I was slipping my night gown over my head when his face popped into my mind
without warning. Those dark features; purely black eyebrows and eyes just
one shade less, with hair settled on top of it all....
I shook the face out of my brain, frustrated.
"Where did THAT come from?" I said aloud. There was a knock at the door.
"'T's just me!" I heard Kloppman's muffled voice say.
"Oh, come in!" I answered, making sure the gown was all the way on. He entered and closed the door behind him, smiling warmly.
"So, eh, how'dya like da place so fah?"
I returned the smile. "I think I like it very much, thank you."
"And...da boys? Dey behavin'?" He winked. I forced a chuckle. "Yes, the boys are very nice...very nice." All of a sudden the face was in my head again. I frowned and turned to my bureau, fussily arranging perfume bottles.
"Alright, well, I'll say g'night den." He shuffled out the door, looking back only to comment, "If y'evah need anythin', I sleep in da room downstairs an' to da left." And with that he was gone. I thanked God for bringing me to New York safely and for the warm welcome, and climbed into bed. As I was exhausted from my long journey and long day, I thought that insomnia would not be an issue this night; however, as I would find, every time I closed my eyes, I saw the face. It was involuntary - completely involuntary. It was awful; well, not completely awful. A thousand times I asked myself, though, 'Why him? Why am I seeing the only one who doesn't want me here at all?' Suddenly an enormous wave of sadness and depression swept over me. I knew the reason. Racetrack didn't want me here. 'So? And?' "That's only one boy," I told myself. "One boy out of many others." I closed my eyes. Thin lips, round cheeks....
I sighed desperately as tears formed behind my eyes.
That night I had a terrifying dream and woke up screaming. Luckily, no one heard me, it seemed; there was a great bustling in the rooms down the hall. I was so shaken from my dream that I practically fell out of bed. I staggered to the washstand in the corner of my room, and as the cool water hit my face, I whispered to myself, "It was only a dream, only a dream." I let out a great sigh, hoping it would take all the bad feeling out of me. I concentrated on clearing my mind and in a few minutes I felt much better. I rushed to find something informal to wear - something that could afford to get dirty, and still catch one's eye - 'Oh, no, what am I thinking?' I asked myself, frightened to death of what I knew the answer was. 'No. I refuse to think about that anymore...won't think about him anymore...won't dream -" I shook my head furiously and concentrated on finding something to wear. When I had chosen a brown skirt and light pink top (the one with the least lace), I hurriedly brushed the tangles out of my hair, gave myself one small spritz of perfume, and exited the room. I was met by a steady stream of boys galloping through the hall and down the stairs, shouting and goofing off as they donned bright smiles. One in particular looked exceedingly happy, and I realized that it was Jack.
"Heya, Katie! What a beautiful mornin, huh?" He was running his hand through his hair self-consciously, but grinning just the same. I turned to the nearest newsboy, a curly-haired fellow with very dark eyes framed by very dark eyebrows. "What is Jack so happy about?" I inquired. "It's not THAT beautiful..." In fact, it was rather cloudy.
"Oh, that." The boy laughed, amused. "Well, ya see, Jack's got dis...well, deah's dis goil dat he kinda...well, you'll see. Oh, deah she is - deah she comes!" I followed his outstretched finger with my eyes until it landed on a striking young girl who was making her way towards the Lodging House. I started a little when I saw her - the look on her face was nothing short of frightening. She looked like a bomb about to burst any second!
"Jack Kelly, you WORTHLESS, PIG-eating son of a WHORE!"
"Um...who is that?" I asked, startled. "And I'm sorry, I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Katie."
"Yeah, I know," he said with a smile. "I'se Itey...and DAT-" (he pointed to the girl who was still screaming her head off) "-is Raven."
As we walked down the stairs, I tried to get a better glimpse of her. She was very dynamic - lashing out (literally) at the boy she had been shouting her lungs out at just a moment ago. I quickly exited the House and watched as they provided entertainment for the newsboys and myself.
"Well whatda hell'dya tink I was gonna do, Ray? Get up b'fore cracka' dawn, just fah some stupid idea o' yaw's?"
I could see her face and features more clearly now - her brown eyes flashed with rage as she prepared her next comeback.
"Well, since ya SAID you was gonna BE deah, what'dja tink I was gonna DO? Dja tink I was just gonna not show up? Oh, yeah, I guess I shoulda known y'would fahget about da whole ting. Sorry, it's all my fault!"
Jack seemed exasperated. "C'mon, Rav!! Hey look, I didn't fahget - I tried to come, but -"
Raven looked as if she was about to rip her auburn hair out of head.
"Ya worthless COWBOY!! Shoah, ya tried ta come. SHOAH! I BELIEVE YA! Oh, and whenevah ya wanna sleep in again, DON'T LET ME STOP YA! Just stop me from sellin' moah papes! Tanks! I'LL APPRECIATE IT! JUST LIKE I APPRECIATE YAW APOLOGY RIGHT NOW!" "Wow." I turned to Itey again. "She coitanly is a fightah."
