Chapter 8
Emily lifted her head from her book, and looked up at Jack.
"Hey, Emily. It's the Fourth of July..come on, let's go see what their doin." he said, taking her hand. She followed him outside of Tibby's leaving her book with Bryan Denton, reporter for the New York Sun. Jack pulled her out and suddenly, half the newsies standing there started chanting, "Emma! Emma! Emma!"
"Jack, what's going on?" she asked.
"You know that song you wrote after your mother died?" Emily choked on her words. "Sorry.but remember it?"
"Yeah, why?"
"They wanna hear it.they wanna hear you sing it," he said softly into her ear.
"But, Jack."
"Go on. It's alright, I'm right here," he said. Emily walked over and stood in front of everybody. She took a deep breath, and began to sing it. Derek came running over right at the end, when Emily was singing the final lines of the song, which just happened to be the chorus.
"Let freedom ring! Let the white dove sing! Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning! Let the weak be strong! Let the right be wrong! All that's gone away, let the guilty pay! It's Independence Day! All that's gone away! It's Independence Day!" She took a deep breath, and smiled out at everyone that was cheering at her. Jack jogged up beside her, and hugged her.
"That sounded great, Emmy," he said.
"Thank you, Jack," she said, laughing. Jack leaned over, and said, "Come on, let's go get something to drink." Emily took his hand, and followed him back into Tibby's for something to drink.
Derek ran over to Racetrack, and said, "Hey, Race, did you see Emmy up there?"
"Yeah.she was really good, man." Emily reached over and touched Jack's hand.
"Why did you bring up that song? Why did you tell them I would sing it?" she asked.
"I figured it wouldn't hurt.but did it?" he asked.
"No, but you surprised me, Jack." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. She smiled, and said, "Listen, I should be heading back to my place.I hafta talk to me faddah." Jack nodded, and said, "See ya, Emily." She stood up, got her book, and jogged home.
"Daddy?" she asked, pushing open the door. "I was just checkin to see if you were home," she called, and headed up the steps. She closed her bedroom door, and placed the book in a drawer in her dresser. As she walked over to stand at the window, she saw Derek run over, cup his hands to his mouth, and call out, "Emmy!" She pulled back, and closed her curtains, then opened her door.
"Daddy! I don' feel like talkin to Derek! If he asks, tell him I'm sleeping," she called downstairs, and closed her door again. She walked over to the mirror, and said, "Fifteen days until my ninth birthday.fifteen days." She walked over, sat on the floor beside her window, and began to cry. It had eaten at her all day, and now she was finally able to let go and allow herself to cry, alone.
Emily hopped down the steps, and said, "Daddy?" Teddy's voice carried from his study: "Yes, dear?" She wandered in there, and said, "Can I take Lightning over to Brooklyn? There's someone there I hafta see."
"Of course. Just, take my watch, and promise to be home by six, alright?" he asked.
"Sure, daddy." Emily slipped his watch on, and jogged up the steps. She pulled on her shoes, buttoned up her over shirt, and rummaged through her drawers for a vest. When she found one, she slid it on, pulled her newsie hat over her eyes, and picked up a chain from her dresser. She then jogged down the steps, out the door, and whistled. A big brown horse with one white spot came galloping around the corner.
"Hey, there, Lightning," she said, patting its back. Jack, Mush, and Race came walkin around the corner, and Blink ran to catch up to them. Emily swung her leg over Lightning's back, clicked her tongue twice, gently heeled the horse, and he began to gallop off.
"Emily." Blink mumbled. Jack looked at him, then back at Emily.
Emily slowed the horse to a mere trot as she looked around for the one person she needed to talk to. She searched especially hard, and smiled.
"Hey, Spot!" she called. The boy turned around, and said, "Yeah? Who's askin?"
"It's me.Emily. Remember me?" she asked. She slid off the horse, and held him by the reins as Spot walked over.
"Ey, yeah, I remembah you."
"I know it's been a while, but I realized something from the first time we met."
"What?"
"The fact that you dropped this off ya neck when you came over to me. I saw it laying there, and picked it up, meaning to turn back and give it to ya, but completely forgot about it," she said, holding out the chain.
"Ey, tanks, Emily.hows you doin?" he asked.
"I'm aight, I guess."
"Spot Conlon!" a voice called. Emily looked behind Spot, and saw a girl, about her height, running over.
"Heya, Lee."
"Spot, I wanted you to dust off the shelf and reorganize it, not just dust it off," Lee said, then looked at Emily. "Who's she?"
"This is Emily. Emily, this is me sistah, Lee. She's s'posed ta be me twin, but me muddah had her two months latah, so I'm oldah," Spot explained. Emily smiled as Lee whacked him in the arm.
"Shuddup, Spot."
"Listen, I gotta go. I'll see ya around," she said. She threw her leg back over Lightning, and headed back home.
