The Feud

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘Bit old hat for me. I prefer The Who or a bit of Rod Stewart meself,’ Ed joked.

  ‘Your mother loved all these songs, Eddie. There was no telly in them days, and we’d sit round your mum’s coal fire singing these songs. Kept us amused, they did, especially when the sirens went off and we were stuck down them bloody shelters for hours on end,’ Joan told him.

  Eddie was overcome by emotion. ‘I wish I could remember more about me mum. I can picture her face, but that’s about it.’

  Vi smiled at him. ‘She was a kind, wonderful woman. Had a heart of gold, didn’t she, Joan?’

  Joan nodded. ‘Give you her last ha’penny, she would. She was one of life’s gentle souls.’

  Aware that his eyes were starting to well up, Eddie stood up.

  ‘Where’s the little ’uns? We’ve seen Gary and Ricky, but we ain’t seen the twins yet, have we, Vi?’ Joan said.

  ‘I’ll tell Jess to bring ’em over in a minute,’ Ed said, as he walked away.

  Bowling over to the table where his wife was sitting, Ed could see no sign of her. ‘Where’s Jess?’ he asked Stanley.

  Stanley shrugged. ‘Joyce has took the kids to the toilet, but I’ve no idea where Jess is.’

  Eddie’s eyes scanned the hall. He wasn’t happy with Jessica’s behaviour tonight. How could she not take the twins over to say hello to his two old aunts? She was out of fucking order.

  Unable to see hide nor hair of Jess, Eddie walked back to the bar.

  ‘What’s up?’ Paulie asked him.

  ‘Nothing,’ Eddie said, as he urged the barman to leave a bottle of Scotch on the counter.

  Spotting Raymond chatting up a bird, Ed walked over to him. ‘Where’s Jess? You seen her?’

  Raymond shrugged. ‘She was sitting with me mum and dad. Don’t worry, she won’t go far without the twins. I’m gonna make a move now, Ed. This is Jane and we’re going back to mine.’

  As the singer took a toilet break, Ed smiled when his dad leaped on the stage and began one of his infamous speeches.

  ‘Everyone knows why we’re here tonight. We’re celebrating the retirement of the oldest swinger in town. Reg, where are you? Now, I might be his brother, but I ain’t giving you no old flannel. He was a horrible fucker when he was a kid. At six years old he . . .’

  As Ed spotted Jess all cosied up with some good-looking geezer, he lost track of his father’s speech. Fuming, Ed marched towards her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her away. ‘Whaddya think you’re fucking doing?’

  Jessica looked at Eddie in horror. ‘I beg your pardon. Are you drunk, Eddie? Don’t embarrass me, please.’

  Eddie sneered at the bloke. ‘Who’s that cunt?’ he asked Jess.

  ‘Lee Jones. You remember my old schoolfriend, Mary? Well, Lee’s her older brother. Please don’t start, Ed. We’re catching up on old times, that’s all.’

  ‘I am not a happy man, Jess. My aunt Joan and aunt Vi are sitting on that table near the door. You ain’t said hello or fuck all to ’em. Asking me if the twins are here, they were. I want you to take the kids over to ’em, now, before I lose my temper with yer.’

  ‘I’ll take them over in a minute. Please don’t show me up in front of Lee, Ed. I’d hate any bad stories to get back to Mary.’

  Ed sneered. ‘Fuck Lee and fuck Mary. I’m your husband and you’ll do as I say.’

  As Ed stormed back to the bar, Jess made her excuses to Lee and went off to find the twins. Sometimes her husband’s temper was like a ticking time bomb and she would hate to create a scene.

  ‘Who was that geezer Jess was all over? Got bored of you already, has she?’ Ronny joked.

  Eddie pushed Ronny up against the wall. ‘Shut it, else I’ll punch your fucking lights out.’

  Ronny was taken aback. ‘I’m only mucking about, Ed. I didn’t mean it, honest I didn’t.’

  ‘What’s going on?’ Harry asked, pulling Eddie away.

  ‘Nothing, Dad. It’s him, he’s off his fucking head,’ Ronny said, feeling brave now his father had appeared.

  Harry had a quiet word with Eddie. ‘Look son, I don’t know what’s bugging you, but leave it tonight, eh? This is your Uncle Reg’s party and I want him to have a good time.’

  Eddie nodded. ‘I’m fine, Dad. Ronny just needs to learn when to shut it, that’s all.’

