THIRTEEN
The journey through the East End was a complete
shock to Tommy. Graffiti was everywhere, pubs had closed down,
shops had disappeared and the area had become a shadow of its
former self. There’d been a few foreigners moving into the East End
before he’d gone away, but in Tommy’s eyes it had now been overrun
by all and sundry and he barely recognised the area where he’d been
born and bred.
‘Fuckin’ hell,’ he said repeatedly.
In prison, he’d been told that Thatcher being Prime
Minister was a good thing. Looking at his beloved East End, he now
wasn’t so sure.
Freddie smiled at him sympathetically. He knew what
emotions his pal was going through. He’d felt exactly the same
about Manor Park when he first came out. Deciding to cheer Tommy up
a bit, he tried to make a joke of things.
‘If yer think it’s bad round here, you wanna take a
look around my area. Every time I step out the door, I feel like
I’m standing in the middle of Bangladesh.’
Tommy laughed. ‘Pull over at that pub on the
corner, I need a drink to get over the shock.’
Brenda was the first to spot Tommy arrive. ‘Quick
Maur, he’s here.’
Desperate to be the first to greet her son, Maureen
rushed to the front door. While her friends marvelled about how
much he’d changed, how handsome he was and what a physique he now
had, Maureen proudly threw her arms around her son’s strapping
shoulders.
Lifting her up, Tommy swung her around and
smothered her with kisses. He then moved onto his nan and sister
before he turned his attentions to James.
‘My little bruvver ain’t so little now. Jesus, I
can’t believe how fucking tall you are,’ he said, as he hugged him
tightly.
James felt embarrassed. He could see Maria smiling
at him and he felt like a stick insect standing next to Tommy.
‘Tommy, this is Maria. Maria, this is Tommy.’
Tommy smiled politely. On every visit and in every
letter, James had spoken endlessly about Maria and within seconds
of meeting her, he could fully understand why. She was extremely
pretty and thoroughly enchanting. His brother always denied having
designs on her, but Tommy could see through his feelings as clearly
as he could see through a pane of glass. James had the hots for his
so-called best friend and if Tommy had been a few years younger, he
would definitely have felt the same way himself.
By nine o’clock the party was in full swing. Tommy
had done the rounds, spoken politely to all the neighbours and
friends, and introduced Freddie to everybody. He was now having a
quiet ten minutes with his pal in the kitchen. ‘I can’t believe me
mum invited Tibbsy and his loser fuckin’ mates.’
Freddie handed him another lager. ‘She probably
thought she was doing you a favour inviting all your old
mates.’
Tommy raised his eyebrows. ‘Apart from Tibbsy,
Benno and Dave Taylor, I don’t know the rest of ’em from
Adam.’
‘Who’s the two macaroons with ’em?’
Tommy shrugged his shoulders. ‘How the fuck should
I know? The two-faced bastards used to hate the blacks when I
knocked about with ’em.’
Freddie smiled. ‘Just enjoy yourself, Tom. I know
they’re pricks, but just suffer ’em. I mean, after tonight you
ain’t gotta see ’em no more, have you?’
Tommy lit a fag. ‘Too fucking right I ain’t.’
James hated the music chosen by Maria’s friends, so
had taken charge of record-player duties. He’d always fancied
himself as a bit of a DJ, and tonight was his chance to shine.
After he’d played The Jam’s, ‘Town Called Malice’ for the fourth
time, Maria walked over to him.
‘Put something on that me and the girls can dance
to,’ she begged him.
James smiled. He’d fly to the moon if she asked
him, let alone change the record. He found a party album and
started laughing as they all went mental, singing ‘Oops Upside Your
Head’.
‘Come on, James,’ Maria screamed, trying to entice
him onto the floor.
James shook his head and went in search of his
brother. ‘The Rowing Song’ was girly shit. A few months ago he may
have joined in with them, but not now. He needed to start behaving
in a more manly way – maybe then he’d be taken more
seriously.
Ethel was in fucking agony as she rocked from side
to side. With her bad hip, even sitting on the floor was painful
enough and to make matters worse, her knickers had disappeared up
her crotch and were cutting her in half. With no decorum
whatsoever, she shoved her hand up her dress.
