Peaky Blinders Collection

Love is Blind Part 2 (AlfiexCaroline)

            Very seldom did Alfie ask for life advice. He was typically the type of man who walked through the world pretending he knew everything, even if he was clueless. But in his eyes, weakness wasn't an option.

Still, there were some people he trusted. Very few people. Probably less than ten. But Ollie was one of those people; he had to be trusted in his position at the bakery. But their families had known each other for a very long time. Camden's Jewish community was very tightly knit, but some families were closer than others. Especially when it came to Alfie and his men. Some disapproved while others saw him as a leading figure despite what he did behind closed doors.

But in such a close community, no matter what opinion you held, rumors got around about everything and everyone.

"So, I heard you were seen with Julia's niece." Ollie tentatively brought up the conversation as the two made their rounds in the bakery.

"Yeah, who'd you hear that from?" Alfie asked grumpily. He wasn't happy to hear people were gossiping about him. As a gangster, he liked a high measure of secrecy and enjoyed his private life.

"Shayna," Ollie admitted.

It was difficult to be upset with his assistant's wife. She was a good Jewish woman who always offered a place in her home for the bachelor gangster. But she had a bite to her as well and if you passed by their flat at the right time, you could hear her shouting in Yiddish. Alfie liked her enough to let the gossiping pass.

"We were just talking 'bout her dog," Alfie explained. "Never met her 'fore."

Ollie nodded and became a little distracted from the ledger in his hand. His wife's words from the previous night echoed in his head.

'Eva saw them walking together. Said Alfie couldn't keep his eyes off her.'

He cleared his throat and tested the waters a little bit. "She's beautiful."

"Fuck off." Alfie's defenses immediately spiked up and he rolled his eyes.

"Sorry." Ollie dropped the subject, well accustomed to picking and choosing his battles.

But the mention of Caroline's beauty stuck a pin right in Alfie's heart. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. She had become a part of his morning routine. After getting his paper, Alfie greeted her and Pilot at the corner. He'd have to rein back Cyril so the mastiff didn't distract the Newfoundland.

They would walk together towards the bakery, sometimes taking a longer route just to spend more time together. Caroline always rested her hand on Alfie's arm. They would talk about simple things in their life, nothing too deep. His occupation and her blindness were never topics of conversation.

Despite the casual morning chats, Alfie felt a solid connection to the woman. Normally, it took years for him to truly trust anyone or to feel a real bond. It was one of the many reasons he'd been single for so long. But he was so intrigued by Caroline.

She experienced the world differently than others did. She approached things from another angle. Being a Jewish woman in a fairly Orthodox community, she had a measure of expectations placed on her. But she was like Alfie. Her disability made her adjust her priorities and crack the mold she was supposed to fit. Unmarried and childless at twenty-nine, she didn't follow the life her family assumed she would have. But her independence was one of the things she treasured most. Pilot gave her a level of independence that she thought she would never have. Now she was mostly on her own. Took care of her own needs and felt the freedom she always craved as a blind teenager.