Queenie chuckled as she had a quick dust around the front room. She was fastidious about housework, even more since she’d moved into her own home. Rented, two bedroomed, in a nice street with pleasant neighbours. It was only a few streets away from her mum’s. ‘What you up to today, Albie? You staying local?’

‘Yes, love. I did all my deliveries yesterday, so was just gonna have a game of cards and a couple of pints in the Grave Maurice. Why? You off out?’

‘Yeah. I’m gonna kill two birds with one stone. I’m going shopping down the Roman with Viv. I’m determined to confront her over Bill. Then I’ll pop round Aggie’s to have it out with her. I can’t abide liars, Albie, you know that.’

Albie put Michel down and gave his wife a hug. ‘People are strange, Queen. Me and the boys love ya though.’

‘Yuck,’ sneered eight-year-old Vinny, as he burst into the front room and caught his parents cuddling. It was a rare sight.

‘You ain’t making more babies, are ya?’ giggled six-year-old Roy.

‘Don’t be so silly,’ Queenie replied, pushing Albie away. ‘Michael, you can come with me today. We’re going down the Roman with Auntie Viv.’ Queenie wagged her finger at both Vinny and Roy’s faces. ‘You two behave yourselves. No winding up the neighbours or stealing anything from down the bleedin’ market. Your dad will give you some money to spend and as I’ve told you ’til I’m blue in the face, we don’t steal off of our own. OK?’

Hands in his trouser pockets, Michael ran over to his brothers. ‘Don’t wanna go out with you. Wanna play out with Vinny and Roy. I’m a big boy now, Mum.’

Having heard through the grapevine his eldest two were little sods, Albie shook his head. ‘No, Michael. You go out with your mum, boy.’

Vinny stared his father in the eyes. ‘Nah. We’ll look after him. Won’t we, Roy? Brothers look out for one another.’

Queenie beamed with pride. Her bedtime stories had obviously worked a treat. ‘Michael starts school soon, Albie. He’ll be well looked after by his brothers. Now who fancies an egg and bacon breakfast?’

‘Me.’

‘Me.’

‘And me,’ Michael shrieked.

Queenie squeezed Albie’s arm. There weren’t many families that could afford a fry-up on a Saturday morning as well as a Sunday, but they bloody well could. Life was grand and Queenie could not wait to let Albie into a little secret later. But first of all, she wanted to tell Viv.

Queenie bought Albie a couple of shirts, new underpants, a skirt for herself and the boys a couple of pairs of shorts each. The fifty quid Mary had left her was long gone. But she’d spent it wisely, mainly on her sons and her home. She still thought about Mary every single day but kept her thoughts to herself. Nobody would understand, apart from Daniel and Patrick and she hadn’t seen them for ages. She’d heard they were doing well though, which was good.