Chapter Eight - "When are you going to kiss Tommy?"
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اوووه! هذه الصورة لا تتبع إرشادات المحتوى الخاصة بنا. لمتابعة النشر، يرجى إزالتها أو تحميل صورة أخرى.
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ANGELICA HAD GROWN to appreciate the struggle that John Shelby had without his wife. Martha Shelby sounded like a fine woman but after her death, leaving her husband with four children John Shelby was suffering.
Angelica did her best to help the man, she wondered if that was why they became so close, Angelica wasn't actually that good with children, but the Shelby kids were a different kind of children.
They were full of fire, cheek and mischief, they loved to test those who tried to care for them and Angelica knew that is why they liked her so much, because she was so similar and it meant they respected her.
The four of them made Angelica think of a life beyond Small Heath, beyond her mission with Grace, a future where maybe she could be a mother. They made her smile, laugh and they made her responsible.
John and Angelica had become very close while she helped him parent his children, she understood why he was so stressed all the time and she felt sorry for him and helping him eased her heart.
John was only twenty four and Angelica thought that was very young to be dealing with four children who had lost that mother, adding the fact he was in a gang and had just come back from war, Angelica was impressed with John Shelby.
The man was always tired and stressed, while dealing with the family business he did he also had four children running amok among him. Which is why as she helped Katie pull her coat on for school, Angelica swore she wouldn't leave John to manage alone again.
"Right children, you be good. You go to school, if John tells me any one of you decided to skip, there will not be any more dancing" Angelica orders with her motherly and harsh tone overtaking the noise of the children.
Katie the eldest of the four nodded. They all saluted her jokingly before they all walked to school. John shook his head in pure disbelief as he looked on watching his children marching in line as Katie shouted orders.
Sighing in relief Angelica smiles at the disappearing children, chuckling slightly as John lets out a laugh at his eldest's antics who had stated that morning she wanted to be just like Angelica when she grew up.
Angelica pulls on her coat as John joins her to walk to the Garrison, the sun shined upon Small Heath today, it's warm rays coating them all as the wind blew against them trying to remind them of its cold chill.
"Thank you. The children are so good for you." John sighs and Angelica rubs his shoulder.
"They need a firm hand is all." Angelica says, John rubs his hand over his eyes. "It upsets me how much you blame yourself John. You are a good father and an even better man, yet even the best of us need a hand sometimes." Angelica smiles.
