Chapter Sixteen: Back on the Old Street
"Why did you want to come back here?" Gail asked her mother.
As the two of them were sat on a fence back in their original house. Audrey had no idea about what Stephen has been doing for the last two days. She was worried sick and thought the worst. She didn't know where to go so she went back to the start, her old house was slightly adjusted since the 1950s but the street layout looked the same.
"Just thinking, Gail. I wanted to think. I did tell you that you didn't have to come" Audrey responded with a sad look on her face.
"Well I didn't want to leave you alone. Stephen's having issues but it will pass. He's never been one to stick around and have an easy-going life after all. He will be back, probably knowing how stupid he's been" Gail tried to assure her.
"He really loved Joyce. She was the perfect mother unlike me. He told me before he left that she had the answers to all his problems. He never would have stole her car or treated her the way he's treating me-"
"Mam. He hasn't hurt you, has he?"
"Not physically. That would have been too easy" Audrey tearfully spoke.
Wiping away her tears with her tissue. She looked down the street and could almost hear the faint sounds of baby Stephen. Crying the street down after he was brought back home. Audrey's father shouting about how this bastard was no grandson of his. Joyce and Malcolm came to the rescue, a well-established loving married couple. So what went wrong?
"What did he say to you then?" Gail asked with her hand on her mother's shoulder.
"Just that I've never been a proper parent to him. How Joyce never would have given him up. How he wishes she was here instead"
"Mam. You were sixteen and you had a horrible father. I thought he understood all of this"
"Oh he understands, Gail. Doesn't make it any easier for him to swallow though, does it? I mean, in his eyes. I did everything I could to keep you even though I was barely much older"
"But you visited him. Made sure he was well looked after and safe. You took me to him every two weeks or so. Granted he didn't know who I was but we still played together as children. You were a teenager doing it all on your own. Not like he could ever understand, he's not a parent. I think that's what the barrier is" Gail suggested with a frown.
"Then I let him go abroad" Audrey spoke shakily.
Gail pulling her in for a hug as she could sense her mother was about to sob again. All these old memories have been brought back recently. Audrey didn't want to tell her the real reason he left. So this is all that she could tell her. Audrey wiped away her tears again. Thinking about her first boyfriend Geoff with his cocky smile, he wasn't that bad really.
"Geoff use to chase me down this street when we were teenagers. He liked pulling me back with my cardigan. We use to sit on the Manchester docks when things at home got too much. He use to talk to me about us getting married. We made one stupid mistake, Gail. His parents weren't home and we made one stupid mistake. He never chased me again after that. Think he got scared in hindsight" Audrey began to explain.
"Well so did Sarah-Lou. It happens"
"Maybe me and Geoff should have got married. But I don't know whether it would have done much good. I don't know whether Stephen turned out this way because of us not being there or if he might have been worse if we had. I just don't know" Audrey spoke with more fresh tears coming down.
"He's in debt, mam. He's not killed somebody" Gail insisted.
Audrey laughed sadly at this. Oh how she wishes that was true! She suggested that they should get the bus to Coronation Street. Not daring to look Gail in the eye as she got up from the fence.
...
The bus pulled into the street. Audrey had been mostly silent as she looked out the window. The two of them walked towards the 'Rovers Return' with locked arms, Audrey had calmed down a bit. Gail pushed open the pub doors, both women going straight to the counter. Daisy giving them a polite smile as they ordered their drinks (which was a glass of lemonade each). Gail was the first to turn around which is where she saw a silent Stephen sitting in the corner with Elaine. A pin could have dropped as the brother and sister locked eyes. It's been two days of radio silence, three nights of Audrey crying herself to sleep because she didn't know where her son was or what he was doing. Now he's in here like nothing had changed, Gail slammed her glass on the bar.
"How dare you sit in here like you haven't done anything. Mam has just been crying to me about you and what you said to her. First you cheat and slam Sarah, then you have a go at Nick and then you shout at our fragile mother. Leaving her worried for two days straight!" Gail began to yell.
The few other punters looking over which was the only thing which stopped her saying more. Daisy leaning against the bar as she looked over, staying near Audrey. Jenny came in from the back to see what that yelling was about. Audrey was clearly visibly frightened. Daisy giving her hand a quick pat as if to say it's alright, she doesn't know what went on but it's alright.
"You're upsetting mom" Stephen dared to tell Gail.
"I'm upsetting her? You were the one who called her a bad parent and basically wished her dead" Gail hissed quietly with disgust.
"I didn't say that. I never would wish her dead...I'm sorry, Gail. Please don't do this in front of everybody. It's a bad look" Stephen answered.
Elaine with her head down as she didn't know what to say. She had no idea why he left Audrey's. He told her it was because of the Sarah business, not that he said some cruel words to his elderly mother.