  ‘Come on, twins. Say goodbye to Auntie Vi and Auntie Joan,’Jessica said, searching for her husband out of the corner of her eye. As she dragged the twins away, she clocked him. Ed was standing at the bar only yards away from Lee and his friends.

  Jessica hadn’t seen Lee Jones for years and was surprised to see him at Reg’s party. Apparently, he was best friends with Ed’s Uncle Albert’s son, and he’d invited him. Jessica’s heart was in her mouth as she sat back down with her parents. Unbeknown to Eddie, Lee had been her first love. She’d met him through his sister, Mary, and she’d had a crush on him for well over a year before he’d finally noticed she existed. They’d dated for two years on and off and Jess had lost her virginity to him. The relationship had ended when Jess had left school. It had run its course and both she and Lee amicably decided to go their separate ways.

  Aware that Lee was talking about Jessica, Eddie edged towards him. Albert’s son, John, had his back to Ed, otherwise he’d have warned Lee to shut up.

  ‘Jess was always good-looking when we were kids, but she’s a fucking stunner now. What a shame she’s married. I wonder if she’s up for a bit on the side? I’d give me right arm to fuck her again. You never know, she might even dump her husband for me,’ Lee joked.

  Like a madman, Eddie lunged towards Lee. ‘That’s my wife you’re talking about. I’ll kill you, you fucking cunt!’ Ed shouted, as he rammed Lee’s face repeatedly against the wooden bar post.

  As Jessica screamed and ran towards the bar, Stanley felt the colour drain from his face.

  ‘Stop it, Daddy, stop it,’ Frankie cried, as she followed her mum from the table.

  ‘Do something, Stanley,’ Joyce shouted, as she tried to comfort Joey. Her grandson was trembling and had crawled under the chair.

  It was Harry and Reg who managed to drag Eddie outside. His victim’s face was smashed beyond recognition and somebody had already called for an ambulance.

  Pushing his son against the wall, Harry glared at him. ‘What the fuck was that all about?’ he asked Ed.

  Reg went back inside. He hated big parties at the best of times and had never wanted one in the first place. Now he had to somehow get to Lee and bribe him, to make sure he didn’t involve the police.

  ‘Why did you do it, Eddie? Why?’ Jessica sobbed, as she ran over to her husband.

  Using all of his strength, Ed pushed his old man flying and grabbed Jessica around the throat. ‘What are you, some slag? How many other men have you fucking well slept with?’ he roared, as he tightened his grip and slammed her head against the brick wall.

  ‘I’m sorry, Ed. Stop it, please, you’re hurting me,’ Jess pleaded.

  Harry grabbed Ed around the neck from behind. ‘That’s enough. Now get back inside.’

  As Ed stormed off, Harry put a comforting arm around Jessica’s shoulder. ‘Are you OK, love?’

  Jessica burst into tears. ‘Ed frightens me when he drinks that Scotch. It turns him into a monster.’

  Harry sat Jessica down on a nearby wall. He handed her his handkerchief and told her to dry her eyes. ‘You leave Ed to me, I’ll have a word with him. Is your head OK? You’re not hurt, are you?’

  Jessica shook her head. ‘I love him so much, Harry. What am I gonna do?’

  Squeezing her hand, Harry smiled. ‘And my Ed loves you very much. I know he’s a wild card at times, but he worships the ground you walk on, Jess. Tonight was just a one-off, he’d never intentionally hurt you, I know he wouldn’t.’

  For the first time ever, Jessica saw Harry Mitchell in a different light. She’d never had much to do with him in the past. Feeling guilty for all the years she’d tried to keep Harry
away from the twins, she turned to face him. ‘Why don’t you come over for dinner one day, Harry? I’ll cook us a nice roast and you can bring Sylvie with you.’

  Harry winked at her. ‘That sounds perfect.’

  Stanley resembled a startled deer as he saw Harry clock him. He’d been rooted to the spot for the past five minutes and could barely believe what he’d witnessed. He’d seen Eddie with his hands around Jessica’s throat, and was about to react before Harry had stepped in.

  ‘Have a chat with your dad and I’ll speak to Ed,’ Harry said, walking away.

  ‘Are you OK? He didn’t hit you, did he?’ Stanley asked.

  Jessica stood up. ‘No, he didn’t. I’m fine, Dad, honest I am. It’s cold out here, let’s go back inside.’

  ‘What’s going on?’ Joyce asked, as Stanley and Jessica sat down at the table.

