Jimmy looked what he was, an old bruiser; someone who was displaying all the characteristics of an old fighter. He could still hold his own and he certainly looked capable of causing a row on a whim.
Lil's face had lit up with pleasure and that pleased him no end. He had seen her from across the pub and he had recognised her immediately. Even though she was older she had not really changed that much. In fact, he was amazed at how little she had changed since the last time he had seen her. He pushed that from his mind. If Lil brought it up, he would discuss it. Otherwise he would leave well alone.
Life in Spain had finally got to Jimmy and he missed London more than he would ever have believed. He had ended up hating it out there. It was filled with has-beens, wannabes and grasses. He had been called back to England like many others, through missing the weather, the women and the opportunities it afforded men like him. As he sat in the Crown and Two Chairmen pub in Dean Street and looked at Lily Brodie the past seemed so recent and yet he knew that was only because the memories were so vivid. If he lived to be one hundred years old he knew that day would be as fresh then as it was now.
'Bloody hell, Jimmy. Long time no see.'
Jimmy smiled. His balding head that he now shaved bald, rather than have the thinning hair on show, made him look old and yet his tanned skin and expensive clothes appealed to Lil and she told him that. 'You look bloody well, Jimmy. Where have you been?'
Jimmy pulled up a chair and, as he sat beside her, he caught her distinctive scent; a mixture of Estée Lauder perfume and Revlon lipstick.
'You look good yourself, girl. I've been living in Spain. I'm over for a while and maybe back for good. I ain't made me mind up yet.'
'I bet that's a lovely place to live.'
Jimmy sat back in the uncomfortable wooden chair and surveyed her. Lil knew he was making a production of the look, but that was Jimmy. He had always had a soft spot for her.
'Spain is a glorified shithole, Lil. No one would live there permanently unless they were in serious danger of getting their collars felt. I suppose it's all right if you have a family or whatever, but on your Jack Jones it's no good.'
She grinned and Jimmy noticed her even teeth. She had a lovely smile and the best of looks, as far as he was concerned.
'You couldn't settle anywhere else. You're a Londoner like me and we can't seem to settle elsewhere.'
Jimmy laughed with her and then they were quiet. The atmosphere between them was heavy with unspoken thoughts, making them both feel shy, suddenly.
'Well, I am Hank Marvin', Lil. Fancy a bite to eat?'
'Why not? I just have to meet my boys and then we can shoot off.'
Jimmy was getting them a drink when he saw the boys arrive. The eldest, Pat Junior, was the living image of his father and on first sight he felt his heart constrict with the shock. It was like looking at Patrick again; he had the same stance, the same walk, everything. The younger boy, Lance, was still a strange-looking cove as far as he was concerned. But he hid his feelings and as Lil introduced him, he felt the pull of them all. They were a family that had been devastated overnight but it was plain to him that they had pulled through it somehow.
Pat Junior sat down and, peering at the older man with interest, he said quietly, 'I remember you, Jimmy. You were a great mate of my father and it's a pleasure to see you once again. He loved this pub, I know. When I was away I met a lot of his old cronies and heard all the stories about him. They spoke highly of you.'
It was a simple statement but it began a friendship that was already obvious to both of them. Pat felt the older man's emotion at being reunited with his old friend's sons and Jimmy Brick was reminded of the man he had been close to for so many years.
Lil watched the exchange and she was pleased to see the way the two of them seemed to take to one another. She also saw that Lance, as usual, was quiet and keeping his own counsel. She felt the usual distaste at being in his company but tried to make sure he didn't realise it. Lance was someone she saw as an outsider. She couldn't help it and she had tried to suppress her feelings but she couldn't. He sat there and she felt nothing for him except a deep and abiding distaste.
Every time she saw Janie, she was reminded of just what this son of hers was capable of and, even though she knew it had been forgotten by most of the people she knew, she would never forget what he had done and she would never forgive him. The only saving grace he had was how he was with Kathleen. Although Lil loved her dearly, Kathleen irritated her if she was around her for too long. She wanted the girl to pull herself together and stop being such a weak and powerless individual but she knew that was something that would never come to pass. Kathleen was always going to be a weakling; it was in her nature and Lance had been the only one over the years who had the patience to spend time with her.
Lil sat back and waited for the men to finish chatting; they already looked as if they had been together for years and she took that as a good sign. Pat could do with a Jimmy Brick in his life and, like his father before him, he knew that as well as she did. She caught Lance staring at her and the good feeling disappeared as it always did when she had to acknowledge him in any way. She didn't voice her thoughts; she had learned to keep them hidden away but Lance knew how she felt and that knowledge pleased her. She didn't want him thinking they were ever going to bond; she knew that nothing in this world would ever make her love this boy.
Kathleen was sitting in the front room watching TV She always watched Frank Spencer repeats and no one ever thought to turn over. She laughed at his antics and it was a real laugh, a deep belly laugh that made everyone around her happy. Kathleen's nerves were bad and she had very little in her life that made her truly happy. As she watched Frank get caught on a skateboard and dragged behind a bus, she was roaring with laughter and Colleen and Christopher were also laughing. They were waiting for the programme to end so they could turn over to 'Happy Days' and the Fonz. But they were like the others: willing to forgo anything if it made Kathleen happy even for a few moments.
Eileen came into the room with a tray full of cups of tea and she saw that Kathleen's laughter was, once more, turning to tears. She swallowed down her irritation, feeling guilty for her annoyance at her sister's distress.
'Come on, Kath. Cheer up, love. You took your tablets?'
Patrick had taken Kathleen to a doctor in Harley Street and he had diagnosed her as a manic depressive, whatever that was. He had prescribed antidepressants and Kathleen was not happy about taking them. Only Lance seemed capable of getting her to swallow them. Once she had them she seemed spaced, admittedly, but at least she was happier. Eileen sat beside her twin and hugged her tightly.
'Come on, Kathleen. Stop this, will you? Drink your tea and take your pills. If you don't, I will be really upset. You take them for Lance but not for anyone else and when he gets in I want to be able to tell him that you took them for me without a row.'
Kathleen didn't take her eyes off the TV but she swallowed the pills with the scalding hot tea and Eileen sighed with relief although Kathleen was still crying. The last few days she had been so low that they had nearly taken her back to the doctor again. But according to Pat, once the pills got in her system she would be much better. Well, Eileen hoped so. She was her twin and she hated to see her like this. She was so unhappy and, even worse than that, so uninterested in her life or the world around her.
She was a teenager and she was already like an old woman. Eileen, on the other hand, was full of life and enjoying every second with as much energy as she could muster.