Payback

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘Big Stan won’t say sod all out of line to you. People ain’t stupid, Dad. They respect me, so nobody is going to dig you out. As for Vinny, let him kick off if he wants to. I’m not a little boy any more and I am certainly not scared of him.’

  Albie sighed. Michael used to be so laid-back, but he wasn’t any more. Somewhere along the line Vinny’s thuggish behaviour had obviously rubbed off on him, which bothered Albie greatly.

  Whenever Michael walked into a local pub, he was always surrounded by well-wishers and hangers-on who wanted to chat to him or buy him drinks. Usually he played along, pretended to be interested in their conversation, but tonight he wasn’t in the mood. Everyone else was a blur as he focused on his brother, sitting across the room, drinking by himself. Even though Michael felt bad about blurting out the truth regarding Lenny’s death, there was no way he was making the first move to smooth over the situation. Why should he, when it had been Vinny’s behaviour and big mouth that had started it all in the first place?

  Albie was pleased when Big Stan approached and offered him a drink. Stan did not mention his cancer lie, so Albie decided not to either. Some things were better left unsaid.

  ‘Shall I get us a chaser as well, Albie?’

  Albie did not reply. His eyes were on Vinny, who was walking towards Michael.

  Vinny tapped his brother on the back. ‘Can we talk?’

  ‘Yeah, if you want.’

  ‘Be careful, boy,’ Albie warned, as Michael went to follow Vinny outside.

  ‘I’m more than capable of looking after myself, Dad. You stay here with Stan. I won’t be long.’

  Vinny was standing in a shop doorway, smoking a cigarette. It was a Sunday and he could not help thinking what a sorry state the Whitechapel Road looked without the hustle and bustle of the market. The properties of hardworking shopkeepers were covered in graffiti, much of it racist – ‘NF’, ‘PAKIS OUT’, ‘KEEP BRITAIN WHITE’ – along with the usual drivel: ‘SPURS RULE’ ‘ARSENAL ARE SHIT’ ‘ICF’ ‘TRACEY LOVES GLENN HODDLE’ ‘SHARON 4 JOHNNY’ and ‘MANDY NELSON SUCKS COCKS’.

  Vinny tutted and shook his head. No wonder he wanted his Molly raised in a better area. It might do Little Vinny the world of good as well. If they moved to a decent part of Essex there’d be better lads for his son to knock about with than Ben Bloggs.

  ‘Shithole round here now, eh? Look at the state of it,’ Vinny said bitterly, as he offered Michael a cigarette.

  Michael allowed Vinny to give him a light, took a deep drag, then nodded. ‘Not like it used to be, is it? Is that what you wanted to talk about? The decline of Whitechapel?’

  ‘Don’t get cocky, Michael. It really doesn’t suit you.’

  ‘Look, I’m sorry about blurting out the Champ story, OK? But, you fucking started it, Vin. You all but told Mum and Auntie Viv I was on drugs.’

  ‘Yeah, I know I did, and I’m sorry too. Mum threw me out of the house today. I admitted I’d taken coke on the night Champ had died and she said I am no longer her son. I don’t want there to be no more secrets, Michael, which is why I came clean with her.’

  Michael was not only shocked by his brother’s calmness and apology, he was also stunned that Vinny had told the truth. ‘Mum will come round. She loves you, Vin, you’re her golden boy. Give her a bit of time to get her head around it all, eh?’

  Vinny and Michael both had their backs against the wall, staring at the traffic rather than looking one another in the eye. When Vinny finally turned to face him, Michael could see the unshed tears in his brother’s eyes. ‘What am I gonna do if Mum won’t forgive me? I doubt Auntie Viv ever will, do you?’

  ‘I’ll speak to Mum and Auntie Viv on your behalf. I’ll tell them how cut up you was about everything. It might take time, but things will sort themselves out, Vin, I know they will.’

  ‘Cheers. That’s much appreciated. I was livid with you for blurting all that shit out at first, but then I thought, we’re brothers and we’ve got a business to run, so there’s no point in us being enemies. Are we cool?’

  Michael held out his right hand. ‘Yeah, we’re cool. We were both in the wrong, so let’s just call it quits.’

