Spot's Milkshake
Chapter Twelve: Home is Where the Heart Is
Disclaimer: I don't own newsies, Disney does. I wish I did, but doesn't everyone? I do own Brandie and the plot, and her dad.
After a couple of hours, nothing looked familiar. I was sure we would have been there by now, or at least I would have seen something that I knew.
"S'cuse me sir. Wheah are we exactly." I asked as politely as I could. The man hadn't spoken since I had first gotten in the carriage and I was thankful at first. But soon the silence was annoying and I wondered why he wasn't asking questions like, why are you going to New Jersey? Or other unimportant things like that.
"We're headin ta Bridgeton, New Jersey Brandie." He turned around, pulling the carriage to the side of the road, smiling a nasty smile.
"H-h-how do ya know me name?" I asked, horrified.
"I can't believe ya don't recognize me. I knew it was you da minute I saw ya out dere on da streets. I watched dat lodging house full o' dem boys. Someone asked a nearby carriage driver if he would take ya ta someplace in New Jersey. I smiled to myself, knowin wha' I had ta do. I stole dat carriage an' arrived, ready ta take ya wit me." He smiled again. "Ya look so grown up." He said mockingly.
"I'm 17 you dumbass."
"Dat's no way ta be talkin' ta your faddah." He laughed, pulling back onto the road.
"Wha' do ya want wit me? An' wha' da hell is in Bridgeton?!" I yelled.
"Your future. Don't be talkin' ta me like dat. We hafta find you some new clothes, ya can't be wearin' dat." He looked back at me, turning up his nose when he saw me.
"I like me clothes da way dey are. Wha' do ya mean my future?" I asked. I had a horrible feeling about what he would say next.
"My dear friends da Dunstan's. Dey wanna meet ol' Gregory's daughter. You've been pledged ta marry dere son, Frederick.
"Marry?!" I exploded. "I don't wanna marry dis, dis Frederick Dunstan! No! I don't even know him! An' I doubt dat boy wants ta marry a goil he don't even know!" I shouted louder than ever.
"Maybe so. But dat is why you are goin' ta meet 'im. Anyway, I want me daughter back. I live in da room above dere 'ouse, kinda like dere attic. Don't look like no attic though. Oh no, dem are rich dem are." He laughed. "An' so is your pop! Went an' made sometink outta 'imself he did." He smiled. "I reckon we'll be dere by evenin' tomorrow. Jus' sleep now." He told me. It was rather difficult to get comfortable in the carriage, let alone fall asleep as we bumped along on the cobblestones. As I lay there, I thought about what I had just learned in the past 10 minutes or so. It didn't take long to realize that I would never go back to Brooklyn, New York, let alone New York itself. I cried myself to sleep, knowing that today was the last time I would see any of my friends back there. It was the last time I would play bullshit, or sell papers, or go to late night parties where your date got so drunk that you had to carry him around an unfamiliar city. Never again would I go to the races and cheer on the number 7 horse. Never again would I have any of those things that New York had provided for me in my short stay.
"Well, dat's it for awhile I guess." Jack said, taking off his cowboy hat. "I'm gonna search da city fer dat goon." He walked out, leaving the room in silence.
"Why'd ya all send 'er away?" Snicker asked quietly. "I knew da whole situation, but..." He trailed off.
"Wha's she gonna do dere? Eh? Noone thought dat one out did dey?" Race complained, stomping out of the lodging house.
"Betta make sure he doesn't kill sometink." Mush joked, rushing after Racetrack.
Smalls just stood there, crying. "It ain't right. Dat no good man is tearin' up dis place. She shouldn't hafta do dis." She slowly walked up the stairs to find Sniff. That left Snicker. He looked out the door and saw Spot still standing in the middle of the street.
"Why are ya lettin' 'er get away?" Snicker shouted out the door.
"Can't run fast enough I s'pose." Spot said, returning to the club room. "Back ta business. Maybe we can get sometink done round heah now dat everyone won't wanna be round 'er. Look at dis window! We gotta do sometink bout it." He walked over the window and looked out of it.
