Another love

Part Five - 1908

1908

The news that Mrs Shelby had passed away spread through small Heath like wildfire, probably because the Shelbys were so well known. With their mother's permission, Sarah and Cain had been allowed to go to the funeral. The service was short and Sarah noticed a lot of gypsy families were there, she had picked up bits of their language but would never pretend to actually understand it. Once people had shuffled away from the graveyard and towards the Garrison for drinks to 'Remember her life', Tommy and Sarah found a moment to be alone.

They sat on the wall behind Tommy's house and talked as she leant her head on his shoulder.
"You'll be OK Tommy." She said reassuringly.

"I have to be."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, Sarah, I do."

"You still have me... and.....and I love you," she whispered hesitantly.

He looked at her in shock at her honesty, he opened his mouth to reply, but he heard Arthur Sr. Laughing and instead pulled away from her uncomfortably. Arthur Sr. sat on the other side of Tommy and slung his drunken arm around his shoulders, "How many times do I 'av to fucking tell ya! Fast women and slow horses will fucking ruin your life." He said pointing in Sarah's direction

She smiled sarcastically back at him, she couldn't stand him, and she sensed the feeling was mutual. Every time she looked at him all she saw was the pain he inflicted into his family's life, Sarah couldn't understand how he and Polly could possibly be related. Of course, Polly had her moments, but in reality she was kind down to the core. Sarah watched as Mr Shelby pulled his son off to the pub with him for drinks, making it clear that she wasn't invited.

Things had changed a lot in the following months of Mrs Shelby's death. Sarah and Ada had become much closer despite the age gap, as had John and Sarah. Polly had turned from their close fun aunt to their mother figure and Cain spent even more of his time with the Shelby family if that was even possible. Tommy, however, had changed the most. The kindness behind his eyes seemed to have gone darker, his playful jokes now came across as cocky, the problem was whenever Sarah tried to talk to him about it, he shut her down. After a while she separated herself from him, which ultimately caused a row between herself and Cain, who saw her actions as selfish, they didn't speak for a few days before eventually coming up with a form of resolution, which was to keep her romantic feelings for Tommy separate to Cain's friendship with Tommy. One day Sarah decided to join her brother at the Garrison, she joined the men and her father in the snug as they all got pissed. It was a busy evening that night and Sarah watched as Mr Shelby had been and gone with multiple women, making Sarah shake her head at him with disgust. His behaviour didn't surprise her, but what did was when Tommy put his arm around her and pulled her body close to his

"We friends now then, eh?" She asked dryly.

Tommy let out a small laugh "Sarah, we haven't been friends for a long time."

Sarah rose her eyebrow at him, uncertain on which way this conversation was going to go "OK." She said, she could tell he was drunk when he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek.

"Look, I'll meet you tomorrow? We can talk about everything." He said, giving her a kind smile, one she hadn't seen since his mother had died.

Sarah nodded at him, "Sober?"

"Sober." He agreed, she placed a peck on his cheek, close to his mouth, so that he'd understand her actions.

Sarah waited at their canal for hours the next day before snapping and storming straight to the Garrison, she walked in to find him buying some girls drinks, she felt tears well up in her eyes and rushed out before anyone in the pub saw her,

"Careful love! Wait... Sarah?" Typical, she'd ran straight into John, he sighed before offering her his arm and taking her for a walk through the cobbled streets of Small Heath as she confessed everything to him."Sarah, he's scared and being an asshole, and I'd love to be there for you, but honestly. I'm fucking wasted right now!" He moaned.

Sarah glared at him before erupting with laughter, John was too drunk to understand why she found him so funny, but he decided to go with it and started laughing as well, once she'd managed to stop laughing She placed a kiss on his cheek, he touched his cheek in confusion.

"You're a good friend, John. Even if you don't remember it in the morning."

They both laughed again before John playfully put his arms around her waist, "Hey, I can be an amazing friend if you want." He jokingly flirted with her, Sarah rolled her eyes and pushed him

"Shut up, Come on, walk me home, John boy." She said as she pulled him behind her.

Unbeknownst to both of them, Tommy had walked out the pub at the exact moment that she had kissed him, he heard the rest of their conversation but was too drunk to realise that they were both messing around, he took a final drag of his cigarette before going back in and taking one of the women home with him.