day.’
His father laughed at him as usual.
‘What the fuck have you got to look forward to? More food?’
Tommy was crushed, but he didn’t rise to the bait.
‘Do you want another cuppa, Dad?’
‘Go on then, son.’
For once Joseph felt a twinge of guilt. He was hard on the boy, but then living with Tommy was hard on him. His son was so weird , nothing to brag about, and Joseph needed to brag, it was in his nature. No one at work knew about Tommy, he had made sure of that.
Joseph had a girlfriend of sorts and now she wanted him full-time. It was such a bind. The fact he loathed his own son didn’t help matters either. But this morning he didn’t get in any more digs. When he left the atmosphere was neutral for once.
Tommy watched his father from the balcony until he disappeared round the corner and then he made his plans. Shower first, then he was going to put on his best clothes and at ten-thirty exactly he was going to walk over to visit his new friends. Oh, he was so happy! This was his first ever engagement and he didn’t want it to go wrong.
He wished his mother was alive. She would have been so proud of him. The Brewers seemed like such nice people.
‘Stop it, Jon Jon, please!’
Kira was terrified as her brother dragged Jeanette from her bed by the hair.
‘Just keep out of it, Kira, OK?’
Jeanette was trying to prise her brother’s fingers from her hair. She was already crying. He dragged her bodily into the front room then, throwing her roughly on the sofa, bellowed, ‘What have you been told, eh?’
He was so angry his eyes were nearly popping out of his head. He was obviously on something and it wasn’t cannabis.
‘What have you been fucking told! You never , and I mean never , leave our Kira on her Jack Jones.’
Kira was terrified as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes.
‘I didn’t mind, Jon Jon, I had a lovely time! Tommy let me play with his Barbies, and I had lovely cups of tea and that.’
Jon Jon grabbed at his own dreads in anger and frustration.
‘Can you hear her, Jen? Just listen to her. She spent the evening with a bloke who plays with fucking Barbies!’
‘He’s all right, Jon Jon. I think he’s queer to be honest.’
Joanie was the voice of reason as usual. She knew her son was more than capable of half-killing the frightened girl before him.
He poked his face into his sister’s as he shouted again: ‘Fucking Barbies? What next? You’d leave her with Fred West if it got you out for a couple of hours.’
He was spitting with rage now.
‘Do you realise she could have been taken away last night, spent the next few weeks in a fucking foster home? You know what the filth is capable of. It would make them laugh, knowing the aggravation they had wrought on us. And where was you, eh, while the house was getting torn apart? Come on, I want to know who he is so I can rip his fucking head off.’
‘But she wasn’t taken, was she? So get a fucking grip.’
Jon Jon took a step closer and Kira screamed. It was only this that stopped him from attacking the crying girl.
‘Well, that’s it now, Mum. She is grounded for the duration.’
He poked a finger at Jeanette.
‘You ain’t going out till the Second fucking Coming now.’
She jumped up and screamed, all fear gone at the thought of not being allowed out.
‘It ain’t up to you, it’s up to Mum! Tell her to stop working for once. Selling her crump to all and sundry while I look after her kid. Or better still, if you’re the man of the house, why don’t you keep us then?’
Joanie answered her.
‘I ain’t took a penny off any of you and I won’t, you know that. To all intents and purposes this is my house and I’ll say what happens in it.’
Jeanette laughed nastily.
‘You better tell him that then, because he thinks this is his
His father laughed at him as usual.
‘What the fuck have you got to look forward to? More food?’
Tommy was crushed, but he didn’t rise to the bait.
‘Do you want another cuppa, Dad?’
‘Go on then, son.’
For once Joseph felt a twinge of guilt. He was hard on the boy, but then living with Tommy was hard on him. His son was so weird , nothing to brag about, and Joseph needed to brag, it was in his nature. No one at work knew about Tommy, he had made sure of that.
Joseph had a girlfriend of sorts and now she wanted him full-time. It was such a bind. The fact he loathed his own son didn’t help matters either. But this morning he didn’t get in any more digs. When he left the atmosphere was neutral for once.
Tommy watched his father from the balcony until he disappeared round the corner and then he made his plans. Shower first, then he was going to put on his best clothes and at ten-thirty exactly he was going to walk over to visit his new friends. Oh, he was so happy! This was his first ever engagement and he didn’t want it to go wrong.
He wished his mother was alive. She would have been so proud of him. The Brewers seemed like such nice people.
‘Stop it, Jon Jon, please!’
Kira was terrified as her brother dragged Jeanette from her bed by the hair.
‘Just keep out of it, Kira, OK?’
Jeanette was trying to prise her brother’s fingers from her hair. She was already crying. He dragged her bodily into the front room then, throwing her roughly on the sofa, bellowed, ‘What have you been told, eh?’
He was so angry his eyes were nearly popping out of his head. He was obviously on something and it wasn’t cannabis.
‘What have you been fucking told! You never , and I mean never , leave our Kira on her Jack Jones.’
Kira was terrified as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes.
‘I didn’t mind, Jon Jon, I had a lovely time! Tommy let me play with his Barbies, and I had lovely cups of tea and that.’
Jon Jon grabbed at his own dreads in anger and frustration.
‘Can you hear her, Jen? Just listen to her. She spent the evening with a bloke who plays with fucking Barbies!’
‘He’s all right, Jon Jon. I think he’s queer to be honest.’
Joanie was the voice of reason as usual. She knew her son was more than capable of half-killing the frightened girl before him.
He poked his face into his sister’s as he shouted again: ‘Fucking Barbies? What next? You’d leave her with Fred West if it got you out for a couple of hours.’
He was spitting with rage now.
‘Do you realise she could have been taken away last night, spent the next few weeks in a fucking foster home? You know what the filth is capable of. It would make them laugh, knowing the aggravation they had wrought on us. And where was you, eh, while the house was getting torn apart? Come on, I want to know who he is so I can rip his fucking head off.’
‘But she wasn’t taken, was she? So get a fucking grip.’
Jon Jon took a step closer and Kira screamed. It was only this that stopped him from attacking the crying girl.
‘Well, that’s it now, Mum. She is grounded for the duration.’
He poked a finger at Jeanette.
‘You ain’t going out till the Second fucking Coming now.’
She jumped up and screamed, all fear gone at the thought of not being allowed out.
‘It ain’t up to you, it’s up to Mum! Tell her to stop working for once. Selling her crump to all and sundry while I look after her kid. Or better still, if you’re the man of the house, why don’t you keep us then?’
Joanie answered her.
‘I ain’t took a penny off any of you and I won’t, you know that. To all intents and purposes this is my house and I’ll say what happens in it.’
Jeanette laughed nastily.
‘You better tell him that then, because he thinks this is his
Similar Books
