The Feud (23 page)

Michael Jenkins didn’t like the look of the man who approached him and he certainly didn’t fancy going outside with him.

‘Do as I say, else I’ll break your fucking legs,’ Eddie whispered in his ear.

‘I can’t go anywhere, I’ve gotta meet me mate in a minute,’ Michael pleaded.

Eddie’s eyes clouded over. ‘If you don’t walk outside now and get in the Land Cruiser, I swear I will come back with a gun and blow your fucking brains out.’

Like a lamb being led to the slaughter, Michael Jenkins did as he was told.

Eddie started the engine. ‘Where are you taking me? What am I supposed to have done?’ Michael said nervously.

Eddie said nothing. He knew of a dead-end turning a few streets away that was always deserted. Reaching his destination, Eddie opened both doors. ‘Get out,’he ordered Michael.

Petrified, Michael started to flinch. ‘What am I meant to have done? You’ve got the wrong person. I swear it’s not me. You’re Eddie Mitchell, aren’t you?’

Eddie dragged Michael into the alleyway. Pulling a knife out of his pocket, he pointed it at him. ‘You are one piece of fucking shit. And if I ever find out you’ve laid one finger on your mother again, I will personally fucking kill you. You leave her be, you keep away from her. Do you get my meaning, cunt?’

‘I promise I won’t go near her again. She offered me money, she gave it to me,’ Michael said sobbing.

Despite his odd fib to Jessica, Eddie hated liars. Unable to control his temper, he threw Michael to the floor and stood on his wrist. ‘You lying fucking scumbag,’ he said, as he positioned the knife on his thumb. Hacking away, Ed realised that the job wasn’t complete and the thumb was hanging on by a thread of skin. Determined to chop the bastard thing off, he brought the knife down once again.

Eddie kicked the thumb down the alleyway. Smiling, he left Michael screaming and wriggling and walked back to his motor. ‘You say one word or mention my name to anyone, then I’ll come back and chop your cock off,’ he shouted to his victim.

Reversing out of the dead end, Eddie rang his dad. Reg, Ronny and Paulie were all in the Flag with him and Ed was pleased, as it meant he could kill four birds with one stone.

Turning on the radio, Eddie smirked as he heard the song being played. ‘Little Lies’ by Fleetwood Mac was
very appropriate for poor Michael. Eddie smiled as he thought of what he’d just done to him. Years ago when he was a little boy, his dad used to take him to the fishmonger’s. Eddie was obsessed with the live eels wriggling about in the big bowls of water and he loved watching the man chop them up alive. Eddie grinned. That’s what Michael Jenkins’ thumb had reminded him of today, a live fucking eel. Laughing out loud, Eddie put his foot on the accelerator and sped off.

‘Joey, Frankie, your nan and grandad are here,’ Jessica shouted up the stairs.

Thrilled that their mother had agreed to them going out later, the twins bounded down stairs with smiles on their faces. Staying in every night doing tons of homework had been soul-destroying for them, so much so that they’d climbed out of the window last week and gone out for the evening. It had nearly all ended in tears, as Joey had struggled to climb back up, lost his balance and fallen backwards onto the drive. Frankie had had to creep downstairs and let him in at the front door. It was a miracle he was just bruised and not badly injured. It was also a miracle that their parents hadn’t heard the commotion.

Joyce and Stanley made a real fuss of the twins. ‘What you done to your face? You’ve got a big bruise. You ain’t been fighting, have you?’ Joyce asked Joey.

‘No, I fell out of bed, Nan.’ Joey told her sincerely. He’d got the bruise when he’d fallen off the roof.

Frankie backed him up. ‘It’s true, Nan. He went to bed one night and woke up like that the next morning. I can vouch for him, honest I can.’

Frankie glanced at her brother and he winked at her.

‘How’s school? You must have your exams soon.’ Stanley asked both of them.

Jessica shot the twins a look. She’d warned them not to tell their nan and grandad about the fiasco at the school.

‘We’ve been working really hard, Grandad. We take our exams very seriously,’ Frankie said cheekily.

Jessica felt her lip curl. She could swing for that girl sometimes, she really could.

Eddie tutted as Paulie brought over another drink. He already had three lined up on the table and was struggling to get through them. ‘What you trying to do – get me pissed? I’ve already had about six. I can’t drink all of them, I’ve got the motor outside,’ he joked.

Ronny was in a quiet mood. He hated being stuck in a wheelchair and he couldn’t stand other people being happy. No one knew what his life was like. Being treated like a cripple made him feel so inferior that sometimes he wished he was dead.

‘Looking forward to Christmas around Paulie’s?’ Eddie asked him cheerfully.

