---Chapter Four---
"So, it just slipped your mind, huh?" Jack asked David mid-afternoon, a couple of days after his dinner with Maddy. "How the hell does marriage just slip your mind?" For the past two days, Jack had been trying to catch up with his best friend, wanting to know exactly what went on at dinner. Exactly why had his best friend kept a secret this big from him?
"It didn't slip my mind," David said defensively, debating on how he should handle the situation. Or rather, how he should handle the questions Jack was inevitably going to fire at him.
"Why wouldn't you tell me something like that?" Jack asked, his voice rising. He felt like he couldn't think straight, yet his mind seemed oddly clear. "I told you when Mary was cheating on you. Best friends tell each other stuff like this!"
"And remember how hurt I was when you told me?" David reminded him, flinching at the thought of his ex-girlfriend.
"You got over it," Jack dismissed.
"Eventually, I did. Jack, I didn't want to see you hurt. I was just trying to protect you."
"I know," Jack sighed, closing his eyes. "It just...hurts."
The two young men began to walk silently, side by side, in the scorching sun, thinking about the situation they were in. Thoughts of Sarah swarmed Jack's head, but they were past memories that he didn't want to think about.
"When did they meet?"
"Three months after you left for Santa Fe," David sighed, knowing that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. David wasn't going to bullshit around anymore; he knew Jack wanted the truth and sugar-coating it would only hurt him more. "He works with Papa in the factory. He set the two of them up."
Jack sighed and kicked a rock with his worn, leather shoe. He muttered something to himself and they continued walking in silence.
"You guys were long broken up by then," David pointed out. "You really hurt her Jack. Did you really expect her to wait around for you?"
"Yes. No. I don't know," Jack said, sighing. "It's not like she didn't hurt me either. Why do you think I left?"
"I don't know Jack," David said honestly as they sat down on a park bench. "You never told me why you left. All you left was a note that said you had to figure things out and you didn't know when or if you'd be back. When you came back...I just didn't think you'd want to talk about it. I figured it had something to do with Sarah, but you were so busy catching up with the guys...it didn't feel right to bring it up and then I just never did."
"I left to figure myself out," Jack told him after a long pause. "You're right; Sarah and I had been broken up for awhile before I left. You know I was pretty messed up after that whole incident. I just didn't feel like myself anymore. I wasn't dating, I didn't go out with "the guys", and I wasn't selling as many newspapers as I had been. Somehow, I managed to make the money to buy a train ticket and when I realized that, I left. That was it; forget New York, I'm going to start fresh, settle down with a girl, and start a family. Be the father that mine never was and earn the living I'd always dreamed of."
"So what happened?" David asked. Jack had never opened up about whatever had happened in Santa Fe and now that he seemed to be on a roll, David wanted the whole story.
"It was a bust. I went through the town's supply of women. The relationships kept failing and I couldn't find a decent job. I kept getting odd jobs; hoping one of them would lead to a big break. Everything fell through and after three months, I traveled back to New York, using a horse I stole from this bastard at a horse farm. I let the horse go run free after awhile and I walked back and tried not to think about Santa Fe ever since," Jack finished up, wiping the sweat from his brow. "You know the rest."
"Yeah, I do. You're back home buddy," David said comfortingly and they sat on the park bench, watching the city bustle by.
One Month Later
Time flew by and Maddy was becoming more and more comfortable living in the Lodging House. She'd made unforgettable friendships and was indefinitely happy with the decision to become a newsie. There were a couple of bumps along the road; Weasel still refused to sell her papers, so she had to devise a system where Jack or David would buy her papers and she would pay them back with the money she earned from selling them. The three of them had become a group of best friends that she felt herself relying on. They brought a sense of sanity to this crazy newspaper selling world and she was forever thankful. It seemed the closer she got to them, the more she liked them; especially Jack. She felt a sort of bond with him that was different then the bond with David. And if she didn't know any better, she'd of thought she was developing feelings for him. Although she kept denying the emotion, it did come up and it made her nervous.
The friendships with the other newsies she made were almost just as close as the one she made with David. One day, she could be seen selling papers with Skittery, playing jacks with Les, or betting with Racetrack. They made life a little more interesting and she was happy with the fact that they could tell her things they didn't think they could share with their guy friends. It was a symbiotic relationship that seemed to benefit her very well.
Lying on her bed one Sunday afternoon, she was enjoying the fact that the World didn't publish their papers on Sunday, with respect to the day of rest. She was trying to unsuccessfully take a nap when she heard a knock on her door.
"It's open!"
David's head peeked through the door's opening. "Hi Maddy."
"What's going on Dave? C'mon in," Maddy gestured, sitting up on her bed, crossing her legs as her skirt billowed out over them.
"Nothing, really. Was I interrupting something?" he asked, noticing how tired she looked.
