‘I’ve noticed, don’t you worry about that,’ Stephen sent back acidly as he jerked forward in the chair and started rolling down his sleeves. He whipped a resentful glance at her fat figure as he snatched up his jacket from the chair back then headed for the door with his wife’s indignant stare following him.
When he got back with newspaper wrapped around his hot fish supper, Pam had got the plates out. Stephen noticed there were two of them.
‘Not feeling so sick now?’ he jibed.
‘Oh, have it all yerself then,’ she said tremulously. ‘I was only trying to be a bit of company for you. I was only trying to give you a bit of advice over what your father said, ’n’ all. Can’t do nuthin’ right though, can I? And it ain’t fair, you takin’ it out on me ’cos your brother keeps you under his thumb. I’m going to bed.’
Stephen sighed and went and put his hands on her shoulders before she could storm off along the passageway towards the bedroom. ‘Can’t keep arguing all the time like this, Pam.’ He drew her back into the sitting room. ‘Kid’ll be with us soon.’ Inwardly he wished to God it wouldn’t be. His petite, chatty wife had in a matter of months transformed into a hefty whiner. But what riled him more than anything was the knowledge that, if he’d taken his brother’s advice and been sensible with that hundred pounds, investing it where Rob had told him to, he could have been a partner in the business, taking profits instead of a wage each week. It was all right her moaning now, but she’d wanted the day out with her family at the dog track, and she’d been the one wanted to show off in front of them all, betting big money on outsiders.
In addition to paying for their wedding, Rob had given him some cash as a wedding gift. He’d said he could invest it as he saw fit: to buy a stake in the company, or to start his own enterprise if he preferred to go it alone. Stephen wished he’d never told Pam about it. When he’d hared home with the wad, she’d still been revelling in big-day excitement. They’d only recently returned from their Brighton honeymoon – a week’s holiday reluctantly paid for by his father-in-law, who had become aware that his failure to contribute to his daughter’s wedding was the subject of gossip. Pam had counted the wedding cash out and announced she wanted a few more little honeymoon treats before they got back to normal. So they’d gone for a night at the dogs with a big party of family and friends, and come out of the stadium with not a lot more than their cab fare home.
That had been months ago now, but it was still causing arguments between them. In a way, Stephen wished his brother had never given him the money at all, for it had planted a seed of ambition in him that previously he’d failed to acknowledge, or nurture.
Robert had said nothing when he’d found out that Stephen had squandered his wedding present. He hadn’t needed to: the look he’d given him had been witheringly explicit.
‘I don’t want to be rowing with you all the time neither,’ Pam mumbled. ‘I know I look a fright. Sorry I can’t be more … y’know … attractive for you. I know you miss doing what we used to do …’
‘Yeah …’ Stephen sighed. He turned her fully towards him so he could insert a finger down her cleavage. ‘Got this advantage though …’ Before she’d got pregnant she’d been quite flat-chested; now she had a round heavy bosom and Stephen couldn’t get enough of it. He put down the fish supper and growled a laugh. He roughly yanked open buttons and lowered his head to her warm swollen flesh. While he was occupied, Pam shuffled sideways and, one-handed, began removing the newspaper wrapping so she could get stuck into the chips before they got cold.
‘You spoke to Jimmy last week.’
‘Who told you that?’
‘Don’t matter who told me. I thought we agreed to give him a wide berth because he’s trouble.’
‘He’s me father and if I want to speak to him, I will,’ Stephen retorted. ‘You pay me wages, you don’t rule me life. Got them keys?’
It was five o’clock on a misty October morning and they were standing in the hallway of Rob’s house. It had been arranged the previous week that Stephen would call by early and collect the keys to the warehouse next door to Rob’s office, just off the Holloway Road. The place was stacked floor to ceiling with market-stall stock and Stephen’s job today was to load stuff on to one of the vans and distribute it around London to be stashed away in smaller stores close to their various pitches.
Robert pulled several sets of keys out of his pockets and sorted through them before putting one on the table.
‘Perhaps one day I’ll get me own set, will I?’ Stephen suggested sarcastically.
‘Yeah … it’ll be the day you put your money where your mouth is,’ Robert said quietly. ‘Got anything else you want to say to me before you get off?’
Stephen shuffled uneasily before meeting his brother’s dark stare. He could tell from that steady challenge that Rob had been told, or had guessed, what Jimmy and him had been talking about. He wouldn’t put it past his father to have told Robert himself. Jimmy was itching to start trouble. He was also angling to get involved in the business and grab a share of the money. Stephen knew his father wasn’t above getting him the sack so he could take his job if he thought Rob would wear it. Fortunately for Stephen, he knew Robert hated their father so much he wouldn’t even slow down to piss on him if he was on fire.
‘Yeah, I’ve got somethin’ to say,’ he suddenly blurted out. ‘I want a rise. We got a baby due soon and I got things to buy. Pam’s seen a pram she wants in Gamages …’
‘And you’re expecting me to pay for it? You got her pregnant.’
‘I know I fucking got her pregnant!’ Stephen snarled.
Previously, Robert hadn’t been certain that his brother regretted getting himself tied down, he’d simply sensed it from his moodiness. Now he knew for sure, but curbed his urge to tell Stephen that it was his own stupid fault he’d got stuck with a woman who was greedy and selfish and would be a burden for life. He simply shook his head, dropping it back so he could scowl at the ceiling.
‘You know you’re already earning good money, don’t you? You’re getting more than any of the others.’
‘Fuck me, is that a hardship for you?’ Stephen shouted. ‘I’m family, ain’t I? Don’t I deserve a bit of special treatment?’
‘Yeah, and I deserve a bit of loyalty and extra effort. But you’re no better at doing your job than Dave and Gil, are you? In fact, if anyone’s going to slope off early, it’s generally you.’
Stephen coloured. Pam had told him to have it out with Rob about getting a rise and a stake in the company, but now he wished he’d kept his mouth shut. ‘So what are you saying?’
‘I’m saying that, if you weren’t my brother, you’d be out on your ear. That’s what I’m saying. I’m also saying that if you’d put that money I give you to good use, you’d have made yourself a nice amount and could have been a junior partner. Then you’d have your own set of keys to the warehouse. Those radios and cameras made a good profit. Four hundred and fifty quid, and it was yours for the taking.’ Rob came closer to him. ‘But what I’m really saying is I wish you’d used the cash to piss off and set up on your own, ’cos I’m sick of you whining and sulking every fucking day. Ain’t my fault you got forced into a marriage you don’t want.’
‘Well, give us the money again. A loan this time. I’ll pay you back – and interest too,’ Stephen hissed. ‘Just give us another fuckin’ chance and I’ll be off quick as yer like.’
The brothers locked eyes, then Robert said, ‘Right. Come back this evening and you can have a hundred as a loan, and your cards.’
Stephen swallowed and licked his lips, then he swiped the keys from the table and marched out.