A year had passed since the death of Liam O'Riely. His brother Shamus and his wife Elaine had taken in Liam's five children. The tiny apartment had become even tinier since they had moved in. The winter had been hard, Elaine had gotten the flu around Christmas and had never really recovered. More and more of the responsibilities of keeping the family fed and clean fell onto the shoulders of 11 year old Katie. Her brother Shawn had joined their cousin Bryon in selling newspapers for the New York Sun. After the first couple of weeks living together and the expected growing pains Elaine had become a confidant for Katie and was a friend. Shamus was the opposite of Liam in personality and was a bit harder for the children to become use to.
The summer sun was beating down on Katie's back as she watched Mara, Nia and Joseph play in the park. Today was one of the very few days that she had gotten out. Elaine had sent them out saying that Joseph was getting on her last nerve and they all wanted to go play at the park. Katie was looking around thinking her brother might be around, he and Bryon had said that Central Park was a great place to sell. As she sat thinking a boy came up to her.
"Hello Miss youse wanna buy a pape? Only a penny." Katie looked up into the sun. The newsie was maybe a year older than she was and but was probably only an inch or so taller than her. He had a red bandana and was holding out his paper to her.
"No thank you, me brudder and cousin are newsies." The boy's face fell but he quickly brightened.
"That's okay. Ise Jack Kelly, so whose youse brudder maybe Ise know him." The boy smiled.
Katie squinted into the sun, "Shawn and Bryon O'Riely. They both work for the Sun though, your papers are for the World."
"So youse part of the competition." The boy looked angry but quickly broke into a grin when he saw the fear rise in Katie's eyes. "Ise just playing with youse. Ise don't know them though. So what is a goil like youse doing out here?"
"I be watching me little sisters and brother. Me aunt sent us out cause we was giving her a headache." Katie thought then smiled, "Actually only Joseph was giving her a headache, he wanted to go out with Shawn but he wouldn't let him."
"Ise see well I better get back to selling my papes. Nice to meet youse Katie." The boy said as he glanced up and saw another boy with curly brown hair waving at him.
"Same here see you around Jack." Katie watched him go meet his friend. They talked for a second with Jack glancing back over his shoulder momentarily and throwing a smile back at Katie. Katie sat back down and went back to watching her siblings, but her mind was on the newsie, Jack.
He was kinda cute and he acted really nice to her. She wondered if he had a girl but quickly shook that thought out of her head, she didn't even have the time for a boyfriend. She was still lost in thought when a hand was put on her shoulder and she jumped startled.
"What you thinking about so intently, little girl." Katie looked up into the face of Bryon.
"Nothing, you guys are done for the day?" Katie grinned hopefully.
"Yep we was going home when we saw you sitting over here. Any reason you are sitting out here with the kids and not making my dinner?" Bryon teased.
Katie hit him in the arm and stuck out her tongue, "Elaine threw us out as for dinner you can make that for your self."
"Sure little girl." Bryon reached out a hand to help Katie up but soon the hand was around her waist as he picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder. "Hey Shawn I got this one you think she needs a bath?"
Katie kicked her feet and began beating her fists on Bryon's back, "Bryon Robert O'Riely don't you dare." Bryon just laughed, Nia and Mara were protesting in the background, but Katie figured it was out of fear that they would be next rather than out of a desire to help her. Bryon finally lowered her to the ground and rubbed his stomach where some of her kicks had landed, "You know you have some pretty sharp feet girly."
"You shouldn't have done that, boy. Serves you right." Katie said haughtily then took off running toward the apartment.
The children entered the apartment and all noise stopped. Shamus was home. This in and of it self was a bit unusual but what had stopped the children were the tears running down his face. Joseph made the first and walked over to his uncle and climbed up into his lap; slowly reaching up to touch his face. Shamus looked down at his nephew and rested his cheek on his hair.
Everyone stood for what seemed like hours until Bryon cleared his throat, "Da why are you home so early? Where is Mam?"
Shamus lifted up his haunted eyes, "I am home son because of your Mam. She's not coming back boy. Mara can you take your brother and sister up to the roof, I wanna talk to Shawn, Bryon and Katie." Mara nodded and picked up Joseph and then climbed out on to the fire escape to and began going toward the roof.
Shamus waited till they were gone before turning back to the other children. His eyes were hollow, and he looked as if he had aged 10 years before their eyes. "Katie when did you and the babes leave this morning?"
Katie thought for a minute. "Around lunch, Elaine said Joseph was on her last nerve and I should take them to the park."
"I came home early because some policemen came to my job. They had found a body on the ground outside around 3 this afternoon. It was your aunt. They think she jumped from the roof and killed herself."
The reactions among the children were varied, Bryon felt sick, Shawn audibly gasped and Katie felt the tears weal up in her eyes. Shamus had no response to make for the children. "All I ask is that you donna tell the children how Elaine died." All three nodded and then Katie went to retrieve the children from the roof.
Nothing about Elaine's death was said, the wake and funeral passed with out incident, women from the building would whisper about "those poor children" but always seemed to stop when one of them was around. The load of running the house fell firmly onto Katie's small shoulders, the only lightness came from the fact that her sisters could now help in small ways to keep the small apartment clean and little Joey from getting into too much trouble. Shamus wasted away, his heart broken by the loss of his wife. The only one who could make him smile was Joey but as winter approached again, even that was a task.
