink this early in the day, that’s all. Pour me one as well. The kids are ready and looking the part. I dressed ’em in the outfits you told me to.’
‘Thanks. Now ring Tam and see where she is for me,’ Stephanie replied, glancing at the clock. She had rung her pal a couple of hours ago after Wayne had already spoken to her, and Tammy had promised her faithfully that she would arrive before Barry did. ‘I’ll die if Barry turns up and there’s just me, Wayne, and the kids here. I need your support to get through it, Tam,’ Stephanie had whispered down the phone.
‘She’s five minutes away in a cab,’ Wayne said, reappearing.
‘Is Tricky Dicky with her?’
‘Yep.’
‘Ooh, I can’t wait to meet him. Apart from his name and what he does for a living, Tam’s told me very little about him. She wouldn’t even tell me what he looked like. She said he’s that handsome, she wanted to surprise me.’
Tyler’s screams stopped Wayne from answering. ‘Let me sort him out. I ain’t having him playing up when people arrive.’
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