A few months had passed since the night Emma threw Manly out, neither boy even could recall his name and the beating they received at the hands of Emma melted in with every other beating. Men had come and gone in the little apartment in New York, but they passed in and out of the lives of Christopher and Andrew like figments of a dream that you can't remember, but you remember having.
This had been one of the rare weeks where there had been no man in Emma's life, at least none that the boys had seen. Emma was around very little, coming in it seemed to make sure the boys were still there and to change her clothes. The boys actually spoke, proving that their voices did work, but they did so only in whispers as if they were afraid that Emma would walk in at any moment.
That night Emma came in with a new man. "Emma youse didn't say youse had two kids."
"Oh Charles they aren't mine exactly. My parents died leaving me to raise the brats."
Charles sneered "Well Ise don't like them ain't there someone else would could take them?"
Emma looked at the boys then an idea struck her, "Well they are big enough to make support themselves as newsies. Both of youse out. Youse no longer welcome here." Emma picked up both boys bodily and threw them out into the hallway. "Youse big boys now, go make something of yourselves."
Both boys sat staring at each other. They were only 6 what kind of jobs could they get? Christopher looked at Andy, "What are wes going to do?"
Andy thought for a moment, "Emma said wes was big enough to be newsies, maybe wes can do that."
"What's a newsie?" Christopher thought it sounded like a good idea, but was still a bit skeptical.
"Ise have no idea, but Ise bet wes gonna find out soon enough."
Both boys gathered themselves together and went down the stairs from their only home out onto the streets of the Bronx. Neither boy had ever left the apartment so all of everything they saw was a new experience. A cold white substance was falling from the sky, and soon both boys were shivering. They wandered up and down streets avoiding anyone they saw. It was dark out and they didn't notice as they crossed gang borders and in and out of different newsie territories.
Finally exhausted they found a small little used doorway to curl up in to sleep the day away. The borough of Queens bustled with life, but no one noticed or cared about the two lost boys asleep in an alleyway. The boys were awake by a cat prowling for rats. It was late afternoon. Chris got out first stretching before he shook Andrew awake.
"Andy come one or wes never gonna find out what newsies are or what they do. Let's get going." Chris prodded and poked at his twin.
"Stop that Ise up okay where's wes gonna go then, if youse so smart." Andy was a bit of a grouch when he woke up and this time was no exception.
They just started walking, avoiding any one who looked mean. An older lady came up as they walked and handed them some money to take home to their mother. Neither boy knew what to say or think but nodded while Chris hid the money in his worn shoe. They wandered Queens as more of the cold wet stuff began to fall. Finally wandering into Brooklyn, which to both boys was scarier and darker than they had ever seen, they began to get tired.
They had stopped shivering long ago and now just clenched their teeth arms wrapped around their stomachs in an effort to keep in some of their body warmth with the rags they were wearing. Their footsteps were dragged and it was all either could do to put one foot in front of the other. Finally neither felt as if they could go a step farther and they both collapsed in the middle of the street.
This had been one of the rare weeks where there had been no man in Emma's life, at least none that the boys had seen. Emma was around very little, coming in it seemed to make sure the boys were still there and to change her clothes. The boys actually spoke, proving that their voices did work, but they did so only in whispers as if they were afraid that Emma would walk in at any moment.
That night Emma came in with a new man. "Emma youse didn't say youse had two kids."
"Oh Charles they aren't mine exactly. My parents died leaving me to raise the brats."
Charles sneered "Well Ise don't like them ain't there someone else would could take them?"
Emma looked at the boys then an idea struck her, "Well they are big enough to make support themselves as newsies. Both of youse out. Youse no longer welcome here." Emma picked up both boys bodily and threw them out into the hallway. "Youse big boys now, go make something of yourselves."
Both boys sat staring at each other. They were only 6 what kind of jobs could they get? Christopher looked at Andy, "What are wes going to do?"
Andy thought for a moment, "Emma said wes was big enough to be newsies, maybe wes can do that."
"What's a newsie?" Christopher thought it sounded like a good idea, but was still a bit skeptical.
"Ise have no idea, but Ise bet wes gonna find out soon enough."
Both boys gathered themselves together and went down the stairs from their only home out onto the streets of the Bronx. Neither boy had ever left the apartment so all of everything they saw was a new experience. A cold white substance was falling from the sky, and soon both boys were shivering. They wandered up and down streets avoiding anyone they saw. It was dark out and they didn't notice as they crossed gang borders and in and out of different newsie territories.
Finally exhausted they found a small little used doorway to curl up in to sleep the day away. The borough of Queens bustled with life, but no one noticed or cared about the two lost boys asleep in an alleyway. The boys were awake by a cat prowling for rats. It was late afternoon. Chris got out first stretching before he shook Andrew awake.
"Andy come one or wes never gonna find out what newsies are or what they do. Let's get going." Chris prodded and poked at his twin.
"Stop that Ise up okay where's wes gonna go then, if youse so smart." Andy was a bit of a grouch when he woke up and this time was no exception.
They just started walking, avoiding any one who looked mean. An older lady came up as they walked and handed them some money to take home to their mother. Neither boy knew what to say or think but nodded while Chris hid the money in his worn shoe. They wandered Queens as more of the cold wet stuff began to fall. Finally wandering into Brooklyn, which to both boys was scarier and darker than they had ever seen, they began to get tired.
They had stopped shivering long ago and now just clenched their teeth arms wrapped around their stomachs in an effort to keep in some of their body warmth with the rags they were wearing. Their footsteps were dragged and it was all either could do to put one foot in front of the other. Finally neither felt as if they could go a step farther and they both collapsed in the middle of the street.