Chapter 21)Breaking bread.
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"You are selling Precious?"
By now this was the third time she'd repeated that question. And by now he'd made it very obvious that yes, as matter of fact, he was selling his horse, as any horse owner was entitled to.
The utter silence from her behalf spook volumes and for a long time Tommy ignored the tiny bit of guilt jagging into the thing he dared to call a heart.
To ruin her entire day, he also informed her that Curly had healed from his injury and would slowly be taking over their work in the stables by the end of the month.
Ignoring her became his second nature and he turned a deaf ear to her snottering. Instead he checked the young stallion's hooves and tried not to look into his dark spirited eyes. Precious was a wonderful horse, kind and curious of all new wonders his short life brought him. He'd make a fine racehorse and would win his next owner numerous prizes.
Yet, it pained him to sell a foul this young. He brought Precious into the world and bonded with the animal. So had Maria, and the girl was taking his decision hard.
Get to work, he ordered her when he couldn't take her whimpering any longer. She hesitated for a moment, then disappeared into Johnny Jumper's box without saying a word.
Left alone with his thoughts he lit a cigarette and walked outside to clear his head. Their boxing ring in Wolfhamsfort was being sold to Zilpha. It would take some time to clear all the paperwork. Although the betting was illegal, the property was legally bought by the Blinders and therefore needed some mediation with layers and other vultures.
They had two weeks to scrap enough money together and seal the deal with the Chinese. They had one change to show the Red Dragon their high spirit. If they failed to keep their part of the deal, the deal would be off, as would every other deal in the future.
So within the next fourteen days Tommy needed to come up with a plan.
Good thing he was Tommy Shelby after all.
With well trained swift, Polly seemed to appear out of thin air, angered and agitated as he'd expected.
"You're actually selling the Wolfhamsfort, have you lost your head?!" Polly spat at him. He'd cut her out of every deal and business arrangement .That betrayal and disappointment ran along with her fury. "I asked you to be Arthur's right hand, not his mad dog! I told you we would be running our business. You were suppose to come to me so that we can make decisions." Her face darkened with fury although she did her best to hide her heartfelt feelings.
"For Christ sake, you really plan to burn all of our bridges so you can shake hands with the Chinks?"
Exhaling the smoke of his first cigarette he nodded and earned a slap across his cheek.
He'd expected worse and kept his arms stiffly along is body as he turned the other.
Polly's raised hand got stuck mid air, his submissiveness striking her harden then any form of aggression would. Ever since Polly stepped into their lives, she'd been aware of the utter violence their father had used to rule his house and keep his kids and wife in line. Tommy had never so much slipped a word of it. But he knew Ada had told Polly in detail of the harm their father's iron fist caused. Their father once nearly choked the life out of him for bringing home a stray kitten. It had been their secret to keep and he and his siblings had solemnly promised to protect the furry little thing against their father. After two weeks Tibbles escaped from Tommy's wardrobe and unleashed their father's fury. Tommy had been his main target because he'd been the one to bring the animal home and bribe his siblings into keeping their mouths shut. Ada told Polly how Tommy's face first turned red, then purple, then blue when he got repeatedly jammed against the wall and shook by Arthur Sr.'s calloused hands. If Arthur and John hadn't jumped up and down, screaming their throats raw to keep their father from murdering his second son, Tommy most likely would have died.
Being thrown down as a piece of filth he'd gasped for air, his throat thick and bruised badly. He hadn't been able to find the strength to flee the scene. The Shelby children had to watch how their father filled the sink and drowned their kitten. The sound of Tibbles mortified mews, the splashing of water and the utter dead silence that filled their kitchen ran in his ears all throughout his teenage years. The mewing was casted out and replaced by more unnecessary violence; gunshots, dying horses, crying men, and shovels...the bloody shovels.
With his father's cold gaze he stared down aunt Pol who lowered her hand in shame.
He snapped his fingers, a cue for Maria to take on her role as his speaker. The girl bashfully appeared from the box, she must have overheard the smack to his face and clearly didn't want to be in the middle of this.
