━━𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 [𝐓.𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐁𝐘]

𝘪𝘹. -𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘧

𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫

𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

♕

𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴

Birmingham
Small Heath, 1919

The morning had started dishearteningly. It had been a few days since the races, and Dawn could still feel the tingle of humiliation tickling at her stomach as she tried to keep the black tea down.

The walk to work was the same, except this time she mixed right in with everyone's gloomy expressions, with no smile painting her lips when she reached the florist, and no Polly to take down casted Theo off her hands. Perhaps she shouldn't take Tommy's mistakes out the older woman but she was pissed, and would rather have her son in her eyesight then letting him spend a day around the Shelby's.

Which led them to where they were now. Theo sprawled out in the back room, a book forced into his hands by Dawn in encouragement to get him to learn how to read. While the young woman sat next to him also confused at the English words written out in the kids picture book.

The bell in the shop door rung out, a grunt leaving her, they hadn't had any customers all day and although it was her pay check Dawn was hoping not to greet anyone other then her son and her bed back home.

"One minute!" She shouted out after a momentarily hesitation, if she ignored them long enough perhaps they would leave. But at the end of the day this was her job and it was a no doubt that she needed the money.

Gently pushing Theo off of her lap and placing him into the the space next to her, she sent him a firm nod to the book, a silent demand for him to carry on reading. Sweeping herself from the floor, gripping onto the table for support, for her ribs and spine still sent a dull ache through her body. She backed out the room, facing away from whoever disturbed her peace. Closing the thick dusty curtain which separated the two rooms.

Pivoting on her heel she was met with the sight of a bouquet of flowers on the counter, and a hand pushing a cluster of coins along with it.

She didn't have to look at who the hand belonged to before she was turning around to the way she came.

"I'm sorry."

The husky Birmingham accent cut through air which made Dawn stop in her tracks, clenching her jaw and facing the man again. His peaky cap was off and stuffed into his jacket pocket, letting her see view to his whole face, an understanding between the two with the man showcasing his vulnerability in that moment.