‘I don’t like pie,’ Brenda reminded her mother.

‘You’ve got mince and baked beans, young lady. So has your father. That’ll teach him to stagger home pissed and show me up in front of the new neighbours,’ Queenie replied carefully watching Vinny’s reaction. Usually he’d chuckle and comment, but not today.

‘I ain’t hungry, Mum. I’m knackered. It’s been a long day at work. I’m gonna go upstairs and get me head down for a bit.’

‘You all right, bruv?’ asked Roy.

Wanting to show off in front of his best pal, Michael said what everybody else was thinking. ‘What’s the betting the lovely Yvonne’s blown him out?’

Without thinking, Vinny clumped his eleven-year-old brother so hard around the face, his head hit the wall.

Roy leapt up and pushed Vinny in the chest. ‘Don’t you dare hit him like that. What’s the matter with ya? He’s only a kid. You’ve changed since you got with that bird of yours.’

Vinny grabbed Roy in a headlock. ‘Birds are things that fly in the sky. Her name’s Yvonne. Show some respect.’

‘Stop it! Enough! You’re upsetting your little sister,’ bellowed Queenie. I’ve raised you to watch one another’s backs. You never fight with one another. Do you hear me? Never! Shake hands and apologize to one another at once.’

Over the next couple of days, Vinny continued to come home from work early, face like a smacked arse on him. He admitted to his mum that Yvonne and himself had had their first row, but wouldn’t go into any more details. That alone hurt Queenie. They’d always been so close and, as a rule, Vinny would tell her everything. Had Yvonne told him to keep schtum about what had happened? Queenie fumed, winding herself up that Yvonne was purposely coming between herself and her son.

It was on the Thursday, as Queenie was ambling along The Waste overloaded with shopping bags, that Jeanie Thomas called out to her.

Queenie walked over to Jeanie’s stall and put her bags down to give her aching arms a rest. ‘You all right, love?’

‘No. Hang on, let me serve this woman and I’ll explain.’

‘What’s up?’ Queenie asked a minute later, hoping for some gossip regarding Yvonne.

‘You gotta promise me you won’t breathe a word of what I’m about to tell ya, Queen. Not to anyone.’

‘On my kids’ lives. I won’t even tell Viv, I swear.’

‘Your Vinny and Yvonne have had a falling out and that little mare has been reefing round my Trevor again. Trev swears there ain’t nothing going on, but he got done up like a dog’s dinner before meeting up with her last night. I don’t want him anywhere near the girl. I’ve tried warning him that if Vinny finds out, he’ll knock seven bells out of him, but it’s like talking to a brick wall. Trev won’t admit it, but I can tell he’s still besotted with her. Why though, I don’t know. Has Vinny said anything to you?’