Schemer

by Kimberley Chambers

‘Yep, of course we are! Now, can we have some more bleedin’ wine before I die of dehydration?’

  When the waiter brought the wine over, Pam decided that it was as good a time as any to bring Angela into the conversation. ‘Your sister popped round at the weekend. I’m not just saying it, Steph, but since she came home from Greece and started being a proper mother to Aidan, she don’t ’arf seem to have changed for the better. I think she wants to wipe the slate clean. She knows she was a horrible cow and she wants to make it up to you.’

  Stephanie pulled a sarcastic face at Lin. In her heart, she would always love and miss Angie, but there was no way she was going to allow her sister or anybody else for that matter to ever hurt her again. Steph had endured enough humiliation to last her a lifetime, which had left her with a heart made of stone.

  ‘Leopards don’t change their spots, Mum,’ she said coldly.

  ‘I know what you’re saying, love, and I can understand why you’re saying it, but I truly believe that Angie wants to try and build some bridges now. She spoke to me in an honest way I’ve never heard her speak before. She said she realizes that she was an awful person in the past and a terrible mother. She also said that spending more time with Aidan has made her realize just how important her family is to her. Between me and you, I think she’s loved-up. Aidan said something to me about she met this bloke out in Greece. He ain’t moved over to England with her because he runs his father’s business over there, but apparently he’s bought her a beautiful apartment to live in in the Docklands and he gives her money every week so she don’t have to go to work any more.’

  ‘And has Aidan met this wonderful mystery man yet?’ Lin sneered, with more than a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

  ‘No, not yet,’ Pam replied, wishing her sister would shut up.

  Stephanie raised her eyebrows. ‘What a surprise! The reason Angie hasn’t introduced her lover to her son yet, is probably because the bloke she’s hooked up with is some married old Greek sugar daddy.’

  Lin spat her mouthful of wine back in the glass with glee. ‘Or, worse still, Angie’s mystery man might be your Wayne.’

  When Stephanie fell silent, Pam glared at her younger sister. Lin had a terrible habit of saying the wrong thing once inebriated, but what she had just suggested to Steph was not only thoughtless, but well below the belt. Pam snatched Lin’s glass of wine away from her and moved it over to the other side of the table.

  ‘What did you do that for?’ Lin asked, indignantly.

  ‘Because I think you’ve bloody well had enough, that’s why. You’re bang out of order, Lin. I want you to apologize to Stephanie immediately.’

  Steph pulled herself together and smiled. ‘Don’t have a go at her, Mum. Lin was only joking. Anyway, knowing my vindictive sister as well as I do, I wouldn’t put anything past her. Wayne’s dead, I know in my heart he is, but I bet Angie would have run away with him had she had the bloody chance. I will never forgive her for the way she showed me up in front of them police officers. She insinuated that my Wayne was a paedo, if you remember rightly, and the Old Bill were always funny with me after that. Looked at me like I was scum, they did, so please save your breath trying to organize a tearful reconciliation. I never want to see Angela again, Mum.’

  Barry’s heart skipped a beat as he spotted Dannielle through the pub window. She had a sleeveless, tight-fitting black dress on and looked even more sexy then she had the previous evening. Downing the rest of his drink, Barry stood up and went to greet her. ‘You all right, sweetheart? I didn’t know if you’d turn up or not. You look absolutely beautiful, may I say.’

  Dannielle felt incredibly nervous as she looked around for Mimi. The cab had dropped them outside the car park, and when she hadn’t spotted Barry waiting for her, Dannielle had allowed her friend to go inside the pub to say hello to her sister.

  ‘There’s no need to look so nervous. I’m not gonna bite you, babe,’ Barry said, staring intently into Dannielle’s eyes.

  Dannielle felt nauseous through pure fear of the unknown. Barry was dressed immaculately in a dark grey suit and open-necked white shirt, and he was standing so close to her, Dannielle could almost taste his gorgeous aftershave. Whoever this guy was, he was sex on legs, and Danni had a feeling that she was way out of her depth. ‘There you are. Where you been?’ she asked with relief as Mimi reappeared.

  ‘I’m sorry, Dan. My sister is upstairs looking after Callum. He’s not well, bless him,’ Mimi said. Callum was her two-year-old nephew. Mimi turned to Barry and glared at him. ‘Hi, my name’s Mimi and I’m Danni’s best friend. There is no way I am letting her go out on a date with a strange man on her own, so either I come as well, or she don’t go.’