"A bad look? I'll tell you what's a bad look. Leaving an old woman in tears over something that wasn't in her control, even when it happened. I'm sorry that you have some long-term grudge over something a scared sixteen year old did when you were born. I suppose you would rather have been put into care" Gail spoke with a scoff.
"But she kept you-"
"She kept me because she couldn't bear doing the hardest thing in her life again! Anyway, why mention it now? Eh? Do you get a kick out of telling our mother your nasty thoughts? Because I am not impressed!"
"Don't pretend like this is about mom. This is about Sarah and Nick. Both of whom would have been working jobs with no future if not for me!" Stephen hissed back at last.
"Oh, don't flatter yourself! Nick and Sarah would have done well with or without you!" Gail shouted back.
"No. I'll tell you where they would be without me. Down the job centre for the rest of their lives. I mean, I had to bail you lot out on everything. David was right about one thing, you don't know a thing about me besides my bank account. And that's because you never wanted to know!"
"That is not true! You made me sell my cafe all those years ago, you didn't bail me out then!"
"No but I did bail you out when Bethany was born. All those new things she had was down to me. I bailed you out when Nick was in trouble!"
"Oh I'm sorry we have been such a burden to you but let's face it, Stephen. You don't have any kids of your own so it's not like it was going to be put to good use. You would have nobody if not for us. And given how you behave, I'm glad you don't have any kids. Because you are a heartless person!" Gail shouted.
"Gail. That's enough now. Just stop it!" Elaine finally spoke up.
Gail was about to shout some more until she recalled where she was. Daisy had her arm around Audrey by this point. As the woman turned back around, breathing in after that public argument. She looked at her mother with a look of sorry, she didn't mean to go off like that but she saw him and saw red. Daisy giving Audrey a quick pat before letting Gail take over again.
"I'm sorry mam. I just saw him and I lost it" Gail spoke a lot calmer.
"I just want to go, Gail. I can't bear to look at him right now. Please, let's just go to yours" Audrey managed to say.
"Okay. No problem, let's go. Thanks Daisy" Gail replied as she put her arm around her mother.
Stephen letting them both go without a further word.
...
"Stephen. You're just going to make them more mad" Elaine was saying as she followed him down the street.
This was around an hour later and Stephen had an idea. He really believed what he said about his family only using him for his money during the years. He banged on the door of his sister's. Audrey was still in there and this wasn't helping her frail health. David, Shona and Lily were the other people in the household...
"Go up to your room, Lily" David quickly instructed to his daughter.
"But dad-
"No buts. Just do it...Take my phone, go on" David instructed.
His daughter just rolled her eyes as she took his phone. Making her way upstairs however she did sit herself down on the top step to listen in. David thus opened the door to an angry Stephen. Though he was standing his ground as he felt the need to protect the family. Elaine was trying to calm Stephen down but he was past that and has been for a long time. Stephen managed to barge past David as he caught him off-guard...
"What is wrong with you? Get out the house" David spoke, trying to keep calm as his young daughter was in the house.
"I'm here to collect the things I brought with my money. So I'm going to get a bag and put it all in there!" Stephen yelled at his nephew.
Moving straight to the kitchen and taking out a bin bag. Elaine standing there in total embarrassment. David watching as Stephen began to put different sorts of gifts he could find that he recalled buying or helping to buy. Including a rather expensive ornament he brought for Gail back in 2007. The family didn't really truly object until he picked up an old 'mother's day' card made for 'Granny Gail' back in 2008 when Bethany spent her first year away from home.
"You didn't buy that, Bethany made me that!" Gail shouted in outrage as she tried to snatch it back.
"And where did she make it? Milan? And why was she in Milan? Because I gave her mother a job" Stephen snarled back.
"That's ridiculous! Give it to me!" Gail spoke back in disbelief.
Stephen however wrestled it from her hand and placed it in the bag. He then made his way upstairs, walking past a surprised Lily. As she got up and came downstairs, wondering what 'great-uncle Stephen' was doing.
"Oh! He's just playing a game. Don't worry, go in the garden with Shona. Go on" David urged.
Shona quickly agreeing as she took Lily out into the garden. She heard some sounds upstairs as he was rooting through the bedrooms. The lot of them were sat downstairs. Audrey was now even more upset as she felt Gail put her arm around her.
"Are you going to do anything about this, Elaine? Or do you agree with all of this?" Gail asked her in disbelief.
"No I don't! Okay, I had no idea he was going to do this. He's lost his dad recently and he's really struggling. I'm not saying what he's doing is right but you didn't see him last night. He can't sleep" Elaine tried to say.
The sound of a rather loud bang made David pause. He wondered what that was and recalled Lily's scooter was in her bedroom. Stephen did buy her that actually but still, David saw red as he thought that maybe he might have the decency not to take any of the things he brought for the children. He stormed up the stairs on the second he put it together. More shouting was heard upstairs as very strong words came out indeed...
