Imelda Bailey looked at her reflection in the mirror and was pleased with what she saw. At eighteen, she was tall, willowy and high breasted, and she knew she looked good. She also knew that her father was not too thrilled about her recent marriage to Delroy Parkes. Delroy had been her boyfriend on and off for four years – even she admitted it was more off than on. But, for all that, she loved him, and she believed that he loved her. She was young, but she knew that Delroy was the love of her life. Sadly she realised that Delroy would always be a man who needed more than one woman – that had, after all, been the cause of so many of their bust-ups. But she had decided that if she would be his ‘number one girl’, as he referred to her, then she could live with it, and the fact that he had married her proved something. She knew it was impossible for her to live without him anyway. She also knew that he was scared shitless of her father and his brother, so if push ever came to shove she could strong-arm him if needs be. Whatever her family had said, she had not been able to help how she felt about him. He was a very dark-skinned Jamaican and he talked with the Jamaican lilt. He was everything she wanted in a man and the sex was incredible – not that she would ever tell anyone that, of course. Her father would see Delroy in the ground if he thought he had taken any kind of liberties with her before he put a ring on her finger!

Now they were finally married and Delroy had got a job on the doors of one of the Brixton clubs. She knew her father would not be that impressed, but she also knew that, now he was part of the family, he would see Delroy’s potential as a rent collector or similar. Delroy was a big lad – a very big lad in more ways than one. Once he was working for the family, she would be able to monitor him much better; after all, he would be part of the crew, wouldn’t he?

She sighed with happiness and, as she went to meet Delroy, she prayed to God that He would grant them both a good life. Grant them happiness, and give them both the opportunity to make something of themselves, make a life that was worth living. Tonight they were getting together with the family at their pub to celebrate her Auntie Lena’s big news. And she hoped with all her heart that Delroy Parkes, the love of her life, didn’t get stoned or drunk, and did not fuck up in any other way.

She was still praying as the taxi drove them towards the pub two hours later.

Chapter Nine