The Feud

by Kimberley Chambers

  Joey got showered and dressed, then sat on Frankie’s bed while she got ready.

  ‘Do my eyes look OK now?’ she asked him. She had managed to doze off for a few hours and felt a damn sight better than she had earlier.

  ‘You don’t look as bad as before. In fact, you look much better,’ Joey told her honestly.

  ‘What time did you tell Dom to arrive?’ Frankie asked him.

  Joey felt himself shudder. Inviting Dominic had seemed a good idea last night when he was inebriated, but in the cold light of day, he was now shitting himself. ‘Wesley’s picking him up in a cab from the B&B. I wish I hadn’t invited him now. You don’t think Mum or Dad or our mates will clock on, do you, sis?’

  Frankie shook her head. ‘Dominic looks as straight as a die and if he’s coming with Wesley, no one will bat an eyelid.’

  Joey breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Who did you invite? I asked a couple of other boys in the Berwick. I hope they don’t turn up – I barely know them.’

  Frankie laughed. ‘I invited Stacey, Demi and Paige. I can’t remember who else, I was a bit pissed. We better warn all of them not to mention the Berwick Manor. Mum and Dad think we went to Stacey’s after the pub, remember?’

  ‘You tell the girls to keep schtum and I’ll tell the lads. Did you invite that John?’ Joey asked.

  Shaking her head, Frankie applied some lipgloss. ‘Nah. I’m not even sure if I’m gonna see him again.’

  ‘Frankie, Joey, everyone’s waiting for you down here.’ Jessica yelled. She was getting more annoyed by their no-show by the minute.

  ‘Come on,’ Joey said, dragging his sister away from the mirror.

  Considering it had poured with rain the day before, the weather was glorious. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was scorching.

  Eddie sat out in the grounds with his uncle, brothers and Dougie.

  ‘Where’s Raymondo?’ Paulie asked.

  ‘He’ll be here soon, so will Gary and Ricky,’Eddie replied.

  Desperate to meet her son’s posh girlfriend, Joyce was up and down like a yo-yo.

  ‘Will you sit down and come away from that bloody window, woman,’ Stanley scolded her.

  Joyce gave him one of her looks. ‘No, I won’t. Now shut your face, you miserable old goat, and drink your bleedin’ beer.’

  Gary and Ricky arrived and handed Jessica a big bunch of flowers. ‘We brought the twins something, but these are for you,’ Ricky told her.

  ‘You shouldn’t have. Your dad’s in the garden. Thanks, boys,’ she said, kissing them both on the cheek.

  Joey hovered nervously in the hallway.

  ‘What’s the matter, love?’ Jessica asked him.

  ‘Nothing. Just waiting for my friends to arrive,’ he replied anxiously.

  ‘You’re acting like a right twerp. Have a couple of drinks, for fuck’s sake, else you’ll give yourself away,’ Frankie whispered to him.

  ‘All right if me and Joey have another drink, Mum?’ Frankie said, already topping up their glasses.

  ‘I suppose so. It is your birthday party, but don’t go too mad. How was your night out? You haven’t said much about it,’ Jessica asked.

  As she screwed the lid back onto the vodka bottle, Frankie smiled. ‘It was a bit boring, to be honest, Mum.’

  The ringing of the doorbell stopped Jessica from prying any more. ‘Get that, Joey!’ she yelled.

  Joey’s heart leaped as he answered it. ‘Come in, Dom. All right, Wes? Say hello to me mum, boys,’ he said, as calmly as he could.

  Jessica kissed Wesley, then turned her attention to Dominic. ‘Nice to meet you, at last. I know my Joey spends hours talking to you on the phone, but we haven’t met before, have we?’

  ‘No, Mrs Mitchell,’ Dominic answered politely.

  Jessica was shocked by Dominic’s appearance. He was obviously into bodybuilding or something and looked years older than Joey or Wesley.

  Dominic had been in this situation in the past with other boyfriends’ parents. He knew exactly how to play it. ‘Your Joey likes coming out with me, Mrs Mitchell. We pull so many girls, we’re babe magnets, aren’t we Joey?’ he joked.

  Joey nodded dumbly.

  Frankie’s pals arrived shortly after Joey’s. ‘Where did yous sneak off to last night? Joey said you went to a party in Dagenham,’ Frankie asked them.

  ‘Our night was probably boring compared to yours. The party was crap. Who was that boy you were with?’ Stacey pried.

