A Family’s Heartbreak. Kitty Neale

what about your mum? Won’t she mind?’

      ‘Bugger my mother. You’ll be in my room with me. It’s my home too so I can have whoever I want to stay with me.’

      ‘Oh, Dennis,’ Gloria squealed, and threw her arms around his neck. ‘You’re the best!’

      As soon as she’d done her hours in the shop, Gloria rushed to Craig’s flat, eager to collect her things and move in with Dennis. This was a dream come true for her. She’d be living with the man she loved instead of a family who got on her nerves.

      When she arrived, the flat was empty. Pamela and the boys were at school, and Jenny and Craig were at work. Before grabbing a bag, she glanced at the television set in the corner of the lounge. How stupid, she thought, there was barely enough room in the place already, without adding that monstrosity.

      She quickly shoved some clothes into the bag, then dashed to the bathroom to pick up her toothbrush and bubble bath. The bottle was half-empty, so she guessed her brothers had been using it again. It was just another thing that annoyed her and reinforced her decision to leave.

      Gloria was about to leave, but then as an afterthought decided she’d better write them a note. If she just went missing, Jenny would turn up at the shop looking for her and no doubt there’d be an argument. After rummaging in the kitchen drawers she found an old envelope and a pen, then quickly scribbled a few lines about where she was. To appease Jenny, she said she’d pop in to see them soon. That should do, she thought, keen to get back to Dennis, and she left the note on the shelf above the fireplace.

      When she flew back downstairs and outside, Gloria paused for a moment, lifting her face to the sun’s warmth. She felt invigorated and free, no longer constrained by her family and their problems. There’d be nobody to tell her what to do or when to do it. No responsibility of young children. Her life was finally her own, and she intended to enjoy it.

      Craig arrived home before Jenny to be greeted by Pamela looking more anxious than usual. ‘What’s troubling you?’ he asked as he took off his work boots.

      Pamela didn’t say anything but handed him a note. The writing was scribbled, probably rushed, and difficult to decipher, but once he read it Craig’s heart sank. This was sure to upset Jenny. ‘Oh, blimey,’ he said.

      Peter and Timmy were playing with their toy cars, but Peter looked up and asked, ‘What’s going on?’

      ‘It’s all right, mate. Nothing to worry about.’

      Jenny arrived home minutes later, breezing through the door looking happy. ‘Hello, you lot,’ she said. ‘It’s a scorcher out there today.’

      Craig didn’t want to break the bad news to her, but knew he had no choice. He stood in front of her, and the second Jenny saw his face, her own dropped.

      ‘What is it?’ she asked. ‘It’s not my father, is it? I saw a dustcart earlier but I don’t think he was on it. Has he been round here on the warpath?’

      ‘No, love, but come and sit down. Pam, take your brothers to your room or down to see your gran,’ Craig said.

      Once the room was clear, Jenny looked at him, searching for answers. ‘You’re worrying me,’ she whispered.

      ‘It’s not that bad but read this.’

      Jenny took the note and gasped. ‘She can’t do this. They can’t live together, they’re not married! I’m going straight round there, and if I have to I’ll drag her back screaming and shouting.’

      ‘Do you think that’s wise? I mean, you know how strong-willed she is.’

      ‘Gloria is hardly more than a child and that Dennis is no good for her. Oh, the silly, silly girl. I can’t just leave her there.’

      ‘Right then, I’ll come with you.’

      After ensuring that Pamela and the boys were all right with their gran, Jenny walked beside Craig in silence. Her mind was in turmoil thinking about how she would deal with her sister. Craig was right, Gloria was strong-willed, and Jenny doubted she’d be able to talk any sense into her. If Gloria refused to come home, it was unlikely she’d be able to drag her back.

      A narrow door next to Queenie’s shop opened onto stairs that led up to Dennis’s flat. At the top, Jenny rang the doorbell. Thelma, his mother, answered it. She was a skinny woman with a deeply lined and drawn face. Jenny had never seen her without a cigarette hanging from the side of her mouth, and her black hair was always in curlers, covered with a scarf. She seldom cracked a smile, and when she spoke her voice was hard.

      ‘I guessed you’d turn up when you heard.’

      ‘Gloria left a note saying she was here. Is she in?’

      ‘Yeah. She’s just like your mother, that one, as bold as bleedin’ brass. I told her I don’t want her here but the pair of them are in Dennis’s room and taking not a blind bit of notice of me. Come in. You can try talking to her. I hope she’ll listen to you, but I somehow doubt it.’

      As Jenny stepped inside, Craig behind her, Thelma asked, ‘Who’s this then? Your boyfriend? I’ve heard talk that you’re living together.’

      ‘Er, yes, but it’s not like that. We share a flat but sleep in separate rooms.’

      ‘It doesn’t matter to me what you do. It ain’t none of my business and all I care about is getting that sister of yours out of my house. Go on through there, second on your left.’

      Jenny and Craig stood in the hallway outside Dennis’s door as Thelma disappeared into another room. Jenny tapped nervously, then waited.

      ‘Go away,’ Dennis shouted.

      ‘It’s Jenny … I’d like to talk to Gloria.’

      ‘Tough. She doesn’t want to talk to you.’

      Jenny looked at Craig, but he couldn’t hear what was being said through the door.

      ‘Gloria … please open the door. We need to talk.’

      She heard some muffled giggles and frantic whispers, then the door eventually opened. Gloria stood there, her chest pushed out defiantly as she said, ‘I’m not coming back with you, so if that’s all you’ve come to say, forget it.’

      She went to close the door again, but Jenny pushed against it and pleaded, ‘Wait. At least listen to what I’ve got to say.’

      There was a pause, then Gloria prompted, ‘Go on then, spit it out.’

      ‘I know it’s not easy, the six of us in a small flat, but we’re working hard to change that. We think we’ll have enough money saved for a deposit on a bigger place soon, maybe even a house. Please, Gloria, come home.’

      ‘No way. I’m happy where I am.’

      ‘But you can’t live here. You’re not married.’

      ‘That’s rich, coming from you,’ Gloria sneered. ‘You and Craig are living together too.’

      ‘That’s different and you know it. Craig and I don’t share a bed.’

      ‘No, you’re too bloody prudish for anything like that!’

      Jenny heard Dennis snigger. ‘You can’t stay,’ Jenny insisted, ‘Anyway, Thelma doesn’t want you living here.’

      ‘Well I do, so tough,’ Dennis said as he came to stand next to Gloria.

      Jenny ignored him. ‘Please, Gloria, come home. You can help me to find a nice house and Dennis can start courting you properly.’

      Gloria laughed. ‘Listen to yourself. Courting! Next you’ll expect to be our chaperone.’

      ‘Don’t be silly. It’s a bit late for that.’

      ‘Yeah, it is, and I’m staying put, so see ya!’ Gloria snapped as she slammed the door in their