Chapter Fourteen
Author's Note: And now, chapter fourteen. Two chapters in one day! I love doing that. Now, anyway, things might get interesting here. If you don't know, you didn't see the last of that family. *hint, hint*. And you also will connect a little bit with their father. So here we go, because I'm running out of things to say. Onto the last and final chapter!
It was two days later. I was allowed out of the hospital. Blink demanded, well, he demanded to the doctors, to let Crutchy out now, that he would survive at home. The doctors finally agreed. On the walk home, Crutchy was hobbling next to us. He could move, just slowly. I knew how he felt. I was walking much better now. Roller kept poking me as we walked home and laughing every time I jumped. I was a jumpy type, always had been. When I got fed up with him, I moved next to Crutchy.
"Youse okay?" I asked him.
"Bettah den last time I walked dese streets." he replied, smiling at me. "Sos youse."
"Yeah, dat's right, I guess. It ain't nothin', though. Jus' ...I ain't got nothin' ta complain 'bout right now 'cause I can walk and I can walk next ta youse an' still feel short. Dat's a good ting."
"Be quiet. I ain't tall for nothin'." he replied, and grabbed my cap just to prove it. I jumped up and down trying to grab it from him, but he was holding it way above my head.
As I proceeded in every way I could think of to try to get my cap back, we finally reached the lodging house. Crutchy gave my hat back to me and he laughed harder as I put it on my head only to find that a piece of cement had been put in it. A small one, but it still slightly hurt.
"Now how did ya do dat?" I asked him. He just shrugged and smiled.
We walked in to find the newsies all doing something. It was the evening, and they were back from dinner. When we walked in, I knew they were there for another reason. They had stayed for us. Crutchy and I both got slapped on the back several times, even hugged, and Maple, who hadn't come along, kissed me on the cheek in a sisterly way. I knew she was just playing, but there were still plenty of teasing comments after that which Maple just smiled at and shrugged at me.
There was food that Kloppman had set out for us, and I've never welcomed a simple plate of bread, butter, vegetables, and chicken so much. We ate and talked and laughed. I fell asleep that night, comfortable and happy.
The next morning, Crutchy and I went selling one last time together. We stood there, yelling at the top of our lungs, at the corner of Central Park. And then, a boy stopped and stared. It was Jerry, the youngest Downing. The others were close behind. They, too, stopped and stared. I knew it was most likely because of Crutchy's bruises and my being without a crutch. The oldest boy, Tom, was staring with his jaw open.
"What ya starin' at, Tom?!" I said loud enough for him to hear.
"How? When? What?" he said. They approached us.
"You can walk?" asked the youngest girl.
"Yeah, heck I can. It's called surgery." I replied. I saw Crutchy grin out of the corner of my eye.
"Children, what are you-oh." said a man who was their father. I recognized him from the courtroom. "Well, hello again. Even though I haven't said anything to the either of you. Surgery, eh? Good old doctors know how to do that, don't they? I'll take a paper, please."
Crutchy handed him one, and he gave each of us a nickel. Crutchy stared at me, and I at the man.
"Sir, ya don't hafta be so generous." Crutchy said.
"No, you deserve it. That wife of mine sometimes thinks that she's the ruler of this world and I don't like it at all. You just beat her, somehow, in court. You need the money anyway. I know all about that sort of thing, I had to live like that too." he said.
"Well, tanks. I didn't know youse were a newsie." I replied.
"Was, not too long ago, I'm afraid. I got the civil war headlines. Big ones then. But I didn't trust the headlines. They don't sell papes, newsies sell papes. Motto of everyone, and of me. You two are pretty good at it."
"Dose headlines were good, or so Is hear." said Crutchy.
"Yes sir, the civil war was a good one for us newsies. Now you just take those quarters. I think I'll start going to this corner, it's better than the last one I was at. Not quite as interesting. At any rate, you two, be careful and I trust you to not get into any more scandels with me wife, she isn't going to be so nice next time. Good bye!" he said, and the family left. Crutchy had a grin that lit up the whole area, I swore.
"Man, dat was nice. Da nicest ting I seen evah, in ages! It be insane what some tings can do ta ya. Dat was different." he said. I nodded.
We continued to sell papes till about 2:00, and then we went to newsies square. Crutchy and I talked the whole way.
"I'm gonna miss ya." he told me as we approached the square.
"Yeah, so am I. Bu' I can visit whenevah I wants now, 'cause I'll get somewhere faster."
"Jus' stay in touch wid me. I ain't gonna get ta visit youse much. But dat's okay, if youse can do it."
"Yeah." I replied. We came upon Blink, Maple, Roller, and Checkers.
"Well, dat was interestin'. Next time, youse bettah not bring us dat much trouble." said Blink, cracking a grin.
"I promise youse, we ain't gonna." said Checkers in reply.
"Good. I'll see ya around, Maple, Roller, Checkers, an' Micky. I gotta go." said Blink and ran off. Crutchy turned to face me.
"Manhattan's gonna be heah. An' so will I, so visit when ya want." he said.
"So's da Bronx."
Author's Note: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that is the end. Thank you for reading, and I am thinking of writing a sequel soon, so await that, because it might happen. Thank you, and please, please, please review!