A few weeks later, an expected knock woke her out of her slumber.
"C'mon, Red, get up, get up! Sell the papes, sell the papes!"
Red groaned and rolled out of bed. "Alright, alrighty Klop. I gots my feet on da floor."
Footsteps clomped down the stairs. Red stood up, swaying a bit, trying to stave off the stupor of sleep. She pulled herself up to eye level with the top bunk. The guys had dragged it in there when they knew she would be staying up there for good.
She poked the little body, curled into a little ball. "C'mon, Tyke. Up! Up! Up!"
He groaned and rolled over. "Do I hafta?"
"Chagh. Yes, come on now! Do ya wanna me ta take ya papes?"
He shot out of bed like a bullet from a Colt Peacemaker .45. Red watched in amusement as he scrambled down the stairs. He'd learned a lot from Jack already. She closed the door behind him, deciding to take a shower that night. She quickly went over to her box, and grabbing a dirty, bloodied cloth, coughed into it.
- - - - - -
At the distribution center, Tyke stood behind her in line. When it was her turn, she slapped down forty cents.
"Eighty for Red!" Weasel yelled to his nephews. Oscar pressed his face to the bars.
"Lookin' ugly taday, Red." Morris snickered. Red laughed.
"Wow, Oscar, you look like you ran into a parked carriage on da bridge. Yer face looks all squished in, like a little pug dog."
She snickered at the fallen looks on the Delancy's faces. Jack full out laughed. It was good to have her back.
- - - - - -
"Extry! Extry! Child saves hundreds from burning building!"
Red smiled. This was her headline. Somehow, she'd landed on the front page for a so-called human-interest story.
It didn't mention her name anywhere, only calling her a 'dauntless newsie'. She was glad of that. It would have drawn much undue attention. Only Jack and Denton knew who it really was, even the rest of the newsies being in the dark.
With such a good headline, she was sold out by two and headed home. The rest of the day went equally well, the evening edition selling like mad for some reason, and by seven she was finished.
The only strange thing that day was a girl she saw on the street. She was obviously a middle-class girl, didn't work much, pretty well off. But for some reason, Red thought that the girl recognized her. And what was even stranger was that Red thought she looked like…well, it didn't matter.
She shrugged away her agitating thoughts and entered the lodging house, the warmth flooding over her like a welcome blanket. She looked around the room and smiled. The usual hubbub was present, but the chair was empty. She quickly occupied it just as Jack came into the room with a mug of coffee. He groaned.
"Red…"
She grinned unrepentantly at him and swung her legs over an arm. He just sighed again and settled down into the next round of poker with Race and Mush.
Tyke walked up to her.
"Liubhaìr, I got a question." Red smiled. Race had turned around so quickly the first time he heard that name that the wind snapped around him.
"Liubhaìr? He calls you Liubhaìr?" he asked, breathless.
"Yeah. What of it?"
He shrugged. "Didn't know both o' ya could speak Irish." His comment sparked a conversation in which Red learned Race was Irish, and that no one else in the house understood or spoke Gaelic. This called for many evenings of the three of them rapidly speaking their native tongue, laughing frequently, while everyone else around them wondered who and what they were speaking about.
She settled back into the chair, looking Tyke in the eyes as he kneeled by the foot. "Shoot, kiddo."
"Well, are màthair and athair in Heaven?"
She contemplated her next words. "Well, maybe. If they had accepted Jesus' gift on the cross." By now some of the room had quieted to listen to them. Red had predetermined to raise the child like she had been raised, no matter what the other newsies thought. She had told them, in no uncertain terms, that "I kick your butt if you mess wit me kid." Plus, Tyke usually had something interesting to say about any subject he brought up.
"Are dey angels? Wit wings an' nightgowns?"
She smiled at his imagination. "Maybe. I think so."
"When I die, will I be an angel?"
Red struck a thinking pose. "I hope so. I want to. I bet yer màthair and athair are enjoying it, if dere angels."
He grinned back and sat with his legs crossed, his back against the base of the chair by her head. "I hope dey're angels. Cuz den they could be dose angels in da sky like da Bible says. Then dey could come visit me!"
She outright laughed. "You mean angels in disguise?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Angels in da sky. Dey'd be watchin' ova me like dey promised."
"Maybe they are, Tyke." Red tousled his hair, a smile beaming a ray of hope from her face.
Red yawned. She was tired. It had been a big day, a front page story and all. She groaned as she hefted herself out of her chair, planning to say goodnight, but the action only got her pushed back into her seat. Kid Blink plopped himself down in front of her. She rolled her eyes and groaned again.
"So after I have as rough a day as you, all you can do is beg a backrub?" Blink tipped his head back, looking into her face upside down, grinning obstinately. She rolled her eyes again and began to rub. "You're pathetic. You all are!" She raised her voice to be heard over the hubbub in the room.
Jack looked up from the poker game, a grin lighting his face. "But that's why you love us. Right?" Red just rolled her eyes again, and continued working on Blink, who had enough knots to tie up the state penitentiary. Blink looked up at her again.
"Ya know, if ya keep rollin' yo' eyes like dat, they gonna fall right outta ya head."
Red smacked the side of his head, then sighed contentedly. Things were normal again.
At least for a while.
The End.
Maybe.
- - - - -
Thanks to all those who reviewed, this one had longer chappys, so its a bit shorter. To PeabodyMack, for me, being a Christian is obeying God with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind. I would be excited to explain this to you. Hmm...I'll unlock my email address tomorrow for a few days, so if you go to my profile page and click on the little blue email words, you can contact me. NewsieGoil, Nick, madm, Garen, elle, SilverConlon, thanks for reading and keeping reviewing (that sounds weird!), and i sincerely appreciate the warm fuzzies. To all readers, thank you, and good night.