"I'm not having this conversation with you if you're using this child," Polly threw at Maria through gritted teeth.
Maria seemed to shrink two sizes and was midspin on her heels when Tommy grabbed her elbow and tugged her backwards, agitatedly kicking his foot down on the floor. Hesitant Maria watched his tempered motions and started to speak.
"I...She's staying, I'm not going back to writing every fucking word down or pointing at things like a bloody simpleton. I have a voice, you may not like it, but I do." Maria's cheeks flushed and closed her mouth, unable to look either of them in the eye. Unaware of the compliment he'd given her Tommy cleared his throat and scanned the face of his aunt. Polly was holding back an awful lot but was able to keep her feelings under control. She didn't allow him a glimpse of her thoughts and smiled unhonoured and coldly.
"Fine, if you're feeling more secure with your speaker present we'll have this conversation with six eyes." Her words where a blow below the belt and they both knew it. But Tommy let it be, he'd been backstabbing her from the moment he made up his mind about expanding their business and not informing her.
"I want you to buy a bakery," Maria translated to Polly, "a small one. The bakery at Bethram Road." Baffled Polly stared at him, questioning her ears and probably his sanity.
"You want to own a bakery?" Polly spoke, words completely blank of judgment. "A bakery."
He nodded and Maria filled in the rest. "It'll need a few workers who practice the craft of baking bread." When Polly's mouth dropped to the floor he started to explain his plan.
"We need a place to store a hundred kilo of cocaine and although we own half of all the coppers on the street we can't transport it all at once, now can we? But, a baker can pick up his sacks of flour without ringing any alarms. If we pack the cocaine per ten kilo and carry it across town in flour sacks no-one will bat an eye. No copper will stop and question an honest baker bringing his products to his store. It'll resolve our transportation problem."
When Polly didn't interrupt him and closed her mouth to actually listen to him he continued. "The legal parts of the bakery will sell bread, as a cover up. But let's say we'll also sell another sort of dough. If you cut a bread and fill it up with a little extra we've also resolved a big part of our exportation problem. It'll need an expert on stealth, someone who's good with paperwork. Someone who can stay under the radar yet have a connection to the coppers."
Polly glanced him over, letting all his information sink in. "You want me to run the bakery?"
Humoured, one frown went up and Tommy smirked while Maria filled in. "You're the one paying the coppers their fee, aren't you? Plus if Arthur runs the Bakery there probably won't be any dough left for the paying customers."
"Insanity does run although our family," Polly muttered astounded by her nephews wild plans.
"Perhaps insanity runs this family Pol," Tommy smiled at her warmly and held out his hand.
Hesitant Polly crossed hers but thoughtfully said. "I'll see what I can do. Try not to sell our fucking house in the meantime."
It was as good as their damaged bond would allow them to warm up to each other, so it was good enough for the moment. A truce, a settlement, and a humble step forward in the Shelby's new empire."
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Maria made herself a promise; all wicked and illegal things she would overhear would be firmly stored in the back of her mind. She would not allow herself to question her employer. Or think of the serious consequences all gang related schemes and settlement might have.
She honestly didn't feel obligated to go to any law enforcement and speak of the heinous crimes her employer had in mind.
Her judgement of right and wrong had been altered ever since she moved to Small Heath. And maybe in this damned city there wasn't a right nor wrong. What would be good for her and her family, that was what mattered now.
Making sure the Shelby business was running smoothly, that was what mattered. Being presentable and present as his speaker, that was what mattered. She'd eagerly turn a blind eye to his crimes and keep his secrets safe, in order to keep a roof over her head.
She'd gone to the market, spent some money and time there. Being a part of the loud mass of Small Heath no longer bothered her. What Ada had said was true, a wallflower would be trampled. But being Tommy's personal speaker had earned her a degree of respect and fame.
People knew her, maybe not by name, but they were aware of her purpose. The market vendors didn't try to overprice her and where polite. In return she'd keep her chin up and her back straight.
