Chapter 7
Emily stopped on her front porch, and looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, and clouds were beginning to form.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Is it gonna rain?" she asked. Teddy looked up at the sky, and said, "It might. Why?"
"Because.I just wanted to know," she said, and walked into the house. She sighed sadly over the fact that her mother would no longer be there when she came home everyday.
"I'm going to go upstairs and rest," she said. Teddy nodded. Emily wandered up the steps, and pushed open her door, and dropped onto her bed. She closed her eyes, and no more then twenty minutes later, sat up screaming. Teddy came bursting into the room, crying, "Emmy, what's wrong?"
"I saw it again, daddy! I saw mommy again!!!" she cried. Teddy held her in his arms and rocked her back and forth until she calmed down again. She refused to go back to sleep, however, so Teddy sat with her as she read the book Derek had given her.
Emily walked down the street the next day, whistling a tune, and saw Jack on the corner.
"Hey, Jacky boy!" she called. He turned to her, and waved. She jogged over, and said, "Hows ya doin?"
"Aight. What about you? You doin aight?" She shrugged, saying, "I'm having nightmares about my mother now." He nodded, and said, "Wanna help me sell me papes?"
"Sure." He handed her some, and explained the biz to her. She nodded in understanding as they approached a boxing ring. Emily glanced at the pape in her hand, and thought for a second. The headline was: Teddy Roosevelt Now Widower With Two Children. Emily choked on tears, and said, "Jack? I can't do this one." He looked at her paper, and said, "Choose another headline, don't think about that one." She nodded, and searched the paper. She smiled. Brooklyn Born Baby With Four Eyes and Two Noses Discovered In Alleyway. Emily thought is was good enough, so she held it in the air, and called out,
"Extry, extry! Brooklyn born baby discovered in alleyway wit' four eyes and two noses! Extry, extry!"
"I'll take one!" Emily handed him the pape, and he handed her the money, and people gathered around for a paper. Soon, all hers were gone, and she went to find Jack. He was holding up a pape, calling out,
"Gov'nah Teddy Roosevelt new widower wit' two kids! Extry, extry!" Emily froze. She missed her mother, and loved her family very much, and was really praying Jack wouldn't use that headline. He even said he wouldn't before he took off in the other direction. He sold off his last paper, and turned to face her.
"Hey, Emmy!"
"You said you wouldn't use that headline!" she cried.
"I ran out of 'em, Emmy! Sorry," he said. Emily spun around, and took off running away from Jack.
"Emily! Come back!" he called, running after her. She didn't stop. He followed behind her as close as possible before she ducked off into an alley, and heard a whistle blowing. Jack caught up to her, and said, "This way!" She followed him down another alley, through a yard, and into the lodging house. Emily looked up, and saw her brother at the top of the steps, playing marbles. He had just lifted his head, when Emily spun around and buried her head in Jack's chest.
"What?" he asked.
"I don't want my brother to see me." she whispered. Jack peeked out the window.
"Their gone. Come on, I'll walk you home," he said, taking her hand. He led her outside, and showed her a back way to her house.
"Thanks, Jack," she said.
"No problem." "
Do you want to come in? You know, have dinner with us?" she asked. He looked up at her, and said, "Is it alright with your dad?" She stuck her head inside, and called out, "Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"Can Jack have dinner with us?"
"Sure!" Emily held out her hand, took Jack's, and led him inside.
"Come on, I wanna show you something.." she said, leading him upstairs.
"Emmy? Where you going?" Teddy asked, stepping out of his study.
"I wanna show Jack something before dinner," she said. He nodded and Emily continued up the steps.
"What'd you wanna show me?" he asked. She pushed open her door, and pulled her bag off the hook and set it on her bed. Reaching her hand in it, she felt around, then pulled out the book Derek had written her for her birthday.
"What's that?" Jack asked. Emily patted the bed, and Jack sat down beside her. Emily opened the cover, and said, "It's a book my brother wrote for me. Look at the photo he chose to put in it. It's when I was five, he was six," she said. Jack gingerly held the cover and looked at the picture. He smiled, and looked up at her.
"Is this you?" he asked, pointing to her on the photo.
"Yep."
"You were pretty," he said.
"You think so?"
"Yeah, I do," he said. She looked up at him, and smiled. She gingerly closed the book, and slid it back into her bag. He reached over and nicely touched her hand. She looked back at him, and smiled. He leaned over, and kissed her very gently on the lips.
"Emily! Jack! Dinner!" Teddy called. Emily pulled back, blushing, and stood up.
"Uh.come on, Jack." she said.
"Yeah," he said, stood up, and followed her downstairs.
