by Asher, Adele
Natasha cried more.
“Accidents happen,” Natasha’s mother, Maeve, said.
“She’s fifteen!” Patrick said. “She shouldn’t even be having sex. She’s not even left school let alone got married.”
“I’m sorry,” Natasha sobbed.
“Well who is he?” asked Patrick. “And don’t you even think about protecting him. He’s answerable for this!”
“I can’t!”
“You remember who pays to keep the roof over your head young lady. I want to know who he is, or child or not you will feel the back of my hand.”
“We have to know darling, it’s for the best,” said Maeve.
“Danny.”
“Danny who?”
“Danny Finn,” said Natasha reluctantly before bursting into tears.
Patrick exploded with rage. “You fucked one of the Finn boys?” he said with outraged shock. “I don’t believe I’m hearing this. It’s not bad enough you have to fornicate under my roof at your age but you have to do it with one of the Finn boys?”
“Did he force you? You can tell us darling. Did he make you do it?” Maeve asked.
“Don’t cover up for him! If he’s raped you I want him charged. It’s bloody rape anyway, she’s fifteen!”
Natasha looked at them in horror. As much as she was scared of her father’s reaction there was no way she was going to let them accuse Danny of raping her.
“No he didn’t rape me! I told you I love him! I wanted to!” She sobbed then looked at them. “I wanted him to do it. I started it!”
Her father was incensed. He shook his head. “How do you know what you want at your age? Well whatever you say the boy took advantage of you and he’s going to pay for it!”
Patrick stormed out.
“Daddy don’t! Please!” Natasha went out after him
“Go to your room Natasha!” he barked at her. He pointed at her and scowled at Maeve.
“She doesn’t leave the house. You understand me? You are grounded young lady!”
Patrick stormed out, got in his Jaguar and roared off down the road in a plume of tyre smoke.
THE FINN FAMILY were sat eating dinner when Patrick hammered on the door.
“Daniel Finn get out here now!” they heard Patrick shout.
Sharky frowned and looked at Danny then Micky. He got up and went to answer the door. Patrick stood red faced with rage was banging on the door as a small crowd of neighbours gathered to see what the commotion was about.
“Out the way Seamus. It’s Daniel I want words with.”
“Now why do you want to do that Mister Doyle?” Seamus asked politely, blocking the door.
“I’ll tell him when I see him!” Patrick replied angrily.
“Calm down,” Seamus said. “Danny!” he called. “Visitor for you.”
Danny came to the door. As he came near, Patrick tried to barge past Sharky and lunged at Danny.
“I’ll fucking kill you! You little bastard! What have you done to my little girl!” he shouted as he grabbed for Danny.
Sharky grabbed him and restrained him. “Behave yourself Pat or you will get hurt!” Sharky said as he pushed him back out. “What the fuck is this about?”
Patrick was incandescent with rage. He pointed an accusingly finger at the shocked Danny. “Your brother has gone my Natasha pregnant!” Patrick yelled. Sharky frowned and looked at Danny. Micky came to see what the fuss was about. “He bloody raped her!”
“I didn’t fucking rape her!” Danny protested.
“Is this true?” Sharky asked Micky.
Micky shook his head.
“He didn’t rape her. Your man there can’t cope with the fact his little princess is a big girl and likes a bit of cock now can he?” Micky said, infuriating Patrick even further. ‘She loves it Pat. Isn’t that right Danny boy. Likes it right up her. Good and hard.”
“Shut up you idiot,” said Sharky. “Now calm down Pat. We’ll work things out in a civilised way. There’s no need for all this excitement.”
“No need for this excitement? She’s fifteen! Fifteen! He’s an animal!”
“Don’t be like that Pat. The boy is in love. She’s in love with him. Everyone knows that.”
“They’re kids! And she’s pregnant! Get out the way Seamus, my argument is not with you, bring the boy out and we’ll settle this.”
“Now you know I can’t do that Patrick. He’s my brother. He’s blood. You need to calm down.”
