"Belinda, what are we doin here?"
Sitting down in the middle of the open field, I motioned for him to join me. "I want to show you something."
"It's awful late." He sat reluctantly, looking suspiciously over his shoulder. "The park ain't safe for a girl like you at this time of night."
"That's why I have you," I teased.
He cracked a sweet slight smile.
I motioned with my eyes up toward the sky. "Look."
"There's so many of them," he mumbled, studying the stars.
"See those three together over there?" I pointed to the east. "That's Orion's belt. Orion the hunter."
"That doesn't look like a hunter."
I laughed lightly. "You're supposed to use your imagination, Specs."
"I am," he replied, "but I still don't see a hunter in that."
"Alright then, how about this?" Scooting closer to him, I took his hand and pointed it toward the sky, resting my head on his shoulder so that I shared his line of sight.Tracing along the stars, I continued, "That is the big dipper. And if you follow these two stars straight up, you find the North Star. Its constant; the only star in the sky that doesn't move. Sailors used to use it to direct themselves across the ocean."
"Now that makes sense." He turned his head, smiling.
With my head on his shoulder, our faces were only inches apart, a fact which we both seemed to realize at the same moment. Suddenly embarrassed by the situation, I began to pull back, turning my face back up to the sky. I felt his hand lightly grasp mine and he shifted so that he was beside me, in much the same position that I had been in before.
"Show me more," he whispered, breaking the silence that had fallen between us.
Surprised, I turned my head to face him. A playful smirk crossed his lips as he motioned to the sky with his eyes. Smiling, I continued to point out the constellations.
Somewhere in the distance, a clock tower chimed once. We waited for another, but it never came.
"I should get you home." Specs stood, pulling me up beside him.
We walked home hand in hand, a situation we found ourselves in quite often. I made no complaints. The feeling of Specs's strong hand enclosing mine was strangely comforting.
When we reached my front door, he gave my hand a quick squeeze before releasing it. "Thank you for tonight. I needed that."
I smiled shyly. "Goodnight Specs."
He gently pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear. "Goodnight."
Pulling back quickly, he turned an vanished down the dark street.
My head still reeling from the events in the park, I quietly made my way up the stairs on weak knees. After nearly an hour of lying awake in bed, I gave up and moved to the window. Pulling back the curtains, I glanced down at the street. The faint glow cascading down from the streetlamps created small circles of light in the midst of the blackness of the night.
Everything looked as calm and peaceful as I'd imagined it would have. That is until I saw it: a shimmer of light lasting only a split second. I concentrated on the area of shadows where the light had come from. A familiar newsie became visible through the darkness.
"Dutchy?"
I quickly dressed and quietly trotted down the stairs. As soon as I closed the front door behind me, I regretted leaving my shawl upstairs. Wrapping my arms tightly around my waist, I made my way across the street.
I stopped a few feet away from where Dutchy was standing, numbly staring off into space. Suddenly he turned his head and I could see his cheeks glisten in the lamplight.
"Dutchy?" I called in a whisper, surprised at how loud it seemed in the silent street. "What are you doing here?"
He quickly wiped his eyes and turned away. "Nothing."
A wince pulled at the corner of my mouth when I heard his voice. Acting without thought, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "Please, tell me what's wrong."
"I can't." He shrugged away from me.
I grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to face me. His eyes met mine, the blue there rimmed with red from crying. "Yes, you can."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he replied, leaning against the building behind him.
"Try me."
He let out a sigh. "Give it up, Bel. Please."
"Don't call me that," I snapped, then realized that he meant no harm. "I'm sorry. It's just. Only one person ever called me that and -"
"I know," he interrupted in a hoarse whisper.
Sitting down in the middle of the open field, I motioned for him to join me. "I want to show you something."
"It's awful late." He sat reluctantly, looking suspiciously over his shoulder. "The park ain't safe for a girl like you at this time of night."
"That's why I have you," I teased.
He cracked a sweet slight smile.
I motioned with my eyes up toward the sky. "Look."
"There's so many of them," he mumbled, studying the stars.
"See those three together over there?" I pointed to the east. "That's Orion's belt. Orion the hunter."
"That doesn't look like a hunter."
I laughed lightly. "You're supposed to use your imagination, Specs."
"I am," he replied, "but I still don't see a hunter in that."
"Alright then, how about this?" Scooting closer to him, I took his hand and pointed it toward the sky, resting my head on his shoulder so that I shared his line of sight.Tracing along the stars, I continued, "That is the big dipper. And if you follow these two stars straight up, you find the North Star. Its constant; the only star in the sky that doesn't move. Sailors used to use it to direct themselves across the ocean."
"Now that makes sense." He turned his head, smiling.
With my head on his shoulder, our faces were only inches apart, a fact which we both seemed to realize at the same moment. Suddenly embarrassed by the situation, I began to pull back, turning my face back up to the sky. I felt his hand lightly grasp mine and he shifted so that he was beside me, in much the same position that I had been in before.
"Show me more," he whispered, breaking the silence that had fallen between us.
Surprised, I turned my head to face him. A playful smirk crossed his lips as he motioned to the sky with his eyes. Smiling, I continued to point out the constellations.
Somewhere in the distance, a clock tower chimed once. We waited for another, but it never came.
"I should get you home." Specs stood, pulling me up beside him.
We walked home hand in hand, a situation we found ourselves in quite often. I made no complaints. The feeling of Specs's strong hand enclosing mine was strangely comforting.
When we reached my front door, he gave my hand a quick squeeze before releasing it. "Thank you for tonight. I needed that."
I smiled shyly. "Goodnight Specs."
He gently pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear. "Goodnight."
Pulling back quickly, he turned an vanished down the dark street.
My head still reeling from the events in the park, I quietly made my way up the stairs on weak knees. After nearly an hour of lying awake in bed, I gave up and moved to the window. Pulling back the curtains, I glanced down at the street. The faint glow cascading down from the streetlamps created small circles of light in the midst of the blackness of the night.
Everything looked as calm and peaceful as I'd imagined it would have. That is until I saw it: a shimmer of light lasting only a split second. I concentrated on the area of shadows where the light had come from. A familiar newsie became visible through the darkness.
"Dutchy?"
I quickly dressed and quietly trotted down the stairs. As soon as I closed the front door behind me, I regretted leaving my shawl upstairs. Wrapping my arms tightly around my waist, I made my way across the street.
I stopped a few feet away from where Dutchy was standing, numbly staring off into space. Suddenly he turned his head and I could see his cheeks glisten in the lamplight.
"Dutchy?" I called in a whisper, surprised at how loud it seemed in the silent street. "What are you doing here?"
He quickly wiped his eyes and turned away. "Nothing."
A wince pulled at the corner of my mouth when I heard his voice. Acting without thought, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "Please, tell me what's wrong."
"I can't." He shrugged away from me.
I grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to face me. His eyes met mine, the blue there rimmed with red from crying. "Yes, you can."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he replied, leaning against the building behind him.
"Try me."
He let out a sigh. "Give it up, Bel. Please."
"Don't call me that," I snapped, then realized that he meant no harm. "I'm sorry. It's just. Only one person ever called me that and -"
"I know," he interrupted in a hoarse whisper.