"They're lovely kids mum."
"They're your brother and sister Danny."
"Yes."
They were happy kids, a boy, and a girl, beautiful children who would be spared the terror I endured as a kid. They'd never lie in bed at night listening to their father raping and beating their mother as I had and as I lay in the hot sun watching them playing happily, I decided to try to be a surrogate father to them, at least until mum met a nice, decent man and remarried.
I turned onto my side and looked at her, it was hard to believe that she was my mother, the tiny bikini hid only what it was designed to hide, and nothing else, even the beginning of her areole were visible, peeking out of the side of the wholly inadequate cups of her top.
The twins were four years old, born just after I was given five years for murder.
I came home from work and found mum crying in the kitchen, one eye closed and half her teeth chipped and broken, her whole body was a mass of bruising where he'd used her as a punching bag again.
"Where is he mum?"
"Leave it, Danny, please darling." she sounded like she was talking through a mouthful of sweets. "You'll only make things worse."
I knew where he'd be anyway, the same place he always was, down at the local pub with all his scummy mates.
"He'll kill you one of these days mum." I said as I put my coat back on, "And I'm not prepared to let him do that."
She was still crying as I went out of the door, but that was nothing new, he'd been beating her for as long as I could remember.
He looked up when I got to the pub.
"Well, well, well." he laughed scornfully. "Come to buy your old dad a pint have you son?"
I didn't reply, I just walked up to him and hit him, he staggered back and fell over his chair, spitting out the teeth I'd broken.
"That one was for mum," I said and hit him again before he could get up, one of his mates made a grab for me, but I elbowed him in the face and kneed him between his legs. Dad was up then, and I winced in pain as he punched me in the kidneys, his next swing missed, but the beer glass I picked up didn't, it took one eye out and left his whole face looking like an accident with a bottle of ketchup.
He screamed as I kicked him right in his ugly face, but he soon stopped when I jumped on him and beat him continually until he lost consciousness, he never regained it and died in the ambulance taking him to hospital.
Mum spoke up in my defense as did my boss, but the judge said my attack on my father had been of such unparalleled fury, he felt I was a danger to the public in general and to those around me in particular.
I was treated like a hero inside, but all through the four years I served, I kept myself strictly to myself and became a model prisoner, mum came to visit me every Friday after the twins were born, she brought me cigarettes and magazines as well as money and it was her visits that kept me going.
Every Friday night in my cell, I relieved myself just thinking about her, her perfume, the shape of her breasts beneath whatever she happened to be wearing and I always went to sleep feeling thoroughly ashamed.
A national newspaper bought her story and paid her a six-figure sum for it, so at last, she didn't have to count the pennies or scratch around for money to feed herself and the twins.
"I think you ought to get yourself a girl, Danny."
"What?"
"You're staring at me."
"Oh, God was I? I'm sorry mum." I felt myself going red, and I had the beginnings of an erection. "I'm going for a swim."
We were only a few yards from the sea, so I ran into the ocean where I was quickly joined by Jenny and Jimmy, the twins who decided that it would be great fun to try and drown me by jumping on my back and holding me under the water.
It was a wonderful half hour or so, I think I reverted to my childhood with them, we splashed, laughed and generally fooled about until hunger forced us back onto the beach.
"Come on," I said to mum. "Let's go and find a cafe, I'm starving."
"Feel better now?" mum laughed as we waited for the twins to dry off and get into their clothes.
"Lots mum." I kissed her cheek and tried not to look at her breasts as she bent to pull on a skirt, she giggled and said with a smile.
"Well, at least I know you've not turned queer in the nick Danny."
"It was offered to me mum, believe me."
"But you never... you know?"
I laughed. "Not a bloody chance mum."
We strolled down the seafront and into a little cafe we found, where we ordered croissants for us and sticky buns for the twins.
"Don't get them all over yourselves." she laughed as they dived into the cream.
"They're kids mum." I laughed with her, "That's their job, they've got to get cream everywhere and then they'll eat what's left."
"You're very good with them Danny."
"They're lovely kids mum, I'd love to have two like them."
"Well that's no problem, take them two little buggers."
"Are you going to be our new daddy Danny?"
Jenny looked up at me and grinned cheekily through a mouthful of cream.
"'Cos we'd like that wouldn't we Jimmy?"
Her brother nodded his assent, but it was a serious business eating a cream bun, so he gave it his full attention and allowed his sister to continue with the interrogation.
"Well are you?" she demanded and jumped up onto my knee.
