Chapter 3
Penny dashed up the stairs of the lodging house and burst through the darkness of the bedroom. She squinted, fixing her eyes to better see. Racetrack popped in behind her and lit a near-by lamp. "He's ova' der," he stated, pointing to the bump in his own bed.
Penny walked quickly to the bed and grabbed at the lump. "Oh Ben! You had me so worried! I outta…" she slapped him playfully across the shoulder.
"Ay! Whaddaya doin'?"
Racetrack fixed his eyes. "Oops," he corrected, "dat'd be Jake." He looked around again. "Der he is."
Ben was now sitting up in the bed, wiping his eyes, and yawning. "Pen---," he started.
"Ben!" Penny wrapped her arms around the scrawny boy she knew as her son. "Why did ya leave like dat?"
Ben scrunched up his face. "Why else?"
Penny thought for a minute about what the cop had proposed. "Is it 'cause'a what I do?" she asked him.
He turned away. "Maybe."
"Well," she began, "I ain't gonna quit. It's too much…"
"… Fun and money," Ben finished for her, "I know."
Racetrack sat beside Penny. "Anyting you guys wanna talk about wit…"
"No," they both said at once.
Racetrack quickly got up. "Ok," he mumbled.
"Look," Penny started, "I'm sorry, but how else can we live? I mean, I wouldn't wanna loose ya. And the damn foster care centa' ain't helpin' us at all. Dey's fixin' ta send ya out west somewhere wit somebody else. Can you beliee' dat?"
"Away?" Ben now looked worried. He had spent a good while with this young women, who raised him, and treated him fairly, almost always letting him do as he pleased. But maybe he wanted her to be strict. Maybe he wanted the Mother who would tell him to be home early, not do drugs, drink, or fight.
Penny nodded. "Dat's what I wanted ta tell youse. It ain't…"
Penny was cut off by the bedroom door, which burst open loudly. "Ay! What's all da racket?" a voice bellowed. The voice came from a short, balding guy, who seemed tired and angry. His big belly pulled up most of his shirt, which reached to about his knees.
"We's was goin' ta bed. You can go back down now Chuck," Jack informed, stretching and yawning a few times.
"Lights went out at 9! And don't call me Chuck! Call me…"
"MR. Chuck," all the tired newsies finished in unison.
Jack hopped out of bed. He said, "Well, I guess dat's it Chuck, uh, Mr. Chuck. Have a great nights sleep and…"
"Wait," Penny whispered. Everyone turned his attention to Penny. Her eyes were full of puzzlement as she cocked her head slightly to the side. "Where's my Uncle Kloppman?"
Chuck gave a quick snigger.
Jack nudged him.
Racetrack sighed, grabbing Penny by the elbow and pulling her out and down the lodging house stairs, Ben following. As they started walking, Racetrack explained what had happened the evening of the fire. "It was a real boring day, as all are," he started, "We's was all in our favorite restaurant, 'Tibby's', when we saw a huge blast'a light come from a few blocks. We wanted ta have some fun so we headed towards it ta check it out." He was quiet for a minute. "Der was somethin' goin' on between some'a da younga' newsies from 'ere and some'a da older newsies from Harlem dat none'a us knew about. And we still don't. But da Harlem guys somehow got gasoline poured 'round da Manhattan Park… Dey light one match, and all da kids was trapped in der. Most'a dem panicked and tried getting' outta der. No luck. We lost some good friends..." He whispered a few names, "Snipe… Boots… Snitch… Crutchy… Dutch… Pie… Kid…" He sniffled as his eyes started to water. He went on, "Da olda' fella's had gone in afta' 'em. Dey was already gone dough." He took a deep breath. "Well, Mush was in da fire too. But he's tough. He got out. But he had some bad burns… And Kloppman helped him through it all… But… da gas was getting' tough fa Kloppman's lungs I guess and we's was all coughin' a lot'a shit. He just… I donno." His voice cracked as he added, "We lost a lot in der…"
Penny bit her lip and felt the warm blood seep in between her teeth and onto her tongue, flowing down her dry throat. She nodded. "Yeah." She could feel her eyes get watery, but she held it all back. It wasn't the right time.
