Author's Note: The song Maire sings to herself is based on Rabbit's parody
of Seize the Day.
Chapter Twenty-seven
The next day, Kieran had a nice shiner and really sore, but he had snapped out of his blue funk, and was back to being a good leader. Maire had been watching from a hiding spot on the pier, where Rae had told her to sit. Rae figured Maire would be the next leader, and she wanted to show Maire what a leader had to do and how NOT to act. Unfortunately, Trolley had caught her when she laughed at her dad getting shoved in the harbor. No boy newsie laughed like she did, and it led him right to her. Once she was home, disgruntled and annoyed, she met the newest newsie, a boy a few years older than her.
"You'se a girl? How come you'se a newsie? Girls cain't be newsies."
"Really? Well, my dad's the leader of Brooklyn and my mama runs the lodging house. She was a newsie. Girls can be newsies!"
"Yer Kieran's daughter? Well, then, that's why you'se a newsie. Why don't you go play wid some dolls er sometin."
"I hate dolls!" She whipped her fist around, connecting it solidly with his eye. He screeched and she laughed. "Ha ha. Ya shouldn't mess wid girls… we can fight to ya know. And Dad taught me to fight- and he's the best besides Rae. And guess what! Rae's a girl, too!" –Ha!- she thought. –That'll teach ya to mess with me!-
The boy went off in search of ice for his eye. Unfortunately, that meant the kitchen, and Singah. When she found out how had hit the boy, she was livid. "Maire Conlon! Get down here!" Sulkily, she complied. Clomping down the stairs, she sang under her breath, "Open the gates, give me my cane. I'll beat their heads and bash their brains. No one can stop me, not even mommy, get out of my way. Or I will make you pay."
"Maire, what have I told you about fighting?"
"No fighting unless I'm defending myself. But Mama, he said girls can't be newsies! And he said I was only a newsie cause Dad is!"
"No excuses, Maire! You really hurt the boy!" Maire sighed. If he had been any better, he wouldn't have gotten hurt and she wouldn't be in trouble.
"But Mama…"
"No buts, Maire. This means you can't sleep in the bunkroom tonight." Maire loved sleeping in the bunkroom with her friends. It was a reward for good behavior, and she hated having to sleep in her parent's room.
Just then, Half-Pint came in. "Ah, Singah, let the girl alone. It isn't her fault she's in Brooklyn and the lads don't accept her as easy! The lad'll be fine. Let her go and we'll have some coffee."
"Fine. Maire, go play. And you can sleep in the bunkroom tonight." Maire looked cautiously at her mother, then turned and ran. Once she was gone, Singah began to make coffee for them. The two friends sat down. "Half-Pint, this baby is driving me nuts! I could kill Kieran for doing this to me again!" She sighed. "If only Maire wasn't so…"
"Don't be so hard on the girl! She can't help it… the newsies are teaching her to be one of them. And don't forget who her parents are- you and Kieran aren't exactly the easiest people to deal with."
"I know, I just get so… so…"
"I know, love. I get the same way. Just think, only 4 more months for both of us, then these things are out." They sighed, counting the seconds. "Remind me not to let Race get me like this again."
"Same here." They sat in silence for a minute. "Are you hungry?" Half-Pint nodded. "Do you want some bread?" Again, Half-Pint nodded. Singah got a loaf off the shelf and they shared it. After all, they were both eating for two.
***
Maire went to Kieran. She wanted to fight someone, or shoot someone. She knew he would listen to her. She wandered down to the pier where yesterday Kieran had gotten soaked in the most literal meaning of the word. "Daddy?"
"Yeah, Maire?" He lifted her up onto his seat, overlooking the harbor. "What is it, Bit?"
"Daddy, why doesn't Mama like me?" He was surprised… he hadn't noticed Singah's irritability until Rae had soaked him out of whatever was causing his depression, and he hadn't realized Maire had been getting the brunt of it.
"She loves ya, Bit. She's just not feeling good right now cause a da baby. When she has it, she'll be back to normal." She had been rather like this with Maire, but now it was worse because she was older and had to deal with more. "I promise. Now, wanna go practice yer slingshot?" Maire nodded. "Aight, then. Let's go put some bottles up." Father and daughter hopped down from the stack of crates.
***
That night, Singah came into the bunkroom where Maire slept. "Maire, could you come with me for a minute? You aren't in trouble." Maire came, still cautious despite Singah's reassurances. They went up to the roof, first making sure that no one was already up there, and sat down on the edge. Singah tried to pull Maire onto her lap, but she protested. Giving up, she sighed. Maire was too independent for a six year old. She had conveniently forgotten that she, too had been independent like this. "Maire, I'm sorry I've been so moody lately. It's just the baby. I do love ya, even if I yell at you sometimes. Do ya fergive me?"
Maire considered this. Mama sounded an awful lot like what Daddy had been saying. She decided to forgive Mama. "Aight, I fergive you Mama." She scooted closer to Singah. Singah put her arm around Maire and started to sing.
*Moon light shines bright,
Shining through the night,
Clouds floating,
Stars shim'ring,
Moon shining through…*
Soon Maire was asleep. Singah continued to hum the old lullaby to her. Kieran came out of his hiding place, where he had heard the whole thing. "Ya know, one of these days that song isn't gonna work on her anymore." He sat down next to mother and child. "You did good, Singah. She really was gettin' hurt feelings there."
"I know. This baby is really getting me down. After this one, no more."
"Aight. Now lets put this one to bed." She nodded, and Kieran picked her up gently, trying not to wake her. Slowly, the family walked down the stairs, and into the lodging house.
