Billie Jo (11 page)

'I'm sorry,' she wailed. 'I'm so sorry.'

January 2001

Billie walked into the office and sat down at her desk. She
had recently been employed as an office junior at a major
company in Romford and was loving every minute of it.

'Morning, Bill.' Her new best mate, Carly, sat down
at the desk next to her. Carly was also employed as an
office junior and being the same age, the girls had the
same interests and had already built a strong friendship.

'Shall we go down the market at lunchtime, Carly?'

Carly grinned at her friend. 'Definitely.'

The girls spent every lunch break together. The market
days were their favourite as they had a major flirtation
going on with two boys that worked on one of the fruit
and veg stalls. Last week the lads had finally asked them
on a date and Billie and Carly had talked of little else
since. The four of them were meeting up at seven o'clock
this coming Saturday at Romford station. Billie and Carly
could hardly believe their luck. The boys were well fit.

Billie Jo sat at her desk and smiled. For the first time
since her dad had died, she actually felt happy again. The
past year had been traumatic to say the least and at times
she'd felt like she was stuck in a big, black hole. Recently
though, she felt as if she'd come out the other end of it.
Hopefully, the worst was now well and truly over.

Billie would never be able to accept her dad dying, but
she no longer blamed herself. She knew that if she lived
till she was a hundred, not a day would go by without her
thinking about him. His voice, his laughter, his charm. There
wasn't a word to describe just how much she missed him.

Her new job was one thing that had helped her
immensely. She'd been all set to go to college to do a
hair and beauty course, until Tiff 's mum had told her
about the vacancy as office junior. Mrs Ross, who had
interviewed her, had been pre-warned of what a shit time
she'd been through. Enchanted by Billie's sweetness, she'd
offered her an immediate start. Billie was overjoyed. The
office was smart, the people were nice and there were
good prospects in the future if she did well.

Carly had been the next good thing to happen to Billie
Jo. Being quite a big company, it was decided they were
to have two office juniors to work alongside one another.
As soon as Billie met Carly, she knew she'd found a friend
for life and within weeks they were inseparable. Billie
was pleased she had a new best friend as Tiffany had
gone off to drama school. Although they were still in
touch, her and Tiff 's lives had now taken different paths.

'You ready to go to lunch, Bill?' Carly stood up, gesticulating
for her friend to follow her. After quickly devouring
a sandwich, the girls headed to the market. Giggling, they
walked towards the fruit and veg stall, arm in arm.

'Come and get your bananas. All cheap today, girls.
Come and see the man with the big banana.'

Billie knew it was the dark one's voice even before
she reached the stall. Danny was his name and that was
all she knew about him. The one Carly liked seemed to
be the quieter out of the two, he was tall and blond and
his name was Jamie.

'Hello, girls. Youse two look ravishing, as per usual.'
Danny O'Leary threw his bananas down and nodded to
Jeff, his boss. 'Give us five minutes, guv, eh?' Without
waiting for a reply, he armed himself with his killer smile
and bowled over towards Billie and Carly.

Danny O'Leary was twenty-one years old. At five foot
ten, of slight build, with dark wavy hair, blue eyes and
a cheeky smile, he was one good-looking little fucker
with the gift of the gab to go with it. Brought up in the
backstreets of East Ham, Danny had learned to be streetwise
from a very early age. The eldest of five children,
Danny had grown up being the man around the house
and over the years a lot of weight had been put on his
young shoulders.

His mother, Brenda O'Leary, was an ex-working girl.
Having patrolled the streets for many years just to put
food in her kids' mouths, Brenda looked a lot older than
her forty-two years. On giving up the game, Brenda had
wanted out of the area where she was notorious for plying
her trade. With a bit of bargaining, she'd managed to swap
council houses with a woman from Dagenham Heathway.

They must have looked a funny old bunch from an
outsider's point of view. Danny was half Irish, two of his
brothers were half Jamaican and his sister's dad had been
a Pakistani. For all his faults, Danny had been a good
brother to his siblings and a good son to his mum. Every
week he treated them out of his wages and made sure
they never went without anything.

