Chapter 1
3 o'clock in the afternoon on the streets of Manhattan---
The sun rose high above all the buildings and skyscrapers of New York. There wasn't a gray cloud in sight and the wind was bringing in a cool breeze from all different directions.
Jack Kelly was coming down the street, his hands in his pockets. He kicked some stones and watched them fly out into the street. "Ay! Watch where ya's goin'!" he yelled as he bumped into someone. He realized how foolish he must sound since he was the one not watching his walk. He glanced up at the sun and was blinded for a second after facing back toward the street. Again, he ran into someone. Instead though, knowing he wasn't looking, he apologized to the person. He squinted to clear his eyes again so he could see whom he had run into. It was a girl. She had long, dirty blonde hair that went down at least 5 inches past her shoulders. She was wearing a light grey dress and was leaning against a pole beside the street. Her head was down and Jack could tell that he had interrupted her as she was in deep thought.
Without looking up at him, she whispered, "It's OK."
He nodded and peered down, trying to look at her face. He didn't like talking to the air; he wanted to be talking to someone. There's sumpin' about dis goil, Jack thought to himself. He wanted to spark up a conversation. "Are you waitin' fa somebody?" he inquired.
The girl nodded in reply, keeping her head low still. "Do you see anyone who looks as if they might be looking for someone?" she queried.
Jack turned his head left and right. "Nope," he replied. He fiddled with his fingers.
"What about you?" she asked quickly, "Are you waiting for someone?"
Jack shook his head.
After a few seconds, the girl stated, "I hate it when people just leave like that…"
Jack scrunched his face together. "Sorry," he told her, "I forgot youse was lookin' down."
"Wouldn't make much difference," she mumbled.
Jack shrugged, not knowing what she meant. "No," he answered, "I ain't waitin' fa nobody."
They were silent once again. "Are you still there?" the girl inquired with a small voice.
"Yeah," he stated, "do you want me ta leave?"
"No," she told him, "it's not my street."
Suddenly, from behind Jack, a woman came. She was a large woman with dark, brown skin and a wrinkled face. Her hair was obviously a big show-off for the woman, for it was high up on top of her head, strands of it falling out in different places. Her eyes were a deep purplish color and they seemed to look just right for her skin tone. When she walked past Jack she patted the young girl's hair. "You," she told her, "should be waitin' down at the otha' corna'. I thought you had these streets memorized in yer head baby?" She went on without a reply, "Well, no matta', I'm here." She linked arms with the girl and then faced Jack.
"Ay," Jack grinned.
The women nodded a greeting. "Hello. My name is Margaret. This here is Destiny."
"Kelly," Jack began, "Jack Kelly."
"Nice ta meet you Mista' Kelly." Margaret extended her hand out and shook Jack's hand.
"Nice ta meet ya too Destiny," Jack said, extending his own hand out to the girl.
She didn't shake it but replied, "Thanks."
Margaret looked at Jack, a smug grin on his face. "D and I should be getting' on back home shouldn't we?" Before Destiny could reply, Margaret stated, "Perhaps we'll see you again."
Jack nodded and began, "How about…"
Margaret nodded but her and Destiny walked off before he could finish his sentence.
8 o'clock that night; Destiny and Margaret's house---
"So who is this boy you was talkin' to?" Margaret was brushing Destiny's hair on the giant king-size bed that they shared inside the house right on the outskirts of Brooklyn.
Destiny shrugged. "He bumped into me. Then he started to talk."
Margaret jutted her bottom lip out as she tugged at a knot in Destiny's hair. "Oh baby, them boys don't know a thing about you…"
"I don't think he knew I was blind Margie," Destiny inserted.
Margaret stopped brushing the girl's hair. "Now who said I meant…"
"You implied it just a bit." Destiny crossed her legs on the bed and ran her finger through her hair. "What did he look like?" she inquired, her face full of curiosity.
"Well," she began, "He has nice hair."
"Is that all you think about Margie? Hair?" Destiny laughed and turned herself around. She searched for Margie's hand and went up to her head. "You have such lovely hair," she sighed, "Mine is always knotted."
"Oh, but honey, you have thick hair. It's beautiful."
"I wish I knew what blonde was."
Margaret saw the hurt in the girl's blue eyes, which had no life or feeling in them at all. "Let me tell you sumpthin' about that boy," she whispered, "He sure was cute!"
Destiny laughed and flung back around. Margaret finished brushing the knots from the girls' hair and then they both headed off to bed.
8:30 that same night; The Newsboys Lodging House
Jack was telling his friend Racetrack about the girl he had met. "Wow, she sounds like a hot tip," Racetrack told him.
Jack nodded. "Yeah, but I don't tink she was interested. She didn't look up at me. Not once!"
Racetrack noticed the anger and sadness in his friend's voice. "She must be some scabba' if she didn't even look at'cha."
Jack shrugged. "Maybe. I wish I wasn't so dumb around goils…"
Skittery put in from across the room, "Yeah, we all remember how youse acted around Sarah for da longest time!"
Pie Eater, Bumlets, Snotty, and Kid Blink all threw their pillows at him, yelling, "Shut up!"
Jack shook his head to get the memory of Sarah out. "Dat wasn't even right at all," he mumbled, recalling the last time he had seen her:
Sarah had been dressed in a beautifully tailored dress. She had raced up to Jack and had said to him, almost snooty-like, "I'm sorry Jack. I can't see you anymore. It's just too much. You're not open enough and well… you aren't the kind of guy for me." Without another word, she had hopped off and bought a newspaper from a different newsie.
Jack shook his head again. "Der are lots'a goils Jack!" Mush stated from his bed, "Don't go stickin' yaself ta one just yet."
Everyone went to bed, without another word.