  Vinny pulled Michael’s arm towards him, then gave him a brotherly hug. ‘You didn’t ’arf give me a clump when you knocked me on that dancefloor. Not such a little squirt any more, are ya?’

  Michael chuckled. When he was a nipper, both Vinny and Roy used to refer to him as ‘Little Squirt’. ‘You can talk! Look at the state of my eye, and my back’s cut to shreds where I landed on fucking glass.’

  ‘Serves you right!’ Vinny joked. ‘Now, let’s get back inside that boozer, eh?’

  When Vinny sauntered into the pub with an arm around his brother’s shoulder, he immediately clocked the look of disappointment on his father’s face and could not help but smirk. He might be a lot of things, but stupid was not one of them. Vinny knew that the only way back into his mother and aunt’s good books was via his brother, forgiveness was a necessary evil.

  Queenie and Vivian were sitting side by side on Vivian’s new floral sofa. The sofa had been a recent present for Vivian’s fiftieth birthday and had been bought by Vinny of all people.

  Puffing ferociously on a cigarette, Queenie tried to recite word for word what Vinny had told her. The only part she opted to leave out was that her son had admitted to snorting cocaine on the evening in question. Vivian was so anti-drugs and Queenie was worried that that particular snippet of information might just push her sister over the edge.

  ‘Well, I don’t believe for one minute Vinny was sober when he got behind that wheel. He must have been well pissed to cover it up like he did, Queen. How could I have ever trusted him to take care of my boy like I did, eh? As for Lenny being dragged off to them sordid places, I’m truly appalled by that. No wonder I caught him doing you-know-what in his bedroom that time. It all makes sense now. If only I’d have acted on the signs and put a fucking stop to it … I blame myself, I really do. I was Lenny’s mother, therefore it was my duty to protect him – and I failed miserably.’

  Queenie felt a mixture of emotions as she held Vivian in her arms. Sadness, anger, but most of all guilt. As much as part of her would always love Vinny, she had no choice but to side with her sister at this moment in time and banish her son from their lives. She not only owed that to Vivian, but also to the memory of her wonderful nephew.

  ‘Please don’t be blaming yourself, Viv. Your Lenny adored the ground you walked on. You were the best mother he could have ever wished for, and you know it. As for Vinny, I’m finished with him because of all this. Don’t get me wrong, I know he adored Lenny and neither did he mean to crash that car. But it’s the cover-up and the lies that has broken my heart. What type of man drags his pal’s lifeless body into the front seat of a car while his cousin is lying dead in the back, then legs it without even calling an ambulance, eh? No son of mine, that’s for sure.’

  Joanna Preston’s hands shook as she dialled her parents’ phone number. It had been so long since she had heard her dad’s gruff voice, she had no idea how she would react when she actually got to speak to him.

  After several rings, the phone was finally answered. ‘Hello, Mum. It’s me. How are you? And how’s Dad?’

  Deborah did not even reply to the question. ‘Johnny, quick – Jo’s on the phone,’ she screamed.

  ‘Hello, princess. Been sat indoors ever since I got out, waiting for you to ring me. How are you, sweetheart? And how’s little Molly?’

  Crying, but laughing at the same time, Joanna explained how Molly was not so little any more and was in fact quite a madam. ‘She even won the talent competition at the holiday camp on Saturday, Dad. She sang “You Are My Sunshine”.’

  ‘Jesus Christ, even I don’t know all the words to that. Who taught it to her?’ Johnny asked.

  ‘Queenie and Vivian. They’re really kind to Molly, Dad, and they’ve taught her loads of old songs. I started taking her to tap-dancing lessons recentl
y and her teacher reckons she is destined for a career in show business. She said Molly is a natural.’

  Johnny Preston felt completely choked up, but did his best to hide it from his voice. He knew if he came across too heavy he would probably put Joanna off ringing again, so tried to keep the conversation as light as possible. ‘’Ere, you’ll never guess who’s here having dinner with me and your mum today.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Your brother. Travelled down from London and even cooked for us. You know me, Jo. I wasn’t impressed when he got that job as a chef. I thought he was gay when he came to visit me in nick and wore all that bleedin’ eyeliner, but I’m pleased to say he isn’t. Done well for himself has Johnny Junior. He’s brought his girlfriend to meet us as well. And I have to say, he’s a bloody good cook.’

