The Driver (17 page)

‘Carl can’t talk,’ Cheryl snorted. ‘Mel’s an absolute bitch to him but he’s still with her. I bet
you
wouldn’t put up with someone treating you like that, would you?’

‘Not a chance!’ Joe laughed. ‘But that’s love for you. He probably doesn’t see her like we do.’

‘No, ’cos he can’t see past her great figure and gorgeous face.’ Cheryl sniffed. ‘Typical man.’

Joe was amazed that Cheryl thought Mel was better-looking than her just because Mel was slimmer. And she obviously had no idea that, given the choice, Carl would swap Mel for her in a heartbeat. Not that Carl had ever actually said that as such but Joe had seen the way he looked at her, so he knew.

Finishing her smoke in silence, Cheryl stubbed it out and exhaled wearily. ‘Thanks for letting me spout off. I got myself into a right state after I saw her and that flaming ring.’

‘You’ve seen it?’ Joe raised an eyebrow. ‘How come?’

‘She was standing outside when I took Frankie to playgroup this morning,’ Cheryl told him. ‘Holding her phone to her ear with
that
hand so I couldn’t miss it.’ Sneering now, she shook her head. ‘I bet there wasn’t even anyone on the other end. She just did it to spite me, the slag. But if she thought I was going to let her see I was bothered, she was wrong. I just made out like I hadn’t even noticed and walked right past her.’

‘Good for you,’ Joe said approvingly.

‘Yeah, I thought so. Should have seen her – she was gutted. But she’ll be even more gutted if she tries to get in my face again, ’cos I’ll get Shay to come round and then I’ll take a picture of us in bed together and Bluetooth it to her. See how she likes that.’

‘And would that make you feel better?’

‘I’ll let you know when I’ve done it,’ Cheryl said, grinning slyly. ‘Anyway, enough of me and my problems. I haven’t even asked how you are.’

‘Same as usual.’ Joe shrugged. ‘You know me, nothing much changes.’

‘Glad to hear it.’ Cheryl gave him a meaningful look. ‘I was a bit concerned that Eddie’s ways might rub off on you when you hooked up with him.’

Assuring her that he was basically just a glorified taxi driver and therefore in no danger of becoming a gangster, Joe said, ‘I’m doing it for the cash more than anything. And I’m definitely getting fitter now I’ve not got as much free time to spend boozing, so I’m pleased about that.’

Cheryl smiled and took a sip of her coffee. Joe hadn’t needed to tell her that he was getting back into shape because she’d already noticed for herself. He’d begun to look drawn before getting this job, but the old sparkle was coming back into his eyes lately. And that was nice to see.

The post arrived just then. Reminded of the note he’d stuffed into his pocket, Joe pulled it out to read it when Cheryl went to get hers.

FAO
Tenant of No. 312: Your neighbours have the right to expect peace and quiet whilst at home, so it would be appreciated if you could reduce the volume of your television set and/or hi-fi equipment as it has been noted that you are causing a regular disturbance. Thanking you in anticipation of your cooperation.

Shaking his head when Cheryl came back, he said, ‘Have a look at this.’

Reading it, Cheryl’s eyebrows knitted together. ‘Who the hell sent that?’

‘Who do you think?’ Joe rolled his eyes. ‘It’s not signed so I can’t prove it, but it’s got to be Kettler, hasn’t it? No one else round here is that anal.’

‘I wouldn’t mind, but you don’t even make that much noise,’ Cheryl said indignantly. ‘There’s plenty of times I’ve been at yours and I couldn’t hear the TV properly, and I was in the same room.’

‘Well, I didn’t think I was noisy,’ Joe agreed. ‘But he’s obviously got a problem with it. Either that or he’s got superhuman hearing.’

‘Nah, he’s just being a wanker,’ Cheryl said bluntly, passing the note back. ‘I hope you’ve told him to get lost.’

‘He’d only deny it, so I can’t be bothered,’ Joe said, shrugging it off. ‘Anyway, I reckon he’s only doing it to get a reaction, so it must be killing him that I haven’t said anything.’

‘What, you mean this isn’t the first?’ Cheryl asked.

‘Third,’ Joe told her. ‘First was a complaint about me dropping rubbish on the stairs. Which is crap, ’cos I always double-check my bags before I take them out. But according to the note, someone could fall and break their neck because of it. Second one was about me slamming my door when I come in or go out late at night. Apparently, I do it so hard I make things fall off shelves.’

Cheryl laughed now and shook her head. ‘Wow, he’s really got it in for you. You want to watch he doesn’t report you to the council, or you’ll have them spying on you.’

