“Well…” Jakey rubbed his hands together, “I’ll pop the kettle on, while you all get to know one another. I’ve got a chocolate and raspberry chiffon cake defrosting.”
Guy eventually leaned towards Clara and spoke.
“Are you alright, Mam?” He reached out to rub her hand gently.
Starla’s eyes welled at the tenderness of Guy’s gesture. Marnie, watching, thought Starla’s reaction was odd. Also odd, she thought, was Clara’s reaction to Guy. Her mother shrank from Guy’s touch as though he were burning her skin. She thrust the tin of rock cakes under his nose instead.
“You know the abuse on Billie’s social network sites?” Guy said, ignoring the tin.
“Ah yes.” Starla jumped up and brushed some crumbs off one of Clara’s ‘tyres’. “Clara told me about that, didn’t you Clara?”
She flicked her eyes at the imprisoned mugger: “Those people saying horrid things about you and about Bills too, remember Clara?”
Clara nodded back dumbly.
Marnie narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the familiar version of her sister’s name flowing so easily from this stranger’s lips and the way that she appeared to be operating her mother like a puppet, stressing her name constantly in order to gain agreement.
“Well…” Guy continued, “It wasn’t prompted by that magazine article at all. It’s a lot closer to home.”
Everyone looked puzzled.
“What do you mean?” asked Starla.
“Turns out the people who have been sending all the vile messages to Bills are the Unwin boys – Greg and Charlie. Their grandmother, Edna Unwin, our delightful next door neighbour, has been giving them lots of information about your health issues, Mam.”
Clara looked nonplussed.
Starla paced by the side of Clara’s chair and punched her right fist into her left hand. “Why that miserable old witch! Next time I see her, I’ll punch her on the nose.”
“Do you even know the Unwins?” Marnie sprang up from her chair, confused, and stood opposite Starla confrontationally.
“Not really. I’m just showing solidarity,” muttered Starla. “I’ll go and help Jakey with the coffee.”
Marnie was more confused than ever as she looked across at her mother. Clara didn’t seem in the slightest bit bothered about Billie’s tormentors yet the other day she had been distraught beyond words.
What the hell was going on?
Clara leaned her head slightly forward in her huge chair and looked Marnie up and down several times.
Marnie felt uncomfortable, then even more so when her mother said: “I’ve seen one of your films.”
36
Thursday
STARLA
Starla tried to calm herself down by watching Jakey as he cleared some space in the kitchen. He was a fine-looking man. The tall, gawky, spotty boy that she’d known as a teenager had long gone. In his place, a man with defined facial features, broad shoulders and strong arms had appeared. Once Vic had gone from her life, she had been able to clear her head enough to recognise how handsome Jakey really was. Quite a few other girls had noticed too but Jakey had only ever held Clara in his sights.
However, it was not Jakey’s looks that attracted the majority of people to him. He quite literally was the kindest man that she had ever met… that most people had ever met. How had she ever imagined him as a cheat? He hadn’t got a bad bone in his body. Granted, he’d flown off the handle when he’d found out about Billie’s condition but he was very protective towards his daughter. Billie was his only child… although he’d been a wonderful father to both sets of twins.
Starla moved behind Jakey, put her arms around him and murmured into his back: “I love you.”
Jakey turned around and smiled.
“I love you too. I’ll show you later if your luck holds!”
At the same time, the pair of them remembered that Marnie and Guy were in the next room. They pulled apart, as guilty as children with chocolate round their faces.
“I think Marnie suspects something,” whispered Starla.
“She’s going to Cape Verde in two days. She’ll have forgotten about it all by then,” responded Jakey, also whispering.
“Hmmm…” Starla wasn’t convinced.
“His face is a bit of a mess!” commented Jakey, in reference to Guy’s bruises.
“It’s terrible!” said Starla. “I want to put some arnica on it but he’ll think I’m a longlost mad auntie with the hots for him if I start touching his face.”
Jakey chuckled.
“I hope you’re a longlost mad auntie with the hots for me,” he winked.
