The next morning, Lucks awoke, smiling to the sound of girls groaning, not wanting to get up.
She stood up, fully clothed. She must have snuck in through the window and fallen asleep on the spot.
She made her way into the washroom, only to be followed by many sets of eyes.
As Lucks reached the sink, Cat elbowed Curly who looked up, snorted, and was the first one to speak. "So, did ya fun last night, Lucks?"
Lucks shrugged. "Same as every Saturday, why?"
A few girls sniggered. Bow and Fidget covered each other's mouth to stifle some giggles.
Lucks furrowed her brow. "What's so funny?" No reply. "What's going on? Do I have something on my face?"
"Try your neck." Giggles came up behind Lucks, put the mirror in front of her face, and moved her collar just enough to see...
Lucks blushed scarlet and buried her face in her hands.
Resting softly on her neck a fresh hickey. Lucks never felt so embarrassed around her friends.
Meanwhile, in the Boy's Lodging House, Racetrack walked into the washroom. His friends were not so quiet.
"Wooo! Racey-boy!" Jack laughed, buttoning his pants.
"So, how far'dya get?" Blink quivered his eyebrows.
"What are you guys talkin' about?" Race raised an eyebrow.
Specs and Snitch grabbed Race and spun him around to face a mirror. "That's what we're talkin' about." Dutchy sniggered behind them.
"Dat's huge!" Race laughed, seeing the fresh hickey plastered to his neck.
The washroom burst into fits of hysterics and wolf whistles.
"Stupid Race... he might as well have written 'sex machine' across my forehead." Lucks pouted, searching through Giggles' drawer for cover-up that matched her skin. None would...Giggles was too pale.
"Ya didn't do anythin' dat bad, didya?" Cat asked.
"Well, no, but it'll come across dat way ta odduh people, Cat!" Lucks whined.
"Heah." Flashbox tied a red bandana around Lucks' neck. "Dere, now ya can't even see it." She smiled.
Lucks wrapped her arms around Flash. "Thank you, so so so so so so so so so..."
"Lucks! I get da point. No problem." Flash laughed.
Later that day, Race was to be seen at the tracks, as usual, cheering on a hot tip he'd gotten the night before.
Lucks was at the tracks, too. It was another one of those rare occasions when she'd sell there instead of around the docks of Sheepshead Bay. She was selling the morning issue of the New York Sun. Another one of Bryan Denton's "children of New York" articles was on the front page...this time it was something about stable boys.
"Cash Cow in California Gold Mine! Big controversy!" Lucks belted out her own version of the headline, 'Lost Investor found in a California Mine', over the noise of the cheering crowd. A penny flew through the air and she skillfully caught it, throwing up a newspaper to one of the many men in the stands. "Thank you, sir... Thurs-"
"Lucks! Hey! Lucks!"
Lucks looked around. She couldn't miss that gorgeous, accented voice if her life depended on it. "Race?" She called out.
Then a loud, long whistle and an "Ovah heah!"
Lucks turned to her right and grinned. "Race!" She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his thin figure.
"Hey! Whadd'ya doin' heah? What's wit dis?" Race tugged on the red bandana around Lucks' neck.
Lucks' hand flew to it. She'd completely forgotten about it. She shot Race an annoyed look. "It's ta covah dis." She replied bluntly, moving the bandana ever so slightly and revealing the hickey that the girls now referred to as 'da Monstah'.
Race laughed and moved his own shirt collar to show her his matching hickey.
Lucks swallowed hard, blushed, and buried her face in her hands.
"What can I say, Lucks? You'se a tigah." He chuckled.
Lucks chucked the three papers she had left at him and hit him on the chest.
He just laughed.
Lucks mocked glared.
"And Benny's in the lead... they're rounding the last corner..." The announcer's voice boomed over the crowd.
Race's eyes got wide and he turned back to the tracks. He then began cheering random things along with the rest of the crowd.
"Aaaaaaand the winner is Benny by a long shot!"
Racetrack's face lit up. "Yeah!" Woohoo! Yes!" He hollered. He turned, grabbed a hold of Lucks' face, and kissed her.
Lucks' legs nearly gave way from underneath her and she collapsed into him as he kissed her.
He gave her a huge hug. He cheered and squeezed her, and then her gave her a dozen kisses all over her face.
