Warning: This story contains adult language, graphic violence, attempted
rape, attempted suicide, and sexually explicit themes. Reader's discretion
is advised.
Rating - R.
Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any of the Newsies characters. Apollonia, Giselle, Checkers, and other miscellaneous characters are all mine.
Chapter 16: I've Been Waiting For A Girl Like You
Jack was on his way to the Vienna Model Bakery shop since his bread basket was getting a little low. Upon entering, he was met with a friendly greet. "Hello, Mr. Kelly. What can I help you with today?"
"Oh, just da usual, Mr. Hagen, two loaves of bread, a bag of flour, and some breadsticks, please."
Mr. Hagen went to retrieve the products as Jack waited patiently, leaning up against the counter. He looked out of the window and watched the many newsies selling their papes with ease. Bankers, bums, barbers, shopkeepers, and businessmen purchased papers on a daily basis, just as he told his friends years ago. He smiled to himself at those happy thoughts. He looked content as he gazed at the various passersby on the streets. From the World's distribution office to the statue of Horace Greeley, people went on about their business without a care in the world.
Suddenly, he saw two figures of familiarity. Two well-dressed women were crossing the street carrying boxes. Obviously, they were shopping for clothes based on the size of said boxes. They were conversing happily as they were making their way to the block where the bakery was located. Mr. Hagen promptly gave him his bag of goods as he paid for them.
"Thank you, Mr. Hagen. I'll be seeing you latah sometime."
"Your welcome, Mr. Kelly." Mr. Hagen said as he waved to him. As soon as Jack walked out of the door, he was intercepted by two women who were laughing as they chatted.
"Hello, ladies." He said, catching them off-guard. "Oh, hello, Jack. How are you?"
"I'm alright. I was just doing some shopping of my own and I saw you two walking down da street and thought I might say hello."
"Well, we were just doing a little shopping of our own. For clothes, accessories, and other things we ladies buy to beautify ourselves."
"With looks like you two, there's not much beautifying ta be done."
Apollonia smiled at Jack with earnest eyes while Giselle looked at him with a hint of suspicion. "Do ya mind if I walk with ya?"
"Not at all. That is, if you don't mind going to the House of Pierre to watch Giselle get fitted and measured for an evening gown." Giselle elbowed Apollonia as she snickered.
"Oh, don't be so embarrassed, Giselle. I'm only teasing." Jack just looked on amused as he watched the two best friends verbally quarrel with each other.
"Listen, I will go to the House of Pierre and get fitted for a dress and I'll leave you two to your own devices. Is that okay, cherie?"
"That's quite fine, Giselle." Giselle then signaled for a horse-drawn carriage to pick her up. As the carriage came to a halt, the driver immediately helped her with the boxes she carried, as well as taking the boxes Apollonia was holding.
"I will meet you at home around 3:00. By then, you should help me with some of the accessories and embroidery we purchased. Au revoir, chere." The driver snapped his whip and left their location as Jack and Apollonia watched it turn the corner.
"So, how are doing today? You seem ta be in high spirits aftah last month's run-in with dat psycho."
"I'm fine, Jack. I have decided to carry protection with me whenever I leave the house."
"Ya have a gun or something?"
"Better. I took a knife and strapped it to my leg garter. So, if he or any other man tries to have his way with me without my say-so, their going to be in for a real surprise." She said as she smiled mischievously. Jack snickered at her plan.
"Are ya wearing it right now?"
"No, I have Giselle walking around in broad daylight with me. And, of course, she has been replaced by my masculine bodyguard." He smiled at her comment. He hoped that she didn't see him blushing as the heat was steadily rising in his face.
"I saw you exiting the bakery. Did you buy anything particularly tasty?"
"Yeah, I was running out of bread and need to stock up. I'm thinking about cooking some pasta or something and I needed breadsticks ta go with the meal. This pretty Italian goil I used ta go out with taught me a few things about cooking Italian food."
"I bet she was really good at giving cooking advice."
"She was good at dat, among udda things. Uh,.. I mean dat."
"I know what you meant, Jack." He quickly tried to catch himself with his last comment. He didn't mean to flaunt a past relationship in her face. However, she seemed unaffected and, more importantly, understanding. Jack quickly changed the subject.
"So, do ya have plans for da dresses you and Giselle bought?"
"Well, Giselle and I were thinking about going to the theatre or to a cabaret show. We haven't decided yet."
"Oh, because I was wondering if ya wanted ta go ta see da flickers with me one day. They have new shows every udda week and I thought that you might want ta see one of them with me."
"Certainly, Jack. I would love that. When and what time?"
Jack looked thrilled at her acceptance of the date. He didn't want to look desperate, so he kept his cool. "How does eight o'clock next Saturday sound?"
"That's perfect. My store doesn't operate on the weekends and I don't have any plans set for that day anyway." Jack smiled at her.
