A Twist Of Fate
Home front - Jacks
He thought that he would have had to go back to the refuge to get the information that he needed from Crutchy. Jack was fortunately wrong. When Crutchy sent the borscht for the balloons, he learned from Mush, Spot also managed to get a couple of sheets of paper from him. A note, messy as it was was on one of them. Spot delivered some of the borsht and the information. Jack decided he must have been asleep when Spot had come back, he had no idea that he had returned. Jack settled onhis bunk with the info. He sat for a couple minutes reading it.
"This is what I could find." Jack read Crutchys handwritting. "Sorry if you cant read much of it, I had to write fast while old man Snyder was out of the office."
He then put the note next to him and read what Crutchy had written for hin on another piece of paper, what looked like todays paper. Jack briefly wondered if it sold to him by a girl scab. He read quietly. The information he read both shocked and surprised him. He folded the paper and put it in his pocket. He had a overwhelming urge to talk to Lizzie. He got off his bed and walked to the door. Kloppman met him at it.
"Curfew boy." He said.
"I have to go somewhere." He said.
"Sorry, time for shut-eye." He pointed Jack back to his bunk.
"Its really important." Jack replied.
"Theres always the morning."
"The morning may be too late." Jack said. "I'll owe ya one."
"You already owe me tons of 'ones'." Kloppman said. He sighed. "Make it quick, but I never saw ya."
"Right." Jack said running down the stairs. "Thank ya."
Lizzie finished helping her friend Rosie clean up. She got the unfortunate brunt of the weird brown liquid in the balloons. Soon after they got home they decided it was some type of soup.
"Typical. Messy boys." Rosie muttered. "Well if they think this will keep me away from selling da papes then they got another thing tomorrow. Tomorrow we bring umbrellas!"
"Balloons are expensive." Jeannie said. "I doubt they will try again."
"Stupid boys, who needs them anyway." Rosie sang.
"When you think you got them, they just go ahead and stray." Jeannie replied.
"It would make us happy if all them newsies went away." They both sang.
"Oh boys, fah, who needs them anyway." All three voices sang as Lizzie got in on the fun. "Boys, bah, who needs them anyway. Like a boy and they always make you pay. Whats good about them anyway?"
"They smell!" Rosie said.
"And they're mean!" Jeannie said.
"Ah boys who needs them anyway." Rosie and Jeannie finished.
"Yeah, boys." Lizzie thought sadly. "Who needs them anyway."
"We gotta go. Our mom will be mad at us if we're late again." Rosie said.
"Especially since we didnt make any money today." Jeannie agreed.
"I'll see ya tomorrow then." Lizzie waved to them. "Remember, never give up...
"Never surrender!" Jeannie and Rosie laughed as they went down the stairs. Lizzie laughed and closed the door. She turned and saw herself in the mirror. She stared for a minute. It was the first time she saw herself smile for a long time. She liked how she looked. What she didnt like was the growling in her stomach. She hadnt eaten since last night. The borscht in the tub she washed Rosie in was out of the question. She went over to a small box she kept food in by the window. It was suspect to getting robbed by neighborhood cats but it was the only place she could keep her food. Her place was very small, almost like a live-in closet. Lizzie checked the box, it was empty.
"I need food." She said to herself. "Maybe I can get something at that restaurant I saw." Lizzie grabbed a couple of quarters out of her savings and went out the door. She almost ran into someone.
"Sorry." Lizzie said.
"You can say that again." Jack said looking up.
"You." Lizzie said slightly ticked off and slightly pleased to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought we could talk but I see yous on your way out." Jack said.
"To dinner." She said.
"I wish I could have dinner, but I have no money since these girls have taken over my job." Jack snarked back.
"Get over it." Lizzie said. "No one ever said you had to go on strike." She started to go around him. "Now if you excuse me, I want to go get something to eat before I lose my appetite completely."
"Then I suppose you dont want to tell me about your sisters, your brothers..." Jack paused. "And your baby."
Lizzie froze at the top of the stairs. She turned and looked at him. He obviously had an affect. Lizzie had a shocked look on her face.
"How did you know about that? Where did you find that out?" She demanded of him.