'I'll see you at seven on Saturday then, babe.' Danny felt
a stirring inside as he waved goodbye to Billie. He liked
this one a lot. Normally birds didn't tug at his heartstrings.
He usually just loved 'em and left 'em, but there was something
about Billie Jo that was different. She was a stunner,
with a sweet naïvety about her. She also had class and in
Danny's past experience, class usually equalled money.

Danny picked up the bananas and carried on where he'd
left off. Calling Jamie over he gave him a wink. 'We've
had a result with them two little birds, Jamie my son.'

Jamie smiled a false smile. He'd liked Billie Jo himself.
She was beautiful. Her mate Carly was OK, but not in
Billie's league. He was used to ending up with second best
when Danny was about, he could never compete with him.

Billie Jo spent the rest of her afternoon mixing work with
daydreaming. O'Leary was his surname, she'd found that
out at lunchtime, and she couldn't help thinking Billie
O'Leary had a certain ring to it. For the first time in her
young life Billie had been hit with the love bug. She'd
had a few boyfriends in the past. Dean she'd quite liked,
Brad had been pleasant, Chrissie she'd gone on a couple
of dates with, but none of them had been serious and her
virginity was still intact.

At five o'clock, Carly grabbed Billie's arm and almost
dragged her from the office.

'What are we gonna wear? I think we should go
to Lakeside on Saturday morning and treat ourselves to
something special.'

'Sounds good to me,' Billie replied, a silly smile on her
face. Whispering and giggling like two naughty school-kids,
the girls grabbed their coats and left the building.

As she pounded the treadmill, Chelle glanced into the
mirror and studied herself. The weight had piled on after
Terry had died. Months she'd spent boozing and comfort
eating and finally, disgusted by her appearance, she'd found
an inner strength to do something about it. Rejoining
Weight Watchers had been the first step. By saving half
of her points for alcohol, she'd managed to lose a stone.
Unfortunately, she had reached a standstill and become
increasingly frustrated at her weekly weigh-ins. Putting on
three pounds was the final straw for Chelle. Abusing the
team leader by calling her an ugly fat cunt, she'd demanded
a refund and left the building with her head held high.

Desperation had forced her to pay a visit to the diet
doctor in Brentwood. The pills he'd supplied were great
at suppressing the appetite, but had left her feeling hyper
and unable to sleep. Feeling like a zombie, she'd had to
leave them off.

Losing weight had improved Chelle's confidence,
resulting in a new man on the scene, a 28-year-old body-builder
she'd met in a bar in Hornchurch. His name was
Nathan. For two weeks they'd been dating and in the last
twenty-four hours they had finally consummated their
relationship. Her friends weren't so sure about him.

'Don't like him. Shifty bastard,' Julie had told her bluntly.

'All muscle and no brain,' Suzie had added.

'Look, nobody begrudges you a bit of happiness, but
just be careful, Chelle. He looks like a gold-digger to
me,' Hazel had advised her.

Being her own woman, Chelle had decided to ignore
their advice for the time being. She'd been chomping at
the bit for some excitement in her life and was determined
to enjoy every minute of it. Terry was history now and
she felt nothing but bitterness and contempt for him
and their so-called marriage. The only thing she had to
thank him for was for killing himself and leaving her
loaded. She now despised him and the thought of him
being nibbled on by worms, whilst she spent his dirty
cash, amused her immensely.

She'd sold the car lot soon after he died to an Indian
fella called Moses. She'd knocked a few grand off the
asking price on the understanding that Jade wasn't to be
reinstated. Emptying the safe had been the biggest touch
of all. No one knew the combination, bar Charlie Bigbananas
himself. Davey Mullins had been desperate to
get a look inside, but Chelle had changed the locks and
barred him from the premises. She had then hired a security
firm with obese-looking Rottweilers to guard the joint.

Roger had finally come to her rescue. A retired bank
robber and an old pal of Hazel's late husband, he'd known
exactly how to open the bastard thing.

Chelle had been gobsmacked by the fortune hidden
inside. Five grand she'd given Roger for his troubles. She'd
then chucked a handful of money into the air and laughed
with glee as it fluttered to the floor.

