What About Us | John Shelby

CHAPTER THREE

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-CHAPTER THREE-

-PEAKY BLINDERS-

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July 1911, Small Heath, Birmingham

At the age of sixteen now, things have changed dramatically now for Tessa. In the space of three years a lot has happened. First the Shelby's mother had died two years ago from suicide, she just couldn't take the life she was living anymore. The boys didn't take it too hard as she was absent from their life, Ada look it the hardest tho. As a twelve year old she just couldn't understand why her mother would do what she did. As for Finn he didn't even know his mother, she gave birth to him and left him in the care of Polly.

Over the past three years Tessa's body has changed from a child's body to a women's. She now has curves in places she hadn't before and her boobs have definitely grown, something the boys loved.

YEAR 1909, Small Heath, Birmingham

The Shelby's had been informed from uncle Charlie that their mother had died from suicide following a battle of depression. Charlie found his sister by a canal where she had jumped from following her depression, leaving her five children alone without a mother.

The four Shelby kids sat around the kitchen table, with Finn in Arthur Sr. arms.

"She's probably better off gone now, dead and alive that fuckin women was always causing a bloody scene" Arthur Sr. shouted rocking Finn in his arms walking around the kitchen. Ada looked up at her father with her eyes blood shot ready to cry. Arthur Sr. kept going on and on about how his wife is better off dead than alive.

The room was intense with their father non stop blabbering. Ada's head was going to explode from anger towards her father.

"YOU PRICK" Ada shouted out loud with the little voice she had over her father's words.

The room went dead silent shocked from Ada's choice of words towards their father. All five heads shot in Ada's direction. Polly looked at her in worry for what Arthur Sr. was going to do now.

Ada stood up from her seat pushing the chair away from her. Her eyes dripping with tears, from sadness of the moment. Arthur Sr. handed Finn over to Arthur Jr. storming towards Ada and grabbing her by the shoulders and gripping his big hands around her small forearm.

Arthur Jr. held Finn close to his chest to try and relax his brother from crying from the shouting and noise coming from the kitchen.

Tommy stood up pushing the table in anger.

"Just leave her, she's going through fuckin grief. She is a child for fuck's sake" Tommy shouted at his father in arrogance. Arthur Sr. turned towards Tommy's direction "Stay out of this boy"

Arthur Sr. stormed out of the kitchen and up the stairs with Ada beside him. Polly sighed grabbing Finn from Arthur and heading out the front door, across the street into the Dog's household.

"SHE'S DEAD" Tessa shouted out, her hands covering her mouth in disbelief.

"How are they taking it?" Johnny Dog's asked Polly taking Finn from her hands, sitting him on his knee.

"Some not so great than the other's" Polly replied back sighing and shaking her head.

Tessa was out the front door and across the street to see how to Shelby's were doing with the grief of their mother's passing. Before she even had a chance of opening their front door, John got to it first stepping outside seeing Tessa walk towards him. Tessa's eyes lit up in sadness for her friend.

"I heard what happened, bloody hell John I wouldn't pray for this even on your mother tho she wasn't their for ye as kids"

John took hold of Tessa's hand in his "Lets go to the spot" Tessa didn't say anything she just followed him along. She could tell by his quietness on the walk over that he was also grieving for his mother, Tessa needed to be here for him now in this moment in time.

On there way to their spot down by the tracks, the tension between the two is very somber and cold, Tessa was afraid to ask anything encase she got on the wrong side of John. She plucked up the courage and asked him anyway, they couldn't just keep walking in silence it was killing her.

Tessa looked up at John while still walking "Are you okay?" she waited for his response but it never came, he just kept on walking looking straight ahead of him, not daring to look down at her.

Tessa griped onto John's hand, caressing his thumb with her thumb in comfort for him.

John felt the slight touch from her and smiled to himself.

-CHAPTER THREE-

-PEAKY BLINDERS-