A Crazy Surprise
Saturday morning finally arrived. Trouble and al the Newsies made their way to the Distribution office. Trouble paid seventy-five cents for her a hundred and fifty papes, she would spend about thirty cents a day on food to feed her self and her puppy, and then she would pay her five cents to the Lodging house leaving her with about forty cents a day to add to her sock bank. Trouble, Mush, and Penny quickly headed out to the park to do their selling. A lot of people went to Central Park on Saturdays. Trouble was doing really well selling that morning. So many people had stopped to pet the cute little puppy at her side. By Lunch time Trouble only had fifty papes to sell. Trouble, Mush,, and Penny all made their way to Tibby's for Lunch. She ordered her usual chicken sandwhich with a second one on the side. She cut up the bread, cheese, and chicken for her puppy to eat, leaving out the lettuce. The people at that worked at Tibby's would always bring scraps of food that costumers didn't finish for the puppy to eat as well. After they finished eating they al headed out to finish selling their papes. They went back to the park to finish selling. They finished around four. They stayed in the park for another hour or so playing with the puppy and then they headed home for the night. About an hour passed when they arrived at the Lodging House.
"Hello Trouble, Hello Mush"
"Hey Kloppman" They both answered together putting their five cents into the jar.
"A Trouble you have a visitor"
"A visitor, who?"
"Me you scabber who else" Trouble turned towards the stair case and there Crazy stood with a huge smile on her face.
"Crazy" Trouble squealed running up and hugging the other girl "What are you doin here, you came all by your self from Brooklyn? I am so happy to see you, I missed you"
Crazy laughed at Trouble's excitement "Well Spot came with me he's upstairs playin some cards with the boys, and I am here to see you stupid" Crazy said smiling. They hugged one more time before going upstairs. Trouble called Penny and the little puppy hopped up the stairs behind her.
"OOO It's sooo cute!!! Is it yours what's it's name" Crazy said bending down and picking up the Puppy. Penny started liking Crazy's face all over and wiggled her little body in Crazy's arms.
"Yes she is mine her name is Penny. I don't know what kind of dog she is but she is really pretty. Look at her eyes they look like she has eye liner on or almost like the Egyptian eyes, and she has like a weird line going down her back. I have never seen a dog her color before, she's copper so that's why I named her Penny"
"We had dogs that looked exactly like her in New Orleans. They came from Africa and were brought over here by slave ships. They are called Rhodesian Ridge backs. In Africa they are used to heard away lions from the live stock. Black folks down south that have life stock use these dogs to heard or even to hunt big animals like deer or bears. My daddy had two of em. He would go huntin for deer and wild pig all the time. Im a hundred percent shore that Penny heah is a Rhodesian Ridgeback."
"Well how do you know for shore?" Trouble asked wanting evidence.
"Well you see that line on her back there, that there is her ridge and only one kind of dog has a ridge and that is The Rhodesian Ridgeback."
"Do you hear that Penny, You're a Rhodesian ridgeback, you're a lion hunter" Trouble held the dog up in the air and looked at the squirming puppy. "Well right now your to small to go hunting lions" Trouble said laughing.
"Yeah well give that dog six months and she won't be so little any more. She is gonna be big, look at her paws. She'll be about ninety pounds and when she stands on her back legs she will probably be taller then you" Crazy said.
"That's what Mush said, c'mon lets go up stairs" Trouble then lead Crazy up to the bunk room. She spotted Spot plying cards with Jack, Race, and Blink. Trouble put the excited puppy down on the Bunk room floor and she ran off to go greet the other boys. Trouble then went over to Spot.
"Hey Spot" Spot looked up at Trouble and gave one of his famous smiles
"How's it rollin Trouble, you'se been stayin outa trouble and bein good like I told you'se"
Race and Jack snickered. "Tellin Trouble ta stay outa trouble is like tellin a fish not ts swim" Race told Spot. "Just look at her shina and that should answer your question" Jack said
"If you'se gonna keep gettin into trouble you'se gonna have ta loin how ta fight Trouble cause one day you'se not gonna have no one ta help you or no where's ta run."
"Well it's not like I can just teach myself Spot"
"Well I'ma teach ya, you come down ta Brooklyn spend da week dere and I'll show ya's how ta fight, I mean if it is ok wit Jack"
"Yeah you'se can teach ha"
"Alright so Trouble tomorrow you'se comin back wit Crazy and me"
"YAY!!!! Trouble's comin to Brooklyn!" Crazy screamed jumping on top of Trouble. Trouble smiled and Spot smiled and shook his head before turning back to his cards. The next day was Sunday so the Newsies could stay awake as long as they wanted. At around mid night everyone started to wind down and by one every one was asleep. Crazy slept wit Trouble and Penny and Spot had his own bunk that was especially reserved for him.
