always considered herself to have a sixth sense, and without even turning around, she knew Frankie was watching her.
‘If you’re that interested in what I’m doing, come out here and peel these carrots,’ she chuckled.
Frankie was mortified as she slunk towards her. ‘I was just looking at your kitchen. It’s very pretty,’ she said apologetically.
Alice handed her a strange-looking object. ‘Peel from the top downwards,’ she ordered.
Frankie had rarely prepared or cooked anything in her life. Her mum had been the boss in the kitchen, and Frankie barely knew how to boil an egg.
Alice snatched the scraper out of her hand and showed her exactly how to use it. ‘One golden rule, Frankie. You need to be a good cook to keep your mush happy. A good-looking boy like my Jed could have any filly he wanted. You don’t wanna lose him now, do you?’
‘No,’ Frankie whispered.
Alice smiled. ‘Well, that’s settled then. From tomorrow while Jed’s out grafting, you come to me and I’ll teach you how to cook.’
The doorbell saved Frankie from replying.
‘Go back and sit at the table. That’ll be one of Jed’s brothers, and his wife will need some female company.’
Like a scolded puppy, Frankie sidled into her seat.
Sitting at the table alone, Jed smiled at her. ‘How you getting on with me mum?’ he asked.
‘Great,’ Frankie lied. She could hardly tell Jed that his mother frightened the living daylights out of her.
Jimmy reappeared with a fattish lad, who had the same piercing green eyes as Jed, and a tarty-looking blonde girl. Jed nudged Frankie and urged her to stand up.
‘Frankie, this is my brother Billy and his wife, Shannon.’
Frankie politely shook hands, disliking both Billy and Shannon on sight. Billy had a slobbery kind of look about him and Frankie noticed him staring at her breasts. Shannon was just hideous. Her hair was dyed a yellowish blonde, showing at least two inches of dark brown roots. She was dripping in gold jewellery and her outfit consisted of a denim skirt so short that it barely covered her buttocks, a pink boob tube that looked far too small, and knee-length white plastic boots. Considering she was obviously about five months pregnant, she didn’t look good, to say the least.
A sulky-looking dark-haired boy ran into the room and Shannon grabbed him. ‘This is Billy Junior, but everyone calls him Mush.’
Frankie smiled politely as little Mush kicked his mother in the shins. ‘He’s lovely,’ she lied. ‘When is your other one due?’
As soon as the room fell silent, Frankie knew she’d said the wrong thing.
‘Shannon isn’t pregnant, Frankie,’ Jed said, embarrassed.
Frankie was mortified. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Shannon glared at her, then at Jed. ‘Trust you to end up with some dinlo gorjer,’ she said nastily.
In a huff, Shannon stomped out to the kitchen to see Alice. ‘I’m sorry, Jed, you know what Shannon’s like, she didn’t mean what she said,’ Billy mumbled, as he followed his wife out of the room.
‘Don’t worry, she’ll be OK in a minute,’ Jed soothingly told Frankie.
‘What’s a gorjer? I’m sure you told me once before, but I’ve forgotten,’ Frankie asked. She already knew from Jed’s expressions that dinlo meant stupid.
‘It just means a non-gypsy girl. You sit ’ere a minute while I go and sort it out,’ Jed said.
As Frankie sat alone in the dining room, she put her head in her hands. Apart from Jimmy, who didn’t say very much, Jed’s family were just awful, and for the first time since she’d met Jed, Frankie had doubts as to what she’d let herself in for.
Another person in the middle of a crisis was Raymond, who was currently pacing up and down his deceased sister’s living room. It was Polly’s mum’s birthday that night, and he was meant to be taking them to a select West End restaurant.
‘You ain’t gonna leave me here on my own with Nan, are you, Ray?’ Joey asked solemnly.
Shaking his head, Raymond sat on the sofa. His fucked-up family were doing his head in lately, and all their dramas certainly weren’t doing his relationship any good. Ray picked up his mobile. Polly was sure to be well pissed off when he told her he had to cancel yet again.
Desperate for a bit of privacy, Raymond told Joey to take the dogs out for a quick walk. As soon as the door slammed, he made the call.
‘I’m sorry, babe, but I don’t think I can get there tonight. Me mum’s ill; I’m round there at the moment. The doctor’s upstairs with her as we speak.’
‘Oh Raymond, you must come. It doesn’t matter if you get there late. What’s wrong with your mum? Is she really ill or is it just flu or something?’
Raymond rubbed his tired eyes. He loved Polly and would be devastated if she grew sick of his problems and binned him. He debated whether to tell his girlfriend the truth, but quickly decided against it. How could he tell her that his father had fucked off and his mother had taken a hammer to the old man’s pigeon shed? Polly’s parents had their faults. Her mum was a big drinker and her dad was a bit of a know-all but, compared to his own parents, they were reasonably normal.
‘I think it’s all the grief caught up with her. She had a funny turn today and fainted. Joey’s here on his own with her. I can’t leave him, Polly.’
‘Where’s your dad?’ Polly asked. ‘Can’t he look after her?’
‘No, he’s got a few problems of his own, so he’s had to go away for a few days. I’m so sorry, Polly. I’ll make it up to you, I promise, babe.’
Polly, for once, wasn’t so understanding. ‘I’m furious, Raymond, absolutely furious,’ she screamed, as she slammed the phone down.
Pissed off with events, Raymond went into the kitchen and poured himself a large Scotch. To say his life had been difficult recently was a huge understatement. Polly was the only thing that even got him through the days, and he knew it was time to reward her patience and perhaps propose.
Ray took a swig of his drink as he heard the doctor coming down the stairs. ‘Well?’ he asked hopefully.
‘I’ve sedated your mother and she seems comfortable. She’s probably just suffering from a mixture of stress and grief. Losing a child affects people in different ways and it might have caused a minor breakdown. I suggest we see how she is in the morning and go from there. I’ve done all I can for now, but she might need to be hospitalised for a short period. I know a very good psychiatrist and I’ll leave you his card just in case you need to contact him.’
Raymond thanked the doc and showed him to the door. Polly and her parents would be well impressed if they knew that his mother was on the verge of being shoved in a loony bin.
When Joey returned with Bruno and Buster, Raymond spoke to him gently. ‘Listen, mate, Nanny’s fine. The doctor’s given her something to calm her down. Now I think the best thing I can do is shoot over to your grandad’s and see if I can sort things out between them. You don’t wanna be stuck here with your nan and neither do I. If Grandad comes back, he can take care of her.’
Joey looked scared. ‘What if she wakes up while you’re gone? You’ve seen what she’s done to the shed, Ray. What if she goes off her head again?’
‘She won’t,’ Raymond said confidently.
Approximately half a mile down the road, Frankie’s night was going from bad to worse. Shannon was now extremely drunk and kept throwing nasty little digs her way. Jed was oblivious to what his sister-in-law was up to. He was too wrapped up discussing business with his dad and brother.