should feel well at home. I’ll be seeing you again soon, Georgio. Look after yourself for me. There’s a Dover Sole with my name on it, so I’d better get off home. I’ll be thinking about you tonight when I’m eating and drinking and making merry.’
‘I hope you choke, you ponce!’
‘I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you. How about a little bet then, before I go?’
‘Fuck off, Laughton. You’ve had your gloat, now piss off.’
The policeman carried on as if Georgio hadn’t spoken. “I’ll bet you a oner your lovely little wife is taking on all comers by Christmas.’
Georgio launched himself at the man before him, his face twisted in hatred, but three uniformed men were on him before he could throw one punch. On the floor of the cell, with his hands pushed up his back and his cheek pressed on to the cold concrete, Georgio felt the rage explode uselessly inside him as he heard the Inspector’s shoes clomping heavily along the corridor and his deep laugh reverberating around the cell walls.
Donna sat in the El Greco restaurant in Canning Town. The whole family was there. In the harsh daylight, the faded paintwork and scratched bar surfaces were mercilessly revealed. Pa Brunos looked on his restaurant as his life’s work. His sons had all been waiters there at one time or another, his youngest daughter Nuala did the book-keeping, he and Maeve did the cooking. As he watched his family drinking Retsina and Ouzo, observed their different degrees of disbelief, he felt a tightening across his chest. Taking a small bottle of heart pills from his pocket, he unobtrusively slipped one into his hand and placed it under his tongue.
‘Come on, Donna. Eat something, love.’ Maeve’s voice was tired, low.
35
them Donna shook her head. ‘I couldn’t eat anything, thank you.’ Her eyes were red with crying.
Maeve pulled her chair closer and placed a large meaty arm around her daughter-in-law. ‘He’s my son, God love him, but we have to keep our strength up. Tonight me and Pa will open up this restaurant, we’ll smile at the customers and chat with them. Life must go on. You must tell yourself that once his appeal comes up, Georgia will be back home. That is what I keep telling myself.’
‘I can’t believe it happened, any of it.’
Nuala gave a loud snort as she shouted: ‘It’s the police, Donna. They wanted him - they got him. They needed someone and he fitted the bill.’ ‘
Mario, her elder brother, shook his head. ‘Georgio was a fool; he mixed with the wrong people. I told him so. A few weeks before it all happened, I saw him with Jack Black. I mean, who in their right mind would cultivate him, eh? Jack Black, the biggest villain in Silvertown! But no, our Georgio wouldn’t listen. He knew best.’ Mario’s voice was high, almost girlish, and full of anger towards his brother.
‘What do you know, Mario?’ Patrick Brunos spoke up. ‘In his lines of business he had to mix with all sorts, surely you can see that? Jack Black has the ear on the building everywhere. He also has a haulage business. It was sound economics for our Georgio to deal with him.’
Nuala pushed back her short black hair. ‘That’s true. He’s right, Mario. You’re too hard on Georgio. You’ve always been hard on him, just because he’s done better than you. He’s done better than everyone.’
Nuala was upset and Donna closed her eyes. This family fought like other families loved. Yet they were closer than most families could ever hope to be.
‘What do you know, Nuala? Running around with that no-hoper Dicky Barlow. If you’re not careful, you’ll be visiting him and your brother together …’
Pa Brunos banged his fist on the table in front of him, knocking over a glass of red wine in the process.
‘Be quiet! You all hear me? No more of this! We have enough trouble as it is without you all arguing among yourselves. Where is my Mary? Why isn’t she here?’
Nuala’s voice was low
‘I hope you choke, you ponce!’
‘I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you. How about a little bet then, before I go?’
‘Fuck off, Laughton. You’ve had your gloat, now piss off.’
The policeman carried on as if Georgio hadn’t spoken. “I’ll bet you a oner your lovely little wife is taking on all comers by Christmas.’
Georgio launched himself at the man before him, his face twisted in hatred, but three uniformed men were on him before he could throw one punch. On the floor of the cell, with his hands pushed up his back and his cheek pressed on to the cold concrete, Georgio felt the rage explode uselessly inside him as he heard the Inspector’s shoes clomping heavily along the corridor and his deep laugh reverberating around the cell walls.
Donna sat in the El Greco restaurant in Canning Town. The whole family was there. In the harsh daylight, the faded paintwork and scratched bar surfaces were mercilessly revealed. Pa Brunos looked on his restaurant as his life’s work. His sons had all been waiters there at one time or another, his youngest daughter Nuala did the book-keeping, he and Maeve did the cooking. As he watched his family drinking Retsina and Ouzo, observed their different degrees of disbelief, he felt a tightening across his chest. Taking a small bottle of heart pills from his pocket, he unobtrusively slipped one into his hand and placed it under his tongue.
‘Come on, Donna. Eat something, love.’ Maeve’s voice was tired, low.
35
them Donna shook her head. ‘I couldn’t eat anything, thank you.’ Her eyes were red with crying.
Maeve pulled her chair closer and placed a large meaty arm around her daughter-in-law. ‘He’s my son, God love him, but we have to keep our strength up. Tonight me and Pa will open up this restaurant, we’ll smile at the customers and chat with them. Life must go on. You must tell yourself that once his appeal comes up, Georgia will be back home. That is what I keep telling myself.’
‘I can’t believe it happened, any of it.’
Nuala gave a loud snort as she shouted: ‘It’s the police, Donna. They wanted him - they got him. They needed someone and he fitted the bill.’ ‘
Mario, her elder brother, shook his head. ‘Georgio was a fool; he mixed with the wrong people. I told him so. A few weeks before it all happened, I saw him with Jack Black. I mean, who in their right mind would cultivate him, eh? Jack Black, the biggest villain in Silvertown! But no, our Georgio wouldn’t listen. He knew best.’ Mario’s voice was high, almost girlish, and full of anger towards his brother.
‘What do you know, Mario?’ Patrick Brunos spoke up. ‘In his lines of business he had to mix with all sorts, surely you can see that? Jack Black has the ear on the building everywhere. He also has a haulage business. It was sound economics for our Georgio to deal with him.’
Nuala pushed back her short black hair. ‘That’s true. He’s right, Mario. You’re too hard on Georgio. You’ve always been hard on him, just because he’s done better than you. He’s done better than everyone.’
Nuala was upset and Donna closed her eyes. This family fought like other families loved. Yet they were closer than most families could ever hope to be.
‘What do you know, Nuala? Running around with that no-hoper Dicky Barlow. If you’re not careful, you’ll be visiting him and your brother together …’
Pa Brunos banged his fist on the table in front of him, knocking over a glass of red wine in the process.
‘Be quiet! You all hear me? No more of this! We have enough trouble as it is without you all arguing among yourselves. Where is my Mary? Why isn’t she here?’
Nuala’s voice was low
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