Chapter 9
I was still munching on the piece of bread that the nuns offered us when we arrived at the distribution center.
Bumlets announced, "first thing you got to know is…"
"Headlines don't sell papes, Newsies sell papes," I chimed in with him. He looked at me funny. "Tell you later." He nodded.
"Hey Bumlets! Got a new recruit?" asked the wrinkly, white haired man at the desk.
"Sure do Cookie, her name's Raven," he answered.
"Nice to meet you Raven."
"You too…Cookie?"
"The name's Otis Spunkmeyer. They call me Cookie because I'm trying to start up a cookie shop."
"Well don't give up alright?! We could use a good cookie shop around here." I smiled. "Otis Spunkmeyer," I thought, "he was going to be big some day."
"Hey Bumlets! Would you hurry it up already? I ain't got all day!" Racetrack yelled impatiently from the back of the line.
"Just hold your horses, Racetrack," I said. The pun was probably intended.
"Ha ha, very funny."
"I know."
"Seventy papes please Cookie," Bumlets requested. THUMP! The pile of papes landed in front of his face. "Thanks." As we scooted out of line, he handed me twenty. "Now look at this headline, 'Mayor eats apple with worm and faints.' Now that won't sell. You got to say something like…" he thought for a moment, "mysterious intruder attempts to murder mayor. You know improving the truth a little."
"Oh yeah, just a teeny bit," I said sarcastically.
We walked around for a while selling our papers. He was doing a little better than I was.
Then we heard an "I can't take it anymore! You're too over protective! You hold onto me like I'm a piece of meat or something! You won't even let me go out with my friends by myself anymore! It's always all about you and your whiney self!"
"But Jack!" a blubbering voice interrupted.
"Don't 'but Jack' me! It's over Sarah! It's definitely over!"
We looked around the corner to see a blotchy-faced Sarah and an incredibly irate Jack.
"After all we've been through Jack? And this is how you end it?" Sarah interjected.
"Did you not hear me the first time?" he asked annoyed.
"Fine you…you…you street rat!"
"Don't even say that !" he responded, but she was already running off in the other direction. Jack stomped his way out of the alley. We quickly made ourselves look inconspicuous. It probably didn't work. Jack turned and saw us, "she's gone guys, she's gone."
"You alright Jack?" Bumlets asked.
Jack paused, looked around, wiggled his arms making sure nothing was clinging to them, then yelled, "I'm free!"
The three of us started laughing. "Alright guys, I'll meet up with you for lunch at Tibby's. I'm going to finish selling my papes.
Oh and don't tell nobody the good news, okay? I want to be the first," Jack said.
"Sure thing Jack," Bumlets replied. Jack bounded down the street.
"It's about time he did that," I said, "I've only been here a few days and I'm already sick of her. How'd Jack put up with it for a year?"
"The world may never know," Bumlets with a wink.
We finished selling our papers and headed down to Tibby's for lunch.
"Hey Raven?" A voice spoke out from behind me.
I turned around, "oh hey Spot." Bumlets, too, said his hello.
Trying to act nonchalant, Spot asked, "Where's Mel? I haven't seen her all day, well except for this morning…"
I glared at Spot and Bumlets snickered, "looking all day, huh?"
Spot gave him the look and I pushed him gently to the side. "She'll be at Tibby's. Walk with us, we're almost there." I gave him a reassuring smile because he looked nervous.
He looked at me suspiciously, and with narrowed eyes, he replied, "sure." Then he slouched into line with us.
"How did your selling go Spot?" I asked.
"Sold all hundred of my papes," he responded, "how was your first day?"
"Fun and interesting," I said. Spot gave me another suspicious look, "you'll find out later," I replied. Bumlets just nodded.
From here Spot proceeded to tell Bumlets what Mel had told him about the strike being turned into a movie and some other things about the future. I had to interject now and then because Spot was saying something wrong or got some facts backwards. This was probably because of either Spot's ignorance on the subject or Mel just said it wrong to begin with. Most likely a mixture of the two.
By this point we had arrived at Tibby's. Mush, Sniffles, Lily, Kid Blink, Racetrack and a few others were already there. The three of us walked in and sat down with the rest of them. We said our hellos and ordered some food.
