Angel 37 (rift)

The screws weren’t in a good mood. Angel wasn’t sure what happened but the girls had kicked off because visiting time had been delayed and the time they could spend with visitors had been shortened.

‘Fucking cunts,’ Val was squeezed into next to Angel, chairs lining the walls, in the holding room anterior to the visiting room. ‘My wee Ma.’ She got choked talking about her. ‘All the way from Rhu.’

 Waiting, like all the other girls, sitting sucking on cigarettes, biting their nails and praying the visiting wouldn’t be cancelled all together. It was discretionary, a bit like Scotrail trains that only told you when the trains were on time.  

 When the guard came with the keys and  they got the nod that visiting was taking place, nobody was foolish enough to complain.  Everybody fell into line quickly enough.

Angel quickly spotted Tony sitting at a table near the door.  His Wrangler jacket collar was up as if he was hiding behind it and he was slouched in a chair.  Bruno raised his hand and waved her across. He was dressed in bright, primary, colours as if his jacket and trousers had sent up a distressed signal to a cloth manufacture and he’d caught the run offs and bundled them on his large body.

But as she got closer she noticed his top lip was a pomegranate colour and she thought it was make up, but it was swollen and split.

‘Whit happened to you?’ she winced, taking the seat across from them.

‘Well,’ Bruno’s voice climbed several octaves. ‘He said I should keep a civil tongue in my head.’   

‘Who?’ asked Angel.

‘Bo-Peep,’ huffed Bruno, as if the answer was as self-evident as purple splashes of eye shadow he favoured on one eye.

‘The QC he was dating,’ Tony translated with a bored tone.

‘Well, I didn’t ask him to beat me up.’ An older woman across from them looked over and Bruno added with a flourish. ‘Well, not in that way…He cheated on me and he lied to me.’

‘That’s whit they dae. That’s their job.’ Tony sat up straighter and wiped spittle from the corner of his mouth.  ‘Anyway, shut up. We’re here to see Angel, no talk about you.’

Angel cupped her hand over her mouth, to hide her smile. ‘It’s quite alright, I don’t mind. Carry on. Don’t hold back on my behalf.’

‘You think you’re so smart,’ Bruno wagged a finger at her. ‘Ya wee besom.’

‘I’m sorry about the last time,’ Tony held her gaze. ‘I couldnae make it. A few things came up and you know how it is?’

‘I wasn’t that bothered.’ Angel tapped her chest. ‘Honestly.’

‘His girlfriend chucked him.’ And when Bruno saw he’d Angel’s full attention he flung in another volley of qualifying remarks. ‘Who can blame her? He is a useless cunt. No even a cunt. I’d say…prick, but…’

‘Shut it,’ Tony held his hand up. ‘We’re no here to talk about that either.’

Angel’s smile died on her face. She felt a flash of jealousy stir her insides and below the table she clutched on to her leg. ‘Aye, right enough we’re no here to talk about that. You’ve got your life on the outside and I’ve got mine in here.’

‘I got your letter,’ Tony adopted the same business-like tone. ‘Your long letter.’

‘Aye,’ added Bruno. ‘About the twins. That’s awful nice. I’m sure you’ll make a smashing mother, because you were always so organised even your dolls went to school with the correct uniform on.’

‘That’s more than you did,’ Angel teased him. ‘You never went to school. Well, hardly ever.’

‘Well, I didnae like it. And they didnae like me.’ Bruno shrugged. ‘Whit were they gonnae dae to me? Send me to a Children’s Home?’

‘I guess,’ Angel conceded the point.

‘Anyway, I’d nothing to declare but my genius.’

‘Right,’ Tony tried to get the conversation back on track. ‘To cut to the chase, the simple answer is No.  I cannae take care of myself never mind one baby and noo you’re asking me to take care of two?’  

‘But they’ll take the wains aff me Tony. You’ve got to understand, I’ll no allow that.’ She leaned forward. ‘We were in children’s home, you know whit it’s like?’

‘Wisane that bad,’ Bruno shrugged.

‘Aye, it wisnae that bad,’ Tony agreed with him.

‘Aye, but it wisane that good either, was it?’ Angel narrowed her eyes. ‘They couldnae gie a fuck whether we lived or died…or whit we did in between.’

‘That’s true,’ Bruno looked at Tony. ‘I quite liked that bit.’

‘Well, it’s no good enough for my twins.’

‘Aye, but they put them up for adoption noo,’ Tony cut in. ‘Because they’re just babies. They wouldnae put them in a Home.’

‘And that makes it better?’ Angel stared him down.   

‘But whit about your Ma?’ Tony held his hands out in exasperation. ‘Whit dae you want us to dae.’

‘Oh, so it’s us noo?’ said Bruno.

‘My Ma’s useless, you should know that.’ She addressed Tony. ‘You’ve know her longer than me. I’d rather the social worker did take the wains away rather than leave them to her.’

Tony grunted. ‘I know that. But whit dae you want us to dae?’

‘I want you to dae whit I asked you in the letter to admit the wains are yours and you’ll agree to bring them up as your own.’

‘Angel, be sensible. You’re asking me to gie up eight years of my life to bring up your wains.’

‘Wae, good behaviour and that I’ll probably be out in about three to four.’ She tried to make it sound more reasonable. ‘And remember, the first year the babies would be in here wae me –you’d have to visit regularly, though.’

Tony shook his head. ‘Sorry, the answer’s no. Even the tooth fairy wouldn’t fall for that one.’

‘Speak for yerself,’ said Bruno.

‘Whit is the big important thing you are daeing wae your life anyway, Tony?’ Angel leaned forward. ‘Tell me.’

‘Nothing much, but that’s no the point.’

‘Whit is the point then?’

‘The point is, I’m just no daeing it.’

‘Och, shut up the pair of you,’ Bruno simpered. ‘Listen to yous. You’re like an old married couple. I’ll tell you whit I’ll do. I’ll say the children are mine and I’ll get all my girly friends involved and we’ll create a complete riot outside the offices at Glasgow Square, or whatever.’ He waved an arm in the air as if he’d dropped a silken scarf and it had fallen to the ground and the deed was already done. ‘And we’ll make it a gay issue. They’re keeping my children from me because I’m gay…The bureaucratic  bastards. I’ll get Peter Tatchell down for a photo-shoot.’

‘That’s pretty good,’ admitted Tony.

‘Might work,’ admitted Angel.

Bruno sucked in his breath and looked rather smug.

‘Whit about DNA?’ asked Tony.

‘I’m gay. I might have AIDs, that danger to straight people of the western world,  but gay people don’t have DNA. They bastards only see whit they want to see.’

Angel clutched his hand. ‘Are you up for it then Bruno?’

‘Oh, yes, absolutely. I’ll put in quite a performance.’

‘I’m sure you will.’ She looked slyly at Tony. ‘And you’ll bring the babies up yerself, or you thing Tony will gie you a hand?’