her.
It was her father’s slight lurch, before correcting himself, that did it for Kathleen. And the way he had to rearrange his glasses back on his nose.
‘Stop it!’ she yelled, tears flooding her eyes. ‘All of you! Just stop it. Stop it now!’ She turned to her dad, willing him to be half the man Terry was. To stand up for her. ‘Dad, I love you,’ she sobbed, ‘and I want you to be happy for me. For both of us,’ she added, clutching once again at Terry’s hand. ‘But I promise you this,’ she said, ‘I won’t have it a part of this bloody war zone. Dad, I mean it.’ She then pointed at Irene. ‘Sort her out, because I won’t be bringing my baby here, ever, unless you do.’
Kathleen tugged on Terry’s hand and pulled him with her to leave. But Irene hadn’t finished. ‘Yes, piss off!’ she yelled. ‘Bugger off. That’ll suit us all just fine. You and your old man and your bleeding bastard sprog. You’re fired and you’re barred, so just piss off, the pair of you,’ she finished, flecks of spittle flying from her mouth.
‘Irene, pack it in!’ John barked, wiping his own mouth from where she’d caught him. ‘Leave the lass alone, will you!’
‘You know where I live, Dad,’ Kathleen said, feeling lighter and braver now she’d done what she’d come to do, and because finally her dad had defended her. Well, to an extent. ‘Call round anytime you like.’
‘You’ll be welcome,’ added Terry.
‘Ooh, he’ll be welcome!’ sang out Irene.
Terry’s gaze shifted. ‘Unlike you,’ he said, ‘who won’t. Not till you can learn to treat decent folk with a modicum of respect, at any rate.’
‘D’you hear that?’ she bellowed at John.
‘Mam, leave it!’ shouted Monica.
Kathleen’s dad’s expression was fraught. ‘Just go, love,’ he told her, looking anxiously at his watch. ‘Opening time any minute. Leave me to deal with this, okay? Go on, lad,’ he said to Terry, gesturing towards the door again. ‘Get her home.’
‘“A modicum of respect”,’ Kathleen said, as they headed back down Louis Avenue. ‘You don’t half talk posh sometimes, Terry Harris.’
‘Hidden depths,’ he said, chuckling. ‘That’s me. Lots of hidden depths. Seriously, love, it’ll be fine. You do know that, don’t you?’
She felt strangely content now – very strange, given all unpleasantness and shouting. Not to mention the small matter of losing her job. But she couldn’t help it. Now the deed was done, she felt free, and also determined. She didn’t ever need to lay eyes on her stepmother again, and, in her current frame of mind, that felt good. And she knew Terry felt the same way, too. She could tell by the spring in his step and how he swung the arm that hers was attached to.
‘And you’re really set on making an honest woman of me, are you, Terry Harris?’
‘I’m not so sure now,’ he said. ‘I quite like you as a fallen one, to be honest. As a wanton one …’ He grinned as he patted her stomach.
‘Well, you’ve certainly made a woman of me,’ she replied, smiling coyly.
‘Takes a man to do that, that does,’ he said, pulling her against him.
‘Stop it!’ she hissed, as he leaned down to kiss her. ‘You’ll have those tongues start up wagg—’
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