were going to pop the
question? Jesus Vinny, you have got it bad!’
‘Yeah,’
replied Vinny, becoming annoyed. ‘Fuckin’ muggins, that’s me. Two hundred quid
this set me back and she can’t even be arsed showing up. She’s probably out
with that bunch of slags she hangs around with.’
‘Oh, Rita
the Man Eater and that blonde bird with the big tits, do you mean?’
‘Yeah,
that’s right; all out on the cop while I’m sat in a restaurant looking like a
right dick.’
‘I don’t
fancy your chances if she’s out with them two mate. I bet they’ve copped off
already.’
‘But
Julie’s not like them two Pete.’
‘Well,
maybe not, but I wouldn’t trust that Rita as far as I could throw her, not
after what she did to me.’
‘Yeah, but
you had only seen her a couple of times though, hadn’t you? You’d have probably
dumped her soon anyway. It’s not like me and Julie, we’ve been together for a
while now.’
‘That
doesn’t mean to say she’s not seeing someone-else behind your back though does
it? They’re all the same them lot; they just use blokes for what they can get.
I thought that Rita was a good laugh, but she was just taking the piss, letting
me take her for meals while she had other blokes on the go as well.’
‘Yeah, but
you were seeing someone-else as well Pete, weren’t you?’
‘At least I
wasn’t flaunting it in front of her face. I felt dead shown up when she walked
in Saturdays with that bloke and just sailed right past me without even letting
on. I felt like a right mug.’
‘I know how
you feel mate,’ Vinny responded.
This
prompted some sympathy from Pete who realised how carried away he had been in
maligning Rita when his friend was feeling hurt. He slung his arm around
Vinny’s shoulder in a rough, masculine embrace. ‘Look mate, don’t let it worry
you. There’s plenty of birds you could have. If she can’t be arsed, then find
someone who can.’
Vinny
looked down in silence and took solace in his pint of beer. Pete tried to
discuss other matters in order to take Vinny’s mind off the situation, but
after they had drank a few pints, Vinny raised the subject again.
‘I’m going
to ring her and find out what the problem is.’
‘She won’t
be in.’
‘Well I’ll ring
her in the morning then.’
‘Don’t be a
mug Vinny, it’s her that’s stood you up not the other way round. If anyone
should be phonin’ anyone, it should be her phonin’ you.’
As Vinny
began to recall the embarrassment of sitting alone in the restaurant while the
waiters whispered amongst themselves, his disappointment turned to anger.
‘Yeah,
you’re right Pete. Why should I ring her? Stuff her!’
Having made
his decision, Vinny removed his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and loosened his
collar. ‘Right, let’s get pissed!’ he said.
Now that he
was feeling more in tune with his environment, he spent the rest of the evening
playing pool, getting extremely drunk, and trying to forget about Julie.
Chapter 7
Sunday 22 nd June 1986
Julie arrived home on Sunday morning feeling exhausted, full
of grief for her lost friend and terrified at the prospect of what lay ahead.
She was met by Clare who was standing in the hallway looking as though she had
been waiting there most of the morning. Clare announced, ‘It’s our Julie, Mam,’
casting a backwards glance towards the living room where her parents sat, but
failing to meet Julie’s eyes, as though afraid of what she might find there.
Julie was then greeted by three anxious, expectant faces. She forced a narrow
smile and said, ‘I made it back home then,’ endeavouring to sound nonchalant.
Her mother
stepped forward and threw her arms around her. ‘Oh Julie love, I’m so glad to
see you! I’ve been worried sick, thinking that you wouldn’t be coming home.’
Julie
replied, in an attempt at flippancy, ‘Don’t be daft Mam, they can’t hold me
without evidence! They had to release me.’
‘God help
question? Jesus Vinny, you have got it bad!’
‘Yeah,’
replied Vinny, becoming annoyed. ‘Fuckin’ muggins, that’s me. Two hundred quid
this set me back and she can’t even be arsed showing up. She’s probably out
with that bunch of slags she hangs around with.’
‘Oh, Rita
the Man Eater and that blonde bird with the big tits, do you mean?’
‘Yeah,
that’s right; all out on the cop while I’m sat in a restaurant looking like a
right dick.’
‘I don’t
fancy your chances if she’s out with them two mate. I bet they’ve copped off
already.’
‘But
Julie’s not like them two Pete.’
‘Well,
maybe not, but I wouldn’t trust that Rita as far as I could throw her, not
after what she did to me.’
‘Yeah, but
you had only seen her a couple of times though, hadn’t you? You’d have probably
dumped her soon anyway. It’s not like me and Julie, we’ve been together for a
while now.’
‘That
doesn’t mean to say she’s not seeing someone-else behind your back though does
it? They’re all the same them lot; they just use blokes for what they can get.
I thought that Rita was a good laugh, but she was just taking the piss, letting
me take her for meals while she had other blokes on the go as well.’
‘Yeah, but
you were seeing someone-else as well Pete, weren’t you?’
‘At least I
wasn’t flaunting it in front of her face. I felt dead shown up when she walked
in Saturdays with that bloke and just sailed right past me without even letting
on. I felt like a right mug.’
‘I know how
you feel mate,’ Vinny responded.
This
prompted some sympathy from Pete who realised how carried away he had been in
maligning Rita when his friend was feeling hurt. He slung his arm around
Vinny’s shoulder in a rough, masculine embrace. ‘Look mate, don’t let it worry
you. There’s plenty of birds you could have. If she can’t be arsed, then find
someone who can.’
Vinny
looked down in silence and took solace in his pint of beer. Pete tried to
discuss other matters in order to take Vinny’s mind off the situation, but
after they had drank a few pints, Vinny raised the subject again.
‘I’m going
to ring her and find out what the problem is.’
‘She won’t
be in.’
‘Well I’ll ring
her in the morning then.’
‘Don’t be a
mug Vinny, it’s her that’s stood you up not the other way round. If anyone
should be phonin’ anyone, it should be her phonin’ you.’
As Vinny
began to recall the embarrassment of sitting alone in the restaurant while the
waiters whispered amongst themselves, his disappointment turned to anger.
‘Yeah,
you’re right Pete. Why should I ring her? Stuff her!’
Having made
his decision, Vinny removed his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and loosened his
collar. ‘Right, let’s get pissed!’ he said.
Now that he
was feeling more in tune with his environment, he spent the rest of the evening
playing pool, getting extremely drunk, and trying to forget about Julie.
Chapter 7
Sunday 22 nd June 1986
Julie arrived home on Sunday morning feeling exhausted, full
of grief for her lost friend and terrified at the prospect of what lay ahead.
She was met by Clare who was standing in the hallway looking as though she had
been waiting there most of the morning. Clare announced, ‘It’s our Julie, Mam,’
casting a backwards glance towards the living room where her parents sat, but
failing to meet Julie’s eyes, as though afraid of what she might find there.
Julie was then greeted by three anxious, expectant faces. She forced a narrow
smile and said, ‘I made it back home then,’ endeavouring to sound nonchalant.
Her mother
stepped forward and threw her arms around her. ‘Oh Julie love, I’m so glad to
see you! I’ve been worried sick, thinking that you wouldn’t be coming home.’
Julie
replied, in an attempt at flippancy, ‘Don’t be daft Mam, they can’t hold me
without evidence! They had to release me.’
‘God help
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