“You bring him out or I’m coming in. He needs seeing to for what he’s done to my little girl.”
“Go home Pat.” Sharky said, he went to close the door, Pat barged through and hit Danny. Sharky grabbed Patrick to stop him. “I told you to leave it!” he warned Patrick, Patrick swung at Sharky and clipped him on the chin. Sharky’s temper broke immediately and he punched Patrick, knocking him over before dragging him onto the street, kicking and punching him until he stopped moving, the police arriving as he finished. They ran across and grabbed Sharky, pinning him to the ground and handcuffing him.
Caitlin came out to see what the fuss was about “What the hell is going on here!”
Micky looked sheepish as Danny tended to his bloodied nose.
“Danny got Natasha pregnant. Her old man wasn’t too happy. Sharky had a word with him,” Micky said.
Caitlin looked at Danny shocked. “Is this true? Did you do this thing Daniel Finn? And don’t lie to me!”
Danny nodded, tending to his nose.
Caitlin slapped him across the face. “God help me for having such a bunch of idiot boys!”
Patrick got up and tended to his bloody face. The policeman walked over to assist him. “Are you alright Sir?” he asked Patrick.
“I’m fine get your hands off me!”
“Who started it?” the police officer asked.
Sharky gave Patrick a look that he knew well enough, whatever their differences, if he incriminated Sharky to the police then there would be consequences.
“Nobody started it. Just a difference of opinion,” Patrick said, spitting blood out.
“Do you want to press charges?”
Patrick gave Danny a cold look. “No. I don’t. It’s a family matter,” Patrick said nursing his broken nose.
The second policeman returned to the first and spoke to him before walking over to Sharky. “Seamus Finn I’m arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Ismael Ozbek,” the policeman said before picking Sharky up from the floor and putting him in the back of the patrol car.
Sharky looked at Danny and Micky, smiled softly and nodded.
NATASHA HEARD THE door slam as her father returned home, then her mother crying. She sat on her bed cuddling her teddy bear as she heard his heavy footsteps thump up the stairs before her door unlocked and he came in. Her jaw dropped with shock when she saw his badly beaten face.
“My god! What have you done to him!” she shouted.
“Him? What have I done to him?” said Patrick infuriated. “Look at my face Natasha! This is what you’ve done getting involved in that bloody family!”
“If you’ve hurt him…”
“You’ll what? What will you do? I’m your father!”
“I hate you!” Natasha shouted at him. Patrick grabbed her roughly. “Get off me!”
“You hate me do you? Well let’s see how well you do without me. You want to be the whore bitch of a Finn then good luck to you. You are no daughter of mine!”
Patrick dragged Natasha crying and screaming to the door and threw her out onto the step. “I never want to see you again! You are not my daughter! I wash my hands of you!” he yelled before slamming the door closed.
Maeve looked at him sobbing. “Please Patrick, that’s our little girl.”
“Look at my face! Look at what those animals did to my face!”
“That’s not her fault Pat!”
“She’s done it to herself. Let them bring up the bastard. Good riddance!”
Patrick stormed into the l
iving room, poured a Scotch and drank it angrily.
Outside, Natasha stood staring at the door sobbing.
Maeve took out her purse and emptied all the money she had, she quietly opened the door and walked over to Natasha and put it in her hand.
“I’m sorry darling. You know what he’s like. He’ll calm down in a few days. I’m sure.”
Natasha took the money, crying, and looked at her mother in shock.
“Get back in here woman! Unless you want to leave with her!”
“Why don’t you ever stand up to him?” Natasha asking pleadingly.
“I love him…” Maeve said, and shrugged her shoulders. “One day you’ll understand.”
“But I’m your daughter!” she said and shook her head.
“I’ll talk to him.”
Natasha shook her head. “Don’t bother. I hate him! Tell him not to worry. I’m never coming back!” she said, before she stormed off running down the road.
“Natasha!” Maeve called, wiping the tears from her face.
NATASHA WALKED THROUGH the rain to Camden Square and sat on a bench in the gardens, afraid to knock on the door. She had nowhere else to go.