Maureen tapped her on the shoulder. ‘Mum, for
fuck’s sake. You’re right at the front of the boat, you can’t do
that. All them young boys are looking at yer and laughing.’
‘Let ’em look, the fuckin’ perverts. Me drawers are
up me crack. What am I meant to do?’
Embarrassed that Tibbsy and co. were in absolute
hysterics, Maureen was relieved when ‘The Rowing Song’ came to an
end.
Instead of feeling heartbroken, as she usually did
when Kevin dumped her, Susan was having a whale of a time. Usually
she took to her bed for days, but tonight was different. She
danced, drank loads of alcohol, was happy and had pulled a sexy
bloke.
Royston Ellis was a mate of Tibbsy’s. Half English
and half Jamaican, he had pure white teeth, chocolate-brown eyes
and an extremely fit body. Seeing Susan stagger back towards him,
he smiled. Usually, she wouldn’t have been his type. He liked
quiet, petite girls, whereas Susan was plump and common. With his
judgement clouded by booze, Royston started chatting her up again.
His girlfriend, Mandy, had chucked him recently. They’d dated for
three years and he’d given her everything, until she’d dumped him
like a bag of old rubbish.
Ignoring his pals taking the piss, Royston led
Susan out into the back garden. Then, making sure they were far
enough away from the house, he shoved her up against the gate and
kissed her passionately. As his hand ventured up her skirt and
inside her knickers, Susan let out a groan. There was rarely any
foreplay with Kevin, he was more of a wham, bam, thank you ma’am
and couldn’t care less about her needs. Knowing he’d hit all the
right spots, Royston began whispering sweet nothings in her
ear.
‘You’re so beautiful, Susan. I really like you,’ he
lied, as he placed her hand on his rock-hard penis.
Overcome by lust, Susan led him over the fence and
into next door’s garden. Rita had a greenhouse and they could do it
behind that without being seen.
After sucking him off, Susan took her knickers off
and gasped as he entered her. His cock felt enormous inside her,
far bigger than Kevin’s or any of the other lads she’d been with.
Royston came within minutes and quickly zipped himself up. Feeling
guilty as he watched the girl he had no intention of seeing again
searching around for her knickers, he decided to be a
gentleman.
‘Do you want me to make you come?’ he asked
politely.
Susan nodded. Kevin hadn’t bothered to make her
come since she’d glassed his cousin.
James was putting the black bags full of empty
bottles out in the garden when he saw a dishevelled-looking Susan
and her new friend walking towards him.
‘Excuse me,’ he said to Royston, as he dragged her
to one side. ‘I just need a minute with me sister, mate.’
Grateful for an excuse to make his escape, Royston
nodded and left them to it.
‘Bloody hell, Susan. Look at the state of you –
you’re covered in mud and leaves. Where yer been with that black
geezer? Mum and Tommy’ll go fucking mad if you’ve been up to no
good with him.’
Remembering just how racist her family was, Susan
thought up a lie. ‘If yer must know, I’ve just shared a joint with
him. As for me clothes, I fell over. It’s so dark out here and I’ve
had far too much to drink.’
Relieved by her answer, James tried to brush her
down. ‘Can you imagine Nan if yer came home with a black
boyfriend?’
‘Oh fuck off, James. I’ve been with Kevin for
years. I’m hardly gonna run off with Stepney’s answer to Michael
Jackson, am I?’
James shook his head. Smiling at his naivety, Susan
walked away.
With most of the youngsters having now gone home,
Maureen decided to take charge of the music herself. Ethel and the
girls adored the old wartime songs and it was time for a dose of
Mrs Mills!
Ethel leaped off the sofa as soon as she heard the
first bash of the old girl’s piano.
On Mother Kelly’s doorstep,
Down Paradise Row,
I’d sit along o’ Nelly,
She’d sit along o’ Joe.’
Maureen smiled as all her mates suddenly burst into
song.
She’s got a hole in her frock,
Hole in her shoe,
Hole in her sock,
Where her toe peeps through,
But Nelly was the smartest down our alley.
Laughing, Maureen led them into verse two.
