Kathleen stopped and bent over, holding her belly. 'You all right, mate?' Eileen's voice was concerned.
Kathleen nodded and smiled grimly. 'I've got the shits again.'
'Charming! You've had that all week. See the quack or the school nurse.'
'I will, I'll go tomorrow.'
Kathy looked down at her little sister and saw her watching her dad and his latest amour and, squeezing her hand gently, she said, 'Ignore him, darling.'
Colleen smiled up at her with her bright little smile and said gaily, 'Sod him, I don't care about him.'
But she did sometimes.
Little Johnny and the Brodie boys stood outside the post office for a few seconds as they pulled on their balaclavas. It was just getting dark and the rain that had been threatening was already coming down. They walked inside casually and gently shut the door behind them. Then, pulling the shotguns out from under their coats, they started the blag. Little Johnny jumped on the counter and slipped easily over the glass partition known in the trade as the bandit screen. His small stature was ideal for that job and he got offered a lot of work because of it. He was small and wiry and he had slipped over more bandit screens than he cared to remember; earning a good wedge into the bargain.
There was no one in the post office, which was a result, as the last thing they needed was a have-a-go hero. Lance was still watching the door in case someone did decide to come in and buy a stamp. If anyone did come in, they would then be firmly walked away from the window and told in no uncertain terms to lie on the floor and shut the fuck up.
The two women who ran the place had been taking advantage of the quiet spell and were having a quiet cup of tea. The sight of the men and the guns they were brandishing terrified them and both were rooted to the spot for a few seconds.
Smiling through his balaclava, Patrick said, 'Come on, girls; sit yourselves down. We only want the money, nothing else; you can keep your virginity.'
The two women rushed through to the back of the shop and watched in shock and fascination as Johnny leapt over the counter.
'Go and fucking sit down. You move and I'll blow your fucking heads off.'
Little Johnny's voice was loud and frightening. It was all an act, he had no intention of shooting anyone but it was a requisite action; it stopped people from doing something stupid. He threw the bundles of money over the bandit screen and they were placed into a large leather shopping bag. The money was sealed tightly into neat packages and had the address of the firm it was to be used by printed on it or the bank it had come from. As they were neatly packaged, that made the job so much easier. Robberies like this were often committed for what was called running money. For the boys it was a little bit of bunce, some start-up money to make sure that they could buy up a few more debts and make a few more deals. A few months down the line and they might be tempted to blag the place again. People always thought lightning didn't strike in the same place twice but it did.
It was starting to really rain now, perfect robbing weather, and the greyness of the day made it nice and dim inside the old-fashioned shop. Anyone passing would not be able to see what was going on inside.
It was over in under seven minutes, though the two women involved would believe it had lasted a lot longer than that because of their fear. They were outside, ballys off and guns well hidden without anyone even taking a second glance at them. The car started first time and they were gone before the call had even been put through to the police or the ladies had set off the alarm. Laughing their heads off they spun away from the kerb and went to a friend's yard to dispose of the guns and then they sat it out for a few hours, chatting and drinking beer until Pat deemed it safe to go home.
Lance noticed that little Johnny was happy to let Pat be the main man and he knew that a lot of other people were going to feel like that towards him. Pat had a knack of making people do what he wanted; their father had been the same way. He knew Pat was going to shake their world up and make them a force to be reckoned with.
Annie watched as her daughter poured herself another drink. The drinks were being consumed earlier and getting larger by the month. Since Patrick had come home she had eased off a little bit but Annie knew her daughter well enough to know that something was bothering her, something more than usual.
She still looked good, she would give her that. Lil was one of those people who, no matter what happened to them, still seemed to look well.
She wasn't slim exactly but then, as a woman got older, she looked better with a bit of weight on her. She still had the voluptuous look that attracted men to her and her hair was shiny and thick; well-cut and groomed, like the rest of her. But Lil had the vacant look of the heavy drinker; the empty eyes that seemed unable to see what was going on around her. She wasn't bloated or pale-looking like most heavy drinkers but she was gradually losing interest in her surroundings. She was only really happy when the kids were around her and yet she was leaving the brunt of the household chores to her mother. Not that Annie minded; she loved being here, being in the thick of them all.
'Come on, Lil, eat something.'
'I ain't hungry, Mum, how many fucking times, eh?'
Annie sighed and swallowed down the retort that came quickly to her lips. Lil was capable of telling her to leave and she didn't want that to happen.
'Keep your hair on. Have you looked in on Kathleen? She is rough, bless her. I took her up a cuppa and she was already asleep.'
Lil nodded. 'She's all right. I saw her earlier and she has a gyppy tummy, that's all. She went to the doctor tonight; she fit her in like. She took her prescription and crashed out. She'll be OK, Mum; a couple of days in bed should sort her out.'
'She is a fucker for that kebab house on the high street, no wonder she has the shits.'
Lil laughed with her mum; the drink was taking over now and giving her the lovely relaxed feeling she craved. It made her happy and it made her forget the abortion her life seemed to have become.
Annie sat opposite her; she had cooked the dinner for everyone and then washed up and tidied away. She did this because she knew her daughter would put up with her if she was useful. 'What's the matter, Lil? You can tell me, love.'
Lil sat back heavily in the chair. The kids were out of earshot so she decided to confide in her mother; she needed to get it off her chest anyway.
'Lenny turned up at the club last night, all sweetness and light, the ponce. But he was worried about Pat being home, I could feel it. I don't trust him, Mum. He can make you believe anything and we know that better than anyone, don't we? And I don't want my poor Pat being put in a position where he might be used or, even worse, set up.' Lil shook her head at the foolishness of her words, knowing how they sounded when spoken out loud. But she knew Lenny Brewster better than anyone and she knew what he was capable of.
'Pat is a shrewd fucker, Lil. He knows the score, so stop worrying, girl. He's done his bird, kept his head down and his arse up and he ain't silly, love.'
Lil nodded her agreement. 'I know all that, Mum. He is my son after all, but he is out to make a name to get a rep like his father's. He wants to make a niche for himself and I know that Lenny won't let that happen. Patrick's memory is still too fresh in everyone's mind, especially his. He could never compete with him and he knows it.'