  ‘He was gorgeous,’ Demi added.

  ‘I’ve never seen you behave like that before, Frankie. You looked well loved-up with him, you did,’ Paige giggled.

  ‘Oh, I’ve known him for years. It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later. Don’t mention him in front of my parents and don’t mention the Berwick Manor. If any one asks, we went to the pub, then back to yours, Stacey.’

  Joyce heard a car engine and almost flew towards the window. ‘Here they are. She’s pretty, Stanley. Looks posh, she does. A bit thin. I’ll have to get Raymond to bring her around ours. I can soon fatten her up – looks like she needs a good dinner, she does.’

  Stanley scowled at his wife. She had just moved quicker than his bloody pigeons could. ‘For Christ’s sake, Joycie, don’t start with your comments and embarrass our Raymond, will you?’

  Joyce looked at Stanley as though he were something on the bottom of her shoe. ‘Since when have I ever embarrassed anyone?’ she asked innocently.

  As her son and Polly walked towards her, Joyce smiled at the girl and, unable to stop herself, did a little curtsy.

  ‘Whatever are you doing, Mother?’ Raymond asked her.

  Joyce ignored him. ‘Pleased to meet you, Polly. My Raymond’s told me so much about you. This is my husband, Stanley. Stanley, stand up and shake Polly’s hand.’

  Jessica stood in the doorway with Vicki. Unable to stifle their laughter, they fled back to the kitchen. Raymond followed them.

  ‘Mother’s off her fucking head. Pour Polly a glass of red wine, sis. I’ll have a beer. This is gonna be a nightmare, I just know it.’

  ‘Get us another lager, Ed. You got any stronger than five per cent?’ Ronny asked his brother.

  Eddie had put a load of cold beers in a black dustbin in the garden and filled it with blocks of ice. ‘I dunno what’s in there. I’ll have a look for you,’ he said.

  Ronny raced towards the bin in his wheelchair. ‘I’ll have the Stella. Five point two, that is,’ he said snatching two cans.

  Eddie sat back down. He and Paulie had just been discussing their father’s murder.

  ‘So, where do we go from here? I’ve chased up Dad’s old contacts in the filth and they still reckon they ain’t got nothing. They said they never found as much as a fingerprint,’ Paulie said.

  Eddie felt the usual fire in his belly as he discussed his father’s death. He had spoken to every underworld contact he knew ten times over, and no one had heard anything. The Old Bill still reckoned it was something to do with the kids that had been hanging around the area, being a nuisance, but Eddie wasn’t so sure. How could a bunch of kids bludgeon to death a gangland legend and not leave a fucking clue?

  Eddie swallowed his beer in one go. ‘I’ll pop round to see all Dad’s neighbours again this week. I’ll knock on every door for miles if I have to. Some cunt must know, or at least have heard something.’

  Paulie nodded. ‘It just don’t seem fucking feasible, none of it, does it?’

  Eddie stood up. He needed a refill. The conversation was making him thirsty. Face etched with anger, he faced his brother. ‘Don’t worry, Paulie. I’ll find out who did it and, when I get me hands on the cunt, I will torture him for weeks. I’ll starve him, burn him, cut him, then pull all his teeth and fingernails out, one by one. By the time I’ve finished, whoever did it will wish they’d never been born!’

  Jessica was sweating in the dress she had on. She went upstairs to get changed into a vest top and shorts. She would have liked to have pu
t on her bikini and jumped into the swimming pool, but didn’t feel comfortable in front of Eddie’s family. She had noticed Ronny leering at her in the past, and was sure he was a pervert.

  Vicki giggled as Jessica sat down next to her. She had mixed them up some cocktails and they had been having a right old laugh at the expense of Eddie’s family. ‘Shut your legs, Jess. Quick, the pervert’s looking over,’ Vicki said laughing.

  Jessica glanced at Ronny out of the corner of her eye. She had dark sunglasses on, so he couldn’t see her looking at him. ‘I never liked him when I first got with Eddie. He was really jealous of our relationship,’ she told Vicki.

  ‘Is his wife here?’ Vicki asked.

  ‘No, of course not. Sharon’s not his wife, she’s his girlfriend, the poor cow. Neither Paulie nor Reg have brought their other halves, either. I reckon they keep all their women shut in cupboards indoors. The only time I’ve ever seen ’em out is at weddings or funerals.’

