Boy, was I in for a shock when I got to Irving Hall. I'd never been
to a Vaudeville show before, and when I did go to some sort of show I
always had impressively good seats. This performance was unlike any other,
and we sat backstage by the curtains. I met Medda, the owner of the place,
right as we walked in.
"Race, who's your lady friend?" an older woman with even more red hair than Mouth asked as we walked in the door.
"Dis heah is Spark. She's me goil." With slight hesitations Racetrack added, "An' she's Spot's sistah."
I picked up a slight look-out-for-yourself in Medda's gaze at Race before she turned to me and stuck out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Spark. I'm Medda Larkson." Before I had a chance to say anything else she grabbed her vast layers of skirt and rushed towards the stage apologizing and saying, "I have to go on now."
"Let's go watch," Jack said, dragging me and the others towards the side of the stage. Medda was strolling onstage singing a song that was, at best I could tell, titled 'My Lovey-Dovey Baby'. I tried not to laugh as I watched all the Manhattan boys that had joined us rocking their heads back and forth staring in complete bliss.
Medda walked off the stage and I went to talk to her. "You have a fan club, you know," I told her.
"The boys? Yes, well, I must admit it is quite fun. But you've snagged the best one there, girl. Keep a hold on him," she offered in a sisterly manner. "But for now I have to go work the lineup. Come back sometime, I'd love to talk again when I have more time."
"All right. Good luck," I said as she walked off. I went back to Race who was sitting propped up against a barrel. I lay down next to him and leaned my head on his shoulder, ignoring the teasing of all the newsies that didn't know about the two of us yet. "We're already a couple," I told the group that was discussing what a cute couple we would be.
Sprite looked at me in an I-told-you-so manner before congratulating me. Patch laughed and said that maybe we could double date with her and Blink some time. Firecracker said she wasn't surprised, but that we made a great couple. Sli and Fingers already knew, so I got off without too much teasing.
I noticed Firecracker was zoning out and staring off at a group of boys while we talked, so I took her aside. "You looking for someone in particular?" I asked conversationally.
With a sheepish grin she answered, "Yeah, Pie-Eatah."
I looked over at the tall boy laughing with his friends. "You want to go over there and talk to him?"
"I can't," she said. "I'd embarrass myself!"
"Aww. are you shy?" I taunted, but alas, no results. She simply admitted she was shy and turned down my offer once again. "All right, then. I'm going to go over there and talk to him. I won't say anything about you if you don't want me to," I said, praying she wouldn't notice the fingers crossed behind my back.
"Don' say anythin' about me for now," she requested.
I smirked. "Of course not." I walked over to the group of guys, containing Dutchy, Specs, Pie-Eater, and Swifty. "Hey boys, what's going on over here?"
"Nothin' much," Dutchy commented and the others mumbled in agreement.
"Anyone got their eyes on someone?" I asked. They looked at me questioningly. "What? Just trying to get in on the gossip."
"Well," Dutchy said. "I'se inta dis goil." he started, and told me about the girl from Harlem that he met a few weeks prior at a party.
"An' I know someone, her name's Shade. She's from Harlem as well. Its Dutchy's goil's sistah," Specs admitted.
"I'se a free agent at da moment," Swifty said. All that was left was Pie.
"Ya see dat goil ovah dere?" he asked, pointing to Firecracker.
"That is so perfect!" I gushed. He stared at me as if to say, what is your problem. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but she's so into you. Ask her out sometime, but not now or else she'll know I told you."
Pie was grinning like he had won the lottery when I left the group. I clapped my hands together, glad to have successfully achieved something. Race approached me, "What ya doin' ovah dere? Tired of me already?"
"I would never be tired of you," I said sweetly.
He pulled me into a small compartment that was left by the ropes and pulleys from the curtains. "Ya know what I want ta do?" he asked suggestively.
"Not heah. But I can give ya dis," I told him before planting a kiss on him. I don't know how long we kissed, it felt like forever, but suddenly Jack was tapping on my shoulder.
"All right, lovebirds. Shows ovah, let's go," he said. Racetrack and I both blushed a deep shade of red. We followed the others home without another word to anyone.
That night I slept in my old bed in the Manhattan Newsgirls Lodging House instead of trekking back to Brooklyn. Most of the Brooklynites did the same, except in the Newsboys.
I slept like a baby, the perfect end to the perfect day. Sure, it had its downsides, like fighting with my brother, but in the end I was dating the man I liked and had Michael's permission to do so. I'd seen my first Vaudeville show and made out behind the scenes. All in all, it was perfect. Or as close to perfect as any day could ever get, anyway.
