by KERRY BARNES
Farley remained quiet, hoping that Levi would take him along, but with a quick ‘see ya later’ he was gone.
“Cousin or not, that Levi is too big for his boots, cocky cunt.”
“Leave it out, Bill, you hate everyone!” said Farley, gripping his painful shoulder. Bill’s weight only added to the pain from his broken ribs and the agony, which swept over his face, was proof of this. The two brothers stopped arguing and tried to rest their injuries.
*
Levi went to see his father and as he entered the caravan Zeb and Merlin left. It was only right. Family business needed to be taken care of.
“All right, boy?” said Johnnie, who was now a little jolly from the two cans of beer. He wasn’t a drinker. He never really had been. Only after his wife had died had he taken to the whisky, and that had only lasted a month. He soon realised it didn’t get him anywhere and so he stopped and threw himself into work.
“I’ve been to see Billy and Farley. Ya gave ‘em a right good hiding then, Dad?”
Levi tested the water; he was not sure what else to say.
“Yep, and I’ll give you the fucking same, boy, if you don’t tell me what you were up to getting our Kizzy involved in a scam like that.”
He didn’t expect to be explaining his plan to his father, but he wasn’t about to go telling lies to him now. Johnnie was a clever man and could find out for himself.
“And before you begin…” Johnnie sat dead opposite Levi and stared, “don’t think about lying or leaving anything out, ‘cos if ya
do…” He raised his eyebrows, making Levi shudder.
Levi confessed everything, except the fact he was the one responsible for the cocaine and ecstasy. He told how they intended to get the Vincents’ clubs closed down and ensure the Nappers’ clubs were up and running, but in his name, and reclaim all the business that went to Dan’s Palace.
Johnnie threw his head back and laughed.
“You must think I walk around with my head up my fucking arse.”
Levi felt belittled. “I don’t know what you’re laughing at, Farver, but you watch. I will have the Nappers’ clubs up and running just like the Vincents’, only even better. I am taking this personally. The Vincents opened the Palace on me doorstep and now all my punters are going there!” He sat back on his seat.
“Your punters, what do you mean your punters? You never owned any fucking club!” shouted Johnnie, annoyed at his son’s immaturity.
“The Nappers’ club was owned by the Napper brothers but I ran it. I had a right tidy earner going until it got closed down. All down to the Vincents, so I’m taking it back.” Levi shuffled nervously, uncomfortable with his father’s expression.
Johnnie looked at his son with disgust. “Yeah, boy, I know what ya mean… ya divvy cunt! I raised you lot to be smart, go and earn a few bob, but you are one thick bastard!” He nodded his head, almost pacing his move, just as he would before a fight. Levi’s eyes widened. He could tell his father was ready to clobber him. “Those Vincents own clubs, the gym, the boxing club and how? ’Cos, you prick, they are fucking businessmen. As for the Nappers’ clubs closing down, that’s ‘cos they had no-good wankers like you running yer dirty dealings!”
“Dad, what’s your fucking problem?”
Johnnie lunged forward and grabbed his son by the hair. He dragged him from around the table and pushed his face into the art deco mirror above the tiny fireplace.
“Take a good look at your ugly face. Your nose is fucked, ya fucking teeth missing, ‘cos of drugs, and you wanna do this to kids? Sell them shit in a nightclub? Make them all look like you?” he shouted at the top of his voice, then threw Levi to the ground, kicking him hard in the chest.
“You stay away from ‘ere. Stay away from me and don’t you ever go near Kizzy. You’re not my son!”
Levi felt a deep pain to be disowned by his father, as he really admired him. To be shunned shook him to the core. He got to his feet and went to walk away but his father’s big, strong arm stopped him.
“And before you go, I think you had better know this much. If you want to mess with the Vincents, be prepared for the consequences. It was believed that they removed the McManners’ family in the dead of night for fucking with their family. So, boy, fuck with them and they won’t just dance on your top lip; they’ll have ya buried, along with ya divvy cousins!”
