No escape from the past (book 1)

Chapter ten

'Mila, are you coming, love?' I hear John ask and I quickly come behind them. We are walking through the streets of Birmingham and the sound of man singing in the Garrison fills our ears.

'What the bloody hell is happening in there, eh?' Arthur asks and we quickly go up to the Garrison. Thomas walks before us and signs that I need to stand next to him, while he opens the door.

'The boy I love is up in the gallery,' we hear the men sing and one woman's voice. 'The boy I love is looking at me.'

People look away the moment we step in and stop singing. Thomas slowly takes of his head and looks at the woman singing before these men.

'Can't you see him standing there,' the woman continues like nothing is going on and I'm standing next to Thomas observing everything. 'Waving his handkerchief. As merry as a robin that sings on the tree.'

Thomas leans against one of the pillars and just looks at the woman. The woman had blond hair and a pointed nose. She wore a white blouse with a long skirt beneath it. Not something you would expect in a bar.

The woman stops singing and looks around nervously. I keep my mouth shut and I see a lot of men looking at me. I take off my hat and the cuts and few bruises on my face are visible.

Harry approaches us and Thomas looks really long at the woman. I do the same, but she gives me something formailar. Not that I have seen before, but her voice and clothing gives me something formailar, that I haven't seen a lot.

'We haven't had singing in here since the war,' Harry says and looks at Thomas. Thomas slowly looks at Harry with a devilish look on his face. Thomas slowly nods and looks at him.

'Why do you think that is, Harry?' Thomas asks and Thomas looks back at the woman. The woman looks at me and then back at Thomas, in fear, but curiosity.

It stays quiet and I look at Thomas. He looks down at me and slowly nods.

'Well, everyone, the show is over,' he says and points at the bar. 'Harry, give us some whiskey, Irish and for the lady some water.'

'Why can't I have whiskey, it's not like I didn't drink it a few hours ago,' I say slowly and Thomas looks at me. 'Fine, yes, water for me please.'

'For the ones who haven't seen this girl before, this is Mila Lavigne,' Thomas shouts and takes a cigarette out of his jacket. 'She is now part of the Shelby family and is my daughter.'

I stay silent and look around. Men look away from me quickly and the woman quickly goes down from the chair she was standing on. She quickly goes back to the bar and Thomas points at a closed door, next to the bar.

He gently pushes me that way and I go inside. We all sit down, well it's only me, John, Arthur and Thomas. A hatch opens behind me and three whiskeys and one water stand there.

John grabs the glasses and places them on the table before us.

'Who was that woman?' I ask and look at Thomas. Thomas shrugs and gives me a cigarette. I lighten mine up and look at the two other brothers. 'I didn't see her yesterday, when I met Harry.'

'Yeah, Tommy, who is this girl,' John asks and closes the hatch. 'She must be new, but a bartender girl, that are some strange types.'

'How would you know?' I mock and take out my cigarette and blow the air out of my mouth. 'It's not like you've met a lot of bartender women, have you?'

'Why do you think?' he asks and I put some ash in the ashtray and I look at John with a smirk on my face.

'Because if you would, you would know that those women are most of the time the ones hardest to get,' I say slowly and Arthur looks at me with an approved look on his face.