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Disclaimer - I do not own any Newsies...poor me.
BACK TO THE PRESENT Sarah glared at David, who continued to look into space, totally oblivious to anything around him. Sarah broke the silence with icy words.
"So? What were you on then? Sniffing the glue again, David dear? I don't know weather to kick you or just tell Papa about that magazine you have stashed under your bed..both those things would be equally satisfying..."
David spaced in with a start. "Sarah, you better not say a word to Papa! He'll kill me!"
"Not if I get to you first! And you still didn't answer my question. What the hell were you thinking? And I can't even tell Jack to ignore you, because he doesn't even know I know!" Then a horrible thought struck her. Unbelievingly, Sarah realized.."Is that why Jack's waited so long to ask? Because he couldn't face asking your permission?"
Oh, boy. David knew he was in real trouble now. Quick, he needed something to divert her..looking around the room wildly, David's blue eyes met nothing. Besides, Sarah was to smart for that. Curse that private school education..
"DAVID JONATHAN JACOBS!!" Sarah finally exploded. "ANSWER MY QUESTION OR ELSE...." She picked up a butter knife threateningly.
David gulped. What to do now? Admit it? Heck, he didn't even know what he was admitting to! He was drunk, for G-d's sake, when he was joking around that night in Brooklyn..he never knew that Jack was going to take him seriously..
THREE WEEKS AGO The group was at the docks in Spot's territory. It had been a big selling day, and David had only to make up a few headlines for the hard-sellers. Even though Jack wasn't a newsie any longer, David, at a year younger, still had time before his father would make him get a "real job." All his papes gone, he was in a good mood, and when Jack suggested getting some drinks and going to visit Spot - "I'se got some bisniss to conduct, anyhow" - David was all for it.
It was just Spot, Jack and David leaning against the wooden posts, staring at the stars. David gulped down the last of the beer, tossing the bottle into the water. Geez, he was really gonna have to cut back on that stuff. Did Jack always have such a high, wavery voice? Christ, he sounded like a girl. David squinted up at his friend, listening to his voice as he spoke with Spot.
"Ya gotta heah me, Spot. It aint funny what the otha newsies ah doin to us." Jack still considered himself the leader of the Manhattan newsies, as he still lived with them in the Lodging House. "Undasellin, cutting thieh losses...I don't know what ta do. Maybe Pulitzers behind 'em? Hell, this is statin to sound just like the strke..."
"Don't worry so much, Jacky-boy." That was Spot, coming in with his soft, arrogant drawl. "Da otha newsies know they don't stand a chance. We'll just soak em if we havta..."
"They betta undeastand, Spot. I don't think pull antha one like the strike..they betta just be playin."
David was fading in and out. Jack and Spot's voices seemed to be getting louder and softer at different time. Why couldn't they just talk at one level? I'll never understand Jack, David thought. Even if he is gonna be my brother-in-law, sooner or later. Wait a minute, who says? Who says that Jack could marry Sarah? David scraped his head on the wooden beam while trying to stand up. She's my sister, he reasoned. I have a say in what goes on here!
"Hey Jack! Listen, I was thinking..."
"Yeah, Davey?" Jack said, looking up from his conversation with Spot. Realizing that David was about to plunge headfirst into the cold water of the East River, Jack grabbed his friends arm and slung it around his shoulder. He turned to face David and in the process got a whiff of David's alcohol saturated breath.
"Whoo, Davey! I think its time to lay off tha beer, huh, buddy?" Jack said, grinning. "Let me take ya home know, ok? We'se gonna have ta sneak ya in...ya momma betta not see ya like this." Jack started pulling David along, glancing at Spot over David's curly head. Spot was cracking up.
"Yeah, Davey, run along." Spot said, sniggering. "Betta make sure ya hid this from the guys. Ya don't want them ta know Davey cant hold his likker!" Chuckling, Spot jumped off his perch on one of the dock posts and disappeared from view.
"Ya know, Jack? I was thinking. It isn't..isn't right...tha-that you get to marry Sarah..without asking my permission...first. So, you go.gotta ask me.before you..you ask her." David was stumbling over his words as well as his feet. "Got it, Jack? You.better ask me...before you ask...ask her..." David managed to get those last words in before passing out on his friends shoulder.
Jack looked, troubled, at his best friend, who was unconscious. What was he yammering about? And what was he gong to do with him? Glancing up, he realized that they were almost at Davey's house, anyway... He dragged David up the fire escape and into his bed, Jack's arms screaming. Looking around the small bedroom, Jack smiled as he saw Les sleeping with his thumb in his mouth - even at 12 - and reached over to rumple the kid's soft hair. Finally, he planted a tender kiss on Sarah's head. He would have kissed her lips, but Sarah always slept on her stomach.
Jack walked to the window and, throwing one leg over the sill, turned around and whispered into the dark and silent room.
"Whatever ya say, Davey. I'll ask you first.."
A last glance at his girlfriends sleeping body and he was gone, with only the curtains blowing in the breeze of the open window to show Jack had been there at all.
