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BLUE EYES
POLLY WAS A mess. Her room had so many clothes on the floor that it was hard to navigate anything. Her bed was unmade. Shattered glass on the floor, empty bottles on the table. A candle still burned.
Rubbing her nose, she looks into her cracked mirror. Her hair was tragic, eyes completely bloodshot.
"Fuck this." Polly mutters. She wanted to be back in bed, waking up was a burden.
With an exaggerated sigh, she wipes smudged mascara off her eyelid. Then, she downs a glass of alcohol that had been on her bedside table for God knows how long.
Abruptly, there's a repeated knock on her door.
"Piss off." She groans loudly, putting on a robe.
If it was her neighbours asking for milk or butter again, she'd have a go. It would be the fifth time this week.
She opens her door, already angry at the thought of them doing so.
But instead of her neighbours, she was met with a tall handsome boy that had dirty blonde hair and eyes as blue as the October skies. He wore a brown sweater and even darker brown trousers.
"Hello." He smiles a little, looking at a rather stunned Polly. "I'm looking for someone called Elizabeth Gray. People call her Polly, I believe."
Polly continues to gaze at him.
He takes off his peaky cap awkwardly. "I'm told she lives here at number seventeen. I came yesterday but no one was home, so I stuck around."
"W-what business do you have with Elizabeth Gray?"
"I think she might be my mother. Her nephew came and visited me two days ago but my— other mother— had a fit." He explains.
Polly stood there like a statue, not moving in the slightest.
"I'm Michael by the way." Michael holds his hand out for her to shake.
•••
"So you both are telling me that Arthur killed the poor boy?" Rose clarifies, pointing at Isiah and Finn who sat in Tommy's office waiting for him.
They both had their heads down, equally as anxious as each other. They didn't want to rat out Arthur and they were also still disturbed from seeing what they saw. Not to mention, there was something about waiting for Tommy in his office that sent you over the edge.
"No, that's what Finn is telling you, I'm not speaking Aunt Rose." Isiah looks away stubbornly.
"Did you just call me Aunt Rose?" Rose couldn't believe it, she was laughing. "Are you trying to make me feel old?"
Isiah shrugs, he wanted to smile but it wasn't really the time or place. "I'm just being respectful, that's all."
Rose shakes her head, chuckling. She looks at Finn who hadn't said anything yet.
"Well don't just sit there with a face as long as Livery Street, say something Finn. This is dead important, I need to get to the bottom of this." Rose nags.
"Fine, Sherlock Holmes." Finn starts. "Arthur wouldn't stop. He was really into the fight, he wanted to win."
Rose turns to Isiah, waiting for him to chime in. "Please elaborate, Mr J."
"What? Don't look at me, I want my lawyer here or it's nothing from me." Isiah scoffs.
Rose crosses her arms, frowning. "You don't have a fucking lawyer."
"Alright boys." Tommy walks in, shutting the door behind him. His hair was slightly messy from the violent winds outside and he wore his long black coat.
"I'll be out in a minute, Rosie." Tommy takes off his coat and waits until Rose has left the room to start.
"Alright." He leans against the wall, staring at them. "What happened?"
"It was a fair fight..." Finn lies, avoiding eye contact with his older brother.
"Yeah, Arthur just caught him with a good one." Isiah supports timidly.
Tommy stands there, contemplating their words. He wasn't buying any of it. Steadily, he walks towards them, pointing his finger.
"I saw the body. I saw it. Don't come in here, sit in my chairs and fucking lie to me. What fucking happened?"
Isiah gulps. "I ain't family, so I can't say anything."
Now it was up to Finn to explain.
"Arthur... he's done this a few times lately." Finn sighs. "Six, seven... it's like he's not there in the head. You can't get a word in. Even his own name. He won't stop. Then... he cries."
Tommy nods, putting his hands in his pockets. "Right, both of you listen up. I'm hearing two fucking stories from you both." He turns to Finn, getting closer. "Your brother killed a boy."
Finn hated being confronted by Tommy more than anything.
"Witnesses were there, questions will be asked. Get your fucking stories straight. It was an accident." Tommy makes very clear, with a very strict tone. "Now get the fuck out."
With no hesitations, Finn and Isiah quickly nod and leave.
Tommy falls back onto his chair, sighing. He already had enough to deal with. Everything always came back to him in full circle and he was starting to realise that there was truly no rest for him.
•••
Sarah Jesus gripped onto the pot of soup in her hands as she walked through Small Heath with her best friend, Matilda Court. It was a cold day, the snow was melting away and things were busier than usual, granted that Christmas was a week away.
"Holding this is burning my fingers." Sarah winces.