The next Morning Trouble and Crazy woke up to Penny pouncing on them and licking their faces. It was only about seven thirty in the morning. Everyone else was fast asleep. Trouble, Crazy, and Penny quietly got dressed and left the Lodging house and were on the streets by eight. They met some nuns who gave the girls some bread and milk. They went and sat down by the Horace Greeley statue and talked and played with the puppy.
"So whats with you an Mush you like him or something" Crazy asked Trouble
"Of course I like him, he is my friend"
"Not that kind of like, I mean are you interested"
"I don't understand" Trouble said confused
"Do you want ta be with the guy, like boyfriend and girlfriend, do you love him?"
Trouble thought about what Crazy was asking and then looked at her; "I don't know if I love him, I don't know what love feels like Crazy."
Crazy looked at Trouble and smiled sadly at the girl. "Well there are different kinds of love. Love that you feel for your family and love you have for your friends, but then there is the third kind of love which is the strongest kind of love there is. It's when you find one person that is your whole world. That you can't live with out and when your not with them you can't stop thinking about them. You ache for the person and you feel it all the way down in your belly, a fire, passion and a wanting for that other person. Do you feel it in your belly, when you're around him or even when you're away"
"How do you know so much about love Crazy"
"Well I had a family, and I have friends" Crazy said nudging Trouble in the side with her elbow and smiling.
"But how do you know about when you fall in love and how it feels?"
Crazy looked down at her shoes and the smile disappeared from her face. "Well … I uh, I kinda love someone"
"Who" Trouble asked putting a hand on Crazy's shoulder
"I am in love with Spot. I have been since they day I met him"
"Why don't you tell him?"
"Even if I did we could never be together, I am black and he is white. Society doesn't allow that thing, and trust me I am Creole I have Black, White, and French in me. Society doesn't allow such things to happen and when they do, life is hard, real hard. And I don't want ta put him through that, I love him to much"
"Crazy, Spots life is gonna be hard with or with out you. You deserve to be happy. And plus Spot is the toughest guy I know and probably the toughest guy in all of New York, he can handle it."
"Well I don't know if he even likes me back, let alone love me."
"The day that you got beat up from those two bums. I saw fear in his eyes. We are talking about the great and fearless Spot Conlon here. He was afraid, because he cared about you, and that carin you can't have unless you love someone."
"Kinda like when Mush took care of you when you were drunk" Crazy said smiling down at Trouble. Trouble thought about the statement that Crazy had just made and then looked up to meet her eyes.
"Yeah. . . Like that."
Trouble and Crazy continued to talk for about another hour. At around ten Spot, Jack, Blink, Race, and Mush all had joined the girls. They all just hung around the statue for a while trying to figure out what to do.
"You know what I haven't done in a while dat would be fun, I haven't seen one a Medda's shows. I would like ta go see one a dem" Spot said to the other boys.
"Yeah." Blink replied "We should go."
"Yeah well she doesn't perform on Sunday stupid" Race said annoyed at Blink.
"Well dat don't mean we can't go see ha" Jack said "C'mon"
So all seven of them got up and started walking to Irvington Hall. Crazy held Penny in her arms. When they arrived Jack led them to the side of the building and into a side door. He led them through the dark corridors. A faint singing could be heard and as they walked on ward the singing grew louder. Pretty soon Jack led them through a door and down a flight of stairs. They had come down to the side of the back stage area. Jack walked up to a singing Medda. When she heard some one approaching she stopped singing her song on stage and turned around. When she saw Jack and the others a huge smile came across her face.
"Kelly" she said giving him a big hug. He then took her hand and kissed it. "What are you doin here" she asked with a huge smile still on her face.
"Well we'se wanted ta see ya and Spot is heah for da day and he really wanted ta see ya"
"Spot! Oh Spot, how ya been kid" Medda said pressing Spot to her breast. Crazy rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly in disgust.
"I am alright Medda and you'se is lookin more beautiful then the last time I'se seen ya" Spot flattered the middle aged woman. Medda then greeted all the other news boys. After they talked for a while she noticed Trouble and Crazy standing a couple of feet to the side of everyone else.
"Trouble dear how you are!" Medda said excitedly gliding over to the girl and embracing her.
"How da you'se know Trouble" Jack asked confused.