"Either ya go get 'er or forget 'er." Snicker told the King of Brooklyn.
" Den I guess she's in da past now." He said, taking his head of the window and walked back outside to the distribution center.
"Get up. We're heah." I shaken back into consciousness. I looked around, expecting to see a huge manor. Instead I saw stores. I remembered that I was to get a new dress and probably new everything. "C'mon goil." He hurriedly rushed me into the store and asked me which dress I liked better. They were all way to fancy for my taste. One had flowers covering it, with ruffles around the bottom and around the cuff of the neck. The other was a pink one lined with lace. Another was a deep crimson one, that had white lace around the sleeves. I chose that one, it seemed to be the plainest. Despite my choice, he bought all 3, and more. The one I detested with a passion was a light purple with a goldish, bronze ribbon that tied around the waist. He showed me necklaces upon necklaces, making me decide which I would like to wear. He told me to throw my cross necklace away. He said it was a wretched piece of jewelry. I argued and won, though I never did tell him why I wanted to keep it so much.
By the time we were done, we had at least 8 dresses for me to wear, and those were just the fancy ones. He had bought a couple casual ones too. He had also gone overboard on the necklaces, saying I must have a different one everyday. Tonight I would wear one that was lined with pearls, with a big one in the middle, and then little ones beside it. It would match my beige dress that had a white sash made of, what else, lace. Tonight was a big dinner for them. We of course were invited. My father had been lucky to have found me before tonight.
"Show your best manners if ya would be so kind." He said sarcastically.
"My pleasure." I said sorely. I might as well take this in the best way I could. I would not be at the mercy of my father, though I would obey him and give him the pleasure of making a good impression to the Dunstans. I supposed I would be living with him in their attic, which he described looked like an ordinary bedroom.
"We're jus' about dere." He pointed ahead. A towering manor was just up the road. I gazed in awe of its size.
"Beauty ain't it? Now put dis on before we get dere." He told me, handing me the dress, corset, chemise, and necklace. I hoped he wouldn't look back at me while I was changing, but he did. I almost slapped him across the face, but refrained from doing so.
"Stop the carriage!" I told him. "I need help tying this damn corset." He kept driving until we arrived, then jumped to the back seat with me and helped me tie it.
"Hurry before they suspect that we've arrived. Put your hair in a bun too. Or do ya need help." He mocked my helplessness.
"I can put me hair in a bun jus' fine tanks." I replied coldly.
Once I was dressed, and my father approved of it, we walked into the house.
"Father! They've arrived father!" A little girl of about 6 shouted.
"Dear God. Already?" A man in his mid-thirties stepped out from around the corner. "Gregory! Wonderful. I'm assuming your trip was successful?" He asked, studying me.
"Very much so. This is my lovely daughter Brandie. Brandie this is Emory Dunstan, and his daughter Rae."
"Nice to meet you." I said as polite as I could. They were obviously very rich and proper. I didn't know how I could possibly be married to someone like this, but it seemed like I had no choice.
"My wife is in the dining room, awaiting our guests. We will be announcing the engagement to everyone tonight. If that is alright with you Gregory." Mr. Dunstan asked my father.
"It is perfectly fine with me." He said much too excitedly. It irritated me that they had the nerve to do this. I hadn't even met Frederick yet, nor had he met me. What if we hated each other? Besides, he asked my father if it was alright if they announced my engagement. He hadn't even proposed yet!
"Adelaide would come out here? Gregory is back and he brought her." In a matter of seconds, a very pretty young woman came around the corner. She seemed much too young for this man, but I supposed if they were happy then it was alright. This made me think about how much older Frederick would be.
"She's gorgeous." Mrs. Dunstan commented almost like I wasn't there. I didn't know if I should say thank you or not, since the comment wasn't directed to me. My dad took care of that for me.
"Thank you very much Adelaide." He said, kissing her on the hand.
"Frederick, she's here." Mr. Dunstan called out. I noticed that throughout the entire conversation, I had not been spoken to. I had told them that it was nice to meet them, but never once did they say anything to me.
