𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 • 𝙟𝙤𝙝𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙗𝙮

• 5 •

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Birthdays were good. There was nothing to worry about besides the cake, and everyone was in a good mood. 

And there was nothing better than Gerald's birthday.

"Five already; where the fuck did the time go?" Arthur asked with a hearty laugh while he looked down at Gerald with admiration.

"Don't curse around him, Arthur, he's still at an impressionable age," Linda scolded, tightly gripping his arm.

Gerald's birthday meant everyone came up from Birmingham, and it was the only day they were happy to make the journey. 

The kids, including Gerald's friends from school, ran out to the garden while the adults stayed indoors. This was the first year that his friends had been invited for his birthday, along with their parents.

"There seems to be a bit of a divide," I heard Polly comment from behind me as I piled up some of the presents. 

Turning around to face her, I frowned. "What do you mean?" 

She moved to stand beside me and we both leaned against the table while she spoke. "Between us and them."

I looked around to see what she meant. The parents of Gerald's friends were stood to one side of the room, talking between themselves, while my brothers and sisters in law stood on the other side. 

"Poor John doesn't know what to do with himself," She laughed while we watched John go from talking to Clark Lowell to telling Arthur off for pouring himself yet another drink. Polly folded her arms across her stomach, a curious look in her eyes. "You two are the connecting link between us and them. One foot in each world. Soon you'll be fully in London, and you'll forget about Birmingham."

I scoffed, "Impossible. That's where I became who I am."

"Who you were," She corrected, turning her body to face me. "You aren't Alexandra Romero anymore. You've changed. For the better; don't look so scared. That little boy has cleaned you and John up."

"Maybe. But I'm afraid there are some stains that won't wash out." I mumbled, watching out the window as the kids played outside. "Stains that put him in danger."

Polly raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you're not telling me, Alexandra?"

I turned to her and shook my head, trying my best to give her a real smile. "Stains from the old days, I mean. I did a lot of shit back then, Pol. A lot of bad shit."

"Shit washes out," She insisted with a smirk. "Look around, Alexandra. You were given a new job, a new house, a new child, for Christ's sake. You were given a new start; what some people die trying to get. Don't question a miracle."

I missed having Polly's advice on tap, but it only made me more appreciative when she was here. 

"Alex," Tommy suddenly interrupted us, a blank look on his face as he stood before us. "What the fuck is this about a dinner party?"

Snorting, I patted his shoulder. "I may have promised the other parents that you'd be a guest at their dinner party."

His eyes narrowed while Polly snickered from next to me. "Alex-"

"They all really admire the Labour Party; they're big fans," I insisted, tightly gripping his arm and looking up at him with wide eyes. "Please, just say yes."

Tommy glared down at me before sighing and relaxing his face. Without another word, he walked away, but I knew I had gotten what I wanted.

"Haven't seen you convince him like that since you were kids," Polly commented with a reminiscent smile, her eyes glossy with nostalgia. "He was always wrapped around your finger. They all were."