Laffertys.’
‘Ha!’ Mum almost yelled at him.
He looked angrier than ever. ‘Or it might. We’ll take a statement from you and we’ll be talking to them again. As for you, young lady –’ Before he could say another word, Mum stepped in.
‘Don’t you dare tell her to behave herself. We need protecting from the animals up here. And you’re doing nothing about it. They all say the cops are useless! And now I know they’re right. This will be the last time I expect any help from you!’
The Sergeant and PC Grant took a statement from my mother in silence. An angry silence. There was no answer to what she’d said, and they didn’t even bother to try.
She closed the door on them and burst into tears. ‘Oh, Kerry. What have I done? We’ve got to get away from here. We’ve just got to!’
Chapter Seventeen
‘That was rotten,’ Ming said when I told him about the television. We were standing outside the Wee Hippy. ‘But you know who did it, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do. The Laffertys. But I’ll never convince my mother. Sandra’s the guilty one, according to her.’
‘What has your mother got against my maw anyway?’
That made me laugh. ‘Oh, well, that strangulation in the laundrette didn’t help matters.’
That only amused Ming. ‘I take it she’s not going to change her mind, then?’
‘No. Why should she? She thinks your mother’s responsible.’
Ming was quiet for a moment. ‘Ma Lafferty’s been in our house asking.’
‘Has she?’
Ming went on thoughtfully, ‘She’s been in our house a lot lately.’
‘Is everything OK, Ming?’
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Och, it’s just with my maw losing her job – she’s finding it harder to keep up the payments.’ Then he brightened again. ‘But my maw’ll be OK. My maw’s always OK.’
One thing about Ming. He had complete faith in his mother.
As for mine, I was never sure of what she was going to do next.
I didn’t have to wait long to find out.
She was waiting for me one afternoon when I got out of school. She was looking brighter than I’d seen her for a long time. She’d unpacked one of her dresses, though unfortunately she hadn’t bothered to iron it. Still, it was nice to see her dressed up for a change.
‘We’re going out for a meal,’ she said, linking her arm in mine as if we were sisters. I hate it when she does that. I glanced around to make sure none of my classmates were looking.
‘Why?’
‘We’ve been through a lot. We deserve to spoil ourselves.’
I didn’t ask any more. Not then. It was nice just to have my old mum back again for a while.
We ate spaghetti at a little Italian restaurant and Mum had a glass of red wine.
‘I went into the Job Centre today,’ she said, ‘and I filled out an application form. There’s a job vacancy in an estate agency. I could do that. A nice office job dealing with the public.’
‘Great, Mum.’ I couldn’t believe the change in her.
I was glad she waited till I’d finished my ice cream before she told me why she was so happy.
‘I also went to the Housing Department,’ she said. ‘Spoke to a very nice woman. Told her everything. About all the trouble we’ve been having with her next door.’ That was when I saw the anger flash in her eyes. ‘I told her about the incident in the laundrette.’ She hesitated, still hardly able to talk about it. ‘And about what she did to our television.’
I started to protest but she wouldn’t listen.
‘I said I refuse to stay next door to that evil woman.’
‘Sandra,’ I said.
‘And Ming! What a name!’
I tried to ignore the sinking feeling I had in the pit of my stomach. What had she done now?
‘Anyway,’ Mum went on, ‘I told her we want out. Another house. Anywhere’s got to be better than where we are.’
‘And … ?’ I prayed she was about to tell me we were moving, lock, stock and bleached television, back to civilization.
‘She’s going to look into it. It’s all to do
‘Ha!’ Mum almost yelled at him.
He looked angrier than ever. ‘Or it might. We’ll take a statement from you and we’ll be talking to them again. As for you, young lady –’ Before he could say another word, Mum stepped in.
‘Don’t you dare tell her to behave herself. We need protecting from the animals up here. And you’re doing nothing about it. They all say the cops are useless! And now I know they’re right. This will be the last time I expect any help from you!’
The Sergeant and PC Grant took a statement from my mother in silence. An angry silence. There was no answer to what she’d said, and they didn’t even bother to try.
She closed the door on them and burst into tears. ‘Oh, Kerry. What have I done? We’ve got to get away from here. We’ve just got to!’
Chapter Seventeen
‘That was rotten,’ Ming said when I told him about the television. We were standing outside the Wee Hippy. ‘But you know who did it, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do. The Laffertys. But I’ll never convince my mother. Sandra’s the guilty one, according to her.’
‘What has your mother got against my maw anyway?’
That made me laugh. ‘Oh, well, that strangulation in the laundrette didn’t help matters.’
That only amused Ming. ‘I take it she’s not going to change her mind, then?’
‘No. Why should she? She thinks your mother’s responsible.’
Ming was quiet for a moment. ‘Ma Lafferty’s been in our house asking.’
‘Has she?’
Ming went on thoughtfully, ‘She’s been in our house a lot lately.’
‘Is everything OK, Ming?’
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Och, it’s just with my maw losing her job – she’s finding it harder to keep up the payments.’ Then he brightened again. ‘But my maw’ll be OK. My maw’s always OK.’
One thing about Ming. He had complete faith in his mother.
As for mine, I was never sure of what she was going to do next.
I didn’t have to wait long to find out.
She was waiting for me one afternoon when I got out of school. She was looking brighter than I’d seen her for a long time. She’d unpacked one of her dresses, though unfortunately she hadn’t bothered to iron it. Still, it was nice to see her dressed up for a change.
‘We’re going out for a meal,’ she said, linking her arm in mine as if we were sisters. I hate it when she does that. I glanced around to make sure none of my classmates were looking.
‘Why?’
‘We’ve been through a lot. We deserve to spoil ourselves.’
I didn’t ask any more. Not then. It was nice just to have my old mum back again for a while.
We ate spaghetti at a little Italian restaurant and Mum had a glass of red wine.
‘I went into the Job Centre today,’ she said, ‘and I filled out an application form. There’s a job vacancy in an estate agency. I could do that. A nice office job dealing with the public.’
‘Great, Mum.’ I couldn’t believe the change in her.
I was glad she waited till I’d finished my ice cream before she told me why she was so happy.
‘I also went to the Housing Department,’ she said. ‘Spoke to a very nice woman. Told her everything. About all the trouble we’ve been having with her next door.’ That was when I saw the anger flash in her eyes. ‘I told her about the incident in the laundrette.’ She hesitated, still hardly able to talk about it. ‘And about what she did to our television.’
I started to protest but she wouldn’t listen.
‘I said I refuse to stay next door to that evil woman.’
‘Sandra,’ I said.
‘And Ming! What a name!’
I tried to ignore the sinking feeling I had in the pit of my stomach. What had she done now?
‘Anyway,’ Mum went on, ‘I told her we want out. Another house. Anywhere’s got to be better than where we are.’
‘And … ?’ I prayed she was about to tell me we were moving, lock, stock and bleached television, back to civilization.
‘She’s going to look into it. It’s all to do
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