  Joanna put some more money in the slot to stop the pips from going and giggled. ‘I thought he was gay at one point too, Dad. Perhaps it was just the obsession with David Bowie, eh?’

  ‘Yep, must have been, babe.’ Johnny took a deep breath. He had to ask the question at some point. ‘So, when am I going to see you? Look, before you answer, I know it’s awkward after everything that has happened, and I will understand if you can’t bring Molly with you in case she puts her foot in it. However, just to see you and lots of photos of Molly would be enough for me, darling. Me and your mum are getting married again at ten o’clock this coming Thursday morning in a local registry office. Your brother will be there and it would mean the absolute world to both me and your mum if you could come too.’

  Whether it was the two glasses of wine she’d had with her scampi and chips or just the fact she missed her family so much, Joanna did not know. But she found herself agreeing to the invitation. ‘You try to stop me coming to your wedding. Listen, I have to go now, but I’ll ring you again tomorrow or Tuesday to get the exact details. Love you, Dad.’

  Johnny Preston put his thumb up to Deborah and grinned. ‘Love you too, sweetheart.’

  Vinny Butler had been furious when he’d read Joanna’s note. Who the hell did she think she was, going out gallivanting with Nancy? She had not even asked his permission, and for all he knew she could be secretly meeting her scumbag of a father.

  Being very protective when it came to Molly, Vinny hated Joanna taking his daughter anywhere without him being present. He had old-fashioned values at heart, and in his book a woman’s place was at home, looking after her children, unless her man was by her side. Kings was the only place he was happy letting them out of his sight, because he knew Joanna rarely left the holiday park and his mum had always been there to keep a watchful eye on his beloved little girl and her mother.

  He bumped his car up a kerb and checked the map once again. Apart from when he had been to Karen’s tower block, then tracked down the pub where Yvonne Summers worked, he was no expert on the streets of Dagenham.

  Realizing he was only a couple of minutes away from the address that Geary had given to Jo, Vinny put his foot on the accelerator, then turned right into Western Avenue. With a name like Shazza, Vinny had expected the girl to live on a rough council estate, but as he scanned the door numbers, he could tell that this was a much better part of Dagenham compared to the area that Karen had once lived in.

  Knowing what a crafty shit his son could be, Vinny drove past the house. He didn’t want Little Vinny looking out of the window and spotting his car, because he’d be sure to do a runner out the back if he knew his dad was coming.

  When the front door opened, Vinny was stunned to see a rather attractive woman who looked younger than he did. ‘Hello, sorry to bother you, but have you got a sister called Shazza? The reason I’m asking, my son has gone missing and I’m desperately worried about him,’ Vinny said politely. He had learned from past experiences that wading in like a bull in a china shop was not the way forward. Unless you were dealing with scum like Ben Bloggs’ mother, of course.

  Carol Young chuckled. She had often been mistaken for Sharon’s sister and always enjoyed the compliment. She was also rather taken with how attractive and polite Little Vinny’s father was. In his smart suit, he looked more like a rich businessman than the father of the skinhead boy who was currently upstairs in her daughter’s bedroom. ‘Come in, love. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee? Your son is upstairs with my Shaz. I’m her mum, not her sister. Obsessed with that top forty chart, youngsters are these days, aren’t they?’

  Vinny smiled falsely. He had just clocked the photo of the skinhead girl on the wall and could immediately tell by her mass of earrings, green eyeshadow and plum lipstick that she was older than his son. Knowing his boy, the deceitful little bastard must have lied about his age. If that was the case, Vinny could not wait to teach the boy a valuable lesson.

  ‘Yes, but I think the music was far better when we were their age, don’t you? Is that your daughter in the photo? Pretty girl. How old is she, Carol?’

  Carol beamed. She liked this charming man immensely. ‘Yes, that’s my Shaz. She turns sixteen the week after next. I’ve arranged a party for her in the hall of the Cross Keys pub. Nothing special, just friends and family, but it would be great if you could come too. Shall I let your son know you’re here?’

  ‘No, I’d prefer to surprise him. But do put the kettle on. I’ll have a coffee,’ Vinny said, grinning broadly to show off his perfect teeth. He could tell Shazza’s mother fancied him and was quite enjoying playing on it.