Within the hour, they made it to her brownstone. "Well, thank you for escorting me home."
"No problem. It was my pleasure. So, I'll see you next Saturday?"
"Oui, next Saturday."
"Before I forget, do ya wanna eat somewhere before we see da flick?"
"Sure, that sounds fine."
"How about Tibby's?"
"I like Tibby's. That sound great."
"Good. I'll here for 6:30 p.m. so we can have dinner and dat will give us time to go to da theatre and get good seats." Apollonia nodded in concurrence. "Okay, well, I'll see latah." He then picked up her hand and kissed it. He remembered the last time he kissed her hand. It was in her bookstore where they first met. She too remembered that encounter.
~
All day long Jack had been distracted by thoughts of Apollonia. He wondered what it would be like to finally be with her. Seeing her wait for him, smiling with arms widespread, kissing him, caressing and holding him, loving him, making love to him. It was all too good to be true. "Keep it taggeda, Tiger." He said to his reflection.
He wore a vest, all the buttons which were present except one, out of which peeped a shirt that looked as if it had been worn only a few times. His pants were presentable along with his shoes. And to complete his attire, he wore a jacket to look fit to be seen. After he gave himself a quick once over in the mirror, he proceeded to exit his apartment, headed for a night of relaxation and fun.
~
Jack and Apollonia made their way into Tibby's where it was busy yet quiet due to the restaurant being filled with adults rather than newsies and other kids of the working class. The two were greeted by the maitre'd and quickly escorted to a table in the center of the bistro where they could enjoy themselves in calm conversation. Once the maitre'd left, Jack began to initiate a discussion.
"So, what's Giselle up to?"
"I don't know. She's probably either working on her cross-stitch pattern or hiring a detective to spy on us."
Jack smiled at her. "I take it that she's not too thrilled about us being out tagedda."
"Don't take it personally, Jack. I don't think it's you. She's just looking out for me. That's all."
"I thought that was both of our intentions where you are concerned." She looked considerately at Jack.
"All things considered, just about everyone has had me on their minds. For the longest, different people have wanted me to come to them for support, but the people I'm most comfortable with are Giselle, David, Racetrack, Blink, Mush, and a few select others."
"I hope I'm eventually added to that list." Apollonia lightly smiled at him, thinking it terribly sweet of him to say such a thing.
"I believe that there is still room for one more addition." Jack smiled at her offer. Within seconds, Specs and Bumlets came up to them with menus. They greeted the two, paying particular attention to Apollonia.
"Heya, Doll, how are ya doing?" Bumlets said, planting a friendly kiss on her cheek with Specs quickly following suit. Apollonia accepted their courteous gestures of friendliness as Jack looked on.
"It's been a long time since we've seen ya last. How have ya been holdin' up?" Specs asked with much concern in his eyes. "I've been alright. I'm still miserable, but I'm holding up rather well." Bumlets reinforced his concern for her by firmly grabbing her hands while he knelt down towards her.
"Well, you'll be happy ta know dat we are all here for you and you can come ta any of us for anything, ya heah?" Specs said. "Don't be a stranger, young lady." Bumlets added.
"Well, on a lighter note, we thought dat since you two are heah, we should serve you our best dinner of the night and that would be roast duck with lemon sauce. And da best thing about it is it's our treat. Whadda ya say?" Jack looked at Specs and Bumlets in surprise. He wasn't expecting this, neither was Apollonia.
"Well, that's awfully nice of you guys but.."
"Please accept our acts of kindness. It's da least we can do for you, sweetie?"
Not wanting to turn down their offer, she graciously accepted their warm hospitality.
"Very good. We'll be back with your appetizers in just a jiffy." Specs and Bumlets quickly departed to the kitchen leaving the two to engage in conversation.
"Well, looks like this night has a string of luck running through it."
"It's not luck. It's friends that care about you." Apollonia looked at Jack with affection, detecting the warmth and sincerity in his eyes. Jack, too, could see something in her eyes, but it wasn't fire. Her vulnerability showed itself clearly. Once their dinner was brought to them, they ate and conversed the whole time, even laughing a few times here and there.
"This is nice." She thought to herself.
~
In due time, Apollonia and Jack were seated in a theatre watching one of the brand new movies that had just come out. Apollonia kept her eyes on the screen the entire time while Jack watched the film silently, but casually. He kept looking over at her, wondering what was on her mind. There was no denying that in her seemingly composed state, she still displayed a sign of defenselessness. Perhaps it was something that Jack could only see due to what happened in the alley with Killian, but it could possibly be something much deeper. Even though her eyes were fixated on the movie screen, with an occasional laugh escaping her lips, Jack questioned to himself if she was alright. He speculated that she was still deeply upset and hurt, but she had the drive and determination to move on with her life. He wanted her to know that she would be alright, and that he wanted her to be alright.
Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any of the Newsies characters. Apollonia, Giselle, Checkers, and other miscellaneous characters are all mine.
Chapter 16: I've Been Waiting For A Girl Like You
Jack was on his way to the Vienna Model Bakery shop since his bread basket was getting a little low. Upon entering, he was met with a friendly greet. "Hello, Mr. Kelly. What can I help you with today?"
"Oh, just da usual, Mr. Hagen, two loaves of bread, a bag of flour, and some breadsticks, please."
Mr. Hagen went to retrieve the products as Jack waited patiently, leaning up against the counter. He looked out of the window and watched the many newsies selling their papes with ease. Bankers, bums, barbers, shopkeepers, and businessmen purchased papers on a daily basis, just as he told his friends years ago. He smiled to himself at those happy thoughts. He looked content as he gazed at the various passersby on the streets. From the World's distribution office to the statue of Horace Greeley, people went on about their business without a care in the world.
Suddenly, he saw two figures of familiarity. Two well-dressed women were crossing the street carrying boxes. Obviously, they were shopping for clothes based on the size of said boxes. They were conversing happily as they were making their way to the block where the bakery was located. Mr. Hagen promptly gave him his bag of goods as he paid for them.
"Thank you, Mr. Hagen. I'll be seeing you latah sometime."
"Your welcome, Mr. Kelly." Mr. Hagen said as he waved to him. As soon as Jack walked out of the door, he was intercepted by two women who were laughing as they chatted.
"Hello, ladies." He said, catching them off-guard. "Oh, hello, Jack. How are you?"
"I'm alright. I was just doing some shopping of my own and I saw you two walking down da street and thought I might say hello."
"Well, we were just doing a little shopping of our own. For clothes, accessories, and other things we ladies buy to beautify ourselves."
"With looks like you two, there's not much beautifying ta be done."
Apollonia smiled at Jack with earnest eyes while Giselle looked at him with a hint of suspicion. "Do ya mind if I walk with ya?"
"Not at all. That is, if you don't mind going to the House of Pierre to watch Giselle get fitted and measured for an evening gown." Giselle elbowed Apollonia as she snickered.
"Oh, don't be so embarrassed, Giselle. I'm only teasing." Jack just looked on amused as he watched the two best friends verbally quarrel with each other.
"Listen, I will go to the House of Pierre and get fitted for a dress and I'll leave you two to your own devices. Is that okay, cherie?"
"That's quite fine, Giselle." Giselle then signaled for a horse-drawn carriage to pick her up. As the carriage came to a halt, the driver immediately helped her with the boxes she carried, as well as taking the boxes Apollonia was holding.
"I will meet you at home around 3:00. By then, you should help me with some of the accessories and embroidery we purchased. Au revoir, chere." The driver snapped his whip and left their location as Jack and Apollonia watched it turn the corner.
"So, how are doing today? You seem ta be in high spirits aftah last month's run-in with dat psycho."
"I'm fine, Jack. I have decided to carry protection with me whenever I leave the house."
"Ya have a gun or something?"
"Better. I took a knife and strapped it to my leg garter. So, if he or any other man tries to have his way with me without my say-so, their going to be in for a real surprise." She said as she smiled mischievously. Jack snickered at her plan.
"Are ya wearing it right now?"
"No, I have Giselle walking around in broad daylight with me. And, of course, she has been replaced by my masculine bodyguard." He smiled at her comment. He hoped that she didn't see him blushing as the heat was steadily rising in his face.
"I saw you exiting the bakery. Did you buy anything particularly tasty?"
"Yeah, I was running out of bread and need to stock up. I'm thinking about cooking some pasta or something and I needed breadsticks ta go with the meal. This pretty Italian goil I used ta go out with taught me a few things about cooking Italian food."
"I bet she was really good at giving cooking advice."
"She was good at dat, among udda things. Uh,.. I mean dat."
"I know what you meant, Jack." He quickly tried to catch himself with his last comment. He didn't mean to flaunt a past relationship in her face. However, she seemed unaffected and, more importantly, understanding. Jack quickly changed the subject.
"So, do ya have plans for da dresses you and Giselle bought?"
"Well, Giselle and I were thinking about going to the theatre or to a cabaret show. We haven't decided yet."
"Oh, because I was wondering if ya wanted ta go ta see da flickers with me one day. They have new shows every udda week and I thought that you might want ta see one of them with me."
"Certainly, Jack. I would love that. When and what time?"
Jack looked thrilled at her acceptance of the date. He didn't want to look desperate, so he kept his cool. "How does eight o'clock next Saturday sound?"
"That's perfect. My store doesn't operate on the weekends and I don't have any plans set for that day anyway." Jack smiled at her.
