Title: One Year Anniversary
Author: Stress
First written: April 18, 2002-May 12, 2002
Edited and replaced: August 9, 2005
Summary: Part III of the Soul Mates Series; When Jack and Stress reach their first year anniversary, Stress tells a friend the story about how they almost didn't get together at all.
. August 8th 1900 .
Bottle Alley Lodging House
"Can ya believe that? I sure know that I can't! An entire year already. And let me tell you, I'm surprised I got anything to remember at all. If you would've told me a year and a half ago that I would be this giddy over just a guy... Well, Jack ain't just a guy... Anyways, this has probably been the best year of me life. For the first time since I left Queens the first time over 5 years ago, I have someone that ain't shy about showing me that he cares and I actually feel the same way about him..," the tall, older-looking, girl sighed, shaking her head of long blondish-brown curls, while her eyes, so resembling the color of those of a cat, with the curiosity to rival a cat behind them, were fixed in a dreamy gaze.
A younger girl, wearing a black derby over her straight dark blond hair, stopped playing the flute for a second to address her friend. "Stress, if you don't mind me asking, what the heck are you talking about?" Princess asked, speaking clearly and without a New York accent, something her mother had taught her to do, years ago. At 16 she was two years younger than Stress, but had no problems making sure her voice was heard. She began to feel worried for she had never seen her friend look so out of it.
Stress laughed at her as she waved her hands as a gesture to brush aside Princess's worries. "Ya know, I'm always forgetting that you're new here at the lodging house, Princess."
"You don't have to rub it in," scowled Princess as her normally greenish-blue eyes momentarily flashed grey. She had just found her way to the Bottle Alley Lodging House a little over two months ago, yet she had gotten to know some of the girls well. Come to think of it, she had gotten to know some of the guys down at the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House pretty well too. Thinking of a certain someone in particular Princess blushed.
Stress laughed again, noticing Princess's red face. "You wouldn't happen to be thinking of a certain someone, are ya now?" she said knowingly.
Princess turned an even deeper shade of red. "As I recall, we were talking about your sappy state, not mine!" she snapped as she threw herself down on a bottom bunk.
"Well, I think that I got a right to be sappy today," Stress said, sinking down on a neighboring bunk in order to face Princess as she spoke.
"So, do you plan on telling me what is so important about today or do I have to tickle it out of you?" Princess asked, grabbing the red feather out of the brim of her black derby and holding it up as if it were a weapon.
"O.K., O.K., I give. Like I was saying before, it's mine and Jack's one year anniversary," Stress said, looking at her expectantly.
"Umm-- O.K., I'm a little confused then. I have seen you with Cowboy for every day and half the nights since I have been here and the two of you never fail to turn my stomach with your lovey-dovey ways. Why did you say before that you are surprised that you made it?".
"Wait a sec, Princess. What time is it? I promised Jack that I would be ready to celebrate before two." Both Stress and Jack had decided to take the day off from hawking the headlines so that they wouldn't be bothered on their special day.
Princess looked down at the ladies watch that she always wore on a string around her neck. "It's only ten now. Why is he making you wait until two if you are going to spend the day together?" she inquired, looking puzzled.
"Dunno. Jack said that it was a surprise. Anyways, since it is only ten now, I have plenty of time to tell you me story. Ya wanna hear it?'
"Oh, definitely," Princess responded as she brushed her blonde hair out of her face and got settled in on Midnight's bunk. She loved listening to the older girls tell stories for two reasons: She felt like she was being accepted into the lodging house family and it also provided her with the knowledge of other's experiences.
"O.K., well I warn you now, it's kinda long. Are you sure?" Stress questioned, and continued once Princess nodded enthusiastically, knocking her black derby to the floor, "O.K., well it all started about two weeks before the big strike last summer. I had been friends with most of the Manhattan newsies for about four years, ever since I had left Queens when I was thirteen. Up until last summer, when Jack and I were both seventeen years old, we was the best of friends and had been for the four years I have been in Manhattan. A lot of our friends had tried to get us together many times over the years, especially Martini and Stripes." Stress paused to stretch while Princess laughed out loud. She knew how Martini and Stripes were, especially together.