  Barry could immediately tell that Mimi hated him on sight, so decided to do what he did best, which was turn on the charm. ‘I can fully understand your concern for your friend and of course you are welcome to join us, Mimi. Now, where would yous ladies like to dine? I know a couple of nice restaurants in Chigwell.’

  ‘No, we can’t go out round here. We’re only sixteen, our parents will kill us if we’re spotted in a restaurant with some old bloke,’ Mimi said bluntly.

  Barry couldn’t help but chuckle. He had been called lots of things in his time by birds, but never ‘some old bloke.’ ‘A pal of mine told me about a nice Chinese restaurant in Abridge. How about we go there?’ he suggested.

  Dannielle immediately shook her head. ‘My mum has a beauty salon and quite a few of her clients live in Abridge, so we can’t go there. Can we just go into Romford or somewhere? Me and Mimi don’t want to get into trouble and we’re less likely to bump into our parents’ friends around there.’

  Barry grinned and pressed the key to unlock his Range Rover. ‘Your carriage awaits, ladies,’ he said politely.

  Suddenly feeling scared herself, Mimi grasped Dannielle’s hand. ‘We can’t get in there with you. You’re gonna have to tell us your name and your phone number first,’ she said to Barry. Mimi had recently watched the movie Essex Boys with her mum and the way Barry was dressed, and the fact he owned a black Range Rover, reminded her of one of them gangster types in the film.

  ‘If you want to take my phone number, I’ll give it to you,’ Barry said, grating his teeth. He had started to get very pissed off with Mimi already, but was desperate not to let it show.

  ‘What’s your name, then?’ Mimi asked coldly, as she took a pen out of her handbag.

  Looking into Dannielle’s eyes, Barry decided it was either shit or bust. He would have to reveal his true identity soon, so rather than stand in the car park all night, he might as well do it now. ‘My name is Barry and when Danni was very young she used to drive me mad to sing “Incy Wincy Spider” to her,’ he said gently.

  Dannielle put her hand over her mouth in shock. She knew she had recognized Barry when she had seen him last night. ‘Oh my God! I can’t believe it,’ she exclaimed.

  ‘Do you actually know him then?’ Mimi asked, looking at her pal with a quizzical expression on her face.

  ‘Yes! Yes, I do! He was once my Uncle Barry.’

  When Dannielle threw her arms lovingly around his neck, Barry held her tightly and grinned. Stephanie had obviously kept her trap shut about what had happened between them, which thankfully left the pathway open for him and Dannielle.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Not wanting to spend her evening sitting in a restaurant like some gooseberry while Dannielle and Barry reminisced about the past, Mimi decided it was now OK for Danni to go out alone with Barry. ‘Listen, I’m going to stay here with my sister if you don’t mind? Me and her can get a takeaway and watch a film or something. I feel awful leaving her when I know she’s so worried about Callum.’

  ‘But, I’m meant to be staying at yours, Mimi. I don’t want to have to go home,’ Dannielle said anxiously.

  ‘We can still stay at mine. Go for your meal, Barry can drop you off back here, then we’ll get a cab home.’

  ‘Is that OK wit
h you?’ Danni asked Barry.

  Absolutely thrilled that the bitch of a friend wouldn’t be joining them, Barry smiled. ‘That’s absolutely fine, and I promise I’ll have you back here by eleven at the latest. Now, can we make a move? My stomach feels as though my throat has been cut.’

  Giggling at Barry’s funny comment, Dannielle kissed Mimi on the cheek. ‘Have a nice evening with your sister and I’ll fill you in on all the gossip later,’ she whispered in her friend’s ear.

  About to get into his motor, Barry decided that now Mimi wasn’t coming with them, he’d better cover his arse. ‘Ere, don’t be saying nothing to your sister or anybody else about me taking Danni out tonight. If anyone asks you, she’s out with a friend, OK?’ he said as Mimi walked away.

  Mimi turned around. ‘What’s the big secret, then?’

  Telling Dannielle to get inside the motor, Barry walked towards Mimi. ‘There is no big secret. The only reason I don’t want anybody to know is because Dannielle’s mother doesn’t know I’ve moved back to England yet, and I would rather she be told by me or Danni than some local gossip. I take it you’ll do as I ask?’

