this morning. She liked Tommy, always had. But this was family at stake and Tommy would realise what that meant.
As he handed her a Scotch he said sadly, “Is this trouble, Maura?”
She took the proffered drink and nodded.
“I’m afraid so, Tommy. Big trouble.”
Janine was still fighting for her life and Roy sat by her bed gently holding her hand. A bruised-looking Sarah was beside him, her rosary beads the only sound in the room other than the beeping of the monitors.
Roy found her presence strangely comforting. It reminded him of when he was a kid and there was a thunderstorm. His mother would cover all the mirrors and close the curtains and the kids would all sit in the dark and say the rosary. It had driven Michael and Garry mad, but he had liked it. It had made him feel safe.
Janine’s face was so pale and tired-looking, and deep inside he knew he had put every line on it. He felt such guilt as he watched over her, wishing he could take her place in the hospital bed so she would not have to be in pain. He felt protective of her for the first time in years.
A nurse came into the room and broke the spell. He let go of his wife’s hand and stretched in the chair.
“Go and have a coffee, I’ll watch over her for you, son. You need a break,” Sarah said.
He stood up gratefully.
“Thanks, Mum. I appreciate all this.”
Sarah shrugged.
“Sure, wasn’t I always there for you all if you had only realised it?”
“Shall I get you a cup of tea, Mum?”
She nodded.
“I’m getting too old for all this, you know. I won’t be long for the top, Roy, and to be honest I am looking forward to it. Your poor father, God rest him, at least has the comfort of his sons at peace with him.”
Her voice was clogged with tears and Roy put his arms around her. Once more he was reminded of how old she was, how frail.
“Can you imagine for one moment how I’ve felt over the years, son? Burying child after child, and not through illness, oh, no. My sons were murdered, butchered like animals, and I have to live with that knowledge every day of my life. Now look at Janine, look at the mother of your son, caught up in all this because even at your advanced ages you can’t be normal people. Can’t live like decent men and women. Benny is going the same way and I hope to Christ you never have to identify your own flesh and blood on a mortuary slab, that’s me prayer every day.”
She looked back at Janine, her face closed now, and Roy walked from the room. But her words went with him as he went for the teas, as Sarah had known they would. She prayed as her son walked away from her.
“Holy Mary, Mother of God, make my son see the error of his ways. Let one of my children face Christ humbly and with the love of God in his heart.”
Benny and Abul were pulled up on the A13 as they were driving towards the Canning Town fly over They were stopped by two young policemen in a panda car. The PCs had plenty of attitude and trouble in mind. They were about to find out what happened when you came up against two like-minded individuals with positively no respect for authority.
Benny pulled over while Abul flicked the joint butt from the window.
“What can we do for you, officers?”
Benny was taunting them with words and attitude and he knew it. More to the point, the two PCs knew it.
“Get out of the motor.”
Benny and Abul looked at one another in disbelief.
“I beg your pardon? On whose authority are you making such a request? We were within the speed limit, we were driving carefully and we have our seat belts on. I want to know, as my democratic right, what you are pulling us over for?”
Abul was already laughing. Benny’s accent when he was trying to be posh always cracked him up.
“What are you fucking laughing at?”
Abul stopped laughing immediately and the two PCs thought they had scored an important point. Then, as Benny and Abul undid their seat belts, they realised they had aggravation on their
As he handed her a Scotch he said sadly, “Is this trouble, Maura?”
She took the proffered drink and nodded.
“I’m afraid so, Tommy. Big trouble.”
Janine was still fighting for her life and Roy sat by her bed gently holding her hand. A bruised-looking Sarah was beside him, her rosary beads the only sound in the room other than the beeping of the monitors.
Roy found her presence strangely comforting. It reminded him of when he was a kid and there was a thunderstorm. His mother would cover all the mirrors and close the curtains and the kids would all sit in the dark and say the rosary. It had driven Michael and Garry mad, but he had liked it. It had made him feel safe.
Janine’s face was so pale and tired-looking, and deep inside he knew he had put every line on it. He felt such guilt as he watched over her, wishing he could take her place in the hospital bed so she would not have to be in pain. He felt protective of her for the first time in years.
A nurse came into the room and broke the spell. He let go of his wife’s hand and stretched in the chair.
“Go and have a coffee, I’ll watch over her for you, son. You need a break,” Sarah said.
He stood up gratefully.
“Thanks, Mum. I appreciate all this.”
Sarah shrugged.
“Sure, wasn’t I always there for you all if you had only realised it?”
“Shall I get you a cup of tea, Mum?”
She nodded.
“I’m getting too old for all this, you know. I won’t be long for the top, Roy, and to be honest I am looking forward to it. Your poor father, God rest him, at least has the comfort of his sons at peace with him.”
Her voice was clogged with tears and Roy put his arms around her. Once more he was reminded of how old she was, how frail.
“Can you imagine for one moment how I’ve felt over the years, son? Burying child after child, and not through illness, oh, no. My sons were murdered, butchered like animals, and I have to live with that knowledge every day of my life. Now look at Janine, look at the mother of your son, caught up in all this because even at your advanced ages you can’t be normal people. Can’t live like decent men and women. Benny is going the same way and I hope to Christ you never have to identify your own flesh and blood on a mortuary slab, that’s me prayer every day.”
She looked back at Janine, her face closed now, and Roy walked from the room. But her words went with him as he went for the teas, as Sarah had known they would. She prayed as her son walked away from her.
“Holy Mary, Mother of God, make my son see the error of his ways. Let one of my children face Christ humbly and with the love of God in his heart.”
Benny and Abul were pulled up on the A13 as they were driving towards the Canning Town fly over They were stopped by two young policemen in a panda car. The PCs had plenty of attitude and trouble in mind. They were about to find out what happened when you came up against two like-minded individuals with positively no respect for authority.
Benny pulled over while Abul flicked the joint butt from the window.
“What can we do for you, officers?”
Benny was taunting them with words and attitude and he knew it. More to the point, the two PCs knew it.
“Get out of the motor.”
Benny and Abul looked at one another in disbelief.
“I beg your pardon? On whose authority are you making such a request? We were within the speed limit, we were driving carefully and we have our seat belts on. I want to know, as my democratic right, what you are pulling us over for?”
Abul was already laughing. Benny’s accent when he was trying to be posh always cracked him up.
“What are you fucking laughing at?”
Abul stopped laughing immediately and the two PCs thought they had scored an important point. Then, as Benny and Abul undid their seat belts, they realised they had aggravation on their
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