Ben felt bad that Penny had to find out. She may not have even found out if he hadn't run away. He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
She shook her head. "It's OK. I understand why you did. It makes sense. What I do is wrong. But… ya know… but…" She shook her head again. "Kloppman," she whispered, "my uncle. I never really knew him. It's amazing how much people miss out on others."
Racetrack took her hand and the three walked back to the lodging house together. Ben and Penny stayed the night there in Racetrack's bed, while Racetrack slept downstairs in the lobby.
Late that same night, Penny woke up. It wasn't a nightmare, or Ben rustling about, she just woke up. She gingerly pulled the sheets off of her warm body and got out of the bed. She walked down the stairs, taking a cigarette and match with her. As she walked through the lobby she heard some mumbling. She squinted, listening very carefully. "No… Klopp… No… Not dem too… Their jus' lil kids…" She heard small cries. She knew who it was. It was Racetrack. She slowly searched for him, leaving the cigarette and the match she brought with her on a near-by desk.
"Racetrack?" she whispered.
Nothing. She still heard the cries, but she wasn't sure from where.
She walked back to where she had put the match and picked it up. She quickly lit it and squinted through the light. As she began walking she felt the match start to burn and she waved the light away. "You shouldn't be walkin' 'round wit a match afta' what happened," a whisper came from the darkness.
Penny swallowed deeply, afraid of the voice at first. "Sorry," she murmured. She started to wave her arms around, searching for Racetrack's voice. She found his arm. "Are you OK?" she asked him.
He took a deep, quivering breath. "No."
She moved her hand up to his shoulder and pulled him close, giving him a hug as he began crying in her shoulder. "I hate all'a dis!" he cried, not too loud though. "Why do people gotta die? It ain't fair!" his voice muffled in Penny's dress top.
"I know," Penny whispered. She combed her fingers through his hair and Racetrack walked the two of them over to a couch near-by. They sat down and Racetrack cried some more, slowly falling asleep. Penny fell asleep with him and the two slept, hand in hand, sadly on the couch.
Read on!
Penny dashed up the stairs of the lodging house and burst through the darkness of the bedroom. She squinted, fixing her eyes to better see. Racetrack popped in behind her and lit a near-by lamp. "He's ova' der," he stated, pointing to the bump in his own bed.
Penny walked quickly to the bed and grabbed at the lump. "Oh Ben! You had me so worried! I outta…" she slapped him playfully across the shoulder.
"Ay! Whaddaya doin'?"
Racetrack fixed his eyes. "Oops," he corrected, "dat'd be Jake." He looked around again. "Der he is."
Ben was now sitting up in the bed, wiping his eyes, and yawning. "Pen---," he started.
"Ben!" Penny wrapped her arms around the scrawny boy she knew as her son. "Why did ya leave like dat?"
Ben scrunched up his face. "Why else?"
Penny thought for a minute about what the cop had proposed. "Is it 'cause'a what I do?" she asked him.
He turned away. "Maybe."
"Well," she began, "I ain't gonna quit. It's too much…"
"… Fun and money," Ben finished for her, "I know."
Racetrack sat beside Penny. "Anyting you guys wanna talk about wit…"
"No," they both said at once.
Racetrack quickly got up. "Ok," he mumbled.
"Look," Penny started, "I'm sorry, but how else can we live? I mean, I wouldn't wanna loose ya. And the damn foster care centa' ain't helpin' us at all. Dey's fixin' ta send ya out west somewhere wit somebody else. Can you beliee' dat?"
"Away?" Ben now looked worried. He had spent a good while with this young women, who raised him, and treated him fairly, almost always letting him do as he pleased. But maybe he wanted her to be strict. Maybe he wanted the Mother who would tell him to be home early, not do drugs, drink, or fight.
Penny nodded. "Dat's what I wanted ta tell youse. It ain't…"
Penny was cut off by the bedroom door, which burst open loudly. "Ay! What's all da racket?" a voice bellowed. The voice came from a short, balding guy, who seemed tired and angry. His big belly pulled up most of his shirt, which reached to about his knees.
