Maureen glared at her. ‘What’s so funny?’

Crying with laughter, Ethel could barely speak. ‘How the fuck have yer got the front to put that up? The whole street knows he was done for murder. Fuck me, that new family that have just moved in opposite will think he’s a war hero coming back late from the Falklands.’

Maureen bit her tongue. She loved her mother-in-law more than words could say, but the older she got, the more outspoken she became. She looked at her mates.

‘What do you think?’

Brenda paused before answering. ‘Look, maybe Ethel’s right. Even though Terry Smith was a wrong ’un and what happened is long forgotten, he’s still got cousins round here, ain’t he?’

Sandra agreed. ‘I heard his brother Wayne’s moved back to the area. Dunno how true it is, but Rosie’s husband saw him in the Duchess last Saturday night.’

As James entered the room, he caught the back end of the conversation. Seeing his mum’s deflated expression, he put an arm around her.

‘We don’t want no trouble, Mum. Give us it here and I’ll put it up in the front room. I don’t think Tommy would like it outside, anyway. Yer know what he’s like and if Freddie’s coming with him, he might feel a bit of a prick.’

Smiling at her son, Maureen handed him the banner.

‘Do you want to do it again?’ the girl asked.

He shook his head. ‘Thanks all the same, but I’ve gotta be somewhere.’

Tommy took his time as he got dressed. He didn’t want Freddie taking the piss out of him for being so quick, but on reaching the reception, he was surprised to see that Freddie had vanished. The Spanish-looking bird who had taken the money from them smiled at him.

‘Your friend, he is in room number six with Chantelle.’

Tommy sat on a chair and shut his eyes. With no sleep the previous night and a gut full of food and booze, he already felt knackered. Being set free had been the best feeling in the world. Walking through the gates after serving ten years of his fifteen was an incredibly special moment, one that only a long-termer would ever understand.

The first person he saw as the fresh air hit him was Freddie, sitting on the bonnet of a white Escort van. They’d literally run towards one another as if they were long-lost lovers, before jumping up and down like nutters.

‘Right, what do yer wanna do?’ Freddie asked, waving a big wad of dough at him.

Tommy was overawed and didn’t know what to suggest. ‘I’m gagging for a beer. After that, you choose,’ he said.

Freddie pulled up at the first boozer they saw. They knocked back a few lagers and spoke endlessly about their time in Feltham. Tommy was the first to change the subject.

‘So, how’s the building game going? With the wad you’re waving about, yer must be doing all right.’

Freddie did a wanker sign. ‘It’s shit, mate. Me cousin’s a prick, he don’t pay that well and I knock me bollocks off for next to nothing. I’ve only stuck with it while I’ve been waiting for you to get out – that, and to keep me mother off me case.’

Tommy nodded sympathetically.

‘What’s this?’ he asked, as Freddie threw a brown envelope on his lap.

Freddie grinned, ‘It’s a little present from me uncle Bobby. I think there’s two hundred quid in there. Bobby’s in Spain for a couple of weeks, but he gave it to me before he went. He said you were to ’ave a good time with it.’

Downing his beer, Tommy smiled. ‘If I’m meant to be enjoying meself, best we get out of this shit-hole then.’

The next stop was a restaurant. The dinners in prison had been fucking awful and Tommy was gagging for a good old-fashioned roast.

As he wiped the gravy off his plate with the remainder of his Yorkshire pudding, Tommy swallowed the last piece and let out a satisfied groan.

‘Freddie, that was fuckin’ handsome. Honestly, it was better than a bunk up.’

Freddie winked at him. ‘Funny you should say that, ’cause I’ve got one of them lined up for yer later. Yer can tell me after you’ve shot yer load if yer still prefer the roast beef.’

Tommy laughed. He’d had no bird in tow when he’d gone away, but having been sexually active from the age of thirteen, he wasn’t going to say no to the offer.

After leaving the restaurant, Freddie wanted to take Tommy to a boozer in East Ham to meet all his pals.

‘Not today, Fred. I need to get me head together, and me mum’s expecting me home at seven. I can’t not turn up, and if we go down your manor, I probably won’t get back in time.’

Freddie fully understood where his mate was coming from. He’d been there himself. Walking out of prison was one thing, getting your head together and the family stuff was another. Instead, they’d done a little pub crawl. Nowhere special, just random pubs they liked the look of.

The knocking shop had been the last stop-off. Freddie wasn’t one for brasses, but through his friends, he was aware of the big house in Forest Gate that served up sex.

The journey through London was an eye-opener to Tommy. Everything had changed so much. People’s clothes, their cars, even their hairstyles were weird.

‘I can’t believe how much difference ten years can make,’ he said repeatedly.

Freddie agreed. He’d felt exactly the same way himself.

‘Oi, wake up, you cunt.’

The sound of Freddie’s voice jolted Tommy back to reality. He’d obviously dozed off at some point. ‘What’s the time?’

Freddie laughed at his groggy expression. ‘Ten to six. We’ve got time for a couple more beers and then I’ll take you home to mummy.’

