Billie Jo (21 page)

She decided there and then to take DJ with her. She
would do the right thing, chat and be polite to everyone,
then escape after a couple of hours, saying that the baby
was tired. Danny would stay there and get pissed, she
would get a cab home. At least that way she would have
done her duty and everyone would be happy. Story of her
life really, making other people happy. Mug, she thought
to herself as she picked up the phone and dialled Jamie's
number.

Jamie was in a pub in Liverpool Street and didn't hear
his phone ring. Seeing the missed call, he rang Billie's
number. 'You all right, girl? What's up?'

'Have you heard about the party on Saturday, Jamie?'

'Yeah, one of the boys rang me up earlier. You are
going, aren't you?'

Billie took another gulp. 'Yeah, I'm going, I'm gonna
take the baby with me. Apparently there's a load of kids
going so I know Danny would want DJ there so he can
show him off and that. I wondered if you would
pick me up? I don't really want to walk in there on my
own.'

'Course I will, babe.' Jamie walked outside the pub.
The jukebox was blaring and he could barely hear her.
'I'll get a cab and I'll pick you up at seven. My new girlfriend,
Lucy, will be with me. She's staying with me the
weekend as my mum's going to Butlins. She's lovely and
I can't wait for you to meet her, Bill.'

'OK, see you at seven.'

Billie felt a strange feeling wash over her as she put
the phone down. She'd had no idea that Jamie had a new
girlfriend and for some reason she felt uneasy about it.
Jamie hadn't had a girlfriend since Carly, so maybe that
was the reason why she felt so pissed off.

As Billie finished off her bottle of wine, she delved
through her feelings. She didn't want to admit it, but deep
down she knew that her bout of jealousy was sod all to
do with Carly and more to do with herself. Many a time
when Jamie had taken her and DJ out, Billie Jo had
wondered what might have been. Watching Jamie lovingly
take baby Danny into his arms and on all the rides at
Southend's Peter Pan, Billie had often wondered if she'd
picked the wrong bloke.

Annoyed with herself, Billie walked into the bathroom
and doused her face with cold water. Staring
intently into the bathroom mirror, she noticed how old
she'd started to look. Must be all the worry, she thought
inwardly. She knew she had to pull herself together.
Danny would be home tomorrow. He had promised to
change and to make a go of it and she knew she had
to do the same because DJ needed a father. She'd had so
many wonderful family days out with Jamie that it had
given her an insight into what family should be like.

Deciding this was one of those times that she needed
God's help, she chose to have a quiet word with Him.
'Please, will you help Danny change into a nicer person?
Please encourage him to become a good partner and
father.' Billie had loads more to ask God for, but her
prayers were cut short by her sobbing. Unable to stop the
tears, she put her head under the quilt and rocked herself
to sleep.

Danny watched the door shut behind him and walked
through the prison gates. It was March, the sun was out
and he appreciated the nice weather and clean fresh air,
which he breathed in deeply. It was surprising how
spending eighteen months stuck in a stinking shithole
made you appreciate the simplest things in life.

Danny spotted Jimmy the Fish leaning against the door
of his Jaguar, and strolled towards him.

'Hello, son,' Jimmy said, giving him a bear hug. On
the way home, Jimmy filled Danny in with all the gossip.
Taking a detour, he pulled up outside his pal's steakhouse
in Barking. Smiling, Jimmy took an envelope out of the
inside pocket of his jacket and chucked it at Danny.

'There's five grand in there, son. Just to give you a bit
of spending money until you feel ready to come back to
work. I thought it would be nice for you to spend a bit
of time with Billie and the kid before you rush back into
things.'

Danny tucked the envelope safely into his pocket.
'Cheers, Jim. I need to spend a bit of time with my
family. Between me and you we wasn't getting on that
well before I went away and I'm desperate to make things
right again.'

Jimmy felt a surge of love for the boy who had done
so much for him. Ever since his only son had been killed
in that terrible accident, Jimmy had been aware of an emptiness
inside. Nobody could understand his emotions. Only
somebody who had lost a child would ever be able to relate
to how he felt. Since Danny had been on the scene, Jimmy's
loss had eased and the gap in his life had been filled.

