Chapter: II Lady and Smokes
"You don't have a choice Madison,"
"But,"
"That's enough. I want you to try, and stay in school too. I don't know where you always run off to, but you have opportunities,"
"I know, I know, I understand. Do you still want me to go get the paper?"
"Yes dear. Be home before lunch honey, I don't want your father to get too angry with you again." Marian Riker says this as her seventeen-year-old daughter walks out the door of their home in Ohio. Madison has light brown hair with natural highlights past her shoulders. It's thick and she wears it up most of the time.
"Hey Lady!" A guy steps out of shadows of a red brick building. He is about 5'10 thin blond hair that somewhat plasters to his head, which comes down mid way on his forehead, and he has blue eyes. As he approaches her he takes a cigar out of his mouth, shifts a stack of newspapers from one arm to another, and puts his black derby hat on. He dresses in black pants, a blazing blue shirt, to mach his eyes, and brown, old, worn out suspenders. Occasionally he wears glasses to read, but that's when nobody is around. Lady looks at him while she proceeds to take her blue hat that matches her blue and white dress off.
"Smokes how's it goin'?"
"How come you're not sellin'? taday?"
"Oh, I just couldn't get out today. The headmaster past away last night and so we have a day off. Which meant I had to stay with my mother most of the day. She talked to me about the thing."
"About what thing?" They walk up to a cheap corner restaurant that the Cincinnati newsies go to for lunch most of the time called Rooftop. Lady and Smokes sit in a booth and wait for Max, the waiter to notice them and get their orders of two Cokes.
"Can I have a paper? Keep the change." Lady hands over a nickel. She is always trying to slip him extra money when she can. He would never take it if he knew it was a sort of charity. Really though she knows he uses all his earnings for his family and she just wants him to have a little extra for himself.
"Danks. So was the thing, about that guy in god knows where?" He takes a drink of the dark liquid. She looks over the headline.
"Yeah. I don't wanna talk about it though. Man lousy headline. You would think that something would be going on in this world. The last big thing that was sellin' was the newsies strike they had in New York a couple years ago." She set the Ohio Report aside.
"I'd say gettin' married to some guy ya don't know is news. Come on Maddy when do you leave, and where?" He watches her face fall some. She turns away and he searches for her coffee brown eyes, and they make contact.
"Soon. I'm not exactly sure yet. He is supposed to write me."
"Do you have enough money to leave yet?"
"Even if I don't I have to go soon. What'll I tell everyone?"
"Don't worry we'll think of somethin'. I have something for you. I was going to give it to you when first said you'd be my girl, but I lost it. I found it a little while back. I've been waitin' for a time to give it to you." Smokes reaches in his pocket. He pulls out a beige box, and hands it to her. She takes it and slowly opens it.
"Jonathan, it's amazing. I've never seen anything like it." Her eyes behold a chunky, silver chain with a few charms on it. One a book, the other a heart.
"I'm glad you like it."
"I can't except this though. We aren't together anymore. You'll want to give it another girl wont you?" Smokes pulls it out of the box and points to the tiny silver book.
"No. I started it for you see, the book, you love to read. The heart is because you're the first girl I ever gave mine to."
"Oh Jonathan," Lady sounds a little annoyed.
"I mean it. Wherever you go I want you to keep this. I know we didn't work out but," He is interrupted by commotion at the door. A bunch of people dressed as newsies came to the table. She took the bracelet and put in her lap.
"Lady long time no see." Numbers, a tan, and dirty boy about fourteen sits next to her, while Sketches sits next Smokes. She smiles at them.
"Yeah, hasn't been the same around here with out ya." Added Sketches, the other boy who is about sixteen gives Lady the same google eyes he as for the past few years. He has curly, blonde hair and emerald eyes, his friend the first guy who sat next to her Numbers, was Smoke's best friend. A few girls came to the table. One sixteen, long, strawberry red hair, gangly girl sits in a seat that she pulls up. She is dressed as a boy.
"Sketches, draw any pictures of me lately." She laughs loud.
"I told you Tulip I only draw certain girls."
"Well, I guess we ain't all as lucky as Lady." She gave her a smug smile. Lola, a girl of sixteen, short, black hair, and gray eyes was behind her and hit her with a newspaper.
"That was mean. I hope that my Spoty can be as talented as him."
"You still carrin' around that old paper?" Smokes asks as he strikes a match for his cigar. Lola opens it to the third page, to a picture of the newsies in New York, 1899, from the strike is worn out from sun and fingerprints. She looks at it as she talks.
"Of course. See when I go to New York some day I'm going to have to know what my lovely looks like, wont I?"
"Well, I have to go." Lady says feeling a little crowed. "But first, just something for my English class. I'm writing a short story and well, just yes or no do you think the two should meet at eight a the local restaurant?" They look at her slight puzzlingly. They are used to her doing things like that though. Without question they nod, or shake their heads.
"Smokes?"
"Yeah, eight." He answers. She walks out in a slightly sulkier mood than before. She has known about having to leave before, but now it is really sinking in. When she gets home she gives her mother the paper, and heads for her room so she can get some stuff packed. She packs away her usual clothes, dresses and skirts, and her newsy outfit, a white blouse, brown pants, brown shoes, and her brown cap. She threw a few hidden rubber bands in the case as well. Her mother never lets her keep them, she doesn't like them in her hair. She puts in a few of her favorite books, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and Tess of the d'Urbervilles. She isn't aloud to have those either, her father, doesn't approve of women reading, especially things like Tess. Later that night about eight she sneaks from the house to Rooftop. There she waits with her suitcase and money in hand for Smokes. She spots him smoking, leaning on the brick wall.
"Tonight!?!" He exclaims.
"Yeah. I wanted to wait, but my father was telling me about how great this guy is and how I'm gonna make him proud and everything. I just can't take it anymore. I have to go tonight. I don't care where.
"I can come with you."
"No, your family needs you. Lucy needs you. I have enough money to get me as far as Manhattan. I'll write when I get settled."
"At least let me walk you to the train yards. it's no place for a lady. I can write Spot or even Jack to let 'em know your comin'. Maybe you can stay with one of them." He grabs her left hand and they head to the yards. He feels the bracelet on her wrist and smiles to himself. They get there in just a few minutes of her train leaving.
"All aboard!" A whistle sounds and Lady is waiting on the train. She looks back at Smokes who is doing the same thing. In a few moments she is being asked for her ticket and is on her way to New York.
A few days pass, and Smokes is selling is papers along side his buddy Numbers. He has been a bit down lately, not his usual pushy, controlling self.
"So where's Lady been?"
"Pshh, how am I to know?"
"I don't know man. Normally you two are just, well you two."
" Major building in flames, children scorned!" Smokes uses some of the tactics that Jack had taught him, about "improving the truth" a little. He left it at that.