Gypsy Wedding (14 page)

‘It’s for the best,’ said Bridget. ‘Things always happen for a reason. If you’ve given up learning then there’s no reason for you and Liam not to get wed real soon.’

Vicky gave her a thin smile and set about cleaning the already sparkling windows. Thankfully, despite the fact that the trailer was new, they both had more than enough chores to do to keep the caravan up to their own exacting standards and silence fell. Then Vicky’s phone bing-bonged.

She took it from the back pocket of her jeans and checked to see who the message was from. Kelly.
Well, there’s a surprise
. Vicky could just guess what this message was going to be about. She flicked her phone open and wandered out of the trailer to read the message away from Bridget and her curiosity.

‘Where r u.’

Just as she thought. ‘Home.’

‘Y.’

‘Guess.’

There was silence for a few seconds and then her phone rang.

‘Is this all about Chloe?’ Kelly said, without bothering with a greeting.

‘Hello to you too, Kelly. And yes, thanks for asking, I’m fine.’

‘Never mind the crap. Is this all about that bitch Chloe? Is that why you’re not in college today?’

‘What is it to you? It’s no skin off your nose if I cut classes.’

‘Don’t be a dumbass, Vicky. If you don’t come back it means Chloe has won. You can’t let her get the better of you.’

‘It’s not just that, Kel. It’s all right for you. You don’t have to put up with the sort of shit me and my family have to on a daily basis.’

‘So don’t let her win. If you stand up to her she’ll stop picking on you.’

‘But it won’t just be just her, will it?’

There was silence for a few seconds. Then Kelly said, ‘I can’t talk to you properly over the phone. Can we meet?’

‘You know the rules about me going out on my own.’

‘Then can I come to you?’

‘Here?’

‘Don’t sound so shocked, Vick. You only live on the edge of town. The 68 bus passes the trailer park. If I hop on that I can be with you in thirty minutes.’

‘But …’

‘But
what
? But
I won’t be welcome
? Is that it? I’m your mate, Vick, why can’t I come and see you if you can’t come and see me? I’m going to be your bridesmaid, ain’t I? Isn’t it about time I met some of your family because if I don’t soon, it’s going to be bloody awkward on your big day.’

‘I suppose.’

‘Meet me at the gate to the trailer park. I’ll ring you again when I’m five minutes away.’

Vicky’s phone went dead. Shit, Kelly coming to the caravan site might cause real problems, but then Kelly had a real point. If Kelly was going to be her bridesmaid she had to break it to her parents at some time. And this was probably as good a time as any. But they weren’t going to like it. And on top of that, she had to face a talking to from Kelly about college as well. Just wonderful.

Vicky tried to imagine how the meeting with her parents might go. Would it be awful? Given what her father had said about non-travellers only the night before she wasn’t terribly hopeful. On the other hand, maybe Kelly coming to the trailer park wouldn’t be so bad. She and her mum had already run into each other at the market, although the circumstances hadn’t been brilliant. And Kel already knew Shania a bit from school. So it was just her dad and Liam really that Kelly had yet to meet.

Except that was the problem. Her dad hated gorgios, and while it wasn’t in Liam’s nature to truly hate anyone, neither of them trusted non-travellers and her recent spat with Chloe was only going to make things worse. All that had done was to reinforce their view that all gorgios were bad, not to be tangled with and avoided at all costs.

What a sodding mess
, she thought as she returned to Liam’s trailer and carried on with the windows.

She’d just about finished when her phone chirruped again with another text from Kelly.

‘With u in 5.’

Vicky excused herself from Bridget’s company and walked towards the main entrance to the park. She’d pretty much arrived when she saw Kelly walking between the gates and heading towards her. Vicky quickened her pace. She didn’t want Kelly getting a load of abuse from any of the traveller men. It wasn’t just her fiancé and father who mistrusted non-travellers, almost everyone on the park felt the same. And generally, the arrival of any outsiders meant trouble: some busybody from the council, someone from the planning department out to cause trouble, social workers checking up on the kids or some other nosy parker interfering where they weren’t wanted.

