The Next Morning
The snow had stopped falling in the middle of the night and the streets began to clear up. Jessica opened the coat closet to get a hat as a chill still filled the air. The whole family was going to see her mom today. She hadn't been to her grave in a while. When she left America, she was a broken girl. She had just lost her mother and her father thought it was best to move across the world to a foreign place. He claimed it was for them to start over, but she knew it was to protect her from whatever had taken her mothers life. She was closed off for a very long time. She didn't speak to many people when she moved. The night she met Michael, she had gotten into a fight with Travis because he was moving back and she had to stay and didn't think it was fair. But then she met Michael. Both not having mom's in a sense. She was able to open up and talk about her. She was able to feel whole again. "You ready?" taken out of her thoughts Michael behind her. She turned and smiled thinking about how much he has helped her. She nodded her head and grabbed his hand. The family headed out to the cemetery.
As they walked the streets of New York, Michael noticed many people stopping to nod their heads and hat to the family. "Good Morning Mr. Swavorksi." "Good Morning Janik." "Good Morning Travis." "Good Morning Swavorski's." Constant good morning's from everyone they came in contact with. The old, the poor, the rich. Everyone knew who they were. Janik and family always responding back kindly even not knowing who the person was. The breeze rang through and Michael pulled Jess closer to him to keep her warm. They approached the gate to the cemetery. "Good Morning Mr. Swavorski," the groundsman said at the gate as he opened it. "Ms. Swavorski has recently had a good trim and new flowers placed. I am hoping they last for a little through this cold" the man offered a small smile. "Thank you Brian. We appreciate it," Janik spoke for the family. They all walked towards the center of the cemetery. Two headstones. One there for Janik to be buried next to his wife. The other read, Judy Swavorski, Amazing Wife and Mother, Niezapomniany. Jessica took her hands and traced over the letters. "What does that mean?" Michael questioned. She looked at him, "Never forgotten."
Jessica and Michael sat on the bench in front of her mother's headstone. Everyone else had gone home to prepare dinner, but Jessica wanted a little more time. Flurries of snow fell on their face. Her head lay on Michael's shoulder. She broke the silence, "I cant wait to go home." Michael looked at her puzzled. He thought she was much happy here being with her family despite the circumstances. "This has been a nice break being with my family, but I want to get back to being with just you." She squeezed his hand, "We haven't had much us time and I miss that." Michael put his hand on her face and she closed her eyes. She turned and looked to the headstone. "My mother loved this time of year. Being here in the city with the snow." She was feeling nostalgic. Her father made sure she never forgot who her mother was. All the things she did with the kids, all the holidays, and all the kisses goodnight. Janik would tell her bedtime stories of memories with her to make sure she never forgot her mother. She smiled, "What do you think she would think of me today?" She nudged Michael, "I'm with a Peaky Blinder and I am the lawyer for the Shelby Co. Crazy where life has taken me." Michael laughed, "I am sure she would be proud of whatever you ended up doing in life." Michael shifted and fixed his collar sitting up tall. He raised his eyebrows, "I mean i am sure she would think you couldn't do any better than me." Jessica shook her head laughing. She sat there just absorbing everything around her. They would be leaving tomorrow and she wasn't sure when she would be back next.
Michael, Jessica, Janik, Polly, Travis, and Marie had gotten back to Birmingham a few days ago. Tommy told them to take a few days off before going back into the office. They were all just grateful Janik was healthy and wanted him to help Travis and Marie settle in before Travis would have to start learning. By Janik's request, he told Tommy his feelings about him being sick and wanting to have Travis shadow what was going on here incase something happened to him. Tommy agreed and understood knowing he fully was doing the same thing with his younger family members like Finn and Michael. Today was the first day back at work. Jessica was confused. Things were off and weird with Michael. She first noticed when she got to the office in the morning. She had went to drop off paperwork to Tommy and him and Michael had been having a conversation. When she walked in they got completely silent and stopped the conversation and she brushed it off as if it were business she wasn't supposed to know about. Then it happened again with Polly. They too had been talking and she walked in and yet again the two stopped the conversation. She had a headache and decided to go home early since they were having dinner with everyone at the house. Everyone seemed to be hiding something and she was over it. She walked out without saying a word. When the door to Shelby and Co. closed Michael peaked his head out of his office. Polly and Tommy too. "Do you think she knows?" He questioned. Polly took a puff of her cigarette, "I don't think she knows. But I think she knows something is going on." Michael started to pace. "Don't be nervous. It'll all work out," Tommy said with a hand on his shoulder.
7:00 Swavorski Estate, the Shelby family pulled up to the Swavorski estate for dinner. Janik wanted everyone to meet Travis before he brought him into the business. Janik opened the door and said hi to everyone. "She's upstairs getting ready if you want to go see her," Janik said to Michael with a wink. Michael went up the stairs to Jess's room. Knock Knock. "Mae I am almost ready," he heard. He opened the door slowly to see her sitting at her vanity looking into the mirror. She brushed back a piece of hair and looked up hearing the door open. A smile immediately went to her face. Michael walked over and dropped a kiss on her cheek. "Are you done acting weird?" she questioned. His palms started to get sweaty. "I don't know what you're talking about," she was standing facing him now with a look of anger on her face. "Michael I am not dumb, today at work every time I walked in the room you would stop talking it was as if you were trying to hide something." She was about to continue to argue when Mae walked in. "Miss Swavorki, Mr. Gray, dinner is ready." Jessica nodded towards Mae. "We will talk about this later," she turned to Michael and began to walk out of her room.
Jessica was quiet most of dinner. She looked down at her plate and had been pushing the food from side to side. She was frustrated. Michael was hiding something from her. Is this what he felt when he found out she had been the new lawyer for Shelby and Co. when she had hid this from him? Did he not trust her? She was feeling a moment of sadness. All she wanted to do was come home to be with him and the first thing he does is act like this. Michael sat there watching Jessica push her food around her plate. It was her favorite meal and she wasn't even eating it. Michael knew she was feeling like crap. He didn't think this would be happening right now. "Michael, Michael." He heard Janik say snapping out of his gaze. "What I am sorry." He looked over at Janik. "You wanted to say something you told me." Janik had a huge grin on his face knowing it was the moment. It was time. He stood up. He took a big gulp. "I just wanted to speak tonight to express how thankful and grateful I am for everyone in this room. First and foremost my family. Although I had been gone for quite sometime, you let me in with open arms. To Janik," Michael turned to him. "You've treated me like I was one of your own sons." Jessica sat there thinking what the hell is going on. Michael never makes speeches at dinner. He turned and looked at Jessica with a hand in his pocket. "And to the love of my life, Jessica Swavorski. There will never be enough words to express what you mean to me." He began to fumble with a little box in his pocket. "I love you and I will always love you. I never want to imagine my life without you." Michael began to bend down on one knee. Jessica sat there in shock not knowing what was going on. Michael crouched down on one knee, pulled out the box from his pocket and opened it showing a beautiful engagement ring. "Jessica, will you marry me?" ...