Author's Note: None of these characters are mine, except Singah, Fidget,
and Trolley. Da rest belong ta Disney. Spot Conlon, however, is mine, ya
hear? All mine. Lay one hand on 'im and I'll soak ya!
1 Chapter Four
Singah was scared. She hadn't realized that Jack and the others would disapprove of her and Spot. She'd just have to tell them all in the morning. –But whaddabout Spot?- she thought. –I don' wanna do anyting stupid. I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout Spot standin' next ta me.-
***
The next morning, standing in line for her papes, Singah avoided Racetrack as much as possible. She was trying to act normal, but it was hard. How could they not see everything written all over her face? Her plan was to ditch Blink as soon as possible and make her way to Brooklyn. She knew no one would hurt her along the way- she had her jackknife in her pocket, and she was the best newsie in New York with a knife. Besides, Spot himself had taught her to fight, and she had gotten herself out of tough places before.
"100 papes, Mr. Weasel," Singah said, as disrespectful of the overweight distributor as ever. No one could stand Wiesel, not even his own nephews, Oscar and Morris, the infamous Delancy brothers, and least of all the newsies.
"100 papes for da wise goil." As he handed her the papes, Oscar made kissing noises through the bars at her.
"Bastard," she said. "I might be a newsie, but at least I know my parents wasn't rats in the sewer- you'se don' even have dat." Outraged, the Delancy made threatening noises through the bars, but subsided when Jack and Blink came and stood beside her.
"You'se ain't threatenin' my little goil, now, is ya Oscar?" Jack asked. "Cause you'se know what I'd have to do to ya if you were." He was threatening to soak him, the way he had rescued Sarah from the brothers the year earlier. Sarah. It hurt to think of her, so he roughly shoved the mental image of her away.
Singah shivered inside- this is who she would have to break the news to that she was seeing the one newsie he absolutely didn't want her to see. Jack could be intimidating sometimes, even for her.
"So, ya ready, Singah?" Blink asked her, bending down to kiss her. She turned her head so he could only catch her cheek.
Soon the newsies all departed, yelling the improved headlines. Carryin' da banner. Singah led Blink towards the nearest street fighting ring, in the opposite direction of Brooklyn. She knew they could easily get separated in the crowds.
Once the couple got to the ring, Singah told Blink to sell in the front. "Blink- sell in da front this time. I'll go sell in da back." With that, she turned and left him, selling papes along the way until she was sure that he was out of sight. Once he was gone, she turned and ran towards Brooklyn- and Spot.
Soon she was at the Brooklyn Bridge. Singah had always loved coming here. The view was great- you could see all of New York. While she was thinking, she ran into Trolley. "Heya Trolley."
"Heya Singah." They spit shook and started walking together towards inner Brooklyn, all the while hawking the headlines and selling the papes under their arms. Once they reached the distribution office, Trolley turned to leave. They had sold almost all their papes by then, but they still had a few left.
"See ya 'round, Singah," Trolley said as he made to depart.
"See ya, Trolley. Hey, could ya tell me where Spot's sellin' today?" She asked carefully, trying to keep all suspicious emotions out of her voice. "I might as well pay me respects to da leader while I'se in town."
"Sure. He's sellin' down by da harbor. We passed him on da way."
-Crap- she thought. "Well, den I'll jus' see him on me way out."
"Aight, den. Hey, I'll let da others know to tell Spot you'se was lookin' for 'im."
"Tanks, Trolley. See ya latah." She continued on until she had sold the rest of her papes. Turning to head back towards Manhattan, she ran straight into Spot.
"Hiya, Singah."
"Hiya, Spot."
"I hoid you was in town." Spot had actually seen her cross the bridge, and had been following her since she entered his district.
"Yeah. I needs to talk to ya 'bout sometin'."
"Me too. You go foist."
"Look, Spot, we gotta tell Jack and da others. I can't do this no more. I love ya, Spot, and if ya love me, you'll come wid me to tell them. Tonight." That was out, and no stuttering. Always a good sign.
