The Graft

by Karen Woods

  Mark sneered over at her and his tone changed. “Oh, right. Well at least I know now. I’ll hold back if you don’t feel the same as I do. I’m not wasting time on someone who’s playing mind games.”

  Emily was in a panic; she’d upset him, she could tell by his body language. He turned the music up and picked up speed. Ninety miles per hour and now the car was shaking. They sat in an awkward silence. Emily felt the air change; he hardly spoke a word to her for the rest of the journey. Once he pulled off the motorway, he spoke for the first time in what seemed like hours. “Alex is a top guy and a close friend. He’d do anything for me, and he’s helped me out a lot in the past, so be nice to him.”

  Emily was sheepish, like a scolded child. “I will. Are you alright Mark, you seem to have gone all quiet? Have I upset you or something?”

  He let out a sarcastic laugh and patted her knee. “No, not really. I’m just a bit gutted that you don’t feel the same about me as I do for you. But I’ll get over it, don’t you worry. I’ll move on, if that’s what you want?”

  Was he saying he loved her or what, she wasn’t sure? She tickled the back of his neck and tried to make amends. “Are you saying that you love me? What do you mean you will move on?”

  Mark kept his eyes on the road and nodded his head. “I’ve been talking to you for ages online Emily. I would never have agreed to meet you if I wasn’t getting feelings for you. You’re just the type of girl I want to marry. I feel at ease with you and it’s like I’ve known you forever. I don’t like time wasters. I want someone who is genuine and not playing games with me. I don’t fall in love every day you know. I wear my heart on my sleeve, that’s all. It’s not a crime is it?”

  Emily was gobsmacked. This was her dream too and she wasn’t holding her cards to her chest any longer. She just blurted it out. If she didn’t tell him she would regret it for the rest of her life. If he did move on, she would be heartbroken, sat in her bedroom back to her lonely boring life. “I do have feelings for you too. Jane told me that I had to play it cool, so I wasn’t sure if I should open up or not. I didn’t want you to think I was clingy or anything. I just wanted you to like me.”

  Mark squeezed her hand and lifted it up to his mouth and kissed her fingers softly. “I would do anything for you already. I think about you all day long. From the moment I wake up to the second I go to sleep; you are constantly on my mind. You’re like a drug that I’m addicted to, you’ve just got right under my skin.” Emily was filled with love. His dream was hers too. This was her prince charming, her happy ever after.

  Mark pulled up at a pub. He opened the door of the boozer and let Emily walk inside first. The pub was lively, and the music was booming. Mark stretched his neck and waved his hand above his head to a man sat in the corner of the room. “What are you drinking babes,” he asked.

  “Can I have a diet coke?”

  Mark pulled a sour face and asked her again. “What, you want to drink coke?” Emily realised she’d dropped a bollock and quickly changed her mind. “Sorry, I meant can I have a Vodka and coke please.” Mark spoke to the busty barmaid and ordered her a double vodka and coke. Emily was never a big drinker and knew she would have to take her time with her drinks otherwise she would be on her back within the hour. Mark led her to a table at the other side of the room. There were girls dancing around, grinding, twerking. They all seemed to know Mark and she was sure he let on to a few of them. She’d have to keep her eye on these tarts, they looked like they would shag anything with a wallet. Once she sat down, Mark sat next to her. Was it her imagination or was the blonde girl facing them trying to get Mark’s attention? This girl was looking straight at Mark as she slut-dropped on the dance floor. Emily quickly looked at Mark and she could see his eyes were looking her way. Right, this was going too far she had to say something. “Do you know that girl?”

  Mark turned his head quickly and faced her. “Yes, she’s been trying to get a date with me for ages. Every time I see her, she’s all over me. Honest, she’s offered to suck me off and everything.”

  Emily clenched her fist tightly together. What a cheeky bitch this girl was trying to come on to her man. Emily growled over at the female and sucked hard on her gums. What on earth was happening to her, she was usually shy and timid and would run a mile from any kind of trouble, she was no fighter. Mark was loving it; she could see him smirking. He twisted his head when he heard his name being called from the other side of the room. He stood up and raised his hand over his head. “I’ll be there in a minute, pal.” Emily could see a fat balding man smiling at her from the other side of the room. He stood up and squeezed passed the gap in the table. “I won’t be long. Just let me sort something out with Alex and then I’ll introduce him to you.”

