He stood thinking for a few seconds. It wasn’t his mother’s fault they were skint – he knew that deep down – but still, he hated being part of a family where they lived from hand to mouth every day. Why did they have to be poor? Clare worked two jobs and some nights she could barely stay awake. She was a grafter, always did her best to put bread on the table, but he was still sick of the whole thing. Ged stormed over to his mother with thunderous expression. ‘Just give me the money. I’ll have to have it then, won’t I?’

He snatched the coin from his mother’s hand and stomped out, her calling behind him, ‘No kiss then, no goodbye? Yeah it’s all my fault again. Tell me something that I don’t already know, Ged. Make me feel like shit, why don’t you?’ There was no reply. Clare flinched as the front door slammed shut. She rolled her eyes while muttering under her breath. A single fat salty tear ran down her cheek and landed on her upper lip and suddenly she was sobbing her heart out. She worked so hard, tried her best, so why was her life so bloody difficult all the time? She blamed Ged’s dad, him and his dodgy dealings. All she’d ever wanted was a normal life, but he just wanted more and more, could never be happy with what they had. Tosser. Kevin Grey had been banged up for an endless list of crimes and she’d been left to pick up the pieces. He was due out in a few months’ time, had written her endless letters about how he was going to make it up to her, but they all went straight in the bin. It was all bullshit, his words meant nothing to her anymore, they were just lies, lies and more lies.

Chapter Four