‘Yeah, can’t wait. I’m gonna dress up as fucking Santa and slide down the chimney while singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”,’ Ronny answered sarcastically.

Eddie glanced at Sharon. She had just turned up to take Ronny home and Eddie felt truly sorry for her. Years ago, he’d never been a massive fan of his brother’s bird, but just lately his heart went out to her. Most women would have run a mile after Ronny’s accident, but Sharon had stuck by him through thick and thin. Ronny showed her no love at all, he spoke to her like shit and Eddie didn’t know how she put up with him. It wasn’t as though they had kids or anything to keep her there.

‘Come up the bar; let me get you a drink, Sharon,’ Eddie said.

‘Yeah, go on. Fuck off with him, I dunno why you
turned up so early – I ain’t going nowhere yet,’ Ronny said nastily.

With tears in her eyes, Sharon followed Eddie up to the bar.

‘What do you want, love?’ Eddie asked her.

Sharon shrugged. ‘I’ll just have an orange juice, please.’ Eddie smiled at her. ‘Why don’t you have something stronger? Have a glass of wine or something. One won’t hurt you.’

Sharon shook her head. ‘Living with Ronny has put me off drink for life.’

Eddie shouted up an orange juice and handed it to her. ‘Listen, if you ever need any outside help, just let me know. I can pay for a carer or someone who will give you a break.’

Sharon felt her eyes well up again. She wasn’t used to kindness. ‘I can manage all right. I just wish he was more grateful and didn’t drink so much. When he’s drunk, he says the most terrible things to me.’

Eddie nodded sympathetically. ‘My offer will always be there for you, Sharon. You know my number. If things get too much for you, then ring me.’

Sharon smiled sadly. ‘Thanks Ed, I will.’

‘What’s for dinner, love?’ Stanley asked his daughter.

‘I’ve done a nice cold-meat buffet with crusty bread, pickles, jacket potatoes, cheese and coleslaw. I thought it best that we don’t overeat tonight – we don’t want to spoil ourselves for tomorrow, do we?’

Joyce agreed. ‘Any chance of another glass of Baileys, dear?’

‘We’re going out now, Mum,’ Frankie said, as she walked into the room all dolled up in a denim miniskirt.

Jessica looked at her in astonishment. ‘It’s only ten to
six – your dad’s not even back yet. Why are you all dressed up? You’re only going round your friend’s house, aren’t you?’

Joey stepped out from behind his sister. He was also dressed smartly. ‘We’ve gotta make an effort, Mum. All our school friends are going to be there. We can’t look like tramps at Christmas,’ he said.

‘Whose house are you going to? Are their parents going to be there?’

Frankie spoke earnestly. ‘We’re going round Joey’s friend David’s house. And I’m not going to lie to you, Mum, his parents are going out for a meal, but David said they’ll be back by ten o’clock.’

Jessica nodded. She had met David a couple of times and he was a pleasant enough boy. At least Frankie had been honest with her about his parents going out for the evening, so maybe she’d learned her lesson.

‘How are you getting there?’ she asked the twins.

‘Cab. We’ve already ordered it. It’s double fare after six; that’s why we’re going out early,’ Frankie answered.

Hearing a toot outside, Jessica smiled at them. ‘Go on, off you go. Have a good time and no getting drunk.’

‘We won’t, Mum, I promise,’ Frankie said, nudging her brother.

‘And don’t forget to be back by eleven,’ Jessica shouted out.

As Frankie slammed the door, Joey smiled. ‘Do you think she believed us?’

Frankie giggled. ‘Course she did. Especially when I said that David’s parents weren’t gonna be at home. I saw the gleam in her eye at my honesty.’

Joey laughed. ‘You’re such a cow at times, Frankie.’ Frankie and Joey got into the minicab.

‘Where are you going?’ the driver asked.

Frankie laughed. It was Christmas, the season of goodwill and it was about time her brother knew that she was aware of his interesting little secret.

‘We’re gonna be ending up at the Angel pub in the village. But can you go to Cherry Tree Lane first?’ Joey said.

‘Are we picking someone up?’ the driver asked.

Frankie smiled. ‘Yes, my brother’s boyfriend.’

Astonished that his sister knew his secret, Joey urged her to shut the fuck up. He didn’t want the cab driver knowing his business; he couldn’t take that risk.

‘Change of plan, mate. Drop us at the Cherry Tree lights. We’ve gotta get some fags and stuff, we’ll walk from there,’ Joey told the driver.

‘So, you’re not going to the Angel now?’ the bewildered cabbie asked.

Joey shook his head. ‘Nah, we’re not, mate.’

‘That’ll be three-eighty,’ the cabbie said, giving Joey a strange look and the once-over.