  Emily was still raging inside and kept looking over at the blonde. She wanted to scratch her eyes out, rag her hair all over the show. Who did she think she was with her big tits and slim-line figure? “Yeah, no worries,” she replied.

  Mark left her side and Emily lifted her drink up slowly and sipped at it. As soon as he was gone Emily stood up to go to the toilet. She made her way towards the dance-floor and turned her head to see where Mark was. Once she could see he was busy she nudged into the girl who was making a play for her man. “Oi, can I have a quick word with you?”

  The girl looked confused. “Me? You want to talk with me?”

  The music was loud and Emily was struggling to be heard. “Come to the toilet and I’ll explain.” The youngish girl shrugged her shoulders at her dancing partner and plodded behind Emily. The restroom was hammered, one girl was looking into the mirror applying her candy pink lip-gloss while her mate sat with the toilet door open talking to her. Emily had to be quick and get her point across. She took a deep breath and went nose to nose with the girl. “Mark is my boyfriend so if you don’t want any trouble, keep well away from him. Do you hear me? Back off?”

  The girl looked her up and down and held a cocky look. “Listen sweetheart, if I wanted Mark then I would take him. Take a chill-pill and relax. He’s not your man, he never will be. It’s obvious you don’t know him if you think he’s yours.”

  Emily was bright red and didn’t know what to say. Obviously, she’d not thought about this properly. Another girl joined them now and stared directly at Emily. “What’s going on? Is there a problem?”

  “Yes, this tramp has told me to keep away from Mark because it’s her boyfriend. Do me a favour Anne and word her up before I knock her block off.”

  Anne gripped Emily by the scruff of the neck and pushed her into a cubicle. Once she was inside, she growled in her face, her hot stale breath hitting the end of her nose. “I don’t know what planet you’re on love but trust me, Kelly is not interested in Mark. We all know what he is and wouldn’t touch him with a barge pole.” She rammed her index finger into the side of Emily’s head. “Do you hear me or are you thick?”

  Emily had to stand up for herself, she was the underdog and backed into a corner. Jane would never let anyone speak to her like this, she’d fight back. The colour drained from her face and her knuckles turned white as she squeezed her fingers into two tight balls. She’d seen her mother fight lots of time and she knew she would have to strike the first blow to stand a chance. She was weighing her up, looking for the right moment to make her move. Anne turned to walk away. Emily saw her chance and smashed a fist into her head. She twisted her fingers into her long dark locks and swung Anne about like a rag doll. Where had her strength come from? She was like a raging bull. “Don’t ever speak to me like that. And, what do mean about Mark? Go on, spit it out, say what you have to before I finish you off.” Emily was in the zone, she had her mother’s temper for sure, she just didn’t know it. Anne was screaming and trying to wriggle free. She managed to open the toilet door and get out before Emily swung another blow. “The man is a wanker, you’ll see. Trust me, he’ll have you with them before you know what day it. Good luck with that.”

  Anne sprinted off and befor
e Emily could get another grip of her she was gone out of the toilets. Emily licked the trickle of red blood dripping down her knuckles. As she stepped out of the toilet the room seemed to go silent. All eyes were on her and she didn’t know where to look. She slowly made her way to the sink and stuck her hand under the cold tap. She looked into the mirror and raised her eyes at the woman stood next to her. “What are you gawping at? Do you want some?” You could see the girl didn’t want any beef and she quickly washed her hands and left the toilets. Emily closed her eyes slowly and tried to calm down. Rage was pumping through her veins; she closed her eyes to snap out of the zone she was in. Once her breathing had returned to normal, she took one last look in the mirror and left the toilets. Anne and Kelly were nowhere to be seen. She twisted her head left then right to see if she could spot them, but they were gone. Emily made her way back to her seat and the corners of her mouth began to rise. She was her mother’s daughter for sure. A fighter.