The children worked hard, Shawn and Bryon sold as many papers as possible. And despite their youthful faces, they both lied and got jobs at the docks loading and unloading fish in an effort to keep the household from starving. Memories of that fine day in the park had long ago faded into dreams, Katie barely remembered the boy with the bandana or his name. Some how the little family made it through the winter.
The summer sun was beating down on Katie's back as she watched Mara, Nia and Joseph play in the park. Today was one of the very few days that she had gotten out. Elaine had sent them out saying that Joseph was getting on her last nerve and they all wanted to go play at the park. Katie was looking around thinking her brother might be around, he and Bryon had said that Central Park was a great place to sell. As she sat thinking a boy came up to her.
"Hello Miss youse wanna buy a pape? Only a penny." Katie looked up into the sun. The newsie was maybe a year older than she was and but was probably only an inch or so taller than her. He had a red bandana and was holding out his paper to her.
"No thank you, me brudder and cousin are newsies." The boy's face fell but he quickly brightened.
"That's okay. Ise Jack Kelly, so whose youse brudder maybe Ise know him." The boy smiled.
Katie squinted into the sun, "Shawn and Bryon O'Riely. They both work for the Sun though, your papers are for the World."
"So youse part of the competition." The boy looked angry but quickly broke into a grin when he saw the fear rise in Katie's eyes. "Ise just playing with youse. Ise don't know them though. So what is a goil like youse doing out here?"
"I be watching me little sisters and brother. Me aunt sent us out cause we was giving her a headache." Katie thought then smiled, "Actually only Joseph was giving her a headache, he wanted to go out with Shawn but he wouldn't let him."
"Ise see well I better get back to selling my papes. Nice to meet youse Katie." The boy said as he glanced up and saw another boy with curly brown hair waving at him.
"Same here see you around Jack." Katie watched him go meet his friend. They talked for a second with Jack glancing back over his shoulder momentarily and throwing a smile back at Katie. Katie sat back down and went back to watching her siblings, but her mind was on the newsie, Jack.
He was kinda cute and he acted really nice to her. She wondered if he had a girl but quickly shook that thought out of her head, she didn't even have the time for a boyfriend. She was still lost in thought when a hand was put on her shoulder and she jumped startled.
"What you thinking about so intently, little girl." Katie looked up into the face of Bryon.
"Nothing, you guys are done for the day?" Katie grinned hopefully.
"Yep we was going home when we saw you sitting over here. Any reason you are sitting out here with the kids and not making my dinner?" Bryon teased.
Katie hit him in the arm and stuck out her tongue, "Elaine threw us out as for dinner you can make that for your self."
"Sure little girl." Bryon reached out a hand to help Katie up but soon the hand was around her waist as he picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder. "Hey Shawn I got this one you think she needs a bath?"
Katie kicked her feet and began beating her fists on Bryon's back, "Bryon Robert O'Riely don't you dare." Bryon just laughed, Nia and Mara were protesting in the background, but Katie figured it was out of fear that they would be next rather than out of a desire to help her. Bryon finally lowered her to the ground and rubbed his stomach where some of her kicks had landed, "You know you have some pretty sharp feet girly."
"You shouldn't have done that, boy. Serves you right." Katie said haughtily then took off running toward the apartment.
The children entered the apartment and all noise stopped. Shamus was home. This in and of it self was a bit unusual but what had stopped the children were the tears running down his face. Joseph made the first and walked over to his uncle and climbed up into his lap; slowly reaching up to touch his face. Shamus looked down at his nephew and rested his cheek on his hair.
Everyone stood for what seemed like hours until Bryon cleared his throat, "Da why are you home so early? Where is Mam?"
Shamus lifted up his haunted eyes, "I am home son because of your Mam. She's not coming back boy. Mara can you take your brother and sister up to the roof, I wanna talk to Shawn, Bryon and Katie." Mara nodded and picked up Joseph and then climbed out on to the fire escape to and began going toward the roof.
Shamus waited till they were gone before turning back to the other children. His eyes were hollow, and he looked as if he had aged 10 years before their eyes. "Katie when did you and the babes leave this morning?"
Katie thought for a minute. "Around lunch, Elaine said Joseph was on her last nerve and I should take them to the park."
"I came home early because some policemen came to my job. They had found a body on the ground outside around 3 this afternoon. It was your aunt. They think she jumped from the roof and killed herself."
The reactions among the children were varied, Bryon felt sick, Shawn audibly gasped and Katie felt the tears weal up in her eyes. Shamus had no response to make for the children. "All I ask is that you donna tell the children how Elaine died." All three nodded and then Katie went to retrieve the children from the roof.
Nothing about Elaine's death was said, the wake and funeral passed with out incident, women from the building would whisper about "those poor children" but always seemed to stop when one of them was around. The load of running the house fell firmly onto Katie's small shoulders, the only lightness came from the fact that her sisters could now help in small ways to keep the small apartment clean and little Joey from getting into too much trouble. Shamus wasted away, his heart broken by the loss of his wife. The only one who could make him smile was Joey but as winter approached again, even that was a task.
The children worked hard, Shawn and Bryon sold as many papers as possible. And despite their youthful faces, they both lied and got jobs at the docks loading and unloading fish in an effort to keep the household from starving. Memories of that fine day in the park had long ago faded into dreams, Katie barely remembered the boy with the bandana or his name. Some how the little family made it through the winter.