"But I'm your brother Jenny." I hugged her tightly. "So I can't be your daddy can I?"
Mum was nearly choking with laughter but saved the day by telling her that we'd discuss it later, so she went back to her own seat to attack her orange juice and confided in her brother that she'd done it, I was going to be their new daddy.
"Well is there anyone on the horizon mum?" I asked as we walked slowly back to the hotel.
"No." she shook her head vehemently. "No, no, no."
"Was it that bad?"
"You can't imagine Danny," she said softly. "You just can't imagine."
"Ah Mr. and Mrs. Burton." the clerk beamed at us as we passed the desk."We're having a rather special evening this evening, would you care to avail yourselves of our free babysitting service and do us the honour of attending?"
I was about to point out to him that, yes we were actually Mr. and Mrs. Burton, but not in the way he assumed, when mum squeezed my hand.
"That sounds nice, what is it?"
He could hardly contain his excitement.
"We've just been voted hotel of the year for the tenth year running and to celebrate, the owners have arranged a top class cabaret in the lounge, all after dinner drinks are on the house as well as pre-dinner champagne."
"Who's the cabaret?" I asked. His reply made me smile, it was a well-known actor from one of Britain's top television soap operas who'd made his name years before as a blue comedian, he was good, very good, but absolutely filthy.
Mum laughed and clapped her hands in delight.
"Oh yes, we'll be here, what time does it kick off and what's the dress code?"
"Eight-thirty, for dinner at nine, gents to wear suits and ladies to wear evening dress."
"I haven't got a suit mum." I protested as we left him to accost more people returning to their rooms.
"Well we'll go and buy one." she laughed. "And I'll treat myself to a new dress as well."
"Mum, I'm not going to keep taking money from you, since I got out last week, I haven't paid for a bloody thing, you bought my clothes, my cigarettes, you paid for this holiday." I grinned, "You even bought my bloody underpants for Christ's sake!"
The twins looked on somewhat bemused as she took both my hands in hers.
"All you did Danny was to give me my life back, that's all, nothing much is it?"
"That's not fair mum."
"I really don't give a toss whether you think it's fair or not Danny, I know the way I lived before you did what you did, it wasn't even bloody living Danny, it was a fucking nightmare, if I was to give you every penny I've got, it still wouldn't repay what I owe you."
"Mum."
"Don't fucking mum me Danny." Her voice cracked, and tears appeared in her eyes,."Don't stop me from at least trying to repay you for four years of your life." her shoulders shook. She turned away from me. "Don't stop me, Danny, please."
I felt a little hand tugging at mine, and I looked down into two pairs of big blue eyes, tear-stained eyes.
"Why is mummy crying, Danny?" Jimmy was almost in tears himself beside him Jenny was already there.
"Come here," I said and hugged them both tightly. "Mummy's crying because I'm silly."
I looked up at my mother.
"But if it's upsetting you, I'll stop being silly now."
They nodded in unison, "Okay, but mummy's got to stop crying."
"I've stopped, look."
They did, and she had.
"You've got to kiss each other," Jenny said seriously. She wasn't at all impressed when I pecked mum's cheek.
"No." she protested. "You've got to do it properly, like on the television."
Laughing, we put our arms around each other and touched lips.
"Properly." the twins chorused.
"Bloody monsters." mum laughed, but pressed her lips to mine as I held her tightly, I was very much aware of the pressure of her breasts against my chest and the inevitable happened.
"It's natural Danny." mum whispered as we drew apart somewhat embarrassed.
"See, you're married now." Jenny laughed with delight and linked hands with her brother before racing into our suite.
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
"So am I mum."
I still had an arm around her waist, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to kiss her again, she made a funny little noise in her throat as our mouths opened and locked together.
"Oh Danny." she breathed into my mouth. "We mustn't."
"No," I whispered. "You're right mum." but we kissed again, and this time I tasted her tongue as it snaked between my teeth.
"You've no idea how many times I dreamt of doing that mum."
"Me too darling" she whispered and touched a hand to my face. "I wish you weren't my son."
"I used to..." then I stopped as we reached the suite, she looked at me questioningly, but I shook my head. "No mum, it was cheap and not very nice."
"If you were going to say what I think you were, I'm flattered Danny, I really am."
"You're just being diplomatic mum." I laughed, but she shook her head.
"I'm honest Danny."
The twins were entranced by the creche we left them in, there were toys of every description to keep them occupied. They barely looked up as we left to go in search of a ready-made suit and a dress for mum.