  Taking a large mouthful from her glass she sat back in her chair. The words that Anne had screamed at her were still lying heavy on her mind. What did she mean? She was sat thinking and in a world of her own. “Emily, this is my friend Alex.”

  Alex stretched his arms over and hugged her. He kissed the side of her cheek too. “Mark has told me so much about you Emily. I’m glad we have finally met. Where is your friend Jane? Mark, did you say she had a friend?”

  Mark whispered something into Alex’s ear and he nodded. Emily looked uncomfortable as Alex examined her, he was just staring at her, licking his lips slowly. “Drink up Emily we are going to Alex’s pad. We can relax there and have a few beers. A few of the others are coming too. Is that right Alex?”

  “Yeah, yes I mean,” he replied. Emily wasn’t sure of where Mark was taking her, but she didn’t have a care in the world if she was with her Mr Right. Tonight, was about enjoying herself, letting her hair down and throwing caution to the wind. Life was for living and she was living it alright. Bring on the party!

  CHAPTER NINE

  Tony looked in the mirror as he slapped aftershave over his cheeks with his palms. His mouth was wide open as the cold fragrance connected with his cheeks. It was only some cheap shit, something he’d nicked from a store donkey’s years ago. He stood back from the mirror and shouted out in a loud voice, his eyes never leaving the mirror. “Elsie, have you ironed my clobber or what? Fuck me, I’m going to be late if you don’t make a move. Make sure you iron them right too, don’t leave creases in them like you normally do.”

  Elsie yelled back from the other room. “Why are you wearing your best clothes to go gardening. It’s dirty work, you’ll get filthy. You should be wearing your scruffs.”

  Tony smiled at his reflection in the mirror and mumbled under his breath. “I’m going to get dirty alright. I’m going to rip the back out of that woman given half the chance.” Tony flexed his bony arms in the mirror and chuckled to himself. He edged closer to the mirror and pulled his lips apart, examining his teeth. “Elsie, have we got any whitening toothpaste. My teeth are minging. I need something to brighten my smile up now I’m a working man. I’ve never noticed how bad my teeth were until now. Bleeding hell I’m a right gummy fucker.”

  There were a lot of things that he’d neglected over the years and his body image was top of the list. Tony’s head smashed against the bathroom wall as his wife slung his clothes at him with force. She was fuming. “Oi, cheeky bollocks. If you carry on winding me up, you won’t need any fucking toothpaste because I’ll knock the fuckers out. I’m warning you Tony, stop now, before I lose my rag with you.”

  Tony stumbled and tried to steady his feet. “You idiot, I nearly fell over then. What’s up with you now?”

  She growled at him, ready to snap his jaw if he dared press her buttons again. “Well, stop winding me up then. You know how I feel about you with other women. You’re planting seeds in my head; you know exactly what you’re playing at. It’s a dangerous game and someone will get hurt. And, more than likely, it will be you.” He smirked.

  He knew exactly what he was doing. “I’ve not said anything you weirdo. I only asked for some whitening toothpaste, where is the harm in that? God, shoot me for trying to look half decent.”

  She placed one hand on her hip and tilted her head slightly. It was her time to have a go at him. “You have no bleeding teeth Tony; you have one pickle–stabber of a tooth and the rest are brown stumps. So, what the hell are you trying to brighten up? You look like a gummy-bear. You have for years.”

  Tony investigated his gnashers. His wife was right, he was gummy and the one tooth he had was on its way out, it was wobbly and discoloured. With one last glance at himself, Tony started to get ready. “Elsie, sort me some tablets out before I go. Something to get rid of these shakes. How long is it before my body feels normal again? I hardly sleep anymore and I’m still shitting like a new born baby.”

  “Tony, it takes ages to feel normal again. I’m on twenty mils of methadone now and I can just about feel the difference in my body. I’m sleeping alright too. You’re on sixty mils so you should feel alright. Plus, you’ve been necking diazepam like nobody’s business, so you shouldn’t be shaking like you are. It might be time to man up and just roll with it.”

