At least his own mother, widowed years ago when Dad had an accident on a building site, was too old and gin-soaked to care about weddings one way or the other. Josh had been a late baby, unwanted and unloved. Mum had always preferred the bottle to her son, and Dad had used Josh as a punchbag on a regular basis. When the news came that a dumper truck had crushed the life out of the old bastard, Josh could remember feeling nothing but relief. But still – the roughness of his upbringing had made him tough. There was that to be said for it. And tonight he was going to make his move.

They’d duck out of all of it, him and Claire. They’d run away together, tonight. She loved him. She’d be pissed off at him for a bit, but that would pass. Later, they’d come back, get the new van and, if need be, piss off somewhere else, start afresh, away from this place.

Everything would be OK.

He knew it would.

9

9

Josh left Cloudy’s and picked up his travelling bag from where he’d tucked it under another van nearby. Across the clearing, he saw his friend Sam illuminated by the light spilling out from the open door behind him. Sam was sitting on the steps of his family’s big trailer and raising a beer can to his lips.

‘Josh!’ Sam called, catching sight of him.

‘All right, mate?’ said Josh.

‘Beer?’ asked Sam, rising to his feet.

‘Nah, no time for that. Going to see Claire.’

Sam’s grin lit his face up. ‘What a fucking night, eh?’

‘Yeah. Great fight.’ Josh wouldn’t say more than that. Sam didn’t know that Josh should have thrown the fight. Sam didn’t know shit, and Josh wasn’t about to set him straight.

‘Punched his bloody lights right out, you did.’

‘Yeah.’

‘King of the fucking gypsies,’ said Sam, coming over and bear-hugging Josh. Then he drew back, still beaming, and slapped Josh’s back. ‘Get on over to your girl then, Josh. We’ll have a pint later.’

Josh walked on to Claire’s folks’ place, parked up just over the clearing. As he approached, Blue hopped to his feet and snarled. Tied though he was, Blue was ready to have a go.

‘All right then, Blue?’ said Josh, and Blue’s tail swished slowly from side to side.

Blue knew Josh; Josh was his friend.

Josh stepped past the dog as it resettled on the ground beneath the van. He went up the steel steps and knocked at the door. There was no answer, but he could see light coming through the curtains. He knocked again. Finally, Claire opened the door and stood there, unsmiling.