  Vicki smiled. ‘I wouldn’t put up with that, would you? I mean, I know Dougie usually leaves me and stands with the men, but that doesn’t bother me. I wouldn’t be left indoors all the time, though, would you?’

  Jessica shook her head. ‘That’s one thing I must say about my Eddie. He can be a sod at times, but he’s always put me and the kids first. He’s a real family man, he is.’

  Glancing back at Ronny, Vicki started to giggle again. ‘Do you reckon his todger works if he’s paralysed?’

  Jessica burst out laughing. ‘Shut up, Vicki, for Christ’s sake. You’ve just put me off me piña colada.’

  Joyce couldn’t help herself. Every time Polly and Raymond walked away, she reappeared by their side like a shadow. ‘So, how long has your father been in the jewellery business, Polly? Raymond says he has lots of shops. How many exactly has he got?’

  Sighing at Polly, Raymond linked arms with his mother and gently led her away. ‘Mum, you’re going a bit over the top now. Polly’s come here to socialise, not be interrogated. Sit down and have a drink with Dad. You can meet Polly another time. Perhaps I’ll bring her round yours one day or something.’

  ‘That’ll be nice, dear,’ Joyce said, smiling.

  Spotting what her husband had done, Joyce’s smile disappeared. ‘What the bloody hell have you got on your bonce? Take it off, Stanley.’

  ‘It’s only me handkerchief. The sun’s burning me scalp. It’s all right for you, you’ve got hair,’ Stanley moaned.

  Joyce snatched the handkerchief off his head. ‘What will Polly think? You look like something out of It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, you silly old bastard!’

  Stacey, Demi and Paige sat with their mouths wide open as Frankie told them all about her liaison with Jed.

  ‘So, was his willy big?’ Demi asked.

  ‘I suppose so. I dunno – I’ve never seen a real one before,’ Frankie replied giggling.

  Seeing her brother, Dominic and Wesley heading their way, she told the girls to say no more.

  ‘I really like that Dominic. Can’t you put a word in for me?’ Stacey begged her.

  If only she knew, Frankie thought as she nodded her head. ‘I’m going to the toilet and then I’ll get me dad to put some music on,’ she told the girls.

  Eddie was busy on barbecue duty. ‘All right, sweetheart? Tell yours and Joey’s mates that the food’s ready now,’ he told Frankie.

  Frankie gave him a hug. ‘What’s that for?’ he asked.

  ‘Dunno. ’Cause I love you, I suppose,’ Frankie replied guiltily.

  ‘Who’s that geezer standing over there with you? The tall one with the dark hair. Looks older than your crowd,’ Eddie asked. He didn’t trust strangers, especially in his house.

  ‘Oh that’s Wesley’s mate, Dominic. Me and Joey know him well, he’s a really nice person, Dad.’

  Satisfied with Frankie’s explanation, Eddie winked at his daughter and held up a burnt-looking steak on a large fork. ‘Grub’s up, everybody,’ he bellowed.

  Frankie went upstairs, sat on her bed and searched through her purse. When she’d come in this morning, she’d written Jed’s number on a piece of paper, then washed it off her arm. She was tempted to ring him and arrange a date for the following day. Staring at his number, she switched on her mobile. Should she? Shouldn’t she?

  ‘Hello, yous two,’ she said, as Buster and Bruno came tottering towards her.

  Shoving the piece of paper into her bedside drawer, she switched off her phone and went back to the party.

  Jessica had prepared three massive bowls of salad. She had also made coleslaw and warmed up lots of garlic bread. ‘Help yourselves – there’s plenty more in the kitchen,’ she urged everybody.

  As Jessica sat down to eat hers, she studied her son from behind her glasses. She was intrigued by what she saw. The way he and Dominic were looking at one another wasn’t normal. They looked at each other the way she looked at Eddie.

  As the two lads walked towards the barbecue, Jessica noticed Joey slyly pinch Dominic’s bum.

  ‘Oh my God,’ she said out loud.

  ‘Whatever’s wrong? Are you OK, Jess?’ Vicki asked concerned.

  Jessica chucked her plate on the grass and jumped out of her seat. ‘No, I’m not. In fact, I think I’m gonna be sick.’

  THIRTY

  Eddie waved goodbye to the last of the guests and shut the front door.

  ‘Are you OK? You’ve been ever so quiet and you look really pale,’ he asked Jessica.