"Course I will. Ya nevah should a doubted me. But come wid me. I wanna show you sometin'." He grabbed her hand and led her towards his warehouse. It was an impulse, but it felt right. He wanted her to know about him, all of him, not just the tough-guy newsie part. "I ain't nevah showed this to no one before- not even Jacky-boy. I'm gonna show yous my past."
When the coast was clear of all newsies, Spot led Singah inside. "I come here when I wanna be alone. No one ever comes here but me. Dis, dis is where me family died." Singah was shocked. No one knew anything about Spot's past- no one had ever dared ask, and everyone assumed he had never known them. "They got cholera, and dey all died widdin days of each other. I got it too, but I was stronger and beat it."
The fearless leader of Brooklyn looked down, and when he looked up again, his grey eyes were filled with tears. This was a side of Spot Singah had never seen before. Spot was crying.
"Spot, I'se so so sorry. My parents just left me when I was liddle, but I guess dat's easier."
"Yeah, I guess. Not having to watch your liddle brudder and sistah die, drying out from da water they drank to stay alive. I wish they had left me. Why couldn't I have died, not dem? Dey didn't do nuttin' to nobody!"
"Oh God, Spot, I'se so sorry." She held him close. How many years had he kept this secret? She lifted his face and wiped it with her sleeve, then kissed him, softly at first, then harder as he returned them. His hands started roving, and they lay back together.
***
Trolley knew Jack Kelly would want to know that his Singah was in Brooklyn- she had never come alone before, and he had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't with Jack's full permission. Ha made his way to the Manhattan Lodging House.
"Trolley, whaddaya doin' here?" Racetrack stopped him in front of the house.
"Hiya, Race. I need to see Jack. It's about Singah."
"Singah, eh? Where is she? I ain't seen her all day."
"Dat's da ting, Race. She's in Brooklyn, askin' after Spot. Knowin' da Cowboy's opinion about her or Fidget seein' Spot, I figured he'd wanna know."
"Come wid me. We're goin' ta see Jack."
1 Chapter Four
Singah was scared. She hadn't realized that Jack and the others would disapprove of her and Spot. She'd just have to tell them all in the morning. –But whaddabout Spot?- she thought. –I don' wanna do anyting stupid. I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout Spot standin' next ta me.-
***
The next morning, standing in line for her papes, Singah avoided Racetrack as much as possible. She was trying to act normal, but it was hard. How could they not see everything written all over her face? Her plan was to ditch Blink as soon as possible and make her way to Brooklyn. She knew no one would hurt her along the way- she had her jackknife in her pocket, and she was the best newsie in New York with a knife. Besides, Spot himself had taught her to fight, and she had gotten herself out of tough places before.
"100 papes, Mr. Weasel," Singah said, as disrespectful of the overweight distributor as ever. No one could stand Wiesel, not even his own nephews, Oscar and Morris, the infamous Delancy brothers, and least of all the newsies.
"100 papes for da wise goil." As he handed her the papes, Oscar made kissing noises through the bars at her.
"Bastard," she said. "I might be a newsie, but at least I know my parents wasn't rats in the sewer- you'se don' even have dat." Outraged, the Delancy made threatening noises through the bars, but subsided when Jack and Blink came and stood beside her.
"You'se ain't threatenin' my little goil, now, is ya Oscar?" Jack asked. "Cause you'se know what I'd have to do to ya if you were." He was threatening to soak him, the way he had rescued Sarah from the brothers the year earlier. Sarah. It hurt to think of her, so he roughly shoved the mental image of her away.
Singah shivered inside- this is who she would have to break the news to that she was seeing the one newsie he absolutely didn't want her to see. Jack could be intimidating sometimes, even for her.
"So, ya ready, Singah?" Blink asked her, bending down to kiss her. She turned her head so he could only catch her cheek.