The two of them stole a quick kiss then Jakey bent to retrieve some clean mugs from the dishwasher.
As he did so, the back door opened and Gav entered… with Morgan!
“Hey, Jakey,” said Gav awkwardly, shaking himself out of a rather wet jacket.
“Gav!” Jakey seemed genuinely pleased to see Gav, having not seen him in what felt like ages.
“I’ve brought my, er, my partner… my fiancé… round to meet you. Morgan – Morgs for short.” Gav looked even more awkward, expecting Jakey to say something like “where is she then?” or “OK, but who is this bloke who’s followed you in?”
Instead, Jakey calmly leaned forward and shook Morgan’s hand warmly.
“Hi, Morgs. It’s great to meet you at last. Come on in, mate. Dry yourself off there. Those towels on the airer should be dry enough. I’m just making some coffee. Everyone’s here today. I expect you saw Marnie’s car outside. Oh, and this is Starla. Long story. Go into the living room and get them to explain!”
The couple went through and Starla blew upwards, making her fringe hover a little with the breeze she created.
“Thanks for that, Jakey,” she smiled.
“I’m just glad I knew,” Jakey grinned back, arranging the mugs on the tray. “Grab that chiffon cake and a knife. It should be defrosted by now. Hey, are you OK?”
“Oh, I’ll be alright. I feel angry about the Unwin boys sending all that bad stuff to Billie. She’s got enough on her plate at the moment, without those idiots pouring their bigotry onto the internet.”
“The Unwin boys?”
Starla had forgotten that Jakey wasn’t in the room when Guy had revealed Billie’s tormentors.
“Yes, Edna’s been feeding them all sorts of vitriol. Greg and Charlie have been spilling it all out onto the internet.”
“Those boys are old enough to know better,” said Jakey, angry and protective once more. “I feel like going next door and having a few choice words with Edna and George Unwin.”
“I think that’s what we should do. But… I think we should do it when the ambulance comes for Clara tomorrow. We can kill two birds with one stone that way. Keep the old busybody away from the window and have a long conversation with her and George about their grandsons.”
“That’s a brilliant idea, Starla! I know the whole ambulance turning up thing is bothering you. This way, we can at least try to stop the worst gossip in the street from having anything to gossip about.”
“There are plenty of other gossips in Jubilee Terrace but, with any luck, Mikey will have her on board before their tongues wag too hard.”
“What about when she comes back?” asked Jakey.
“Maybe I could make an appointment at the school tomorrow afternoon with Mrs Lambert, to discuss Billie’s online abuse? I’m sure Edna would fall over herself to come along, if I invited her. She’ll be wanting to clear her grandsons’ names, I’ll bet.”
“It’s worth a shot anyway – and you said you needed to get in touch with Mrs Lambert.”
“Yes, we need to discuss Billie’s education being put on hold.”
Starla exhaled in frustration.
“I can come with you. You don’t have to do this all on your own,” said Jakey gently.
“It’s not that… it’s just upsetting not being able to hug my beautiful children,” sighed Starla.
/> “I know, sweetheart. You will again soon. Hang in there!”
Once back in the living room, coffees were distributed, and Starla sat herself down at the table opposite Jakey. She got the impression that Gav and Morgan had already seen Guy’s injuries because they barely reacted to his face at all. In fact, Gav would have been the first person that Guy would have called for help. To back her theory up, Starla noticed that the twins sat next to each other on the couch occasionally whispering. Gav, in the middle, sat next to Morgan who was clearly used to having his partner whisper with a twin brother. Starla thought that she wouldn’t like to share Jakey in that way.
Marnie was now perched on the arm of Clara’s chair.
“So you see…” continued Morgan, sitting at the end of the settee that was closest to Clara’s chair. “We never really set out to hurt anyone. We just wanted to make you happy. We’re terribly sorry.”
“You were so down at the time, Mam,” added Marnie. “I asked Morgs to pose on the photos and to come and see you as ‘Rob Pratt’. It cheered you up to meet him and to know that I was getting married to the man you thought was Skye’s father. You were delighted about me keeping my own surname too. That’s why we came up with the name ‘Pratt’. It’s a common enough name but one that couldn’t possibly compete with ‘Waterfall’.
