to tear his eyes away from the girl, Michael continued to stare at her. She was tall, dark-skinned, with long glossy hair and the sexiest body that Michael had ever seen. She was wearing high-heeled boots, a black leather jacket that had tassels swinging from the sleeves, and faded jeans.
Kevin changed seats and chuckled. ‘Put your tongue away, mate, you’re a married man now, remember?’
With his handsome face, cheeky grin and legendary chat-up lines, Michael had been a real player in his heyday. He had slept with so many girls his mum and aunt nicknamed him Alfie after the womanizing rogue played by Michael Caine in the film. Meeting Nancy had changed all that, but when the girl locked eyes with him, Michael could only think of one thing.
Fucking her senseless.
Vinny Butler was dumbfounded as he listened to what Paul had to say. ‘You sure it was her?’
When the doorman said he was positive, Vinny thanked him for the information, replaced the receiver, then grabbed his car keys. Seeing was believing and he needed to see the slag with his own eyes.
Joanna Preston clutched hold of the sink for support as the searing pain shot through her body again. Where was Vinny? He should have been home ages ago.
Feeling a strange sensation, she started to panic. There was water gushing out of her and it had created a puddle by her feet. Overcome by another jolt of pain, Joanna sank to her knees. ‘Vinny, Vinny. I need you to ring the club, and find out where your dad is. I think the baby’s coming,’ she screamed out.
Little Vinny was sitting on his bed listening to this week’s chart countdown. Debating whether to respond to Joanna’s desperate cries for help, he quickly decided against it. Instead, he turned the volume up on his radio and sang along with Joe Tex. ‘Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)’ was such a catchy tune.
Vinny Butler’s heart was beating like a drum when he pulled up outside the Three Travellers pub in Dagenham. He hated the bitch with a passion, but felt anxious and sick to the stomach at the thought of seeing her again.
With her lithe body, long flowing hair, infectious laugh and perfect white teeth, Vinny Butler had fallen in love with Yvonne Summers on sight as a lad. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, yet the slut had used him and then tortured his mind.
His mouth bone-dry, Vinny approached the pub window. He peered through and could barely believe his eyes. ‘No longer petite’ had been Paul’s assessment of her. Well, that was the understatement of the century. Yvonne Summers was that fat she resembled a whale that had been washed up on the beach.
In complete shock, Vinny stood rooted to the spot. He could not believe this was the same woman whose memory had taunted him for so long, but it was. The fat cow looked like she had fallen out the ugly tree and hit every fucking branch on the way down.
Hearing voices behind him, Vinny turned around. There were two teenage girls staring at him and giggling. ‘You looking for someone?’ one asked.
‘Yeah, my mate. I don’t think he is in there though,’ Vinny replied.
‘Well, we’ll keep you company, won’t we, Barb?’ the blonde one said, nudging her pal.
‘Not ’arf! We don’t often get talent like you in the Travellers, do we, Wendy?’ the ginger girl replied, smiling at Vinny.
Vinny grinned falsely, and handed the girls a tenner just to get rid of them. ‘Go in the pub and order yourselves a drink, ladies. Get me half of lager – any kind will do. I’ll be in in a couple of minutes.’
When the girls disappeared, Vinny looked through the window once again. Seeing Yvonne laughing and joking with a customer, Vinny felt the urge to stroll inside and wipe the smile off the whore’s face by smashing her big fat head against the bar, but he managed to resist. No way was that monster worth getting nicked over, not on your nelly.
Joanna Preston forgot all about the fright and pain she had endured when her baby was placed in her arms for the first time. ‘Hello, I’m your mummy,’ she said, crying tears of pure joy while grinning broadly.
Outside in the corridor, Vinny was experiencing a mixture of fury, guilt and panic. He was furious with Little Vinny for not keeping an eye on Joanna like he’d asked him to, and felt as guilty as hell because instead of heading straight home as promised he’d chosen to track down Yvonne Summers. And he was panicking because Joanna had been screaming blue murder and now it had all gone quiet. If something was wrong with his kid, he would never forgive himself, he knew that much.
When the door of the delivery room opened, he felt his heart race even more. ‘What’s going on? Everything’s OK, isn’t it?’
The old Jamaican midwife chuckled. ‘Listen for yourself. Got better lungs than me, that child. You can go in and say hello now.’
Vinny had never been a man to show much emotion but the moment he laid eyes on his daughter, the tears poured down his cheeks. With her mop of curly blonde hair, she looked nothing like him. And she wasn’t ugly, the way Little Vinny had been when he was born. She was absolutely perfect.
‘Do you want to hold her? She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?’ Joanna gushed. She had already forgiven Vinny for not being at home when she went into labour. At the time, she’d been petrified, but somehow she managed to crawl to the phone, ring the emergency services herself and open the front door for them. Vinny had arrived home amidst the mayhem, and she knew from his face he was genuinely sorry.
Vinny kissed Joanna on the forehead, then lifted the baby out of her arms and cradled her in his. ‘I am so sorry I wasn’t there when your mum needed me earlier, but I promise you this, baby girl, I will never let you down again, not ever.’
Queenie and Vivian had had a wonderful afternoon together. It had been just like old times. They had shed a few tears over their wonderful sons, but then they’d cried with laughter as they relived some of their antics.
‘Do you remember the time Lenny started undoing his trousers when he saw Mad Freda coming and she ran off screaming blue murder? She was threatening to tell the police he was a flasher, if I remember rightly.’
Queenie chuckled. ‘He was only a nipper at the time. I’m sure he only did it because he knew we couldn’t stand her. Proper little character that boy was.’
Seeing her sister close to tears again, Queenie hugged her. ‘Now let’s not get down in the dumps. We’ve had a great day and we’ve got the Jubilee to look forward to. We’ll show them neighbours of ours how to party, Viv. And don’t forget, this time next weekend we’ll be down at Kings. You don’t want to start getting upset now in case they keep you in this funny farm. Who will I play bingo with then, eh?’
‘I’m fine, Queen. I just have my moments and I dare say I always will.’
Pleased her sister was OK, Queenie glanced at her watch. ‘My Vinny was meant to pick me up over an hour ago. I hope everything’s all right. It’s not like him to be this late, Viv.’
‘Perhaps Jo’s gone into labour. Ring him at home, Queen.’
Before Queenie had a chance to move, a nurse approached her. ‘Your Vinny is on the phone, Queenie. He wants to speak to you.’
Queenie’s heart leapt in her chest as she followed the nurse. Since losing Roy and Lenny, she dreaded her own phone ringing in case it was more bad news, let alone being summoned to the one in Goodmayes Hospital. Breathlessly she took the receiver and asked, ‘What’s up, boy?’
When her son began to gabble excitedly about the baby and how beautiful she was, Queenie couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. After all the trauma and bad luck her family had suffered, life was looking decidedly rosy for them again.
Albie Butler rarely ventured out to restaurants. It seemed pointless, seeing