‘Hi, Kelly,’ she said, giving her friend a quick hug. She linked her arm through Kelly’s and led her towards her family trailer. This was it: shit or bust, as Kelly liked to say. Had she made the right decision by not warning anyone that she was bringing Kelly home, least of all her father? She’d decided that, on balance, it would be better to present him with a done deal than risk him refusing to allow Kelly near his family or even on the park. She’d learned enough from life to realise that you should never ask a question if the answer ‘no’ was unacceptable. She’d certainly learned it a few weeks back when she’d asked her dad if she could go over to Kelly’s house. But she knew it was a risky strategy. What if he went off on one? It was tricky enough when he lost his temper with only his family to witness it but what if he lost it with Kelly? Swallowing nervously and putting on a brave face to hide her fears, Vicky led Kelly to the door of their trailer.

She motioned Kelly to go in. ‘And take your shoes off on the mat, please,’ she said as she stepped in after her.

‘Cor, this is lovely,’ said Kelly as she toed her pumps off.

‘What did you expect?’ asked Vicky defensively.

‘I don’t know. I didn’t really think about it but it’s just like a real home, innit?’

Mary-Rose came out of the main bedroom at the rear of the trailer. And stopped dead when she saw Kelly, her eyes widening.

‘Mum, this is Kelly,’ Vicky said quickly. ‘You met her at the market.’

‘With Chloe.’ There was an edge to her mammy’s voice.

‘Sort of,’ said Kelly, stepping forward. ‘But we’re not friends. Not like Vick and me are,’ she added. ‘Vick and me go back to our first day at King John’s.’

‘Is that a fact?’ Mary-Rose still sounded wary.

‘I thought Kelly might have a cup of tea with us,’ suggested Vicky.

‘Tea?’ Mary-Rose’s eyebrows nearly hit her hairline. ‘Kelly has come all the way over here for tea?’

‘And a chat with me,’ said Vicky.

‘A chat?’

Jesus, was her mother going to repeat every bloody word? But Vicky decided to plough on and broach the subject that needed addressing. ‘And to try on her bridesmaid’s dress.’

Mary-Rose leaned against a counter to steady herself but to give her her due, she didn’t shout. She just nodded slowly as she took in the information. ‘Ah, so Kelly is to be one of your bridesmaids?’

‘Yes Mammy, along with Shania, Kylie, Liam’s two sisters and Auntie Colleen’s two, like we agreed.’

‘That’s … nice. Have you told your daddy?’

Vicky swallowed. ‘I’m about to.’

‘Then we’d better have tea first. Take a seat, Kelly.’ Vicky could see that her mother was as apprehensive about Johnnie’s reaction as she was.

Mary-Rose went to the sink and filled the kettle while Kelly perched on the bunk under the window and looked around at the spotless trailer and took in all Mary-Rose’s china ornaments.

‘You’ve a great collection of Doulton figurines,’ she said.

Mary-Rose turned round and gave her a surprised but broad smile as she plugged the kettle in. ‘And how do you know about Royal Doulton? I didn’t think kids your age were into stuff like that.’

‘My granny’s got a collection. Not as nice as yours, though.’

Vicky could have kissed Kelly. Vicky didn’t think her friend could have made a more perfect comment even if she’d been coached. And as a way of getting Mary-Rose onside it couldn’t have been bettered. She could see her mammy preening and purring over the compliment. Vicky flashed a smile of gratitude to Kelly, who just shrugged, obviously not really understanding the importance of the breakthrough she’d just inadvertently made.

‘Where’s Daddy?’ asked Vicky.

‘Gone to see a man about a horse.’

‘Any idea when he’ll be back?’

‘Lunchtime, he said.’ Mary-Rose glanced at the clock on the wall. ‘He’ll be about another hour. Kelly, will you stay and have a bite with us? It’s only bread and cheese and pickles but you’d be welcome to join us.’