Emily lifted her head from her book, and looked up at Jack.
"Hey, Emily. It's the Fourth of July..come on, let's go see what their doin." he said, taking her hand. She followed him outside of Tibby's leaving her book with Bryan Denton, reporter for the New York Sun. Jack pulled her out and suddenly, half the newsies standing there started chanting, "Emma! Emma! Emma!"
"Jack, what's going on?" she asked.
"You know that song you wrote after your mother died?" Emily choked on her words. "Sorry.but remember it?"
"Yeah, why?"
"They wanna hear it.they wanna hear you sing it," he said softly into her ear.
"But, Jack."
"Go on. It's alright, I'm right here," he said. Emily walked over and stood in front of everybody. She took a deep breath, and began to sing it. Derek came running over right at the end, when Emily was singing the final lines of the song, which just happened to be the chorus.
"Let freedom ring! Let the white dove sing! Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning! Let the weak be strong! Let the right be wrong! All that's gone away, let the guilty pay! It's Independence Day! All that's gone away! It's Independence Day!" She took a deep breath, and smiled out at everyone that was cheering at her. Jack jogged up beside her, and hugged her.
"That sounded great, Emmy," he said.
"Thank you, Jack," she said, laughing. Jack leaned over, and said, "Come on, let's go get something to drink." Emily took his hand, and followed him back into Tibby's for something to drink.
Derek ran over to Racetrack, and said, "Hey, Race, did you see Emmy up there?"
"Yeah.she was really good, man." Emily reached over and touched Jack's hand.
"Why did you bring up that song? Why did you tell them I would sing it?" she asked.
"I figured it wouldn't hurt.but did it?" he asked.
"No, but you surprised me, Jack." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. She smiled, and said, "Listen, I should be heading back to my place.I hafta talk to me faddah." Jack nodded, and said, "See ya, Emily." She stood up, got her book, and jogged home.
"Daddy?" she asked, pushing open the door. "I was just checkin to see if you were home," she called, and headed up the steps. She closed her bedroom door, and placed the book in a drawer in her dresser. As she walked over to stand at the window, she saw Derek run over, cup his hands to his mouth, and call out, "Emmy!" She pulled back, and closed her curtains, then opened her door.
"Daddy! I don' feel like talkin to Derek! If he asks, tell him I'm sleeping," she called downstairs, and closed her door again. She walked over to the mirror, and said, "Fifteen days until my ninth birthday.fifteen days." She walked over, sat on the floor beside her window, and began to cry. It had eaten at her all day, and now she was finally able to let go and allow herself to cry, alone.
Emily hopped down the steps, and said, "Daddy?" Teddy's voice carried from his study: "Yes, dear?" She wandered in there, and said, "Can I take Lightning over to Brooklyn? There's someone there I hafta see."
"Of course. Just, take my watch, and promise to be home by six, alright?" he asked.
"Sure, daddy." Emily slipped his watch on, and jogged up the steps. She pulled on her shoes, buttoned up her over shirt, and rummaged through her drawers for a vest. When she found one, she slid it on, pulled her newsie hat over her eyes, and picked up a chain from her dresser. She then jogged down the steps, out the door, and whistled. A big brown horse with one white spot came galloping around the corner.
"Hey, there, Lightning," she said, patting its back. Jack, Mush, and Race came walkin around the corner, and Blink ran to catch up to them. Emily swung her leg over Lightning's back, clicked her tongue twice, gently heeled the horse, and he began to gallop off.
"Emily." Blink mumbled. Jack looked at him, then back at Emily.
Emily slowed the horse to a mere trot as she looked around for the one person she needed to talk to. She searched especially hard, and smiled.
"Hey, Spot!" she called. The boy turned around, and said, "Yeah? Who's askin?"
"It's me.Emily. Remember me?" she asked. She slid off the horse, and held him by the reins as Spot walked over.
"Ey, yeah, I remembah you."
"I know it's been a while, but I realized something from the first time we met."
"What?"
"The fact that you dropped this off ya neck when you came over to me. I saw it laying there, and picked it up, meaning to turn back and give it to ya, but completely forgot about it," she said, holding out the chain.
"Ey, tanks, Emily.hows you doin?" he asked.
"I'm aight, I guess."
"Spot Conlon!" a voice called. Emily looked behind Spot, and saw a girl, about her height, running over.
"Heya, Lee."
"Spot, I wanted you to dust off the shelf and reorganize it, not just dust it off," Lee said, then looked at Emily. "Who's she?"
"This is Emily. Emily, this is me sistah, Lee. She's s'posed ta be me twin, but me muddah had her two months latah, so I'm oldah," Spot explained. Emily smiled as Lee whacked him in the arm.
"Shuddup, Spot."
"Listen, I gotta go. I'll see ya around," she said. She threw her leg back over Lightning, and headed back home.