  ‘I’ve got a terrible migraine. Are Gary and Ricky still here?’ Jessica replied.

  Eddie nodded and gave his wife a big cuddle. ‘I thought it was a great party. Even Ronny behaved himself and that’s a first.’

  Jessica nodded. ‘I was enjoying it earlier, before I came over bad.’

  ‘The twins got some nice presents, didn’t they? Did you see their faces when your mother brought the cake out and made everybody sing “Happy Birthday”. They were well embarrassed and their friends were taking the right piss out of ’em.’

  Jessica kissed Eddie on the lips. ‘I’m going to bed now. You sit up and have a nightcap with Gary and Ricky. I’ll tidy up in the morning, when I feel a bit better.’

  ‘Sweet dreams,’ Eddie whispered lovingly.

  Jessica barely slept at all that night. Her mind was in turmoil as she tried to convince herself that Joey was straight and she was wrong. She pictured herself at Joey’s age. She had been knocking about with her old friend, Mary, then. Had they ever pinched one another’s bottoms for a laugh, or looked at one another romantically. No, they hadn’t.

  As much as she hated to admit it, Jessica wondered if, deep down, she had always known that Joey was different. He had brought girls to the house over the years and had even introduced them as his girlfriends, but Jessica had never been fooled.

  Seeing him with Dominic earlier – the closeness between them, the affectionate glances – was proof of something she had desperately tried to avoid. Joey was still her son. She would love him whatever he was, but Eddie certainly wouldn’t. One sniff of her son’s sexuality coming out into the open and there would be murders, literally.

  Two doors away, Frankie was also unable to sleep properly. Every time she shut her eyes, Jed O’Hara’s face disrupted her thoughts.

  At 8 a.m., she got out of bed and took the piece of paper out of the drawer. She switched on her mobile phone. It was so early, he probably wasn’t even awake yet. Punching in his number, she held her breath. Her heart was beating like a drum and, as he answered, she could barely speak through nervousness.

  ‘All right? It’s Frankie,’ she mumbled.

  Jed laughed. ‘You took your time ringing me, didn’t ya?’

  ‘You’re awake, then?’ Frankie said stupidly.

  ‘Of course I’m awake, you dinlo. I’m talking to you, ain’t I?’

  Sensing her apprehension, Jed smiled. He often had this effect on women and he was used to it. ‘What you up to? Meet me in half-hour,’ he told her.

  Frankie
nearly dropped the phone in shock. ‘It’s only just gone eight. I haven’t had a shower yet. I need some time to get ready.’

  ‘Well, make it an hour then. Shall I pick you up from outside your house?’ Jed asked.

  ‘No. Don’t pick me up from here. Where else can I meet you?’

  Jed chuckled. He was dying to see Frankie again. ‘You know where my house is, don’tcha? Just before you get there, in the direction you’re coming from, there’s a layby on the left. I’ll meet you there, say half-nine.’

  Frankie smiled. ‘See you then.’

  ‘And Frankie, don’t put on too much make-up. I wanna see that pretty face of yours.’

  Frankie felt faint as she ended the phone call. She didn’t have a clue what to wear and had very little time to get ready.

  Hearing Frankie switch the shower off, Jessica got out of bed. Joey and Frankie were as close as close could be, and if anyone knew his sordid secret, it was Frankie.

  She gently tapped on her daughter’s bedroom door.

  ‘This is all I fucking need,’ Frankie muttered, as she chucked half her wardrobe onto the floor.

  ‘Can I come in, love?’ Jessica whispered.

  ‘Yes,’ Frankie replied angrily.

  Jessica sat on the edge of Frankie’s bed. Her daughter wasn’t the earliest riser on earth and she wondered what was so special about today. ‘You’re up early. Going somewhere nice, are you?’

  With time running out, Frankie decided her acid washed jeans and denim jacket would have to do. Her black suede ankle boots and black basque were enough to tart the outfit up. She didn’t want to look like a tomboy. ‘I’m going out with the girls. It’s Stacey’s cousin’s birthday and she’s having a barbecue,’ Frankie lied.

  Jessica knew when Frankie was lying, but said nothing. Whatever she was hiding couldn’t be any worse than Joey’s little secret, and Jessica was more worried about her son than her daughter. ‘Has, erm, Joey said anything to you recently about his life? He hasn’t confided in you about anything unusual, has he?’