CAMERON-PETERSON RESIDENCE - NEXT MORNING

HALLWAY

LINDSAY

“Lindsay? Lindsay! What is wrong with you?! Your mother and I have been trying to get your attention for the last few minutes!”

I turn to David and he wisely drops the hand that reached to shake me out of my nightmarish reverie. “I heard some disturbing news yesterday…”

“Yes we heard your shrieking before you stormed upstairs! Who is Ghetto Queen, and why would you be recording a call with her?” He demands, eying me carefully.

“A nuisance that…”

“Oh, that’s a very apt name for her!” Mother announces, coming out of the lounge inspecting her ring. “Her given name is Slick Phoenix, and she is the reason that Lindsay was incarcerated. She just would not be reasonable!”

“Slick Phoenix? And reasonable about what?” He looks between the pair of us.

“It was her credit card that I used.” I explain wearily and then have a thought. “Excuse me, I need to check something!” I brush off mother’s forestalling hand and dash upstairs.

LINDSEY'S BEDROOM

I pull out what little paperwork I have on the bastard I birthed and then call the number at the bottom of the page. It takes forever to answer. “Yes, I would like to speak to Helena Griffiths, please, it’s Lindsay Peterson. Yes, reference 208-725-LAP-00G. Thank you.” I drum my fingers on the bed with impatience, the noise surprisingly loud considering the surface. “Yes, I am holding for...oh well can I speak to the person who took over her cases then? Out at a meeting, may I take their name and what time they will be back in the office? Myram Parks and at 3pm? Good, please give him the message to return my call immediately. Thank you.” I hang up and then close the bedroom door when I can hear footsteps.

“Lindsay?” Mother calls from the other side...if only it was that other side. “Open this door, I want to...”

“No! I have some private things to…”

“Lindsay, do not speak to your mother in that tone! I allowed it when you first got out of prison because I crossed the line, but you will…”

I end his pomposity by yanking the door open and stepping onto the landing. “I will speak to her and you as you deserve to be spoken to!” He glowers at me. “She demanded and did not ask to come in. Just because she was made to be polite in prison, it does not mean she let’s it all out on me!” I step back into the room and slam the door shut, but he opens it and steps inside. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“This is my house. She is my wife. You will treat her as I demand or find somewhere else to live!” Mother enters smiling proudly and smugly. I am about to apologise when my phone pings. “Do not answer that, apologise to your Mother and I for your rudeness!”

I look at my phone and see it is a text from GQ. I am about to ignore it when something catches my eye. “Why would she want me to ask you about a nipple chain?”

“Who are you talking about?” Mother snaps, standing by him and stroking his arm. “Thank you for your staunch defence of me, darling, I have never had that. Lindsay, we are waiting for your apology.”

My phone beeps again and I fix him a beady stare. “GQ just told me to ask you how your nipples are?”

“Nipple…” He begins.

Beep-beep.

“I demand that you give…” David blasts.

“Have you two consummated this marriage?”

“Lindsay!” Mother gasps and I smile at his ashen look.

“I am going to go with no then. And as for your apology, it’s no to that too. Now excuse me, I am going to do something I never thought I would in a million years…”

“And that is what?” Mother demands.

“Talk to GQ.” I snicker at the expressions on their faces: confusion for her but horror for him.

“What on earth for?!” Mother clamours.

“She wants an audience, and who am I to refuse a queen’s demand.” I quickly gather my purse and jacket, thankful that I was going out anyway. “I will see myself out.” I push past them and trot quickly down the stairs. When I look up they are both still standing in the doorway, but now Mother is trying to get his attention.

He seems to have been turned into stone. “David! David, are you alright?!” She shakes him hard and that snaps him out of it.

“What?! Of course I am!” She looks shocked by his tone, he smiles sickenly at her and brushes her cheek. “Sorry, darling, I didn't mean to sna...Lindsay, where are you going?!”

“To visit a queen!” I shout back, and am out the house, slamming the door shut and cackling as I hear his steps thundering down the stairs. I swiftly stride down the path and spot a neighbour just as his door opens, I call out. “Oh, hello! How are you?!”

“Um. Fine, thanks, and you?” The chap calls out, pausing to allow me to catch up with him.

