Hooking thumbs into his belt loops, staring at the ground in trance as he
kicked up dust shuffling his feet, despondent look on his face, Jack slowly
walked back to the Lodging House. As he approached the steps leading to
the door, he shook his head and thought better of it. Soon the time would
come when his friend's curiosity would overtake them enough to ask. For
now, the sad cowboy wanted to be alone. Walking around to the alley and
climbing up the fire escape, Jack decided to hang out on the roof until
after lights out.
Lighthearted chatter from his fellow newsies below floated out the window and up to his rooftop perch. Their laughter made him smile a little for he knew life would go on. The boys would not allow the pain to swallow him. Together they would do what ever in their power to help. It was their nature; to survive they learned to live as a family, to come to the aid of one another, to comfort. Until then Jack wanted time to collect his thoughts. He knew that once he recanted the events, the scene in his mind would give way to their distorted views in way of aiding his psychological healing.
What cruel irony he thought as his heart felt deeply clouded, but not a one hung in the sky. Gazing out at the star-filled night, Jack sat on a crate and began to reflect.
Thoughts about from where he had just come swarmed his mind with heavy sorrow. The evening started out normal enough. Two hours ago after having showered and spiffied up a bit, Jack left the Lodging House to see Sarah, his Sarah, the love of his life. It had taken him a few days to muster up the courage to tell her he wanted to leave his life as a single man and start a new one.
When he moved into the Lodging House as a young boy of eleven, he had given Kloppman for safekeeping, the one and only piece of his mother he had left, a ring. It was a very simple ring, a rose gold band with a small speck of a diamond. Before his mother, it had belonged to his grandmother and now he wanted to give it to his future bride. Jack had taken the ring with him with the intent of asking her to marry.
Mrs. Jacobs opened the door, greeted and invited him into the apartment. "Good evening Jack, Sarah should be home from work in a few minutes. David and Les are on the fire escape working on Les' reading lesson."
Nodding a slight thank you, he walked over to the window and stepped outside joining David and Les. He smiled at the look on the little boy's face in concentration.
"What are you reading there, Les?"
"The Invisible Man."
"Well, he's trying anyway." David smiled down at his younger brother. "You keep working on it Les, I want to talk to Jack alone."
David led Jack up to the next landing and sat on a step. "I have not told anyone this yet Jack, but I need some advice."
"I'm listening."
"Khaos, you know, the new girl over in Brooklyn."
"Yea, I know, what about her?" Jack knew what David was going to tell him. Very poorly David tried to hide his feelings for her.
"I like her, have for awhile now and well, I seem to loose the ability to speak whenever she is around."
"The Walking Mouth losing his facilities around a girl?"
"Okay, your sarcasm is not needed right now, what I need from you is advice."
"Sorry, you're asking my advice?"
"Yes, what should I do?"
"Break through the wall Davie and ask her out."
"Easy for you to say my friend."
"You talked to Spot, the most feared newsie in all of New York state or city, knowing that no one else would. That took more guts than talking to any girl."
"Yeah, I guess it did. You're right Jack, I'll ask her the next time I see her."
"David, Les, Jack time to come in for dinner."
"Coming Papa."
After dinner, Jack led Sarah to the roof as on many previous occasions. It was their sanctuary, their place. Placing his hands on her waist, he lifted her up onto the ledge so he could see clearly into her eyes. "Sarah, there's something I have been wanting to ask you." He said as he took the ring from his pocket. "I've been thinking for awhile now that we should.." Before he could finish Sarah interrupted.
"Jack, I have been offered a governess job upstate." Sarah said quickly, "I shall be leaving in the morning. I am sorry; I wanted to tell you about the offer sooner, but every time I tried, well, I just could not bring myself to say the words aloud. I have said them over and over to myself trying to find the right way to tell you."
"What about us, Sarah?"
"I'm leaving, Jack. I accepted the position with the Normans to get away from the life I have lived here."
"You're leaving to get away from me."
"Not you, from being poor, having nothing. I will be able to send money home to Papa and Mama to help with Davie and Les. You know he will never be able to work again with his arm. They need me to do this as much as I do. Please understand."
"I'll go with you then."
"No, Jack, you have your life here and while you may have once dreamed of Santa Fe, you are happy here. I have seen it in your eyes while trying to teach Davie and Les how to defend themselves against the Delancey brothers. I have seen it when you are out selling your papers to unsuspecting customers who have bought based on your 'improved headlines'. I have seen it in your eyes walking around Central Park. You belong here you are needed here. I'm going on alone."
Instead of being betrothed, he was heartbroken. Jack nodded, but he did not understand, could not understand what happened. He tried to hide the hurt she caused him, tried to hide the tears welling up in his eyes, but failed as one stray tear he was unable to wrangle slid down his cheek.