READ ON!
3 o'clock in the afternoon on the streets of Manhattan---
The sun rose high above all the buildings and skyscrapers of New York. There wasn't a gray cloud in sight and the wind was bringing in a cool breeze from all different directions.
Jack Kelly was coming down the street, his hands in his pockets. He kicked some stones and watched them fly out into the street. "Ay! Watch where ya's goin'!" he yelled as he bumped into someone. He realized how foolish he must sound since he was the one not watching his walk. He glanced up at the sun and was blinded for a second after facing back toward the street. Again, he ran into someone. Instead though, knowing he wasn't looking, he apologized to the person. He squinted to clear his eyes again so he could see whom he had run into. It was a girl. She had long, dirty blonde hair that went down at least 5 inches past her shoulders. She was wearing a light grey dress and was leaning against a pole beside the street. Her head was down and Jack could tell that he had interrupted her as she was in deep thought.
Without looking up at him, she whispered, "It's OK."
He nodded and peered down, trying to look at her face. He didn't like talking to the air; he wanted to be talking to someone. There's sumpin' about dis goil, Jack thought to himself. He wanted to spark up a conversation. "Are you waitin' fa somebody?" he inquired.
The girl nodded in reply, keeping her head low still. "Do you see anyone who looks as if they might be looking for someone?" she queried.
Jack turned his head left and right. "Nope," he replied. He fiddled with his fingers.
"What about you?" she asked quickly, "Are you waiting for someone?"
Jack shook his head.
After a few seconds, the girl stated, "I hate it when people just leave like that…"
Jack scrunched his face together. "Sorry," he told her, "I forgot youse was lookin' down."
"Wouldn't make much difference," she mumbled.
Jack shrugged, not knowing what she meant. "No," he answered, "I ain't waitin' fa nobody."
They were silent once again. "Are you still there?" the girl inquired with a small voice.
"Yeah," he stated, "do you want me ta leave?"
"No," she told him, "it's not my street."
Suddenly, from behind Jack, a woman came. She was a large woman with dark, brown skin and a wrinkled face. Her hair was obviously a big show-off for the woman, for it was high up on top of her head, strands of it falling out in different places. Her eyes were a deep purplish color and they seemed to look just right for her skin tone. When she walked past Jack she patted the young girl's hair. "You," she told her, "should be waitin' down at the otha' corna'. I thought you had these streets memorized in yer head baby?" She went on without a reply, "Well, no matta', I'm here." She linked arms with the girl and then faced Jack.
"Ay," Jack grinned.
The women nodded a greeting. "Hello. My name is Margaret. This here is Destiny."
"Kelly," Jack began, "Jack Kelly."
"Nice ta meet you Mista' Kelly." Margaret extended her hand out and shook Jack's hand.
"Nice ta meet ya too Destiny," Jack said, extending his own hand out to the girl.
She didn't shake it but replied, "Thanks."
Margaret looked at Jack, a smug grin on his face. "D and I should be getting' on back home shouldn't we?" Before Destiny could reply, Margaret stated, "Perhaps we'll see you again."
Jack nodded and began, "How about…"
Margaret nodded but her and Destiny walked off before he could finish his sentence.
8 o'clock that night; Destiny and Margaret's house---
"So who is this boy you was talkin' to?" Margaret was brushing Destiny's hair on the giant king-size bed that they shared inside the house right on the outskirts of Brooklyn.
Destiny shrugged. "He bumped into me. Then he started to talk."
Margaret jutted her bottom lip out as she tugged at a knot in Destiny's hair. "Oh baby, them boys don't know a thing about you…"
"I don't think he knew I was blind Margie," Destiny inserted.
Margaret stopped brushing the girl's hair. "Now who said I meant…"
"You implied it just a bit." Destiny crossed her legs on the bed and ran her finger through her hair. "What did he look like?" she inquired, her face full of curiosity.
"Well," she began, "He has nice hair."
"Is that all you think about Margie? Hair?" Destiny laughed and turned herself around. She searched for Margie's hand and went up to her head. "You have such lovely hair," she sighed, "Mine is always knotted."
"Oh, but honey, you have thick hair. It's beautiful."
"I wish I knew what blonde was."
Margaret saw the hurt in the girl's blue eyes, which had no life or feeling in them at all. "Let me tell you sumpthin' about that boy," she whispered, "He sure was cute!"
Destiny laughed and flung back around. Margaret finished brushing the knots from the girls' hair and then they both headed off to bed.
8:30 that same night; The Newsboys Lodging House
Jack was telling his friend Racetrack about the girl he had met. "Wow, she sounds like a hot tip," Racetrack told him.
Jack nodded. "Yeah, but I don't tink she was interested. She didn't look up at me. Not once!"
Racetrack noticed the anger and sadness in his friend's voice. "She must be some scabba' if she didn't even look at'cha."
Jack shrugged. "Maybe. I wish I wasn't so dumb around goils…"
Skittery put in from across the room, "Yeah, we all remember how youse acted around Sarah for da longest time!"
Pie Eater, Bumlets, Snotty, and Kid Blink all threw their pillows at him, yelling, "Shut up!"
Jack shook his head to get the memory of Sarah out. "Dat wasn't even right at all," he mumbled, recalling the last time he had seen her:
Sarah had been dressed in a beautifully tailored dress. She had raced up to Jack and had said to him, almost snooty-like, "I'm sorry Jack. I can't see you anymore. It's just too much. You're not open enough and well… you aren't the kind of guy for me." Without another word, she had hopped off and bought a newspaper from a different newsie.
Jack shook his head again. "Der are lots'a goils Jack!" Mush stated from his bed, "Don't go stickin' yaself ta one just yet."
Everyone went to bed, without another word.
READ ON!