Florence leaned over Michaels shoulder as he wrote down numbers on a piece of paper. "Nice office this" She grinned, sitting opposite him.
Isiah walked in, sitting beside her. "Hello Micheal, Florence" he nodded.
"What brings you here?" Florence asked, growing nervous beside him. "It's pay day, Flo" he said.
Flo, that was new.
Micheal cleared his throat, "Day rate, seven shillings" he spoke, sliding the coins forward. "Loading unloading. Night rate, three. Total ten"
"Let's go and get a drink" Isiah spoke.
"No i'm alright"
"Come on its pay day" Isiah argued, putting out his cigarette. "Everybody has a drink on payday"
"Not me"
"You think your mum don't have a drink on pay day? You think the lord almighty don't have a drink on payday" he laughed, his accent strong. "Man it's on fire out there. Woman from the BSA offices. Honest. They go out on their own without men these days. In twos and threes now. Mickey, they go out in twos and threes and buy their own drinks"
Florence snorted at the nickname. Micheal ignored him.
"The Marquis" Isiah continued. "That's where the BSA secretaries go. Look, they won't serve a black man without a Shelby by his side"
Micheal looked at him. "And if you won't come, i'll just take ye sister. You'll come with me won't you Florence" He shrugged. Micheal sat up straight. "So you're using me"
"Yeah? Come on?"
Micheal sighed and stood up. "See i knew it'd work" he nudged Florence. "What am i supposed to do now?" she asked. "She can come with, can't she Micheal?" Isiah said.
Micheal bit his lip. "Mum won't be happy about it"
"Then don't let her find out, please" she begged. "Yeah go on Micheal, let her"
"Fine, but behave" he pointed a finger at her. She clapped her hands together and followed them outside where Isiah offered his arm to her. She smiled and accepted it.
-
They walked into the pub, woman who walked past smiling at them.
"I told you. I fucking told you. This city is going mad" Isiah laughed. "Girls go out on their own now" he handed Micheal a cigarette.
"Two pints of dark mild please" Micheal asked the man. "Fuck that, we're peaky boys, three whiskeys" Isiah corrected.
"Three?" he asked Isiah. "Yeah, one for your sister"
Micheal shook his head , lighting the cigarette. "You smoke?" He asked the girl, offering her one. "No, she doesn't" Micheal snatched it from his hand.
Florence scoffed, crossing her arms. Micheal coughed. "You get used to it, then you can't stop" Isiah assured him.
A man approached them, looking Florence up and down. He whistled, grabbing the boys attention. "I don't drink with blacks"
Florence laughed. "It's 1921, get over yourself" she said.
"Here we fucking go" Isiah sighed.
"Paddy they're okay" The barman intervened. "Not with me they're not" the boy was from Liverpool, thick accent.
"Why do you need to cause an issue? Just go" Florence spoke. He looked at her, giving her a once over. Isiah bit his tongue, stepping slightly in front of her.
"I don't drink in pubs with blacks" he said again. "So leave" Micheal shrugged.
"Look, my dad is the preacher round here, he has connections, ask anyone" Isiah told him. "I couldn't give a fuck who he is"
" I'm telling you to leave it Paddy"
"And i'm telling this darkie to get out of here" Paddy spat. Florence raised her eyebrows. "Just walk away" Florence argued. "He hasn't done anything"
"Who the fuck are you" he laughed.
"You know something, fuck off" Isiah defended. "It's all right Isiah leave it, we'll go to my cousins pub" Micheal said. "I like it here"
"You fucking-" Paddy sent his fist forward, punching Isiah. Florence took a step back, watching as a fight broke out.
A man went for Micheal, punching him. Florence ran over, pulling him away only to be elbowed in the face. He turned to her and scoffed. Florence punched his stomach. The man coughed.
"Florence move" Micheal said as he fought off someone else.
A man grabbed her hair, pulling her backwards. She screamed. "Get your hands off her" Isiah shouted. The man pushed the side of her head against the wall, a metallic taste filled her mouth.
She huffed, moving, trying to get him off.
"I fucking said get off" he hissed, pulling the man off her. Paddy grabbed Micheal, wrapping his hands around his neck.
"Paddy, the white ones a peaky blinder, him and the girl are Polly Shelby's kids" he shouted.
Florence touched her lip, breathing heavily. Paddy stepped away, holding his hand up. "They're Polly Shelby's kids" he repeated. "Are you fucking suicidal?"
"Sir? Sir i'm sorry i didn't know"
"Apologise to my fucking sister" Micheal hissed. "I'm sorry, i really didn't know"
"Get out the fucking pub" Isiah said.
The men scurried away and Florence leaned against the bar. "We ordered some drinks and we're going to drink them" Micheal spoke.
Florence picked up the whiskey, chugging it straight from the bottle. "Slow down" Isiah said, grabbing it and pouring three glasses.
She touched her lip again, blood touching her finger. "Fuck" she whispered.
-
"His face man, did you see his fucking face" Micheal laughed as they walked down Garrison lane in the dark.
"You punch like a fucking kangaroo" he told Micheal. "And where the fuck did you learn to punch?" He asked the girl. "Micheal taught me"
"Right anyway i need a fucking drink" Micheal said as they approached the Garrison.
"It's packed in here isn't it" he sighed. Isiah stayed behind Florence as she walked in, his hand on her back. "You having one?" Micheal asked her. She nodded, rubbing her head. "Again, don't tell mum" he whispered.
They got their drinks and walked into the snug where Finn, Arthur and John sat.
"Here they are, look" Arthur said. "Junior peaky boys and Florence"
The boys sat down and Florence sat beside Arthur. "What's happened have you been scrapping?" he looked at the boys. Florence kept her head down.
"Some idiots at the Marquis or Lorne, tried to stop us from drinking but it's all right. We fought them off. We had to stand out ground and we did"
"Florence look at me" John said. She slowly lifted his head up and he scowled, looking at Arthur.
"The Marquis, eh?" Arthur asked, standing up. John and Finn stood but they pushed Finn back to his seat. " Where's your dad?"
"Preaching"
"Right" he sighed, picking up his cap and walking to the door. "Don't nick and of me chips Finn" John shouted.
"Where are you going?"
"We won't be long"
"Where are they going?" Micheal asked Isiah. "The Marquis of Lorne, shame it was a nice pub"
-
The boys and Florence walked back outside the pub an hour later, seeing the boys walking back up. "Looks like the big bastard got cut" Isiah said, smiling.
"You didn't have to do that for us" Micheal shouted. "We didn't do it for you Micheal. We did it for the good name of the company"
"None do this happened all right" John shouted as they walked away.