The Estate_Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

by Karen Woods

  Melanie burst out laughing. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. Mam, you’re so funny. Diane, you need to take this in and listen to her wise words. If Gary doesn’t put them bins out tonight, then keep them knickers on in the bedroom. I’ll tell you what mam,” she paused. “that’s some great advice that I’ll take with me for when I get married.”

  Marion was alarmed. “You’re not thinking of getting married yet are you?”

  “Am I ‘eckers like. I’m just saying that when I do I’ll make sure they pull their weight around the house, otherwise, like you said, a sex ban will be on the cards.”

  Diane struggled to her feet. “Orr, I would love to stay and watch her have her make-up done but I’ve got to go. I’ll nip round later if I can. Come here you two and give me a kiss. Marion, you’re a character for sure, you’ve cheered me up.” Diane pecked them both on the cheeks and left.

  Marion waited for the front door to close and looked at Melanie. “She’s fucked her life up for sure, hasn’t she? I mean, what hope is there for her now with a kid on the way. She’ll end up like me. I bet you she’ll have another three kids one after the other.”

  “I know mam but at least she has a man by her side, some girls have nobody and get carted off to a convent. At least she has her mam and dad who are standing by her.”

  Marion closed her eyes and shivered as if someone had stepped over her grave. She went to look out of the window and her eyes welled up. She knew full well what the convent was like. She’d never told a soul that she’d been there when she was a young girl. It was her secret and apart from a diary that was hidden under a floorboard in her bedroom there was nobody else who knew about it. Marion was a young girl at the time, only fifteen. The fairground was in town and all the girls at her age went there to see the gypsy boys. It was something about them, their accent, their cockiness. For three days the fair was set to run, and Marion had her eye on a lad called Patrick who was working there. All the girls wanted to talk to him, but he never gave them a second look, it was Marion who’d taken his fancy. In her diary she’d written that the first time she’d kissed him it was like the earth moved. And even to this day it was the best kiss she’d ever experienced. On the last night of the fair being in town Patrick took her into his trailer and that’s where it happened. That’s where she lost her virginity to her gypsy lover. Even to this day she would always say it was the best sexual encounter she’d ever had in her life. This older boy was passionate and kissed every inch of her young flesh. Patrick said he would come back to see her, to marry her, to make her his wife but they were all false promises. He never did. It was just part of his plan to get her knickers off. What a bastard he was, he left her heartbroken.

  Months after he’d left, she started to feel sick. At first, she just put it down to something she’d eaten but her mother was wiser than she was and dragged her to the doctors where it was confirmed she up the duff. There was screaming, shouting, tears in her home. That was a time in Marion’s life that she would never forget. Her mother never told a living soul about what had happened, she packed her off to a convent and they let her give birth there without anyone knowing, not even her father. She told family and friends that Marion was going working on a farm for the summer and nobody questioned it. Why should they, loads of kids got shipped about during that time. The convent was a lonely place, filled with shame, tears, and regrets. Marion gave birth to a baby boy who she named William. From the moment he was brought into the world he was taken from her arms and given to a childless couple who were waiting anxiously outside the room to take him away. There was nothing she could do, she had no fight in her, she had to let her baby go. They didn’t even ask her his name, nothing, he was just taken.

  Marion always wrote about her love-child in her secret diary and her thoughts were still there, even to this day, in her gold journal, even after all these years. For decades she’d kept notes of her thoughts regarding her missing son. He was never far from her thoughts. Once her child was taken from her Marion’s mother came to pick her up. There were no hugs, no words to take away the ache in her heart, it was just silence. Marion packed up her belongings from the convent and left without a word being said. Once they were sat on the bus on the way home her mother spoke to her for the first time. She’d never ever forget those words.

  “That’s the end of that now. We will never speak about it again. Put it behind you and carry on with your life.” And, that’s what she did, she carried on with her life. Even her husband didn’t know about her adopted child. Nobody did now her mother had passed away. Marion had always hoped her son would come looking for her, she prayed that Patrick would come back and once he knew about their son, they would search high and low for the child. That was in the early days. But the gypsy boy never did return, he was long gone and probably moved on to his next girl. There were times when she wanted to tell her family about her son but how could she ever explain that she’d given part of her away. They would never understand. They would judge her and probably never talk to her again. This was her secret and her past. Maybe, it was better left there too.

  For now, anyway.

  Diane walked along the street and entered the estate. She loved the atmosphere of this place and even though she was older now she would have given her left arm for a game of British Bulldog or to go jumping on the market roofs. It’s a shame that she had to grow up. Diane entered Tavistock Square and nipped into the shop to buy some cigarettes. She was trying to give up but sometimes the stress got too much for her and she needed something to calm her down. She only smoked a couple each day and in her eyes there was no harm done to her or the child she was carrying because it was relaxing her. Gary didn’t know she was still smoking, he was all about healthy eating and giving the baby the best start in life but it wasn’t his body was it? It was hers that was changing every day and not his. Already he was telling her that “breast was best”. He said that he was breast fed and his mother said it was one of the most natural things that she’d ever done.