Caitlin returning home from the shops, saw the rain-soaked figure, walked over to her and frowned. “It’s Natasha isn’t it?” she asked softly. Natasha nodded, tears mixed with the rain.
“What are you doing out here my love? You’ll catch your death of cold.” said Caitlin holding the umbrella over Natasha to shield her from the rain.
“My dad. He threw me out,” Natasha sobbed. She shrugged. “I’ve got nowhere to go,” she said wiping tears from her face.
“Well you can’t sit out here all night. Come on, let’s get you inside and get you dry. A nice warm cup of tea will make it all better,” Caitlin said holding out her hand, Natasha took it and got up. Caitlin put her arm around her and took her to the house.
“Daniel.” Caitlin called as they entered the hallway. “Daniel get your Fenian arse down here this minute!” Caitlin yelled angrily. “And bring a towel!” she added. Danny came down the stairs with a towel and stopped as he saw Natasha. “Daniel really! What are you doing leaving the poor girl to freeze outside, and in her condition!”
“I didn’t know she was out there,” Danny said, handing his mother the towel, Caitlin grabbed it off him and wrapped it round Natasha.
“Do something useful and put the bloody kettle on while I get her some dry clothes before she gets pneumonia,” Caitlin told him firmly.
Danny nodded and walked down the stairs. Natasha couldn’t look at him.
Caitlin took her upstairs to Sharky’s room. “We’ll put you in Seamus’s room, he’s not going to need it for a while,” she said drying Natasha’s hair, shaking her head. “I hope you have girls for your own sake, these boys will be the death of me to be sure,” she said smiling. Natasha started sobbing. “Now there there. Don’t upset yourself. Shhh. Come on. Nice cup of tea and you’ll feel right as rain,” Caitlin said rocking her in her arms. She took her face in her hands. “To tell you the truth it will be nice to have some female company in the house. All these men…it gets too much. Useless bastards the lot of them.”
Natasha laughed a little through her tears, Caitlin hugged her and smiled.
DANNY, MICKY, and Billy were sat at the dining table. Caitlin came down, lit a cigarette angrily and paced over to the table.
“And what have you got to say for yourself?” she asked Danny with a scowl. Danny shrugged. “Your brother on a murder charge, your young girlfriend with child and homeless. And as for you…” she said scowling at Micky.
“I didn’t do it!” Micky said, smiling with incredulity.
“You are always in trouble Micky. And when you aren’t in trouble you are getting your brothers in trouble. You’re a wrong un, just like your father.” Caitlin sat down. “She’ll have Sharky’s room. God knows when he’ll be home. You are going to do the right thing by her Danny I promise you that. You lay another finger on her before she’s eighteen and I’ll cut your lad off and put it in a box for you.”
“Ma…”
“Don’t Maaa me. You aren’t going to ruin that girl’s life! As soon as she’s eighteen you’ll do the right thing and you’ll marry her. If you don’t I’ll kill you myself.”
“Yes Ma,” Danny said reluctantly.
“Now take her a cup of tea.” she said. “Poor girl will get pneumonia leaving her sat out there like that.”
“Yes Ma.”
Danny got up with a cup of tea poured from the pot.
“And Daniel….”
“Yes Ma?”
“Be nice to her. It’s the least you can do after what you’ve done to her. Ya useless shagging bastard ya.”
“Yes Ma…” he said quietly.
Caitlin shook her head smoking her cigarette angrily.
Danny knocked the door quietly. Natasha was curled up on the bed.
“Cup of tea?” he said and brought it over to her. He sat on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry.” he said quietly.
“Why wouldn’t you see me? After…”
Danny shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he said, then drew breath and looked thoughtful. “I felt bad about it. I shouldn’t have. I didn’t want to really.”
‘Then why did you?” she asked confused.
“Micky just kept going on about it,” he said and shrugged his shoulders.
“Micky? You did it because Micky told you to?”
“You know what he is like…”
“You ruined my life so you didn’t lose face with your idiot brother?”
