Sunbeam

47) Freddies Funeral

"Thank you for letting us stay here," Ada says, gently squeezing her son's hand as Kez and Bea lead them to the spare bedroom.

"You're welcome here any time," Beatrice replies.

"It's a lovely place," Ada smiles, stepping into the bedroom as Kez lifts her bag onto the bed.

Ada turns and hugs Bea, "I'm guessing you were the one who decorated, she has no taste."

"Sure, you're staying in our apartment, I've just hauled your heavy bag from the station, I definitely deserved that," Kezia remarks.

"Oh, you know I love you, you old softie," Ada laughs, embracing her sister, as Karl wraps his arms around Kez's waist.

"Old?" Kezia repeats, "I am not old."

"Yes you are," Karl nods, giggling when Kez lifts him off the floor, throwing him over her shoulder, "I think you should stay up there and re-evaluate your opinion."

"Mumma's old too," Karl says.

"I am not old," Ada gasps.

"Not fun is it," Kezia retorts, spinning around with Karl over her shoulder, before gently throwing him onto the bed, as the boy tries to catch his breath from laughing so hard.

Ada smiles, she hadn't seen Karl giggle so much in weeks, Kez and Bea had been back and forth from London but whenever they were down James would take Karl to the park, so it had been a while since he'd seen his favourite aunties.

-

"Morning," Kezia says, walking into the kitchen where Bea, Ada and Karl were having breakfast she'd made before leaving the house.

"You left early, where've you been?" Bea asks, "also, this food is amazing."

Kezia pulls a bouquet of white lilies from behind her back, handing them to her sister, "I-uh, I wasn't sure on what exactly to say, I know today is going to be tough so I wanted to get it off to a decent start at least."

"Thank you," Ada says, as Kez pulls out some blue hydrangeas for Karl, who claps his hands excitedly as his aunt hands them across the table to him, "thank you, auntie Zia."

Kezia leans down to kiss Bea's temple, "don't think I forgot about you, love," Kez smiles, handing her some pink carnations.

"Well aren't you just the best," Bea laughs.

"I do try," Kezia replies, as Bea pulls out the chair beside her for Kez to sit down on.

"You can stay here as long as you need, or want to, you know that right?" Kezia asks, leaning back in her chair.

Ada nods, "I know, but life in London has become the normal for us now, and I think it'd be best to try and return to normal sooner rather than later."

"So when do you think you'll go back?" Kez queries.

"Tomorrow," Ada states, both Bea and Kez look at her confused before repeating, "tomorrow?"

"I shouldn't stay here any longer than I must, I need to return home, I need to return to my normal," Ada says.

Kezia was trying so hard not to say to her sister that here, Birmingham, was her home. She knew that would only cause an argument neither of them wanted to have today.

"Okay," Kez sighs, her shoulders deflating slightly as Bea's hand moves beneath the table to rest on her thigh, comfortingly caressing Kez's leg with her thumb.

-

"Give him peace, amen," the priest states, bowing his head to the freshly laid soil on top off Freddie's coffin.

In all honesty, Kez had tuned out for most of whatever he'd said, her focus was on Ada who was stood in front of Freddie's communist friends, Karl on her hip, and Bea there for emotional support. Kezia knew Bea was hating being stood with the communists by the way she was fidgeting, but she also knew no matter how uncomfortable it was for Bea, there was nothing that would stop her from standing beside Ada in this moment.

Kezia's attention is diverted momentarily when Tommy who was stood to her left clears his throat and steps forwards, "I promised my friend, Freddie Thorne, that I'd say a few words over his grave if he should pass before me. I made this promise before he became my brother in law; when we were in France, fighting for the king."

"Amen," Arthur chimes in.

"And in the end," Tommy continues, ignoring Arthur's proclamation, "it wasn't war that took Freddie. Pestilence took him. But Freddie passed on his soul and his spirit to a new generation before he was cruelly taken. May he rest in peace."

-

"I'm telling you, she will not move back to Birmingham," Kezia says to Esmé, Tess, John and Arthur, as she takes a drag from her cigarette.

"Why not? Freddie was the reason she moved to London, he's dead, surely she'd come home?" Arthur asks.

"Perhaps don't put it like that at the man's funeral," Esmé says.

Kezia shrugs, "she doesn't view Birmingham as her home anymore, Arthur. Says London is her new normal, and she thinks it better to return to normal sooner rather than later."

"So when is she going back to London?" Tess queries.

"Tomorrow," Kez states.

"You're bloody joking," John scoffs.

"Wish I was, John Boy," Kezia responds, looking over her shoulder to where Ada was speaking to Tommy and Polly, "she's dead set on going back to London."

Scudboat clears his throat as he approaches, "something's happened to the Garrison."

"What's happened at the Garrison?" Arthur questions.

"To the Garrison," Scudboat informs, "a bomb was involved."

"Arthur, go and get Tommy," Kezia says to her oldest brother who nods and sets off in Tommys direction.

"You're not going?" Tess asks.

"I'm not leaving Ada alone at her husband's funeral," Kezia states, "Tommy can deal with this. I'm sure he'll catch me up on it later."

"You reckon it's the cockneys?" Esmé asks, "it's nothing but trouble in London."

"It won't be the cockneys," Kezia shakes her head.

"Then who? Cause as far as I'm aware, they're the only ones we're getting into shit with," John says.

"I don't know who, but I don't reckon it's the cockneys," Kez responds.

Sorry for the long wait, I've been on holiday :)