The Family. Kay Brellend

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СКАЧАТЬ didn’t you tell her?’

      ‘Why didn’t you?’

      ‘Why d’you give her more? You got money to throw about?’

      ‘Seems I have …’ he said, self-mockery tugging at a corner of his mouth.

      ‘You think I’m a greedy cow, just out for meself,’ Faye stated, her fierce gaze clashing on his watching eyes. ‘Well, I’m not. I haven’t spent a penny of that fiver. I bought her the tea-set out of me wages to replace the one you broke.’

      ‘Going to give me it back, were you?’ he taunted.

      ‘No … Yes … I’ll give it you back,’ Faye choked. ‘If I had it with me, you could take it now and good riddance. I never asked you for it.’

      ‘I never said you did.’

      Faye knew her cheeks were scarlet and she hated him knowing of her embarrassment. Despite her insolence she felt mean and greedy, and that made her insides squirm. What did she care what he thought of her? But then, it was because she had an inkling of what he thought of her that her stomach was churning.

      Since she’d turned fourteen, and filled out, men looked at her all the time. People told her she was pretty. She knew she’d only got the job in the baker’s because Mr Travis had taken a fancy to her. There hadn’t been a day had gone by since she’d started her job when he’d not found an opportunity to squeeze past her at the counter and rub his groin against her hip. Or his hands would sit a little too long on her waist while he pretended to shift her out of the way so he could use the till drawer. She could guess why Jimmy’s son was so generous to her. If the lecher had made her brother, Michael, drop his box of china he’d probably have given him a tube of glue.

      He had a fancy for her. And him just married too! But then old Mr Travis was married with four kids. His wife often brought them all into the shop and Faye was always pleased to see them. The randy old sod usually let her off early on those occasions his family turned up.

      Briefly she met his eyes and knew he’d read her thoughts. He didn’t seem put out that she had him down as a womaniser; in fact, it looked as if he was about to smile. She started off quickly after her mother. His next words stopped her in her tracks.

      ‘You saving up to get away from them and get a place of your own?’

      Momentarily she hesitated, but why deny it? If anyone knew what hell it was being around Jimmy, he probably did. She nodded and took a glance at him. ‘Yeah … I can’t stand it any more,’ she said quietly. ‘But you’ll still get your money back. I was going to give it to you anyhow.’

      ‘’Course …’ he murmured in a tone of voice that let her know he reckoned she was lying.

      ‘No need to be so bloody sarky,’ she shouted and angrily lunged towards him as though she might lash out. She froze as the bakery door opened and Mr Travis came out.

      ‘Hello, Robert,’ her boss blurted in surprise before swallowing audibly. ‘I’ve not seen you in a while.’ Mr Travis jangled the keys in his hand and blinked over his shoulder at them. ‘But I … er … I’ve been expecting to see you, of course,’ he said in a quiet, nervous tone that was so unusual Faye stared at him. The Mr Travis she knew was an arrogant, confident individual. She’d heard him snap at customers who asked for credit. He didn’t give way even when they were just a penny short of what they needed and promised to pop it in tomorrow. They had to suffer the shame of having bread or cakes unwrapped and returned to the rack. Now he’d come over all meek and mild, fiddling with the key in his hand and looking from one to the other of them. ‘Do you want to come in or … will you come back tomorrow?’ He cleared his throat.

      ‘I’m not here to see you,’ Robert told him.

      ‘Oh … I see …’ The relief in Mr Travis’s voice was accentuated by his gasping chortle. He gave Faye a long look. ‘I’ll see you in the morning, Faye,’ he said before striding away.

      ‘You working in the baker’s?’

      Faye nodded. ‘He thinks you’re your brother – he called you Robert.’

      ‘It’s you thinks I’m my brother. Do you want a lift home?’ He was already by his car and his half-smile told her he anticipated a rebuff even before he’d raised his eyes to see her shake her head. ‘Suit yourself.’ A moment later the car was on its way up the street.

      ‘Any work going hereabouts, Til?’

      Tilly halted in her march to the shop and swung about to find Jimmy lounging against a railing. She suspected he’d been loitering out of sight, waiting for her to pass by before emerging from the hallway of the house where he lived. It was a hot August afternoon and he was wearing a vest belted into his trousers. She remembered he’d liked to display his biceps when younger; now the muscles looked withered and the skin covering them crêpey. The sight of the cobra twisting on his left arm caused a stabbing tension in her guts. The faded tattoo aroused memories she’d believed she’d buried long ago with her sister.

      ‘Why? What’s it to you?’ Matilda scoffed. ‘You going to change the habit of a lifetime and get off yer arse for an honest day’s pay?’ She strode on without a backward glance. Ten minutes later she came back down the street with her twist of tea and bottle of milk to find he was in the same place, waiting for her.

      ‘Don’t need to be honest work, luv.’ He resumed their conversation as though there’d been no break in it. ‘That’s why I’m asking you fer a tip-off. You always did know about ducking ’n’ diving, Til, I’ll give you that. Don’t want no crap wages, mind.’

      ‘Don’t know of nuthin’,’ Tilly barked and carried on walking, her teeth clamped so tightly in an effort to bite back on saying anything else that her jaw ached.

      ‘Was right sorry to hear about Jack,’ Jimmy called out. ‘One o’ life’s good ’uns was your Jack.’

      Tilly flung herself around, her face boiling with rage. ‘Don’t you dare mention him,’ she blasted out. ‘You ain’t fit to even speak his name.’ With that she let fly with the bottle of milk.

      Jimmy ducked and it whistled past to shatter against the wall of the house. He’d intended to rile her, but hadn’t expected such a violent reaction, and it stole the smirk from his face. With a shrug he turned and disappeared inside.

      In the months that had passed since Jimmy had moved back into the street, though there had been many occasions when she was sorely tempted, Tilly had resisted the urge to set about her erstwhile brother-in-law. Her daughters had pleaded with her not to cause a rumpus, but it was someone else whose advice had persuaded her to leave well alone.

      Reg Donovan was a pikey, a term she used to his face, as did others. A tinker by trade, Reg had lived for a number of years in Queensland Road with his parents and had gone more or less unnoticed by Matilda. But a chance encounter outside Beattie’s, when Reg was mending her neighbour’s pots, had brought them together. Tilly – with a broken pan and a nose for a discount – had sauntered over to slip hers in on Beattie’s deal and had got chatting to him. That had been many months ago and Tilly had known straight away that Reg had taken a liking to her. After that, he often found excuses to come into The Bunk and loiter about near her place. A couple of times she’d found herself looking out of the window for him. She was well aware that she was СКАЧАТЬ