Short Peaky Blinders Stories

A New Suit

The bell on the door chimed, breaking me out of my daydream and making me prick my finger on the needle i was weaving through fabric absent mindedly. Shit, i whispered standing up, cracking my back aware of the cramped feeling in my spine. 'Can I help you', I shouted to the front, slowly walking forward to reveal a man in a grey suit. My eyes adjusting from the bright windows and nose enjoying a break from the dark musty room that mother called the backroom. 

'Pickup for the Shelby's' the man said, dropping three shillings on the counter. I looked over to him, his eyes shifting nervously around the room. 'Who are you, never seen you before' I said picking up the money and inspecting it in my palm. 'Just collecting on behalf' he said a tad too fast, shifting from one foot to the other. 'No can do I'm afraid' I said, passing the coins back, he looked surprise at the refusal, clearly not expecting it. 

'You know the Shelby's yeah' he questioned, i nodded bored with the back and fourth. 'So i wouldn't anger them, okay just give me the suits' he not so gently dropped the coins back on the counter. I sighed, giving myself a moment before answering. ' My ma would kill me if i gave the suits to you, the arrangement is to give the suits directly to the Shelby's and if you were collecting surely you would know its on the house' I looked down at the coins suspiciously. 

'I don't have fucking time for this', he said scooping the coins up and storming out the shop, slamming the door so hard the open now sign shook. For fuck sake i whispered, knowing i couldn't even run the shop fir a day whilst my mother was on a trip. 

I dipped my stale bread in the lukewarm soup, the warm tomatoes oddly comforting. I carried on sewing, knowing ma would say don't stop unless your dead if she was around to, it made me chuckle inside to know even when she wasn't watching over me she had embedded it in me. I sheltered the fabric from the bread, there would be no way to comeback from a dress with a soup stain across the front. The bell rung again, i sighed quietly staying silent and hoping they would piss off. In return i heard a loud knock on the counter. I dropped my half empty bowl of soup onto the table and walked out to the front. 

'I sent a man here earlier to collect some suits for me and my brothers however he come back with his tail between his legs and no fucking suits. So ive had to come all the way out here to get my suit, making me very late for shit i need to do'  a Tommy Shelby explained, setting his hat down on the counter and looking at me expectedly. 

'Well i do apologise Mr Shelby however I am without my ma today and she instructed to give the suits directly to you, and she is one very scary woman' I explained in a monotone voice. He seemed amused at the small comment, clearly agreeing. 'Well then can I have the suits' he questioned, looking behind me at the hung on a rail. I simply picked them up and left them on the counter. 

'Have a good day Mr Shelby, ill let my ma know you were happy with them'. I turned round starting to walk back to my sewing station. 'Who said I was' Tommy questioned boldly. ' I turned back around, 'Well I'm not dead am I'.