Lucks couldn't help but smile and be happy for him. This was a great moment for the man she loved so much.
"Yes!' He grinned and hugged her so hard that her feet lifted off the ground. And then he looked her face with that glint in his eye. He leaned his head towards hers and caressed her lips with his own. Then, pulling her even closer, if possible, he deepened the kiss.
Lucks melted. She felt like her legs were made of gelatin and her heart was a bomb ready to burst with happiness inside her. She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself upright, stroking the silky hair on the back of his head.
Race opened his mouth and licked his lips before kissing her again. He cradled her head in his hands, and he could feel her steady breathing so close to his body.
Lucks moved one of her hands to the collar of his shirt, then to his buttons. That's when she noticed he had already unbuttoned his shirt half-way as he usually did on hot summer days. Resting her hand on the bare skin of his chest, she smiled and inwardly noted to thank God for summer later.
A chill rushed down Race's spine and he licked his lips again. His tongue accidently brushed against Lucks' lips. He felt her open her mouth to take a breath, and he felt as though he was torn between standing there, nervous, or kissing her passionately. Luckily, she made the decision for him.
Lucks pulled away and looked around at the slowly departing crowd of people around them. One person wolf whistled in their direction. Lucks blushed and beamed up at Race.
"What?" He asked, though he too was grinning from ear to ear.
"Congratulations!"
Race's expression grew wider, if possible. "I'm takin' ya out! I'm takin' everyone out." He announced, excited.
Lucks laughed an ran a hand through her own hair. "Well, go get da money den!"
Race nodded, let go out her, caught her again, kissed her one more time, and then finally ran to go retrieve his winnings.
Lucks sat down, grinning. She licked her lips and brushed her fingers against them.
The taste was salty, like sea water, but also smoky, that is, if you could taste smoke. Lucks imaged it was his afternoon cigar.
She smiled softly and gazed into the track, one hand resting on her leg, the other caressing her lips.
About a half-hour later, Lucks waltzed into the Girls' Lodging House, humming with a soft smile on her face.
"Someone's happy," Giggles stated, smiling and pulling up her 'non-work' clothes.
"T'anks fa dat, Captain Obvious," Cat rolled her eyes and snapped one of her brown suspenders over her shoulder.
"So, tell us, Lucks. What's wit da hummin'?" Flashbox asked, leaning against one of the bunks and crossing her arms across her chest.
"Ya got yaself anuddah hickey?" Bow asked, grinning. Flash smirked.
Lucks stopped dead and glared in their direction. "No."
"Den what's wit da happy face?" Curly asked, sticking her brown caddy hat on her head.
"Race won! Well, actually, Benny won... but Race got da money and..." Lucks rambled. Giggles seemed to be the only one interested, so Lucks went over to her. "Oh, Giggles, I ain't nevah seen him so happy about a hoahse! He was so cute!" Lucks swooned. "An' he wants ta take us all out."
Giggles well...giggled. Fidget smiled and Bow grinned, both of them joining the happiness.
Curly, Flashbox, and Cat tried to look as if they couldn't care less. Curly scratched her arm and walked into the washroom. Flash gave an almost unnoticeable half-smile, and Cat yawned.
"When does he want ta meet us?" Fidget inquired, encouraging Lucks' excitement.
"An' where?" Bow scooted closer to the trunk at the foot of Giggles' bed.
Lucks, grinning, looked at the clock on the wall. "Well, it's 5:16 right now, so we'll hafta be at Tibby's in about an owah."
"Oh my goodness! Dat means we'll hafta staht gettin' you ready right now!" Giggles exclaimed and pulled Lucks into the washroom.
"Ain't I ready right now?"
"No!"Giggles called Bow and Fidget over to her and the three of them stripped Lucks of all her clothes and threw her into the tub, scrubbing every last piece of dirt off of her.
When that was finished, the other girls finally got involved. Cat put Lucks' blonde hair up into a beautiful butterfly pin that she'd found outside an old burnt down home. (All though she didn't tell the other girls, she figured the burt remains were once a whorehouse near Midtown.)
Flash, after digging through her entire trunk, found an old dress that once belonged to her late mother and no longer fit her. It happened to fit Lucks perfectly, seeing as she was shorter...except for one tiny detail that wasn't quite right.
"I can't breathe! Am I supposed to suffocate to death?" Lucks argued as Bow, Fidget, and Giggles attempted to shrink her bosom so it would fit into the dress.
