Billie Shelby

Part 3

As Tommy walked towards Ada's ,in hopes of finding Billie, he eventually came to the graveyard,the usual short cut to Ada's house.
This particular graveyard happened to be where his mother was laid to rest ,a few years ago,when Tommy was at war.He didn't visit her grave that often,as he knew that Polly would lay flowers down every few weeks to keep it tidy for her,how she liked it.

Him and the family didn't speak of their mothers death as they each knew it would be a conversation that would open Pandora's box of emotions for them all.
As he approached her grave in an unusual act of guilt for not visiting in a while ,he noticed someone else there.
Billie.

She was stood up next to her mothers grave holding a small gathering a flowers she must have picked on the walk there. Tommy stopped and allowed her to carry on,unknowing to her that her older brother was watching.
Tommy watched as Billie knelt down next to their mothers grave and replaced the old dead flowers with the freshly picked ones,he watched as she pulled all the weeds out of the ground surrounding the grave and brushed away any leaves;as the wind blew her hair in all directions and she struggled to control it.
It was now he realised it wasn't Polly who visited the grave every few weeks like he'd thought-it was Billie.
Tommy leant his shoulder against a tree,lighting a cigarette in his mouth and continued to watch his 16 year old sister.His eyes stared at her intensely when he saw Billie reach her hand to her face and wipe her eyes. After about 10 minutes ,Tommy decided he should go over.Despite his previous rage towards her ,he remembered what Arthur had said 'she's just a kid', a kid missing her mum.

As he approached ,Billie had sat herself on the bench next to her mum,not realising that Tommy was approaching as she believed this was the last place he would go.
As Tommy got closer ,she saw him in the corner of her eye throw his cigarette to the ground-she scoffed and quickly moved herself to the very end of the bench-the furthest away from her brother as possible.He realised this but proceeded to sit next to her anyway.

" can we not do this now tom?" She asked in the calmest tone,trying to suppress her current emotion of upset next to her mothers grave.

"So,you're the one who replaces the flowers then?" Tommy said ,changing the topic ,in hope to show his sister he wasn't about to argue in front of their mother.
Billie turned to him with a confused look,furrowing her brow,before returning her gaze back to the newly replaced flowers.

Tommy's P.O.V
She looked at me with a confused look.i watched as she scrunched her eye brows.

However this confused look didn't mask her sadness. I could see the tears in her eyes when she looked at me-an emotion I hadn't seen in her for years. It made me worried.
As she turned her head back onto mum she nodded her head in reply to my question,and raised her hand once again to wipe her eyes before returning it back to her lap where she gripped onto it with her other hand-in comfort.

I've never really known what to do when someone is upset,perhaps it's what I learned from a young age when being around my father,as he never used to comfort me when I cried.
But I moved myself closer to her, placed my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into me. She naturally followed,and wrapped her arms around my waist,leaning into me. I placed my other arm around her and hugged her. In response to this,she inhaled deeply and let out a quiet cry.

We sat  for 5 minutes like that until Billie had calmed down. The whole time I looked onto my mums grave and her new flowers,wondering what she would say in this situation.
Eventually Billie sat up and untangled her arms from around me as did I,and wiped her face,pushing her hair behind her ears.
I studied her face until she looked at me and took a heavy exhale in attempt to calm herself down.
I raised my hand to her face and brushed my thumb on her cheek "what's going on,ay?" I asked her.
"Nothing,I'm just tired" she replied,lying.
"Billie..."
"Tommy please I'm tired." She repeated,staring at her hands in her lap,clasping a tissue.
"Billie please,you need to start talking,so we can sort out whatever it happening up there"I gestured to her head,which she shook in reaction and raised the tissue from her hand to her eyes and nose.

She once again took a deep inhale, standing up and walking over to the gravestone before stopping and placing her hand on top of it,and staying that way for a few seconds. I watched her do this ,and it only added to my concern. Until finally she walked away. Leaving me on the wooden bench with my thoughts.

I let her leave ,knowing that she was heading to Ada's,where Ada would keep an eye on her. But for now I sat and placed a hand over my eyes and pinched the top of my nose before taking a deep inhale myself.

Billie's P.O.V
I left Tommy there,in the graveyard with mum; a place he hadn't been in a while. I didn't want 'to talk' I had nothing to say. I guess today had just got too much and he caught me at a bad moment.
But anyway I continued my way to Ada's hoping that Tom wouldn't follow and instead leave me be. I knew that Arthur or John had told him my whereabouts which only angered me,as Arthur knew I wanted to be alone.
I reached into my pocket a pulled out a small blue bottle. I stopped my self for a second,questioning if I should,still sniffling from my earlier tears.
This was normally only a hobby for Friday nights with friends;I had never had to do it otherwise but I didn't want to turn up at Ada's a mess. So it got the better of me and before I knew it ,the top of the bottle was open and I had done it. Shaking my head immediately after ,and refocusing my eyes in front of me as I carried on towards Ada's home at the top of the street ,wiping my nose ,making sure not to make the same mistake as I did with Tommy this morning.
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I reached Ada's and she welcomed me in with her gorgeous warm smile and I followed her into her front room where Carl was playing,who I went over and gave a kiss "and hello to my favourite nephew" I said to the 9 month old as I poked his nose and he giggled.
I looked over to Ada who was smiling at us ,but paranoia set in and I asked "have you heard from Tommy recently?"
She looked at me confused-
"no, not since I saw you all yesterday at the Garrison-which by the way I was wondering..where did you sneak off too? I didn't see you again after you disappeared"she said with a small laugh.
"um..I just went to meet some friends" which was the truth but I seemed to sound nervous.
"Oh yeah?a boy was it?" She laughed .
I cleared my throat and decided to change the subject -"could I have some tea please Ada?"
"Umm..yeah of course." She said with a confused tone. And she left to go to the kitchen,leaving me to entertain Karl.
" where's Freddie?"I called to Ada.
"At a meeting ,he should be home soon though-" she was interrupted by a knock at the door . Freddie.
"That's him now, let him in"she called out to me.
I left Carl making sure he was occupied and went to let in Freddie. Great.
"Hi fr-"on opening the door ,I saw that it was Tommy. Not Freddie.

I watched him as he threw his cigarette to the pavement and walked in.