Jack took his folded piece of paper out of his pocket. He held it aloft. "I have connections."
"Who?"
"Never mind. You want to tell me what this is about?" Jack said.
"Why?" Lizzie said. "Do you want somethinhg from me?"
"Maybe." Jack said. "Maybe I can see a good girl whos been wronged, and maybe I'm secrely hoping I can change your mind. IF I can change your mind about this whole thing, then maybe you can convince the others to stop. To join us."
"Uh uh." Lizzie said. "What else?"
"I'm also hoping you will treat me to a dinner, and maybe we each listen to each other for a change. All we do is talk at each other. I hope maybe we can finally listen to what the other says."
"I'll consider it. Where did you get that idea anyway?"
"David, he gives me a lot of his good ideas. This is one." Jack said.
"Okay, so we'll eat." Lizzie said.
Lizzie and Jack were at his favorite place to eat, McGinneys. Jack knew it stayed open late in the evening and had very cheap but also very good food. It was filling, and there waas plenty of it in a serving which was a good thing if you had to go without a meal or two. He let you keep a doggy bag. Jack ordered for her. Roast beef. The amount of food on the plate amazed Lizzie. She tried to remind herself to not to eat it all, and to save some for later. She could live like a queen, sort of, for a day on what she could save from the meal.
It was mid meal when Jack decided to pop his big question.
"I suppose you want to know what I want to ask you about now." He said.
"Yes." She said.
"But first, how old are you?"
"Thats kinda my business. I learned in life that a proper boy should never ask a lady her true age or weight." She said. When she noticed that the answer didn't satisfy his curiousity, she sighed. I'll be sixteen tomorrow."
"Young."
"No younger than you." Lizzie said.
"By a year." Jack said. "You don't tell people a whole lot."
"I dont." Lizzie said. "Its to protect myself from the vultures of the
world. From people that would use me to serve their own purposes."
"Isn't that happening with Pulitzer?"
"Thats different." She snapped. "We BOTH benefit."
"I guess I shouldnt be surprised about you not telling much about yourself." Jack sighed. "Otherwise you might have told me about your son."
Lizzies eyes widened. She couldn't speak.
Home front - Jacks
He thought that he would have had to go back to the refuge to get the information that he needed from Crutchy. Jack was fortunately wrong. When Crutchy sent the borscht for the balloons, he learned from Mush, Spot also managed to get a couple of sheets of paper from him. A note, messy as it was was on one of them. Spot delivered some of the borsht and the information. Jack decided he must have been asleep when Spot had come back, he had no idea that he had returned. Jack settled onhis bunk with the info. He sat for a couple minutes reading it.
"This is what I could find." Jack read Crutchys handwritting. "Sorry if you cant read much of it, I had to write fast while old man Snyder was out of the office."
He then put the note next to him and read what Crutchy had written for hin on another piece of paper, what looked like todays paper. Jack briefly wondered if it sold to him by a girl scab. He read quietly. The information he read both shocked and surprised him. He folded the paper and put it in his pocket. He had a overwhelming urge to talk to Lizzie. He got off his bed and walked to the door. Kloppman met him at it.
"Curfew boy." He said.
"I have to go somewhere." He said.
"Sorry, time for shut-eye." He pointed Jack back to his bunk.
"Its really important." Jack replied.
"Theres always the morning."
"The morning may be too late." Jack said. "I'll owe ya one."
"You already owe me tons of 'ones'." Kloppman said. He sighed. "Make it quick, but I never saw ya."
"Right." Jack said running down the stairs. "Thank ya."
Lizzie finished helping her friend Rosie clean up. She got the unfortunate brunt of the weird brown liquid in the balloons. Soon after they got home they decided it was some type of soup.
"Typical. Messy boys." Rosie muttered. "Well if they think this will keep me away from selling da papes then they got another thing tomorrow. Tomorrow we bring umbrellas!"
"Balloons are expensive." Jeannie said. "I doubt they will try again."
"Stupid boys, who needs them anyway." Rosie sang.
"When you think you got them, they just go ahead and stray." Jeannie replied.
"It would make us happy if all them newsies went away." They both sang.