‘Couldn’t be any worse than
him
doing it,’ Joe said, slapping the note down on the table. ‘But I’m just going to carry on ignoring him. Wait till he finds someone else to obsess over.’

‘Good luck with that.’ Cheryl’s tone implied that she thought he’d be waiting a while. As she opened her own post her brow creased into a frown. ‘Oh, great, that’s all I need,’ she muttered. ‘The Social are threatening to cut my benefits if I don’t tell them who Frankie’s dad is.’

‘So tell them,’ Joe said, wondering why she hadn’t already.

‘I can’t,’ Cheryl moaned. ‘He went mad when I said the CSA had been asking for his details, said he’d deny he was the dad if I dropped him in it.’

‘Send them the birth certificate,’ Joe suggested. ‘That’s all the proof they need.’

‘His name’s not on it,’ Cheryl admitted. ‘He wouldn’t come with me when I registered the birth, and you’re not allowed to put the dad’s name on the certificate unless he’s there.’ Tutting now, she slapped the letter down on top of Joe’s note. ‘See what a bastard he is? It’s all right for him living up there with no responsibilities, but he obviously doesn’t give a toss that me and Frankie could end up with no money.’

‘There must be something you can do,’ Joe said, wondering why so many men felt no guilt about denying their own children. ‘How about a DNA test?’

‘And who’s going to pay for that?’ Cheryl gave him a weary look. ‘Even if he agreed to do it in the first place – which he wouldn’t. I’ve got a good mind not to give him this.’ She tossed down the other letter she’d been holding and stared at it resentfully. ‘He thinks he’s smart keeping this as his address. Thinks if people don’t know where he’s living they can’t catch up with him if he gets into debt.’

‘You’re the one who’s letting him do it,’ Joe pointed out.

‘Yeah, ’cos I’m soft in the head,’ Cheryl said bitterly. ‘But enough’s enough,’ she added, a new resolve coming into her voice. ‘I’m going to see who it’s from, then ring them and tell them he doesn’t live here any more and to stop sending shit here for him.’

She snatched up the letter and tore the envelope open. But when she saw the credit-card bill inside and scanned down the list of recent purchases that Shay had made, her mouth dropped open and fresh tears sprang into her eyes.

‘He spent nearly two grand at a jeweller’s a couple of weeks ago,’ she croaked. ‘How could he do that? He said he was broke when I asked him for twenty quid to get Frankie some new trainers but he can spend that much on a ring for that brain-dead whore. And he told me it only cost him fifty quid from a pawn shop when I asked him this morning.’

Joe got up when she started sobbing, put his arms around her and rocked her gently. ‘I know you’re hurt, but at least you know the truth now. And you’re way too good to let him treat you like this – you know that, don’t you?’

‘I just can’t believe he’s done this to me,’ Cheryl cried, burying her face in Joe’s shoulder. ‘He tells me he loves me when he comes round; says it was a mistake going with her, and he wishes he’d stayed with me. Even today, he said he was going to leave her as soon as he’s paid her brother back the money he owes him.’

‘And you believed him?’ Joe asked.

‘Not now,’ Cheryl conceded, the pain in her heart eased by his closeness. This was the first time they had ever actually hugged, and it felt totally different to be held by him than it did to be in Shay’s arms. With Shay it was all about sex: every touch designed purely to get her out of her knickers. But Joe’s arms felt warm and safe, like those of a true friend.

Fearing that she might become too comfortable and stay there for ever, Cheryl eased herself away from him after a while and reached for the kitchen roll to wipe her eyes. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall apart like that. Hope I haven’t ruined your dressing gown.’

‘It’ll dry,’ Joe said, going back to his seat. Waving his hand over Cheryl’s letters he said, ‘Know what I’d do with them? I’d ring them
both
and give them his name and her address. Sooner he realises you’ve stopped making things easy for him, the sooner he’ll have to sort himself out.’

‘Yeah, you’re right,’ Cheryl agreed, blowing her nose noisily. ‘No more Mrs Nice Girl. From now on I’m going to be the bitch queen of Ardwick.’

‘You couldn’t be a bitch if you tried,’ Joe laughed.

‘Trust me, I can,’ Cheryl told him. Glancing at the clock now, she sighed. ‘Time to go and pick the little monster up from the nursery. I’ll only be twenty minutes if you want to stay and make yourself another brew. But no peeking in my knicker drawer,’ she added with a cheeky grin.

‘What do you take me for?’ Joe gasped, giving her a mock-offended look, although he was glad that she’d recovered her humour so quickly.