Within the hour, they made it to her brownstone. "Well, thank you for escorting me home."
"No problem. It was my pleasure. So, I'll see you next Saturday?"
"Oui, next Saturday."
"Before I forget, do ya wanna eat somewhere before we see da flick?"
"Sure, that sounds fine."
"How about Tibby's?"
"I like Tibby's. That sound great."
"Good. I'll here for 6:30 p.m. so we can have dinner and dat will give us time to go to da theatre and get good seats." Apollonia nodded in concurrence. "Okay, well, I'll see latah." He then picked up her hand and kissed it. He remembered the last time he kissed her hand. It was in her bookstore where they first met. She too remembered that encounter.
~
All day long Jack had been distracted by thoughts of Apollonia. He wondered what it would be like to finally be with her. Seeing her wait for him, smiling with arms widespread, kissing him, caressing and holding him, loving him, making love to him. It was all too good to be true. "Keep it taggeda, Tiger." He said to his reflection.
He wore a vest, all the buttons which were present except one, out of which peeped a shirt that looked as if it had been worn only a few times. His pants were presentable along with his shoes. And to complete his attire, he wore a jacket to look fit to be seen. After he gave himself a quick once over in the mirror, he proceeded to exit his apartment, headed for a night of relaxation and fun.
~
Jack and Apollonia made their way into Tibby's where it was busy yet quiet due to the restaurant being filled with adults rather than newsies and other kids of the working class. The two were greeted by the maitre'd and quickly escorted to a table in the center of the bistro where they could enjoy themselves in calm conversation. Once the maitre'd left, Jack began to initiate a discussion.
"So, what's Giselle up to?"
"I don't know. She's probably either working on her cross-stitch pattern or hiring a detective to spy on us."
Jack smiled at her. "I take it that she's not too thrilled about us being out tagedda."
"Don't take it personally, Jack. I don't think it's you. She's just looking out for me. That's all."
"I thought that was both of our intentions where you are concerned." She looked considerately at Jack.
"All things considered, just about everyone has had me on their minds. For the longest, different people have wanted me to come to them for support, but the people I'm most comfortable with are Giselle, David, Racetrack, Blink, Mush, and a few select others."
"I hope I'm eventually added to that list." Apollonia lightly smiled at him, thinking it terribly sweet of him to say such a thing.
"I believe that there is still room for one more addition." Jack smiled at her offer. Within seconds, Specs and Bumlets came up to them with menus. They greeted the two, paying particular attention to Apollonia.
"Heya, Doll, how are ya doing?" Bumlets said, planting a friendly kiss on her cheek with Specs quickly following suit. Apollonia accepted their courteous gestures of friendliness as Jack looked on.
"It's been a long time since we've seen ya last. How have ya been holdin' up?" Specs asked with much concern in his eyes. "I've been alright. I'm still miserable, but I'm holding up rather well." Bumlets reinforced his concern for her by firmly grabbing her hands while he knelt down towards her.
"Well, you'll be happy ta know dat we are all here for you and you can come ta any of us for anything, ya heah?" Specs said. "Don't be a stranger, young lady." Bumlets added.
"Well, on a lighter note, we thought dat since you two are heah, we should serve you our best dinner of the night and that would be roast duck with lemon sauce. And da best thing about it is it's our treat. Whadda ya say?" Jack looked at Specs and Bumlets in surprise. He wasn't expecting this, neither was Apollonia.
"Well, that's awfully nice of you guys but.."
"Please accept our acts of kindness. It's da least we can do for you, sweetie?"
Not wanting to turn down their offer, she graciously accepted their warm hospitality.
"Very good. We'll be back with your appetizers in just a jiffy." Specs and Bumlets quickly departed to the kitchen leaving the two to engage in conversation.
"Well, looks like this night has a string of luck running through it."
"It's not luck. It's friends that care about you." Apollonia looked at Jack with affection, detecting the warmth and sincerity in his eyes. Jack, too, could see something in her eyes, but it wasn't fire. Her vulnerability showed itself clearly. Once their dinner was brought to them, they ate and conversed the whole time, even laughing a few times here and there.
"This is nice." She thought to herself.
~
In due time, Apollonia and Jack were seated in a theatre watching one of the brand new movies that had just come out. Apollonia kept her eyes on the screen the entire time while Jack watched the film silently, but casually. He kept looking over at her, wondering what was on her mind. There was no denying that in her seemingly composed state, she still displayed a sign of defenselessness. Perhaps it was something that Jack could only see due to what happened in the alley with Killian, but it could possibly be something much deeper. Even though her eyes were fixated on the movie screen, with an occasional laugh escaping her lips, Jack questioned to himself if she was alright. He speculated that she was still deeply upset and hurt, but she had the drive and determination to move on with her life. He wanted her to know that she would be alright, and that he wanted her to be alright.