"Race, who's your lady friend?" an older woman with even more red hair than Mouth asked as we walked in the door.
"Dis heah is Spark. She's me goil." With slight hesitations Racetrack added, "An' she's Spot's sistah."
I picked up a slight look-out-for-yourself in Medda's gaze at Race before she turned to me and stuck out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Spark. I'm Medda Larkson." Before I had a chance to say anything else she grabbed her vast layers of skirt and rushed towards the stage apologizing and saying, "I have to go on now."
"Let's go watch," Jack said, dragging me and the others towards the side of the stage. Medda was strolling onstage singing a song that was, at best I could tell, titled 'My Lovey-Dovey Baby'. I tried not to laugh as I watched all the Manhattan boys that had joined us rocking their heads back and forth staring in complete bliss.
Medda walked off the stage and I went to talk to her. "You have a fan club, you know," I told her.
"The boys? Yes, well, I must admit it is quite fun. But you've snagged the best one there, girl. Keep a hold on him," she offered in a sisterly manner. "But for now I have to go work the lineup. Come back sometime, I'd love to talk again when I have more time."
"All right. Good luck," I said as she walked off. I went back to Race who was sitting propped up against a barrel. I lay down next to him and leaned my head on his shoulder, ignoring the teasing of all the newsies that didn't know about the two of us yet. "We're already a couple," I told the group that was discussing what a cute couple we would be.
Sprite looked at me in an I-told-you-so manner before congratulating me. Patch laughed and said that maybe we could double date with her and Blink some time. Firecracker said she wasn't surprised, but that we made a great couple. Sli and Fingers already knew, so I got off without too much teasing.
I noticed Firecracker was zoning out and staring off at a group of boys while we talked, so I took her aside. "You looking for someone in particular?" I asked conversationally.
With a sheepish grin she answered, "Yeah, Pie-Eatah."
I looked over at the tall boy laughing with his friends. "You want to go over there and talk to him?"
"I can't," she said. "I'd embarrass myself!"
"Aww. are you shy?" I taunted, but alas, no results. She simply admitted she was shy and turned down my offer once again. "All right, then. I'm going to go over there and talk to him. I won't say anything about you if you don't want me to," I said, praying she wouldn't notice the fingers crossed behind my back.
"Don' say anythin' about me for now," she requested.
I smirked. "Of course not." I walked over to the group of guys, containing Dutchy, Specs, Pie-Eater, and Swifty. "Hey boys, what's going on over here?"
"Nothin' much," Dutchy commented and the others mumbled in agreement.
"Anyone got their eyes on someone?" I asked. They looked at me questioningly. "What? Just trying to get in on the gossip."
"Well," Dutchy said. "I'se inta dis goil." he started, and told me about the girl from Harlem that he met a few weeks prior at a party.
"An' I know someone, her name's Shade. She's from Harlem as well. Its Dutchy's goil's sistah," Specs admitted.
"I'se a free agent at da moment," Swifty said. All that was left was Pie.
"Ya see dat goil ovah dere?" he asked, pointing to Firecracker.
"That is so perfect!" I gushed. He stared at me as if to say, what is your problem. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but she's so into you. Ask her out sometime, but not now or else she'll know I told you."
Pie was grinning like he had won the lottery when I left the group. I clapped my hands together, glad to have successfully achieved something. Race approached me, "What ya doin' ovah dere? Tired of me already?"
"I would never be tired of you," I said sweetly.
He pulled me into a small compartment that was left by the ropes and pulleys from the curtains. "Ya know what I want ta do?" he asked suggestively.
"Not heah. But I can give ya dis," I told him before planting a kiss on him. I don't know how long we kissed, it felt like forever, but suddenly Jack was tapping on my shoulder.
"All right, lovebirds. Shows ovah, let's go," he said. Racetrack and I both blushed a deep shade of red. We followed the others home without another word to anyone.
That night I slept in my old bed in the Manhattan Newsgirls Lodging House instead of trekking back to Brooklyn. Most of the Brooklynites did the same, except in the Newsboys.
I slept like a baby, the perfect end to the perfect day. Sure, it had its downsides, like fighting with my brother, but in the end I was dating the man I liked and had Michael's permission to do so. I'd seen my first Vaudeville show and made out behind the scenes. All in all, it was perfect. Or as close to perfect as any day could ever get, anyway.