Matilda puts on her mittens. "I'll gladly take it off you, my fingers are about to fall off from this awful weather! Do you ever want to just get out of Small Heath sometimes? I bet the weather is warmer in Greece."
Sarah and Matilda were a bit like fire and ice. Opposites, yet they just made sense together. Sarah was a good religious girl and Matilda, well Matilda didn't care. Her dad owned a bakery and her mother, Mrs Court, had taught the Shelby brothers and Isaac in school; which explained why the girls were close. The Courts were another family out of the few that treated Sarah's family with compassion and respect, despite their race.
"I'm surprised Ms Bailey even gave you all that soup, that bulldog looking bitch. She's so fucking stingy. I saw her throw a loaf of bread at some woman." Matilda frowns, pinning back her blonde hair.
Sarah tries to hold in her laughter but she just couldn't, and neither could Matilda. They soon found themselves laughing hysterically as they walked towards a church.
"This soup is going to last us a good couple days, we'll just keep reheating it." Sarah shrugs happily. "There's potatoes in there too."
"Look Sarah, it's St George's." Matilda points to the church. "In a couple days we'll be eating some lovely wedding food and not soup from the Friday Market."
"I can't believe Uncle Tommy is really getting married." Sarah couldn't be happier to be attending her first wedding, and one that was being very talked about. It was the biggest event yet next to Ivy Jones performing at The Garrison and Ada's pregnancy— that was a shock.
"I can't believe Thomas Shelby isn't getting married to me!" Matilda sulks loudly.
"I can't believe you, Tills. You're sixteen, it was never going to happen."
"Actually in my dreams, me and Tommy own a farm with horses and have seven kids."
Sarah shoots her an expression mixed with genuine concern and confusion. Mostly concern.
"All I can say is, Rose is so lucky. If they ever decide to have a baby it'll be gorgeous." Matilda continues, daydreaming.
"That's true, I—" Before Sarah could even finish her sentence, a stranger had slammed into her. The pot of soup that her father had given her money to get, the pot of soup that was meant to be their main meal for the next few days, was splattered on the floor. Yet that wasn't the only thing on the floor, Sarah had fallen so hard she had a fresh graze on her chin.
"Shit! I mean, sorry! I didn't see you."
"Sarah? Sarah?" Matilda rushes to her side, helping her up. "Are you alright? How bad is it?"
Matilda wipes the blood off her chin with her cardigan, then with fury, she turns around to the boy that had caused this.
"Do you not have a set of working eyes?! Look at the fucking mess you've caused." Matilda angrily gestures to the spilt food and belongings on the floor.
Michael didn't know what to say, he felt awful. Polly had sent him to Penny's to go buy some ingredients so they could make lunch together and he was in a rush. They were getting on so well. He had just met Tommy, Arthur and John too. He liked them, they seemed interesting and Arthur was funny. This was the most excitement Micheal had experienced, he was liking Small Heath and the people in it and now he had only just gone and done this.
"Don't you have anything to say for yourself?!" Matilda was extremely overprotective with Sarah.
Sarah stares at Michael, her hand still over her cut. Michael had never believed in love at first sight, but even with her cheek covered in dirt and chin bleeding, she looked heavenly. The moment his eyes met with Sarah's, he knew he'd forever be fascinated by this girl. She was hopelessly gorgeous. He was an hopeless idiot. And he felt like one in her presence.
So instead of speaking, he drops to the floor and helps pick up her pot, the lid and her bag. Matilda takes it off him, stuffing the other things that had fallen back into Sarah's bag.
"I'm sorry." Michael mouths to Sarah.
"Sarah you're coming back to mine, my mum can help clean that cut up before you get a nasty infection." Matilda says, getting up. "I know it's not the same but mum has some food that could make up for what this twat spilt."
One thing about Matilda May Court: she had no filter. Maybe she was the voice of anger and reason for Sarah.
"I-I'm going to Penny's. So I could get you something to help or you could even join me and my mum for lunch?" Michael proposes nervously.
Sarah doesn't say anything, instead she looks at him with uncertainty in her eyes.
"You better be fucking joking. Are you new here or something?" Matilda scoffs. "Look, that soup was given to us by Ms Bailey at the Market in town. We got the last bit and it was meant to last her family."
Michael opens his mouth to speak but Matilda beats him to it. "So if you think a couple cupcakes from Penny's is going to cut it, it won't. Unless you're willing to go tussle with that Goliath of a woman called Ms Bailey for more soup, then stay out of our way."
She puts her arm over Sarah and guides her away from Michael. However, Sarah couldn't help but look back at the boy that wouldn't take his eyes off her.
•••
Rose wasn't saying Ethelinda was the answer, the prayer or the miracle. Yet, she was something. She was her mother. Rose knew that she was cursed with the sin of idolising people, making them seem greater than what they were. At the end of the day, anyone could disappoint you. But it's so easy to think someone you haven't seen in years is the answer. Especially when you only know one version of them in your head.