Soon the newsies all departed, yelling the improved headlines. Carryin' da banner. Singah led Blink towards the nearest street fighting ring, in the opposite direction of Brooklyn. She knew they could easily get separated in the crowds.
Once the couple got to the ring, Singah told Blink to sell in the front. "Blink- sell in da front this time. I'll go sell in da back." With that, she turned and left him, selling papes along the way until she was sure that he was out of sight. Once he was gone, she turned and ran towards Brooklyn- and Spot.
Soon she was at the Brooklyn Bridge. Singah had always loved coming here. The view was great- you could see all of New York. While she was thinking, she ran into Trolley. "Heya Trolley."
"Heya Singah." They spit shook and started walking together towards inner Brooklyn, all the while hawking the headlines and selling the papes under their arms. Once they reached the distribution office, Trolley turned to leave. They had sold almost all their papes by then, but they still had a few left.
"See ya 'round, Singah," Trolley said as he made to depart.
"See ya, Trolley. Hey, could ya tell me where Spot's sellin' today?" She asked carefully, trying to keep all suspicious emotions out of her voice. "I might as well pay me respects to da leader while I'se in town."
"Sure. He's sellin' down by da harbor. We passed him on da way."
-Crap- she thought. "Well, den I'll jus' see him on me way out."
"Aight, den. Hey, I'll let da others know to tell Spot you'se was lookin' for 'im."
"Tanks, Trolley. See ya latah." She continued on until she had sold the rest of her papes. Turning to head back towards Manhattan, she ran straight into Spot.
"Hiya, Singah."
"Hiya, Spot."
"I hoid you was in town." Spot had actually seen her cross the bridge, and had been following her since she entered his district.
"Yeah. I needs to talk to ya 'bout sometin'."
"Me too. You go foist."
"Look, Spot, we gotta tell Jack and da others. I can't do this no more. I love ya, Spot, and if ya love me, you'll come wid me to tell them. Tonight." That was out, and no stuttering. Always a good sign.
"Course I will. Ya nevah should a doubted me. But come wid me. I wanna show you sometin'." He grabbed her hand and led her towards his warehouse. It was an impulse, but it felt right. He wanted her to know about him, all of him, not just the tough-guy newsie part. "I ain't nevah showed this to no one before- not even Jacky-boy. I'm gonna show yous my past."
When the coast was clear of all newsies, Spot led Singah inside. "I come here when I wanna be alone. No one ever comes here but me. Dis, dis is where me family died." Singah was shocked. No one knew anything about Spot's past- no one had ever dared ask, and everyone assumed he had never known them. "They got cholera, and dey all died widdin days of each other. I got it too, but I was stronger and beat it."
The fearless leader of Brooklyn looked down, and when he looked up again, his grey eyes were filled with tears. This was a side of Spot Singah had never seen before. Spot was crying.
"Spot, I'se so so sorry. My parents just left me when I was liddle, but I guess dat's easier."
"Yeah, I guess. Not having to watch your liddle brudder and sistah die, drying out from da water they drank to stay alive. I wish they had left me. Why couldn't I have died, not dem? Dey didn't do nuttin' to nobody!"
"Oh God, Spot, I'se so sorry." She held him close. How many years had he kept this secret? She lifted his face and wiped it with her sleeve, then kissed him, softly at first, then harder as he returned them. His hands started roving, and they lay back together.
***
Trolley knew Jack Kelly would want to know that his Singah was in Brooklyn- she had never come alone before, and he had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't with Jack's full permission. Ha made his way to the Manhattan Lodging House.
"Trolley, whaddaya doin' here?" Racetrack stopped him in front of the house.
"Hiya, Race. I need to see Jack. It's about Singah."
"Singah, eh? Where is she? I ain't seen her all day."
"Dat's da ting, Race. She's in Brooklyn, askin' after Spot. Knowin' da Cowboy's opinion about her or Fidget seein' Spot, I figured he'd wanna know."
"Come wid me. We're goin' ta see Jack."