The Red King and the Witch

Mrs. Grey

Adaption, one word that I would use to describe the craziness that is life and what you need in order to survive it.

When my parents passed, I moved from Ireland, to Puerto Rico and seven months in Mexico, then New York and finally Chicago.

Not only did I have to adapt to life without my parents but a whole new state, new school, new family, new everything.

My life had turned completely upside down and I had to adjust to a whole new way of living, all without the two most important people I needed in my life.

In the army, adaptation was how I got through some of the craziest shit I experienced.

As a combat nurse, situations took a turn for the worse at any given moment, and staying calm and focused was needed not only for my sanity but for the patient to survive.

Adjusting to new changes was not new to me, but adapting to life in the 1920's would prove to be my biggest challenge yet.

After Tommy had left, I laid in bed staring at the ceiling of the room. I'd been planning on keeping my end of the bargain by staying out of sight and hidden.

I had overheard parts of the conversation between Tommy and his Aunt, a majority had been muffled by the walls of the house but I'd heard some raised voices and I knew I was in for a hell of a time with her.

Once I heard a door slam, I decided to tidy up, starting with the bed.

I was fluffing a pillow when saw Tommy pull up in an antique car from the window, and noticed he had changed.

I stood behind the lace curtain wondering who he could be meeting for business at seven in the morning.

"JOHN!"

He called out for a man after slamming the car door and pulled out another cigarette and began talking to another man with a similar cap as his.

I couldn't hear what was said but I watched as the man passed a bottle to him, Tommy took a whiff and then began to pour the liquid on the ground, tossing the bottle when he was finished.

Another man then exited a house across the street still buttoning his pants, as Tommy climbed in the car and the other two with him.

I couldn't help the smile that came to my face as the man in the front seat stood up and began shouting at the top of his lungs, as Tommy began to drive off.

"RIGHT! THE PEAKY BLINDERS ARE GOING ON FUCKING HOLIDAY!"

I watched as Tommy drove off and returned to making the bed.

Once I had finished, I tried to tidy up as much as I could, then sat at the small vanity table trying to make myself look presentable.

My hair had small tangles, nothing that finger combing couldn't manage but there was no hiding the bruise or stitches on my face.

I was at a lost of what to do now, I had searched the room while tidying up and still had no idea where my own clothes were and I wasn't about to snoop in the closet while his aunt was downstairs, the last thing I needed was for her to wander upstairs and find me snooping through things that didn't belong to me.

So I decided to just lay back in bed and resigned myself to waiting until his aunt came up to the room, since that's what Tommy said would happen.

Some time while watching the sun come up through the window, I had fallen back asleep.

I hadn't dreamt when I slept with Tommy, and without him, booze, or my meds, my nightmares returned with a vengeance.

I was surrounded by chaos, men shouting orders, guns firing all rounds and returning fire, the insurgents had a missile and were blowing up shit every few minutes and it wasn't stopping.