Chapter 2: Adjusting
The next morning when Kloppman came in to get the boys up, Gabriel was already gone from his bed, his wet clothes still in a pile on the floor. Kloppman didn't seem to notice as he whacked boys in the back of their heads, telling them to get up. Of course, they knew he meant no harm.
It wasn't until a few minutes after he had left that Racetrack noticed Gabriel's empty bed, and didn't see him around anywhere. He looked up and saw Crutchy coming from the washroom.
"Hey, Crutch, you'se seen that new guy in the John?" He asked, pulling his pants up over his long johns and buttoning them.
"Uh...Nope, don't think so". Crutchy replied as he hobbled quickly over to his bed to get his shirt and hat. Racetrack simply gave a quizzical little frown, shrugged, and grabbed his hat from the bedpost.
"Maybe he left early". Jack said from where he was sitting on his bed, lacing his shoes.
"I guess". Said Racetrack, though not seeming to care very much only wondering out of curiosity. "Or maybe he left permanently". He said, almost as an afterthought, as he headed for the door.
*
It wasn't until later that afternoon that Jack spotted Gabriel, selling his papers on a street corner in a lightly crowded area of Manhattan. He didn't approach Gabriel immediately, but instead was slightly surprised by his appearance. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing, shouting out slightly over-exaggerated headlines to the passing crowds.
What surprised Jack was that, considering he had sold three papers since Jack had spotted him a couple minutes ago, he didn't have many papers left.
This kid's good, he thought with a little smirk as he started in Gabriel's direction.
"Hey, Gabe!" He called out, started into an easy jog.
Gabriel turned, his eyes growing a little wide as he scanned the street for the owner of the voice. But when he saw who it was, his tension eased and he gave a small smile.
"Hello". Was all he said, that odd Irish accent ringing.
"You tryin' to beat us all, here, or what?" Jack said sarcastically, but Gabriel didn't see the sarcasm. "What?" He asked. "You evah been a newsie before? You seem like you know what you're doin'". Jack said.
"No".
"How many papes y'sold today?"
"Um..." Gabriel flipped through the remainders of what he had bought that morning.
"Twelve, I guess..." He confirmed hesitantly. Jack raised his eyebrows, doing a quick double take at Gabriel's pile. "You only bought twenty papes?" He asked, surprised.
From what he'd just seen, it seemed like Gabriel could have- should have- sold around fifty!
"Ya, I guess so..." Gabriel said.
Jack sighed exasperatingly, making it obvious to Gabriel that he was displeased.
"And you've never been a newsie before?"
"No".
"Well..." Jack trailed, surveying their surroundings and taking a wild guess at the time of day, considering the position of the sun. "We'se ain't got enough time for me to help ya out today, so we'll have to give it a try tomorrow. And..." He looked Gabriel up and down, going through the information once more. "I guess I'll go easy on ya. We'll split, fifty-fifty, kay?"
"I guess". Gabriel said with a light shrug.
"Wise decision, my friend". Jack said, giving Gabriel a rather hard swap on the back.
*
That evening, Gabriel didn't return to the Lodge until late that night. He was surprised to see a few of the newsies still awake, sitting around the stove. They all looked up at him, only one looked familiar.
"Hey, Gabriel. We'se thought you ditched us and joined up with Brooklyn, comin' in so late and all". Said Mush. Gabriel only shrugged. "I got a little lost, I guess".
The others grinned. "Sure ya did, kid". Said one. "Sure ya did".
"What?" Gabriel said, obviously not getting the joke. They just chuckled among themselves.
Sighing a little with dejection, he turned and walked over to his bunk. As he was sitting and taking off his shoes, he sensed someone approaching the bed, and jumped a little as he turned.
"Whoa, calm down, buddy. It's only me".
Gabriel eased as Jack squatted down next to him and spoke low, so as not to wake any of the other newsies who were sleeping. "Hey, don't mind those guys, you'll get used to 'em. See, they, uh..." He massaged the bridge of his nose a little before continuing. "They always assume that when one'a the guy's is out late and comes in not sayin' where he's been, that he's been out knockin' around'er somethin'".
Gabriel got a strange, almost sick look on his face, and glanced back over his shoulder at the small group across the room.
"Yeah, exactly". Jack continued with a little laugh. "A word of advice, if you'se don't want people to know where ya been, give'em a long one".
Gabriel looked confused, so Jack elaborated. "Give'em a good story, kid. Tell 'em you'se was at Medda's or got talkin' to someone on the street, but ya gotta make it good. Give'em details, ya know".
Gabriel hesitated, and then nodded. Jack punched his shoulder lightly. "Ain't much for talkin', are ya?" He said, standing. As he turned to walk away, Gabriel's voice stopped him.
"Aren't you going to ask where I was?"
Jack turned and looked at him, shrugging. "Nope, got nothin' to do with me so why do I care where ya go. Just remember that you'se with me tomorrow, so don't take off early like ya did today, kay". Jack didn't wait for a response as he turned and walked away.
Gabriel watched him go, then looked out the window next to his bed, which was pretty scrunched in next to the wall, so he didn't have to crane his neck and back to see outside and still be sitting on the bed. It was very dark outside, with few lights in any of the surrounding windows that he could see. But the stars shone brightly in the sky, and the longer he looked, the more stars he could see.
She'd would be looking at those stars, he knew it. But not through glass, from a warm building. No, she was out there, in the cold, alone.
Not much longer now, Gabriel thought as he lay down, watching those stars.