Joey handed him a fiver and told him to keep the change. ‘I haven’t really got a boyfriend, mate. My sister has a lot of mental issues and tends to blurt out these things,’ he said, as he shoved Frankie out of the cab.

Seeing the driver’s bemused expression, Frankie couldn’t stop laughing. ‘Your face was a picture, Joey. I bet he goes back to his office and tells his colleagues he’s just picked up a shit-stabber and a nutcase.’

Joey didn’t share her warped sense of humour. He lit up two fags and handed her one. ‘How do you know?’ he asked bluntly.

Frankie took a long drag and blew the smoke in his
face. ‘I’ve known for ages, you idiot. Don’t you remember that time around Simon’s house? You and David were upstairs going through his record collection and I sneaked up. I saw you leap apart from one another. It was obvious you’d been kissing!’

Joey didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He felt awkward that Frankie knew, but was also relieved that she did. ‘Does anybody else know? You won’t say anything to Mum and Dad, will you?’ he asked her.

Frankie threw him a sarcastic look. ‘Of course, I’m gonna tell ’em tomorrow. I’ll wait till we’re eating our Christmas dinner and hold a sausage on me fork while screaming out “Joey likes willies,” shall I?’

Joey laughed. He trusted Frankie and knew she wouldn’t dob him in it.

‘Have you, you know, done anything with him?’Frankie pried.

Joey smirked. ‘Well, sort of.’

Frankie was perplexed. ‘Like what?’

‘I’ll tell you all about it another time. Now come on, we’ll be late. I’ll race you to David’s house. Last one there’s a plonker.’

Jessica waited for Eddie to arrive home, and then brought out the buffet. ‘Mum, Dad, help yourselves,’ she urged.

Eddie pecked his little homemaker on the cheek. ‘What time did the kids go out?’

‘Just before six. They didn’t want to pay double fare. How was your day, love?’

Eddie smiled. Best he didn’t mention that he’d chopped someone’s thumb off. ‘It was good. I went to see me Auntie Joan, then popped in the Flag to have a drink with the rest of the family.’

‘Did you see your dad?’ Jessica asked.

‘Yeah. He looked tired, the old man. Said he’s had some agg with a few kids knocking on the door late at night. Reckons they’re potential burglars, knocking to see if there’s anyone at home. The silly little bastards obviously don’t know who me father is, do they? If they set one foot inside his property, me dad’ll fucking kill ’em,’ Eddie replied, laughing.

The buffet was beautifully presented and went down a treat.

‘That’s me done. Bleeding handsome, love,’ Joyce said, rubbing her stomach.

‘Can I get you anything else, Dad?’ Jessica asked, picking up her father’s empty plate.

‘I’m absolutely bloated. I could manage another Scotch though,’ Stanley said cheekily.

Joyce pursed her lips. ‘You’ve had four already, Stanley. Can’t you have a cup of tea instead?’

‘Whatever you say, dear,’ Stanley said calmly.

‘Do you want a cuppa as well, Mum?’ Jessica asked.

‘Oh, no! I’ll have a Baileys, love.’

Eddie and Jessica looked at one another and burst out laughing. Joyce couldn’t understand why they were laughing at her. ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked annoyed.

Eddie handed his father-in-law a Scotch. ‘Thanks, Eddie,’ Stanley said gratefully.

Joyce took the glass of Baileys from Eddie and downed it in one. She scowled at Stanley. Her husband was one greedy bastard at times, he really was.

‘Bye, Mrs Hughton, bye, Mr Hughton. Have a lovely Christmas,’ Joey shouted to David’s parents as they left the house.

Frankie laughed at his politeness. ‘I’ll leave you and lover boy to it,’ she said, as she skipped on ahead.

David looked at Joey in amazement. ‘You ain’t told her, have you?’ he asked horrified.

Joey shook his head. ‘She knew. She’s known for ages, apparently. Do you remember that time we were round at Simon’s and we thought she’d caught us? Well, she did.’

David was much more macho than Joey and was desperate to keep his confusion over his sexuality a secret. ‘Well, that’s fucking great, Joey. She won’t say nothing, will she? I mean, I am captain of the football team. Can you imagine what the lads would say?’

‘She’s my twin – of course she ain’t gonna fucking say anything,’ Joey told him.

As Frankie strolled on ahead, the two lads walked in silence. David’s attitude annoyed Joey at times. Joey wasn’t ashamed of fancying boys, and if it wasn’t for his father finding out and probably burying him alive, he’d have shouted if from the rooftops. David was the opposite. He’d always claimed that he was straight. He was adamant that he was just experimenting and, one day, would marry and have children.