He asked Sarah to say good night to her family, to thank her mother for dinner. Figuring they all knew what had transpired, he did not want to face them, knowing they would feel a need to pity him. More than anything, Jack hated pity.
Lighthearted chatter from his fellow newsies below floated out the window and up to his rooftop perch. Their laughter made him smile a little for he knew life would go on. The boys would not allow the pain to swallow him. Together they would do what ever in their power to help. It was their nature; to survive they learned to live as a family, to come to the aid of one another, to comfort. Until then Jack wanted time to collect his thoughts. He knew that once he recanted the events, the scene in his mind would give way to their distorted views in way of aiding his psychological healing.
What cruel irony he thought as his heart felt deeply clouded, but not a one hung in the sky. Gazing out at the star-filled night, Jack sat on a crate and began to reflect.
Thoughts about from where he had just come swarmed his mind with heavy sorrow. The evening started out normal enough. Two hours ago after having showered and spiffied up a bit, Jack left the Lodging House to see Sarah, his Sarah, the love of his life. It had taken him a few days to muster up the courage to tell her he wanted to leave his life as a single man and start a new one.
When he moved into the Lodging House as a young boy of eleven, he had given Kloppman for safekeeping, the one and only piece of his mother he had left, a ring. It was a very simple ring, a rose gold band with a small speck of a diamond. Before his mother, it had belonged to his grandmother and now he wanted to give it to his future bride. Jack had taken the ring with him with the intent of asking her to marry.
Mrs. Jacobs opened the door, greeted and invited him into the apartment. "Good evening Jack, Sarah should be home from work in a few minutes. David and Les are on the fire escape working on Les' reading lesson."
Nodding a slight thank you, he walked over to the window and stepped outside joining David and Les. He smiled at the look on the little boy's face in concentration.
"What are you reading there, Les?"
"The Invisible Man."
"Well, he's trying anyway." David smiled down at his younger brother. "You keep working on it Les, I want to talk to Jack alone."
David led Jack up to the next landing and sat on a step. "I have not told anyone this yet Jack, but I need some advice."
"I'm listening."
"Khaos, you know, the new girl over in Brooklyn."
"Yea, I know, what about her?" Jack knew what David was going to tell him. Very poorly David tried to hide his feelings for her.
"I like her, have for awhile now and well, I seem to loose the ability to speak whenever she is around."
"The Walking Mouth losing his facilities around a girl?"
"Okay, your sarcasm is not needed right now, what I need from you is advice."
"Sorry, you're asking my advice?"
"Yes, what should I do?"
"Break through the wall Davie and ask her out."
"Easy for you to say my friend."
"You talked to Spot, the most feared newsie in all of New York state or city, knowing that no one else would. That took more guts than talking to any girl."
"Yeah, I guess it did. You're right Jack, I'll ask her the next time I see her."
"David, Les, Jack time to come in for dinner."
"Coming Papa."
After dinner, Jack led Sarah to the roof as on many previous occasions. It was their sanctuary, their place. Placing his hands on her waist, he lifted her up onto the ledge so he could see clearly into her eyes. "Sarah, there's something I have been wanting to ask you." He said as he took the ring from his pocket. "I've been thinking for awhile now that we should.." Before he could finish Sarah interrupted.
"Jack, I have been offered a governess job upstate." Sarah said quickly, "I shall be leaving in the morning. I am sorry; I wanted to tell you about the offer sooner, but every time I tried, well, I just could not bring myself to say the words aloud. I have said them over and over to myself trying to find the right way to tell you."
"What about us, Sarah?"
"I'm leaving, Jack. I accepted the position with the Normans to get away from the life I have lived here."
"You're leaving to get away from me."
"Not you, from being poor, having nothing. I will be able to send money home to Papa and Mama to help with Davie and Les. You know he will never be able to work again with his arm. They need me to do this as much as I do. Please understand."
"I'll go with you then."
"No, Jack, you have your life here and while you may have once dreamed of Santa Fe, you are happy here. I have seen it in your eyes while trying to teach Davie and Les how to defend themselves against the Delancey brothers. I have seen it when you are out selling your papers to unsuspecting customers who have bought based on your 'improved headlines'. I have seen it in your eyes walking around Central Park. You belong here you are needed here. I'm going on alone."
Instead of being betrothed, he was heartbroken. Jack nodded, but he did not understand, could not understand what happened. He tried to hide the hurt she caused him, tried to hide the tears welling up in his eyes, but failed as one stray tear he was unable to wrangle slid down his cheek.
He asked Sarah to say good night to her family, to thank her mother for dinner. Figuring they all knew what had transpired, he did not want to face them, knowing they would feel a need to pity him. More than anything, Jack hated pity.