  As far as Diane was concerned they should all fuck off and leave her alone, she had her own mind and she would work things out for herself when the time came. It was just pressure all the time, the do’s and don’ts of motherhood. Diane walked out of the shops and headed to an alleyway nearby to get her nicotine fix. She would be safe there, nobody would see her. Once she got there she quickly rammed a cigarette into her mouth and sparked up. Her eyes closed as the nicotine filtered her body, a calming effect.

  “Oi, you shouldn’t be smoking, should you?” a voice shouted over to her. Diane nearly choked and quickly tried to hide her cigarette. She lifted her eyes and spotted John trudging towards her. This was the first time they’d been alone in a long time. John walked to her side and held his hand out. “Give us a blast then.”

  Diane sucked hard on the cigarette before she handed it over. “How did you know I was down here. I thought nobody had seen me?”

  “I clocked you in the shop and followed you here.”

  Diane shuffled her feet. This was her time now, time to tell him what a coward he really was. “I think you’re a cheeky bastard John. How could you stand there and come up with the story that Gary is the father of this kid when you know damn well it was you who had sex with me.”

  John gulped, he thought this had been put to bed months ago. He checked the area and kept his voice low. “My dad would have battered me within an inch of my life if I would have admitted having sex with you. What could I have done?”

  “You could have told them the fucking truth.”

  John screwed his face up and growled over at her. “Yes, and so could you. You carried on the story and let Gary think he was the father and to top it all you fucking married him, so don’t stand there judging me.”

  “I did what I had to do, my parents would have sent me away if this baby had no father. I did what I’ve done for my child,” she strained her eyes as she looked him up and down. “Or should I say our child.”


  John ragged his fingers through his hair and shook his head. “I don’t need this and neither do you. If we both keep this a secret nobody will ever find out. Don’t fuck things up when you don’t have too.”

  Diane sighed, and her temper was bubbling. “So, I have a kid that Gary thinks he’s fathered and say nothing?”

  “Yes, what’s wrong with that?”

  “Are you right in the head. It’s your fucking kid,” Diane stressed.

  A noise nearby stopped them dead in their tracks, somebody was near. John sprinted to the end of the alleyway and looked both ways, but nobody was there. He quickly walked back to Diane and placed his arm around her shoulder. “I know it’s my baby. But, for now, I can’t tell anyone. Diane, I have feelings for you, you know that. Maybe, one day things will be different. You’ve married my best mate so what can I do now? I just have to deal with it.”

  Diane’s jaw dropped. She took a few seconds to reply. “What, you have feelings for me?”

  John held a cunning look in his eye and lifted his hand up and stroked the side of her cheek. “It’s always been you Diane. I’m with Melanie but when I go to bed at night, it’s you I think about.”

  He was a bull-shitter alright, the lies were rolling from his tongue and this daft cow was falling for it. You could see in her eyes that she was smitten. John’s lips met hers and they shared a kiss. What a bitch Diane was, Melanie was her best friend. How could she do this to her? John pulled away and licked his lips slowly. “We can do this again if you want?”

  Diane was flustered, she was hyperventilating, she needed to leave, get her head around everything that was happening here. “John, let’s speak again soon. I need to think about this. I can’t just run off with you after everything that Gary has done for me.”

  John looked confused. He’d never mentioned running away with her, so what the hell was she talking about. He was just keeping her sweet, making sure she kept his dirty, rotten secret. “See you around Diane. And remember, this is our secret.”

  Diane rushed from the alleyway, her neck was bright red and she was in a panic. John waited until she’d left and stood kicking a brick that was lodged into the thick black mud on the floor.

  Melanie sat in her front room and waited for Marion to come downstairs. Her father was due home any second and she couldn’t wait to see his face when he clocked his wife for the first time. Marion stuck a long slender leg around the door and chuckled. “I look amazing, so prepare yourself. I think I’ve become a man-eater. No word of a lie, I look hot.”

  Melanie sat up and rubbed her hands together. “Just hurry up and let me see you for crying out loud.”

  “Oi, just be patient. This is my moment.” Her mother walked inside the room and twisted her body around in a small circle. She’d seen the models on the TV and this was her version of what she’d witnessed. In fairness, she was no Naomi Campbell but still she looked good.

  Melanie studied her. “You looked so different mam. Honest, you should dress like this all the time. Throw that horrible frock out you always wear and buy some jeans, something modern.”

  “Have we been growing a money tree in the bottom of our garden love, because if not, then I’ll have to make do with whatever is inside my wardrobe. Anyway, I’m going to get myself a toy boy and cart your father. I’ve decided I’m too good for him now. He’s punching well above his weight with me.” Marion was alive, radiant, just like she was when she was younger.

  Melanie’s eyes opened wide. “Quick, sit down, dad’s here. Hurry up, park your arse over there and start reading the newspaper. Look normal, stop fidgeting about.”

  Marion dived on the sofa and kicked her legs up. She plumped a pillow behind her head. Arthur walked inside the room and threw his black donkey jacket on the back of the sofa. “Do me a cuppa love, my mouth’s like a bear’s arse. I’ve been spitting feathers all day.”