  Knowing that Barry had just delivered a warning rather than a question, Mimi glanced at the coldness in his eyes and nodded.

  ‘Thanks, and don’t worry, I shall take good care of your friend,’ Barry said as he walked away.

  Watching the Range Rover pull out of the car park, Mimi felt a shiver travel down her spine. Uncle bloody Barry was trouble and she didn’t trust or like him one little bit.

  Over in Woodford, Pam was annoyed with herself for ordering a calorie-laden dessert. ‘Well, I definitely ain’t going to me weigh-in tomorrow. I must have put on half a stone this week, I ain’t stopped bleedin’ eating,’ she said, pushing her empty dish away.

  ‘Don’t be beating yourself up. You’ve done so well and it doesn’t hurt to have a little blowout once in a while,’ Stephanie said.

  ‘I’ve had more than a little blowout. I’ve eaten double me bleedin’ points,’ Pam replied, chuckling.

  ‘How’s Cathy, Mum? I haven’t heard you mention her all day,’ Steph asked.

  ‘Yeah, Cath’s fine. I told you her Michael has finally got his own flat at last, didn’t I?’

  Stephanie nodded. ‘Where you going?’ she asked her aunt as she stood up.

  ‘For a slash,’ Lin replied, as ladylike as ever.

  ‘You’ve been guzzling that bleedin’ wine like there’s no tomorrow, so best I come with you in case you fall arse over tit,’ Pam suggested.

  Lin glared at her elder sister. ‘I might be short, but I’m not a child and I am quite capable of going for a piss by myself.’

  When Stephanie began to laugh, Pam raised her eyebrows. ‘Ere, that Marlene’s got herself a new bloke. Big black man he is. She caught me bogging at her out of the upstairs window the other day and gave me a right mouthful, the cheeky mare.’

  ‘How funny. I hope you gave her a mouthful back?’

  ‘Yeah, I did, and Angela turned up in the middle of the argument and gave her what for an’ all.’

  Seeing Stephanie’s expression change when her sister was mentioned, Pam quickly changed the subject. ‘Ere, I can’t remember who it was now, but someone told me that they bumped into Tammy’s sister in Hornchurch,’ Pam lied. She knew Steph wouldn’t want to listen to the story if she was aware it had come from her sister’s mouth.

  ‘How is Carla? Is she still a copper?’ Stephanie asked.

  ‘Oh, that was her name! I couldn’t remember it. Well, she ain’t a copper no more, but she works on the phones answering emergency calls, so I suppose that’s still police-related, ain’t it? Anyway, she said Tammy’s still living in Spain with Richard and is pregnant with their first child.’

  Stephanie felt extremely melancholy as she digested the information. She and Tammy had once been so close and it was such a shame Steph had never seen or heard from her friend since that stupid argument in the restaurant. Unlike her thick self, her clued-up pal had seen through Barry’s façade, and time and time again had warned her that Barry was a nasty piece of work. Steph could kick herself now for not taking heed of Tam’s tip-off. Losing her dignity was one thing, but losing her best friend was something she would never forgive herself for. Steph let out a wistful sigh. ‘Try and think who it was that saw Carla, Mum. I would love to get back in touch with Tammy again. I know it’s been a long while and we’ve both got our own lives now, but I’m sure we could still be good friends again.’

  ‘I’ve got a feeling it was Lairy Mary who told me that she bumped into Carla,’ Pam said, blushing. She hated lying to Stephanie and wished now she had told her daughter the truth. ‘Tammy’s parents are only living in Romford, you know. Perhaps I could ask around to see if anyone knows their new address,’ Pam added helpfully.

  About to reply, Stephanie was shocked when her mother started to swear like a navvy. ‘Whatever’s the matter?’

  ‘It’s Lin. I saw her staggering towards us and now she’s bastard well stacked it. I’m so embarrassed, Steph, there’s all posh people in ’ere. Go and help her up for me, please. I knew she was fucking pissed.’

  Trying not to laugh at her mother’s obvious displeasure, Stephanie leapt out of her seat and went to her aunt’s rescue.

  Barry had learnt how to charm the birds out of the trees as a young lad, and as he reeled off tales about his life in Spain he would sense that Dannielle was mesmerized by him. ‘Hark at me rambling on about meself. Tell me about your life, Dannielle. I want to know everything about you.’

