Chapter 6
A lone whistle sounded through the air. To the untrained ear, it was a bird. To me, it was Mush. I whistled back.
He rushed onto the porch a moment later, took me in his arms, and kissed me. I kissed him back. Then Jack curiously asked, "What's that?"
Mush pulled away and looked where Jack was pointing. On the porch next to the chairs was my suitcase. Mush looked up with questioning eyes. "What's goin' on?"
"I'm leaving. With you." I picked it up and held up my chin.
The boys began to laugh. "What'chu talkin' 'bout?" Mush asked. I brushed past him and was halfway down the sidewalk before he caught up. "You can't be serious."
"My father forbid me to see you. Therefore, I forbid myself to see him." Mush caught my arm and made me stop walking. He took my suitcase from my hand.
"Daffodil, ya can't handle it out here." He spoke seriously. "It's hard. I know you're tough, tougher than I ever thought a rich girl could be. But you're still not suited to life on the streets. You'se used to steady meals and not payin' for… anything. I love you, but ya can't handle it out here."
I stared at him. "And I say I can." I grabbed my suitcase back and headed back down the street.
That first night, Mush and Jack took me back to their house. They weren't supposed to let me in, since I'm a girl, but Mush wasn't about to let me spend the night on the street. He let me have his bed and slept beside it on the floor. He reached up and grabbed my hand, and we slept that way until morning.
Which is when the chaos started.
"Mush! Mush!" It was barely light outside when someone hunched over my bed and started shaking me. "Wake up, it's time to go—"
"OW!" Mush moaned from the floor beside the bed as someone jumped down from a top bunk and landed on him.
"…Mush?" The boy who'd been shaking me, who I now recognized as Specs, went around the bed to the other side to get a better look. "Why'se you on the floor? And who's in yer bed?"
"Daffodil," Mush mumbled.
All activity in the room stopped. Heads turned in my direction as I groggily sat up.
"You let a girl in. You let a girl in," Boots kept saying, shaking his head.
"Oh, please. I'm not just a girl," I chided. "You fellows all know me."
"Yeah, but you'se didn't know me enough to see me in me underwear!" Skittery said, and he actually had good reason, as his were pink.
"Oh, grow up," Mush mumbled. He sat up and grinned at me. "I can't believe you ran away from home. Wit' me."
"She ran away? Oh, what, three blocks away?" Skittery interjected. "Wow, she deserves an award for tha' one." He made a sweeping bow to me.
"Hey!" Racetrack suddenly shouted. "That's my cigar!" He pointed an accusing finger at the kid in his bed's lower bunk, Snipeshooter.
Snipeshooter took the cigar from his mouth, saying, "You'll steal anudder."
"Hey, bummers, we got work to do," Kid Blink told them.
"Since when did you become me mudder?" Specs taunted.
Crutchy shook his head. "Ah, stop yer bawlin'!"
A bunch of them, Mush included, shouted back, "Hey! Who ast you?"
Jack looked about dead on his feet, and Mush went over, pulling on his suspenders. "Hey, Jackie, how'd ya sleep last night?"
"On me back, Mush," Jack answered drowsily. Mush let out a chirp of delight, and began to tell everyone Jack's wittiness.
He finally got back to where I was sitting, dazed, on his bed. "I can' believe ya came here, still, Daffodil," he told me, shaking his head. "It's like I jus' met you fer the first time las' night!" I laughed, and he went into the bathroom. I listened to Crutchy and Jack talk about Crutchy's need of a new corner to sell papes, and then Mush burst out with advice: "Try Bottle Alley or da harbor."
"Try Central Park, it's guaranteed," Racetrack's voice joined in.
Jack advised, "Try any banker, bum, or barber."
"They almost all knows how to read!" Skittery agreed.
Kid Blink said happily, "I smell money!"
Crutchy disagreed, "You smell foul." I let out a laugh at that.
"Met this girl last night," Mush said, sticking his head out of the washroom door and winking at me.
"Move yer elbow!" Crutchy yelled.
"Pass the towel," Racetrack requested.
"For a buck, I might!" Skittery laughed.
When they came out, they were much more respectable-looking: most were dressed, at least. They moved about, each knowing where the others were headed in the room so no one was in anyone's way. Mush was still in the washroom when Jack came over to where I still sat.
"Is you okay, Daffodil?" he asked softly, touching my hand.
"This is just… so different," I said.
Jack let out a laugh. "Mush tried t' warn ya las' night, didn' he? But no, yer too stubborn!" He looked closer still, and then smiled, sitting next to me. "Yer good fer 'im, Daffodil. He doesn' open up ter just anyone."
"He always seemed friendly to me," I answered.
"Aw, he's friendly, sure! But he talks to ya. Why'd ya think I came along with 'im so many times t' visit ya? He tells ya things about himself that even I didn' know!"
I smiled at that.
"Hey, Jackie boy, ya tryin' ter steal my girl?" Mush asked, coming over to the bed. He laughed good-naturedly, and kissed me good-morning. "Mmm, I sure do loves them kisses!" he said, licking his lips.
"Hey, how's abou' one fer me?" Skittery said jokingly, sitting on the bed opposite.
"An' me," Kid Blink decided.
"Let me in on it!" Crutchy laughed. Soon all the newsies were crowded around. I let out a giggle.
Then one of them suddenly realized they were going to be late for the paper buying.
"Well, c'mon then Daffodil!" Mush said, as they all rushed from the room. "What a fine life, carryin' the banner!"
Smiling, I followed him from the room, clenching his hand tight.
