purge herself. She didn’t
realise just how hard she had scrubbed until she emerged from the shower, with
patches of her flesh red and slightly sore. Julie dressed soberly, wearing no
make-up, subconsciously attempting to prove to her father that she was still
his innocent little girl.
As Julie
made her way downstairs, her stomach churned at the prospect of encountering
her father’s wrath again. She wanted to call Rita, to find out if she too had been
arrested. Julie needed to confide in someone with whom she could identify at
this dreadful time.
Inside the
living room Bill peered over the top of his newspaper, then pulled it upwards,
signifying that he didn’t want to look at her. She stepped gingerly towards the
telephone and then trembled with shock as her father bellowed, ‘And don’t be
gabbing on there for ages either! It’s me who pays the bloody bills in this
house!’
Shocked by
his manner towards her, she replied, timidly, ‘I won’t Dad.’
As soon as
Rita answered the telephone, she responded to Julie’s unease, ‘Listen Jules,’
she said, ‘they put me through the ringer as well, but don’t worry about it! We
know we’ve done nowt wrong, so them bastards can fuck off! I tell you what
though, I’d love to find out who did give drugs to Amanda!’
‘So would
I,’ said Julie. ‘That’s if there were any! It might have just been too much
drink!’
‘Maybe, but
I doubt it. Anyway, I can tell you’re feeling upset at the moment, so why don’t
we go out tonight and have a few drinks, and a chin wag? Maybe you’ll feel a
lot better then.’
‘Oh, I
don’t know,’ said Julie, thinking what her father’s reaction might be to the news
of another night out.
Rita
guessed that Julie was having difficulty speaking openly on the phone. ‘Can’t
you talk?’ she asked.
‘Not really.’
‘All right,
give me one word answers then. Are you having a hard time at home, because of
what’s happened?’
‘Yes.’
‘Has your
old man had a go at you?’
‘Yes,’
replied Julie, almost in a whisper, afraid that her father might have overheard
Rita’s comment.
‘You might
as well get away from him for a few hours then,’ urged Rita. ‘You’ve got nowt
to lose have you?’
‘Oh, go on
then,’ agreed Julie reluctantly.
‘Right,
great, I’ll see you in the Flying Horse at eight o’clock then. Oh, and don’t
forget to ring Vinny,’ Rita added before Julie had a chance to replace the
receiver.
“ Oh My
God, Vinny! ” thought Julie, and she remembered how she was supposed to have
met him the previous night. She had been so preoccupied by her troubles that
she had forgotten about him until now. She knew that it was a bad time to ring
and explain, while her father was within earshot, so she decided to do it
later.
Julie
ventured into the kitchen to see what sort of a reception she would receive
from her mother.
Betty was
pottering about, busy as usual, starting to prepare the Sunday dinner. Her
cheerful greeting surprised Julie. ‘Hiya love, don’t suppose you managed to get
any sleep at all, did you?’
‘No, Mam.’
Julie skirted around Betty before continuing. ‘Listen, I’m really sorry about
all the trouble I’ve caused you and my dad. I swear Mam; I’ve not done anything
wrong! We just had a few drinks and a laugh, that’s all. All right, maybe Mandy
had a few too many and we had to take her home. But we thought she was all
right. She seemed to be coming round a bit when we left her.’
Her anguish
was such that her words came out in a rush until eventually, unable to
continue, her voice broke and she succumbed to tears.
Betty
stopped what she was doing and dried her hands, taking Julie in her arms.
Forgetting any attempts at bravery, Julie was transported back to her
childhood, wanting her mother to shield her from all the guilt and pain of the
last 24 hours. As she laid her chin on her mother’s shoulder, she gave way to
uncontrolled tears and felt her legs
realise just how hard she had scrubbed until she emerged from the shower, with
patches of her flesh red and slightly sore. Julie dressed soberly, wearing no
make-up, subconsciously attempting to prove to her father that she was still
his innocent little girl.
As Julie
made her way downstairs, her stomach churned at the prospect of encountering
her father’s wrath again. She wanted to call Rita, to find out if she too had been
arrested. Julie needed to confide in someone with whom she could identify at
this dreadful time.
Inside the
living room Bill peered over the top of his newspaper, then pulled it upwards,
signifying that he didn’t want to look at her. She stepped gingerly towards the
telephone and then trembled with shock as her father bellowed, ‘And don’t be
gabbing on there for ages either! It’s me who pays the bloody bills in this
house!’
Shocked by
his manner towards her, she replied, timidly, ‘I won’t Dad.’
As soon as
Rita answered the telephone, she responded to Julie’s unease, ‘Listen Jules,’
she said, ‘they put me through the ringer as well, but don’t worry about it! We
know we’ve done nowt wrong, so them bastards can fuck off! I tell you what
though, I’d love to find out who did give drugs to Amanda!’
‘So would
I,’ said Julie. ‘That’s if there were any! It might have just been too much
drink!’
‘Maybe, but
I doubt it. Anyway, I can tell you’re feeling upset at the moment, so why don’t
we go out tonight and have a few drinks, and a chin wag? Maybe you’ll feel a
lot better then.’
‘Oh, I
don’t know,’ said Julie, thinking what her father’s reaction might be to the news
of another night out.
Rita
guessed that Julie was having difficulty speaking openly on the phone. ‘Can’t
you talk?’ she asked.
‘Not really.’
‘All right,
give me one word answers then. Are you having a hard time at home, because of
what’s happened?’
‘Yes.’
‘Has your
old man had a go at you?’
‘Yes,’
replied Julie, almost in a whisper, afraid that her father might have overheard
Rita’s comment.
‘You might
as well get away from him for a few hours then,’ urged Rita. ‘You’ve got nowt
to lose have you?’
‘Oh, go on
then,’ agreed Julie reluctantly.
‘Right,
great, I’ll see you in the Flying Horse at eight o’clock then. Oh, and don’t
forget to ring Vinny,’ Rita added before Julie had a chance to replace the
receiver.
“ Oh My
God, Vinny! ” thought Julie, and she remembered how she was supposed to have
met him the previous night. She had been so preoccupied by her troubles that
she had forgotten about him until now. She knew that it was a bad time to ring
and explain, while her father was within earshot, so she decided to do it
later.
Julie
ventured into the kitchen to see what sort of a reception she would receive
from her mother.
Betty was
pottering about, busy as usual, starting to prepare the Sunday dinner. Her
cheerful greeting surprised Julie. ‘Hiya love, don’t suppose you managed to get
any sleep at all, did you?’
‘No, Mam.’
Julie skirted around Betty before continuing. ‘Listen, I’m really sorry about
all the trouble I’ve caused you and my dad. I swear Mam; I’ve not done anything
wrong! We just had a few drinks and a laugh, that’s all. All right, maybe Mandy
had a few too many and we had to take her home. But we thought she was all
right. She seemed to be coming round a bit when we left her.’
Her anguish
was such that her words came out in a rush until eventually, unable to
continue, her voice broke and she succumbed to tears.
Betty
stopped what she was doing and dried her hands, taking Julie in her arms.
Forgetting any attempts at bravery, Julie was transported back to her
childhood, wanting her mother to shield her from all the guilt and pain of the
last 24 hours. As she laid her chin on her mother’s shoulder, she gave way to
uncontrolled tears and felt her legs
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