  Marion carried on reading the newspaper and sneaked a peak at her hubby as he pulled off his work boots. You could see the relief on his face as his sweaty feet appeared from the tight- laced boots. He fell into his chair and sank back. He was knackered, worn out after a hard day’s graft. Marion had his attention and stood up from the sofa. She stretched her arms above her head and sucked her stomach in as much as she could. He needed to see her slender figure. She casually walked passed him. Arthur rubbed his knuckles into the corner of his eyes. Was he seeing things, what the hell had happened to his wife. He was dribbling, mesmerised by her. Marion smiled at him and gave him a cheeky wink. “Are you alright darling, you look,” she paused, “well, you look like something is wrong."

  He stuttered, still not taking his eyes from her. “Bleeding hell, what’s happened to your hair? Where have you been dressed like that?”

  Marion smirked and played the fool. She loved winding her man up. “I’ve been nowhere love. Oh, I did nip down to the butchers to get you some chops and then home again but apart from that I’ve not been out.”

  Melanie covered her mouth and tried to hide her amusement. Marion had Arthur sat on the edge of his seat. He couldn’t hide his jealousy no matter how much he tried. “So, you mean to tell me you got dressed up like that just to go to the butchers?”

  She peered back inside from the kitchen, still jesting with him. “Yes. It’s my new look. I’m sick of being dressed in drab clothes all the time. I’ve decided I’m going to start looking after myself. Why, do you have a problem with that?”

  He had to tread carefully here for sure. She’d whack him across the head with a frying pan if he so much as made a comment about her dressing up. She’d seen his eyes wander when he saw a pretty woman walking by in the street. All men looked at other females but to make a comment about his wife making an extra effort was lethal. He needed to remain silent, well, if he knew what was good for him anyway. Marion placed his tea on the table and nodded over to him. “Here you go, get it while it’s still hot. The chops were lovely, the butcher made sure he cut all the fat off them for me.”

  Melanie pretended to watch the TV but she could hear every word that was being said and loved that her mam could still play the game. Arthur was at the table and you could see his head was spinning. He patted his wife on her backside as she passed her and gave her a cheeky smile. “You look like you did when we first met love. You should dress like this more often. It’s lovely to come home to a gorgeous wife who still makes the effort.”

  Marion sniggered and went to sit down. She thought about his words and agreed with them. Maybe she had let herself go, it was hard being a housewife. Every day was non-stop, get up, clean up, do the laundry, then prepare tea. There was no time to fart let alone do anything else. Marion lay on the sofa and Arthur was still watching her, she loved the attention she was getting and knew later that evening that her and her husband would be having an early night. Maybe, this was what their marriage needed, a bit of a shake-up.

  Arthur finished his tea and rubbed his hands together. “Do you fancy a few hours down the local love. I mean look at you. It would be a shame for you to be sat in when I want to show you off to everyone down the boozer. I’ll have a quick swill and I’ll be ready in ten minutes. Our Melanie will watch the house, won’t you?”

  Melanie yawned and nodded her head. “Yeah, I’m not going out anywhere so off you trot mother. Go and paint the town red and let your hair down for a change.”

  Marion jumped from the sofa, she didn’t need asking twice. The dog went out more than she did and there was no way she was turning a night out down. She could sing, dance, and make the most of it. She rushed out of the room. “I’ll go and freshen up too. I’ll put them sexy red knickers on that you like too,” she whispered into her husband’s ear on the way past him. He smirked and ran after her as she left the room. Melanie checked the clock and pushed a pillow under her head. It had been ages since she’d spent a night in. Perhaps, she could have an early night for a change.

  Diane sat with Gary and not a lot was being said between them. They
were sat in the front room watching the TV with her parents. Gary had never been a big TV fan and he was restless as the family tuned in to yet another soap. What was wrong with them? They had their own lives to lead, they shouldn’t be watching other people’s dramas. He was suffocating with boredom but how could he make a move? He sat itching his nose before he spoke. “I’m going to go out for a bit. I’ve not seen John for a while so I’m going to have a catch up with him. I’ll pop and see my mam too. I mean, I’m not into watching the telly all the time. It bores me if I’m being honest.”

  Vanessa raised her eyebrows. Everyone watched the soaps, even her husband. Diane never flinched, she kept her eyes on the TV and ignored him. Vanessa screwed her face up. She was a right old battle axe and she could cause trouble in an empty room. She jerked her head forward and folded her arms tightly in front of her. “You have responsibilities now Gary. You can’t just pop out on the estate for a game of footy when it suits you. What are you going to do when the baby arrives? Our Diane will need all the help she can get once the little one arrives.”

  Gary got his back up. He had a mother, he didn’t need another one dictating to him. “And she’ll get it. I’m not a prisoner here you know. I do have a life. What is she going to do when I’m out at work all day because I’ll have to put food on the table won’t I?” Gary was getting above his station and he caught the eyes of Diane’s father before he carried on. He needed to calm it down before he got floored. “I mean, I need to see my mam. She said there is some post there for me to pick up. I’m not going on the estate to chill either. John is a good friend of mine and I haven’t seen him for ages. Diane, you’re alright with that aren’t you?”