‘A gay,’ she teased, going to the sink and splashing cold water over her eyes.

‘Don’t you start,’ Joe groaned. ‘I get enough of that shit off Carl, if you don’t mind.’

‘Shouldn’t be so nice, then, should you?’ Cheryl said as she used the tea towel to dry her face. ‘Subject of nice, Molly said to thank you for the card you sent in the other week. She was really chuffed.’

‘I forgot about that.’ Joe smiled. ‘How’s she doing?’

‘Okay,’ Cheryl told him, heading out into the hall. ‘But not as well as she should be, according to the nurse I had a word with the other day.’ Shrugging as she slipped her coat on, she said, ‘All I can think is that she’s either loving the attention too much to want to come home or she’s giving up. ’Cos they say old people do that, don’t they?’

‘Nah, she’s got way too much character for that,’ Joe said, opening the door and going out into the corridor.

‘Well, she’d best hurry up or she won’t have a cat by the time she gets out,’ Cheryl replied darkly, following him out and pulling the door shut. ‘I’m getting seriously tempted to throttle the little shit. Look at this.’ She thrust her arm out and pulled back her sleeve to show him a mess of scratches on her wrist.

‘Painful.’ Joe grimaced. Then, chuckling, he said, ‘Ever thought that might be why she’s staying put – ’cos she knows the moggie’ll be waiting for her when she gets home? She’s probably loving the break.’

‘Well, I’m not,’ Cheryl huffed. ‘Anyway, I’ll see you later. And thanks again for letting me drip all over your shoulder.’

‘My pleasure,’ Joe said, walking backwards to the stairwell. ‘And you just concentrate on yourself and Frankie from now on. Never mind Shay. Okay?’

‘Okay,’ Cheryl agreed.

Joe winked at her and went home.

He’d stayed with Cheryl a lot longer than he’d intended to, so he dropped his dressing gown and took a quick shower when he got in. He’d arranged to meet up with some old friends for a drink that evening and he had a few things to sort out beforehand, so he’d have to get a move on.

14

Chrissie had been feeling queasy for a couple of weeks. It came and went so she’d thought nothing of it, reckoning that it was probably just a mild stomach bug. But her mum had thought differently, and despite Chrissie telling her that she couldn’t possibly be pregnant she’d gone ahead and bought the test anyway. And, purely to prove her wrong, because Linda Scott was the infuriating kind of woman who always thought she was right, Chrissie had used it.

So now she was sitting here in her mum’s bathroom, gazing in disbelief at the little blue line glaring out at her from the window of the pissy little stick.

‘Well?’ Linda called, rattling the door handle impatiently. ‘Who was right? Me or you?’

The shock on Chrissie’s face when she opened the door was answer enough. But Linda resisted the urge to say, ‘Ha!
Told
you!’ even though that was what she was thinking.

‘So, are we pleased?’ she asked instead, testing the water. ‘Or should I be nipping down to the hardware shop for a coat hanger and a bottle of paraffin?’

‘
Mum!
’ Chrissie squawked, reflexively encircling her stomach with her arms. ‘Don’t be so horrible.’

‘So we
are
pleased, then?’ Linda gave her a questioning look. Flapping her hands when Chrissie just scowled back at her, she turned and went back down the stairs, muttering, ‘I give up. Let me know when I’m allowed to smile – or not. I’m only the grandma. Nothing important. No big deal.’

Chrissie closed her eyes and waited for her irritation to lessen before going after her mother. She found her in the kitchen looking for things to clean, which was what she always did when she was upset. Chrissie pulled out a chair and sat at the table.

‘Sorry, mum. Didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s me, not you.’

‘Tell me something I don’t know,’ Linda huffed, squeezing a dollop of Fairy Liquid into the washing-up bowl and turning on the hot tap. ‘I only wanted to know if I was supposed to congratulate you or not. I mean, it’s not like you’re fifteen and I’m supposed to be giving you a beating, or anything. You’re a grown woman.’

‘Yes, I know,’ Chrissie groaned, putting her elbows on the table and running her hands through her hair. ‘I just don’t know how I feel about it yet. It’s a shock.’

‘Mmm, well, I suppose it must be if you’ve been taking your pill like you reckon,’ Linda said, softening her tone. Of her four children Chrissie was the only girl, and their relationship had never been easy. Her own mum had always said that you couldn’t have two queens ruling one castle, and Linda had found out just how true that was when Chrissie had hit her teens. If Linda said the sky was blue, Chrissie would say it was red just to start an argument. But Linda still loved the silly bones of her and wanted the best for her.