Amazed that for the first time in her life she’d woken up fully clothed, Maureen smiled to herself. Christ knows what time she’d gone to bed, but it had been a fantastic bloody party. Her last memory was of singing ‘Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner’. After that it was a complete blank. Throwing her housecoat on, she trudged downstairs. She had some tidying up to do, that was for sure.

‘Morning, Mrs Hutton.’

The strange voice was enough to make Maureen jump out of her skin.

Seeing her look of shock, Freddie smiled. ‘Yer told me I could sleep on the sofa. Sit yourself down and I’ll make you a cup of tea.’

Not one to suffer from hangovers, Freddie was only too happy to help his mate’s mum tidy up, and within an hour the place was virtually spick and span. Maureen had washed up, vacced and polished and Freddie, bless his cottons, had sorted the rest.

‘There are a couple of burn holes in the carpet and the curtain rail’s fallen down. I’ve tried to put it back up, but it won’t hold. I think it might need drilling or something,’ he told her apologetically.

Grateful, Maureen dragged him into the kitchen. ‘Sit yourself down there. I’m gonna make yer a nice big fry-up and when you’ve wolfed it, you can go and wake that lazy son of mine.’

When the smell of fried bacon hit his nostrils, James sat bolt upright. As the night before came back to him, he had a heavy feeling in his heart. Maybe he should go and apologise to Maria, say sorry for the way he’d spoken to her. Deciding not to do anything until he’d asked Tommy’s advice, he gently prodded him. ‘Should I go and see Maria? Make sure she’s OK?’

Tommy lifted the quilt from over his head. ‘Don’t mug yourself off, play hard to get. Can you fuck off now, James? I’ve got the hangover from hell and I need some sleep.’

James smiled. He couldn’t give a shit that his brother was grumpy. Sharing the same room again after all these years was fantastic, the best feeling ever. As for Maria, he’d play it by ear. Maybe he’d give her time to sweat first, and then he’d apologise.

Last night Royston had seemed like a sex god; this morning he revolted her. Remembering that she’d let him lick her fanny, she heaved. The contents of her stomach were finally released by the recollection of the blow-job she’d given him.

Once Ethel had arrived, Maureen handed her a fry-up and sat down opposite James. ‘What are your plans today love? Are yer seeing Maria, or are you working?’

James smiled. It was the school holidays and he was determined to enjoy himself. ‘I’m gonna spend some time with Tommy. Harold’s given me a few days off, so I’m not due back in the shop until next Saturday.’

Maureen sipped her tea, ‘What’s Maria doing, love?’

James shrugged, ‘Don’t know, don’t really care.’

Surprised by her son’s reply, Maureen guessed they’d had a little tiff. Maybe Maria had met another new boyfriend and James wasn’t happy about it.

Hearing the first tap on the window, she thought nothing of it. Hearing the second, she removed the quilt from over her head. By the third tap she was convinced someone was out there and was chucking something at her window. Praying it wasn’t Royston, she nervously took a peep through the curtains. When she spotted Kevin waving furiously at her, Susan’s initial reaction was one of dread. If her mum saw him, there’d be ructions. Her mother had never told anyone, bar her nan, that Kevin had beaten her up. ‘If anyone asks, you had a fight with a girl. If the boys find out the truth, there’ll be murders, and I won’t have them gettin’ arrested.’

Convinced she’d been sussed, Susan was relieved to see Kevin looking happy. Wondering if it was just a ploy to get her outside, she opened the window. ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked cautiously.

‘Nothing, I just wanna talk to yer.’

Full of suspicion, Susan stayed where she was. ‘What about?’

Kevin smiled. ‘About us, you div. Come out here, will yer? I can’t fucking talk to yer while you’re standing up there.’

Susan shook her head. ‘I’ll only come down if yer tell me what you wanna talk about.’

Pulling out the cheap bunch of flowers he’d hidden behind the wall, Kevin waved them at her. ‘Our future, all right. Getting a flat, trying for a baby. Fucking hell, Susan, what do yer want me to do, beg?’

Convinced he was now telling the truth, Susan urged him to wait around the corner.

‘I’ll meet you outside Old Man Tatler’s. Give us ten minutes or so.’

Kevin smiled as he walked away. The prostitute from last night had sucked his knob till it was red raw, but he wasn’t going back for seconds. From today onwards, there’d be no more tarts. He was determined to stay faithful to Susan, and make a proper go of it.

