What is wrong with you?!’ Phil shouted, as Gary screeched to halt, only just avoiding running over a boy in the road.

 

‘Well, he should watch where he’s going!’ Gary replied, cockily.

 

‘And you shouldn’t be driving so fast around these back streets,’ Jo muttered.

 

‘Oh, lighten up you two! Nobody died!’

 

 

***

 

 

On that Friday afternoon, Val had just left the doctor’s, after having her pregnancy confirmed. Josie practically walked right into her.

 

‘Hi, how are you, Val? You look awful!’

 

‘Thanks, Jose...actually I need to talk to someone, have you got a mo?’ Val looked close to tears and Josie felt very concerned for her.

 

‘Of course, let’s grab a coffee in Wyatt-Williams.’

 

Once they had settled inside, Val told Josie what she was going through right now.

 

‘What are you going to do?’ Josie asked.

 

‘I suppose I’d better think of a way to tell Ray…we’ve only just all settled down lately, so I dread to think how he’ll take it.’

 

 

 

 

Saturday, and it was Josie’s 51st birthday, and the Reynolds family were out for a meal at The Alborford Park Hotel’s restaurant. Max had brought Fiona along too.

 

‘So then, son, have you decided on a place yet?’ Don asked Max.

 

‘Yes, we’re going to go for the Holland Road flat, aren’t we darling?’ Fiona butted in, something that Josie didn’t like one bit.

 

‘That’s right,’ Max didn’t feel too comfortable with the way she was trying to take over either.

 

‘Should be great, I’ll have somewhere to roll home drunk to,’ laughed Sam.

 

‘You’ve got Ros’s house for that!’ Josie snapped back. Sam had been wishing he’d brought Ros along for the meal, but soon realised that she still wasn’t totally accepted by his mother...would she ever be?

 

 

***

 

 

Ray and Val had returned home from a day’s shopping in Norwich, when they saw Richard and Rachel returning home.

 

‘Hi! How was the honeymoon?’ Ray asked, as they wandered over to them.

 

‘Fantastic! We’ve just picked up this little chap from my sister’s, missed him so much, didn’t we my little boy!’ Rachel kissed and cuddled Harry as he gurgled.

 

How is he doing then?’ Val asked, playing with his little hands.

 

‘Great,’ Richard began, ‘he’s sleeping on and off, but nearly gets through the night sometimes!’

 

‘Ooh, aren’t babies adorable?’ Val cooed, looking at Ray, who didn’t answer, just smiled.

 

 

***

 

Gary had returned from yet another spin in his new car, Kris was on the phone when he walked in.

 

‘It’s for you, your mum,’ she handed him the phone with a scowl on her face.

 

‘Hi Mum! Yeah, just been out in it again…’

 

Jo listened from the lounge, she still couldn’t get used to how well he was getting on with his parents, and how they had managed to buy his love—especially after such a short time, and everything he’d been through. The Gary she saw in the sports car was not the Gary that she knew and cared about…

 

Nathan and Kris passed each other on the landing without saying anything, as he walked downstairs.

 

‘She still isn’t talking,’ Nathan muttered to Phil.

 

‘I think I’ve come to a decision, Nathan,’ he started ominously.

 

‘Yeah?’

 

‘Well, I know you won’t like this, but Kris was the one living here first, and she pays

 

 

full rent, whereas I’ve been helping you out…’

 

‘You’re throwing me out?!’ Nathan was horrified and had never thought that his brother would put Kris before him.

 

‘I’m sorry, but you need to find somewhere else as soon as you can...it won’t work now that you and Kris aren’t talking...and it could never have been permanent, we’re hiding this from the landlord as it is!’

 

‘Just when I was getting it together,’ Nathan shook his head. He noticed that Jo was still listening to Gary’s phone call.

 

‘I’d got a job at the club…’

 

‘Nathan, you’ve got to understand my position,’ Phil was trying.

 

‘Oh, shut up, Phil! You always manage to sound like a damn stuffy git in a suit!’ Nathan slammed the front door on his way out.

 

 

***

 

 

Val and Ray relaxed at home, when Rhys burst through the door and instantly started playing his computer game.

 

‘Where’s your sister?’ Ray asked.

 

‘At Natalie’s,’ Rhys grunted.

 

‘Haven’t seen much of her at all this week, have you?’ Ray asked Val.

 

‘Hmm?’ She was miles away, thinking about

 

seeing little Harry Curtis, and whether or not she could cope with another baby. Was forty five years old too late to start over again like that?

 

 

***

 

 

Nathan sat at the bar of The Headless Pint,  drowning his sorrows over being thrown out of Number Six.

 

‘Hi Nathan, you OK?’ It was Max, who’d decided to take a break from packing his stuff at home.

 

‘Not really, just been told to get out of Number Six...apparently I come below Kristen Slater in the list of priorities for my brother!’

 

Max could tell he was going to have to be careful what he said here.

 

‘Oh, er, sorry to hear that, mate. Look, if you’re stuck?..’ As soon as the words left his mouth, Max regretted it.

 

‘Yes? What’s that?’ Nathan almost jumped off the bar stool with excitement.

 

‘Well, you know, if you really are in a fix, I’m moving into a flat in Holland Road, with Fiona...but it’s a two bedroom flat…’

 

‘That’s brilliant, thanks Max, I’ll get things sorted!’

 

Nathan suddenly looked so happy that Max couldn’t bear to take back his offer. Fiona wasn’t going to be happy at all!

 

 

 

Kris was chatting to Gary and Jo in the lounge.

 

‘Good riddance, I say, can’t wait until the little worm is out of here!’ Kris was being as calm and reasonable as ever.

 

‘C’mon, Kris, it sounds like there’s more to this break up than meets the eye...what really happened?’ Gary asked, deliberately stirring things up.

 

‘Don’t Gary, if she doesn’t want to say…’ Jo tried to stop this.

 

‘No, it’s fine, why should I lie for him? He got Laura Lucas pregnant, that’s what happened, and now the little bitch has lost it... and he’s lost both of us!’

© 2010 Danny Alborough / DJA Publications
All characters, names and situations are fictitious.
Any similarities to places or people, living or dead, are purely coincidental.