What About Us | John Shelby

CHAPTER FIFTY

1919, Small Heath, Birmingham

The following day

"Alright Tess" Arthur watched as the girl walked into the kitchen "Shut up Arthur" She gave out to him.

"What the bloody hell is up with you?" Arthur smoked on his cigarette looking over at John, who stayed quiet.

Tessa turned around, slamming her fists against the kitchen table "Do you have any idea what both of you have done? Attacking that Lee fella at the races yesterday ... my family or more so Edward and my da, are gonna be fucked now. Why the fuck did ye have to go do that for?" She shouted into Arthur's face.

"It's not just your family that is in trouble with them, so are we. You're a Shelby now, start worrying about that side of the family" Arthur shouted back at her rising to his feet, Tessa felt quite offended by Arthur's comment, she fell silent to that.

"Come on John boy, Tommy wants us at the Garrison" Arthur glared back at the woman as she eyed him as he left the house.

"Tess look-" Tessa stormed towards him, pushing him out the house "Just go, go to the bloody Garrison ... get fucking drunk for all I care" She pushed him out the house, watching as the two brothers made there way down Watery Lane. John looked back at her, Tessa looked in the other direction not wanting to catch his eyes.

What did catch her eyes was Katie playing around a large truck "Katie ... get away from there" She listened to her mother, moving away from the area and out onto the street with the other kids she was playing with.

"Where are the twins?" She shouted over at her daughter, wanting to know the whereabouts of William and James. Katie looked over in her direction "William is with Isaiah, and James is with Finn down around the cars"

"Alright ... just stay here where I can see you" She nodded her head at her daughter.

Tessa was sitting in the living room, reading the newspaper, having a bit of time to herself. Leaning back in the chair, smoking from her cigarette. The stress of everything releasing from her body as the smoke inhaled in her lungs.

Standing up from the chair, and peeking out through the netted curtains to see where Katie was, she was distracted by the truck that was parked down the street a bit, now right in front of the Shelby household.

She didn't question it any further, going back to her own business when Katie flew her way through the door shouting out for her mother.

"What's wrong with ya?" She asked her daughter, as she put out her cigarette into the glass ashtray.

"Mammy ... you should have seen the weapons, those fella's had that we met before" Tessa looked at her daughter in confusion "Come again"

"Those fellas we meet when we visit Grandad" Katie smiled up at her mother, as she took a seat on one of the arm chairs in the living room.

"The Lee's, you're talking about. There here?" She folded her arms over her chest, looking to Katie for some answers.

"They're driving away right now in that big truck ... me and Sheila saw them visiting Aunt Polly's house. I wonder if Grandad is with them" Katie got excited about maybe seeing her Grandfather, as she jumped off the couch only to be grabbed hold of by Tessa.