gaze.
‘You’d better not tell anyone Jacko, ’cause I’ll never speak to you again if you do. It’s me sister; she’s got herself up the duff.’
Wayne’s face immediately turned a deathly shade of white. ‘Fucking hell, it ain’t mine, is it?’
‘No. She’s been going out with Jason O’Brien and the silly pair of buggers have been at it, but ain’t been using nothing. What am I gonna do, Jacko? I have to help her. I’m the only one that can.’
Relieved that his nan and grandad had drummed into him the importance of always using a condom, Wayne asked Steph to give him all the information she had. When she had finished, he squeezed her hand. ‘Right, first let’s go to the chemist and get another pregnancy test. You can help her do it, make sure she ain’t got it arse upwards, or she ain’t lying.’
‘She wouldn’t lie about something like that, surely?’ Steph said.
‘Jacko’s right. Look at all the lies Angie told him,’ Tammy added.
‘But, I’ve only got 50p. I spent all me pocket money on Christmas presents the other day.’
Jacko stood up. ‘I’ve got some money. Come on, let’s go to the chemist up the Heathway.’
The following morning, Angela did the test, then held Stephanie’s hand as they waited for the result together. It was a Saturday, Barry would be calling soon, so to take their minds off the test result, Stephanie told her sister to read his latest letter. ‘What do you think? Do you reckon he’s getting off with that Sally girl?’ Steph asked, when Angela handed her the letter back.
‘I don’t know, sis, but even if he ain’t, you can’t tell me Barry’s gonna go all through next year and not get off with any girls. That’s why I think you should have a bit of fun yourself while he’s away. You ain’t gotta do it with anyone, but you can still have a laugh with other boys. Eighteen months is a long while to wait for anyone. Now, let’s check this test. We’ve waited long enough, ain’t we?’
Stephanie did the honours and was horrified to find that Angela had been right and the test was positive. For once, she had hoped that her little sister had been telling one of her awful lies.
‘What am I gonna do now? I don’t wanna keep it. Will you help me, Steph?’
Stephanie hugged Angela close to her chest. ‘Of course I will help you.’
Hundreds of miles away, Barry Franklin gingerly hauled his aching body out of bed. He’d been laid up for the past four days since hurting his back whilst lifting barrels in the cellar. His mother had barely made him a cup of tea, and if it hadn’t been for his pal Sally popping in on a regular basis with food and drinks for him, he’d have probably dehydrated, then died of starvation.
‘Where are your mum and Jake?’ Sally asked, as she helped Barry shuffle along the hallway.
‘No idea. Me muvver poked her head around the door yesterday morning and I ain’t seen hide nor hair of her since.’
Sally raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. She didn’t like Marlene one little bit and thought she treated poor Barry appallingly.
‘Thanks for coming round and helping me get to the phone, and thanks for the sandwich and coffee,’ Barry said, gratefully.
‘No worries. Now, I’m gonna go and tidy up your room while you ring your Stephanie. Give me a shout when you are done and I’ll help you get back into bed.’
Thanking Sally again, Barry picked up the phone. His mother had forbidden him to call Steph on her landline but, seeing as he could barely walk, it was the only way he could now speak to his girlfriend. He would tell his mum afterwards and offer to pay for any calls he’d made.
Barry grinned as he heard his beautiful girlfriend’s voice. ‘You all right, darling? I can talk to you for longer today as I’m ringing from home. I’ve done me back in and I’ve been in absolute agony.’
‘Good, because I need to talk to you about stuff. Can you send me a picture of that Sally so I can see what she looks like for myself? Have you got a photo of her?’
Barry was furious. Stephanie hadn’t even bothered asking him how he’d hurt his back. ‘Don’t you trust me or something? All I ever do is fucking work out here.’
‘Yeah, I do trust you, but I still wanna see a picture of her. She might look like a blond supermodel with great big boobies for all I know,’ Steph said, obstinately.
‘So, now you’re calling me a fucking liar,’ Barry screamed. ‘Do you know what, Steph, I don’t feel well and I ain’t in the mood for this today. I’m gonna hang up now before I lose my temper with you big time.’
‘I’ll save you the trouble,’ Steph yelled, slamming the receiver back on its cradle.
Barry stared at the phone in dismay. Sally’s boyfriend was coming over to Spain for a two-week holiday on Monday, and he had no designs on her – or any other bird, for that matter. He wasn’t sending Steph any photographs though. If she couldn’t trust or believe him, what was the point in their relationship?
Tammy and Wayne stood outside Broad Street Working Man’s Club waiting for Steph to arrive.
‘Well?’ Tammy asked, when her pal finally turned up twenty minutes late.
‘The test was positive, and I’ve had a row with Barry.’
Wayne put an arm around both girls’ shoulders. ‘I think we all need a drink, don’t you? Let’s go to the Elms and then we can discuss what we’re gonna do next.’
Three rounds and an hour later, the discussion was still in full swing. Angela had made it perfectly clear that she had no wish to keep the baby or involve her own doctor, so when Wayne pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket that he had torn out of the Yellow Pages, it seemed like the perfect solution.
‘Is it free?’ Stephanie asked, dumbly.
‘No, of course it ain’t free. The only time she will get a free abortion is if she goes to her own doctor and gets it done on the National Health. This is a private clinic, but it’s the only way that your mum won’t find out. I’ve already rung them and they said that she can be in and out on the same day. Most of the others I phoned said they wouldn’t do it unless she stayed in overnight.’
‘How much is it?’ Tammy asked.
‘You ain’t gotta worry about the cost. My dad left us plenty of dosh when he got banged up, so I’ll sort it,’ Wayne said, generously.
Stephanie looked at Wayne in amazement. She had no idea how much a private abortion cost, but she bet it was more than a few rounds of drinks in a pub. ‘But why would you do that for Angie? Especially after what she did to you. It don’t make sense.’
‘I’m doing it for two reasons. Number one, I’ve always felt guilty about sleeping with Angie. Obviously it weren’t my fault because she’d lied to me about her age, but it still don’t stop me feeling bad about it. And secondly, I’m doing it for you, Steph. You’re one of me best mates now, and I’d do anything for you, girl.’
As an electrifying stare was shared between Stephanie and Wayne; Tammy looked the other way. It was only a matter of time before Steph and Wayne got together now, Tammy knew that, so instead of feeling bitter, she might as well just accept the fact and deal with it.
Four days after Wayne’s generous offer, Stephanie was sitting in a posh clinic in Buckhurst Hill waiting for her sister to reappear. Because Angela was quite early into her pregnancy, the staff explained that they would be using what was referred to as ‘the vacuum technique’. They also said that Angela had to rest when she got home and must not do anything strenuous for the next couple of weeks. They said because of Angela’s young age, her body needed time to heal itself properly.
As Steph sat in the waiting room flicking through