Trilogy Collection. Julie Shaw

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       Chapter 8

      Josie lifted the nicotine-stained net curtains for what must have been the twentieth time and peered anxiously out into the blackness. Where was her mum? She should have been home hours ago. She’d left the house at about four in the morning, it had seemed like, and it was now after eight in the evening.

      ‘Any sign of her, Titch?’

      She jumped at the unexpected sound of her dad’s voice. He’d been dozing, but clearly no longer. She shook her head.

      ‘Bollocks to it, then!’ he said with feeling, rising stiffly from his armchair, and reaching to grab his overcoat from the sofa arm. ‘She’s probably pissed off straight to the pub, Titch. You know what she’s like. Telling all her fucking mates about what the boy wonder’s been up to.’

      Josie lowered the net. ‘No she won’t have, Dad,’ she said. ‘She knows better. I told her to come let me know as soon as she got back.’

      She watched her dad shrug his coat on and slip his tobacco tin in the pocket, clearly bound for the pub now as well. It hurt her to think her mam might have gone straight to the Bull without popping home first to see her, because she knew how desperately she wanted some news about Vinnie. It had been on her mind since Saturday night, when her Auntie Mo had called round, saying the social worker had been on the phone wanting June. Something had happened – something bad – because her mam had been in a mood all Sunday. Had he been causing trouble? If so, what kind of trouble? She’d asked, but her mam said she didn’t actually know. All she’d say was that he’d been his usual stupid fucking self and ‘gone off on one’ with someone, which told her nothing she didn’t already know.

      She wouldn’t have gone straight to the pub, would she? Surely not. But her dad clearly thought so, and maybe he was right. ‘Yeah, love,’ he said, ‘and pigs might fly. I’m telling you, Titch, she won’t give a fuck about what you said. Anyway, I’m off up to the Bull and I bet you a pound to a penny she’ll already be up there.’ He ruffled her hair. ‘I’ll see you later if you’re still awake, okay?’

      Josie nodded miserably and continued her vigil by the window, now following Jock’s progress as he made his way up the street. It was the back end of November and the nights were dark and bitterly cold. Though hope was beginning to fade now, she still clung to it anyway, praying with all her heart that her mother, just this once, had remembered what she’d promised. She rubbed away the condensation that kept building up in front of her and squashed her nose once again against the window pane. There was nothing else to do, after all.

      A couple of minutes later, Josie’s patience was rewarded. She saw the lights of a car sweep round the corner and, even as she was prepared for it to drive past and disappoint her, she saw it slow and then come to a stop outside. It was a taxi, she realised, one that had been carrying her mum; even in the dark, June’s platinum hair and that mad coat of hers were unmistakable, and, finally able to leave her post, Josie rushed into the kitchen to put the kettle on. She knew the drill. Knew how to put her mum in a good mood; June was hopeless without a cup of tea inside her, and a cuppa and the offer of a foot rub was the secret to cheering her up. And she would definitely need cheering up – Josie was pretty definite on that score. She knew how much her mam missed Vinnie and how hard it would have been for her to have to say goodbye to him all over again today.

      She swilled out and rinsed the teapot, impatient now to hear all about Vinnie and, more importantly, if there was news of a release date. Since the ‘thing’ she couldn’t bear to think about, she had been pining for her brother badly. Not that she intended telling him – she was clear on that – because that would cause murder, but merely his presence back in her life would be enough. That was all she needed. She’d feel safe again then.

      ‘Kettle’s on, Mam,’ she called out, when she heard the front door slam. ‘You have a sit down and take your shoes off, I’ll be there now.’

      ‘Don’t bother!’ came her mother’s barked reply from the hall, causing her growing bubble of excitement to pop. ‘I’m just changing these shoes and then I’m off.’ There was a silence. ‘Where is he? Where’s your dad?’

      Josie came out into the hall to see June wriggling her foot out of a shoe and looking at her enquiringly. ‘Already up at the pub, I suppose?’ Josie nodded. ‘Typical! Well, he’d better keep out of my sight or I’ll cause fucking hell up there, I swear!’

      Josie’s heart started to bang in her chest. What had happened? Why was her mum in such a mood still? How bad could it have been? She turned back into the kitchen and put down the tea-cup she’d been holding. ‘What’s up, Mam?’ she asked, following her mum back into the living room. ‘What’s happened? How’s our Vinnie? Is he okay?’

      June was sitting on the couch struggling to remove her second shoe. She glanced up at Josie, looking livid and then, once she’d finally got the foot free, threw the offending slingback across the floor.

      ‘Our fucking Vinnie,’ she ranted, ‘is not okay, no.’ She jabbed a finger against her temple. ‘Not up here, he’s not.’

      Josie gasped. ‘What’s he done, Mam? What’s happened to him?’

      ‘Happened to him? I already told you – he has been his usual stupid fucking self.’

      ‘Is he hurt?’

      June leapt up and stalked past Josie into the hallway. ‘Hurt? He’d have been hurt if they’d’ve let me get my hands on him, believe me. Now can you get out of the way so I can find my other slingbacks? Where the fuck did I – ah, there they are. Who put them there – you?’ She stomped back into the living room and sat down heavily on the sofa to put them on.

      ‘But, Mam, is –’

      ‘But Mam nothing, girl!’ she snapped. ‘I’m really not in the mood for you giving me the third degree. I already told you. Your brother’s been a bad boy. That’s all you need to know – that he’s been a fucking idiot, that he’s not coming home, and probably not for a long time, okay? Now I suggest you piss off out of my sight and let me get ready before they call last fucking СКАЧАТЬ