CHAPTER SEVEN

He had his eyes closed. And in Steven's bed. The warmth, the peace and the quiet was divine. Until Steven came into the bedroom with two chipped mugs of tea slopping all over the place.

"It's a nice day out, Brendan..."

He stirred with an eye half open, "Hhm"

"I SAY, IT'S A CRACKING DAY OUT!"

And the curtain was quickly shoved aside flooding the bedroom with the sun's bright white rays.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes and the mug of tea was placed into his hand.

Steven sat on the bed and smiled at him, "So...we could take the kids to the park if you like"

"I've got to work Steven", he said trying to stifle a yawn.

Steven looked all disappointed, "But you said you had naught to do today..."

He reached out to him, "and YOU have to open that Deli...you'll be closed for good at this rate"

"It's cold outside...and It's been snowing", said Steven with a shiver.

He twitched his moustache and pulled the duvet back, "Come and warm yourself up next to me"

Steven laughed and quickly slid back into the bed and up to his warm body. He was grinning.

Steven's face was a picture as it dawned on him what was happening, "Arrrgh...have YOU farted?"

Brendan opened his eyes to focus on the gloom of the prison cell. The shadows bouncing of the walls. He stretched and swung his legs around to sit with his head in his hands. I dream about you Steven. Waking up in your bed and having a laugh...and now the reality hits me, as I wake up here with all these hairy arse munters...

The key is shoved in the lock and the door swings open. Bennett jangled his keys knowing it irritated him to hell and back. Brendan snapped his teeth at him and the warder left him to wash.

Then, as he rinsed the sleepy dust out of his eyes at the sink, Dave popped his head around the door, "So? Did you ask fat Bennett how Wallace is doing?"

Brendan frowned at him, as he dried his face with a towel "Who?"

"PORKER!", Dave made clear.

He sniffed and pulled on his vest, "Last I heard he was in the hospital"

Dave nodded, "Yeah, YOU put him in there remember?!"

Brendan sat on the bunk and pulled on his trainers, "Well, the cunt would goad me now"

Dave shook his head keeping his voice low as others passed the door, "Yeah...but the state he was in"

Brendan stood and chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Heyyyy, nothing that a couple of pain killers and a lie down won't cure...", he slapped his hands together, "...now breakfast!"

As Brendan joined the line at the dining hall, one of the dreaded skinhead brigade, Nobby, turned to him as he clutched a bowl of thick porridge oats, "You're a right psycho, you!"

Brendan leaned into him, "You really want to go there Nobbs"

Slobby glared at Brendan and hurried Nobby ahead to go sit down, "He's not worth it"

"That'a boy, Slobbs, you tell him"

Dave rolled his eyes as he watched a spoonful of porridge get slopped into his empty bowl, "Stop winding them up"

Brendan chuckled but didn't answer back because Fat Bennet the warder came over, "Better eat that fast Cartwright...your visit is due very soon", he teased.

Brendan cleared his bowel, "So...whose the visitor, mate?"

Dave stood with the most pleased look in his green eyes, "My Lisa, that's who..."

Brendan did a morning in the prison workshop, then he decided to do that favour he promised Father Thomas in the chapel. And that was putting up a shelf.

As he fastened the screws in the wall, he turned to the chaplain, "Did I tell you? I got a letter from Cheryl...she and Nate got married last week"

Father Thomas sat quietly watching him, "You happy for her?"

Brendan was inspecting his handiwork as he spoke, "Course I'm happy, all I want is for her to have a happy future that she so wholeheartedly deserves"

"So, what about YOUR future, Brady?

Brendan used the spirit level to check that the shelf was straight, he glanced over his shoulder, "Haha...I don't get a future"

"So nothing makes you happy?"

Brendan shrugged, "depends on what you mean...my happy ever after has been relegated to the next life now"

"So there is someone..."

Brendan finished off the shelf, "WAS someone"

Father Thomas sighed, "I see...they severed all ties with you when you were sent down"

Brendan sat down and shook his head, "No...I did the severing"

"You made the decision for them..."

"Yeah...it's better that way, they are gonna spend 99% of their life out there, whilst I'll be spending 99% of my life in here...no relationship could stand that", he stood up, "...I'll best get back to work father..."

Father Thomas nodded, "Of course...see you soon Brady"

Brendan collected his tools for the workshop and was off. When he entered the workshop, Dave came over to him from his bench, "Where did you get to?"

Brendan inspected his work on his own bench and smiled, "Just a trip to the chapel...I fixed up a shelf the good father wanted putting up...so he can display all those musty Bibles collecting yet even more dust"

"Nobody uses the place"

"Not all true David...", he looked up at him in question, "...so how was your little visit?"

Dave shrugged as he planed a piece of wood, "It was Lisa...my girl"

Brendan raised his eyebrows, "GirlFRIEND"

Dave screwed his face up at him, "Yeah"

Brendan got back to work, "You let her waste her life, while you rot in here"

"We LOVE each other"

Brendan tilted his head, "Boy, the power of love won't stop you getting lonely at night...or HER for that matter"

Dave came forward and jabbed him in the chest with his finger, "What are you trying to say? That she is sleeping around out there?"

Brendan removed him off his person and got back to work, but he glanced at him as he spoke, "I didn't say that, David, YOU did...that's why I play by my own rules, it's safer to live a more solitary existence, believe me"