Although no one could replace his precious boy, having
Danny as a surrogate was definitely the next best thing.

'Come on, Dan, I'm gonna treat you to a nice juicy
steak. We'll have a couple of bottles of champagne and
then I'll drop you off at home so you can spend some
quality time with Billie and the boy. Oh, and by the way,
I'm taking you for a posh meal on Saturday. Late afternoon
it'll be, so put your best togs on. I've cleared it with
Billie Jo. I need to have a chat with you about the business.
I wanna take you on as a partner, so we've got to set
a few ground rules. I'll pick you up about four, son, OK?'

Danny was overjoyed and immediately decided to go
out the following day and invest in a new suit. If he was
gonna be business partners with Jimmy, he needed to look
the part. He'd lost weight in prison and knew that all the
good clobber he had indoors would now be miles too big
for him. Half an hour later Danny rubbed his bloated
stomach, and let out a loud sigh. 'That was the best meal
I've ever had, Jim. The food in Brixton was absolutely
fucking rotten.'

Laughing, Jimmy downed the rest of his champagne
and shouted for the bill. 'That'll be a thing of the past
for you now, son. It'll all be about champagne and caviar
from now on, you wait and see.'

Danny smiled and stood up. 'Yeah, right. Are we ready
to make tracks? I've got a beautiful bird and a little boy
eagerly awaiting my arrival.'

Hugging Jimmy tightly, Danny thanked him for the
money and meal and confirmed the arrangements for
Saturday. As he walked up the path, he felt strange to be
knocking at the door of the house that he had never seen
before.

The sound of the doorbell made Billie jump. She had
been a bundle of nerves all afternoon and had been
knocking back alcohol just to calm herself down. Gingerly
she opened the door.

'Hello, darling,' Danny said, handing her the bouquet of
flowers that he'd purchased on the way back from Barking.

'Come and have a look around the new house, Dan.
We've so much more room than we had in the flat and
the garden is well cool,' Billie gabbled, not knowing what
else to say. Danny followed Billie from room to room
allowing her to show him around.

'Where's the baby, Bill?'

'He's having his afternoon sleep. I'll go and wake him
up now. There's beers in the fridge, Dan. Go and pour
yourself one and pour me a glass of wine while you're
out there. I thought we'd have a drink and celebrate, as
it's a special occasion.'

Danny did as he was told and sat in the living room.
A minute later he heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet. Billie
walked into the room followed by his very grown-up-looking
son. Danny hadn't seen the kid for over a year.
Billie had visited him alone, but apart from once, she had
refused to take their son into the prison.

'Look, DJ, there's Daddy. I told you he was coming
home today. Go and give him a cuddle, there's a good
boy.' Clinging on to his mothers legs, DJ peeked shyly at
the father he barely remembered.

'He ain't half grown since I last saw him, Bill. I love
his haircut, it looks the bollocks.'

Billie knew that Danny was upset by his son's reaction
to him. Holding DJ's hand, she led him towards
his father.

'Don't be naughty now, DJ. Be a good boy and say a
proper hello to your daddy.'

'I want Jamie,' DJ screamed, as he clung to his mother
for dear life.

Fuming at his son's behaviour, but desperate not to
show it, Danny quickly changed the subject. 'I've got
to pop into Romford early in the morning, Bill. I need a
haircut and I wanna try and get a new suit. I've got
a business meeting with Jimmy on Saturday and he told
me to get dressed up. I think he's taking me to a posh
restaurant somewhere to discuss our partnership. When I
get back tomorrow, how about the three of us going out
somewhere? What do you say?'

'That sounds great,' Billie said, pleased but also
shocked at his suggestion. It would be the first time ever
that they'd been out as a family, just the three of them.
Danny had been full of promises in prison, but once
released Billie had expected him to go on the piss and
forget all about them.

