"Hey Jes! Over here!"
I looked around and Spot was waving me over."What's up, Spot?"
"Dis is da new
newsie," he explained, "Spits is 'er name."
I gave her a quizzical
look.
"I always could spit
farder den all da boys back in Jersey City."
"I'll let you twos get ta know each otha." Spot left and went across the room to Jack.
"New Joisey, huh?"
"Yeah me an' me
brudda lived dere…he. died a while ago…"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I
got a brudda.Jack Kelly, eva hoid of 'im?"
"Yeah, Spot's been
tellin me all about 'im.Say, dat's a pretty necklace. Is it a
locket?"
"Thanks. Yeah Spot
got it for me for me boithday."
"Got any pichas in
it?"
"Yeah, just one 'a'
Jack." I opened the locket and showed her the picture.
"You twos don't
look a lot alike." I felt like I had t be honest with her. After
wall she was the only other girl newsie, and I didn't need to start
off our friendship with a lie.
"Yeah well…you
promise you won't tell nobody?"
"Cross me heart."
"I lowered my voice
to a whisper, "Me and Jack…we ain't really brudda an'
sista.Youse only da thoid poison ta know. So, don't tell nobody."
"Don't worry. I'll
take it to da grave."
"You're a pal."
"Yeah, us goils gotta
stick togetta.Since dere's only two of us."
"I'm glad I gotta
goil ta count on," I laughed," Oh, Spits, you should meet
Medda.She's over in Manhattan, she own dis hall and she let's
come in for free and watch her shows. She's so nice."
"Well, sometime I pop
ova ta Manhattan an' we can go ta a show togetta. Oh I got dis
really pretty dress you should come up and I'll show it to ya."
"Ok, let's go."
We ran up the stairs and into the boy's room.
"Damn, and though the
boy's at my lodgin' house were messy."
"Oh, dis is cleaned
up fer dem."There were clothes and towels and dirty bed clothes
strung out all over the place…not to mention it smelled like dirty
boys.
"Spits, I feel bad fa
you."
"Don't worry 'bout
it."
She slept in a room like mine though her's was more towards the front. She had her own little bathroom in her's too.
"Aww…I don't
gotta bathroom in mine. No fair." I complained looking around the
bathroom as Spits dug around in a trunk.
"Here it is, ain't
pretty?"
"Oh wow. It's
beautiful." I was green and had short slightly puffed sleeves.
"I gotta blue dress
for me boithday. It kinda looks like yours. You should come over and
see it sometime. Hey I'm gonna go downstairs an' get a drink."
"I'll come with
you."
We went back downstairs and Spits ran off somewhere as I headed towards the kitchen to get something to drink. From behind the door I heard someone talking. I could tell it was Jack.
"I wanna go ta Santa
Fe, but I don't wanna leave Jes behind…I don't think she'd
wanna leave anyway."
"Jack, if ya wanna
go, just tell 'er. I bet she won't care as long as you don't go
for good."
"What if I just left
one day. You know it'd be like, rippin' off a band aid. Just
leave real fast, no questions asked."
"Oh, my God." I
said out loud by accident.
"Hey! Who's dat?"
"Shit…" I ran out
the door of the lodging house. I ran around the docks and sat
dangling my feet on the edge. I can't believe he was thinking about
just packing up and leaving me behind. So this is what Race
talking about that one time. About me holding Jack back form Santa
Fe. I heard him say it a couple times but I never really understood
what he meant. After fifteen minutes I heard another pair of feet
thump onto the wooden dock.
"Jes…" Jack sat
down next to me and flung n arm over my shoulder.
"So you are just
gonna pack up an' leave me? After 6 years togeta? After all da
stuff we've been through togetta? Youse is just gonna pack up all
ya stuff and move out west?"
"Jes, listen..-"
"I isn't bidden to
yaw or nut tin' am I Jack?
"No what makes ya
think youse is weighin' me down?" I just looked up at him and
burst into tears.
"I'm sorry, Jes. I
didn't know dies would hurt so bad.
"It's just day, you
mean da woild ta me Jack.I dunno what woulda happened ta me if you
didn't take me in. I'd prob'ly be in my grave right now."
"You know I love you,
Jes. Nothin' is eva gonna change dat."
"Thanks Jack. I love
ya."
"I love ya too. Now,
let's get back to dat party."
"Wait, Jack, no more
talk about Santa Fe for a while?"
"Nope, none." We
stood up and hugged and went back to the lodging house.
It was late but we didn't care. It was Saturday night and we only sold on Sundays if we really really needed the money.
A/n- so this
isn't the angsty one I was talking about in the last chapter…that
one is coming up soon though. Sorry this one couldn't be longer,
I've got family over and my mom demands that I socialize.Also I know it ends in kind of a weird spot agin,lol.