  As Jess hugged the twins, Stanley moved next to his wife. ‘Thanks to you, our daughter’s married to a fucking lunatic. As I walked outside, Ed had his hands around Jessica’s throat and was trying to strangle her.’

  ‘Why? What’s she done wrong? Didn’t you try and stop him, Stanley?’

  ‘His father dragged him off of her. Anyway, what was I meant to do? They’re villains, Joycie. They probably carry guns with them. They ain’t gonna take no notice of a little man like me, are they?’

  Lee had been carted off in the ambulance and had been told in no uncertain terms to say that he’d fallen down the stairs that led up to the hall, or else.

  Eddie had now calmed down a bit. His dad had given him a good talking to and he was back at the bar having a drink with his brothers.

  Most of the guests, including Auntie Joan and Auntie Vi, hadn’t batted an eyelid when Ed had kicked off. Most family get-togethers ended up in a ruckus of some kind, and once you’d seen one poor bastard beaten to pulp, you’d seen them all.

  Vi and Joan had been dancing to ‘I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts’, when the fight had erupted.

  ‘Eddie’s smashing some bloke’s head against the bar,’ Vi had said casually.

  Joan carried on singing without even bothering to look round. She’d brought the boys up, and knew full well what cloth they were cut from.

  Pissed off with Ronny and Paulie bombarding him with questions about Lee, Ed walked over to his dad. ‘Can I have a quiet word?’

  Harry excused himself from Sylvie and followed his son outside. ‘I’m sorry for pushing you, Dad. I just lost it, you know how it is.’

  Harry put a wise arm around his son’s shoulder. ‘Take my advice, Ed, talk to Jess and tell her you’re sorry. Good women are hard to find and you’ll be a fool to yourself if you lose her. I know I’m sort of courting Sylvie, but she’ll never replace your mother, no one can.’

  Ed nodded. He had no intention of taking his dad’s advice, he was far too clever for that. Give women an inch and they take a mile. ‘Thanks for the guidance,’ he said, walking away.

  ‘Oh, and by the way, Ed.’

  Eddie turned around.

  ‘If you ever push me like that again, I swear I’ll knock your fucking block off.’

  Eddie nodded, took a deep breath and strolled over to the table where Jess was sitting. ‘Come outside, we need to have a little chat,’ he told her.

  ‘I’ve ordered a cab, Jessica wants to go home,’ Stanley said curtly to Eddie.

  ‘Cancel it. Jessica’s going nowhere without me,’ Eddie said, glaring at Stanley.

  Stanley looked down at his feet. He knew when to shut up.

  The twins were both asleep now, and Ed stroked their hair. ‘We need to talk, Jess,’ he said firmly.

  As Jessica followed Eddie outside, Stanley turned to Joyce. ‘If our Jess forgives him for tonight, she wants her bleedin’ head tested.’

  Joyce said nothing. For the first time ever, she had her doubts about Eddie. Trying to strangle Jessica was not something she had ever thought Ed would do.

  ‘This is all your fault, Joycie, encouraging her to get involved with the likes of him. I tried to tell you but, as always, you wouldn’t listen.’

  Joyce stared at her husband. He was beginning to get on her nerves. He was forever blaming her for Jess getting involved with Eddie, and Joyce had had enough of it. ‘Just shut up, Stanley. Jessica chose her own husband, it was nothing to do with me. All I did was support her choice, like any good mother should. I know Eddie was out of order tonight, but every couple has their arguments. Look at me and you, we don’t stop arguing. The trouble with you, Stanley, is you never liked Eddie from day one. Ever since our Jess brought him home, you’ve been waiting for something like this to happen, just so you can say, “I told you so”.’

  Defeated, Stanley shook his head. ‘It will all end in tragedy and tears, dear. You mark my words.’

  Eddie lit a fag and leaned against the wall. ‘You should have told me, Jess. If I’d known Lee was your ex, if you’d have said something, I wouldn’t have lost it. How do you think I felt? Here I am at me uncle’s retirement party and there’s some geezer standing at the bar bragging about fucking me wife.’

  Standing on tiptoe, Jessica cupped her husband’s handsome face and gently kissed him. ‘I’m sorry, Eddie. I can’t believe Lee stood at the bar saying those things. We were only young when we dated, and he was a nice, quiet boy. He was my best friend Mary’s brother.’

  Eddie stared at the floor. ‘It’s ruined my night, Jess. I mean how would you like it, if some bird was giving it large about shagging me?’