  As Vinny ran up the stairs, he could clearly hear the radio presenter announcing that this week’s number six was the Piranhas’ ‘Tom Hark’. He actually quite liked that song, it was very catchy, but as he barged into the girl’s bedroom all he could think of was how much he blamed and despised his son for all that had happened this weekend. If Little Vinny hadn’t run away, he would have arrived at Kings in a far better frame of mind and would never have felt the need to wind Michael up the way he had, then his darkest secret would still be safe and his wonderful mother wouldn’t have disowned him.

  ‘Fuck off, Dad. Just leave me alone,’ Little Vinny yelled as his father smacked him around the head, then marched him down the stairs by his right ear.

  ‘Whatever’s going on?’ Carol asked, dashing out of the kitchen. She had been so taken with the gorgeous man in the smart suit, she had begun to make a plate of sandwiches.

  When Little Vinny kicked him in the ankle and called him a cunt, Vinny punched his son as hard as he could in the side of the head before turning to Carol. ‘Look, I’m very sorry about this disruption, but did you know that this little shit who I am embarrassed to call a son of mine only turned fourteen this summer?’

  Shazza was standing at the top of the stairs with her mouth wide open. No wonder the sex with Vinny had been so awful, and no wonder when she had told him today that she had to go back to school on Tuesday, so he’d have to find somewhere else to stay, he had responded by asking her to get engaged to him.

  Carol Young put her hand over her mouth. ‘Oh my God! I am so sorry. I would never have let your son stay here if I had known he was so young. He told you he was sixteen, didn’t he, Shaz?’

  ‘Yes, the lying little pervert. Get out of my life, and never come back,’ Shazza screamed.

  Vinny smirked as he marched his tearful son towards his Jaguar. What goes around comes around had always been his motto.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Joanna had just got Molly off to sleep when Vinny arrived home with his red-eyed son in tow. ‘Thank God you found him. Is he OK?’

  ‘No, I ain’t OK. I hate you and I hate him and I wish you would both die in a car crash,’ Little Vinny yelled as he pushed past Joanna and ran up the stairs to the solace of his bedroom.

  ‘Charming,’ Joanna mumbled.

  Having dealt with his son, Vinny was now ready to deal with his gallivanting girlfriend. ‘Me and you need to talk,’ he announced coldly.

  Joanna knew exactly what Vinny wanted to talk about, but decided to act dumb. ‘About what?’

&nb
sp; ‘About you behaving like a single fucking woman. Four times I rang home, trying to get hold of you earlier. You knew I was waiting on that phone number.’

  Joanna hated arguing with Vinny, which was why she usually bowed down to him. However, she was desperate to see her parents get married, and knew if she did not fight back, she would never be able to attend their big day. ‘And I wrote the phone number down for you. You never said you was going to ring home every five minutes, did you?’

  Vinny snarled. ‘So, where did you go then?’

  ‘Out for lunch with Nancy and the boys. I put that on the note I left you. We had no fresh food here and Molly and I were hungry.’

  ‘There’s food in the freezer and cupboards.’

  Remembering how Nancy kept urging her to stick up for herself, Joanna did just that. ‘I am not a prisoner, Vinny, and I certainly don’t have to tell you my every move. I rarely ever ask where you’re going – and if I did, you wouldn’t tell me. All you ever do is dictate to me what I can and cannot do, and I’ve had enough of it. You even made me get my bloody hair dyed and I despise it dark.’

  ‘Who’s been putting ideas in that pretty little head of yours, eh? Nosy fucking Nancy, I bet. Wants to concentrate on her own relationship, that one, else Michael might stray again.’

  ‘Stray again! What do you mean, stray again?’

  ‘Never you mind what I mean, but you listen to me carefully, Jo. I own this house and I pay the bills. What I say goes, understand?’

  Knowing she had to call Vinny’s bluff, Joanna gave a sarcastic chuckle. ‘You really think you’re the big man, don’t you? Our relationship is a farce, Vinny, I know that much. You don’t love me, probably never have. When was the last time we made love, eh? It was that long ago even I can’t fucking remember.’

  ‘I’ve barely seen you for weeks! While you was sunning yourself and partying down at Kings, I was here grafting. Somebody has to foot the bill for your luxurious lifestyle, don’t they?’