“It wasn’t like that.” Danny wiped the tears from his cheek. “I didn’t want this to happen. Like this. I’m sorry for your troubles.”
“What am I supposed to do Danny?”
“Ma says you can have Sharky’s room. He’s probably going down for life. We can get married, when you’re eighteen and that.”
“Did Micky tell you to do that as well?”
Danny shook his head. “No that was Ma.”
“Do you ever actually do anything you want to do Danny?”
Danny shook his head. “Not really, I just try and keep people happy and that.”
“And what do you want?”
“I love ya. Honest,” he said quietly. “I just want to be with you and that.”
“Do you mean it?” Natasha asked. Danny wiped the tear from his cheeks. He nodded. Natasha got up and wiped another tear off his cheek and rested her head against him. “Well you’re going to be a dad.”
“Aye. Well I hope the little bugger has better luck than me eh?”
He nodded and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’ve brought you some biscuits,” said Caitlin then stopped as she saw them hugging each other. She smiled, put the plate down and left quietly.
MICKY WAS WALKING down the High Street towards Camden Lock when Tommy caught up with him. “What about you Micky?” Tommy asked.
Tommy was a local small-time dealer who Micky supplied, a chronic heroin addict he had a edgy nervous disposition. Micky shot him a cold glare.
“Aye Tommy. What do you want then?”
“Nothin’ Micky. Maybe a score like but I thought I’d help ya out.”
“And how would you do that Tommy…” Micky said with disinterest.
“Bit of information like,” Tommy replied.
“What information?” asked Micky.
“Come on Micky. Help a brother out.”
Micky lost his temper. He grabbed Tommy and pushed him against the metal shutters of the adjacent shop and slammed him into them.
“Say what you’ve got to say and be on your way before I do somethin’ nasty to ya,” Micky told Tommy with a sinister tone.
“Alright Micky! Calm down! No need to get excited!”
Micky scowled at him. “What do you want Tommy?”
“Tyrone. He’s in the manor. Askin’ about ya like.”
�
�And why would he be doin’ that?” Micky asked.
Tommy shrugged his shoulders. Micky punched him in the stomach.
“Alright! Alright, no need to get untoward. That kid you shot last week. In the Lock. He was Tyrone’s cousin.”
“What was he doin’ in Camden then?”
Tommy shrugged his shoulders.
“Business like. Word is Tyrone wants to expand out of Brixton.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“Nothin’ like. Honest Micky I didn’t tell him nothin! But everyone knows. Witnesses and that. He’s got his whole crew up here. He said he’s gonna take you and your brothers out.”
“Is he now?”
“He’s tooled up Micky. Proper like.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know. Honest Micky. He was down at the Lock asking for you and that.”
Micky nodded. “Sort us out Micky eh? Help a brother.”
Micky let Tommy go. He took out a wrap of drugs and threw them at Tommy then continued walking as Tommy scrabbled on the floor to retrieve his precious score.
Micky continued down to the Lock and cut across to the opposite side of the canal. He spotted Tyrone straight away sat in Micky’s usual haunt with his entire crew of 6 or 7 well built thugs. Micky dived behind cover before making his way through a back exit into an alley.
NATASHA AND CAITLIN had spent the afternoon shopping on Camden Market before stopping at Caitlin’s favourite café for afternoon tea. Natasha didn’t talk much, having been suddenly ejected from her comfortable life in Primrose Hill adjusting to the harsher realities of working class life in Camden was something of a culture shock. It was early evening as they began the long walk back up the hill to Camden Square.
A black Mercedes pimped out with a bodykit and blacked out windows went past, then slowed and pulled around stopping alongside them. Tyrone got out followed by 3 of his gang and Rochelle his girlfriend. They stood in a line blocking Caitlin and Natasha’s path.
“I’m lookin’ for your boy. Micky. And his brothers.” Tyrone said. Caitlin looked at him annoyed at his arrogance and blocking her path. She took Natasha’s arm to try and go around them but Tyrone’s gang moved to prevent them leaving.
