BITTER - Michael Gray.

TWENTY ONE.

ONE YEAR LATER - 24th December 1925

♛

"So remind me Miss Communist, why do we have a chauffeur?" Liv teased Ada, in her fur coat and driven car.

"It's your birthday so I'm treating you." She sighed with a laugh.

"True. Very true. 21 years of being alive I do deserve a treat now and then. Who is it first then?" Olivia peered out of the window.

The countryside was strange to her. There were no factories and the air appeared to be clean. The greenery was a bright contrast to the blackened buildings of Small Heath.

"John and Esme. And however many sprogs they've got now." Ada places her hat on her head as the car pulled up to a rural country house.

"All that killing paid off then?" Liv joked.

"Come on you." Ada helped her out of the car and pulled her to the doorway.

A knock on the door called John out of the kitchen. He opened the door to reveal his sister and his best friend dressed to the nines in all their American clothes.

"Fucking 'ell." He mumbled through a toothpick as her hugged both girls at the same time.

"Merry Christmas." Ada beamed and pecked him on the cheek.

"You and all. Happy birthday shithead." John ruffled Olivia's hair as she whined. "Come on."

The living room was a mess. Pictures were wonky, shoes were strewn across the floor and bottles were laying about on tables.

"Thought we'd lost you to the great white way of Broadway." John picked up his glass and sat down in a comfy chair.

"No. This beats Watery Lane, eh John?" Ada straightened up a picture as Olivia kicked some kids shoes out of the way.

"Does it? Take a seat girls I'll grab the kids."

"No need John we aren't stopping. Just dropping presents round for tomorrow. I don't want words today alright, my birthday and Christmas eve." Olivia instructed him.

"We're staying with Polly." Ada announced.

Olivia's stomach flipped at the words. She'd see Michael for the first time in a year. After her brush with death, Ada quickly whisked her off to New York. Liv didn't get to see the boys before she left, Ada wanted her to forget the experience by treating her to the American experience.

She often thought about Michael. If he had a girlfriend yet, what if he was married? Probably not if he still lived with his mother. Did he think about her? Or was he happily with Charlotte now.

"She's in a bad way." John chugged his drink.

"I'll bring her to her senses." Ada confirmed.

"Michael's already tried that." John was skeptical, unsurprisingly.

"I'll get through to her." Olivia bargained.

"You still going to come to the party on New Year's eve?"

"Yeah. Who else is coming?" Ada accepted the request on Olivia's behalf.