Tall, dark and reasonably good looking, James only had two major hang-ups. One was his baby face, which stopped girls from taking him seriously. ‘Aw, he’s so cute. Ain’t he sweet?’ they’d say, pinching his cheeks.

The second was his skinny physique. He’d tried eating more, exercising and all sorts, but nothing seemed to work. His mum insisted he was worrying over nothing. ‘You’ll fill out in time, son. Look at our Tommy, he was the same build as you at your age and look at the size of him now.’

James just hoped she was right. Grabbing the bunch of flowers he’d bought with Harold’s money, he ran down the stairs and dashed next door.

‘I’ve got you a present,’ he said, as the door opened.

Maria hugged him. ‘You’re such a sweetie, James,’ she said, then, grabbing his hand, she dragged him upstairs. ‘I’m running late, I haven’t even had a bath yet. Go and sit in my bedroom and put some music on while I get meself ready. I won’t be long, I promise.’

James raised his eyebrows. Maria always took ages to get ready and her ‘won’t be longs’ were legendary. Sifting through her dodgy record collection, which included Wham!, Madonna and even Jason and Kylie, he opted for Duran Duran. Maria was into all that girly shit and he often ribbed her about it. He was more of a fan of early eighties’ music. The Jam, Madness and the Specials were his favourites and he’d bought every album they’d ever made. Already sick of Simon Le Bon’s voice, James turned down the volume and flopped on the bed. Hearing Maria singing away to herself in the bathroom, he smiled.

Ever since that first meeting across the garden fence when they were five years old, they’d been inseparable. Even then, Maria had been music mad. She loved to sing and dance and was obsessed with Donny Osmond. Being so young, he’d never taken an interest in pop records, but within a week of meeting her, he’d learned all the words to ‘Puppy Love’. That particular song would always hold a special place in his heart, because she’d kissed him once while it was playing. He’d only been six at the time, but remembered it as if it was yesterday.

As the years ticked by and they became teenagers, their closeness stayed intact. A lot of their school friends used to think they were dating, but that was never the case. A couple of kisses at infancy was the furthest they’d ever got to any romance. James had always secretly hoped that one day they’d be together, but as the years ticked on, he’d learned to accept their friendship for what it was.

Maria had been extremely beautiful at the age of five, and at fifteen she was now an absolute stunner. James wasn’t stupid – he knew she was out of his league.

She always had different boyfriends. At first, he’d found that hard to deal with, but as they came and went in quick succession, he’d learned to live with it. Her taste in boys was about as good as her taste in music. The types she went for were years older than herself, and they were always wide boys. Over and over again he told her that she was going out with the wrong sort. She always listened to him, even agreed, but then a couple of weeks later, she’d pick a geezer who was a clone of the one before.

She wasn’t easy. She told James absolutely everything and he believed her when she said she was still a virgin. She had no reason to lie to him. ‘I’m saving myself for Mr Right,’ she told him.

She was forever crying on his shoulder and James often wondered if her refusal to have sex was the reason her relationships never lasted. The blokes she went out with were sometimes in their twenties and they probably wanted much more from Maria than she was willing to give.

Although he would always carry a torch for her, James had recently gotten on with his own life. He’d had a one-night stand with a girl he’d met at a party and he’d since slept with another. Neither experience made him feel particularly good about himself. With both girls it had been over in minutes and felt totally meaningless.

Maria ribbed him endlessly about his escapades. ‘I can’t believe my best friend’s turned into the local stud. What was it like, James? Now don’t lie to me, I wanna know every little detail.’

James could hardly tell her it was overrated and he hadn’t enjoyed it. She’d think he was some kind of weirdo if he said that. Instead, he came out with a load of cock and bull about how great it was and how the girls had begged to see him again.

‘And are you gonna see them again?’ she asked, giggling.

‘Nah, I can’t be bothered. I only wanted a bit of fun, you know how it is.’

He felt a right bastard lying to her. He wished he could have told her the truth, that he’d only lost his virginity because of her. At least now, when she lost hers, he wouldn’t be so heartbroken about it. Annoyed with himself for thinking such stupid thoughts, James turned his attention to Tommy. He could hardly believe that, after all these years, tonight he and his brother would be sharing the same bedroom again.

Although they’d kept up their relationship over the years with letters and visits, it wasn’t the same as actually living together. As kids, even with a ten-year age gap between them, they’d been incredibly close, and James just hoped they could carry on where they’d left off. Tommy had promised him that once he got out, he’d take him to a gym and teach him all he knew about weight training. He also said that they’d go boozing together and go out on the pull. James hoped his brother would stick to his promises. He liked his life, but at times it got boring. His mates were a laugh, but they weren’t that into pubs or clubs. At his mother’s insistence, he was forever revising, and the only other thing he did was work in Harold’s shop. James loved his job, but it hardly filled his days with excitement.

‘Well, how do I look?’

Any more thoughts of Tommy or his future were shot to pieces as Maria entered the room. In her slinky black dress, with a silver headband, shoes and bag, she looked amazing.

‘You look beautiful, Maria.’

Twirling around, Maria grabbed him by the hand. ‘Come on then, stud. Let’s go and party.’