The rest of the afternoon and early evening passed
pleasantly. The atmosphere was jovial and most of the
conversation was centred around DJ, who was now getting
used to his father and lapping up the attention. Tucking
the little 'un up in bed for the night, Billie felt slightly
uneasy as she made her way back down the stairs. This
was the part that she'd been dreading the most, the part
where she and Danny were left on their own together.
She'd got so used to it being just her and the child, it felt
strange to be part of a couple again.

Danny being in prison had kind of suited Billie Jo. For
one thing, she had known where he was, secondly, she
had got used to her own company and thirdly, and probably
most important, she hadn't had to worry about Danny
forcing himself upon her. Billie and Danny had not had
sex since the night he'd raped and buggered her and intimacy
was the part that Billie was dreading the most.

He was bound to expect sex tonight: he'd been locked
up for eighteen months. What man wouldn't? Billie
decided to numb her worries with alcohol. Maybe if she
got the first time out of the way, everything would be all
right.

'Cor, you're knocking 'em back tonight, Bill. You
opening another bottle, girl?'

Billie smiled and sat down next to him. 'We're celebrating,
aren't we?'

'Yeah,' Danny replied. 'It's just that I didn't know you
could drink that amount. You used to be flat on your back
after a few.'

Deciding to shut him up, Billie turned to face him.
'For your information, I've become partial to a bottle of
wine, once the baby's tucked up in bed. Maybe it's all the
stress and worry I've had to put up with. Bringing up a
toddler single-handed wasn't easy, you know.'

Danny knew when he was beaten. 'Oh, I didn't mean
nothing by it, babe. In fact I like to see you enjoying
yourself, letting yourself go a bit.'

Billie smiled to herself. One-nil, she thought silently.
Start as you mean to go on, eh! By half past ten, Billie
felt that she'd consumed enough wine to see her through
the ordeal in front of her. Sidling up next to Danny on
the sofa, Billie squeezed his hand. 'Let's go to bed,
eh, Dan?'

Danny couldn't believe his luck. He thought he'd be
treading on eggshells for at least a fortnight before he
got anywhere near her. Not one to look a gift-horse in
the mouth, Danny took Billie by her hand and led her
up the stairs. Five minutes later, the ordeal that Billie had
dreaded so much was over.

Danny O'Leary had been sexually active since the age
of thirteen, when he'd picked up on the facts of life by
shagging his mate Darren's eighteen-year-old babysitter.
Deciding sex was the greatest thing since sliced bread,
Danny had never gone more than a couple of weeks
without it ever since. That part of prison life had done
Danny's head in. The rest of it he could handle, but having
no sex for nigh on eighteen months killed him, and having
a wank whilst looking at some old slapper in a porno
mag was no substitute. This was the reason why it had
all been over in five minutes tonight.

'You all right, babe? Sorry it was a bit quick.'

Billie covered herself over with the quilt. 'You haven't
got to be sorry, Danny. Don't be silly. I'm ever so tired
anyway. Let's get some sleep now or we won't be up for
our day out tomorrow.'

'Night then, babe.' Danny snuggled under the covers,
appreciating the feel of a nice clean, comfortable bed. It
had been a long, eventful day and he was knackered. He
fell asleep minutes later.

Billie lay awake, listening to him snoring. She'd been
so used to having the double bed to herself that it felt
strange having to share it again. She was glad the sex bit
had been over so quickly. She wanted to make the relationship
work and knew she couldn't spend the rest of
her life guzzling bottles of wine just in case Danny
expected sex. She had to try and forget the past and
concentrate on the future.

Feeling like she had the weight of the world on her
shoulders, Billie drifted off to sleep. In her dreams, she
was safe, content and happy and dreamt that she was
having another baby and about to get married. Her dad
was in her dream, giving her away at the altar. As she
walked up the aisle with him, her husband-to-be turned
round and smiled.

It was at that point that she woke up with a jolt. The
man she was marrying wasn't Danny. Unbelievably, it was
Jamie.

Danny tucked the ring safely into his pocket and walked
out of the jeweller's with a satisfied smile on his face.
He'd been to see a pal of Jimmy's called Diamond Dave
to purchase an engagement ring for Billie Jo. The geezer
had done him a lovely deal and he'd paid three grand for
a ring which was probably worth double that. Now all he
had to do was find the right time to present it to Billie
and ask her to marry him. Deep down, Danny was in no
rush to get married and he was sure Billie would feel the
same. He just wanted to prove to her that he was serious
about their relationship and making it work.