Just then, a fairly tall boy with sandy blonde hair came down the steps. He was smiling at me I believe. I returned it right away. He was certainly a handsome boy, and looked nice, but then, so did Harold. Harold. Harold reminded me of New York. I quickly brushed those memories aside as he came down and greeted me.
"You must be the infamous Brandie?" He asked, taking my hand and kissing it. I nodded.
"And ya must be da infamous Frederick." I joked. Finally I could be myself and not have to worry about how they liked me, though out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mr. Dunstan looking disapprovingly. Hopefully my father hadn't seen or else he would lecture me later tonight.
"Shall we go into the dining area?" Adelaide asked everyone. Without saying anything, everyone followed. I was seated next to Frederick, who was on my right, and Rae who was on my left.
"So, what have you done with yourself?" Emory Dunstan asked me as I sat down. I knew my history wouldn't be pleasant, so I left out the small fact that I had stolen for food my entire life until just a few weeks ago when I worked at the distribution office.
"I've woiked in Brooklyn, New York handin' out papers to the newsboys." I told them. "I've also woiked in a cigar shop, though I had no idea wha' I was doin'." I grinned, holding back my laugh as I thought about how Race had laughed so hard when I gave the woman the wrong cigars.
"A cigar shop?" Adelaide seem appalled by that comment.
"How interesting, so ya could tell me wha' kind a Havana one was den?" My father asked me. The grin instantly disappeared from me face.
"I'm afraid that I only woiked dere a week, cleaning the storage room." I told him. I hated Havana cigars now. They reminded me of Racetrack, who I missed dearly.
"I have something for you." Frederick said out of nowhere. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet case. Inside was the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen. "It's princess cut." He told me. Apparently princess cut meant that it was cut in a square. It glimmered to the extent that I thought I would be blinded. He slipped it on my finger, ensuring our life together. I didn't really realize this until later. Now I was fixated on the beauty of it.
"It's gorgeous." I said, totally out of breath. Adelaide Dunstan was crying by now, Emory Dunstan was smiling with pride as he looked at his son and daughter-in-law. Rae Dunstan was bursting with pride. Gregory Foster was simply sitting there, looking at his surroundings, almost like I wasn't there.
"How long is the engagement?" Rae piped up.
"A year or two honey." Emory told his daughter. I tried not to act surprised by this, but it was hard not to.
"That's a long time." Rae noted.
"We'll be traveling the country during that time honey. I told you last week." Adelaide patted her daughter on the head. "Do you like to travel dear?" She directed her question at me. I didn't know how to answer this, mostly because I hadn't traveled that much. Then I thought of Arch, and Spot and Racetrack. They had all hurt me in some way. Pretending to care for me, only to betray me. Arch, he got himself in trouble with the law and left me alone. Spot and Race had sent me to this. Of course they had no idea, but still, they had done it.
"Yes. I love to travel." I replied. If I stay in one place too long I would make friends, only to be hurt. I thought. Of course I would be with Frederick forever, unless I messed it all up, which was definitely a possibility.
"The guests will be arriving soon. Our entertainer should be here at any moment." Emory stated.
"Maybe you've heard of her. She's from New York. Medda Larkson. She's an old family friend." Adelaide told me while getting up to stand by the door, ready to greet her guests. I was frozen to my seat. I felt the color drain out of my face. Medda Larkson was going to be here. I knew she didn't know me, but this was my chance to send a message to Jack and Spot. I could pull Medda aside and tell her to tell them that I'm engaged against my will and there is nothing I can do.
"Yes, as a mattah o' fact I do know 'er." I said happily. There was a knock on the door, and one of the servants went to the door. When he opened it, Medda was standing on the other side, with a huge grin, and the same fiery red hair.
"It's nice to see you again deary." Medda exclaimed, giving Mrs. Dunstan a huge hug.
"We're so glad you could come. How was your trip?"
"Splendid. Now, where is my little Rae?" She asked, much to enthused if you ask me. Rae ran down the hallway, almost tripping on her dress, into Medda's out stretched arms. Frederick came next, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "And who is this pretty girl? A fiancé Frederick?" She winked at him.