"You steal from children now too? I don't care what you take from me! Have my whole flaming trainer collection and sell it on eBay. I don't give a crap! But you do not take away my daughter's things! In fact, you don't even come into her bedroom!" David was heard shouting.
"I brought her this scooter and I brought her this doll. So if I want to take them back, I will!" Stephen shouted back.
This resulted in more banging as the men wrestled with the scooter. Audrey burst into tears as she couldn't believe it's gotten this dire. Stephen isn't even sparing the children's things now. Elaine looked aghast but she didn't dare go up, not with all that racket. The men now sounded like they were fighting or at least arguing even more loudly. It got so bad that Shona had taken Lily out of the back garden and into Yasmeen's as she suggested she play with Eliza for an hour or two.
"Just give me back the damn toys! That's all you need to do you heartless lying little cheat!" David shouted.
The sound of another slam into the bag and a loud scrape against the landing was heard. Stephen came down with the scooter in his hand and some others he brought for the household in the bin bag. Gail had her mouth open as she watched him do this.
"Don't take it out on the kids! What is wrong with you?" Gail asked in disbelief.
"Stephen. Give them back the scooter. Look I know you're angry and you got a lot on your mind but Lily is a little girl. She has nothing to do with this, this is just petty revenge in it's lowest form" Elaine reminded him.
"I'm taking everything I brought. I'm not singling out anyone and that includes his children. Including the one behind bars" Stephen responded with anger.
David felt his knuckles crack and punched him on hearing this. Though he got no reaction. Gail telling Stephen to just get out, she watched as he got up quickly. Grabbing the bin and the scooter.
"We will buy her a new one. Lie and say it broke. She will get over it" Gail told David despite being such as angry herself.
"I'll...I'll buy her a new one. As a treat" Audrey chimed in after wiping away more tears.
"Yeah okay. Okay. Just when you think he can't stoop any lower, he's doing this to get to us. He's going to get his head kicked in by Adam if he tries it in his flat" David insisted, feeling his fist.
...
Stephen didn't bother going to Adam's flat. Mainly because he knew what the consequence would be. His blood pressure had gone through the roof as he sat on the bench with the things. A disgusted Elaine just shaking her head at him as she couldn't believe that he stooped that low.
"It's not too late. You can take the stuff back" Elaine tried to say.
"No. It's my stuff!" Stephen snapped.
Making her just scoff in disbelief. What could she say? She was starting to see the red flags at last. He wasn't a nice man, was he? Yet she couldn't stop making excuses for him in her head. Low self-esteem she had.
"Look I understand what you're saying. You have felt used by so many people, including Gabrielle. You know I was disgusted at Gail for not helping you with her. I told you that. But please, let me take back these things. Okay? You don't really want Lily upset, do you?" Elaine gently asked.
"Okay. Just take the scooter and the doll back but I'm keeping the rest" Stephen relented.
"And Bethany's card"
"Yes"
Elaine was passed the scooter, doll and the card. As she nervously made her way back to the house. Giving the Platt house another knock, she called that it's only her with the things. David answered it and grabbed the things back from her hand, so Stephen did have a tiny conscience after all. The scooter, doll and card was brought back in.
"He was just angry. He doesn't want Lily upset" Elaine tried to reason.
"Oh please. He's only doing this to save face with you. But thank you anyway" David responded.
"He just wants a bit of support back. That's all"
"We gave him plenty of support throughout the years. We brought him presents as well and visited him. Gran has basically loved him more than us for the past fifty odd years"
"But you haven't given him any emotional support. That's why he's having a nervous breakdown right now" Elaine tried to say.
Audrey heard this as she forced herself up. Telling Gail it's alright and she can handle this. David stepped aside to let her take over, taking the things back upstairs before Lily can even notice. Thank goodness that Shona took her to play with Eliza during that argument.
"I'll go and see him" Audrey spoke as she stepped out.
Walking over with Elaine which surprised everybody really. He was in a state when they got to him again. As he was muttering to himself on the bench outside Audrey's salon, he looked up again to find his mother. His heart skipped a beat as he was still scared of her blabbing.
"Sweetheart, listen. I know you have been finding things difficult and like I told you at the house. I'm not going to call anybody about what you told me. You're my son and I love you no matter what. It breaks my heart to see you so muddled up, it really does" Audrey began as she sat besides him, being cryptic.
"I'm sorry, mom. I have never wanted to hurt you" Stephen responded.
"No. I don't imagine you do. But this anger has to stop, my heart can't take it. In every sense. I can't take it, Stephen. Can we just forget what you said?"
"Yes. Please do"
Audrey breathed in before giving him a hug. Though he felt so cold nowadays and she only told him those things so he wouldn't worry. She was scared so she thought that if he thought that it wasn't on her mind, he wouldn't feel the urge to do anything.
...
TBC