"These paintings are beautiful." Rose smiles, looking at what her mum had created.
Ethelinda was a painter, she had never stopped painting. They were all in the garden watching her create a new piece, lost in her element, speaking to the canvas as she painted vigorously. It was strange for Rose to see her mother again after everything; she didn't know how to act or what to say.
"Thank you my little bird, I'm glad you like my work!" Ethelinda twirls around with the paint brush in her hand. "Oh I feel so free, I'm fucking walking on clouds!"
Rose laughs as Tommy walks over, chuckling slightly at Ethelinda. This was going to be his mother in law, forever. God save me, he pleads in his head. From what Tommy had gathered, she acted a little...unhinged. At least her friendliness made up for it.
Ethelinda puts down her paint brush and palette. "Renie, my sweet baby sister. You have no idea how happy I am to be back in my mothercity. Birmingham is where I belong." She stomps.
Randomly, she lays on the ground, feeling the cold grass beneath her, making an non-existent snow angel.
"Etta, get up, its cold and you'll get that lovely dress wet." Renie helps her back on her feet gently.
Another thing interesting about Ethelinda was her good fashion sense. From her crystal necklaces and all the strange, exotic rings she wore on each finger and big brown fur coat. Her dark brown hair was still the same just with a few silver streaks.
"My little Harry!" Ethelinda runs to him, she fixes his collar. "Renie tells me you have babies! Oh my! My baby had a baby. I'll never forgive myself for not being here."
"It's not your fault, mum. You were unwell and dad made it worse." Harry brushes off grass that was on her face.
"I was taken away from my babies. My baby twins."
She starts panicking.
"They ran all kinds of tests on me like an animal, an animal, Harry! I'm not crazy!" Ethelinda was nearly ripping her hair out thinking about it. "Then this lovely nurse said she knew a woman that could take care of me and give me food and a room. She got me out of there and I haven't looked back since. All this time I was trying to get back here and I finally did."
Tommy holds Rose's hand, he whispers in her ear. "She's not bad, eh?"
Rose looks up, smiling. "I fucking love her."
"Holy shit." Ethelinda begins, staring at Rose. "That face you just made, that expression. You looked just like me."
"Really?" Rose's eyes lit up in a childlike manner.
"If you're wondering where you got your light hair from its your grandfather, Sylver! A real river gypsy! Tell them Renie about papa."
Renie takes a toke of her cigarette before speaking. "Dad had the bluest eyes, like the river Nile."
"Yes, yes, yes! Like this gentleman over here." Ethelinda walks right up to Tommy, cupping his face with her hands and looking directly at him in the eye. "You're a beautiful man."
"Thank you, Mrs Kimber..."
Renie snickers, turning away to laugh.
"Beautiful, but not as beautiful as my daughter, okay?" She turns to Rose. "Where's your father?"
It was like someone ripping off dressing for a wound too early. Everyone knew it was coming, but it was one of those things you prayed wouldn't get brought up. There was no dodging the question now; how could Tommy tell his mother in law that he killed her husband? He wasn't sure that would go down well at the dinner table.
"He died, mum." Harry clears his throat. "Nearly three years ago."
Ethelinda's face changes and her voice goes quieter. "He was so cruel to me... I bloody loved him though. The good parts. I found the little things and added them up until they became enough. But he was cruel to me...." She sits on a bench, thinking to herself. Everyone was silently watching. "He was a bad man. C-can I say a part of me is glad he's... gone?"
"No, please do. What he did was unforgivable, Etta. We've been doing well without him." Renie informs.
Ethelinda's mood instantly changes. "I heard, that you both are having a wedding!"
"Yeah, we are." Rose grins, wrapping her arm around Tommy's.
"Now that's going to be fucking legendary!" She exclaims happily. She stops. Looking at Rose and Tommy. "I... I couldn't be prouder. I mean you're leaving the nest as soon as I return to it." She jokes, obvious pain in her voice. "Just like that. My babies are grown up. Just like that."
It was then everyone realised how loud silence really was. It was deafening. Ethelinda had spent her whole life loving with a broken heart, picking up everyone else's shattered pieces but in the end, no one could save her.
They were never her protector, she was theirs.
Now it was time for her to get some happiness. The happiness she deserved with the family she was taken from.
"What are you all staring at?? My baby is getting married!" Ethelinda cheers, taking Rose's hand. "Come on Rosella, let's go get a pretty dress! You can show me all the places I've missed." She kisses her daughter's forehead. Nothing was going to take her from her kids again.
•••
right, what does everyone think of ethelinda?????