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not that many so I doubt it will spoil your dinner,’ Mary said.

      ‘Yes please, and can I have a can of cola as well?’ Brenda asked cheekily.

      Donald took an instant dislike to Brenda. She had been far too brazen asking for a drink for his liking and he didn’t want his Nancy copying that type of behaviour. He had brought her up to have impeccable manners.

      ‘I really like your café, Sir. Does that play music?’ Tommy asked Donald, pointing at the jukebox.

      Donald smiled before answering the boy. Tommy had already won him over by calling him Sir.

      ‘There you go,’ Mary said, putting a plate of chips and four cans of cola on the table. She knew why Donald had insisted on meeting their children’s friends. He was a very particular man and was bound to interrogate them to ensure they came from decent families.

      ‘So, what does your dad do? Does he have a job?’ Donald asked Tommy.

      ‘Yeah, my dad grafts really hard, Sir. He works down the docks.’

      ‘And what about your mother? Does she work too?’

      ‘No, Sir. I have two younger brothers, so my mum stays at home to look after them.’

      Mary was a bundle of nerves as Donald turned to Brenda. ‘And what about you, Brenda? Does your dad go to work?’

      ‘My dad don’t live with us any more. My mum has chucked him out. He was always drunk, but my mum didn’t chuck him out because of that. He got another woman pregnant. I’m not meant to know that, but I heard my mum and aunt talking about it in the kitchen last night.’

      Absolutely appalled, Donald glanced at his wife.

      Mary couldn’t look at her husband. ‘Oh well, I suppose you’d better hurry up and eat those chips in case your mums are wondering where you are. Me and Donald don’t want to get ourselves into trouble for you two being late home,’ Mary said, adding a false chuckle.

      ‘I told my mum I was coming here,’ Tommy said.

      ‘Yeah, so did I,’ Brenda added.

      ‘So, do you have brothers and sisters, Brenda?’ Donald asked.

      ‘Yeah, I got three brothers, Vinny, Roy and Michael. Lenny is like a brother as well but he is really my cousin.’

      Recognizing the name Vinny, Donald felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. ‘And do your brothers work? Or are they still at school?’ Donald pried.

      ‘They have got their own business. They own the snooker club just around the corner. Michael used to be a mechanic but Vinny made him give his job up. Everybody knows my brothers. My mum reckons they’re more famous than the Kray twins,’ Brenda explained proudly.

      Having already heard enough, Donald stood up and gestured for his wife to follow him into the kitchen. ‘Did you know that our daughter’s friend was part of that family of scoundrels?’ he asked Mary accusingly.

      ‘No, of course I didn’t. I’m not a bloody mind-reader, Donald.’

      ‘Well, I’m afraid the friendship will have to end. I will not have my Nancy involved with such people. You shall tell her tonight that she isn’t to be friends with Brenda any more. Our Nancy will soon make other friends,’ Donald stated.

      ‘I can’t stop them from being friends, Donald. They sit next to one another at bloody school. I really do think you are overreacting a bit. Brenda might be a little rough around the edges, but she seems a nice-enough child. Not all children have been lucky enough to have the upbringing that ours have.’

      ‘I am not overreacting, Mary. I obviously just care about my children’s welfare a tad more than you do. Tomorrow, I want you to pay a visit to Nancy’s headmaster and demand that she be moved into a different class.’

      ‘I will do no such thing,’ Mary said, her eyes blazing with anger.

      ‘Well, if you won’t, then I will,’ Donald argued.

      Mary was absolutely raging now. ‘Are you determined to balls things up for us here, Donald? Our new business is a roaring success already. Our children are content and have new friends, yet you still can’t be happy. For your information, Shirley was telling me about the Butler family only today. She said Brenda’s mum is a lovely lady with a spotlessly clean house. She also spoke highly of the three boys. Obviously, as we already know, Shirley did say that they are a family not to be messed with, which is why you will not stop our Nancy from being friends with Brenda. For some reason, you seem intent on bringing trouble to our door and if you carry on doing so, and ruin our wonderful business that we have worked so hard for, I swear I will divorce you. Now, get off your high horse and leave me to decide what is and isn’t best for our children, OK?’

      Totally gobsmacked by the way his wife had just spoken to him, Donald decided that he was out of his depth with this particular argument. ‘OK, we will do things your way, Mary. But, if that despicable family ever bring trouble to us or our children’s lives, it will be me who files for divorce.’

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      Queenie spent the morning of her birthday putting up her Christmas tree and decorations. Vinnie had organised a small party for her at the club later, which had been Lenny’s idea.

      ‘What you doing now, Mum?’ Brenda asked, when her mother climbed up the stepladder.

      ‘Putting these paper chains across the ceiling to make it look a bit more festive.’

      ‘Mum, you know your birthday party?’

      Securing the paper chain with two drawing pins, Queenie stepped down from the ladder. ‘Yes.’

      ‘Would it be OK if I invited my friend Nancy?’ Brenda asked hopefully.

      Queenie smiled. ‘Of course you can, angel. You’d best invite her little brother as well though. You can’t invite one without the other.’

      Over at the club, Vinny had been up since dawn getting things ready for his mum’s birthday party. ‘About fucking time you showed your face and I hope you’ve got rid of that slag,’ Vinny said as his brother appeared looking dishevelled.

      Roy sighed. He didn’t often allow birds to stay upstairs in his bed. Once or twice a month, top whack. Yet every time he did so, Vinny would always have something to say about it. Deciding to stand up to his brother for once, Roy glared at him. ‘The slag as you so politely called her went home a couple of hours ago. What is your problem, Vin? I’m a single eighteen-year-old fella, so why is it a crime for me to get me nuts in here and there?’

      ‘No-one said it was a crime, Roy, but you knew how important it was to me that we made Mum’s birthday special this year. After all the shit she has been through recently, don’t you think she deserves to be treated like the Queen?’

      ‘Of course I do.’

      ‘Grab hold of the end of that banner. I want to put it on the wall facing the door,’ Vinny said.

      ‘Where’s Michael?’ Roy asked.

      ‘You tell me. Went to some silly Mod party after we let him leave early last night. He’s probably still under the covers with some slag as well.’

      ‘What time is Mum’s present arriving?’ Roy was desperate to change the subject.

      ‘Twelve on the dot and we need to be there to see her face when she sees it, which is why I needed you to get your arse out of bed early today.’

      ‘Look, I’m sorry. But please, can we just forget about this now, Vin? We don’t wanna spoil Mum’s party, do we?’

      ‘Yep, let’s forget about it, but in future, Roy, business and family before pleasure, eh?’

      Roy nodded. ‘Of course.’

      Johnny

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