For the Good of the Family

Interrupted Evening

I'd spent all day today at the Distillery here in Small Heath. The latest batch of Gin, with extra juniper berries in it, still wasn't sweet enough. I wrote two new test recipes and got them started. The more promising of the two uses raspberries alongside the juniper and the other uses a honey base. The starling nest was really becoming a nuisance, there was bird shit all over the gin barrels. Two of my workers had gotten into a fistfight over one of the Garrison Street whores. And to top off the lovely day it was thunder storming.

So here I sat on the ugly brown rug in front of the fire, wrapped in a blanket with a mug of tea and my sewing kit. Next to me I had a pile of damaged clothing belonging to myself, Finn and Tommy. I was slowly repairing a ripped hem on one of my work skirts when someone started pounding on my door. I kept the blanket around me, pulling the gun out of the drawer by the door before opening it.

"Hurry up and let us in Olive!" Isiah Jesus said loudly as he and Finn dragged a man into my house, tossing him down on the sofa. "I thought for sure he was lying about not drinking much whiskey before. Fuck! But he got so piss drunk so fast."

Finn cut in next. "We didn't know where to bring him so I thought here's the best place. I'm not sure where he lives."

I cocked an eyebrow at him, tossing the blanket off and putting my hands on my hips. "You brought a drunk man to my house because you don't know where he lives?"

"He'll be moving in here anyway right? Wedding's the day after tomorrow right?" My brother defended himself.

"Bonnie?" I moved to look over the end of the couch down at the man's head. Sure enough Bonnie Gold was passed out cold in my living room. "Well, carry him upstairs will you? This couch will just give him an itch. Ugly piece of garbage needs to be burned for the rash it gave me yesterday."

Isiah, ever loyal that one, immediately moved to do as I asked. Finn reluctantly crossed to help carry the gypsy boy. I made my way to the kitchen to refill my tea when I heard Finn screech. "It's all over me! Oh GOD! OLIVE!"

"I'm not cleaning up the mess you've all made, he's not my husband yet!" I shouted back. "My stairs better be spotless before you two leave!"

"It stinks! It's fucking everywhere!"— "Oh GOD it's in my shoes!" Isiah and Finn's complaints began to overlap. The young boys gagging as they dragged Bonnie to the guest room. A crash echoed through house. "Shit"—"Fucking hold him"—"No he'll toss on me again"—"You tricked him into drinking"—"You said we couldn't leave him at the Garrison" I could here bits and pieces of their argument as they stomped around.

The slightly slurred words becoming more clear as they moved to the washroom for cleaning supplies. "You owe me new shoes"—"Me? He's gonna be your new brother"—"You poured whiskey in his beer"—"you made him drink Olive's gin"—"your just mad he likes me more"—"your just mad he's marrying my sister and not you"—"he was raised in the woods and he can read"—"he's gonna be higher in the Peaky boys than you"—"you're just mad he can kick the shit out of you"—"he can take you too, you've seen him at the gym"

The argument continued as the boys cleaned the vomit from the stairs and stomped into the kitchen area. The shorter of the two, Isaiah taking the lead. "Your man's in the guest room. He'll have a hell of a hangover in the morning Livy, the boys pushed him into drinking more than he wanted."

"No one believed him when he said he don't drink Liv, we were just havin' fun" Finn chimed in, looking absolutely disgusting in his vomit covered grey suit. He kept his eyes down avoiding my gaze.

"Do you boys normally do this? Trick someone into drinking more when they say they've had enough? Why?" I didn't raise my voice, didn't need to. A hard gaze, firm tone and my hands on my hips did all the work necessary.

"No we don't do that"—"We was just messing around"—"He don't even try"—"He got a cap his first day in town"—

I held a hand up to silence them. "You forced Bonnie to drink far too much, because you are jealous of how he got into the Blinders?. Don't make excuses! Yes or no?"

The boys shared a look before replying together. "Yes."

"Tommy, Arthur and I agreed that Bonnie's boxing career was of use to the Blinders. We are running him like a race horse, and as our prized horse he will need the protection given to those that carry a cap full of razor blades. Do you understand?" The question came out much more aggressive than my explanation did.

"Yes ma'am."—"Yea Liv." They spoke at the same time.

"I don't think you do! You just drowned our prized horse in alcohol when he's training for his big race! The both of you will be down at King Maine's gym the minute it opens and explain to him what you did! Then you are to report to the Small Heath Distillery and clean the bird shit from every barrel! I will be checking! If I see a single turd you'll be eating it! Now go home and take a bath you boys stink." This time I did shout at them. I knew that Bonnie didn't drink much, his father had so in the factory after he knocked out Billy Mills. I was filled with anger at my little brother and his friend, two of junior members of the Peaky Blinders for tricking my future husband into being so drunk he passed out at the bar.