Birmingham’s taverns were the last bastions of wishes and wants so I wasn’t surprised to see the Inn on the Green packed with noonday worshippers of the pint. Slowly weaving my way to the bar, I changed course a few times, moved around trouble about to happen, and straightened a few drinkers tilting a little too far south.

“What’ll ya have, mate?”

The bartender was a Brummie; born and raised in Birmingham and I was hoping he’d never set foot outside of the city.

“Newcastle Brown,” I said, imitating my best east end accent.

“You’re new here,” the barman shouted from the taps.

Setting the beer down, the man stood in front of me so long I thought he wanted me to pay for the draft right away. I palmed a two pound coin on the counter. Instead of payment, he was waiting for an answer to his statement.

“I’m lookin’ fur somebudy,” I said, staying close to the truth.

“Who’s that?”

“Me dad. Kenneth Bunney. He comes in here, don’t he?”

“Aye, but I didn’t know he had un almost grown kid. At least wise none he claimed.”

“They was young and he left me mum before I come along. There was a bit of bad blood after that and mum never allowed me to find him. But seeings she’s dead now ‘n me and my older sis need a place to stay ‘n all…” my voice trailed off.

“Bad blood, ya say? I can believe that of Bunney.” He glanced at me. “I’ve not seen him for a while, some months, I don’t know. I see ‘im, I’ll tell ‘im.”

“Thanks, I’m at Barnaby’s off Hazelwood ‘til the money runs out.”

“I know the place.”

I turned to go.

“Kid, how was that root beer you had?”

I didn’t understand until a sheepish grin broke his lips.

“Ya know I can’t serve under eighteens.”

I tried to smile and nodded.

Plant the seed. Usually that was all it took. A story like that should get around the pubs faster than a kid on crutches and make any two hundred pound footballer cry. I could see the newsprint now. That bastard Bunney gets a young girl pregnant and then abandons her. Life shouldn’t be like that. Like it or not, we have responsibilities to them kids.​

​​London Bridge is Falling Down Excerpt 9

​The Hollow Man     |     The Hollow Man Series, International Espionage​

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