1

It was a night like any other, though the city never slept, the newsies sure did.

At least almost all the newsies slept.

Jack Kelly was awake. Jack Kelly was almost always awake.

Jack rarely slept anymore.

He made stupid excuses about never going to bed until all the other newsies did. "Got to watch out for my boys!" He'd say with a hearty laugh and a grin. But who ever asked the question would always walk away wondering if they had missed the joke.

Oh well. He was Jack Kelly, The strike leader who took on Pulitzer himself!

If anyone had a right to be a little confusing sometimes, it was Jack.

Jack knew his excuses were lame, and only the younger boys bought them. There just wasn't anything else to say. As he sat on the fire escape of the lodging house, looking out at the Manhattan skyline, he could hear his past excuses roaming through his thoughts.

"Jack why don't you sleep?"

"Cant"

"Why cant ya? Afraid of the dark?"

"No I stay awake to scare the monsters away so that Youse don't hafta be, go to sleep Snipes"

I can't sleep yet Kloppman! Not all the boys are in yet! What if the bulls catch Snoddy because I wasn't awake to let him in? What if Spot Soaks Race for cheatin in a card game? See Klopp? I gotta stay awake until all da boys are back."

"Shut up Blink, Ise standin guard over yer udda eye. Wouldn't want someone to steal it while Youse sleepin wouldya?"

"Why am I still up? I should ask you the same question. You got back pretty late yourself last night"

Jack could never even imagine telling the truth. Only Race knew the truth. And Jack didn't have to tell him, he already knew. Race and Jack had been friends longer than anyone in the lodging house.

Best friends since the age of six, there was nothing about Jack that Race didn't know and Race had no secrets from Jack.

Race knew that Jack didn't sleep and he knew why. He also knew that Jack didn't talk about it.

He knew why Jack wouldn't tell anyone, but still he worried for his friend.

Race sat up in bed and looked out the window. He saw Jack sitting quietly outside, the same as he did every night.

Just thinking, he told the boys when they asked what he was doing. The newsies often caught Jack staring aimlessly into space. He told them he was thinking

The younger boys thought he was dozing off, catching up on the sleep that no one ever saw him get.

To the older boys who he trusted, Jack was more confiding. He told them he was dreaming about Santa Fe, about leaving New York, getting away from the headlines, deadlines and rush of a big city.

That was part of the truth. Though they never discussed it or even mentioned it, Race knew that when Jack sat up late at night he wasn't just thinking.

Race knew Jack was remembering,

Remembering her.