MANHATTAN – JUNE 1901
Sarah was seven months pregnant when she and Jack boarded the train for Santa Fe. Friends and family alike had helped them pack, clearing out the flat. Jack and Sarah sold whatever they couldn't take with them, making money for their new life in the west.
The Jacobs' family saw the couple off at the train station, and Kloppman and his wife Ellen came along to say goodbye. Sophie almost wouldn't let Jack go, hugging him for a very long time, as if she'd never see him again.
The night before had been a more casual get-together with former newsies and a few of Sarah's closest friends. Almost all of Jack's crowd from the Refuge was there, save for Grim and Henry, and No Name, of course. Muggs, too, was also absent. Jack wasn't entirely surprised he hadn't shown up, but he was a little concerned when Alexei told him he hadn't seen Muggs in weeks. The den he lived in was messily vacated, as if he'd left in a hurry. No word of where he'd gone or when he'd return. It was very odd, but not entirely unlike him, Jack thought.
The next morning on the train platform was one of the hardest mornings of Jack's life.
After he'd said his heartfelt goodbyes to David and Les, Jack braced himself as Kloppman approached him, already misty-eyed.
"Jack, my boy," Kloppman had said, flinging his arms around Jack as the train whistled behind them. "You will always have a home here. Don't you forget it."
"I'm going to miss you."
Ellen wrapped her arms around Jack, kissing his cheek. "Oh, we're going to miss you, too, honey," she said, trying to keep herself from crying but failing considerably. "Write to us as soon as you get there, okay? Soon you'll be able to call, you know. I've convinced Lawrence to install a telephone."
Jack laughed, shaking his head. "Great. Right as I leave, you guys get a telephone. That ain't fair."
Kloppman rolled his eyes, chuckling along with him.
"I love you so much," Kloppman told him, hugging him once more. "You were such a wonderful boy, and Ellen and I are so proud of the hard-working young man you've become."
Jack patted his right hand lightly on Kloppman's back, hardly touching him. With the teasingly arrogant tone they occasionally used to thank one another for extravagant and silly praises. But Kloppman didn't want him to think he was being facetious. Kloppman had meant it with all his soul. He reached up and took Jack's face in both his hands and looked him in the eye.
"I'm serious, Jack. We love you so much. You are a good person, and Ellen and I are delighted to have raised you."
Jack averted his gaze, blushing, and mumbled his thanks.
"You remember to keep healthy out there. Bathe, wash your hands, and get enough to eat," Ellen reminded Jack as he took Sarah's bag from her so she wouldn't have to carry it. "I hear there are plenty of diseases in the west. Things your New York system won't be used to."
"We'll be fine, Mrs. K," Jack said with a smile. "The fresh air can't be all bad. Practically everyone's healthy out there."
"But I'm worried about Sarah," Ellen said, giving the young woman a hug as best she could over her rounded stomach. "What with her in such a delicate condition. She'll be at greater risk, and so will the baby. That's just how it goes. Trust me, I know."
"Oh, Mrs. Kloppman—" Sarah began with a sigh, but Ellen interrupted.
"Now, don't 'Oh, Mrs. Kloppman' me. If anything should happen to you, I'll come after him," Ellen said, poking Jack in the chest.
Mrs. Jacobs pulled out her white handkerchief, dabbing at her eyes. "Well, I'm not going to cry."
"Good for you, Mama," Sarah said with a nod.
"I promised your father I wouldn't cry," Mrs. Jacobs went on, her voice quivering. "If you don't believe me, ask your brother, David. I said, 'David, I'm not going to cry when she leaves.'"
Sarah placed a hand lovingly on her mother's shoulder. "And you're a woman of your word, Mama."
Despite this, Mrs. Jacobs began gasping for a breath as sobs overtook her.
The train whistled again.
"Just think about it, Mama. In one day, we'll be in St. Louis, and in two days, we'll be in Santa Fe," Sarah reminded her with a reassuring smile, although she, too, began to weep.
"I can't even fathom it, dear," Mrs. Jacobs said, shaking her head. "It's all going so fast." She laughed a little, blowing her nose into the handkerchief.
"All aboard!" Came a roar from the front of the train.
Jack cleared his throat, looking at Sarah.
"Well," Sarah said, looking at her family solemnly. "I suppose this is goodbye for now."
"Goodbye, Sarah," Mr. Jacobs said, choking over his words as he kissed Sarah's forehead. He shook Jack's hand. "Good luck to you both."
"Write me as soon as you get to Santa Fe," David said, forcing a painful smile.
"I will," Jack promised,
After another round of hugs from all parties, Mrs. Jacobs covered her mouth with a hand and began to walk away, unable to contain her cries.
Once Jack and Sarah got on the train, Jack looked out the window and waved one last time at Ellen and Kloppman.
The train steamed and the wheels turned, bringing forth the rhythmic chug as it began to move.
"Hey, Soph!" Jack yelled to Sophie from the window.
She looked up at him teary-eyed.
"I love you!" Jack called a little softer, giving her a wave.
He smiled sadly as Sophie walked along the platform, breaking into a slow run, following Jack's window.
"I love you, too!" Sophie called after him, her voice breaking at the bittersweet taste.
And then they were gone.