‘I’ve been wanting a word with you,’ Mrs Wiley announced, matter-of-factly, once Loretta was in hearing range.
Loretta turned up her chin and raised her eyebrows in an expression of curiosity then stopped and put down her shopping bags. Nathan must have been watching for her return because he dashed out of the house and raced over.
‘Have you got any biscuits, Mum?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Can I take them in?’ He was pawing at the bags trying to find them.
‘No, you can wait till after your tea, but you can take a couple of these bags inside.’
‘Aw, Mum.’
‘Do as you’re told, Nathan, and then wait inside for me.’
All the time she was speaking, Loretta could feel Mrs Wiley’s eyes on her, watching, waiting and judging.
Once Nathan was indoors, the woman spoke again. ‘It’s about all these strange men that keep calling round,’ she said.
Loretta felt her heart thump as the words struck home. She’d never had to answer for her actions before.
‘I’m all for live and let live,’ continued Mrs Wiley. ‘What you choose to do behind closed doors is your own bloody business as far as I’m concerned. But when there’s children involved, it’s a different matter altogether.’
Loretta opened her mouth to speak but she couldn’t think what to say. A feeling of dread assailed her. What if the neighbours knew about Amy? That would be the end of everything!
But Mrs Wiley hadn’t finished admonishing her yet. ‘It’s been going on long enough and it’s about bleedin’ time you put a stop to it! At first, I thought it was just the odd boyfriend but not now. I think there’s more to this than you’re letting on, isn’t there? And Mrs Griffiths has seen it too – different bleedin’ men coming and going at all hours.
‘Those children are at an impressionable age, y’know. It’s not bloody right! So, either you put a stop to it, or I’ll make sure you do. I don’t like telling tales, but I’ll be reporting you if it carries on.’
Mrs Wiley’s lengthy diatribe had given Loretta a chance to think of a defence. ‘There’s nothing untoward going on; they’re just friends. I like a bit of company from time to time, that’s all.’
‘Tell that to the cat!’ spat Mrs Wiley. ‘If you reckon it’s all so bloody innocent then perhaps you’d like to explain it to the police.’
Mrs Wiley folded her arms under her huge breasts and turned around, ready to go back into her own home till Loretta stopped her.
‘No, wait! Mrs Wiley, it’s not what you think but I will do something about it. Please don’t report us. It’ll only affect the kids.’
‘Aye, well maybe you should have thought of that before. I’ll leave it with you but I’m warning you, if you don’t do summat about it, and bleedin’ quick, then I will!’
Loretta bent down and picked up the remaining shopping bags, eager to get away from the woman. Her eyes failed to meet Mrs Wiley’s and she quickly turned and went through her own garden gate and into the house.
Once indoors, Loretta went through to the kitchen and began unpacking her groceries, the thoughts spinning around in her head as she placed items into the fridge-freezer and cupboards. She could feel her heart beating rapidly as she went over the encounter with Mrs Wiley.
Damn! It had been a close call. She cringed as she recalled Mrs Wiley’s words, which made her feel so ashamed and inadequate. But at least her neighbour had given her fair warning before taking matters further and, more importantly, she didn’t seem to have a clue about Amy’s involvement.
Loretta wasn’t worried about Amy telling anybody; she knew she wouldn’t. But she was concerned about Nathan. She wasn’t sure whether he knew about the men going into his sister’s room. She’d taken care to make sure they only came when he was in bed and that they left before he got up. But you never knew whether he had overheard things. He was twelve now, two years younger than his sister, and a bright lad, and he might have arrived at his own conclusions.
It wasn’t long before Nathan ran into the kitchen. ‘How long will tea be, Mum?’ he asked.
‘For God’s sake, Nathan, give me chance to get in the house first! I need to unpack the shopping and then I’ll start it, and I’d appreciate it if you would stay out of the kitchen till it’s ready.’
As soon as she spoke the words, Loretta regretted being so sharp with him. But the confrontation with Mrs Wiley and her guilt feelings over Amy, combined with her hangover, had left her shaken. She spotted the red wine in one of the shopping bags and pulled out a bottle, her hands shaking as she uncorked it and poured herself a large glass.
As she carried on unpacking the shopping, she took huge gulps of the crimson liquid to calm her nerves. The revelation that her neighbours were on to her had thrown up all kinds of complications. She knew she’d have to stop the men coming round or at least limit it to just one or two familiar faces. It was too risky otherwise. But how would she and the children cope with the loss of income?
There were still ways she could earn a bit of money herself. Perhaps she could go back to a client’s place or a hotel rather than having them call home. But it was tricky. Men she met in bars didn’t usually want to take her back to their place where they might have a wife or partner. And as for the cost of a hotel, not many would want that added expense especially when there were plenty of younger girls available for those who could afford to be extravagant.
Despite her earlier decision to stop men spending time with her daughter, Loretta knew that the loss of income from Amy would hit them the hardest.