Not much longer.
The next morning when Kloppman came in to get the boys up, Gabriel was already gone from his bed, his wet clothes still in a pile on the floor. Kloppman didn't seem to notice as he whacked boys in the back of their heads, telling them to get up. Of course, they knew he meant no harm.
It wasn't until a few minutes after he had left that Racetrack noticed Gabriel's empty bed, and didn't see him around anywhere. He looked up and saw Crutchy coming from the washroom.
"Hey, Crutch, you'se seen that new guy in the John?" He asked, pulling his pants up over his long johns and buttoning them.
"Uh...Nope, don't think so". Crutchy replied as he hobbled quickly over to his bed to get his shirt and hat. Racetrack simply gave a quizzical little frown, shrugged, and grabbed his hat from the bedpost.
"Maybe he left early". Jack said from where he was sitting on his bed, lacing his shoes.
"I guess". Said Racetrack, though not seeming to care very much only wondering out of curiosity. "Or maybe he left permanently". He said, almost as an afterthought, as he headed for the door.
*
It wasn't until later that afternoon that Jack spotted Gabriel, selling his papers on a street corner in a lightly crowded area of Manhattan. He didn't approach Gabriel immediately, but instead was slightly surprised by his appearance. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing, shouting out slightly over-exaggerated headlines to the passing crowds.
What surprised Jack was that, considering he had sold three papers since Jack had spotted him a couple minutes ago, he didn't have many papers left.
This kid's good, he thought with a little smirk as he started in Gabriel's direction.
"Hey, Gabe!" He called out, started into an easy jog.
Gabriel turned, his eyes growing a little wide as he scanned the street for the owner of the voice. But when he saw who it was, his tension eased and he gave a small smile.
"Hello". Was all he said, that odd Irish accent ringing.
"You tryin' to beat us all, here, or what?" Jack said sarcastically, but Gabriel didn't see the sarcasm. "What?" He asked. "You evah been a newsie before? You seem like you know what you're doin'". Jack said.
"No".
"How many papes y'sold today?"
"Um..." Gabriel flipped through the remainders of what he had bought that morning.
"Twelve, I guess..." He confirmed hesitantly. Jack raised his eyebrows, doing a quick double take at Gabriel's pile. "You only bought twenty papes?" He asked, surprised.
From what he'd just seen, it seemed like Gabriel could have- should have- sold around fifty!
"Ya, I guess so..." Gabriel said.
Jack sighed exasperatingly, making it obvious to Gabriel that he was displeased.
"And you've never been a newsie before?"
"No".
"Well..." Jack trailed, surveying their surroundings and taking a wild guess at the time of day, considering the position of the sun. "We'se ain't got enough time for me to help ya out today, so we'll have to give it a try tomorrow. And..." He looked Gabriel up and down, going through the information once more. "I guess I'll go easy on ya. We'll split, fifty-fifty, kay?"
"I guess". Gabriel said with a light shrug.
"Wise decision, my friend". Jack said, giving Gabriel a rather hard swap on the back.
*
That evening, Gabriel didn't return to the Lodge until late that night. He was surprised to see a few of the newsies still awake, sitting around the stove. They all looked up at him, only one looked familiar.
"Hey, Gabriel. We'se thought you ditched us and joined up with Brooklyn, comin' in so late and all". Said Mush. Gabriel only shrugged. "I got a little lost, I guess".
The others grinned. "Sure ya did, kid". Said one. "Sure ya did".
"What?" Gabriel said, obviously not getting the joke. They just chuckled among themselves.
Sighing a little with dejection, he turned and walked over to his bunk. As he was sitting and taking off his shoes, he sensed someone approaching the bed, and jumped a little as he turned.
"Whoa, calm down, buddy. It's only me".
Gabriel eased as Jack squatted down next to him and spoke low, so as not to wake any of the other newsies who were sleeping. "Hey, don't mind those guys, you'll get used to 'em. See, they, uh..." He massaged the bridge of his nose a little before continuing. "They always assume that when one'a the guy's is out late and comes in not sayin' where he's been, that he's been out knockin' around'er somethin'".
Gabriel got a strange, almost sick look on his face, and glanced back over his shoulder at the small group across the room.
"Yeah, exactly". Jack continued with a little laugh. "A word of advice, if you'se don't want people to know where ya been, give'em a long one".
Gabriel looked confused, so Jack elaborated. "Give'em a good story, kid. Tell 'em you'se was at Medda's or got talkin' to someone on the street, but ya gotta make it good. Give'em details, ya know".
Gabriel hesitated, and then nodded. Jack punched his shoulder lightly. "Ain't much for talkin', are ya?" He said, standing. As he turned to walk away, Gabriel's voice stopped him.
"Aren't you going to ask where I was?"
Jack turned and looked at him, shrugging. "Nope, got nothin' to do with me so why do I care where ya go. Just remember that you'se with me tomorrow, so don't take off early like ya did today, kay". Jack didn't wait for a response as he turned and walked away.
Gabriel watched him go, then looked out the window next to his bed, which was pretty scrunched in next to the wall, so he didn't have to crane his neck and back to see outside and still be sitting on the bed. It was very dark outside, with few lights in any of the surrounding windows that he could see. But the stars shone brightly in the sky, and the longer he looked, the more stars he could see.
She'd would be looking at those stars, he knew it. But not through glass, from a warm building. No, she was out there, in the cold, alone.
Not much longer now, Gabriel thought as he lay down, watching those stars.
Not much longer.