Glancing at his watch, he realised he'd better get his
skates on. Jimmy the Fish was picking him up in a
couple of hours to take him out for a meal. Hurrying,
he jogged back towards the car park.

Michelle stood sideways to the full-length mirror and held
her stomach in as tightly as she could. She'd purchased
one of them girdle things that was supposed to make you
look like Kate Moss. It hadn't worked. All it had done was
push the fat up higher to make her look like she'd grown
a third tit. Exasperated, she ripped the bloody thing off.

* * *

Danny stood in front of the mirror and admired the new
suit that he'd purchased. In seconds, he came to the conclusion
that he was one handsome bastard. Sauntering into
the living room, he winked at Billie Jo. 'Well, how do I
look?'

Billie couldn't help smiling. He was such a cocky sod
and no one or nothing would ever change that. 'You look
really nice, Danny.'

Hearing a loud toot outside, Danny grabbed his keys
off the coffee table.

'I'll see you later, babe. I dunno what time I'll be back,
but I shouldn't be late.'

Billie smiled to herself as she shouted goodbye. Danny
really didn't have a clue about tonight, and she knew he'd
be absolutely chuffed to bits with the surprise. Deciding
to get DJ ready first, Billie almost burst with pride at the
sight of him in the little grey suit that she'd bought
specially for the occasion. She added the finishing touches
by securing the dickey-bow around his neck.

'Who's Mummy's handsome little boy, then?' Billie
asked, spiking his hair with gel.

She plopped him onto the sofa. 'Now, can you sit still
here for ten minutes while Mummy gets dressed? Don't
move, 'cause I don't want you getting dirty.'

Billie quickly got changed into a figure-hugging black
dress. She finished the outfit off with diamanté sandals,
a clutch bag, and a pretty black poncho. She'd carefully
applied her make-up earlier, but decided that the pink
lipstick she had chosen didn't really go with the outfit.
Wiping it off, she applied a much bolder red and was
pleased with the result.

Billie looked at her watch and realised she still had
fifty minutes to kill before Jamie was due to pick her up.
Pouring herself a large glass of wine, she sat on the sofa,
deep in thought. Billie was dreading meeting Jamie's new
girlfriend and she wasn't sure why. Maybe she'd got used
to having Jamie all to herself while Danny was away.

I hope she's not stunning and pretty, Billie mused.

Annoyed with herself for feeling the way she did, she
put a CD on full blast and danced round the room with
DJ. She was just being stupid, sentimental, because Jamie
had been at her beck and call while Danny was inside.

The doorbell rang during her third glass of wine. By
this time, Billie's nerves had disappeared completely.

'Your carriage awaits,' Jamie joked, nodding at the
battered old minicab waiting patiently with its engine
running.

'I thought you was bringing your girlfriend with you,
Jamie?' Billie pried as the cab headed towards Dagenham.

'Lucy had to work late today, she'll meet us down there
later,' Jamie said as he tickled DJ.

'Oh, that's good,' Billie said, lying through her teeth.
She would much rather have had Jamie all to herself for
the evening. Danny was bound to be swanning about
like the hero of the hour and she was dreading spending
the evening on her own.

Arriving at the pub, Jamie lifted DJ out of the car and
gesticulated for Billie to follow him to the back of the
hall. The place was already heaving and there were banners
dotted about all over, with the words 'Welcome home
Danny' printed on them.

'Anyone would think he was a fucking war hero,' Billie
muttered, as she weaved her way up to the bar after Jamie.
Holding on to the arm of his suit jacket for dear life, she
shouted into his ear, 'You think they could've picked a
bigger hall if they were gonna invite this amount of
people.'

'It's their local, they always drink in here. That's why
they've chosen this place,' Jamie said, ushering Billie over
to a table in the corner. The hall was rammed and there
were numerous kids playing on the dance floor. Billie
urged DJ to run off and join them, whilst keeping a
watchful eye on him. Suddenly, the music stopped and
the bloke on the stage waved his hands.