  With the memory of her husband trying to throttle her totally erased from her mind, Jessica apologised once again. ‘I’ll never keep anything from you again, Ed. I’m really sorry. Can’t we go back and enjoy the rest of the party and forget all about it? I promise there’ll be no more secrets.’

  Ed shrugged then nodded. ‘As long as you ain’t got no more skeletons locked in the closet, I’m willing to forget about tonight.’

  Jessica felt relief as she hugged him. ‘I love you,’ she whispered.

  Eddie held her tight. ‘Oh, and one more thing. I don’t want you to have any more contact with that Mary.’

  Jessica agreed. She rarely spoke to Mary now anyway. Eddie’s feelings were far more important to her than those of some old schoolfriend.

  The perfect gentleman, Ed held the door open for Jessica. As she walked through, Eddie smirked. The best form of defence was attack and, as usual, Ed had turned the situation around to his advantage.

  TWELVE

  As Eddie Mitchell ended the phone call, he could barely wipe the grin off his face. His father had just rung him and, in undercover lingo, let him know that the Old Bill were officially treating Mad Dave’s murder as a bungled burglary and were looking for two young black males who had been seen loitering around that area the previous week.

  Desperate to tell Raymond the good news in person, rather than via the phone, Eddie picked up his car keys. Ray had been at it all weekend with the tart he’d met at Reg’s party, and had only just got rid of her.

  ‘Finish getting the kids ready, Jess. I’m just popping out for a bit, I’ll be back in about half-hour.’

  ‘Where are you going?’ Jessica called, as he slammed the front door.

  Flustered because she was running late and was not even ready herself, Jessica marched Joey and Frankie downstairs and ordered Gary and Ricky to keep an eye on them for her. ‘I won’t be long. I just want to have a quick shower and get changed. Make sure they don’t go out in the garden. They’re ready for the party and I don’t want them to get covered in mud.’

  ‘Where’s me Dad?’ Gary asked.

  Jessica shook her head. ‘How should I know? You know what your father’s like, comes and goes as he pleases.’

  ‘Can I come upstairs with you, Mummy?’ Joey whined.

  ‘No, stay down here with your sister. Mummy won’t be long, be a good boy and Gary and Ricky will play a game with you.’

  ‘Please, Mum,’ Joey screamed, clinging on to her legs.
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br />   Dragging him up by his arm, Jessica smacked him gently on his bottom. ‘Do as I say, or Daddy won’t let you go to the party.’

  Desperate for twenty minutes to herself, Jessica left her son bawling his eyes out and went upstairs to make herself glamorous. The argument between herself and Eddie was now well and truly forgotten. Jess had a big bump on the back of her head where Ed had thrown her against the wall, but she hadn’t told him that he’d hurt her. After the Lee episode, she was just thankful he’d forgiven her.

  Sipping the coffee Raymond had just made him, Eddie pulled a face and spat the contents of his mouth back into the mug.

  ‘Fucking hell, that’s rancid. I think the milk’s gone off.’

  Raymond ignored his complaint. He was more interested in hearing about the Old Bill’s findings than worrying about poxy milk.

  ‘Right, tell me from the beginning what your dad said.’

  Eddie explained the conversation in full. ‘So, it looks like we’re all off the hook. The filth always hated Mad Dave, he led ’em a merry dance for years, so they’re not gonna pursue his death with five-star treatment.’

  Raymond felt a surge of relief flow through his body. He’d been getting jumpy last night and hadn’t slept too well. At least with the new information, he could now relax a bit. ‘How does your old man know all this?’ he asked Eddie.

  Eddie smiled. ‘The old man’s had a couple of coppers on his payroll for years. One’s a bent sergeant. The dodgy cunt demands a serious backhander for his info. It’s worth it in the long run, though, we’ll never get nicked with him on our side. He’s tipped us off a few times in the past, when the filth were on our cases. An insider of that quality is worth his weight in gold.’

  Raymond nodded in agreement. ‘What you up to today, Ed? Is it all right if I come round to see Jess and the kids?’

  Raymond loved having his new flat and independence, but he hated being alone for too long. That’s why he’d let Jane, the bird he’d met, stay for two nights.

  ‘We’re going to a party down the road from me. This geezer has a big do every year. Pat Murphy his name is, he’s an ex-boxer. Go and get yourself ready, Ray, and you can come with us. Jess won’t mind, she’d love you to come,’ Eddie told him.