TWENTY-SIX

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.