"Now I admit that when I first met Jack, I had a wee bit of a crush on him, but it never blossomed into anything. And since we had become such good buddies, it was fine. As I grew older, though, every now and then I would feel different around him. But since in the entire four years I had known him he had never once acted like he liked me as something more, I usually just shrugged it off. When I look back now, after this past year, I laugh. I never once thought that it was odd that in the four years that I knew him he ain't never had a serious girl. I also never thought twice about the jealousy I would feel when I would catch Jack sitting with the guys catcalling to the pretty girls in their fancy dresses while all I had was my faded grey slacks and matching newsies hat. I never noticed the many times that Jack would all of a sudden become Mister Overprotective when someone paid me any attention-- be it good or bad. Now, of course, I realize what all that meant, but hey, I had spent me entire friendship with Jack ignoring it; why would then be any different? Besides, I've been really hurt before and I wasn't gonna let my heart open to be trampled. Last time that I let that happen, I ended up with a four inch scar on my shoulder," Stress ended her last sentence bitterly and took a second to compose herself.
Princess quickly tried to change the subject. "I can't believe you two. You didn't have enough brains between the two of you to realize that you had it bad for each other?" she asked, figuring that if she insulted Stress it might get her to continue the story.
It worked.
Stress laughed. "Well, I guess not. Now ya need to know a little bit about me past before I can continue. But listen good, cause this'll be the last time ya hear me speak about it, O.K.?".
Princess, noticing the serious look on Stress's face, quickly nodded. Stress was known for not giving much detail about her past. Princess couldn't wait to hear what the older girl kept concealed.
"O.k., well I grew up with me mother and me father in a little town north of Dublin. Maybe you heard of it, Sligo? Anyways, the winter after I turned six years old, me mother got real sick. The night before she died she gave me this here silver chain", Stress said as she fingered a delicate silver necklace that barely was visible under the white blouse that she wore, "and told me never to forget her. She never woke up the next morning. Well me father was heartbroken, but he knew he had a young daughter to raise. He worked hard all that winter to try to make money for us to go to America, but he never got anywhere close to getting as much money as we needed. Instead, one spring day, we stowed away on a large passenger ship. We was discovered hiding out a few days into the voyage. Instead of being thrown overboard for sneaking onto the ship, the captain made us work for our fare. But that mean old captain was so mad at me father for hiding out that he worked him too hard. Three days before we touched shore, me father died. Luckily, an elderly Irish couple, the O'Connor's, from a neighboring village, offered to take me with them to find a place to live. There I stayed, in Queens with them, for seven years until I was forced to leave and I headed for Manhattan. But I never forgot the O'Connor's and I visited them whenever I could, at least once a year. Every now and then, one of me friends from Queens would visit me here. Well one day last summer, when I was sitting in this same room, talking to Holiday just like I'm talking to ya now, my friend Grace came storming in. She had came all of day way from Queens to tell me that Mrs. O'Connor was dying and that her last request was to say goodbye. She was so much like a mother to me that I had to go." Again Stress paused, this time to wipe away a tear.
"Well, I quickly packed up me things and said goodbye to all of me friends. I spent a month over in Queens, watching me back, of course. Maybe some other time I'll tell you about the time that I lived in Queens, but not today. All you need to know is that I got a couple of people over there who ain't too fond of me. Anyways, Mrs. O'Connor passed first, the second day of me visit. Mr. O'Connor passed on two weeks later. The doctor's said it was because of his heart, but I know that he died because it was broken. Me and me pal Grace stayed another two weeks to sort everything out, and then we was on our way back to Manhattan. Grace had decided that it would be a good idea for her to come back here with me. Besides, she always wanted to make it as an actress and we figured that she'd have a better chance here in Manhattan then back in Queens. Now this is where all the drama in the story starts. Ya know all about the strike, right? Well I happen to miss the entire thing while I was over in Queens but I heard from all my little birdies that Jack and his new partner, Dave, had gone up against the evil Mister Pulitzer, and won. I couldn't wait to come home and congratulate Jack and tell him something important. I realized while I was in Queens that sometime-- I don't know when, but, heck, for all I know it coulda been when we first met and he saved me from me past-- I had sincerely fallen in love with him. Grace helped me realize that the best thing for me to do was to get it off me chest and not worry about what he was gonna say. I agreed, so I was all prepared to let him know how I felt. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was Jack's surprise-- he had gotten himself a girl...