"Nah, I was just trying to take a nap, but it wasn't going so well," Maddy told him. "The guys and I stayed up late last night playing cards. Won two bucks."
"Congratulations."
"Thanks. It was worth it to see Racetrack tear up," she replied. "What can I help ya with?"
"Are you busy tonight?" David asked, scratching his neck. His dark blue eyes looked into her brown ones, sounding kind of expectant.
"Tonight? I don't think so," Maddy thought, wondering what he wanted to do. "What did you have in mind?"
"I was kind of hoping you'd come over to my house for dinner," David told her, wanting to sound confident. "Mama's cooking pasta and I know how much you like that."
Maddy smiled and used her finger to trace a pattern on her bedspread. She would've loved to meet David's parents, but something about his tone made her hesitate. Whatever it was, she dismissed the feeling and answered his question.
"Sure," Maddy said. "I'd love to meet your folks. Sounds like it'll be fun."
"Oh it will be," David assured her as he stood up, a big grin stretching across his face. "I want to talk with you more, but I have to go tell Mama to make dinner for one more tonight. I'll come get you around six, all right?"
"Six sounds perfect," Maddy agreed, smiling.
"Bye Maddy." David left the room, whistling, and Maddy fell back against her pillow and tried to go to sleep. She had a big night tonight, didn't she?
While Maddy was tossing and turning, David continued to walk down the dusty roads towards his homestead. A feeling of elation overcame him as he thought of his conversation with Maddy. Over the past couple of weeks, he had recognized the fact that he was developing feelings for Maddy. David, being a logical kind of guy, figured it was bound to happen. He respected her and the things she stood for and realized that there was rarely a time where he wasn't thinking about her. He'd never told anyone of his feelings; the worry of getting ridiculed or rejected kept seeping into his mind whenever he wanted to strike up the nerve to talk to Maddy about his sudden interest in her. He'd been able to restrain himself, but the stress was starting to wear thin. David hoped that this dinner would put him on the map with her though; Sarah was bringing Robert and he was getting sick of not having someone with him as well. He was nineteen after all and his mother had begun to wonder about when he was going to settle down. If things went the way David wanted them to, maybe it would be soon.
Reaching the small apartment the Jacobs lived in, David walked in the door to see his Mama doing some elaborate needlework in her rocking chair while Sarah folded clean blankets from the laundry.
"Mama, we have one more joining us for dinner," David announced, taking off his vest and newsboy cap. Sarah dropped the blanket she was folding and looked into her younger brother's eyes.
"Is Jack coming?" she asked, sounding hopeful.
"It would be nice to see Jack, after all this time," Mrs. Jacobs added, smiling fondly at pleasant memories. "You know he's always welcome."
"I know Mama. He just wants to hang out with his friends, that's all," David told her, avoiding his mother's eyes. Of course the real reason was Sarah, who seemed to understand that in that in David's head-bowing gesture. When she realized that, Sarah began to fold her blanket again. "My friend Maddy is coming over. She's the girl newsie I was telling you about."
Mrs. Jacobs's eyes lit up at the thought of her son bringing a girl home. Maybe this one would be the one; of course, she always hoped for the best for her children, but she thought it was high time that David settled down. She thought she had made that quite clear to him when Sarah got engaged, but now it seemed to be sinking in. She couldn't be happier.
"Well, won't this be nice!" Mrs. Jacobs said warmly. She continued on with her needlework, humming a tune from the old country. Her family was happy, and so was she.
"Hey kid, what's happening?" Jack greeted Maddy, later that evening as he leaned against her door frame. She was getting ready for her dinner with David's family and she wanted to make a good impression. It was times like these where she missed her old life...she shook the thought out of her head. Now was not the time to be feeling sorry for herself. But when she heard Jack's voice, she perked up.
"Hey Jack," Maddy replied. "C'mon in, I'm just getting ready."
"What for, gotta hot date?" Jack teased, walking up next to her. The extremely tiny vanity was littered with fancy bottles and powders that only a woman knew their use. Jack never understood the purpose of makeup, but he admitted sometimes it could look very nice.
"Oh yeah, I've secretly been seeing this guy because I knew my best friend couldn't handle the rejection!" Maddy said dramatically, swatting the back of her palm up to her forehead. "His name is...is..."
"Who is it? I demand to know!" Jack exclaimed, getting caught up in the moment.
"If you must...it's...David!" Maddy yelled and made some scary theme music. "I'm sorry; I knew the pain was too much to bear!"
Jack laughed at the extreme silly-ness of their conversation and began to tickle her sides, bringing out rich, happy laughter. He loved to make her laugh as much as she did for him. When Maddy began to slap his arms and it started to sting, Jack dropped his hands and wrapped his arms around her petite waist in a friendly gesture, bringing her back flush against the front of his body. He rested his chin on her shoulder as she began to dab some exotic smelling liquid on her upturned wrists.