She felt like she'd earned her place and wondered if this had been God's intention. Taking away all what was good in her life and replacing the safeness of the cornfield for the toughness of the smog. Was it a test? To question her believes and the goodness of Him?
Why would He destroy everything she had and replace it with a feasting lump of corruption inside her stomach? What good could come of it?
Lost in her thoughts she suddenly noticed her two cousins approach her. Her chin-up attitude disappeared as snow for the sun and she quickly lowered her gaze in shame.
They crossed each other without a word. Carl, the oldest, spat at her feet and his younger brother sniggered.
Maria didn't react, felt that she deserved their loathing. In their eyes it was her fault their father spoke with a lisp ever since Tommy burned his tongue.
Probably because of her lack of response her cousins turned on their feet and started to follower her, close enough to be in ears reach.
"I wonder if the carpet matches the drapes." Carl sniggered to his younger brother Steven, referring to her short dyed hair.
"Father says she's a lushfull harlot. She'll go to hell for fornigating with Gypsy scoundrels." Her cousin continued.
Bile started to rise and she could taste it in her mouth. Clutching the handle of her basket she speed up her steps. Just a few more blocks and she'd be home. Then her heart stopped, what if they would follow her home? Then her uncle would know where she lived. That thought alone terrified her beyond words.
"Slut!" Her younger cousin yelled at her. "You're a whore!"
A tiny rock flew right beside her temple and startled she dropped her basket. Howling laughter echoed through the narrow street and she realised she was alone.
Her gained confidence deteriorated and she was pushed out of balance.
She scraped her palms raw on the stones of Small Heath to keep herself from falling face first to the ground. On all fours she could hear the haunting laughter of her cousins and tears from utter helplessness formed in her eyes.
No, she wasn't going to bear this humiliation, she'd enough of that. Although she was outnumbered, she wouldn't allow them to laugh and spit at her. Balling her raw hands into fists she reached inside her basket and jumped up.
Her cousins hadn't expected her stern reaction and froze for a moment. Using their surprise in her advantage Maria turned the lid of the pepperjar and shook some in the palm of her hand.
"Lačhi či tahrin," she muttered. When she worked with the horses she'd overheard Charlie use the phrase to Tommy a few times. She didn't have a clue what it meant and she probably didn't pronounce it right.
Unfamiliar with the Romania language she repeated the phrase again and sprinted forward to her oldest cousin. In one motion she blew a full hand of pepper in his face and pushed him back.
Completely stunned by her action Carl inhaled the powder and fell backwards, down on his arse, in a puddle of mudd. Squinting his eyes to rid himself of the stinging haze of pepper he started sneezing and coughing.
Steven watched his choking and crying brother with horror. "You bewitched him!" he shouted alarmed and took a step away from Maria. "You bewitched him!"
Carl tried to speak but failed and set into another attack of sneezing and gurgled up a mouth full of saliva.
Secretly enjoying the fear she struck, Maria took another step closer, twisting her tongue to repeat the foreign phrase. "Lačhi či tahrin."
Hearing the Romania words Carl crawled back, wiping his eyes to clear his vision and used his younger brother's arms to get back on his feet.
"Witch!" Steven cried out, supporting his brother, "witch!" Limping and sneezing Steven drew back like a dog kicked by its owner.
As David versus Goliath Maria watched her two cousins flee the scene and although her palms burned and her dress was dirty she felt triumphant and victorious.
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A/N: For the readers who hoped Alfie would appear by reading the title. I have to disappoint you, he won't. A) right now there is no logical reason for him to be in the story as I'm following an alternative storyline. And B) I fear that if he'd meet Mute-Tommy he won't be able to ever shut up.
Things are running smoothly, the characters that should be liking each other are getting back at the right foot. MuteTommy is a clever cookie with his plan to open a bakery. And I like that Maria is excelling herself, she needs to in order to be Tommy's speaker.
Leave 'em reviews aye!
Xoxox Nukyster