"Oh Race, Mush, and Blink brought me over here ta meet her a coupla weeks ago" Trouble said.
"Yeah and Trouble played the piano for us, didn't cha" Blink said nudging Trouble in the arm.
"You play piano" Crazy asked amazed.
"A little" Trouble said modestly
"She is an exceptional pianist, really amazing. She blew me away" Medda told Jack and the others dramatically.
"Since when da you'se play the piano" Jack asked Trouble surprised.
"Well when I was in the orphanage the made me start taking lessons when I was four. I really loved it, about the only thing I loved, but I continued lessons until I was almost eleven. Then I ran away, but then when I was about thirteen I ended up in Boston. Long story short I would play and sing in this Irish guy Charlie's pub a couple a times a week and he would give me food on the house."
"You sing too!" Crazy asked amazed "This I gotta see" Crazy handed Penny to Race and dragged Trouble to the piano. "Ok sit" Crazy commanded and Trouble obeyed.
Trouble put her hands on the piano, took a deep breathe and looked at her audience.
"Well go ahead" Spot said impatiently at Trouble.
She looked down at the keys and then started to play the intro to her favorite song to sing. Then it began.
The water is wide I cannot get ore
And neither have I wings to fly
Give me a boat that will carry two
And both shall row my love and I
A ship they raised and she sails the seas
She's loaded deep as deep can be
But not so deep as the love I'm in
I know not if I sink or swim.
Trouble then played a beautiful melodic and flowing piano solo and then began to sing again.
Where love is planted and there it grows
It grows and blossoms like a rose
It bears a sweet and pleasant smell
No flower on earth can it excel
I leaned my back against an oak
Thinking it was a trusty tree
But first it bent and then it broke
So did my love prove false to me
Trouble played a second solo which was equally as beautiful but this time it was sad.
Must I go bound while you go free
Must I love a man who doesn't love me
Must I be born with so little art
As to love a man who'll break my heart
Oh Love is handsome and love is kind
And Loves a jewel when first is new
But love grows old and waxeth cold
And fades away like Morning dew
When Trouble ended the song she remained looking down at her fingers afraid to look up. She heard her small audience start to clap and cheer. Crazy ran up to her and gave her a big hug.
"That was amazing" She exclaimed squeezing Trouble.
Trouble then looked up and as she did she got caught in Mush's gaze. It made her cheeks feel hot and down in the pit of her belly as well. Was this the feeling that Crazy was describing? Was this love? Did she love Mush? Her gazing into Mush's eyes was soon interrupted when Medda started to speak.
"You are so talented Trouble. I think the next time I throw a show for the Newsies you will perform. In fact I insist on it." Medda said smiling.
"Oh no Medda I couldn't"
"Sure you can, and I won't take no for an answer."
"You'se really good Trouble ya know dat, and it is hard to empress the King a Brooklyn, and you'se impressed me"
"Thank you Spot I guess I'll take that as a complement." Trouble said smiling.
"Hey Trouble play that song that you played for us the first time" Mush said
"Yeah Trouble come on dat blew us away it was amazing" Blink added
"Encore" Crazy screamed
"C'mon Trouble play for us one more time" Race pleaded.
Trouble rolled her eye's and positioned herself back at the piano and started to play Cannon in D, and like last time she added her own improvisations into it which made the song even more breathe takingly beautiful.
"Look at her hands, they is so graceful" Mush said to the other Newsies. He hit Blink on the arm and walked behind Trouble so he could watch her hands as she played and he listened. He thought that her playing was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his whole life. The rest of the Newsies followed after Mush and all stood behind her and watched her in amazement. Trouble started to feel confident and so she decided to show off a bit. She started to play a new round and this time her fingers moved quickly and gracefully up the piano in a run. She did a whole round of Cannon in runs up the piano and this amazed her audience. When she finished she quickly turned around and all her friends looked at her in amazement.
"How did you do you do that" Crazy asked with wide eyes.
"That was beautiful dear" Medda said.
"You'se is amazin Trouble, for real you is like Mozart or somthin" Race said
"Thanks Race but I'm no Mozart"
"C'mon guys who's hungry" Jack said patting his belly. "Lets go ta Tibby's"
The seven Newsies all said their good bye's to Medda and left for Tibby's. Race put Penny down on the side walk and the little dog followed at Trouble's side. Mush stood right next to Trouble as they walked down the street. They walked a little behind everyone else. Mush took this opportunity to talk to Trouble.