'Ssh, be quiet, they're coming,' Billie heard someone
shout. The loud cheers and applause were deafening. The
shouts of 'Welcome home, Danny', balloons bursting and
champagne bottles having their corks released rang around
the building.

Danny was overjoyed as he looked around the packed
hall at the sea of familiar faces, all there on his behalf.
He'd half expected it and loved being the centre of attention.
Smiling, he held aloft the glass of champagne that
had been thrust into his hand.

'Cheers, everybody. Now let's fucking party,' he said,
loving the attention. The disco resumed with the Madness
classic 'One Step Beyond'.

The bar was a free one and as usual on these occasions,
people were ordering double what they normally
would and getting pissed twice as quickly. Feeling a tap
on his shoulder, Danny looked round and came face to
face with Jamie.

'All right, mate?' he said, hugging him fondly.

'You all right, Dan? Billie's over in the corner with the
baby if you wanna come over.'

'Is she?' Danny said, momentarily surprised. Following
Jamie, he headed towards her.

'Hello, darling. You kept this quiet, didn't you, girl?'
Danny said as he pecked Billie on the cheek. Turning his
back to her, he scooped DJ into his arms and hugged him
tightly. 'I'm gonna take me little bruiser around and introduce
him to everyone.'

'Bastard,' Billie muttered under her breath as he walked
away without a backward glance. She'd gone to so much
effort to get dressed up and he hadn't even noticed or
commented on how nice she looked. All Danny was
worried about was giving it large and swanning around
showing off his son. He hadn't even introduced her to
anyone, the no-good bastard.

'Billie, this is Lucy.' Jamie stood proudly in front of
her, with his arm casually slung around the shoulder
of a pretty blonde girl.

'It's nice to meet you,' Billie said, feeling a strange
awkwardness wash over her as she watched Jamie lovingly
rub the girl's shoulder.

'Likewise,' came the reply. 'Jamie's told me so much
about you.'

Billie spent the next half-hour talking to people who
were relative strangers to her. Out of the corner of her
eye, she watched Jamie doing the rounds, introducing
Lucy to all and sundry. She was attractive enough, petite
with a nice figure, but not an out-and-out head-turner.
Seeing Jamie give her a passionate but short kiss on the
lips was the final straw for Billie, and she marched up
to the bar. Jamie was such a nice guy, the total opposite
of Danny, who had fucked off and was nowhere to be
seen.

'Hello, son.' Danny swung around in shock horror as
he realised that the coarse voice belonged to his mother.
Not knowing what to say, he mumbled the first thing that
came into his head.

'What are you doing here?'

Brenda O'Leary noticed her son's embarrassment and
felt extremely hurt. 'For fuck's sake, Danny, you could
seem pleased to see me. Your brothers and sisters are over
there. I can see you've gone up in the world, son, but
don't forget your roots. Remember, without me you
wouldn't even be here.'

Danny immediately felt guilty. 'I'm sorry, Mum,' he
said, hugging her tightly. 'It was just a shock seeing you,
that's all.' Picking up DJ, who had sidled to the edge of
the dance floor, Danny turned to face his mother.

'Meet your grandson, Danny Junior. DJ, say hello to
your nanny.'

Brenda's eyes welled up as she held the beautiful little
boy with the dickey-bow. As he looked around, Danny
noticed some of his pals clocking what was going on. He
loved his mum more than words could say, but he was
also very ashamed of her. She looked exactly what she
was, an old tom, and since he'd gone up in the world,
Danny had tried to leave his past behind him. He'd had
enough shit as a kid in school over his mother's working
habits and he certainly didn't want his new-found friends
to know about them. Embarrassed, he ushered his mother
towards the corner of the hall. 'Come and meet my girlfriend,
Mum.'

Billie heard the sound of her partner's dulcet tones
calling her and turned round. 'Mum, this is Billie, my
girlfriend. Billie, meet my mum.'

