Fools And Horses and snacking on cheese and crackers. John was at the pub, and she was thoroughly enjoying not having to sit through another football or snooker match – just about all the boring bugger ever wanted to watch these days. When the phone rang, she brushed the crumbs off her chest and reached over her shoulder to pick it up.
‘Hello?’
‘It’s me,’ said Amy. ‘Just checking you’re in.’
‘Why?’ Sonia frowned. ‘I hope you’re not thinking of coming round, ’cos I’m already in bed,’ she lied.
‘Oh. Sorry. Didn’t mean to disturb you.’
Sonia caught the unhappiness in her daughter’s voice and sighed. ‘What you after?’
‘Nothing,’ Amy muttered. ‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘Well, it obviously does, or you wouldn’t be ringing.’ Sonia reached for the remote and paused her programme. ‘Come on, spit it out. And it’d best not be money, ’cos you haven’t paid me back from the last time yet and your dad’s already giving me flak over it.’
‘I don’t want money,’ said Amy plaintively. ‘I just need something for the kids to eat. There’s nothing in, and our Bobby’s crying. Can I bring them round?’
‘You’re having a laugh,’ Sonia said coolly. ‘Have you seen the time? And you’re gonna drag them kiddies all the way over here in the cold?’
‘I wouldn’t if I wasn’t desperate,’ Amy replied, a sob betraying the fact that she was crying now. ‘Oh, just forget it,’ she said before her mum could respond. ‘I’ll wait for Marnie to come home and ask her.’
‘And what time will that be?’ Sonia demanded. ‘It could be four in the morning, knowing her, and you’d have had them kids sat there starving all that time.’
‘Don’t you think I know that?’ Amy wailed. ‘That’s why I rang you , ’cos you’re their nan and I thought you cared. But you’re in bed, so don’t worry about it.’
‘Stop being such a drama queen,’ Sonia berated her. ‘Fetch them round. But don’t you dare make them walk. Get a taxi. I’ll pay when you get here.’
‘Thanks, Mum. I’m really sorry. It’s just been a difficult week.’
‘It always is with you. And that’s half the trouble – you never learn.’
Sonia dropped the receiver back onto its cradle and slammed her plate down. Peace shattered, she shoved her feet into her slippers and shuffled into the kitchen to take some fish fingers and chips out of the freezer. Putting them on to cook, she looked for her purse, then went out onto the step to wait.
This was the first time Amy had brought the kids round so late, but it certainly wasn’t the first time she’d relied on Sonia to fill their little bellies. Everyone knew it was hard to feed a family in this day and age, and Sonia knew it wasn’t Amy’s fault that the DSS was messing her about and her benefits hadn’t come through yet. But Amy couldn’t keep expecting Sonia and John to cough up willy-nilly. It was the fault of that useless husband of hers, all this, and it was about time Amy stopped making excuses for him and gave him a kick up the arse.
When the taxi pulled up outside her parents’ house ten minutes later, Amy guiltily dipped her gaze when her mother stepped forward to pay the driver.
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled, herding the kids inside and taking Bobby’s coat off while Cassie shed her own. ‘If there’d been any other way, I’d have—’
‘I don’t want to hear it,’ Sonia cut her off, shoving her purse into her dressing-gown pocket and marching into the kitchen. Coming back with two plates of food, she handed them to the kids, telling Amy, ‘I didn’t make you any, but you can get yourself a butty if you’re hungry.’
‘I’d rather go home, if you don’t mind,’ Amy said quietly. ‘Mark’s gone walkabout, and I want to be there when he gets back.’
Sonia gave her a scathing look. ‘I never thought I’d raised an idiot but I’m seriously starting to wonder about you.’
Amy flashed a
‘Hello?’
‘It’s me,’ said Amy. ‘Just checking you’re in.’
‘Why?’ Sonia frowned. ‘I hope you’re not thinking of coming round, ’cos I’m already in bed,’ she lied.
‘Oh. Sorry. Didn’t mean to disturb you.’
Sonia caught the unhappiness in her daughter’s voice and sighed. ‘What you after?’
‘Nothing,’ Amy muttered. ‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘Well, it obviously does, or you wouldn’t be ringing.’ Sonia reached for the remote and paused her programme. ‘Come on, spit it out. And it’d best not be money, ’cos you haven’t paid me back from the last time yet and your dad’s already giving me flak over it.’
‘I don’t want money,’ said Amy plaintively. ‘I just need something for the kids to eat. There’s nothing in, and our Bobby’s crying. Can I bring them round?’
‘You’re having a laugh,’ Sonia said coolly. ‘Have you seen the time? And you’re gonna drag them kiddies all the way over here in the cold?’
‘I wouldn’t if I wasn’t desperate,’ Amy replied, a sob betraying the fact that she was crying now. ‘Oh, just forget it,’ she said before her mum could respond. ‘I’ll wait for Marnie to come home and ask her.’
‘And what time will that be?’ Sonia demanded. ‘It could be four in the morning, knowing her, and you’d have had them kids sat there starving all that time.’
‘Don’t you think I know that?’ Amy wailed. ‘That’s why I rang you , ’cos you’re their nan and I thought you cared. But you’re in bed, so don’t worry about it.’
‘Stop being such a drama queen,’ Sonia berated her. ‘Fetch them round. But don’t you dare make them walk. Get a taxi. I’ll pay when you get here.’
‘Thanks, Mum. I’m really sorry. It’s just been a difficult week.’
‘It always is with you. And that’s half the trouble – you never learn.’
Sonia dropped the receiver back onto its cradle and slammed her plate down. Peace shattered, she shoved her feet into her slippers and shuffled into the kitchen to take some fish fingers and chips out of the freezer. Putting them on to cook, she looked for her purse, then went out onto the step to wait.
This was the first time Amy had brought the kids round so late, but it certainly wasn’t the first time she’d relied on Sonia to fill their little bellies. Everyone knew it was hard to feed a family in this day and age, and Sonia knew it wasn’t Amy’s fault that the DSS was messing her about and her benefits hadn’t come through yet. But Amy couldn’t keep expecting Sonia and John to cough up willy-nilly. It was the fault of that useless husband of hers, all this, and it was about time Amy stopped making excuses for him and gave him a kick up the arse.
When the taxi pulled up outside her parents’ house ten minutes later, Amy guiltily dipped her gaze when her mother stepped forward to pay the driver.
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled, herding the kids inside and taking Bobby’s coat off while Cassie shed her own. ‘If there’d been any other way, I’d have—’
‘I don’t want to hear it,’ Sonia cut her off, shoving her purse into her dressing-gown pocket and marching into the kitchen. Coming back with two plates of food, she handed them to the kids, telling Amy, ‘I didn’t make you any, but you can get yourself a butty if you’re hungry.’
‘I’d rather go home, if you don’t mind,’ Amy said quietly. ‘Mark’s gone walkabout, and I want to be there when he gets back.’
Sonia gave her a scathing look. ‘I never thought I’d raised an idiot but I’m seriously starting to wonder about you.’
Amy flashed a
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