We all squeezed around a table. Kid Blink called for silence. "I talked to Denton. He said he'd come see us. But he was rather busy at that moment," he winked, "a lady friend." The table erupted in laughter.
"Hey guys," Denton appeared behind them slightly bemused. Everyone said hi and shoved over to admit him at the table. "Who are we waiting for?"
"Mel and Jack. They haven't come yet," Kid Blink informed.
"Mel?"
So to skip ahead, we briefly gave him the story. I'm getting really tired of retelling it. In the meantime, Mel arrived and sat next to Spot. I contained my big smile at that.
Denton and the rest of us discussed the factory worker's strike. We decided to start it as soon as we could get flyers printed and distributed. "Probably by the end of the week," said Sniffles.
Lily brightened, "David will be here at the end of the week." Sniffles patted her on the back. They looked at me and winked. I, of course, was clueless. Everyone was finished eating.
The door burst open and Jack came sailing in. "Hi everyone!" he yelled with a big smile on his face.
"My, Jack, you look extremely happy," said Mush. Bumlets looked at me and winked.
Jack jumped on the table and opened his mouth. I winced because it looked like he was about to burst into song. I stood up,
"Oh no you're not!"
Sniffles jumped on the table with him, quickly cupped her hand over his mouth, and cried, "don't do it Jack! Don't do it!"
"Fine," Jack pouted.
"What are you trying to tell us Jack?" Denton asked.
"I broke up with Sarah!" he answered. Cheers erupted. "Guess you guys really didn't like her, huh?" Everyone just laughed.
"Well anyways," Denton continued, "since I can't stay long, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to write a flyer that includes an article exposing all of the horrible things going on at the factory. I need you guys to find out the details about that. Then I'm going to find out what the owner has to say about our findings, print that on a flyer along with the strike information to pass out to people. I'm hoping that this will help organize a major union for factory workers." He looked at his pocket watch, "alright guys, I have to run." Denton got up and headed for the door with a chorus of "bye Denton!" or "thanks Denton!"
I was still munching on the piece of bread that the nuns offered us when we arrived at the distribution center.
Bumlets announced, "first thing you got to know is…"
"Headlines don't sell papes, Newsies sell papes," I chimed in with him. He looked at me funny. "Tell you later." He nodded.
"Hey Bumlets! Got a new recruit?" asked the wrinkly, white haired man at the desk.
"Sure do Cookie, her name's Raven," he answered.
"Nice to meet you Raven."
"You too…Cookie?"
"The name's Otis Spunkmeyer. They call me Cookie because I'm trying to start up a cookie shop."
"Well don't give up alright?! We could use a good cookie shop around here." I smiled. "Otis Spunkmeyer," I thought, "he was going to be big some day."
"Hey Bumlets! Would you hurry it up already? I ain't got all day!" Racetrack yelled impatiently from the back of the line.
"Just hold your horses, Racetrack," I said. The pun was probably intended.
"Ha ha, very funny."
"I know."
"Seventy papes please Cookie," Bumlets requested. THUMP! The pile of papes landed in front of his face. "Thanks." As we scooted out of line, he handed me twenty. "Now look at this headline, 'Mayor eats apple with worm and faints.' Now that won't sell. You got to say something like…" he thought for a moment, "mysterious intruder attempts to murder mayor. You know improving the truth a little."
"Oh yeah, just a teeny bit," I said sarcastically.
We walked around for a while selling our papers. He was doing a little better than I was.
Then we heard an "I can't take it anymore! You're too over protective! You hold onto me like I'm a piece of meat or something! You won't even let me go out with my friends by myself anymore! It's always all about you and your whiney self!"
"But Jack!" a blubbering voice interrupted.
"Don't 'but Jack' me! It's over Sarah! It's definitely over!"
We looked around the corner to see a blotchy-faced Sarah and an incredibly irate Jack.
"After all we've been through Jack? And this is how you end it?" Sarah interjected.
"Did you not hear me the first time?" he asked annoyed.
"Fine you…you…you street rat!"