Levi left the caravan that day with more than enough to think about. His world had just caved in, like his nose, and it was all because of cocaine. But those words his father had said, that the McManners were taken away in the dead of night, would play on his mind. He had remembered what happened about ten years ago, when the McManners’ scrap yards just closed down and the old man, Mick, and three of his sons, just disappeared. No one was ever pulled in for questioning, and by the end of the week their disappearance was old chip paper.
When Levi sat alone on his huge, leather corner sofa, facing his flat screen TV, he realised he had everything money could buy. He had the perfect pad, all the gadgets and gizmos, but it felt cold and lonely. He had lived a gypsy life and now he was in a flat alone with dead silence unless the TV was on. No one knocking on your caravan door selling knocked off gear. None of the gossip. He had always dreamt of having a luxury apartment which was warm and comfortable, with a big living room and a bedroom with lots of cupboard space. But all of this came at a price, and that was loneliness. The gorgers he mixed with were not his mates but only dealers or druggies. No one came for a beer, just to score dope. Now even his father didn’t want to know him. He thought carefully about pursuing the Vincents’ empire. There was something in the way his father had spoken about them which gave him the shivers. The Vincents had that locktight affiliation with each other. He had watched them in the boxing club, not knowing they owned it, and he was conscious then that the brothers were close-knit. They didn’t converse with the other lads unless they had to. If they had done away with the McManners, then they were a dangerous lot and he would be forced to reconsider his plan. Maybe he should lie low. It might be prudent for the time being not to have any connection with the Nappers or the Vincents. He was out of his league and he should back right off until the time was right and then, maybe in a few years, he would revisit the whole idea. Besides, he had very little backup. Billy was as good as a chocolate teapot and the rest of them were either too young or too thick. He was, however, stupid enough not to realise you don’t get that far in the club business if you’re a soft touch.
He poured the contents of the cocaine onto a mirror and with a flat razor blade made three lines and snorted them, one after the other. Then he sat back and waited for the hit. It was there in a second. He sweated and the perception of euphoria swept over his body. The issue with the flat nose and his failure to close down the clubs disappeared. One day…
Chapter Eight
On Sunday morning, Sam was up early, cooking breakfast, when Ruby appeared. She looked as a teenager should, dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt, and with no makeup.
“Good morning, my angel, and how are you this morning?”
Ruby smiled. “Yep, I’m fine…” She paused. “Dad, I’m off to visit my mum.” She bit her bottom lip, waiting for a shouting match.
Sam stared at the bacon frying in the pan, trying to control his emotions. He wanted to say ‘you are not going’ but he guessed that if he did she would go anyway. Then there would be an atmosphere when she returned. Not only that, he was afraid of losing her forever.
“What time will you be back? Only, you have school tomorrow and after your exclusion for the week you don’t want to piss them off.”
He tried to keep his voice on an even keel.
“About six o’clock.”
Ruby did not put on her expensive designer labels or even attempt to make herself up. She remembered how her mother looked and it made her self-conscious of her own clothes and accessories.
The weather wasn’t so dismal today. As she arrived on the estate, the sun
lit up the greyness and highlighted the colourful graffiti. She hoped her mother would be home, as she hadn’t made any specific arrangements to meet her.
Just as she went to knock on the door, it opened, and out came the man from the café. He acknowledged Ruby and she smiled back. She assumed he was collecting the money Jesse owed.
He left the door ajar for Ruby to walk in and although it was her own mother’s flat, she still felt like an intruder.
“Mum, it’s me, Ruby!” she shouted.
No answer. She must be in the toilet. As she entered the living room, she made out two people curled up on the floor with old blankets wrapped around them. On the table was a tall glass ornament with protruding pipes. Ruby had seen these before in Egypt whilst on holiday with her Aunt Francesca, who used to smoke flavoured tobacco. Unbeknown to her, however, they were for drugs. As she went to leave, one of the people unravelled themselves. It was Jacob, the black guy with the green eyes who she’d met last week.
“’Ello, Princess,” he said, as he sat upright.
