That night I fixed up the house, made dinner, and all while I prepared myself to take on mother in an argument. I knew she wouldn't be keen on the idea of me joining a crowd of boys that could easily try to take advantage me. That's why I came up with a disguise. Since girls my age weren't seen as capable of doing the mind's work like mathematics and science. Instead we were taught how to sow and knit and house work. And especially how to be lady like around men that could possibly be rich and court us. I hated that idea. Our world revolved too much about who has the most stuff and who had the biggest things. I wanted to marry a simpleton with good reachable goals and aspirations. A boy with his heads in a cloud could be trouble and leave a mess if he makes the wrong mistake.
But with the basic knowledge of sowing was going to help my cause, fitting a pair of my father's old clothes to fit me and not look to frumpy. The mistake of not making it fit well enough would cause suspicion. After seeing what Spot wore, he clothes weren't very baggy, but whatever lose clothe there was he had somewhat tucked in his pants. And hopefully I could buy myself some boy's shoes if anyone asked why I was wearing girl's shoes on my first day.
And I didn't wait for mother's approval before setting to work on my disguise. I snipped and sowed faster than I thought I was capable while still being able to do a neat job, and when my mother did get home, I was sitting on the chair cutting the last line of thread.
She smiled tiredly with feathers stuck on her clothing and headed to the kitchen. She turned on the stove to heat the soup I had already made. Yes, I made it early since I knew that if I waited till the last minute I wouldn't have it done in time for her arrival. She plopped on the chair next to me and sighed heavily, seemingly relieved that her day of work was over.
"Good evening mother," I chimed, putting on a pleasant smile on my face to get her in a good mood. She opened one eye with a suspicious glance. I had inherited her deep green Irish eyes, but hers held wit that I still had to earn. After all the years of working in the chicken factory hadn't dulled her mother's wit.
"I'm supposing you are want something with that cheeky little smile of yours Shea," she said, her voice thick with as much suspicion as she had Irish accent, which was another trait she hadn't lost since we moved to Brooklyn. And when she said little sounded like little. I had only a reminisce of our culture's accent, only to be replaced by a little bit of the weird Brooklyn accent.
But I couldn't deny the defeat of her already knowing that I was up to something. I frowned and started to take a different approach than I originally planned.
"I was only thinking about trying to help bring in the income,"
"You're not working. You have to finish schooling,"
"I was thinking just a summer's job that doesn't have a pay check and doesn't have the middle man bossing me around all the time. Something that I can walk around and get paid for,"
"You're not becoming a prostitute either," she droned unhappily.
"For heaven's sake mother! Why would I do that? I don't even have a reason to want to do that myself! I was hoping of joining the Newsies!" I blurted and instantly regretted it.
"You are a woman Shea! Not a street rat with no respect!"
"But I'll make money!"
"You'll be taken advantage of Shea,"
"Nope," I replied and whipped out the outfit I had just fitted for myself. I also explained that I could use a bandage to help flatten my chest, which was pretty flat already, and wear father's top hat to hide my hair, or there was the option of cutting the pieces closest to my neck along with the top hat so I could further the impression of a short haired Irish boy. But mother still looked untrusting.
"Mother look, just let me try. I don't want to be moss on a log this summer, and I can try out this disguise before I go and join the Newsies. If it doesn't work, then I'll come home and resume my duties of a normal girl," I said hoping she'd bargain with me. She looked at me with a glitter in her eye. Mother was never able to pass up a bet. She loved being right and was a hard person to beat. She nodded and explained that she had to be there to witness me stepping out into the street and to make sure if my plan worked. Mother also liked adventures, inside her she was still a little Irish girl dreaming of the adventure. And I'm sure she knew I wanted to do what she wished she had done too.
I smiled and thanked her, hugging her and rushed into the closet to try on my newly tailored outfit. On the shelf I grabbed the top hat, shoved my hair up in the after I was fully dressed and burst out of the closet. Mother looked at my twice and it finally clicked in her brain. She was already losing the bet. I looked in the mirror and spread out my arms to present my reflection to my disguise and giggled. Then I stopped, cleared my throat and laughed a little deeper. If I went deeper it would have been obvious I was faking it, and it wasn't bad for a first try. I turned to mother and beamed. I was going to be a Newsie!
