Chapter 4
All throughout the day Spot's mind was on the girl, who he now called Tuesday, and what exactly to do with her. He had left Pockets to care and watch after her. By the end of the day Spot had only sold about half of his usual 120 papes and hadn't even touched a scrap of food. He had come to realize that The Holocaust, Brooklyn's local gang had probably been the ones who almost killed her, since they would exterminate almost anyone different from them.
The sun had already set when Spot finally walked into the Lodging House, all the boys were spread out either playing cards or talking amongst themselves. Spot walked back into the bunkroom and found Pockets and Tuesday sitting across from each other on the floor playing poker and Tuesday was winning.
Tuesday's back was to Spot but when she noticed Pockets looking up she turned around and flashed a stunning smile at him. Spot was surprised to find his knees get weak and his heart start to pound in his chest, but he shook it off and walked over to them.
"Awright Pockets, you'se can out wid da others, 'for you'se loose all ya money ta Tuesday here."
Pockets grabbed up what money he had left and ran out of the room and into the lobby. The room was silent for a minute and Spot stood uneasily in front of her, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to figure out exactly what to say to her.
"How do you'se talk ta others?" Spot made sure to form his words completely so she could understand what he was saying.
Tuesday sat thinking for a moment before she began to make signs and movements with her hands. Spot tried to mimic her hand movements, sending Tuesday into fits of laughter.
"Can ya teach me?" Tuesday raised her brows slightly and then looked around for a sheet of paper and a pencil. Using her hand as a prop for paper and pretending to have a pencil in her other hand, she pretended to write on her hand.
"Ya want paper and a pencil?"
Tuesday nodded and Spot got up and started rummaging in the nightstand beside his bed before returning with a piece of paper and a pencil. Taking the pencil, Tuesday wrote the letter A on the paper and then made the sign for A. Spot watched her form the letter A and then followed her lead and formed his own A.
All night, Spot and Tuesday worked, and by the time the sun had begun to rise Spot had learned not only the entire alphabet but also the signs for house, mom, dad, cat, dog, man, and woman. He struggled with his name and then realized that he had yet to tell her, her name.
Spot painstakingly worked out the letters to her name, stumbling on E but only for a moment. A smile crept over her lips after he had finished and threw her arms around his neck in a hug. Spot clung to her for a moment not wanting to let her go. And in those few seconds after they let go of each other, Spot realized that he would never be the same.
All throughout the day Spot's mind was on the girl, who he now called Tuesday, and what exactly to do with her. He had left Pockets to care and watch after her. By the end of the day Spot had only sold about half of his usual 120 papes and hadn't even touched a scrap of food. He had come to realize that The Holocaust, Brooklyn's local gang had probably been the ones who almost killed her, since they would exterminate almost anyone different from them.
The sun had already set when Spot finally walked into the Lodging House, all the boys were spread out either playing cards or talking amongst themselves. Spot walked back into the bunkroom and found Pockets and Tuesday sitting across from each other on the floor playing poker and Tuesday was winning.
Tuesday's back was to Spot but when she noticed Pockets looking up she turned around and flashed a stunning smile at him. Spot was surprised to find his knees get weak and his heart start to pound in his chest, but he shook it off and walked over to them.
"Awright Pockets, you'se can out wid da others, 'for you'se loose all ya money ta Tuesday here."
Pockets grabbed up what money he had left and ran out of the room and into the lobby. The room was silent for a minute and Spot stood uneasily in front of her, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to figure out exactly what to say to her.
"How do you'se talk ta others?" Spot made sure to form his words completely so she could understand what he was saying.
Tuesday sat thinking for a moment before she began to make signs and movements with her hands. Spot tried to mimic her hand movements, sending Tuesday into fits of laughter.
"Can ya teach me?" Tuesday raised her brows slightly and then looked around for a sheet of paper and a pencil. Using her hand as a prop for paper and pretending to have a pencil in her other hand, she pretended to write on her hand.
"Ya want paper and a pencil?"
Tuesday nodded and Spot got up and started rummaging in the nightstand beside his bed before returning with a piece of paper and a pencil. Taking the pencil, Tuesday wrote the letter A on the paper and then made the sign for A. Spot watched her form the letter A and then followed her lead and formed his own A.
All night, Spot and Tuesday worked, and by the time the sun had begun to rise Spot had learned not only the entire alphabet but also the signs for house, mom, dad, cat, dog, man, and woman. He struggled with his name and then realized that he had yet to tell her, her name.
Spot painstakingly worked out the letters to her name, stumbling on E but only for a moment. A smile crept over her lips after he had finished and threw her arms around his neck in a hug. Spot clung to her for a moment not wanting to let her go. And in those few seconds after they let go of each other, Spot realized that he would never be the same.