Buttons McCain: Turning Seven

Means Growing up

By Morning Glory

Buttons McCain is turning seven, when you grow up things changes. Girls still have cooties, but sometimes you have to make a sacrifice.

Samuel "Buttons" McCain was the six going on seven years old full name, often he went just by Sam or Buttons. Much like the way Jack sometimes went by Cowboy. In fact Jack was the one who nicknamed the small boy with the sandy blonde curly hair- Buttons. To Sam Jack was amazing. He looked up to him in every way; even saw some of Jack's bad habits. Though there was always another newsie around to correct that behavior. Jack would sometime mention how Buttons would be the next leader of the Manhattan Lodging House, someday that was of course. Sam was happy to hear Jack say such things about him, it would boost his confidence.

Today was a special day for Buttons McCain, today he became a big boy. He was turning seven and there was not a single person in the whole place who did not know it. He slid himself out from under one of the bunks in the Newsboy's Lodging House, proudly holding a small sack over flowing with buttons, that had either been given to him or he found. Sam was proud of his button collection. He loved the fact that when another newsie older than him needed a button for a shirt or something else he was there to save the day. It made him feel special. He also found that he could use the buttons to get things he wanted, trading them with other kids his age. Such as the wooden play sword that was resting against the side of his bunk that he picked up in his free hand.

Taking his beloved buttons Sam headed down to the lobby of the lodging house to wait for his friend, or some one to return so he could tell them all about how he was turning seven today. Sam may not have known much about his past, but it was more than others. Sam knew his full name and birth date when he came to the lodging house a year and a half ago. However, he had been too young to remember anything about his parents, besides it did not seem like it bothered him much. Sam was well liked by a lot of the people in the lodging house, he was never alone, and never felt that way.

Skipping across the lobby, carefully as not to spill or drop a button on the floor, he rested the sack on the front desk, "Heya Kloppman!" He said cheerfully, "Guess what?" Sam let the sack go and the buttons spilled onto the desk.

Kloppman peered over the top of his glasses at the buttons lying on his front desk now, and then towards Buttons himself, "Well I dunno Sam, I couldn't begin to guess." The old man played a long with the tiny boy.

"I'm turning seven today! It's my birthday!" Sam proclaimed with the excitement of a thousand seven year old boys. Sam would officially consider himself seven tonight at the party they were having.

"Oh so it is. Well I happen to have something right here for you, the rest you'll have to wait for." Kloppman acted as if he just remembered when in all honesty he had known for quite some time. Sam had been counting down for the last five days. The old man shakily reached under the desk and pulled out a large glass jar, "I thought that you might be able to use this for your buttons."

It was no news that the boys and girls of the lodging house did not have a lot of money, so any little gift from any one was greatly appreciated; even a glass jar such as the one Kloppman had just presented Buttons. His eyes went wide with delight as Kloppman slid the jar over to him, it was right at eye level, "Wow, I can have that?" He wanted to make sure.

"Of course it's your birthday gift, Happy Birthday Sam." Kloppman smiled kindly.

Sam slid the jar closer to him taking it off of the counter. He dumped what was in the sack quickly in, and then swiped everything that was on the counter in next. Sam held the jar up and spun it around looking at all the colors of his buttons displayed in the clear glass jar. He smiled cheerfully, "There's plenty of room for new ones. Thanks Kloppman!"

"You're welcome." Kloppman said. He watched as Buttons placed the lid on the jar and tucked it under his arm. Grabbing his play sword he bounced out of the lodging house to meet up with Les.

Sam set his jar carefully down on the steps, pushing it into the corner so no one would knock it over. He sat a few steps down waiting for Les to show up, they were going to play pirates today, and now Buttons has the prefect thing to pretend was treasure.

"Wait here." Les told a petite girl with blonde hair in tight ringlets. She was dressed in a clean pale blue dress, with a lot of frills. On top of her head sat a perfectly placed hat that matched the dress she was wearing.

Buttons looked over towards the two when he heard Les' voice, he was eleven making him just four years older than Buttons, "Heya Les!" Sam waved his sword in the air.

"Hey Sam." Les jogged up to the small boy, "Happy Birthday." Les pulled out a small pouch that contained marbles, "It's from me, Davey, and Sarah. It was my idea."

Sam opened the top and examined the marbles inside; there were some real nice shooters in there, "Thanks Les! Ya ready ta play pirates?" He asked pocketing the marbles. He noticed that Les look back at the clean pressed girl, "Who's that?"

"Um..well that's Amiee Lynn." Les' cheeks turned a slight shade of red when he spoke about the girl.

"She's a girl." Sam wrinkled his nose, as far as he knew girls had cooties.

