‘How’s Yvonne and the cat?’

‘Dunno. Not spoken to her today. I’ll be seeing her later on. You did like her, didn’t ya, Mum?’

‘Yes,’ Queenie fibbed. ‘But I know her mum, love. She’s an old slapper who Viv and I call Slack Alice. She’s got a terrible reputation for hawking her mutton.’

‘Oh well, horses for courses. As long as Yvonne don’t hawk hers, we’ll be OK.’

‘Another thing, I’ve known Slack Alice for years, Vinny, and I’m sure Yvonne must be older than sixteen. I think she might be lying to you about her age, love.’

‘It was me that lied about her age, Mum. Yvonne’s seventeen. I’m sorry, but I was desperate for you to like her, not think she was too old for me. Anyway, forget Yvonne. We’re here now.’

‘Who lives ’ere then? Done a nice job doing these up, haven’t they?’

Vinny opened the front door and gestured for his mum to follow him inside.

‘What you doing with a key?’

‘It’s our house, Mum. Well, it will be as soon as you sign this bit of paper,’ Vinny grinned, waving an envelope at her.

‘But these belong to the council.’

‘Yeah. Then the council rent them to people like you. Look at the bathroom, Mum. It’s ever so posh.’

Queenie put her hand over her mouth. The bath, toilet and sink were a lovely apple green. The walls were tiled in white and green. ‘Oh, Vinny, it’s beautiful and so spacious. But it can’t be ours. I took my name off the council list after they only offered us flats that time.’

Vinny took the contract out of the envelope and showed his mother her name on it.

‘But how did you get it? I can’t believe it. Oh, look at the beautiful kitchen. And the garden! It’s a proper garden, where I can plant flowers.’

‘I meet many people in my line of work, Mum. I know a bloke who knows a bloke who can pull some strings and I was owed a favour.’

As the reality hit home that this beautiful home actually was hers, Queenie could not help but burst into tears.

Vinny hugged her close to his chest. ‘You deserve this. You’re the best mum in the world. You raised me right. Now it’s time for me to pay you back.’

Queenie arrived home on cloud nine. Vinny had left her outside the property. He was meeting Yvonne from work.

Viv was astounded by the fantastic news. ‘Oh, Queen. I walk past those houses often, have watched ’em go up. How the hell did Vinny pull that one out the bag? They’re gorgeous.’

‘Vinny knows a man who knows a man who can pull some strings,’ Queenie replied proudly.

‘How many bedrooms?’

‘Three. The boys can have the biggest, I’ll have the middle one and Brenda can finally have her own room. The rent’s much cheaper than what we’re paying here an’ all. I’ll take you round there tomorrow, show you the inside.’