Disclaimer: All of the newsies and other characters from the movie belong to Disney. All original characters belong to me.
To sugarNspice: Thanks for the reviews of this story and The One Man Left Awake. Here's another chapter for you!
* Two months after the strike. *
Jack Kelly tapped lightly on Sarah's window. He had slept on the fire escape again, just for old time's sake. Sarah, still fast asleep, didn't stir.
"She looks like an angel," Jack said to himself, staring at Sarah's light brown ringlets, which were draped over a white, lace-trimmed pillow. He rapped on the window again. This time, Sarah's head lifted from the pillow with a start, and she quickly turned toward the window.
When she saw who it was, Sarah sighed and opened the casement. "What are you doing here?" she asked, tugging on the neckline of her nightgown, trying to shield herself from Jack's prying eyes.
"Just wanted to see my beautiful girl," Jack replied. Sarah smiled sadly. She used to be so thrilled when he said that.
"Meet me up on the roof," she requested. "I have something important to tell you."
Jack hurried up to the roof, but Sarah took her time. Slowly, she changed into a blouse and skirt. She remembered the last two months and all the time she and Jack had spent together. Finally, Sarah climbed up to the roof also.
"Hey, sweetheart, you're looking mighty pretty this morning," Jack said, giving Sarah a hug and a light kiss on the lips.
'Is that all he can compliment me on?' Sarah wondered, 'My looks?' "Jack," she said aloud, "there's something I have to tell you. It's really important."
"Go ahead, baby," Jack encouraged, "I'm listening."
"I met a young man about a week ago," Sarah began. She had gone over this in her head millions of times, so why was it so hard to say? "He's a factory worker---"
"And let me guess, he wants to be a newsie," Jack interrupted with a grin. "Well, just tell him to come to me, Jack Kelly, the greatest newsie---"
"No, Jack, that's not it at all!" Sarah shouted. "He had a cut on his arm from one of the machines, so I bandaged it, and then he took me out to dinner last night as a thank you...and he asked me to be his girl."
"What?" Jack exclaimed. "The scabber! Trying to steal other peoples' girls! How dare he! What's his name, Sarah? I'm going to soak him so bad that he'll be seeing stars for a month. Why, I'll---"
"I said yes!" Sarah screamed, her voice drowning out Jack's threats. As soon as he heard her, Jack stopped.
"You said...yes?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes, I did. I told him that I would be his girl."
"Sarah...why?" Why is he so much better than I am? Why do you want to be his girl and not mine?" Sarah could hear the disappointment and sorrow in Jack's voice, but she vowed not to give in.
"Because, Jack," Sarah explained, "he doesn't just kiss me and call me beautiful. He actually listens to me and says I'm smart and generous and helpful. He says that maybe I can become a nurse someday!
"And, Jack, as soon as he has enough money, he's going to go to college. He's going to do something with his life! Not just be a newsie and dream dreams that will never come true. He's going to MAKE his dreams come true!"
"Who says my dreams won't come true?" Jack asked softly, staring out into the street below him.
"Oh, come on, Jack," Sarah replied. "Santa Fe? When are you ever going to go there? Last time you couldn't even get on the train because you missed your newsies so much."
"I couldn't get on the train because I missed YOU so much," Jack said firmly, placing his hands on Sarah's slender waist. Sarah pushed them away.
"Well, now you don't have me anymore," she said decisively, "so you can go." Jack stared at Sarah for a long moment, trying to memorize her appearance: her long, wavy brown hair; her big, gorgeous eyes; the curves of her soft, white blouse. Then he turned, climbed down the fire escape, and walked to the lodging house. It would be ten years before he returned to the Jacobs's apartment.
Two days later, Jack used his hard-earned money to buy a train ticket for Santa Fe. And this time, he actually got on the train.
To sugarNspice: Thanks for the reviews of this story and The One Man Left Awake. Here's another chapter for you!
* Two months after the strike. *
Jack Kelly tapped lightly on Sarah's window. He had slept on the fire escape again, just for old time's sake. Sarah, still fast asleep, didn't stir.
"She looks like an angel," Jack said to himself, staring at Sarah's light brown ringlets, which were draped over a white, lace-trimmed pillow. He rapped on the window again. This time, Sarah's head lifted from the pillow with a start, and she quickly turned toward the window.
When she saw who it was, Sarah sighed and opened the casement. "What are you doing here?" she asked, tugging on the neckline of her nightgown, trying to shield herself from Jack's prying eyes.
"Just wanted to see my beautiful girl," Jack replied. Sarah smiled sadly. She used to be so thrilled when he said that.
"Meet me up on the roof," she requested. "I have something important to tell you."
Jack hurried up to the roof, but Sarah took her time. Slowly, she changed into a blouse and skirt. She remembered the last two months and all the time she and Jack had spent together. Finally, Sarah climbed up to the roof also.
"Hey, sweetheart, you're looking mighty pretty this morning," Jack said, giving Sarah a hug and a light kiss on the lips.
'Is that all he can compliment me on?' Sarah wondered, 'My looks?' "Jack," she said aloud, "there's something I have to tell you. It's really important."
"Go ahead, baby," Jack encouraged, "I'm listening."
"I met a young man about a week ago," Sarah began. She had gone over this in her head millions of times, so why was it so hard to say? "He's a factory worker---"
"And let me guess, he wants to be a newsie," Jack interrupted with a grin. "Well, just tell him to come to me, Jack Kelly, the greatest newsie---"
"No, Jack, that's not it at all!" Sarah shouted. "He had a cut on his arm from one of the machines, so I bandaged it, and then he took me out to dinner last night as a thank you...and he asked me to be his girl."
"What?" Jack exclaimed. "The scabber! Trying to steal other peoples' girls! How dare he! What's his name, Sarah? I'm going to soak him so bad that he'll be seeing stars for a month. Why, I'll---"
"I said yes!" Sarah screamed, her voice drowning out Jack's threats. As soon as he heard her, Jack stopped.
"You said...yes?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes, I did. I told him that I would be his girl."
"Sarah...why?" Why is he so much better than I am? Why do you want to be his girl and not mine?" Sarah could hear the disappointment and sorrow in Jack's voice, but she vowed not to give in.
"Because, Jack," Sarah explained, "he doesn't just kiss me and call me beautiful. He actually listens to me and says I'm smart and generous and helpful. He says that maybe I can become a nurse someday!
"And, Jack, as soon as he has enough money, he's going to go to college. He's going to do something with his life! Not just be a newsie and dream dreams that will never come true. He's going to MAKE his dreams come true!"
"Who says my dreams won't come true?" Jack asked softly, staring out into the street below him.
"Oh, come on, Jack," Sarah replied. "Santa Fe? When are you ever going to go there? Last time you couldn't even get on the train because you missed your newsies so much."
"I couldn't get on the train because I missed YOU so much," Jack said firmly, placing his hands on Sarah's slender waist. Sarah pushed them away.
"Well, now you don't have me anymore," she said decisively, "so you can go." Jack stared at Sarah for a long moment, trying to memorize her appearance: her long, wavy brown hair; her big, gorgeous eyes; the curves of her soft, white blouse. Then he turned, climbed down the fire escape, and walked to the lodging house. It would be ten years before he returned to the Jacobs's apartment.
Two days later, Jack used his hard-earned money to buy a train ticket for Santa Fe. And this time, he actually got on the train.