Aware that Maria was flirting with Freddie, James
turned his back on her and opened another beer. Tommy put a
comforting arm around his shoulder. ‘You’ve got no worries there,
Jimmy boy. Freddie likes the older woman, if yer know what I
mean.’
James shrugged his shoulders. ‘We’re only friends,
Tom. What Maria does and who she does it with is her own business.
I ain’t bovvered if she likes Freddie, it’s not that. Problem is,
she’s only fifteen, and when all these older geezers leave her
heartbroken, it’s left to muggins ’ere to pick up the pieces every
time.’
Wondering if he’d got his brother’s feelings for
Maria all wrong, Tommy smiled at him. ‘I can’t believe how grown up
yer sound. I know you’re a nice boy and that, but yer can’t spend
all your time sorting out Maria’s problems, yer need to get on with
your own life.’
James agreed. He knew deep down that his brother
was right and he probably should have done it years ago. He and
Maria were far too close for comfort. For her, it didn’t matter, he
was just ‘good old James’, her perfect mate and shoulder to cry on.
For him it was different: he was in love with her and, unless he
distanced himself, he’d never be able to move on with his
life.
He nudged Tommy. ‘My mates are so boring. Can’t I
knock about with you from now on? I’d love us to go out boozing
together. We can go on the pull, we’ll knock ’em dead.’
Ruffling his hair as though he was five years old
all over again, Tommy smiled. ‘I’ll take you anywhere yer wanna go,
Jimmy boy.’
Susan was always happier watching her family enjoy
themselves than joining in with them. It had been a funny old day
and she needed time to think about it. Splitting up with Kevin,
Tommy coming home, meeting Royston, experiencing a fantastic
orgasm. The more the drink wore off, the more Susan began to feel
guilty. Royston was long gone, thank God. The sex may have been
mind-blowing, but she had no intention of ever setting eyes on him
again. Kevin might have his faults, but he was the only man she’d
ever loved. He’d go fucking mad if he ever found out what she’d
been up to. He was ever so racist and would finish with her for
good if he knew that she’d been with a black man. Susan just hoped
that Royston kept to his word. He’d sworn to her that he’d never
tell his pals or anyone else what had happened.
‘It’s our little secret. No one else ever needs to
know,’ he whispered as he left.
Racked by feelings of regret, Susan toddled off to
bed.
Maria was the next to call it a night. Freddie and
Tommy were too drunk and busy enjoying themselves to talk to her
any longer and James had ignored her for the majority of the
evening.
Dragging her best friend away from his brother,
Maria questioned him. ‘Have I done something to upset you, James?
You’ve been acting really weird and you’ve barely spoken to me all
night.’
James shook his head. ‘Nah, you ain’t done nothing.
Fucking hell, Maria, I ain’t seen me brother properly for ten
years. Give us a break, will yer? We’re not joined at the hip, you
know.’
Maria grabbed his hand and stared into his eyes.
‘What’s got into you, James? I wasn’t chatting up Freddie, if
that’s what you think.’
Pulling his hand away, James led her outside and
spoke sternly to her. ‘Get over yourself, Maria. I couldn’t give a
fuck if you were chatting up Freddie or anyone else, for that
matter. I know we’re best mates, but my life don’t always fucking
revolve around you.’
Maria was mystified. ‘Don’t talk to me like a piece
of shit, James. I’d never talk to you like that. Why are you acting
like a prick?’
‘Me, act like a prick! Well, you’d know all about
that, wouldn’t yer Maria? I mean, every week you’re dating a
different prick, ain’t yer?’
Maria started to cry. ‘What’s it got to do with you
who I date?’
‘Nothing, but next time you get your heart broken,
go and bore some other mug,’ James shouted.
Seeing her walk away looking so upset tugged at
James’s heartstrings. Part of him wanted to chase after her and
apologise, but the other part of him wanted to take the advice his
brother had been giving him all evening.
‘What you’ve gotta remember, Jimmy boy, is all
women love a bastard. You can’t be too nice to ’em. If you are,
they just shit on yer. Treat ’em mean and keep ’em keen. Trust me,
it’s the only way.’
All the other geezers Maria went for treated her
like shit, so maybe that’s where he’d gone wrong over the years.
Pleased that he’d finally shown some backbone, James took a deep
breath, put on a big smile and returned to the party.