‘Well, I done it’ Ernie Knowles starts to shake and he puts his hand against the doorjamb to steady himself.

‘Gawd!’ George Harris opens his front door wide ‘You gets yerself in here and sit down. I’ll get yer a drink’

‘A cuppa tea would be nice’ Ernie says as he walks slowly into the living room and sinks onto the settee.

‘Bugger the tea, what you needs is a nice drop o’brandy’ George opens the door of the sideboard.

‘No, tea…I still got some driving t’do. You were right…it were summat I had t’do meself and I’m glad I have.’ He leans his head back and closes his eyes.

‘Did she go off on one?’ The door closes with a click and George lumbers to the grate to poke more warmth from the fire.

‘No more’n usual’ Ernie sits up, clearing his throat and stretching his hands to the glowing coals.

‘You told her everything?’

‘I told her all she needed t’know’

‘What’s she say?’

‘Took a while fer the penny t’drop then she stood there opening and shutting her gob like a blooming goldfish’

They both turn at the sound of the doorbell. ‘Hang on a sec, Ern’

‘Hello Ernie’ Jessie Shepherd greets him fondly as she comes into the living room. Ernie stands and lets himself be hugged ‘I’m glad you’re back’

‘Not for long though, gal, not for long’

‘Oh?’ She looks at George enquiringly and back at Ernie ‘You really have left?’

‘I have’ Ernie glances at George before sitting down again ‘S’alright, Jess, I know you knows….you know…about my Ellie’

‘Oh..I er…I didn’t know what her name was’ Jessie says, sitting beside him and taking his hand ‘I’m so sorry, Ernie, really I am. Me and Liz…’ her voice trails away.

Ernie gives a wan smile and puts his hand on top of hers ‘I know she knows an’ all. I don’t care who knows now’ He takes a deep breath and lets it out in a sigh ‘There’s summat neither of yer knows as yet…summat I still got t’put right but I don’t know how’ He takes some time looking between George and Jessie, his mouth working. ‘….We had a boy’ he blurts suddenly. ‘It come as a right shock t’him to know me and Eleanor weren’t wed…to find out about Evelyn….

George and Jessie sit in stunned silence. ‘Had?’ Jessie ventures ‘You don’t mean….’

‘Oh…no…no, I still got ‘im….’cepting he can’t stand the sight o’ me now. I left it too late, see? I should a told him when Ellie were alive, I knew I should a done. She could a made him see how it were. I couldn’t’

‘That’s where you’ve been?’ Jessie asks, her hand still clasping his, squeezing tightly and murmuring ‘Shush’ as Ernie covers his eyes with the other.

George swallows and grimaces sympathetically towards Ernie as he passes Jessie on the way to the kitchen. She nods.

Ernie wipes his eyes and sniffs as he runs his hand down his face, finishing by wiping his mouth on the back of his hand ‘Yep…fer all the good it done me. I wanted t’make a clean breast o’things..get it out in the open…make things right….but he were so angry’ A tear slides towards the tip of his nose as he bows his head.

Jessie passes him a tissue from her coat pocket ‘Things will come right, you’ll see’

‘I doubts it, but I got t’try again. I loves him too much not to’ He looks up at Jessie, his mouth twisting as he tries to control a sob ‘I got t’tell me other two now. What if they takes against me an’ all?’

‘Ernie’ Jessie says softly ‘You said you wanted to put things right. If telling them is your way of trying to do that…’

‘I thought I owed it t’my Ellie for folk t’know the truth but they might end up hating her an’ all. I got it all wrong didn’t I?’

‘It isn’t what other people think is it? Ellie will understand what you’re trying to do’

‘You think she’ll know?’

‘I’m sure she will’

‘Ere…get that down yer’ George arrives with three mugs of tea on a tray and sets it down on the table.  ‘Summat to eat an’ all. Don’t s’pose you’ve had nothing’

‘You’s good t’me, boy’

‘Don’t be so sure…he’s been trying to get rid of those scones for a fortnight!’

4 Pike Lane

Chapter Five

Woodbury Town Centre

‘Yep! They might be old but they still know how to have a bloody good knees up.’ Nathan Samms grins ‘It was still warm enough for the pool. Mind you, I’d break ice off the top if it was outside my bedroom window’

‘Lucky sod! I was working’ Kester James grumbles

‘That’s the one thing about doing what I do, nobody needs an emergency JCB’ Nathan laughs

‘I did get fed by Helen Marchant though’

‘Oooh, progress! How did that come about then? Hang on…’ Nathan crosses his plastic carrier bags to the other hand and pulls his mobile phone from his pocket, he stops. ‘Hi, babe..’

Kester ambles away slowly, giving Nathan some privacy.

‘Keen’ Nathan grins and flips the phone closed ‘I only left her a couple of hours ago…….What the…!’

Kester turns to see Nathan being grappled by two men, the bags dropped to the ground and spilling their contents over the pavement as he struggles. He rushes forward taking the nearest of them in a half-nelson and attempting to pull him off while Nathan, kicking and with fists flying, fights against being forced into the back of a van.

Evening shoppers sidestep what they see as a brawl, some hesitating but most giving them a wide berth and walking swiftly past.

As Kester’s fingers find the attacker’s nostrils and he yanks the man’s head back, the world goes black.

In the shadows of the entrance to the multi story car park, an onlooker stands trembling with shock as the van roars off.

‘Jester?’