Vicky just managed to prevent a little squeal of delight from escaping. If Mammy was inviting Kelly to eat with them then that was half the battle won. Her mother’s approval of Kelly was of paramount importance in winning her dad round. Okay, an offer of lunch wasn’t in quite the same league as agreeing to let Kelly attend the wedding as a bridesmaid but it looked very hopeful. And frankly, given how shit Vicky felt about a lot of things at the moment, it was nice that just one thing looked as if it might work out. If her mother had decided that Kelly wasn’t an enemy and wasn’t set against her attending her eldest daughter’s wedding, then she didn’t think her father would be nearly so likely to argue against it, either.

‘Then while we’re waiting for lunch we can get you into your dress,’ said Vicky.

The two girls went into Vicky and Shania’s bedroom where Vicky got the half-made dress out of the cupboard above the bed.

‘I’ve just got to finish the petticoats,’ explained Vicky, ‘but the bodice and the skirt are done. Try it on.’ She handed the dress to Kelly and left her to get on with it. As she went, she added, ‘Call me if you need me to zip you up.’

‘Will do,’ answered Kelly from behind the shut door.

‘Your friend seems nice,’ said Mary-Rose in a quiet voice.

‘She is, really nice,’ said Vicky.

‘Not like that other girl I met.’

‘No, well, she’s a cow.’

‘Like most gorgios.’

Vicky couldn’t be bothered to argue that Chloe was a one-off when it came to bitchiness and that most of her acquaintances at college were pretty normal. Not especially nice but not complete cows either. But, of course, things might change if they now knew her background.

‘Zip me up, Vick,’ yelled Kelly from the bedroom.

Vicky went in and caught her breath. Kelly looked stunning in the dark green. Even just holding the bodice to her chest the dress was a triumph. Vicky zipped it up and then dragged Kelly out of the room.

‘Look, Mammy.’

Mary-Rose turned round and then clapped her hands in delight. ‘Oh my, oh my, to be sure that’s a beautiful dress. Give us a twirl, darlin’.’

Kelly obediently spun round.

‘And just think what it’ll look like with petticoats,’ said Vicky. She bent down and fluffed up the skirt to give an impression of the puffball shape it would reach with proper support.

‘That’s a piece of work and no mistake,’ boomed Johnnie from the door of the caravan. Then the look on his face made it clear that he had just realised that he didn’t recognise the girl modelling the outfit. She wasn’t a relation and she wasn’t from the trailer park so who the hell was this stranger in his home? He looked from Vicky to Mary-Rose for an answer.

‘This is Vicky’s friend, Kelly,’ said Mary-Rose.

‘Kelly?’

‘Yes,’ said Vicky. Wanting to add
the Kelly you won’t let me visit
but she bottled out.

‘She’s going to be taking a bit of lunch with us,’ said Mary-Rose. ‘That’s okay isn’t it, darlin’?’

Johnnie looked sceptical but if Mary-Rose was happy to have a stranger at her table it wasn’t really up to him to contradict her. ‘As you wish,’ he said. ‘And she’s to be a bridesmaid too, I see. You’re not from round here, are you, Kelly?’

‘No, Mr O’Rourke. I live on the other side of town.’

‘Ah, that Kelly.’ The penny had obviously dropped. His brow furrowed deeply and he did not look happy.

‘Her gran collects Royal Doulton,’ said Mary-Rose, as if that conferred honorary gypsy status on Kelly.

‘Only I was telling your wife that Granny’s collection isn’t a patch on this one here,’ said Kelly.

‘Really,’ said Johnnie. What Kelly’s gran did cut no ice with him although, when it came to ice, his own voice was so cold it was almost sub-zero.

‘She’s been Vicky’s friend from the start at King John’s,’ added Mary-Rose. ‘Her best friend.’

‘Has she now.’ Johnnie sighed heavily then turned and left the trailer. It was only once he’d gone that Vicky realised she’d been holding her breath.

Kelly looked from Mary-Rose to Vicky. ‘Would it be easier if I didn’t stay for lunch?’

‘Absolutely not,’ said Mary-Rose, forcefully. ‘Johnnie’ll come round, it’ll just take him a while. We don’t mix with … we don’t usually …’

‘As you know we don’t get out much,’ said Vicky, ‘so Dad isn’t good with non-travellers.’

She reasoned that to put it like that was more polite than to say he thought they were the scum of the earth. Kelly mightn’t appreciate it.