Ruby blushed. She didn’t expect to see him again, and she felt scruffy with no makeup and just plain jeans and a top.
“Oh, hiya, I was looking for me mum,” she whispered.
Jacob jumped up and stretched his arms. “She is still asleep, on a late one last night.”
Ruby frowned, puzzled by what she had seen this morning. If she was still in bed, why did the café man just leave her flat? Out of her comfort zone, she shuffled from foot to foot.
“Hey, let me make you a nice cup of tea!” offered Jacob, who beamed from ear to ear.
She remembered the last cup made in her mother’s kitchen and thought better of it.
“No, it’s all right. I might have a walk and come back when she wakes up,” said Ruby.
Jacob would not let Ruby slip through his hands again. Unable to get her off his mind, he didn’t like the way she pulled the same face as Jesse when she was angry, but he still fancied her.
“Listen, babes, I’ve got to run an errand for me Aunty Gloria. How about you come along?”
Ruby liked his lively personality and cheeky smile. She followed him.
Jacob knocked on the door at the end of the block, which was so different from her mother’s place. It was painted bright red and had a big black polished knocker. On either side were two plant pots, and the window sills sparkled in brilliant white. As Gloria opened the door, the distinctive perfume of lavender and roses hit Ruby. She remembered the smell but had associated it with her mother.
She stared at Ruby for ages. Jacob looked at Ruby and then back at his aunt.
“Well, Aunty, you going to let us in? Oh yeah, this is —”
Before he could finish, Gloria jumped in. “Ruby!”
Ruby smiled and nodded.
“Oh, look at you, all grown up and beautiful.” Her big, caramel arms reached out and enveloped her. The familiar sensation reminded Ruby of her childhood. The warm embrace, the soft voice, and the love which Gloria had given her all those years ago, now came back to her and made her feel so comfortable. She hugged her back.
“Come in, come in!” urged Gloria, so excited.
She led them into the living room. It hadn’t changed in ten years, and Ruby recognised the flowered curtains, the coloured cushions, the rugs on the floor, and the lamp in the corner. Knitting needles and balls of wool lay on the table, and in the corner by the large dresser was the sewing machine. Ruby recalled the soft humming sound but had associated it with her mother. Deep in her memory, she must have got the flats confused. She remembered the smells, the warmth, and the big arms that enveloped her and also recalled the chocolate milkshakes and soft, cosy bed.
As she sat on the sofa and gazed around, a tear sprang from her eyes. “Did I live here?” asked Ruby.
Gloria was unsure what to say, so she threw a glance at her nephew. He shrugged, clueless.
“You used to come and visit with me, child. When your mother had problems, you stayed a while.” Gloria’s accent was as Jamaican as ever.
Ruby’s head was awash with mixed emotions. Maybe Jack was right and her memory was skewed. Jesse seemed kind enough. She was certainly not the frightening monster her brother had made her out to be.
Before her world came crashing down, Gloria asked, “How have ya been then, and how is Jack?” She sat on the edge of her special chair, which had long legs so she didn’t have to struggle to get up and down. The arthritis had worsened over the years.
“Jack is okay. He is into his boxing. He is Kent Champion for Under Eighteens.” Gloria noticed how Ruby’s face lit up when she spoke of her brother.
*
Jesse dragged herself out of bed to ponce a cigarette from the other man who had stayed the night before, getting stoned.
“’Ere, chuck us a fag!” she said, in her croaky old lady’s voice.
The man pushed the blanket away from his face. “Jacob took ‘em, and he went to his aunt’s with your daughter.”
She froze, rooted to the spot. “What did you say?”
“Jacob’s gone to Gloria’s with your girl.” He sat up straight, mumbling under his breath. “Poor fucking kid.”
Jesse panicked. She had visions of Gloria slating her and telling her daughter the truth, or exaggerating it.
She threw on her tracksuit bottoms and an old t-shirt, slid her dirty feet into a pair of flip flops, and dashed out of the house to Gloria’s. She almost smashed the door in with her erratic banging.