Chapter Twenty-seven
The next day, Kieran had a nice shiner and really sore, but he had snapped out of his blue funk, and was back to being a good leader. Maire had been watching from a hiding spot on the pier, where Rae had told her to sit. Rae figured Maire would be the next leader, and she wanted to show Maire what a leader had to do and how NOT to act. Unfortunately, Trolley had caught her when she laughed at her dad getting shoved in the harbor. No boy newsie laughed like she did, and it led him right to her. Once she was home, disgruntled and annoyed, she met the newest newsie, a boy a few years older than her.
"You'se a girl? How come you'se a newsie? Girls cain't be newsies."
"Really? Well, my dad's the leader of Brooklyn and my mama runs the lodging house. She was a newsie. Girls can be newsies!"
"Yer Kieran's daughter? Well, then, that's why you'se a newsie. Why don't you go play wid some dolls er sometin."
"I hate dolls!" She whipped her fist around, connecting it solidly with his eye. He screeched and she laughed. "Ha ha. Ya shouldn't mess wid girls… we can fight to ya know. And Dad taught me to fight- and he's the best besides Rae. And guess what! Rae's a girl, too!" –Ha!- she thought. –That'll teach ya to mess with me!-
The boy went off in search of ice for his eye. Unfortunately, that meant the kitchen, and Singah. When she found out how had hit the boy, she was livid. "Maire Conlon! Get down here!" Sulkily, she complied. Clomping down the stairs, she sang under her breath, "Open the gates, give me my cane. I'll beat their heads and bash their brains. No one can stop me, not even mommy, get out of my way. Or I will make you pay."
"Maire, what have I told you about fighting?"
"No fighting unless I'm defending myself. But Mama, he said girls can't be newsies! And he said I was only a newsie cause Dad is!"
"No excuses, Maire! You really hurt the boy!" Maire sighed. If he had been any better, he wouldn't have gotten hurt and she wouldn't be in trouble.
"But Mama…"
"No buts, Maire. This means you can't sleep in the bunkroom tonight." Maire loved sleeping in the bunkroom with her friends. It was a reward for good behavior, and she hated having to sleep in her parent's room.
Just then, Half-Pint came in. "Ah, Singah, let the girl alone. It isn't her fault she's in Brooklyn and the lads don't accept her as easy! The lad'll be fine. Let her go and we'll have some coffee."
"Fine. Maire, go play. And you can sleep in the bunkroom tonight." Maire looked cautiously at her mother, then turned and ran. Once she was gone, Singah began to make coffee for them. The two friends sat down. "Half-Pint, this baby is driving me nuts! I could kill Kieran for doing this to me again!" She sighed. "If only Maire wasn't so…"
"Don't be so hard on the girl! She can't help it… the newsies are teaching her to be one of them. And don't forget who her parents are- you and Kieran aren't exactly the easiest people to deal with."
"I know, I just get so… so…"
"I know, love. I get the same way. Just think, only 4 more months for both of us, then these things are out." They sighed, counting the seconds. "Remind me not to let Race get me like this again."
"Same here." They sat in silence for a minute. "Are you hungry?" Half-Pint nodded. "Do you want some bread?" Again, Half-Pint nodded. Singah got a loaf off the shelf and they shared it. After all, they were both eating for two.
***
Maire went to Kieran. She wanted to fight someone, or shoot someone. She knew he would listen to her. She wandered down to the pier where yesterday Kieran had gotten soaked in the most literal meaning of the word. "Daddy?"
"Yeah, Maire?" He lifted her up onto his seat, overlooking the harbor. "What is it, Bit?"
"Daddy, why doesn't Mama like me?" He was surprised… he hadn't noticed Singah's irritability until Rae had soaked him out of whatever was causing his depression, and he hadn't realized Maire had been getting the brunt of it.
"She loves ya, Bit. She's just not feeling good right now cause a da baby. When she has it, she'll be back to normal." She had been rather like this with Maire, but now it was worse because she was older and had to deal with more. "I promise. Now, wanna go practice yer slingshot?" Maire nodded. "Aight, then. Let's go put some bottles up." Father and daughter hopped down from the stack of crates.
***
That night, Singah came into the bunkroom where Maire slept. "Maire, could you come with me for a minute? You aren't in trouble." Maire came, still cautious despite Singah's reassurances. They went up to the roof, first making sure that no one was already up there, and sat down on the edge. Singah tried to pull Maire onto her lap, but she protested. Giving up, she sighed. Maire was too independent for a six year old. She had conveniently forgotten that she, too had been independent like this. "Maire, I'm sorry I've been so moody lately. It's just the baby. I do love ya, even if I yell at you sometimes. Do ya fergive me?"
Maire considered this. Mama sounded an awful lot like what Daddy had been saying. She decided to forgive Mama. "Aight, I fergive you Mama." She scooted closer to Singah. Singah put her arm around Maire and started to sing.
*Moon light shines bright,
Shining through the night,
Clouds floating,
Stars shim'ring,
Moon shining through…*
Soon Maire was asleep. Singah continued to hum the old lullaby to her. Kieran came out of his hiding place, where he had heard the whole thing. "Ya know, one of these days that song isn't gonna work on her anymore." He sat down next to mother and child. "You did good, Singah. She really was gettin' hurt feelings there."
"I know. This baby is really getting me down. After this one, no more."
"Aight. Now lets put this one to bed." She nodded, and Kieran picked her up gently, trying not to wake her. Slowly, the family walked down the stairs, and into the lodging house.