  Suddenly feeling nervous, Dannielle knocked back a large gulp of wine. Her life had been extremely dull compared to Barry’s and she didn’t want to start harping on about recently taking her exams or leaving school because it made her sound like a bloody child. ‘My life’s quite boring compared to yours. Tell me some more stories about your life in Spain,’ she replied shyly.

  Barry grinned. ‘Why don’t we talk about when you were young, then? Tell me what you remember about my visits?’

  Dannielle paused, then smiled. ‘I remember you coming to the house a lot and being there for us when my dad disappeared. I also remember you taking us on lots of fun days out, but apart from going to a farm once, I can’t recall where else you took us. I was only young, so my memory isn’t that clear, to be honest.’

  ‘Well, you must have remembered me singing “Incy Wincy Spider” to you, else you wouldn’t have known who I was when I said it in the car park earlier,’ Barry said, chuckling.

  ‘That is just soooo embarrassing,’ Dannielle said, covering her face with her hands to hide her blushing cheeks.

  Laughing loudly, Barry stood up. ‘Have a look at the menu while I pay the Gentlemen’s room a visit. I already know what I’m having, so when I return we’ll order, babe.’

  Seeing a couple of the other women in the restaurant glance at Barry as he sauntered to the toilets, Dannielle felt a warm glow inside. Because of their connection in the past, Danni had no idea if Barry was looking at her romantically or just being friendly, but the one thing she was sure of, even though she knew it was probably wrong because of the age gap, was that she fancied Barry something rotten.

  Pam spent the entire cab journey back to Dagenham silently cursing Stephanie for having ordered an extra bottle of wine. Lin was incredibly drunk. Her eyes were rolling around in her head and she was driving the poor cabbie mad by asking him loads of questions, then constantly repeating herself. As the cab approached the Heathway and Lin asked the driver for the fourth time how many children he had, Pam finally lost her rag. ‘For Christ sake, Lin, leave the poor man alone, will ya? He’s trying to drive and you’ve got a case of verbal diarrhoea.’

  Turning sideways, Lin’s head wobbled as she tried to focus on her miserable sister. ‘I’m only trying to be friendly to the cunt,’ she slurred.

  Pat hated the C-word. She thought it was disgusting when a man said it, let alone a woman. ‘I am so sorry. My sister’s h
ad far too much to drink this evening and she has no idea what she’s saying,’ Pam said apologetically, as the driver thankfully turned into the road where she lived.

  ‘Yes I do. I know exactly what I’m saying,’ Lin mumbled, when Pam ordered her to get out of the cab.

  When the driver pulled away, Lin turned to Pam and giggled. ‘Didn’t we have a laugh? Great night, weren’t it?’

  Pam stared at her sister with a look of pure disapproval. ‘It was great until you performed and showed me up. Now, get up them stairs before I fucking brain ya.’

  When Barry held her hand as they walked back to where he had parked the Range Rover, Dannielle honestly thought she had died and gone to heaven. Surely he must be looking at her through romantic eyes if he was holding her hand? Or was he just being a gentleman and escorting her to the motor? Having never had what you could call a proper boyfriend before, Dannielle wasn’t sure. But the one thing she was sure of was that she loved the feel of Barry’s skin touching hers. ‘It’s only quarter to ten and I told Mimi I wouldn’t be back until eleven, so shall we have a quick drink in a pub or something?’ Dannielle asked. She had enjoyed herself so much, she didn’t want their date to end.

  ‘I thought we’d go for a drive before I drop you back at the pub. I’m moving into a house in Chigwell tomorrow not far from where you used to live, so I thought I’d show you where it is, then you can pop round and see me, if you want? After I’ve shown you the house, I’ll find somewhere quiet where we can park up and have a little chat,’ Barry said.

  ‘But we’ve been chatting all night. Is it something important you want to talk to me about?’ Dannielle asked, nervously. She was terrified that Barry was going to tell her that he only wanted to be friends with her because she was too young for him.

  Opening the passenger’s side door for Dannielle, Barry shut it and then got in the driver’s side. He then turned to her. ‘I like you, Dannielle, and I mean really like you. For all I know, you might think I’m some old codger. Do you?’