Tommy's Rose

Chapter 36: Yes!

"Do you want some help?" I asked as I slumped in my Father's chair.

My Uncle huffed from the other side of the room. "Prim, please shut up!" Finn grumbled.

Finn and I were sat in my Father's office at the factory; I wanted to help with the bookings but Finn wanted to prove himself as a businessman by doing the bookings by himself and well it wasn't going very well....

I watched Finn scribble out the numbers he had written on the paper and he growled in frustration. Slowly I stood up out of the chair, I tiptoed over to Finn who was sitting with his back to me then I looked over his shoulder at his scribbled.

"You've worked them out wrong," I stated.

Finn shot round, making me jump back. "I'm trying!" He said loudly.

I looked behind him at the paper. "And failing," I mumbled. "All you have to do is ask."

"I have to do it myself!" He told me.

I shrugged. "I won't tell if you don't," I told him.

Everyone in the family was confident and sure of themselves, not everyone was sharp and witted, unfortunately Finn wasn't brilliant with working out numbers and thinking quickly. Finn got annoyed at himself when he couldn't do something and like many people in this family he got angry very quickly too but he had a soft side, a side that made him think twice before he did something he may regret.

I sat next to Finn and I rewrote all his workings out so they were correct, I tried to work quickly before someone walked in so Finn could take the credit.

"How are you doing that?" Finn asked.

"What?" I asked as I continued to write.

"You ain't speaking," He stated. "Like are you counting in your head?"

I glanced at Finn in the corner of my eye. "Yes," I said slowly. "You forget I memorised a map of the country."

"I didn't attend that family meeting," He pointed out.

I wrote down the last few numbers. "Ah yes," I mumbled then I handed Finn the paper.

"Are they right?" He asked.

I pulled a face. "Want to check?" I asked and Finn shook his head. "Didn't think so."

Finn sat at my Father's desk and began putting the papers away into a file so he could take them to Michael who was preparing for a race in Cheltenham. I sat on the edge of the desk as I watched him file the papers correctly-

*BANG*

The room shook as people below us yelled. I watched as Finn ran to the window to look down at the workers below, there was smoke everywhere.

Finn ran over to me and led me out the office door. "Go outside!" He told me.

"No, I'm coming with you!" I told him as I removed my cardigan and tied it around my face.

Finn held my hand tightly as we made our way into the main factory where smoke was pooling from a forge; It's a little cave in the wall where the men use fire to mould metal. Finn and I helped direct people out of the factory, we walked closer to the forge but it wasn't a small hole in the wall anymore, it was a huge hole. As I walked closer I kicked something on the ground, I bent down and picked up a small piece of burnt dynamite.

"Finn, look!" I said loudly as I held up the dynamite.

"Fuck!" Finn stated as he looked at the item in my hand. "Come on let's get out."