"It's not my fault ya chest's da size 'a' Pulitzah's ego!" Flash protested.
"An' it's not my fault that yoah's is da size 'a' Weasel's brain." Lucks snapped back.
"Will you two shut-up?" Cat screamed as she pulled the zipper up. It worked, it actually worked for a few moments until... rip.
"My dress!" Flash exclaimed, running her hand down the rip.
"I'll fix it," Curly sighed, grabbing her pin cushion and some string. Within minutes, the dress was back to almost new, and Lucks could breath freely.
Against much protest and swearing from Lucks, Giggles had sat her down and put make-up on her. Not just blush, but eye shadow, eye liner, the works, and by an hour later Lucks looked like she'd just come off the vaudeville stage.
Curly, Flash, Cat, Giggles, Fidget, and Bow, who had managed talking hem all into letting her go, walked into Tibby's. The boys were laughing and throwing things around. Cat stood on one of the table. "Hey! Listen up!" Everyone was quiet and looked at her. Blink wolf whistled and he shot him a look that was half loving and half annoyed.
"All right. May we present to you, the new and improved, Lucks."
Lucks walked in, blushing. She hated how everyone was staring at her. Many of the boys took off their hats. Some whispered, some whistled. Race stepped out of the crowd.
"Hello goigeous." He grinned and Lucks shot him a look. "Sorry, boys, I gots her all to myself." He gave a her a small kiss and led her over to the table.
In the next two hours, Lucks had gone into the bathroom and traded clothes with Giggles to be comfortable. Giggles, actually found Lucks dress comfortable...Lucks believed Giggles needed to be committed to the local Loony Bin, but that's besides the point.
Racetrack Higgins, a short Italian man, was sitting next to Lucks, drunk out of his wits. Then, since Lucks was no longer paying attention to him, he stood up on the table and began to sing. "Come back my lovey dovey baby, I boo-hoo-hoo fa you. I used ta be yoah doosty-moosty, den you said doodely-doo."
Lucks, embarrassed, hit him in the leg. "Race, get down from dere, you might pass out and den I'll end up laughin' and not helpin' ya up."
Race giggled and sat next to her again. "I miss da hanky-panky..."
"Each nighty-night 'till t'ree!" Jack, obviously also drunk, chipped in.
"Come back my lovey-dovey-" Blink pitched in.
"I think it's time to leave now." Cat nodded and pulled Blink's arm over her shoulder.
The other girls and sober boys nodded in agreement and helped the other out of Tibby's.
Lucks took the money out of Race's pocket and handed the proper amount to the owner. "T'anks." She smiled before swinging Race's arm over her shoulder and helping him out of Tibby's. She almost fell over under his weight.
"Sing wit me Lucks." He breathed.
She shriveled her nose at the smell of alcohol on his breath and pushed his head away. "Whaddya want me ta sing?"
Race smiled and loudly, picking himself up off her a little, began to sing. "HIGH TIMES, HARD TIMES, SOMETIMES THE LIVING IS SWEET..."
Lucks smiled. They were now ahead of the crowd of Newsies. "And sometimes there's nothing to eat. But I always lands on my feet." She pitched in.
Race then grabbed her around the waist and began to skip. Lucks laughed. They continued to sing. "SO WHEN THERE'S DRY TIMES, I WAIT FOR HIGH TIMES AND THEN...I PUT ON MY BEST AND I STICK OUT MY CHEST AND I'M OFF TO THE RACES AGAAAAAAIN!"
After singing the same verse over and over again, they finally reached the lodging house. Lucks was bent over with a stitch in her side from laughing so hard. Race leaned against the railing of the lodging house, laughing too.
"Well, 'night Lucks." He leaned down to kiss her.
Lucks turned her head so he missed and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Race. I'll see ya tamarrah. An' I want ya ta know dat I hope ya have a HUGE hangovah tamarrah, ya drunk bastahd."
"Woids hurt, Lucks." Race stumbled with his own 'woids'.
"I know, but it's okay ta say 'em, Race, cuz ya ain't gonna remembah dat I said dem in da mornin'!" Lucks patted him on the cheek. "Now get a bed ya goon." She smiled and waited for him to go inside and the other girls to catch up before she would walk back with them all to the Lodging House for another good nights sleep.
