Ch.15 Revelations

The sun had yet to rise when I woke up the next morning. I wanted to make sure that Double and I got a chance to talk before he disappeared again. I slipped off of the top bunk quietly and sat down beside my brother. I tried to wake him up by gently shaking his shoulder but I should have known better. One time back in Virginia he slept through one of the worst storms I had ever been in. I ended up having to pinch him and poke him awake. I don't like being so harsh with my sibling but sometimes you do what you have to do. He gave me the meanest glare the likes of which I hadn't seen since the time I accidentally broke the watch that our dad had given him. I told him to stop looking at me in that way and that he wouldn't be so grumpy if he had gone to bed at a decent hour. I whispered so as not to wake Smudge," You want to finish what you were telling me last night?" He said," Not especially." I gave him the "look" and said," But you are going to tell me right." Finally he gave in and told me the complete story. What he told me earlier was true; he was looking for Mr. Powers. At first he hadn't known that I was in the hospital because he was spending the night over in Brooklyn. The next morning he heard rumors that I had been hurt and was making his way back to Manhattan to check them out. That's when the trouble started. Since the strike most of the newsies were out right broke and that included my brother. He hadn't had dinner the night before or breakfast that morning. The long walk was only increasing his appetite and he got the bright idea to steal something for lunch. Unfortunately, Double is a rotten thief and was caught by the bulls. He was tried in court then put in the Refuge, and that's why he wasn't there to visit me. I sighed in relief for I had secretly feared he hadn't been there because he didn't care enough to. He gave me a funny look and asked what I was sighing about. I reluctantly told him fearing that he would laugh or something. My brother responded by giving me a huge hug and whispering, " Molly, you really thought I would do that to my own twin!?" I must have struck a nerve because he had called me by my old name. Our early morning meeting had come to an end because it was now time for me to get ready for the day. I asked Double if he would help Smudge get cleaned up. Grudgingly he agreed to do as I asked. I left him to take a shower.
The only part of being a newsie that I didn't like was having to wear the same dirty grubby clothes day in and day out. The other newsies at least had something different to sleep in. I hadn't earned any money since the strike and I gave in to the fact that I was doomed to wear the same dirty ragged dress until it was over. I am not a vain person but I do like to be clean. I slipped into my dress and put on my boots. To complete the newsie look I wore the hat I had stolen a couple nights ago. When I was finished dressing I heard Kloppman coming up the stairs. I passed him on the way down to the front desk and gave him a cheery hello. The world seemed a bit better today. It took almost forty-five minutes for my brother to get both of them cleaned up. I was afraid that there wouldn't be anything left for Smudge to eat. They came down the stairs last, Smudge burst away from Double and attached himself to me. It was like having a Siamese twin. Together we walked to the where the nuns served the free food. I gave Smudge my piece of bread and had coffee for breakfast. The little kid wouldn't leave my side and I had no idea what to do with him. We sat down some steps nearby and watched the other newsies mess around. There really wasn't much to do in the mornings now that we had stopped selling papers. An idea popped into my head as I sat there. I remembered when I first met Smudge and promised him that I would try to find him a new family. Since I there was nothing else to do now was as good a time as any. I leaned over to ask his opinion," Smudge, you wanna go looking for parents today? We could find you a new mommy." He shrieked," NO!" His wrapped his arms around me. " I want ta stay with you." This worried me because I couldn't care for a four-year-old properly after all I was only fifteen. I hoped that he would warm up to the idea later and was just scared because of all the changes in his life. I ruffled his hair and told him not to worry; we would just find something else to do today. I realized that my brother had gone off again and told myself that one-day I would have to convince him to take me along. It had to be more interesting than watching the newsies play fight in the streets. Copper joined us and we sat there not talking for several minutes. I thanked him for helping out during the fight the day before. I made up my mind to be nicer to him, because he had come to see me at the hospital. He turned and flashed me a bright smile. Then at that particular moment my stomach did something it had never done before. It felt like a thousand jumping beans had invaded my stomach. I blushed which was also not a thing I do very often. Suddenly just sitting by this boy was making me extremely nervous. I picked up Smudge and walked away from Copper. I stole a quick glance back at him and the look on his face was quite discomforting. It was one of sad confusion.