𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃
chapter 2

Polly walked into Tommy's office, sitting down. He cleared his throat. "Polly, these are the files of Micheal, Florence and Anna Gray." he began, placing the files onto the desk. "As you can see two are white, one is black." He continued.

Polly nodded slowly.

"What you saw in your dreams about Anna, was right," he told her. "One of your daughters is dead." He referred to the dreams Polly had been having as of late.

She nodded, pushing back the tears in her eyes. If Polly Gray was one thing, it was strong.

He placed the files in front of her but she shook her head. "You read it, i can't do it." Polly whispered. Tommy picked it up again. "After Anna was taken from you, she was put with a family of a railway stationmaster in Stafford. She never settled, so she kept running away. Got on the train to Birmingham once. Eventually they sent her to Australia, where she died of something called Spring Fever."

Polly kneeled beside the globe, spinning it around.

"So my little Anna, traveled all across the world to be with me in my dreams.." she whispered. "She came all by herself. Well, that's one train they couldn't get her off."

Tommy cleared his throat. "But Pol, Micheal and Florence are alive."

Polly covered her mouth, letting out a laugh. "They're in England, i know where they live, i went there. But Pol..."

"And?" She interrupted eagerly.

"Okay Polly listen to me, just listen to me please. Pol, the woman that he calls mother will never let him come here—"

"Just tell me where they are, Tommy." She demanded.

"Polly if you go there, and you get mad, and she gets mad and she calls the Police, they will never let you anywhere near them and they will get scared. That's what'll happen Pol." He explained harshly.

Polly turned around, grabbing a gun from her bag. "Just tell me where they are Thomas."

"Polly. Pulling a gun, is why i can't tell you." he sat down. "Pol i'm sorry but you're gonna have to wait till he's 18 and old enough to make his own decision. And hope he brings his sister with him, and if he doesn't, then you'll have to wait till she's old enough too."

Polly shook her head, a singly tear spilling. "Wait?!" she shouted, storming round to him. "You tell me where they are!" she shouted, pressing the gun to his head. Tommy sighed.

"If you shoot me you'll never know."

She fired the gun into the roof and stormed away from the office.

-

Florence held onto Michael's sleeve as they waited in the train station. "Are you sure you still want to come?" he asked. She nodded quickly. "I'm sure." He watched as their train pulled into the platform. "Come on then—" he said, picking up both their bags and following her into the train.

"What if she's not a nice person?" Florence asked, sitting down.

"I'm sure if she's wasn't nice, that man wouldn't have went out of his way to help us and her." he assured her, pushing the bags under the seat.

Florence leaned against the window, closing her eyes, imagining what her real mother was going to look like. Micheal kept his eyes on her as she slept, looking away every so often. After a while, he noticed the slight chill in the air and took his coat from around his shoulders to drape over her small frame.

Micheal never imagined to be on a train to Small Heath of all places. And definitely not to meet his mother.

-

"Take that!" Arthur shouted, handing out bottles of whiskey. "Here you are Lizzie, let me get you a light, there you are darling." he said, lighting the dark girls cigarette.

Tommy raised a glass at his brother, smiling.

"Look at the place, Tom." he said. "Are you all right?" Tommy asked. "The busier we are, the faster the time passes." he nodded.
"Yeah? Arthur, Tokyo is fuel for races, eh. You've seen a doped horse after a race,"

"Oh yeah—" Arthur nodded. "Grand openings and race days only, brother." Tommy pointed, walking away. He greeted people and his eyes landed on his youngest brother Finn. "Finn." he shouted. "Give me that!" he said, snatching the glass of whiskey from the boys hand. "Keep him off the whiskey John."

John and Isaiah laughed, pushing the young boy jokingly.

Polly stood at the bar, laughing loudly as the alcohol rushed through her. "Ada! I didn't know you were coming—" her attention diverted to her niece who had walked through the door, her little boy in her arms.

"Hello Aunt Polly," she smiled. Esme, Johns wife approached, offering to take the baby, Karl, from Ada. Ada thanked her.

"Oh Ada why don't you think about coming home?" she asked. "Hello, Ada." Tommy interrupted. Polly stopped talking and looked at him before walking off with a smug look on her face.

"Tommy.." his sister nodded. "What do you think, eh?" he asked, referring to the newly decorated pub. "It's very..um," Ada looked around with a hum escaping her mouth.
"Gold?" he finished her sentence. "Yeah." she laughed. "Hello Ada—" John stood, embracing the girl. "Hello trouble, how you doing?"

"Hey Arthur look who it is—" John shouted.

"So what do you want me to say to her?" she asked Tommy. "Just talk to her, nobody can get through to her. Tell her i have no choice."

Ada nodded. "I appreciate this." Tommy told her. Ada joined her eldest brother, hugging him before moving to Polly. "Polly, why don't you come join us?" she suggested.

Polly danced along to the music, ignoring her. "What?" Ada asked.

"I'm not an idiot, he asked you to come didn't he." she said. Ada looked away, sipping her drink. "I don't want conversation, i want an address and until i have that, i have got nothin to say."

All Polly wanted was to meet the children she once held as little baby's. She wanted to see how much they had grown and speak to them about anything she could.