Emily stopped on her front porch, and looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, and clouds were beginning to form.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Is it gonna rain?" she asked. Teddy looked up at the sky, and said, "It might. Why?"
"Because.I just wanted to know," she said, and walked into the house. She sighed sadly over the fact that her mother would no longer be there when she came home everyday.
"I'm going to go upstairs and rest," she said. Teddy nodded. Emily wandered up the steps, and pushed open her door, and dropped onto her bed. She closed her eyes, and no more then twenty minutes later, sat up screaming. Teddy came bursting into the room, crying, "Emmy, what's wrong?"
"I saw it again, daddy! I saw mommy again!!!" she cried. Teddy held her in his arms and rocked her back and forth until she calmed down again. She refused to go back to sleep, however, so Teddy sat with her as she read the book Derek had given her.
Emily walked down the street the next day, whistling a tune, and saw Jack on the corner.
"Hey, Jacky boy!" she called. He turned to her, and waved. She jogged over, and said, "Hows ya doin?"
"Aight. What about you? You doin aight?" She shrugged, saying, "I'm having nightmares about my mother now." He nodded, and said, "Wanna help me sell me papes?"
"Sure." He handed her some, and explained the biz to her. She nodded in understanding as they approached a boxing ring. Emily glanced at the pape in her hand, and thought for a second. The headline was: Teddy Roosevelt Now Widower With Two Children. Emily choked on tears, and said, "Jack? I can't do this one." He looked at her paper, and said, "Choose another headline, don't think about that one." She nodded, and searched the paper. She smiled. Brooklyn Born Baby With Four Eyes and Two Noses Discovered In Alleyway. Emily thought is was good enough, so she held it in the air, and called out,
"Extry, extry! Brooklyn born baby discovered in alleyway wit' four eyes and two noses! Extry, extry!"
"I'll take one!" Emily handed him the pape, and he handed her the money, and people gathered around for a paper. Soon, all hers were gone, and she went to find Jack. He was holding up a pape, calling out,
"Gov'nah Teddy Roosevelt new widower wit' two kids! Extry, extry!" Emily froze. She missed her mother, and loved her family very much, and was really praying Jack wouldn't use that headline. He even said he wouldn't before he took off in the other direction. He sold off his last paper, and turned to face her.
"Hey, Emmy!"
"You said you wouldn't use that headline!" she cried.
"I ran out of 'em, Emmy! Sorry," he said. Emily spun around, and took off running away from Jack.
"Emily! Come back!" he called, running after her. She didn't stop. He followed behind her as close as possible before she ducked off into an alley, and heard a whistle blowing. Jack caught up to her, and said, "This way!" She followed him down another alley, through a yard, and into the lodging house. Emily looked up, and saw her brother at the top of the steps, playing marbles. He had just lifted his head, when Emily spun around and buried her head in Jack's chest.
"What?" he asked.
"I don't want my brother to see me." she whispered. Jack peeked out the window.
"Their gone. Come on, I'll walk you home," he said, taking her hand. He led her outside, and showed her a back way to her house.
"Thanks, Jack," she said.
"No problem." "
Do you want to come in? You know, have dinner with us?" she asked. He looked up at her, and said, "Is it alright with your dad?" She stuck her head inside, and called out, "Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"Can Jack have dinner with us?"
"Sure!" Emily held out her hand, took Jack's, and led him inside.
"Come on, I wanna show you something.." she said, leading him upstairs.
"Emmy? Where you going?" Teddy asked, stepping out of his study.
"I wanna show Jack something before dinner," she said. He nodded and Emily continued up the steps.
"What'd you wanna show me?" he asked. She pushed open her door, and pulled her bag off the hook and set it on her bed. Reaching her hand in it, she felt around, then pulled out the book Derek had written her for her birthday.
"What's that?" Jack asked. Emily patted the bed, and Jack sat down beside her. Emily opened the cover, and said, "It's a book my brother wrote for me. Look at the photo he chose to put in it. It's when I was five, he was six," she said. Jack gingerly held the cover and looked at the picture. He smiled, and looked up at her.
"Is this you?" he asked, pointing to her on the photo.
"Yep."
"You were pretty," he said.
"You think so?"
"Yeah, I do," he said. She looked up at him, and smiled. She gingerly closed the book, and slid it back into her bag. He reached over and nicely touched her hand. She looked back at him, and smiled. He leaned over, and kissed her very gently on the lips.
"Emily! Jack! Dinner!" Teddy called. Emily pulled back, blushing, and stood up.
"Uh.come on, Jack." she said.
"Yeah," he said, stood up, and followed her downstairs.
