Page 115 of Marley

She left. When I looked back at Maca, I noticed the coke lined up on the kitchen bench top.

“I wanna kick the living fucking shit outta you right now, but that’ll have my sister asking questions. Do up your jeans and sort yourself the fuck out.”

He did as he was told and turned to look at me.

“What the fuck have I done ... what the fuck have I done?” He bent himself in half and threw up all over his kitchen tile.

“Fuck’s sake.” I grabbed him by the arm and marched him upstairs to his bedroom.

“Get yourself showered and sort your shit out. You’re going over to my mum’s, and you’re gonna be the husband that my sister needs. That—what you did down there—will never, ever be talked about again. Are we clear?”

He blinked a few times, but remained silent. I slapped him. I actually slapped him like a little bitch. I wanted to punch his fucking lights out, but that would leave bruises and cause questions, so instead, I cracked him right around the face.

“Are we fucking clear?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Anything you’ve got going on with her ends right now. You will never see her again.”

“There’s not ... it wasn’t ... she turned up with weed and coke and she was just ... there’s nothing going on. Nothing has ever happened since I’ve been back with G, I swear, Marls. Tonight was a mistake, a giant fucking mistake.” He started to cry again. “I’m lonely, so fucking lonely. She won’t let me touch her. I just wanna love my wife. I want us to be able to grieve together and I wanna make her better.” He pulled an ugly face as he sobbed and blew snot bubbles out of his nose, which just made me wanna crack him again.

“Well banging the staff ain’t gonna achieve that is it, Einstein? Now stop fucking snivelling, grow some balls, get in the shower and go and get your wife back.”

I was shaking from head to toe. The urge to go and hoover the rest of the marching powder up my nose almost overwhelming, but me and Ash, we had a pact. We only did that shit together nowadays, that way neither of us did anything stupid without the other. Perhaps I should pass that tip on to Maca, the stupid prick.

A week later, Maca and George were sunning themselves in the Caribbean. Things were a little tense between him and me for a while, but we moved on. Yeah, I was pissed off with him, but as a bloke, I sort of got it. It wasn’t right and I should’ve been loyal to my sister, but I’d seen those two apart and I knew that the world didn’t work properly when that happened. Neither of them were perfect, but they were perfect together.

I was just leaving the sports hall at Joe’s school when my mobile phone rang. His football training had been moved inside because of the snow that had fallen on and off all week.

It had hit England early this year. February was usually our coldest month, but today was only the first of December and it was bitter.

“Big brother Lennon.” I pressed the key fob to unlock the car and let Joe in as I answered the call.

“You need to get to the Royal Free as soon as you can.”

My blood stopped pumping and my insides instantly became as cold as the snow under my feet.

“What, why?”

“George and Maca have been in an accident. It’s bad, Marls. Really bad.”

I got in my car and suddenly I was driving along. My phone was on speaker and Len was telling me that Bailey and my parents were on their way. My brain slowed. I couldn’t think. I had to get Joe home. Ash would want to come with me. The girls were at dancing. What was I gonna do with Joe? The girls?

“Marls, are you listening to me?”

I was listening, but I didn’t hear a word.

“Dave is on his way to your house. He’ll stay with the kids so that you and Ash can come to the hospital. You need to drive carefully, but you need to hurry. Do you understand what I’m saying, Marls? They might not make it. You need to hurry.”

The traffic and sounds blurred. My heart had stopped and failed to restart properly.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Joe asked from the back of the car.

Everything.

“Nothing, mate, all good. I just need to get you home. Dave’s gonna come over and play FIFA with you for a bit.”

“Aw, sweet.”