His Sister Orla

04

Four years without being under the wings of Tommy had done Orla some good. She was still the carefree, happy soul that Thomas had left behind, just more mature. She had grown into a young woman. At the age of fifteen, Orla was far more advanced that the girls around her. Orla could decipher wants from needs. She ignored the boys falling at her feet and focused on her education, since none of her other siblings had finished their own. Polly had shaped and molded the girl into a classy, well-respected young woman who would not put up with anyone's nonsense. Polly had always told her that she was far better than to allow herself to wallow among morons with no self respect. Polly had tried to get through to Ada, but she was far too boy crazy to care what her aunt went on about.

Orla hadn't known of her brothers return until the three walked into the house one evening. Orla had been laying on Tommy's bed, which she did often over the past few years. Orla adored her brother. In her eyes, Thomas Shelby hung the moon and the stars. Shimmering under the thin blanket that stayed on her brothers bed, Orla caught a faint whiff of Tommy's scent. She had always remembered him as smelling of smoke and starch, with a hint whiskey. Irish whiskey of course.

Rolling to her side, facing away from the door, the young woman let a single tear slip from her eye. Four years was far too long to be away from her brothers and she didn't think they would ever come back at this rate. Hearing the door creak open, Orla sighed "Finn, please let me be. I don't feel like playing right now".

"Orla Mae, you do have your own bed, ya know" Those words. That voice. No it couldn't be, she thought. Rolling to her side, she peeped through her damp eyelashes. There stood in his uniform, Tommy Shelby stared at his baby sister. He had filled out more than ever. His hair had grown out on top but cut short on the sides. She honestly could not believe her eyes. "If I'm dreaming, God is just mean" Orla laughed as she jumped from the bed and raced across the room. Tommy welcomed her with open arms. His arms wrapped around her completely and he lifted her from the ground spinning. "Oh Tom! You're actually here! Oh my goodness! Where is Arthur and John? Are they downstairs? I have to go see them!" and before he could get a single word in, Tommy watched Orla trample down the stairs in search for her other brothers. Tommy stayed leaned against the door jam staring into his room, the room that had been taken over by Orla. Anything that he had placed had been left alone, apart from long black coat that he was sure Orla had started using once it no longer brushed the floor. Orla had a few books beside the bed and a colorful throw blanket at the foot of his bed. Tommy sauntered across the floor and sat on the bed where Orla had jumped from. She had started using perfume he noticed. It smelled of roses and a hint of vanilla. He had missed so much in four years time. His baby sister had grown into a young woman.

Hearing laughter from the floor below, Tommy made his way down to be with his family. At the bottom of the stairs, Tommy looked around the room at all the smiling faces that had been reconciled. Arthur was sitting beside Ada who was catching him up on the gossip he had missed out on. Arthur would never admit it, but he was truly a schoolgirl at heart. Before the war, he and Ada would sit for hours gossiping like the old women in beauty parlors. They knew who knew what about what.

Finn had dived into the sweets that Tommy brought back on their way to the house and John was trying to steal nibbles from him. John enjoyed teasing the young boy simply because he enjoyed the way Finn looked when he got annoyed. His skin would crinkle up around his eyes as he glared at whoever had upset him, which was usually John, and his lips set in a permanent pout for however long he would last before getting distracted.

Polly had cried once her nephews stepped into the door of the small home. She hadn't heard from any of them in months and was concerned that something terrible had occurred. She prayed for the three young men daily. She had asked God to watch over her nephews and the others from the Garrison. She had prayed they would never be injured or harmed. No one knew that the local men would be returning when they did. In fact, no one knew anything much at all. So when her beautiful nephews walked into their mothers home, she broke into tears. She now was stumbling in the kitchen trying to find something to feed the men that had left all those years ago.

When Tommy scanned the room, his eyes landed on Orla. She sat in a chair in the corner. It was a padded armchair with a high back and a knitted blanked was thrown over the side. This chair was Orla's chair. It always had been, according to Thomas. Her mother would sit in this chair and read to the girl when she was little, and after she died, Tommy took over the role. Orla was doing the same as Thomas... watching. They shared the same soul, Tommy and Orla. Instead of joining in the conversations around the room, the each sat back and enjoyed seeing their loved ones happy.

She was happy, he noticed. Her eyes smiled at the people in the room. Her family brought her joy, and she hadn't seen much of that over the past four years. Even though her aunt had kept her oblivious to the much of the evil, Orla was quick. She could read her environment and knew who to trust. She knew the Birmingham was not the safest or nicest city in the country, but she could see the good around her. She loved the way the sun would make water shimmer off the cobblestone streets after a rain shower and the way flowers would poke through the cracks made her smile on the most draining days. Tommy knew that she appreciated the little things in life, and he knew that she deserved so much more than anyone could give her.

Once Orla made eye contact with her brother, she motioned for Tommy to come to her. He of course did as she wished and once he was standing in front of her, she stood so he could take her seat. Orla then sat beside him on the little bit that he hadn't taken up and leaned into his side. Tommy had missed this. His Orla snuggled into his side, the siblings bickering around them, and Polly swearing gyspy curses on the pots and pans in the kitchen. Family meant the world to Tommy, and boy was he glad to be back.

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I am soo sorry about the wait. I was curious as to how everyone thought about the story. I will have another chapter out hopefully tomorrow! Enjoy!