“I thought I would introduce myself. I am Lindsay, the daughter of Nancy Cameron-Peterson, she lives in that house there. I’ve just come back from being abroad. And you are?” I watch David fume in the doorway as he watches us.

“Larkland. Larkland Finley. Will you be staying with your mother and brother long?”

Mother and brother?!

OUTSIDE SCI ALBION PRISON - AN HOUR LATER

MICHAEL

I step outside and take a breath of fresh air for the first time in twenty five months! It feels so good.

“Novotny!” I turn to face the guard who has just opened the door for me. “See you again real soon!”

“I think not!”  I return.

“You will be back, I’m sure of it!” He taunts me. “I shall keep the home fires burning for you!” I turn swiftly on my heel and stride away, his laughter takes a while to fade from my ears.

As I wait to get into the van that will take us back to our EOHOPS house, I start to fume. Not one, not one person came to see me. Nobody wrote! Nobody called! Nobody did anything! I can just about forgive Lindsay, she was banged up as well, but you’d think that they would’ve calmed down by now. And it wasn’t as if it was their money, it was hers!

“Get in, Novotny!” Someone snarls, and I take a seat.

Resting my head against the window, I watch the world go by and think of the irony of where I am going, how I had quizzed Claire about her being in Slick’s place and then she presented that letter, for the ex-offenders home placement scheme. Now I have the very same letter burning a hole in my pocket. I pull it out and read it again. Sighing, I wonder where I will be living for now. I reach for my phone then grimace at it, it was the last phone that Brian bought me but they would not let me charge it before I left this morning, so it is flat. Sighing, I try to see if I recognise the area but I don’t.

“Benkman! This is you!” The guard yells out and the van pulls up next to a miserable looking block, but as he gets out there is screaming and he is swarmed over by a group of people, I turn away as I know wherever I go nobody will be there to greet me.

MILLER-FOX RESIDENCE - SAME TIME

LOUNGE

ELSPETH

I regard this creature who has caused my daughter so much misery with contempt. “Take a seat, I will let her know you are here.”

“Thank you, Els…”

“Mrs Miller-Fox, and you will refer to her as Mrs Miller-Fox when in my company, and not ghetto queen, do we understand each other?!” She flushes before nodding. “Slick, darling, she’s sat like the bitch she is!”

“Mom!” She bellows, laughing, and I relish the sound of that.

How my heart has broken for them, her especially when she found this pile of dirt is the birth mother. Her reasoning for doing this is sound, although Lindon had to be taken out by his father as he wanted to do some rather ungentlemanly talking to the creature! So I am following her lead.

“Hey, she’s finally out!” Slick grins as she enter the room. “You going to stay?”

“Yes. I have some things I want to impart as well. Philip, you remember Sandrine’s husband don’t you, Miss Peterson? Let me remind you, he was the one that got you jailed. Well, he’s asked me to pass on a message, he will do it again.”

“I can assure you, Mrs…”

“Your assurances…” I stop as the door is knocked on and look at Slick, she shakes her head frowning. “I won’t be long.” As I open the door my jaw drops. “What on earth…”

“Can we come in?”

I just step aside and wait for them to take off their coats. “How?”

“I flat out asked and he won’t lie.”

“I see. Follow me.” I blink back tears and lead Gus and Jenny into the lounge. The looks on the faces of Slick and the creature are the same - shock.

“Hey, Slick, thought you could do with some back up, as well as Gramma Els.” Gus tells her as he takes a seat. He turns to his former mother. “Long time no see, been on holiday?”

“Must have been a place with no internet or phone. Nary a call about our welfare. Nary a postcard. Nary nothing...for which I am glad!” Jenny snaps before leaning forward and tapping the creature on her knee. “Look at me. Look at us. We are here for her. You mess with her or our little sister, well, let’s just say you won’t see me coming. Feel me...yeah...see me, not so much.”

“They know?” She queries weakly.

“Well of course they know!” Slick scoffs. “I, unlike you, don’t lie. The moment I got confirmation I told him.”

“You got confirmation?! How?! That is privileged information!” Miss Peterson, for I refuse to refer to her as anything other than that or creature, declares.