Her poor old dad dying had added to Chelle's ever-growing
bank account. Years, the poor old sod had spent
in cloud cuckoo land at the local nuthouse. His death had
been a godsend to herself and anyone who had ever cared
about him. The house Terry had bought for him and the
old slapper had been Chelle's only fly in the ointment.
No deeds were found in his name and her solicitor had
advised her to forget all about it.

Reverting her attentions back to Nathan, Chelle turned
up the treadmill. Jogging didn't burn enough calories; she
needed to sprint.

Five minutes later, she was shattered. Wiping the sweat
from her face, she picked up her bag and strolled confidently
out of the gym.

Saturday finally arrived for an excited Billie Jo.

'Hurry up, Carly. The shops will be bloody shut by
the time we get there.' Giggling, Carly switched off her
straighteners. 'I'm ready. Lakeside here we come.'

As they browsed around the shops, the girls were filled
with anticipation, discussing the big date, while they
purchased their outfits.

'I think Danny is the fittest boy I've ever met.'

'No, Jamie's better.'

Too excited to eat, they headed to McDonald's for a
milkshake.

'Whatever's the matter? Are you OK, Bill?'

Deathly white, Billie stood rooted to the spot.

'That's her. Over there. That's Jade with the baby.'

'What baby?'

'My dad's baby.'

Turning towards her friend, Billie urged her to make
herself scarce. 'I have to go and talk to her and see my
little brother.'

Carly understood Billie's predicament and squeezed
her hand as she left her to it.

'Jade.'

As she turned around, Jade came face to face with a
part of her beloved Terry.

'Hello, Billie. How are you?'

Glancing into the pushchair, Billie's eyes filled up with
tears. He was the cutest baby ever and had all the features
of her father.

'Can I hold him?'

Jade nodded. Terry Junior smiled as the stranger took
him into her arms.

'Oh, Jade. He's absolutely gorgeous and he looks just
like Daddy.'

'I named him after your dad,' Jade replied. Her emotions
had spun into overdrive and she could now barely speak.

Overcome by the sight of Terry Junior, Billie couldn't
bear to be parted from him.

'Have you got time for a coffee?'

Three cappuccinos and two pieces of chocolate cake
later, Jade and Billie were firm friends.

'Did you know that I'd had a little boy?'

Billie nodded. Her mother had callously informed her
ages ago of the birth and sex of the child. 'Someone told
me in Tesco's today that the old slapper had a boy,' Chelle
had slurred. 'The son of the Antichrist. You mark my
words, Billie. That little bastard will turn out to be the
devil's fucking work.'

Ignoring her mother's nasty comments, Billie had run
to her room, overjoyed. She'd have hated the baby to have
been a girl. She had been desperate to be her dad's only
daughter. A boy she could handle, a brother was just fine.

As she tore her eyes away from Terry Junior, Billie
smiled at Jade. 'I'd love to see him again. Do you think
we can keep in touch?'

'Of course we can, but it's awkward, Billie. What about
your mum?'

Deciding to trust her instincts, Billie spoke honestly.

'Me and Mum don't get on at all. She had no time for
me when Dad was alive and she's no different now. I've
tried to get along with her, but she just can't be bothered
with me.'

Jade felt so sorry for Billie. Fleetingly, thinking of
Terry, she decided to do what he would have wanted.
Scribbling her phone number down on a piece of paper,
she handed it to her.

'Your dad would be over the moon, Billie, for us to
be friends. He was desperate for me and you to get along
and be properly acquainted. You can ring me anytime,
day or night. I'd be honoured for you to be part of my
life and so would your little brother.'

Overjoyed at the unexpected invitation, Billie's smile
lit up Lakeside.

'Thanks, Jade. I'm so glad we bumped into one another.
I'll call you tomorrow.'

* * *

Danny O'Leary sat in the pub and slid his hand up the girl's
short skirt. As he waited for a reaction, he smirked as he
saw her smile. Girls were just so predictable and this one
was up for it with a capital U. Glancing at the clock, he
knew it was decision time. Did he bin this slag and meet
Billie Jo? Or did he shag the slag and save Billie Jo for a
later date? His decision was made for him as the manicured
hand made a beeline for his cock. Feeling his erection take
over, he called Jamie and asked him to sort it.