BACK TO THE PRESENT Sarah glared at David, who continued to look into space, totally oblivious to anything around him. Sarah broke the silence with icy words.
"So? What were you on then? Sniffing the glue again, David dear? I don't know weather to kick you or just tell Papa about that magazine you have stashed under your bed..both those things would be equally satisfying..."
David spaced in with a start. "Sarah, you better not say a word to Papa! He'll kill me!"
"Not if I get to you first! And you still didn't answer my question. What the hell were you thinking? And I can't even tell Jack to ignore you, because he doesn't even know I know!" Then a horrible thought struck her. Unbelievingly, Sarah realized.."Is that why Jack's waited so long to ask? Because he couldn't face asking your permission?"
Oh, boy. David knew he was in real trouble now. Quick, he needed something to divert her..looking around the room wildly, David's blue eyes met nothing. Besides, Sarah was to smart for that. Curse that private school education..
"DAVID JONATHAN JACOBS!!" Sarah finally exploded. "ANSWER MY QUESTION OR ELSE...." She picked up a butter knife threateningly.
David gulped. What to do now? Admit it? Heck, he didn't even know what he was admitting to! He was drunk, for G-d's sake, when he was joking around that night in Brooklyn..he never knew that Jack was going to take him seriously..
THREE WEEKS AGO The group was at the docks in Spot's territory. It had been a big selling day, and David had only to make up a few headlines for the hard-sellers. Even though Jack wasn't a newsie any longer, David, at a year younger, still had time before his father would make him get a "real job." All his papes gone, he was in a good mood, and when Jack suggested getting some drinks and going to visit Spot - "I'se got some bisniss to conduct, anyhow" - David was all for it.
It was just Spot, Jack and David leaning against the wooden posts, staring at the stars. David gulped down the last of the beer, tossing the bottle into the water. Geez, he was really gonna have to cut back on that stuff. Did Jack always have such a high, wavery voice? Christ, he sounded like a girl. David squinted up at his friend, listening to his voice as he spoke with Spot.
"Ya gotta heah me, Spot. It aint funny what the otha newsies ah doin to us." Jack still considered himself the leader of the Manhattan newsies, as he still lived with them in the Lodging House. "Undasellin, cutting thieh losses...I don't know what ta do. Maybe Pulitzers behind 'em? Hell, this is statin to sound just like the strke..."
"Don't worry so much, Jacky-boy." That was Spot, coming in with his soft, arrogant drawl. "Da otha newsies know they don't stand a chance. We'll just soak em if we havta..."
"They betta undeastand, Spot. I don't think pull antha one like the strike..they betta just be playin."
David was fading in and out. Jack and Spot's voices seemed to be getting louder and softer at different time. Why couldn't they just talk at one level? I'll never understand Jack, David thought. Even if he is gonna be my brother-in-law, sooner or later. Wait a minute, who says? Who says that Jack could marry Sarah? David scraped his head on the wooden beam while trying to stand up. She's my sister, he reasoned. I have a say in what goes on here!
"Hey Jack! Listen, I was thinking..."
"Yeah, Davey?" Jack said, looking up from his conversation with Spot. Realizing that David was about to plunge headfirst into the cold water of the East River, Jack grabbed his friends arm and slung it around his shoulder. He turned to face David and in the process got a whiff of David's alcohol saturated breath.
"Whoo, Davey! I think its time to lay off tha beer, huh, buddy?" Jack said, grinning. "Let me take ya home know, ok? We'se gonna have ta sneak ya in...ya momma betta not see ya like this." Jack started pulling David along, glancing at Spot over David's curly head. Spot was cracking up.
"Yeah, Davey, run along." Spot said, sniggering. "Betta make sure ya hid this from the guys. Ya don't want them ta know Davey cant hold his likker!" Chuckling, Spot jumped off his perch on one of the dock posts and disappeared from view.
"Ya know, Jack? I was thinking. It isn't..isn't right...tha-that you get to marry Sarah..without asking my permission...first. So, you go.gotta ask me.before you..you ask her." David was stumbling over his words as well as his feet. "Got it, Jack? You.better ask me...before you ask...ask her..." David managed to get those last words in before passing out on his friends shoulder.
Jack looked, troubled, at his best friend, who was unconscious. What was he yammering about? And what was he gong to do with him? Glancing up, he realized that they were almost at Davey's house, anyway... He dragged David up the fire escape and into his bed, Jack's arms screaming. Looking around the small bedroom, Jack smiled as he saw Les sleeping with his thumb in his mouth - even at 12 - and reached over to rumple the kid's soft hair. Finally, he planted a tender kiss on Sarah's head. He would have kissed her lips, but Sarah always slept on her stomach.
Jack walked to the window and, throwing one leg over the sill, turned around and whispered into the dark and silent room.
"Whatever ya say, Davey. I'll ask you first.."
A last glance at his girlfriends sleeping body and he was gone, with only the curtains blowing in the breeze of the open window to show Jack had been there at all.