“Not when it is in the best interest of the child or the child’s parents.” Slick glares. “And given my history, which you were happy to gloat over, they thought it best that I be armed with all facts.”

“Oh, by the way, Gramma, have you got a vintage diamond engagement ring?” Gus asks, silencing the room for a few seconds. “Well, do you?”

“Yes, it was my mother’s and I…” My eyes go wide. “...really?!”

“Yep, really!” Gus beams. “Heard Mom talking to Grandpop Ronald. With her dad gone, she asked if he would give her away.”

The creature looks like she wants to be sick, and I am so very proud of Gus at that moment!

“I will call him later! Now back to the matter in hand. Like Jenny said, leave Slick, Lindon and Annabee...beth alone. And how can you countenance being in the same room as the man that did that? Your mother marrying him is not a surprise, she has always been cold hearted, but…”

“I am not happy with this union either!” The creature snaps. “It is repulsive! And his bossiness and lecturing tone is…” She pauses. “...why did you want me to ask him about a nipple chain or the consummation of the their marriage?” For once I think her confusion is genuine, and, judging by that smile, so does Slick.

“I am going to assume, he’s not said.” Slick pauses as the monitor she put down flickers briefly; we all hold our breath before silence reigns. “She takes after you in the caterwauling like a banshee respect.”

“Said what?” She demands.

“He’s a dominant, your new daddy is. A bad one. I had to save a twink from his roughhousing in Meathook almost ten years ago by pulling him off him by the nipple chain he was wearing.”

Her mouth opens and closes but nothing is coming out. She looks revolted, but only briefly, before she starts to smile. It is a slow evil grin that almost splits her face in half. “Meathook you say?”

“Yes.” I am on my guard for her next utterance.

“So that makes him gay or at least curious, and goes a long way to explaining why his neighbours think that my mother and I are his mother and sister!” She starts to giggle. “Oh this is priceless! I can’t wait to...no, I shall hold onto that little morsel of information until the time is right.” She coughs delicately, well as delicately as you can when you are a viper. “So what else can you tell me about my father?”

“The one your Mother married or the good man she bullied, just like she bullied Aunt Lynette? The way she treated her was abominable, blaming her for her birth as if she had a choice as to who her father is!” Gus snarls, and it takes a firm tug by Jenny and Slick to get him to sit back down. “She is a credit to his nurture and love, not hers, but look what being favoured by her got you! A criminal record! Did you enjoy your stay? Was the pussy as much of a paradise as I said it would be?!”

“Now just a minute! You will not speak to me like that! I did not raise you…”

“No you didn’t! For once you speak the truth! You bargained! You held hostage! You bullied like your Mommy! The one person that raised me, raised us is called Melanie! You and your fellow convict in arms, did nothing but suck like rabid leeches off of my dad!”

He takes heaving breaths while she looks astonished.

“Say something, Miss Peterson.” Jenny demands and that seems to bring her round.

“I...what I did...no, let me start again. I…”

“Are no longer welcome!” Jenny spits. “Get your shit and leave; and like you did the last time, don’t look back!”

As she rises unsteadily to her feet, she looks at the monitor as my darling granddaughter decides that it is time to wake up. “Waaah!” She cries sleepily.

“I’ll go.” Gus stands but is pushed back into his seat by Jenny. “Hey!”

“You had her all to yourself for a whole week! I have a lot of catch up to do! Coming, Annabee!” She calls out and dashes up the stairs.

“Damn Ems!” Slick chuckles as she had said it would stick and it has! She turns back to Lindsay. “Flat ass out of door, darken it nor mine no more!”

As she head to the door, she stops and slowly turns, her face drained of all colour. “Did you...are you saying that Daddy is not Lynette’s father?!”

“This is what she hears. Always deflecting. Some things never change!” Gus snarls. “But to answer your question, Miss Peterson, yes he is her father but not biologically, like Slick and Lindon are Annabee’s parents, but not biologically!”

“I don’t understand. She...how...I mean who?”

“She, like you, fucked around indiscriminately. Truly, like mother like daughter. Let me show you out!” He stalks towards her and she stumbles towards the front door.

For a few long minutes there is silence after the door is slammed shut behind her; then I hear it: the sound of tears. Inwardly cursing their very names, I go to comfort my grandson.