"Oh boys, fah, who needs them anyway." All three voices sang as Lizzie got in on the fun. "Boys, bah, who needs them anyway. Like a boy and they always make you pay. Whats good about them anyway?"
"They smell!" Rosie said.
"And they're mean!" Jeannie said.
"Ah boys who needs them anyway." Rosie and Jeannie finished.
"Yeah, boys." Lizzie thought sadly. "Who needs them anyway."
"We gotta go. Our mom will be mad at us if we're late again." Rosie said.
"Especially since we didnt make any money today." Jeannie agreed.
"I'll see ya tomorrow then." Lizzie waved to them. "Remember, never give up...
"Never surrender!" Jeannie and Rosie laughed as they went down the stairs. Lizzie laughed and closed the door. She turned and saw herself in the mirror. She stared for a minute. It was the first time she saw herself smile for a long time. She liked how she looked. What she didnt like was the growling in her stomach. She hadnt eaten since last night. The borscht in the tub she washed Rosie in was out of the question. She went over to a small box she kept food in by the window. It was suspect to getting robbed by neighborhood cats but it was the only place she could keep her food. Her place was very small, almost like a live-in closet. Lizzie checked the box, it was empty.
"I need food." She said to herself. "Maybe I can get something at that restaurant I saw." Lizzie grabbed a couple of quarters out of her savings and went out the door. She almost ran into someone.
"Sorry." Lizzie said.
"You can say that again." Jack said looking up.
"You." Lizzie said slightly ticked off and slightly pleased to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought we could talk but I see yous on your way out." Jack said.
"To dinner." She said.
"I wish I could have dinner, but I have no money since these girls have taken over my job." Jack snarked back.
"Get over it." Lizzie said. "No one ever said you had to go on strike." She started to go around him. "Now if you excuse me, I want to go get something to eat before I lose my appetite completely."
"Then I suppose you dont want to tell me about your sisters, your brothers..." Jack paused. "And your baby."
Lizzie froze at the top of the stairs. She turned and looked at him. He obviously had an affect. Lizzie had a shocked look on her face.
"How did you know about that? Where did you find that out?" She demanded of him.
Jack took his folded piece of paper out of his pocket. He held it aloft. "I have connections."
"Who?"
"Never mind. You want to tell me what this is about?" Jack said.
"Why?" Lizzie said. "Do you want somethinhg from me?"
"Maybe." Jack said. "Maybe I can see a good girl whos been wronged, and maybe I'm secrely hoping I can change your mind. IF I can change your mind about this whole thing, then maybe you can convince the others to stop. To join us."
"Uh uh." Lizzie said. "What else?"
"I'm also hoping you will treat me to a dinner, and maybe we each listen to each other for a change. All we do is talk at each other. I hope maybe we can finally listen to what the other says."
"I'll consider it. Where did you get that idea anyway?"
"David, he gives me a lot of his good ideas. This is one." Jack said.
"Okay, so we'll eat." Lizzie said.
Lizzie and Jack were at his favorite place to eat, McGinneys. Jack knew it stayed open late in the evening and had very cheap but also very good food. It was filling, and there waas plenty of it in a serving which was a good thing if you had to go without a meal or two. He let you keep a doggy bag. Jack ordered for her. Roast beef. The amount of food on the plate amazed Lizzie. She tried to remind herself to not to eat it all, and to save some for later. She could live like a queen, sort of, for a day on what she could save from the meal.
It was mid meal when Jack decided to pop his big question.
"I suppose you want to know what I want to ask you about now." He said.
"Yes." She said.
"But first, how old are you?"
"Thats kinda my business. I learned in life that a proper boy should never ask a lady her true age or weight." She said. When she noticed that the answer didn't satisfy his curiousity, she sighed. I'll be sixteen tomorrow."
"Young."
"No younger than you." Lizzie said.
"By a year." Jack said. "You don't tell people a whole lot."
"I dont." Lizzie said. "Its to protect myself from the vultures of the
world. From people that would use me to serve their own purposes."
"Isn't that happening with Pulitzer?"
"Thats different." She snapped. "We BOTH benefit."
"I guess I shouldnt be surprised about you not telling much about yourself." Jack sighed. "Otherwise you might have told me about your son."
Lizzies eyes widened. She couldn't speak.