"Trouble you know you'se is a really amazing goil. You is like a walkin contradiction ya know. You'se is real tough from livin on the streets and stuff and yet you'se is delicate and graceful. You'se dress and act like a boy and some how you is the most beautiful goil I have eva seen. You is just really an amazin goil that's all I'm tryin ta say" Mush kicked a rock and then looked at his feet.
"Thank you Mush, that's the nicest thing any one has ever said ta me" Trouble said looking touched at Mush's compliment. She laced her hand into his and looked at him and smiled. He looked back up at her shocked and then smiled back at her. They arrived at Tibby's at around one and they all ordered and ate their food. About an hour passed and Spot came over to Trouble.
"You'se ready ta go Trouble. We'se gotta head back ta Brooklyn."
Trouble looked at Spot " Yeah Spot I'm ready I'm a just say bye ta the fella's and then we'se can leave" Trouble gave Blink, Race, Jack and the rest of the guys big hugs and said good bye. Lastly she walked up to Mush and stood in front of him.
"I'ma miss ya Mush" She said kind of sad.
"I'ma miss you to Trouble but don't worry I'll go up ta Brooklyn on Saturday afta I'm done sellin and I'll stay till Sunday and I'll walk you'se home"
"Promise" Trouble said giving Mush her puppy dog eyes
"Promise" he said chuckling
Trouble then smiled at Mush her famous mischievous smile and hugged him tightly. She then scooped Penny up in her arms and turned around to leave. She walked a couple of steps towards the door but quickly turned around to face Mush. She ran back up to him and quickly kissed his check. She then looked up at him smiled mischievously and turned around and ran out the door. Mush touched his check where Trouble had left the kiss and a involuntary smile broke out on his face. The other Newsies all saw Mush get kissed and a chorus of "OOO'S" and "wohoo's" and "you go Mush's" rang out through out the restaurant Mush was not at all embarrassed, he sat down with his hand still on his check. A sheepish grin soon crept up on to his face as Race, Jack, and Blink all started to terrorize him about Trouble and the kiss.
"So when's da weddin" Race joked
"I betta be da best man" Blink said threateningly and then smiled.
"So do you'se like her Mush" Jack asked with a smile on his face but seriously at the same time.
"I think I love her Jack" Mush said looking a little sick and scarred.
"Well then you'se gotta tell her, before it's too late" Jack said
"Well what if she doesn't like me" Mush asked
"Are you'se stupid! She just kissed ya in front of da entiya restaurant and all da Manhattan Newsies and you'se not sure if she likes ya. You'se an idiot Mush" Race slapped Mush upside the head and shook his own head. After Tibby's Mush took a walk through Central park alone. He came to the bench were he found Trouble and sat down. He sat down and just thought about Trouble, and the more he thought about her the more he realized that he loved her and that he has never loved anyone the way he loves her and probably never will.
Trouble, Spot, and Crazy made their way through the busy streets of Manhattan and walked towards Brooklyn.
"I saw that" Crazy said smiling at Trouble
"Saw what" Trouble played dumb
"Don't pretend ta be stupid" Crazy said smiling at Trouble "So what was that all about you care to tell me" Crazy asked Trouble.
"I just wanted to see how it felt and how I felt and how he felt" Trouble said looking down at her feet "I don't know why I did it, It just kind a happened.
"So how did it feel"
"Great" Trouble sighed "But I think I freaked Mush out. After the look on his face I don't know if he likes me like you said he does, he looked horrified after I kissed him. I guess we just have to see what happens. I mean I made the first move. Now the ball is in his quart and I guess I have to wait and see what happens, wait for him ta move or not move." Trouble said shrugging her shoulders. She bent down and put Penny on the ground and the little dog followed at her side.
"C'mon you two hurry up. At this rate it will take us a year before we reach Brooklyn." Spot yelled at the two girls that were about five yard behind him. Trouble and Crazy looked at each other smiled and rolled their eyes. Trouble scooped Penny back up into her arms and she and Crazy ran up to where Spot was. They reached the lodging house at about four. Trouble put Penny on the ground and she started to slip and slid as she excitedly ran around the bunk room. The Brooklyn Newsies all instantly fell in love with this little puppy. Trouble thought that it was funny to see these big bad Brooklyn boys go soft at the sight of her dog. The day ended quickly and soon Spot announced lights out. Spot had his own room that he didn't share with any one else. There also wasn't a care taker of the Lodging house, just Spot. Trouble slept in the bed that was reserved for Jack and Penny curled up at her side. After about an hour of waiting for sleep to come Trouble got out of bed and grabbed the blanket from her bed. She wrapped it around her and lied down on the floor. She curled up into a little ball and within minutes she fell asleep.