Brenda O'Leary politely shook hands with the pretty
dark-haired girl, whilst eyeing her suspiciously. She had
inwardly blamed this girl for the breakdown of her relationship
with her eldest son. After meeting Billie, Danny
had cut the apron strings and moved out, and Brenda was
now lucky to see him once in a blue moon.

'Do us a favour, Bill. Look after her for me, will ya?'

Billie nodded dumbly. She'd been knocking back the
champagne and what with the wine she'd consumed at
home, was feeling rather merry. Deciding that nothing
could be worse than watching Jamie and Lucy all over
one another, Billie turned her attention to the rough looking
woman who was standing beside her.

Half an hour later the ice was well and truly broken
and the two of them were having a right old laugh. Brenda
introduced Billie to Danny's brothers and sisters and soon
had Billie in hysterics with stories from her past. Brenda
may have been an ageing ex-prostitute, but she had the
gift of making people laugh. A naturally funny woman,
if Brenda's life had turned out differently, she would have
made a great stand-up comedienne.

A 'what you see is what you get' type. Brenda soon
launched into a story about one of her old clients whom
she had walked around on a dog's lead, telling him to sit,
lie down and roll over. Billie roared, especially when
Brenda revealed that the guy had turned out to be her
local postman.

'Oh Brenda, you are funny,' Billie said, fondly. 'I've
laughed so much, I've nearly wet myself. I must go to
the toilet. Will you keep an eye on DJ for me?'

'Of course I will, darling,' Brenda smiled as she watched
Billie walk away. What a lovely girl, she thought. He's
done well for himself there, my Danny Boy, bloody well.

In the toilet, Billie couldn't stop smiling. She hadn't
expected to enjoy herself at all tonight but surprisingly she
was having a bloody good time, thanks to Mrs O'Leary.
Danny she'd barely seen all night. She didn't care, she'd
expected that anyway. Billie thanked God that she'd inherited
her dad's spirit and personality. He'd have seen the
funny side of tonight. Billie was just about to flush when
she heard the toilet door open and two female voices talking
about Danny. Feeling her ears prick up, she pulled the toilet
lid down and sat listening.

'So, have you seen Danny since he's been out of nick,
then?'

'Nope, I had a load of letters from him while he was
inside but I stopped writing back after a while.'

'How long was you actually seeing him for?'

'Ages. I knocked it on the head just after his baby was
born and he was put away just after that. I've still got
feelings for him, but I ain't gonna be second best to no
one. I told him when he begged to come round me flat
that I'd have no more to do with him until he left his bird.
He said he was gonna leave her, but he never did.'

'She's out there, the tart he's got the kid with. Someone
pointed her out to me earlier. She's not bad, but she's not
as pretty as you, Debs. I'll point her out to you later.
What time will you come out there?'

'It's half ten now, so I reckon I'll be out there by half
eleven. The pub is empty as everyone's in the hall, so I'm
gonna start clearing up soon. I can't wait to see old Danny
Boy's face when I walk in.'

'Neither can I. I'm over by the right-hand corner, the
table next to the bar. Come straight over to me, Debs, I
wanna join in the fun.'

'Don't worry, as soon as I make my grand entrance,
I'll come and find you. See you soon, mate, eh.'

'See ya, Debs.'

Billie Jo waited for both girls to leave, flushed and
stood in front of the mirror. Taking her comb out of her
bag, she ran it through her hair and applied another coat
of bright red lipstick. Bits of the conversation she had
just heard kept repeating in her brain.

'The tart he's got the kid with.'

'She's not as pretty as you, Debs.'

'Come straight over to me, Debs, I wanna join in the
fun.'

Billie Jo smiled at her reflection in the mirror. They
sounded as common as shit, the two birds. Danny had
definitely taken her for a fool. Month after month she'd
traipsed up that prison and what for? To be cheated on
with some bird that sounded like Dagenham's answer to
Vicky Pollard! How bloody dare he treat her like that?
Who did they all think she was, some fucking mug? Well,
she'd show them different. Them and every other prick
stood out there in that hall, celebrating the return of her
no-good boyfriend.

With a plan firmly etched in her mind, Billie picked
up her clutch bag, plastered on a smile and marched out
of the ladies.