‘Oi! Come in ’ere and say hello to—’

Maureen’s sentence was cut short by the slamming of the front door.

‘Ignorant little fucker,’ Ethel said, as she slurped her tea. With James and Freddie upstairs getting washed, Maureen cleared the rest of the breakfast things and sat down opposite Tommy.

‘I’ve got some good news for you, son. I meant to tell you before, but things have been a bit hectic.’

Tommy smiled. ‘What’s that then, Mum?’

Proud as a peacock, Maureen held his hand. ‘Your uncle Kenny’s offered you a job. He wants yer to work down one of his scrap yards and he said you’re to ring him as soon as he comes back off his holiday next week.’

Annoyed that his life had been organised without his say-so, Tommy stood up. ‘I’m not sure that working on the scrap is what I wanna do, Mum.’

Amazed by his lack of gratitude, Maureen tried to make him see sense. ‘Whaddya mean, it’s not what yer wanna do? Look how successful yer uncle Kenny is. Don’t yer wanna be like him?’

Not wanting to upset her, Tommy chose his words carefully. ‘Look, Mum, leave it with me and I’ll have a think about it. I’ve barely been out twenty-four hours and I need time to sort me head out first.’

Pursing her lips, Maureen was determined to have the final say. ‘It’s up to you boy, but remember, beggars can’t be choosers. I know you’ve done your bird, but on paper you’re still a murderer, Tom. Employers are hardly likely to be knocking on the door to offer you a job, are they, son?’

Tommy was saved from answering her by the reappearance of James and Freddie. Pissed off by his mother’s comments, he cracked open three beers and led his mate and brother into the living room. He glanced at the time, and saw it was eleven o’clock. The pubs would be open in an hour and he couldn’t wait to get out of the fucking house.

‘Ungrateful little bastard,’ Maureen moaned to Ethel. Ethel shrugged her shoulders. She’d had a gut feeling that Tommy wasn’t about to turn into the hard-working, reformed young man that his mother wanted him to be.

Momentarily lost for words, Susan smiled at him. She’d waited years for Kev to commit and now it was finally happening, she could scarcely believe her luck. Feeling there had to be a catch, she found her voice. ‘Of course I wanna be with yer. I’d love us to have kids and move in together, but the only thing that puzzles me is why now, Kev? It was only yesterday that you binned me, so why the sudden change of heart?’

Kevin shrugged his shoulders. ‘I dunno really. I suppose you walking out on me made me think about things. I know I’m a bastard to you at times, but I don’t wanna lose yer.’

Susan held her head high. For the first time ever it was Kevin doing the grovelling and she was loving every minute of it. ‘I’ll give it another go on one condition.’

‘What?’

Susan looked deep into his eyes. ‘That you stop wearing rubbers and we try for a baby straight away.’

Kevin paused before answering, ‘OK. But if we’re gonna have kids, you’ve gotta sort things out with your mum. I can’t be the father of her grandkids and still be barred from the house, can I?’

Susan nodded. Her mum would come round in time, surely.

Kevin put an arm around her shoulder. ‘I think we should get our arses up the council on Monday morning. With all these foreigners moving in round ’ere, we need to move fast. We can stick our name down and as soon as you get up the duff, we’ll probably get a flat straightaway.’

Susan agreed. ‘Lizzie Manning got one within a month of getting pregnant,’ she said excitedly.

Squeezing her hand, Kevin kissed her on the cheek. ‘So, how was the party?’

‘Oh, nothing special.’

Desperate to change the subject, Susan grabbed the flowers. ‘So what are these all about? My nan always says that if a man buys yer flowers for no reason, it’s to cover up his guilt.’

Feeling himself go all hot, Kevin opened another can. ‘What yer trying to say, Suze?’

Enjoying the wind-up, Susan nudged him. ‘Yer didn’t get hold of another bird last night, did yer?’

Feeling himself blush, Kevin gulped at his drink, ‘Don’t be so stupid, course I never.’

Remembering his dad’s words that when guilty, attack was the best form of defence, Kevin fronted it out. ‘If anyone copped off last night it was you. I sat in watching telly all night, you was the one at a party and you haven’t said much about it. If that ain’t a sign of guilt, then I dunno what is.’

Sensing her embarrassment, Kevin nudged her. ‘Go on, you can tell me. Was he as good looking as me? I bet his cock weren’t as big as mine.’

