Sunbeam

32) I was naive

Arthur and Kezia walk into the house, surprised to see everyone sat in the kitchen turn to look at them, "what?" Kez asks.

"Tommy has news," Polly says.

"Given the way you're all staring at me, it seems as though you all already know, and are waiting for a reaction," Kezia responds, placing a cigarette between her lips, "out with it then."

"Kez already knows," Theresa states.

"You already know?" John questions.

"Probably, it would help if I got some context though," Kezia replies, taking a drag from her cigarette.

"We just told them we're together," Tommy says, "and they're under the illusion that you'll be pissed."

"Oh yeah, I've known about that for months," Kezia shrugs.

"Wait- Tom and Tess are together? Since when?" Arthur asks.

"I thought you'd be with your father," Polly says.

"He's come to his senses," Kezia responds.

"Your knuckles are red," Beatrice comments.

"It would seem so," Kez shrugs, "have you seen Ada yet today?"

"No, I was about to go," Bea replies.

"So no updates as of yet, okay, I'm off then," Kezia states.

"Where'd you need to go in such a hurry?" Theresa asks, "you just got here."

"Work," Kez states, "any objections?"

"No, you can go," Polly says.

"Lovely," Kezia nods, turning on her heel and walking out the house.

"So you've come to your senses, eh?" Tommy asks, "why are Kez's knuckles bruised? What happened for you to change your mind?"

"I was wrong, I made some mistakes, I should have listened," Arthur says.

"Arthur, we're not idiots, what did he say to Kez? She walks in with bruised knuckles, and now you're out of cahoots with him, he said something to her, she's hit him, and you've finally made a rational decision, what did he say?" Teresa questions.

"Aren't those questions you should ask her?" Arthur deflects.

"She's not here, you are," Tommy states.

"There's unsavoury language that I'm not comfortable repeating," Arthur replies.

"Then say whatever it is you are comfortable repeating," Polly says.

"I'm not comfortable repeating any of it," Arthur says, "if you want to know, I'm sure Kez will tell you."

"For fucks sake, Arthur, just tell us," Teresa states.

Arthur sighs, "he called her a mistake, filthy and unloveable, there was another word used, but I'm not going to say it."

Teresa glances at Bea who bowed her head when unloveable was mentioned, if anything was going to get to Kez, it'd be that, the other words won't have resonated with her, she had no reason to believe them, she'd had no experience with them, but unloveable, that was probably something that struck a nerve.

"I'm going to Kez," Finn says, rushing out of the house.

"Look, you were right about him, I shouldn't have been so naive," Arthur states, "I'm sorry. I know it doesn't change how I acted, that I just... went with him, but I know better now, and I doubt he'll be in the city tomorrow."

"Why?" Tommy asks.

"I actually need to talk to you about that, Tom," Arthur says, "privately."

"Okay," Tommy nods, and the two eldest brothers disappear into the betting den.