  “It’s nearly three weeks now that I’ve been clean. I never thought I would see the day if I’m being honest with you. Hard work it is, hard fucking work.”

  Elsie smiled over at her husband and spoke in a gentle voice. “I’m proud of you, we all are. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I feel calm and not on edge all the time. I’m starting to feel like me again. The person who I was years ago.”

  Tony held the tears back as his eyes clouded over. He was an emotional wreck. He cried at anything, sobbed his heart out. His emotions were well and truly out of control. Elsie sat down on the edge of the bed and kicked her legs slowly. She watched him come back into the bedroom. “I’m thinking of going to see my dad. He’s been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve sorted myself out so I can’t see there being a problem. What do you think?”

  Tony let out a sarcastic laugh. “I think you need your head feeling. That old cunt will never change. I can’t see why you are bothering with him after the way he’s treated you over the years. He turned his back on you when you needed him most. Fuck him off, you don’t need him.”

  “I was the one in the wrong, not him,” Elsie snapped, “he gave me chance after chance and I just let him down. I’m ashamed of the things I’ve done to my family and what I put them through. I think it’s time to make amends. They are good people, it was us who hurt them, not the other way around.”

  Tony could see she was getting upset and tried his best to support her. He hated her old man with a passion and he never lost any sleep over him not being in their lives anymore. “It’s up to you love but don’t let me say I told you so when he carts you again. You’ll be heartbroken again. You know I’m right.”

  “I’m willing to risk that. I just have to try. Maybe you should take a leaf out of my book and try to sort your shit out with your dad. I heard he’s been very ill.”

  A cup smashed against the bedroom wall and Elsie covered her head with her arms to protect herself from the shards of glass. His voice bounced against the walls. “Don’t you mention that cunt’s name in this house again! How many times have I told you that he’s dead in my eyes, fucking dead? You go and do what you’re doing but leave me alone. You know how I feel about him.”

  “Oh my God. Is there any need to be smashing things against the wall? Relax, will you! I’m just saying a lot of water has gone under the bridge since you were younger so maybe you could sort things out with him.”

  Tony shook his head, his ears pinned back, and she could see the hatred in his eyes. “He fucked us all up. Look at my mam because of him, he beat her black and blue for years and you expect me to forgive him for that. It was his fault I never made it in football. He broke my leg when he threw me down the stairs. Do you think I coul
d ever forgive him for that? He ruined my dreams, my chance of making the big time. If anything, it should be him who’s knocking my door down begging for forgiveness, not the other way around. Nah, the guy’s a waste of space. A dickhead.”

  “Bloody hell, I’m sorry I even mentioned it. Just go to work and forget about it. I was only trying to help, that’s all.”

  Tony left the bedroom with his jacket slung over his shoulder. He was on point today and the best he’d looked in a long time. Frank ran under his feet and made him trip up. Elsie sniggered and covered her mouth with her hand. “You silly mutt, get out of my way,” he moaned as he wobbled about. “I’m off! See you later,” he shouted behind him.

  Elsie heard the front door bang shut and sighed with relief. In the back of her mind she thought Tony would have changed his mind about the job and let her down at the last minute. He’d surprised her really. Emily stood at her bedroom door and just stared at her mother. Elsie was surprised to see her there. “God, blimey. I nearly shit my knickers then. When did you come in?”

  “Just now. I saw my dad leaving as I pulled up in the taxi, but he never seen me, he’s as blind as a bat. He needs glasses.”

  “Taxi? Where did you get your money from to pay for a taxi?”

  “Jane’s dad paid for it. He was going to drop me off but changed his mind at the last minute.”

  Elsie looked at her daughter with love in her eyes. “Come and get on the bed with me. We’ve not had any bonding time in ages. Let’s have a girly day.” Emily used to love lying on her mother’s bed with her. Usually she’d just watch Elsie sleep all day, off her head, but today her mother was wide awake for a change. Elsie patted the side of the bed with her hand. “Come on then before I change my mind and have a kip. You can fill me in about life at the Royals.” She sniggered and shuffled her bum-cheeks across the bed slightly. Emily yawned and stretched her arms over her head.