“My real surname is ‘Smith’. About as boring as they come!” added Morgan.
Clara looked as though she’d had enough of the Waterfall family.
“I’m so sorry, Mam,” sniffed Marnie. “About everything. Lying to you about having a husband; giving you a hard time about the magazine article; not telling you that I was going to Cape Verde to work out there…”
“To work on another film?” asked Clara.
“Yes, I told you about ten minutes ago,” replied Marnie, impatiently. “Mam… are you feeling alright? Have you had all your meds today?”
Jakey interrupted. “She’s up to date with everything Marnie but it’s a lot to take in. Perhaps you could go back to just doing the hairdressing? I’m sure that would make her feel better.”
“I think that this will be my last job of this type. I’m beginning to develop some morals or something. It’s a shame because I so desperately wanted Skye to go to Marlingstone Girls. I even went to look around the school last week, you know. The headteacher was so kind. He insisted on me calling him James and couldn’t do enough to help me, he really couldn’t.”
Marnie blushed.
“I quite liked him actually,” she added.
“We’ll do everything we can to help Skye get into Marlingstone, since it’s so important to you,” promised Jakey. “It looks as though I shall be moving on from the Muncaster soon. I’m sure we’ll be able to help out financially.”
“Jakey, you and Mam have enough to contend with. Please don’t think you need to help me out. It’s really sweet of you but I know it’s not an easy ride for you both. Besides, you do so much already! How would I ever cope without your babysitting services?”
“Morgs and I don’t mind chipping in, Sis,” added Gav with Morgan nodding enthusiastically by his side.
“I can’t expect everyone else to pay for me all the time,” wailed Marnie, “I’ve taken so much already. The flat, the free childcare… I feel as though I’m not giving enough back.”
“Nonsense,” said Jakey. “You do your mam’s hair most weeks and having Skye here so often makes us both really happy. Her visits are beyond priceless! Besides, your mam and I may be coming into a bit of money. I’ve, er, written a book.”
“A book?” Guy and Gav repeated at the same time in their identical voices.
“A cookery book,” Jakey explained, “with all the recipes you lot love. I’ve got the backing of Clinton Montague-Scott and at least one of my recipes is going to be used in The Great British Baking Challenge. I get paid for that, you know! Paid? It’s crazy, isn’t it? I’d do it for free, no problem.”
Starla looked at Jakey proudly.
Marnie clapped her hands.
“That’s amazing, Dad! Well done you! Oh my goodness, you must be so proud of him, Mam!”
“You c… called me ‘Dad’,” Jakey faltered.
“You’ve always been our dad,” said Marnie, hugging him.
“Sis is right,” agreed Gav, getting up to shake Jakey’s hand. “You’re the only dad that we’ve ever known.”
Starla watched Marnie, Gav and Morgan quiz Jakey about the book but she noticed that Guy remained silent. He clearly had other things on his mind. She was so angry with him for messing around with Tina, but she still loved him to bits and she hated seeing him so battered and bruised – her youngest boy, her little computer whizz-kid.
At six foot plus, he was not so little now. None of her children were small, even Billie had shot up past her. Must be the Waterfall genes, thought Starla, remembering her own dad towering above everyone else down the Working Men’s Club, where she used to sit on a window seat playing Cat’s Cradle with her friend, Annie. Poor Annie, recalled Starla, she was always covered in bruises, too. And that didn’t change when she moved away from her abusive father, into the arms of an abusive husband.
“So, Starla?” quizzed Guy, cutting through her thoughts. “Do we have any other hidden aunts and uncles?”
“Not that I know of,” Starla replied. “It’s only me, I’m afraid. No Tom, Dick or Harriet.”
Jakey suddenly cleared his throat.
“Since today is turning into something of a Revelation Day…” he began.
Starla smiled warmly, pulling her best longlost aunt face.