"So seriously, David's your date?"
Maddy looked at him and giggled at his question. Shaking her head, she couldn't believe the moron believed a tiny morsel of her goofy-ness.
"No, dim-wit. I think I would tell you if Dave and I were dating," Maddy said honestly as she latched a bracelet on her wrist. "He invited me over for dinner to meet his family or something like that. I think it's sweet."
"I think he's making a move," Jack replied. Maddy laughed, but stopped when she realized the serious look on his face.
"You can't be serious. Did he say something?"
"No..."
"Jack, we're just friends. End of story."
"Not for him." Maddy turned out of his grasp and folded her arms at her chest. "Look, the guy's my best friend. I probably knew he liked you before he did, that's all I'm saying."
"Well, you better stop saying things because I ain't buying it," Maddy told him. "I can honestly say that David does not have feelings for me. And if he did, well that's just too bad because they aren't reciprocated. Are you done teasing?"
"Never," Jack smiled. "So, who do you have a crush on kid? Is it Skittery? Things have been going through the grapevine that you and he had a thing. Very hush hush. I probably shouldn't be saying things."
"You're right; you shouldn't be saying these things," Maddy told him, rolling her eyes. "As much of a doll he is, Skittery's got a thing for that Beth girl. You know the one who works at the market down by his selling spot?"
"Quite convenient for him, I might add," Jack said, smiling. "You avoided the question. Who does Maddy have the hots for?"
Maddy turned from her mirror to face him and gave him a look of boredom. However, she cracked a sarcastic grin as she began to scope him out, starting from his feet and working her way up to his face. Sprawled out on her bed, Jack had a look of total and complete comfort that was beginning to appeal to her. The blue oxford shirt matched his eyes and the baggy, gray pants did little to hide the length of his long legs. Although she couldn't see it, she knew there was a red bandanna stuffed in his pocket and the worn, black cowboy hat he wore was slightly tipped back on top of his brown hair that was currently straight and constantly getting into his eyes. Maddy bit the inside of her cheek and held back a sigh.
Jack noticed her checking him out and a grin spread across his face. "You got the hots for me, kid? Well, I'm flattered. Honestly, truly flattered. You wanna take the time to...uh, how should I put this..."flatter" me more?"
"Get over yourself Kelly," Maddy rolled her eyes and turned to face her mirror to do some more primping before Jack could see her cheeks getting red.
He'd be the last to admit he was getting feelings for his best friend. But with her back turned to him and the conversation they just had did have the slightest bit of sexual tension...well, he was a guy, wasn't he? And with that in mind, Jack let his eyes feast on the object of his timid affection.
She cleaned up good, he thought to himself. Wearing a clean, dark green skirt, it covered her legs, but the white blouse she paired with her skirt was tight in the all the right places due to the fact that now she'd been able to eat regularly again. Maddy had started to gain weight and was on her way to looking healthy, as opposed to the sallow girl...no, woman, he remembered when he met her. Maddy's auburn hair hung loosely down her back, slightly curling at the bottom. A simple chain necklace graced her neck where she was currently dabbing on a little perfume. Jack took a deep breath of the scent and recognized it as a smell he could immediately associate with her. Closing his eyes, Jack leaned back on her bed as she finished getting ready and was pleasantly surprised that he could smell her on her pillow.
"You okay Jack?"
"Yeah, why?" Jack replied, a little startled to be broken out of his reverie.
"You just got kind of quiet, that's all," Maddy answered. She smoothed out her skirt and went to sit next to him. He pulled her down and they lay next to each other comfortably, enjoying the peaceful silence. They could hear the noises of the other guys running around and she smiled at the familiar voices.
"Have fun with Dave tonight," Jack told her, turning his head to make eye contact. "If you guys are bored later, Skittery, Racetrack, and I are going down to Medda's later. She's singing there tonight along with that girl Beth that Skittery likes. C'mon on and join us."
"Okay, maybe I'll mention it. If you guys aren't here by the time I get back, I'll meet up with you three there," Maddy agreed, tracing her finger along the back of his hand. It was an innocent gesture; she'd done it so many times before. Tingles had never gone up Jack's arm at any previous time.
"Maddy! David's here to see you!" They heard Kloppman yell from the bottom of the stairwell.
"I'll be right down!" Maddy yelled back, nearly deafening Jack. "Oops, sorry. I guess I better get going." She rolled of the bed and smoothed out her outfit once more. "How do I look Jacky-boy?"
"Gorgeous," He replied honestly, his voice sounding lower. "You're making Dave a lucky guy."
"We're not dating, moron," Maddy replied, laughing. "I'll catch up with you guys later."
"Bye kid."
Maddy walked out the door and down the rickety stairwell as Jack covered his tired eyes. He could still smell her and it felt like she was still next to him.