Then minutes later, I was trudging down the busy streets of New York with a
huge multitude of newsies.
"Where exactly are we going?" I asked Specs, who was walking in a trance beside me.
Dutchy trotted up to us. "We're goin to see Spot."
While the boys were enjoying the unusually warm October afternoon by swimming around in the Hudson, I sat at the end of the dock, soaking my feet in the water.
Dutchy came and silently sat beside me.
I smiled at him and then turned my attention back to the river. "I'm sorry about yesterday."
"Don't be," he replied, resting his hand lightly on my forearm before he jumped up again. "Come on. Today is about havin fun."
"Hey gorgeous," Spot called as I followed Dutchy up the docks, "come here. I'll teach ya ta shoot."
I raised a skeptical eyebrow, but joined him on the shore anyway. He handed me a slingshot and a marble. "Alright, ya see dat bottle down there?"
I scanned the dock until I found the bottle that Spot was indicating. And nodded, taking aim.
"Pull it back farther. Ya ain't got no power that way," Spot commanded.
I did as I was told and expertly released the marble. Unfortunately, I had overestimated my talents. Instead of shattering the bottle, the marble soared right into a group of newsies gambling nearby.
"Ouch!"
I smiled sweetly at Race as he glared at me.
"Ah, sweety," Spot spoke up behind me.
I turned toward him with a carefree smile. "Yeah?"
"Ya might want ta run."
He took the slingshot from my hand just as I was lifted from behind. Before I knew what was happening, Dutchy threw me over his shoulder and was on his way to the edge of the dock.
"Traitor!" I screamed, trying to wriggle out of his grasp.
Race walked beside him. "Payback time, beautiful."
"Dutchy," I scolded. "Put me down!"
"Alright." He shrugged and threw me into the river.
A few minutes later, after a few kind Brooklyn newsies helped me out of the water, I lay on the dock, drying in the sun.
Someone stepped into my sunlight, casting a shadow onto my face. I squinted up to see Specs staring down at me.
"What happened to you?"
I frowned playfully. "Dutchy threw me in the water."
He chuckled and sat beside me. "What did you do to deserve that?"
"Who says that I did anything?" He shot me a questioning look "Ok, so I hit somebody with a marble. But it was not my fault; Spot put me up to it. It's not my fault that I can't shoot."
He just laughed at me, picking at a splinter in the dock.
"Come on boys, time to head back!"
At Jack's command, Specs stood and offered me his hand. After he helped me up, he made no move to release my hand. It felt so comfortable that I made no argument.
When we got into Tibby's for dinner, Dutchy approached us, a broad smile on his face.
"I'm not talking to you," I mumbled in mock anger.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me toward a table with Jack and Race. "Aw, come on. No hard feelings Belinda."
Suddenly, my hand felt cool and I realized that Specs was no longer beside me. Instead, he sat alone at a table in the corner, staring out at the street. I tried to go over to him, but Race and Jack were deep into a story and weren't about to let me get away. As the night wore on, I became increasingly aware of Specs sitting in somber silence. When it came time for me to go home, I made my way across the diner to him.
"Care to walk a girl home?" I asked quietly, standing over his shoulder.
He jumped slightly, but nodded and grabbed his jacket.
After a few minutes of walking, the silence was driving me crazy. "You're awfully quiet tonight."
He shrugged, studying the cobblestones as they passed below his feet.
"Ok, that's it! Come on." I grabbed his hand and dragged him down an adjacent street.
"Belinda," he groaned. "This isn't the way to your house."
"I know."
He dragged his feet. "So then where are you taking me?"
I shot him a playful grin and tightened my grip on his hand. "You'll just have to trust me."
"Where exactly are we going?" I asked Specs, who was walking in a trance beside me.
Dutchy trotted up to us. "We're goin to see Spot."
While the boys were enjoying the unusually warm October afternoon by swimming around in the Hudson, I sat at the end of the dock, soaking my feet in the water.
Dutchy came and silently sat beside me.
I smiled at him and then turned my attention back to the river. "I'm sorry about yesterday."
"Don't be," he replied, resting his hand lightly on my forearm before he jumped up again. "Come on. Today is about havin fun."
"Hey gorgeous," Spot called as I followed Dutchy up the docks, "come here. I'll teach ya ta shoot."
I raised a skeptical eyebrow, but joined him on the shore anyway. He handed me a slingshot and a marble. "Alright, ya see dat bottle down there?"
I scanned the dock until I found the bottle that Spot was indicating. And nodded, taking aim.
"Pull it back farther. Ya ain't got no power that way," Spot commanded.
I did as I was told and expertly released the marble. Unfortunately, I had overestimated my talents. Instead of shattering the bottle, the marble soared right into a group of newsies gambling nearby.
"Ouch!"
I smiled sweetly at Race as he glared at me.
"Ah, sweety," Spot spoke up behind me.
I turned toward him with a carefree smile. "Yeah?"
"Ya might want ta run."
He took the slingshot from my hand just as I was lifted from behind. Before I knew what was happening, Dutchy threw me over his shoulder and was on his way to the edge of the dock.
"Traitor!" I screamed, trying to wriggle out of his grasp.
Race walked beside him. "Payback time, beautiful."
"Dutchy," I scolded. "Put me down!"
"Alright." He shrugged and threw me into the river.
A few minutes later, after a few kind Brooklyn newsies helped me out of the water, I lay on the dock, drying in the sun.
Someone stepped into my sunlight, casting a shadow onto my face. I squinted up to see Specs staring down at me.
"What happened to you?"
I frowned playfully. "Dutchy threw me in the water."
He chuckled and sat beside me. "What did you do to deserve that?"
"Who says that I did anything?" He shot me a questioning look "Ok, so I hit somebody with a marble. But it was not my fault; Spot put me up to it. It's not my fault that I can't shoot."
He just laughed at me, picking at a splinter in the dock.
"Come on boys, time to head back!"
At Jack's command, Specs stood and offered me his hand. After he helped me up, he made no move to release my hand. It felt so comfortable that I made no argument.
When we got into Tibby's for dinner, Dutchy approached us, a broad smile on his face.
"I'm not talking to you," I mumbled in mock anger.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me toward a table with Jack and Race. "Aw, come on. No hard feelings Belinda."
Suddenly, my hand felt cool and I realized that Specs was no longer beside me. Instead, he sat alone at a table in the corner, staring out at the street. I tried to go over to him, but Race and Jack were deep into a story and weren't about to let me get away. As the night wore on, I became increasingly aware of Specs sitting in somber silence. When it came time for me to go home, I made my way across the diner to him.
"Care to walk a girl home?" I asked quietly, standing over his shoulder.
He jumped slightly, but nodded and grabbed his jacket.
After a few minutes of walking, the silence was driving me crazy. "You're awfully quiet tonight."
He shrugged, studying the cobblestones as they passed below his feet.
"Ok, that's it! Come on." I grabbed his hand and dragged him down an adjacent street.
"Belinda," he groaned. "This isn't the way to your house."
"I know."
He dragged his feet. "So then where are you taking me?"
I shot him a playful grin and tightened my grip on his hand. "You'll just have to trust me."