"Medda, this is Brandie Foster, Brandie this is Medda Larkson." Adelaide introduced us.
"Pleased to meet you." She said to me, smiling uncontrollably. I nodded, still thinking about what I would tell her later on.
"You'll be singing in here." Emory directed her to a different area of the house.
"Can I show her around the house?" Rae asked eagerly, pulling on her mothers dress.
"You'll rip it dear. If that's what you want to do." She said, almost reluctantly.
"C'mon!" Rae said happily, pulling me away from Adelaide and Frederick. I had no idea where my father had gone, and frankly I didn't care. Another crazy idea sprouted in my mind. What if I got Medda to take me back to Manhattan with her? Then I remembered that she seemed to be best of friends with this family and would probably not even consider such a thing.
"This is the dining room, but you already knew that." Rae told me, beaming with happiness. She lead me through the dining room and then showed me the room where most of the guests would sit when dinner was over, it was also where Medda would be performing. The room was enormous and in the back, there were glass windows which led to a veranda.
"That's my favorite place to be." Rae told me, pointing to the veranda. "It's really peaceful, and I love to just sit there and think." She took my hand once more and lead me up a flight of marble stairs. I had never seen anything like it. She looked up at me, smiling, almost like she was happy I had never seen this. She passed the first couple of rooms and took me to the one on the far end of the hallway.
"We saved this one for you." She said proudly, taking me into the room. It was a deep red, and it looked like a regular room. It had two couches, covered with red satin, a fireplace, a four poster bed with red satin covers and pillows. There was also a lounge chair, which was also red, and red carpeting. "You like?" She asked me.
"I love it." I gasped. These people sure had a lot of money. We passed at least 5 other bedrooms before we got to mine. And mine was the last one.
"I'll show you mine later, but the guests will be here soon, and we should be by the door. Everyone is really anxious to meet you."
"Meet me?" I asked, confused.
"Yeah. And then tomorrow is when all the fun starts! We get to plan the wedding!" She said, running out of the room and down the stairs. Wedding. Right. I was supposed to get married. But that was in a couple of years. I decided not to question anything at this point. I remembered what I had to do. Act pretty and sweet, then, talk to Medda.
A/N Well there it is. The answers to your questions...what happened to her father? Why was he after her? There you have it. The Dunstans. I LOVE RAE! She is the cutest little thing I've ever seen! Or written about that is. So what did you all think? I like it. It really adds a twist to the story doesn't it? I've had this chapter written for a while now, but like I said, I had that French project, and I was just lazy and didn't post!
Notice how Brandie is simply giving up. Why? Is it because her heart is lost in New York?
So..I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Tell me what you think...you know I LOVE reviews! haha I was stumped with the chapter title..so oh well!
Pyro: Thankies for reviewing! YAY! YOU CRIED! I am very proud of myself hehe! I don't think that this chapter will make you cry..but you never know ;) I really hope you like this one. I hope that cookie was good!
Duncan: Thanks a lot! You get the cookie for being the new reviewer! I know you reviewed for chapter 2, but maybe you've read your way up here LoL! Thanks for the info by the way. I hope you like the story, and this chapter! Thanks again for reviewing, hope you review again!
Tiggerbaby2430: Splendiferous? Funny stuff that is! I'll bet you were right when you said that the driver was her dad! WoW ur physic! AHHH! Glad you liked the last chapter, hope you liked this one too! You get the 'Best Reviewer Cookie' for this chapter since u made up that funny word hehe! Hope you review again!
BlackWiltedRose: wow at first I thought I had a new reviewer, but then I realized that you changed your name! Yes, I do love your story soo much! And I can't wait for you to update it! I'm sooo glad that you like the story! YAY! I would give you a cookie, but I am out :( hands u a cookie made of air hehe! Hope you like this chapter, and I hope you review again!
Vinnie Monfredo....WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? (Shes online everyday hehe) Anyway, I didn't show u this chapter before hand so u have to read it Muhaaww! Then u have to review double Muhaaww! Hurry up gurlie!