Gloria opened the door and, without an invitation, Jesse stormed in to find Ruby sitting comfortably next to Jacob.
“’Ello, my babe. Sorry, I was asleep, you should have woken me!” she said, out of breath.
Ruby jumped up, ashamed at her mother’s appearance. She had matted hair, her T-shirt had a massive stain on the front, and she smelt rotten.
Immersed in the familiarity and reluctant to leave, Ruby hugged Gloria once more – to the distaste of Jesse, who glared at her with her face screwed up. Caught in the middle, with three women who had different agendas, Jacob could almost taste the tension. He waited for them to depart and stayed behind, interested to discover how his aunt knew Ruby.
“I looked out for the poor little mites, her and her brother. I don’t like to run a woman down, and I believe it takes a village to bring up a child…”
Jacob was confused by her comment, but listened. “But she was cruel to those two children, and I never imagined I would see the day when they would return to find her. All I can think is they were too young to remember, but I do, and I will never forget the pain and suffering she caused them. If she didn’t go to prison then, I would have called the social services meself.”
“But, Aunty, if she was so young, how did she remember you?”
Gloria shrugged her shoulders.
“Maybe, child, the brain remembers only the good things, and blots out the bad. You see, Jacob, I took them in when they got shut outside in the rain. I put shoes on their feet when they had blisters and gave them food when they were hungry, but, most of all, I showed them love. I prayed for a miracle for those two little children, and God answered my prayers. I heard they went to live with their father in a nice home and, your uncle will tell ya, I slept like a baby, knowing they were safe. Watch out for that child. She has no place ‘ere, not with Jesse, the sorry state of a so-called woman.”
Jacob looked up to his aunty. She was a good person and he had no qualms helping her with the odd errand or carrying her shopping.
*
Ruby returned to her mother’s flat, only to find the cold ugliness of her home amplified.
“So, how are you feeling now, Mum?” she asked.
Jesse remembered she needed to keep up the pretence. “Oh, ya know, plodding on, taking me pain killers.”
“Have you seen the doctor again?”
“Yeah, he reckons there’s a surgeon in the States who can do me op for four grand.” She looked at Ruby’s face for a reaction. Ruby didn
’t answer. Four thousand pounds was a lot but if it saved her mother’s life, surely her dad would give it to her.
“If I get you the money, will you have the operation?”
Jesse was on a high; her act had worked and she would reel her in and bleed her dry.
“For you, my darling, I’d have me head chopped off and sewn back on again.”
She put her arm around Ruby’s shoulders and led her into the kitchen.
“I’ll find a way to get the cash, Mum.”
Jesse kicked herself. Four thousand. She should have made it five. “But that’s just for the operation, and I don’t have a grand for the flights and the stay in the hospital.”
Ruby nodded. “Well, then, I’ll try to get five. I’m sure to be able to con it, one way or another.” She wanted to give the impression she was fighting for her mother and on her side.
“My babe, you are a lovely girl. You have turned out to be a diamond, but I can’t ask you to do that for me.” Jesse put her head in her hands and tried to cry. She managed a single tear. “I wasn’t there for you growing up. God knows, I wanted to be, the nights I sat up crying, hoping that your dad loved you the way I did.” Jesse stopped for a second and looked for a reaction. But Ruby was embarrassed, not used to the tears and drama. The only tears she experienced were hers – when she didn’t get her own way.
“Look, Mum, I’ll do my best. There’s shit loads of stuff at home I can sell. My jewellery – I never wear it anyway.”
Jesse couldn’t believe her daughter owned at least five grand’s worth of jewellery. If she had that amount in gems, what else did she have? She grinned to herself as she imagined the pounds rolling in. If she moved in, Sam would see to it that they lived in a decent place. He’d make sure his precious little kid wanted for nothing. She had the power to manipulate Ruby to scam her old man. This was it – the long awaited payback. Then her thoughts switched to Francesca, that fucking evil dangerous cow, and those warnings. Jesse decided better of it and to keep Ruby in her back pocket but skim off what she could, without involving the Vincents.
