"Natalie." I said pulling at the side of her dress trying to gain her attention. She looked down with a smile that made me sick knowing that she liked that boy. He was okay I guess, I never really gave him much of a chance. Taking my hand she walked down the hallway Alex had disappeared to coming to a halt in front of a room that was as warm as can be. Near the center was a table laden to the point of breaking with food. There were sandwiches and beans, salad and fruit. In the center was a giant pot of chicken noodle soup and hot chocolate for a drink. For dessert there was fresh made cake, white with chocolate frosting.
My eyes lit up at the sight of all this wonderful food and Natalie knew there would be no stopping my three year old body from trying to consume all of it. Alex was already sitting down stuffing his face full of soup and bread stopping only to breathe or take a drink from his mug. Natalie shot him a dagger filled look that said only to clearly 'where are your manners?' Alex sat up straight and began eating like a gentleman instantaneously with fear of getting scolded.
Natalie filled my a bowl of soup and a plate of fruit and vegetables, even though I complained I knew that she knew I would eventually eat them. After getting me settled next to Alex she brought me a mug of cocoa that I gratefully gulped down despite the searing hot pain that it induced into my mouth. Mrs. Richardson smiled and brought me a refill before I even had time to ask.
Mrs. Richardson was a short slightly portly woman with a cheery attitude that made me smile. Her cheeks were rosy and when she smiled she had a dimple on each cheek. She had a button nose and a snow white smile. Her eyes were the prettiest forget-me-not blue and twinkled as she smiled, which was all the time.
"Here you go child, drink up and eat up you three look positively famished." she said as she buzzed around the kitchen finishing the dinner for the rest of the newsies.
"Ma'am if I may ask, what's the occasion for all of this food?" Natalie asked with a questioning look.
"Why dear, you don't know?" Mrs. Richardson asked in surprise. We all looked at her with blank faces indicating that we didn't. "It's Christmas Eve." she said with a joy filled voice.
"Christmas, what's Christmas?"
"Christmas is a time of family and friends; it's a time of love and laughter. A time where you tell all the people you know how much they mean to you. Didn't anybody ever tell you about Christmas?"
"Sorry ma'am but our great aunt Pearl and us never had the money or time to celebrate Christmas." Natalie explained. It's true, great aunt Pearl had worked until she couldn't see anymore then Natalie and Alex had tried getting jobs to support us while I stayed home to care for our aunt. If there was ever a time to celebrate Christmas I'd like to know when and where it was.
"Oh don't be sorry, just think of it as a new tradition for you three."
Natalie nodded her head with her 'sure like that'll happen' face on. She fills her plate and a bowl up and comes to sit by us. We were almost done when a group of fifteen kids filed into the kitchen. At the lead was Frost. All of the kids wore pants that were held together by many patches and hundreds of stitches save for a few daring girls who wore dresses. The ones in pants had on button up shirts, also holey and in need of repair, and suspenders that were on the shoulder instead of hanging around the legs as was more customary to see. Faces were scrubbed clean and hair was combed and lay neatly on the heads of the group. Natalie, Alex and I stared into the warm eyes of the newsies of Harlem.
"Sorry wese late Mrs. Richardson, Ise just wanted ta make shoah dat everyone was clean for da celebrations." Frost said. Looking over to us he quickly corrected his error. "Des guys are me newsies. Fellas, dis is…" he paused, having never actually learning our names.
"Natalie, Alex and Lionel…" Natalie added for him.
Frost smiled and after filling a bowl of soup and sitting next to Natalie he started pointing out newsies and telling us there names. There was Goliath, Jet, Ace, Spade, Kit, Hopper, Shadow, Talcon, Chariot, Heart and many more. By the time Frost was done I had forgotten any name he'd said.
"How do you remember all of their names?" Natalie asked Frost.
"How do ya remember anythin? Youse just gotta get a lot 'a practice." he said finishing up his soup.
"Don't forget to thank Mrs. Richardson for the wonderful food you two." Natalie said as we were finishing clearing our plates. We nodded and bounded off to thank her.
"How do ya do it?"
"What?"
"Take such good care 'a ya brudders?"
"I've had a lot of practice. I've been their mother since the day Lionel was born."
"Oh, Ise sorry."
"Don't be. It worked out for the better I guess."
"Livin' on da streets is for da bettah?"
"Well if I didn't live on the streets I wouldn't have met you now would I?"
