any contact with the outside world was better than none.
Eddie immediately recognised the handwriting on the next two he opened. Both his Aunts, Vi and Joan, had become a bit shaky in their old age and their writing stood out like a sore thumb. Ed laughed out loud as he read what Joan had written about her recent visit. Reg had brought her up to see him last week and Eddie had happened to mention how much he hated Carter, the new screw on his wing.
When the bell rang, Carter had picked on Eddie first.
‘Come on, say goodbye, Mitchell. Visiting time’s over,’ he yelled.
‘Why don’t you fuck off? I ain’t going nowhere until everyone else has gone,’ Auntie Joan shouted back.
Furious, Carter tried to grab her arm and march her out. Auntie Joan was having none of it. ‘Don’t you dare touch me! Get off me, you fucking nonce-case,’ she screamed, as she booted him in the shin.
‘You keep your chin up, Ed, don’t let these bastards grind you down,’ Joan yelled, as she marched out of the building with her head held high.
All the other lags had pissed themselves laughing. None of them liked Carter and they thought Eddie’s Auntie Joan was the bollocks. Joan had been the talk of the prison for the next few days. Ed was only a nipper when his mum died, and his aunt had all but brought him up. Joanie had always been a real card, and Eddie had great pleasure entertaining the other lags with stories of his childhood.
Putting Joan’s letter back in its envelope, Ed opened the next one. It was from his pal, Dougie.
Hi Ed,
I hope you’re doing OK, mate. Sorry I haven’t been in touch for a while, but as you can imagine, life gets pretty hectic this time of year. Anyway, I wanted to be the first to tell you that Vicki gave birth to a little girl last weekend. She was adamant we call her Jessica – I didn’t get a say in the matter.
As Ed’s eyes welled up, he screwed up the letter. He couldn’t read the rest; it was far too upsetting for him. Jessica would have been blooming herself by now and they would have had a wonderful Christmas this year. Jess was so full of plans for the new baby, God rest her soul. Overcome by emotion, Ed turned over, lay flat on his mattress and sobbed his heart out.
Over in icy Rainham, Joyce was all of a fluster as she prepared for the arrival of Polly’s parents.
Raymond and Polly had arranged their wedding for June next year and, with the parents not having yet met, Raymond had reluctantly agreed to Joyce inviting her soon-to-be in-laws over on Christmas Eve.
As soon as her husband walked into the room, Joyce put her hands on her hips. ‘What have you got on? You’re not wearing that, Stanley. I thought I told you to put your nice grey suit on. Polly’s parents are upper class, for goodness’ sake!’
Stanley for once argued his point. ‘This is my best shirt and trousers, Joycie. I feel ridiculous wearing a suit indoors. Can’t I just wear this?’
Joyce shook her head vehemently. ‘I won’t have you embarrassing me in front of Polly’s parents. Now go and put that suit on. I’ve bought you a new red tie, so make sure you wear that as well.’
Annoyed, Stanley punched the wall as he trudged upstairs. ‘I preferred you when you were ill, you fucking old bat,’ he mumbled.
A few hundred yards down the road, Frankie’s day was going from bad to worse. Jed’s father always threw a big party on Christmas Eve and Frankie was absolutely dreading it.
‘Frankie, take these sandwiches into the other room and then you can help me prepare the meat platters,’ Alice ordered.
Aware that his girlfriend had barely said a word all day, Jed followed her into the lounge. ‘What’s up? You’ve had a face like a smacked arse since you woke up this morning.’
‘I don’t feel up to this party, Jed. Do you mind if I go back to the trailer and have an early night?’
Jed grabbed her arm roughly. He was getting sick of Frankie’s black moods. ‘You’re my girlfriend and you’ll stay ’ere and make an effort with my family and friends. My mum and dad have fallen over backwards to make you feel welcome and all you do is throw their kindness back in their faces. Well, I ain’t putting up with it no more, so you’d best start pulling your fucking socks up.’
As Jed let go of her arm and stormed from the room, Frankie ran to the toilet and locked the door. She felt so lonely. She couldn’t even ring Joey, because he was at his work’s Christmas party. Frankie sat on the toilet seat and cried. Memories of Christmases with her mum and dad came flooding back and she wished she could go back in time.
Her mum had always made such a big fuss about Christmas. Frankie used to love it as a child, but over the years she’d felt too old and cool to bother with the preparation or the big day itself.
Frankie guiltily put her head in her hands. Last year, her mum had asked her and Joey to help her with the Christmas shopping and she’d begged them to decorate the tree and the house with her. Both she and Joey had laughed in Jessica’s face. Neither had known it would be their mum’s last Christmas and Frankie now felt full of remorse. She hadn’t appreciated her family life at the time, but after living with Jed’s parents, she bloody well did now.
Her reminiscing was ended by her boyfriend’s angry voice. ‘Frankie, get out ’ere now. You’re meant to be helping my mum,’ he yelled.
Frankie took a deep breath. ‘I’ll be out in five minutes. I’ve just been sick, Jed,’ she lied, as she pulled the chain.
Hearing his footsteps walk away, Frankie checked her eyes in the mirror. They weren’t red and there were no signs that she had been crying. She unlocked the bathroom door. The guests had started to arrive, and their loud, coarse voices could be heard a mile off.
Determined to make Jed happy, Frankie plastered a smile on her face and walked into the kitchen. ‘Sorry about that, Alice, I came over a bit queasy. Now, what can I do to help you?’
Alice patted her arm. ‘You go and sit yourself down with Jed,’ she said kindly. ‘I’m all done here now.’
Jed was sitting in the lounge talking to a couple Frankie had never seen before. ‘You all right, babe?’ he asked, nodding at her to sit down on the sofa next to him.
Frankie smiled and sidled up to him. ‘I feel much better now.’
Jed cuddled her. ‘About time too,’ he whispered sarcastically.
As the Bentley pulled on to the gravel, Joyce clapped her hands in glee. ‘They’re here! Oh, my God, look at the car, Stanley. Thank Christ I made you hide yours.’
Stanley said nothing while Joyce first checked her appearance in the mirror, then ran to answer the door. She looked ridiculous in the full-length blue dress she was wearing. She looked like she was going to a fucking ball. As for making him leave his car at Dougie and Vicki’s house, Stanley was lost for words.
‘We can’t have Polly’s parents thinking that we have no money, Stanley,’ she said. ‘That Sierra of yours is an utter embarrassment, you’ll have to get rid of it for the day.’
As his mother opened the front door, Raymond looked at her in horror. Not only
