Field of Poppies

September 1910

            As spring turned into summer, Tommy was starting to realize how fast time really went. For so long he'd been going through the motions of life. But seeing Max hit milestones was an eye-opener for him. He saw how fleeting time was and it scared him.

By June, Max was crawling and had started to show signs of walking. He would pull himself up using a chair and smile up at Tommy, proud of his little accomplishment.

The summer months were so busy that a lot of things that would worry Amelia went unnoticed. She was so occupied with Max and the other younger Shelbys that she didn't have time to notice little inconsistencies. Like when Tommy had been nicked twice but Arthur had bailed him out before anyone noticed. Or that they had started to smuggle in a great number of weapons like guns and rifles.

Tommy didn't want to lie to Amelia. But if she didn't ask, then there was nothing to lie about.

There was even a stretch of time in the summer that they were apart. Polly, Amelia, and the youngest Shelbys went to the Appleby fair again while Tommy and Arthur stayed behind to watch the shop. Amelia wanted Maxine to meet her namesake, and Polly wanted a break from the shop. In the time they were gone, Tommy was roughed up by another Birmingham Boy but his bruises and cuts healed by the time Amelia returned.

Little did they know, the fair would have more consequences than any of them realized.

~~~~~~~~~'

They celebrated Max's first birthday in September, holding a small party for friends and family. It was one of the first birthdays the Shelbys had that was a proper birthday. There was no worrying over scraping together enough money to make it suitable. There was a cake and toys for the little boy and a happy family surrounding him.

As Ada helped Max unwrap his toys, Amelia snuggled into Tommy's side. She seemed so content. That's all Tommy wanted. He wanted his family to be happy and he would go by any means to get that.

Tommy kissed her hair and took her hand in his.

"It's a horse, Maxy!" Ada showed him the wooden horse, pretending to make it gallop across the floor.

Max giggled and clapped his hands together. He was such a happy child. Polly noted that the Shelbys were notable for being fussy children. It didn't help that they had such a tumultuous upbringing. But Max rarely went a moment without giving someone a smile. Showing everyone the few baby teeth that were coming in. Even when he cried or fussed, he wanted to be secure in someone's arms.

It threw Tommy for a loop when, one day, Max looked at him and said 'dada'. He was dumbfounded for a second, staring at the little boy he was holding. This innocent, pure-hearted, child who looked up to him. Who looked at him with such fondness and adoration. He was still too young to understand many things but he understood love.

It had to be a fluke. A misunderstanding on God's part. Tommy didn't deserve this little angel. He didn't deserve Amelia. He fully assumed that one day, he would wake up and it all would be just a dream. But every morning he woke up with Amelia curled up in his arms and Max asleep in his cot.

~~~~~~~~~

But the tide would turn ever so slightly. That night, after all the cake was cleaned off Max's face and he was fast asleep, there was a frenzy of knocks at the door.

Amelia was helping Polly clean the kitchen while Tommy put Max to sleep so she went to answer it.

When she opened the door, she found Martha Boswell on the front stoop, tears streaming down her cheeks. It was a bit of a shock; Amelia hadn't seen the teenager since the Appleby fair in June. She didn't know the Boswells were even near Birmingham because no one mentioned it.