“… with aunts and fiancés and soon-to-be-published books,” Jakey continued. “I have something to add that may be of interest to Marnie, Gav and Guy.”
The only sound in the room was Clara slurping her fizzy drink, disinterest plastered all over her face.
“Yesterday I bumped into your father, Vic Smedley. I’ve not seen him in nearly thirty years. His mother died last week and he’s back for the funeral, which is being held at Hawpeak Crematorium tomorrow at four o’clock. I’m telling you because you may want to pay your respects to your dead grandmother. But also… well, I have good reason to believe that Vic has something belonging to this family. And we need to get it back off him.”
Starla saw Marnie gasp. The last time Marnie had seen her father, she’d been a tiny tot. She always said that she had some recall of him but Starla wondered if it were just a very blurred distinction between fact and fantasy. She was more likely to remember her grandad, who passed away just before she and Mikey turned three; or Spud, who would often come round to visit with a big bag of chips or, sometimes, chewy sweeties for the twins – before Jakey became a permanent fixture.
Gav and Guy had never met their father but knew his name.
“What does he have of ours?” asked Gav.
“It’s a ring. A Celtic ring. It belongs to your mother,” Jakey stated.
“More jewellery!” cried Marnie. “Does it match that antique necklace you were wearing earlier this week, Mam?”
Clara shrugged and reached for another can of pop from her dining board.
Starla stood up and pulled the Celtic necklace out from behind the photo of Gav and Guy.
“This one?” she passed it to Marnie.
“It’s beautiful!” Morgan exclaimed.
“Yes, that’s the one! Mam was wearing it, weren’t you Mam?”
Clara nodded, dumbstruck and weary, so very weary, of this tiresome family, their confessions and revelations, their antics and lies.
“Can I have a slice of that chocolate cake?” she managed to say eventually.
Starla opened her hand as Marnie passed the necklace back to her, then watched as her beautiful daughter moved over to the table to cut the chocolate and raspberry chiffon cake. Marnie cut a large slice for Clara, while Starla showed Jakey the amulet.
“How did your sister know the necklace was there?” Starla heard Marnie whisper to Clara, as she hande
d over the piece of cake balanced on a small white plate with a fork beside it.
“She put it there,” answered Clara, grabbing the cake greedily, ignoring the fork and biting into the light sponge in a most unladylike fashion.
“There’s a matching ring.” Clara spat crumbs at Marnie, in her haste to mention the ring. “It’s a very special ring. It’s… it’s particula…”
Before Clara could continue her sentence, a couple of crumbs flew into her airway and she began to splutter. In no time, she turned crimson and was clearly struggling for breath.
Marnie ran over to the bed and wheeled the oxygen around the table next to her mother’s chair.
Once more, a mask was clapped over Clara’s face and she had to rely on air being forced into her, rather than taking it in naturally.
After a short while, Clara’s breathing became more relaxed but Marnie left the mask on as a precaution. Everyone in the room looked relieved and Starla, although she couldn’t really care less what happened to this brutish crook, pretended likewise.
“So how come our dad has Mam’s ring in his possession?” asked Guy in due course.
“Oh, he’s had it a while,” said Jakey, vaguely. “This could be our one chance to get it back where it belongs.”
“How do you know he’ll have it on him at the funeral?” questioned Marnie.
“We don’t know that for sure. We’re just hoping he might.”
“So, what do you want us to do? Wrestle him to the ground for it?” Guy looked very uncertain.
“It’s Mikey we need if there’s tackling on the agenda,” said Gav matter-of-factly, staring at Guy’s face.
“Not exactly. Maybe we could appeal to his better nature?” Jakey shrugged. “We just need to try to get it back… for your Mam’s sake. I’ve already sent a text to Mikey asking him to come along tomorrow afternoon. He finishes his shift at two so he’s well up for it.”
“We can make it there as well. I don’t always work on Friday afternoons and Morgs takes Fridays off,” Gav added.
“I get out of school just after three on Fridays, so I’ll meet you all at the crem at four,” agreed Guy.
Dying to Be Slim Page 21
