As the casket lowered into the ground, many of the newsies cried openly. Their beloved leader was gone forever and none of them had been able to say goodbye. Jack Kelly was found dead in a dumpster behind the very place he had known as home for the past ten years of his life. His face was pale, but his shirt was covered with the dark maroon color of blood from the seven stabs of death that had knocked him down.
Two of his fellow newsies had found him after being assigned to throw away the Lodging House's garbage of the day. Racetrack would never forget the twisted figure that lay under the stench of decaying garbage. And Jabber, the newest newsie admitted to the gang, surely wouldn't either. He was nine years old and had only been with the gang for a month, but had already looked up to Jack as a hero. Later that day, after the body had been taken away and all the newsies were in mourning, Jabber would only sit and stare. And a few days before the funeral, he disappeared.
Now, each of the newsies were dressed in their finest, but darkest clothes to say a proper farewell to the body of their most beloved friend. Some of them could imagine Jack saying "What are ya guys doin' all dressed up fer me? Ya should be out dere carryin' da bannah! Life's short, live it up while ya all still gots da chance!"
Life was short indeed. Especially for their dear friend who had just turned 18. Who many could remember as the one playing sword fights with the little guys after selling all his papers. Who still had his childhood dream of moving to Santa Fe and becoming a cowboy that now would never be fulfilled.
As the pastor gave his speech he thought to himself I have never seen so many young people at a funeral service. This boy must have touched their hearts to have them all wanting to say goodbye. Touched their hearts, Jack did. When he was still alive. Now, with his departure it tore apart those hearts that he had once touched so dearly.
Each of the boys had most likely already experienced the pain of losing a loved one and Jack's death just added another burden of sorrow to carry on their already heavy shoulders. They all reacted differently. Mush could barely hold himself up, he was so stricken with grief as he tried not to sob. Kid Blink put a reassuring arm around his shoulder as he wiped away the silent tears that streamed down his own cheeks. Spot Conlon simply stood alone, many of his good friends were afraid to comfort him. He stared at the coffin with his blue-grey eyes, and even he could feel tears building up in them, though he would never let them fall. Crutchy leaned on his crutch for support as he cried silently for his lost friend that had always been there for him and treated him like an equal even with his physical weakness.
The entire Jacobs family was at the funeral. Sarah sobbed for her first love even though they had broken up months ago. David's tears were silent ones, but Les sobbed openly into his older brother's shirt and David put his arms around him for comfort. Esther Jacobs had tears in her eyes for the kind boy that she had often treated to supper and who had been a good friend to her children. Mayer Jacobs embraced his wife and daughter, but did not cry himself though he felt deep sadness. Jack had been almost like another son to him.
Racetrack bit his trembling lip, he thought he had shed all of his tears when he had found his best friend's mangled body, but new ones were threatening to spill over. Next to him stood old Mr. Kloppman, who had known Jack longer than any of the boys, all of the Manhattan newsies were like sons to him, but Jack was even more so. Pie Eater did his best to comfort Dutchy who was crying softly, but trying not to let anyone know. Swifty held onto his girl, Elizabeth, who he had been dating for almost 3 months. Although she hadn't known Jack very well, she cried more than Swifty who held back most of his tears. Snoddy often wiped his face with his sleeve, so no one would notice him cry while Snitch simply stood next to him in shock and held back the water in his eyes. Boots kept looking back and forth from the casket to Snipeshooter as tears streamed down his cheeks. He didn't want to be alone, but he didn't want to look like a coward so he stood by himself. Snipeshooter desperately tried to hold back his sobs, he hated crying in front of his older "brothers" as he most often refered to them, but he was failing and he buried his face in Skittery's shirt who was one of his closest friends. Skittery himself had tears in his eyes, but he held them back and held onto Snipeshooter with one hand while his other hand played with the rope he had tied around his neck. Specs stood behind them, removing his glasses every once in a while to wipe the tears from his eyes while Bumlets strang an arm around his shoulder. Jake and Itey each cried softly to themselves as they watched their friend disappear into the ground forever. Nothing would ever be the same for the newsies. They had lost their leader, but more importantly they lost a friend.
Eventually they would regain their confidence. Eventually they would learn again how to laugh and joke like they always used to. But they were afraid. And a few of them would need something more than simply time to get over the loss of their friend. They needed each other and maybe a little extra help from something that they had yet to discover. They each needed their own little angel to help them get through the pain. What they didn't know was that the angels were closer than they appeared. And that in time they would come...
***************
This series was inspired by the song "If God Will Send His Angels" preformed by U2. It is from the City of Angels soundtrack. The lyrics are below...
If God Will Send His Angels
Nobody else here baby
No one here to blame
No one to point the finger
It's just you and me and the rain
It's the blind leading the blond
It's the stuff, it's the stuff of country songs
If God will send his angels
And if God will send a sign
And if God will send his angels
Would everything be alright?
God has got his phone off the hook, babe
Would he even pick up if he could ?
It's been a while since we saw that child
Hanging 'round this neighbourhood
You see his mother dealing in a doorway
See Father Christmas with a begging bowl
Jesus sister's eyes are a blister
The High Street never looked so low
It's the blind leading the blond
It's the cops collecting for the cons
If God will send his angels
And if God will send a sign
Well if God will send his angels
Where do we go
Jesus never let me down
You know Jesus used to show me the score
Then they put Jesus in show business
Now it's hard to get in the door
It's the stuff, it's the stuff of country songs
But I guess it is something to go on
So where is the hope and where is the faith
And the love...what's that you say to me
Does love...light up your Christmas Tree
The next minute you're blowing a fuse
And the cartoon network turns into the news
If God will send his angels
I sure could use them here right now
Well if God would send his angels
And I don't have to know how
And I don't need to know why
And I don't want to promise
'Cause I don't want to lie
I just want to need you
Tonight...
~ U2 ~