Feeling drained herself, Queenie sighed. A houseful of people was the last thing she wanted or needed and she just knew Vivian was going to feel the same. But, what could she do now that Vinny had gone to the trouble of arranging it all? ‘Vivvy, you ain’t gonna fancy this any more than I do, but you’re gonna have to come straight in mine. The boys have got something planned for your birthday.’
Vivian stopped in her tracks outside the Blind Beggar pub. ‘Like what? It had better not be a surprise party, Queen. I hate surprises at the best of times. I also hate fucking birthdays. Who wants to celebrate being another year nearer to your bastard grave, eh?’
‘I know what you’re saying, Viv, but we’re gonna have to show willing. Vinny wanted to arrange it at the club but I said no, which is why he’s doing it at mine now. It will only be family and a couple of the boys’ mates. It’s nothing major.’
Vivian felt so tired and ratty, she couldn’t help but sound ungrateful. ‘It had better fucking not be, Queen. Because if it is, I’m walking out.’
With the bond between herself and the father of her child growing stronger every day, Karen had made a special effort to look nice today. Bell-bottomed halter-neck catsuits were all the rage at the moment, and the white one that Karen had treated herself to showed off her figure and dark skin to a tee.
‘Wow! You look fab. I love that outfit. Where did you get it?’ Nancy asked, when Karen walked into the lounge after getting changed upstairs. Nancy was wearing a catsuit too, but hers was denim.
‘Roman Road. I love shopping there. You get some real unusual bits,’ Karen replied, searching for Vinny with her eyes to clock his reaction to her new outfit. Unfortunately for Karen, there wasn’t one. Vinny gave her a half-smile and then turned his back on her to speak to his sister’s boyfriend.
Nancy had only met Karen briefly once before, and when Michael excused himself to go and have a chat with his pal Kevin, the girls seemed to hit it off instantly. Both were big fans of Marc Bolan and obsessed with fashion, but most importantly, they were both involved with men from the same notorious family. As usual, Lenny had taken on the role of being DJ for the day, and when he played Rod Stewart’s current chart hit ‘Maggie May’ Karen and Nancy both chuckled as Little Vinny appeared in front of them wiggling his tiny hips. ‘Aw, he is so gorgeous, isn’t he?’ Nancy gushed.
‘Not always. He can be a little sod at times, but can’t they all? Have you and Michael discussed having children yet? I’d like another one, but I don’t want them to have different fathers, and Vinny and I aren’t really together at the moment.’
‘We haven’t been together that long, so no, Michael and I haven’t really discussed kids yet,’ Nancy replied. She could hardly tell Karen that she had thrown her birth control pill down the sink this morning because she was planning on tricking him into marrying her.
‘Well, I think you’ve picked a good ’un. Michael is a lovely bloke, and if he has any sense it won’t be long before he pops the question. A girl as stunning as you could get any man she wanted.’
‘Thank you and I think you’re stunning too. So, are you and Vinny not, you know?’ Nancy asked. Vinny scared the life out of her with his blunt manner and evil eyes and Nancy was amazed that a girl as pretty as Karen had ever given him the time of day.
‘We aren’t sleeping together if that’s what you mean, but we are heading towards it, I think. We often go out for meals and spend time together as a family now, and Vinny has just rented me a lovely flat in Beckton. I’m moving in tomorrow, and I’m hoping once I do, mine and Vinny’s relationship might move onto the next level. There were a lot of bridges to build because of stuff that happened in the past, but we are getting there. I know we are.’
About to pry some more, Nancy was stopped by Brenda walking over to her.
‘Don’t ever repeat anything we speak about to Michael or anybody else, will you? Hardly anyone knows about my flat yet. Vinny wants me to surprise everyone when I move in,’ Karen whispered.
Nancy squeezed her new pal’s hand. ‘Don’t be daft.’
Vivian was not amused when she followed Queenie inside the house and saw not only three people she didn’t know, but also most of their neighbours. ‘Nothing major! I don’t even know or like half these cunts,’ Vivian spat in her sister’s ear.
Seeing his beloved mother appear, Lenny turned down the sultry tones of Elvis and picked up his microphone. ‘Happy birthday, Mum. I love you. Do you like your surprise? We did all this for you, and we’ve bought you a big cake.’
Forcing a smile, Vivian walked over to her son and hugged him close to her chest. ‘Of course I like my surprise, boy. It’s lovely,’ she lied.
Denise Thompson felt as jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof as she trudged along the Whitechapel Road with her mother beside her. She had wanted her best friend to go with her to confront Michael with the doctor’s letter, but her mum had insisted that it was her duty to accompany her. ‘I am the baby’s grandma and if that Queenie kicks off I shall give her a piece of my bleedin’ mind. How dare that boy get you in the family way, then call you a bloody liar? I’ll give him liar if he starts all that with me, let me tell you,’ Madge Thompson had told her daughter.
At the top of Michael’s road, Denise suddenly came over nauseous. She had heard through the grapevine that he was now living at Queenie’s with his new tart, and the thought of them playing happy families was all too much for her. She was also frightened that Vinny might be at the house like he usually was on a Sunday afternoon. Surely, he would go apeshit when he found out that she had taken his money even though she was actually pregnant?
‘What’s the matter with you, girl? Come on, keep walking. I didn’t bring you up to be a coward, did I?’
‘I can’t, Mum. I’ve done something really stupid, and I can’t face Vinny.’
Madge felt her heart begin to beat wildly. ‘Stupid! What do you mean, stupid? You better not have been hawking your mutton at Vinny an’ all, young lady, ’cause if that baby you’re carrying is his, then I’m disowning you.’
Denise burst into tears. ‘How could you say such a thing, Mum? I loved Michael and would never have betrayed him in such a way.’
‘Well, what you done then?’ Madge asked anxiously.
When Denise explained she had accepted money off Vinny to tell Michael she was pregnant, Madge shook her head in exasperation. Everybody who lived locally knew that Vinny Butler was a sandwich short of a picnic, and took no prisoners when people upset him. Unable to control her annoyance, Madge slapped her stupid daughter around the face. ‘Right, I’ll tell you how we’re gonna play this. You never, ever admit to anyone what you have just told me. If and when Vinny asks about his money, you say that you didn’t know you were pregnant when you took it off him and you spent it ages ago, OK? To be honest, if Vinny went to those lengths to split Michael up with that Nancy tart, then I should imagine he will be thrilled you really are up the duff. If he isn’t and threatens you in any way, then I’ll deal with it. I’m sure he won’t want his mother to know about his resorting to blackmail to ruin his brother’s relationship. Now come on, dry them eyes and let’s get this over with.’
When Karen had first re-entered her son and grandson’s lives, Queenie had all but hated the girl on sight. However, the more she saw of Karen and the way she was with Little Vinny the more Queenie had grown to like her.
Queenie had thoroughly expected Karen to barge her way into their lives and try to take over, but the girl had done no such thing. Karen had behaved impeccably towards all of the family, and there was a definite improvement in Little Vinny. Her grandson was no longer as tempestuous or violent