I shook the face out of my brain, frustrated.
"Where did THAT come from?" I said aloud. There was a knock at the door.
"'T's just me!" I heard Kloppman's muffled voice say.
"Oh, come in!" I answered, making sure the gown was all the way on. He entered and closed the door behind him, smiling warmly.
"So, eh, how'dya like da place so fah?"
I returned the smile. "I think I like it very much, thank you."
"And...da boys? Dey behavin'?" He winked. I forced a chuckle. "Yes, the boys are very nice...very nice." All of a sudden the face was in my head again. I frowned and turned to my bureau, fussily arranging perfume bottles.
"Alright, well, I'll say g'night den." He shuffled out the door, looking back only to comment, "If y'evah need anythin', I sleep in da room downstairs an' to da left." And with that he was gone. I thanked God for bringing me to New York safely and for the warm welcome, and climbed into bed. As I was exhausted from my long journey and long day, I thought that insomnia would not be an issue this night; however, as I would find, every time I closed my eyes, I saw the face. It was involuntary - completely involuntary. It was awful; well, not completely awful. A thousand times I asked myself, though, 'Why him? Why am I seeing the only one who doesn't want me here at all?' Suddenly an enormous wave of sadness and depression swept over me. I knew the reason. Racetrack didn't want me here. 'So? And?' "That's only one boy," I told myself. "One boy out of many others." I closed my eyes. Thin lips, round cheeks....
I sighed desperately as tears formed behind my eyes.
That night I had a terrifying dream and woke up screaming. Luckily, no one heard me, it seemed; there was a great bustling in the rooms down the hall. I was so shaken from my dream that I practically fell out of bed. I staggered to the washstand in the corner of my room, and as the cool water hit my face, I whispered to myself, "It was only a dream, only a dream." I let out a great sigh, hoping it would take all the bad feeling out of me. I concentrated on clearing my mind and in a few minutes I felt much better. I rushed to find something informal to wear - something that could afford to get dirty, and still catch one's eye - 'Oh, no, what am I thinking?' I asked myself, frightened to death of what I knew the answer was. 'No. I refuse to think about that anymore...won't think about him anymore...won't dream -" I shook my head furiously and concentrated on finding something to wear. When I had chosen a brown skirt and light pink top (the one with the least lace), I hurriedly brushed the tangles out of my hair, gave myself one small spritz of perfume, and exited the room. I was met by a steady stream of boys galloping through the hall and down the stairs, shouting and goofing off as they donned bright smiles. One in particular looked exceedingly happy, and I realized that it was Jack.
"Heya, Katie! What a beautiful mornin, huh?" He was running his hand through his hair self-consciously, but grinning just the same. I turned to the nearest newsboy, a curly-haired fellow with very dark eyes framed by very dark eyebrows. "What is Jack so happy about?" I inquired. "It's not THAT beautiful..." In fact, it was rather cloudy.
"Oh, that." The boy laughed, amused. "Well, ya see, Jack's got dis...well, deah's dis goil dat he kinda...well, you'll see. Oh, deah she is - deah she comes!" I followed his outstretched finger with my eyes until it landed on a striking young girl who was making her way towards the Lodging House. I started a little when I saw her - the look on her face was nothing short of frightening. She looked like a bomb about to burst any second!
"Jack Kelly, you WORTHLESS, PIG-eating son of a WHORE!"
"Um...who is that?" I asked, startled. "And I'm sorry, I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Katie."
"Yeah, I know," he said with a smile. "I'se Itey...and DAT-" (he pointed to the girl who was still screaming her head off) "-is Raven."
As we walked down the stairs, I tried to get a better glimpse of her. She was very dynamic - lashing out (literally) at the boy she had been shouting her lungs out at just a moment ago. I quickly exited the House and watched as they provided entertainment for the newsboys and myself.
"Well whatda hell'dya tink I was gonna do, Ray? Get up b'fore cracka' dawn, just fah some stupid idea o' yaw's?"
I could see her face and features more clearly now - her brown eyes flashed with rage as she prepared her next comeback.
"Well, since ya SAID you was gonna BE deah, what'dja tink I was gonna DO? Dja tink I was just gonna not show up? Oh, yeah, I guess I shoulda known y'would fahget about da whole ting. Sorry, it's all my fault!"
Jack seemed exasperated. "C'mon, Rav!! Hey look, I didn't fahget - I tried to come, but -"
Raven looked as if she was about to rip her auburn hair out of head.
"Ya worthless COWBOY!! Shoah, ya tried ta come. SHOAH! I BELIEVE YA! Oh, and whenevah ya wanna sleep in again, DON'T LET ME STOP YA! Just stop me from sellin' moah papes! Tanks! I'LL APPRECIATE IT! JUST LIKE I APPRECIATE YAW APOLOGY RIGHT NOW!" "Wow." I turned to Itey again. "She coitanly is a fightah."