A lone whistle sounded through the air. To the untrained ear, it was a bird. To me, it was Mush. I whistled back.
He rushed onto the porch a moment later, took me in his arms, and kissed me. I kissed him back. Then Jack curiously asked, "What's that?"
Mush pulled away and looked where Jack was pointing. On the porch next to the chairs was my suitcase. Mush looked up with questioning eyes. "What's goin' on?"
"I'm leaving. With you." I picked it up and held up my chin.
The boys began to laugh. "What'chu talkin' 'bout?" Mush asked. I brushed past him and was halfway down the sidewalk before he caught up. "You can't be serious."
"My father forbid me to see you. Therefore, I forbid myself to see him." Mush caught my arm and made me stop walking. He took my suitcase from my hand.
"Daffodil, ya can't handle it out here." He spoke seriously. "It's hard. I know you're tough, tougher than I ever thought a rich girl could be. But you're still not suited to life on the streets. You'se used to steady meals and not payin' for… anything. I love you, but ya can't handle it out here."
I stared at him. "And I say I can." I grabbed my suitcase back and headed back down the street.
That first night, Mush and Jack took me back to their house. They weren't supposed to let me in, since I'm a girl, but Mush wasn't about to let me spend the night on the street. He let me have his bed and slept beside it on the floor. He reached up and grabbed my hand, and we slept that way until morning.
Which is when the chaos started.
"Mush! Mush!" It was barely light outside when someone hunched over my bed and started shaking me. "Wake up, it's time to go—"
"OW!" Mush moaned from the floor beside the bed as someone jumped down from a top bunk and landed on him.
"…Mush?" The boy who'd been shaking me, who I now recognized as Specs, went around the bed to the other side to get a better look. "Why'se you on the floor? And who's in yer bed?"
"Daffodil," Mush mumbled.
All activity in the room stopped. Heads turned in my direction as I groggily sat up.
"You let a girl in. You let a girl in," Boots kept saying, shaking his head.
"Oh, please. I'm not just a girl," I chided. "You fellows all know me."
"Yeah, but you'se didn't know me enough to see me in me underwear!" Skittery said, and he actually had good reason, as his were pink.
"Oh, grow up," Mush mumbled. He sat up and grinned at me. "I can't believe you ran away from home. Wit' me."
"She ran away? Oh, what, three blocks away?" Skittery interjected. "Wow, she deserves an award for tha' one." He made a sweeping bow to me.
"Hey!" Racetrack suddenly shouted. "That's my cigar!" He pointed an accusing finger at the kid in his bed's lower bunk, Snipeshooter.
Snipeshooter took the cigar from his mouth, saying, "You'll steal anudder."
"Hey, bummers, we got work to do," Kid Blink told them.
"Since when did you become me mudder?" Specs taunted.
Crutchy shook his head. "Ah, stop yer bawlin'!"
A bunch of them, Mush included, shouted back, "Hey! Who ast you?"
Jack looked about dead on his feet, and Mush went over, pulling on his suspenders. "Hey, Jackie, how'd ya sleep last night?"
"On me back, Mush," Jack answered drowsily. Mush let out a chirp of delight, and began to tell everyone Jack's wittiness.
He finally got back to where I was sitting, dazed, on his bed. "I can' believe ya came here, still, Daffodil," he told me, shaking his head. "It's like I jus' met you fer the first time las' night!" I laughed, and he went into the bathroom. I listened to Crutchy and Jack talk about Crutchy's need of a new corner to sell papes, and then Mush burst out with advice: "Try Bottle Alley or da harbor."
"Try Central Park, it's guaranteed," Racetrack's voice joined in.
Jack advised, "Try any banker, bum, or barber."
"They almost all knows how to read!" Skittery agreed.
Kid Blink said happily, "I smell money!"
Crutchy disagreed, "You smell foul." I let out a laugh at that.
"Met this girl last night," Mush said, sticking his head out of the washroom door and winking at me.
"Move yer elbow!" Crutchy yelled.
"Pass the towel," Racetrack requested.
"For a buck, I might!" Skittery laughed.
When they came out, they were much more respectable-looking: most were dressed, at least. They moved about, each knowing where the others were headed in the room so no one was in anyone's way. Mush was still in the washroom when Jack came over to where I still sat.
"Is you okay, Daffodil?" he asked softly, touching my hand.
"This is just… so different," I said.
Jack let out a laugh. "Mush tried t' warn ya las' night, didn' he? But no, yer too stubborn!" He looked closer still, and then smiled, sitting next to me. "Yer good fer 'im, Daffodil. He doesn' open up ter just anyone."
"He always seemed friendly to me," I answered.
"Aw, he's friendly, sure! But he talks to ya. Why'd ya think I came along with 'im so many times t' visit ya? He tells ya things about himself that even I didn' know!"
I smiled at that.
"Hey, Jackie boy, ya tryin' ter steal my girl?" Mush asked, coming over to the bed. He laughed good-naturedly, and kissed me good-morning. "Mmm, I sure do loves them kisses!" he said, licking his lips.
"Hey, how's abou' one fer me?" Skittery said jokingly, sitting on the bed opposite.
"An' me," Kid Blink decided.
"Let me in on it!" Crutchy laughed. Soon all the newsies were crowded around. I let out a giggle.
Then one of them suddenly realized they were going to be late for the paper buying.
"Well, c'mon then Daffodil!" Mush said, as they all rushed from the room. "What a fine life, carryin' the banner!"
Smiling, I followed him from the room, clenching his hand tight.