Susan couldn’t look him in the eye. ‘Stop being crude, Kevin, and don’t be so bloody childish. If we’re gonna make things work, you have to stop playing silly mind games.’

Kevin handed her another drink. ‘Sorry, I was only joking.’

Grabbing the cider, Susan downed it in one.

‘I know Mum means well, but fuck me, I ain’t working for no uncle Kenny. He’s a nice geezer, but such a boring cunt. I’d hang meself if I had to spend half me life in his company.’

James chuckled. ‘What yer gonna do then?’

‘Me and Freddie are gonna set ourselves up in business, ain’t we, mate?’

Freddie nodded and winked at James. ‘We’ve got plenty of ideas, but it’s all top secret at the moment. I promise you one thing, though, we’ll earn ourselves a lot of dough.’

Tommy laughed. ‘When you’re old enough Jimmy boy, you can come and work with us. Fuck all them boring jobs that Mum wants yer to do. Knocking your bollocks off for some other cunt is never gonna get you anywhere.’

Furious, Maureen stomped into the living room. ‘You can do what you like with your life, Tommy, but leave James out of it. He’s an intelligent boy with a bright future and don’t you dare try and lead him astray.’

Tommy stood up. ‘Calm down, Mum. I was only mucking about with him.’

Maureen shook her head. ‘I’ve been listening to yer for the last five minutes, and all you’ve done is take the piss out of me and poor Kenny. That man’s been fucking good to you. Many a time he gave up his weekends to ferry us about, so you wouldn’t be without a visit. And as for the job he’s offered yer, I bet he don’t even need anyone. Probably just found something for yer out the goodness of his heart.’

Although he felt a bit guilty, Tommy wasn’t about to apologise. How dare she talk to him like a child and make him look a mug in front of Freddie. ‘I don’t need all this shit, Mum. I ain’t fuckin’ arguing with yer any more, I’m off down the pub.’

Nodding to Freddie and James to follow him, he stormed towards the front door.

Maureen chased after him. ‘You can go exactly where you like, Tommy Hutton, but he’s not going with yer. Filling his head with a load of shit and prison talk, I’m not having it. James, get your arse back ’ere now.’

At his brother’s insistence, James kept on walking. ‘Come on, bruv, we’re going for a beer. You’re nearly sixteen, for fuck’s sake, you need to get a grip on life. Nan, Mum, Susan, Maria, you’re surrounded by women. Don’t let ’em rule your life. You need to be tougher, start sticking up for yerself.’

Torn between the devil and the deep blue sea, James didn’t know what to do. His mum was still calling him and even though he hated disobeying her, he had to stand his ground for once. If he didn’t, he’d look a right dick in front of his brother and his mate. Anyway, Tommy was right. He needed to be more of a man if he was gonna turn his life around.

‘See yer later, Mum. I won’t be late,’ he shouted.

While Maureen debated whether to chase James up the road and drag him back by force, Ethel stepped in. ‘Just leave it, Maur. Don’t make a show of yourself, sort it out later, eh?’

Enraged, Maureen slammed the door. She’d convinced herself that Tommy was a changed lad – how silly was she? He might have looked as though butter wouldn’t melt while he was in prison, but in reality he hadn’t altered one iota.

Handing her a brew, Ethel tried to calm her down. She wasn’t as naive as her daughter-in-law and had seen this coming all along. ‘You can’t make him work for Kenny if he don’t want to, Maur. He’s twenty-five years old, a grown man and you’ve gotta let him make his own choices in life. Chances are, he’ll fuck up again, but that’s his lookout. You’ve guided him as far as you can, love, the rest is up to him.’

Maureen sat down and put her head in her hands. Tommy was obviously a lost cause, just like his father, but James needed protecting. Loveable and intelligent, he’d been the light of her life since the day he was born, and she wasn’t about to watch him be led up the garden path. Trouble was, he was still wet behind the ears, an easy target, and she didn’t want him knocking about with Tommy.

Ethel rubbed her arm. ‘Come on, love, don’t get all upset.’

Fiercely wiping her tears away, Maureen stood up.

‘I’ll tell you something now, Mum, and I really fuckin’ mean it. One whiff of Tommy leading James astray and I’m kickin’ his arse out. That boy’s got his exams coming up and a bright future to look forward to. I won’t allow him to turn out like his brother. May God be my judge, it ain’t gonna happen.’