"I know she's a girl." Les turned back towards Buttons now, "She's my girlfriend. We're going to get a soda."

"Why?" Sam asked Les utterly confused on why he would want to take a girl to get a soda when he could play pirates with him.

"It's something you do when you get older." Les said with a shrug of his shoulders, "I'll be back later though for the party." He assured him.

Sam's shoulders slumped, "Yeah." He answered taking in what Les said about girls. It was something you did when you got older. Sam was older, maybe he needed a girlfriend. He thought about it a little. There was Sky, but she was too young, she was only six. Plus she lived in the Battery, which was too far of a walk for a girlfriend. However Buttons had just thought about Rally, she was eight and mature. Sam watched Les trot back over to his girlfriend offering his arm. Buttons rolled his eyes and turned sorrowfully back towards the lodging house, dragging his play sword behind him it clacked up the steps. Sam grabbed his most prized treasure bringing back inside of the lodging house.

He continued to drag the sword up the stairs to the bunkroom; it clanked on each step and scraped against the floor. Buttons tucked the jar between the post of his bunk and the dresser next to it; he was not in the mood to show it off. His best friend has just turned him down for a girl.

Rally returned from selling, she shouted down the stairs as she walked up to the bunkroom, to one of the other newsie who she had been selling with. Rally walked into the bunkroom with a huge grin on her face, "Heya Sammy." She called out skipping over towards him. Rally was of Italian decent; she had olive skin and dark black hair the curled at the ends. Her eyes were a chocolate brown. As far as eight year olds went she was pretty cute.

"Heya Rally." Buttons made a face, still upset over Les.

"What's the matter? It's your birthday you're supposed to be happy." Rally said to him sitting down next to Sam. She placed her arm around his shoulders.

"Les wouldn't play with me today; he's got a girlfriend now." Once again Buttons rolled his eyes at the notion of a girlfriend; however he knew he needed to get one. It was something you did when you got older.

"Oh." Rally was sympathetic to Sam's problem.

Sam shifted nervously in his spot not looking up at Rally. He wiped his sweaty palms against his pants, "You…you uh…" Sam pulled on the collar of his shirt, "You wouldn't wanna be my girlfriend would ya?" He looked up hopefully at Rally.

Rally was surprised that Sam would ask her that, "Do we have to kiss and be all mushy gushy like the older newsies do?" Rally wrinkled her nose; she needed to know the terms of this relationship before entering.

"Ew no!" Sam jumped a little moving a couple inches from Rally. There was no way he was going to kiss a girl. He remembered that he saw Jack kissing Stress one time, it looked gross, "We could maybe hold hands-- yeah just hold hands." He made sure that was all they were going to do.

"Okay." Rally did not take long to think it over, but it sounded good to her.

"Really?" Buttons just wanted to make sure she was not joking with him about it.

"Yeah, why not?" Ral shrugged, "Oh I almost forgot!" She jumped up off the bunk reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a shiny button holding it out to him, "The lady at the market said it was made of seashells."

Sam carefully took the button from Rally's hand and smiled brightly, it was the best birthday gift he had gotten so far, "Thanks Rally." He flipped it over in his hand inspecting it carefully. He reached over to his dresser and pulled out some string looping it through the holes in the button. Sam slipped it around his neck, much in the fashion that Spot wore his key.

"Looks good." Rally beamed as Buttons wore her gift around his neck.

"Wanna play pirates?" Sam asked Rally he picked up Snipeshooter's sword and offered it to her. Rally nodded taking the wooden sword from his hands.

For the rest of the afternoon Rally and Sam played pirates in the bunkroom, jumping off of the bunks using them as a ship. The looted and plundered until the older newsies came back. Once every one had returned to the bunkroom they turned the lobby into a makeshift place to have a small party. It was not anything fancy, hand made streamers hung from the ceiling and walls. Jack had scrounged up enough money from the others to buy three red balloons for the party. Shoe and Locket had baked a chocolate cake for the party as well. Race (on his harmonica) and a couple of the others played music on their makeshift instruments. Rally and Sam even shared several dances. Les and Davey even showed up as well.

It had turned out to be a good seventh birthday for Buttons, he was another year older. He got a few gifts a pair of laces for his boots, a couple more buttons (not nearly as nice as the one Rally had gotten him), a sling shot from Brooklyn, and various other knickknacks. It had been a party not just for him, but for every one else to just kick back and relax something everyone needed to do now and then.

Growing up as a newsie in Manhattan, he had many years ahead of him to grow and learn. For now girls still had cooties, but they were not as bad as he thought. Jack would continue to be his role model and Buttons would aspire to be just like him.