Stanley stared at his grandson with displeasure. Joey used to be such a big softie, and it was as if Stanley didn’t recognise him any more. In fact, he sounded just like his bloody father.

‘Well, you gonna tell me what happened, or what?’ Joey demanded.

Feeling his cheeks start to redden, Stanley explained the situation in the best way that he could. ‘I only wanted a friend, a shoulder to cry on, and I always got on with Pat because of the pigeons. But once I moved in with her, she made it clear she wanted more from me, if you know what I mean?’

Enjoying his grandad’s discomfort, Joey shook his head. ‘No, I don’t know what you mean, actually. You need to explain it in more detail.’

‘Well, she kept touching me, you know, down there,’ Stanley choked, pointing towards his groin. He couldn’t tell Joey that Pat had put his John Thomas in her mouth. He’d take that awful secret to his grave with him.

‘So, you’re telling me that you want to move back home to Nan because the old slapper has been trying to touch your cock?’

Feeling totally ashamed and also shocked by Joey’s crudity, Stanley felt the tears start to roll down his cheeks. ‘I want to move back to your nan because I truly love her. I even miss her moaning at me, Joey. Please help me. I’m nothing without her.’

Seeing the people at the bar clocking Stanley crying, Joey sat on a chair next to his grandfather and put a comforting arm around his shoulder. He couldn’t be totally horrible to him, it wasn’t in his nature.

‘I can’t stay at that awful woman’s another night, Joey, I really can’t,’ Stanley wept, feeling dreadfully sorry for himself.

‘You can stay with me and Dom for the time being and don’t worry, I’ll speak to Nan for you. She’ll take you back, I know she will.’

‘Do you really think so?’ Stanley asked hopefully.

Joey hugged the silly old fool. ‘I know so, Grandad.’

Chapter Twenty-One

CHAPTER TWENTY

The night before his brothers’ joint funeral, Eddie struggled to sleep a wink. Guilt, anger, regret: his brain whirled away like a tumble drier and, sick of tossing and turning, he finally got up at 5 a.m.

Ed made himself a coffee and, feeling nostalgic, began flicking through an old photo album that had once belonged to his father. Most of the pictures were old, some slightly creased, but he smiled as he clocked the one of Ronny dressed in a silver tonic suit with two-tone shoes. That had been taken in Ronny’s mod days and at a guess, Ed reckoned it must have been the early to mid sixties.

‘I heard you get up. Are you all right, love?’ Gina asked, as she walked into the lounge.