"We's was goin' ta bed. You can go back down now Chuck," Jack informed, stretching and yawning a few times.
"Lights went out at 9! And don't call me Chuck! Call me…"
"MR. Chuck," all the tired newsies finished in unison.
Jack hopped out of bed. He said, "Well, I guess dat's it Chuck, uh, Mr. Chuck. Have a great nights sleep and…"
"Wait," Penny whispered. Everyone turned his attention to Penny. Her eyes were full of puzzlement as she cocked her head slightly to the side. "Where's my Uncle Kloppman?"
Chuck gave a quick snigger.
Jack nudged him.
Racetrack sighed, grabbing Penny by the elbow and pulling her out and down the lodging house stairs, Ben following. As they started walking, Racetrack explained what had happened the evening of the fire. "It was a real boring day, as all are," he started, "We's was all in our favorite restaurant, 'Tibby's', when we saw a huge blast'a light come from a few blocks. We wanted ta have some fun so we headed towards it ta check it out." He was quiet for a minute. "Der was somethin' goin' on between some'a da younga' newsies from 'ere and some'a da older newsies from Harlem dat none'a us knew about. And we still don't. But da Harlem guys somehow got gasoline poured 'round da Manhattan Park… Dey light one match, and all da kids was trapped in der. Most'a dem panicked and tried getting' outta der. No luck. We lost some good friends..." He whispered a few names, "Snipe… Boots… Snitch… Crutchy… Dutch… Pie… Kid…" He sniffled as his eyes started to water. He went on, "Da olda' fella's had gone in afta' 'em. Dey was already gone dough." He took a deep breath. "Well, Mush was in da fire too. But he's tough. He got out. But he had some bad burns… And Kloppman helped him through it all… But… da gas was getting' tough fa Kloppman's lungs I guess and we's was all coughin' a lot'a shit. He just… I donno." His voice cracked as he added, "We lost a lot in der…"
Penny bit her lip and felt the warm blood seep in between her teeth and onto her tongue, flowing down her dry throat. She nodded. "Yeah." She could feel her eyes get watery, but she held it all back. It wasn't the right time.
Ben felt bad that Penny had to find out. She may not have even found out if he hadn't run away. He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
She shook her head. "It's OK. I understand why you did. It makes sense. What I do is wrong. But… ya know… but…" She shook her head again. "Kloppman," she whispered, "my uncle. I never really knew him. It's amazing how much people miss out on others."
Racetrack took her hand and the three walked back to the lodging house together. Ben and Penny stayed the night there in Racetrack's bed, while Racetrack slept downstairs in the lobby.
Late that same night, Penny woke up. It wasn't a nightmare, or Ben rustling about, she just woke up. She gingerly pulled the sheets off of her warm body and got out of the bed. She walked down the stairs, taking a cigarette and match with her. As she walked through the lobby she heard some mumbling. She squinted, listening very carefully. "No… Klopp… No… Not dem too… Their jus' lil kids…" She heard small cries. She knew who it was. It was Racetrack. She slowly searched for him, leaving the cigarette and the match she brought with her on a near-by desk.
"Racetrack?" she whispered.
Nothing. She still heard the cries, but she wasn't sure from where.
She walked back to where she had put the match and picked it up. She quickly lit it and squinted through the light. As she began walking she felt the match start to burn and she waved the light away. "You shouldn't be walkin' 'round wit a match afta' what happened," a whisper came from the darkness.
Penny swallowed deeply, afraid of the voice at first. "Sorry," she murmured. She started to wave her arms around, searching for Racetrack's voice. She found his arm. "Are you OK?" she asked him.
He took a deep, quivering breath. "No."
She moved her hand up to his shoulder and pulled him close, giving him a hug as he began crying in her shoulder. "I hate all'a dis!" he cried, not too loud though. "Why do people gotta die? It ain't fair!" his voice muffled in Penny's dress top.
"I know," Penny whispered. She combed her fingers through his hair and Racetrack walked the two of them over to a couch near-by. They sat down and Racetrack cried some more, slowly falling asleep. Penny fell asleep with him and the two slept, hand in hand, sadly on the couch.
Read on!