"Don't even say that !" he responded, but she was already running off in the other direction. Jack stomped his way out of the alley. We quickly made ourselves look inconspicuous. It probably didn't work. Jack turned and saw us, "she's gone guys, she's gone."
"You alright Jack?" Bumlets asked.
Jack paused, looked around, wiggled his arms making sure nothing was clinging to them, then yelled, "I'm free!"
The three of us started laughing. "Alright guys, I'll meet up with you for lunch at Tibby's. I'm going to finish selling my papes.
Oh and don't tell nobody the good news, okay? I want to be the first," Jack said.
"Sure thing Jack," Bumlets replied. Jack bounded down the street.
"It's about time he did that," I said, "I've only been here a few days and I'm already sick of her. How'd Jack put up with it for a year?"
"The world may never know," Bumlets with a wink.
We finished selling our papers and headed down to Tibby's for lunch.
"Hey Raven?" A voice spoke out from behind me.
I turned around, "oh hey Spot." Bumlets, too, said his hello.
Trying to act nonchalant, Spot asked, "Where's Mel? I haven't seen her all day, well except for this morning…"
I glared at Spot and Bumlets snickered, "looking all day, huh?"
Spot gave him the look and I pushed him gently to the side. "She'll be at Tibby's. Walk with us, we're almost there." I gave him a reassuring smile because he looked nervous.
He looked at me suspiciously, and with narrowed eyes, he replied, "sure." Then he slouched into line with us.
"How did your selling go Spot?" I asked.
"Sold all hundred of my papes," he responded, "how was your first day?"
"Fun and interesting," I said. Spot gave me another suspicious look, "you'll find out later," I replied. Bumlets just nodded.
From here Spot proceeded to tell Bumlets what Mel had told him about the strike being turned into a movie and some other things about the future. I had to interject now and then because Spot was saying something wrong or got some facts backwards. This was probably because of either Spot's ignorance on the subject or Mel just said it wrong to begin with. Most likely a mixture of the two.
By this point we had arrived at Tibby's. Mush, Sniffles, Lily, Kid Blink, Racetrack and a few others were already there. The three of us walked in and sat down with the rest of them. We said our hellos and ordered some food.
We all squeezed around a table. Kid Blink called for silence. "I talked to Denton. He said he'd come see us. But he was rather busy at that moment," he winked, "a lady friend." The table erupted in laughter.
"Hey guys," Denton appeared behind them slightly bemused. Everyone said hi and shoved over to admit him at the table. "Who are we waiting for?"
"Mel and Jack. They haven't come yet," Kid Blink informed.
"Mel?"
So to skip ahead, we briefly gave him the story. I'm getting really tired of retelling it. In the meantime, Mel arrived and sat next to Spot. I contained my big smile at that.
Denton and the rest of us discussed the factory worker's strike. We decided to start it as soon as we could get flyers printed and distributed. "Probably by the end of the week," said Sniffles.
Lily brightened, "David will be here at the end of the week." Sniffles patted her on the back. They looked at me and winked. I, of course, was clueless. Everyone was finished eating.
The door burst open and Jack came sailing in. "Hi everyone!" he yelled with a big smile on his face.
"My, Jack, you look extremely happy," said Mush. Bumlets looked at me and winked.
Jack jumped on the table and opened his mouth. I winced because it looked like he was about to burst into song. I stood up,
"Oh no you're not!"
Sniffles jumped on the table with him, quickly cupped her hand over his mouth, and cried, "don't do it Jack! Don't do it!"
"Fine," Jack pouted.
"What are you trying to tell us Jack?" Denton asked.
"I broke up with Sarah!" he answered. Cheers erupted. "Guess you guys really didn't like her, huh?" Everyone just laughed.
"Well anyways," Denton continued, "since I can't stay long, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to write a flyer that includes an article exposing all of the horrible things going on at the factory. I need you guys to find out the details about that. Then I'm going to find out what the owner has to say about our findings, print that on a flyer along with the strike information to pass out to people. I'm hoping that this will help organize a major union for factory workers." He looked at his pocket watch, "alright guys, I have to run." Denton got up and headed for the door with a chorus of "bye Denton!" or "thanks Denton!"