𝐌𝐘 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 ᵖᵉᵃᵏʸ ᵇˡⁱⁿᵈᵉʳˢ

𝟎𝟑, very gold

III.
1921

   
    Between the three Gray's, they got about six hours sleep in total the night before the long awaited Grand Re-opening. Maggie had gotten home in the early hours of the morning finding her daughter knocked out on the couch.

Upon coming home, Polly greeted her numbly, with a bottle of gin in her hand, "she's been only fallen asleep a half hour ago. Up all night." The young woman looked from her mother to her daughter drunkly, not really processing what she was being told.

She stared at her daughter, her curls falling over her pale face. Carissa took after her dad with her blonde locks. The young girl looked more like her father than her mother and it worried Polly sometimes. If Maggie was in the wrong headspace at the wrong time, her aggression and grief may be taken out on the little Cara.

Maggie stood still admiring how peaceful she looked asleep. She had been told on may occasions that she had to cherish these moments.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of a bottle hitting the cabinet near her. Her mother now stood in front of her with a harsh glare, "Where have you been?" She asked slowly, making sure her drunk daughter kept her attention on her and the question.

"Out." Maggie muttered, matching her mother's look.

"Out." Pol scoffed, "Out where?" She was still mindful of the sleeping child near by.

"God mum, I'm not a bloody kid anymore, I can't go out when I want without needing your permission."

"No, you are not a kid, you're an adult... which means you have responsibilities. abandoning her, your kid, for someone else to look after is not the right thing. Adults have responsibilities, she is your responsibility."

"I'm not abandoning her, I'm just-" Maggie stammered on her words as she tried to stand tall and remain calm, "I'm just having a break."

Polly scoffed again, "every night is a bloody break. You need to step up, don't want your daughter to remember you like this." Her mum looked her up and down in disgust, "Now go to bed before you wake your daughter up."

Maggie held her stare with her mother before making her to her room. Passing the bottle of gin from before, she snatched it. Polly watched her and wished her Maggie would change for her the little girl that, for once, slept soundly.

If she was in her new house tonight — like she had planned—, Carissa would have been in an empty house.

She heard her daughter fall into her bed and soon heard her cries. Her sobs would stop every few moments, for the change to take a sip of the booze. Polly collapsed in the old armchair across from her granddaughter. Her heart broke for the girl and her mother.

Polly watched as Carissa snored quietly. She saw the resemblance between Maggie and the young girl but it was clear she took after her dad the most. Although all people saw was her dad's features first, Polly had seen her mother's features — Carissa's great-grandmother — in her early on.

As bad as it sounded, Polly ignored her daughter's almost quiet sobs. What could she do, she'd just be shut out. She focused on the young girl, hoping she didn't wake up to the sound of her mother weeping in her bedroom.

She was sick of Maggie not prioritising her daughter.

Now Polly Gray was sat, eyes closed, thinking of her conversation with Tommy. He found her children, or Micheal, but he had confirmed her dream. Her youngest daughter was gone. All these years, Anna tried to get back to her but there were too many obstacles.