Chapter Eleven
The Newsboys Lodging House was in an uproar. Everyone was angry about Jack's betrayal, but it was the only thing they were united about. Now they couldn't decide whether to continue the strike. Skittery yelled, "First Jack bales, and now no one know's where Davy is neither. If the other newsie's see we've lost two of the biggest mouths behind the whole thing, they're gone. We don't have enough to keep striking." Some of the boys shook their heads in agreement.
Racetrack yelled back, "So what? The odds are looking bad, so you wanna give up? We don't need Jack. We don't need Davy. We still gots us!" A larger group yelled in agreement, those nearest slapping Racetrack on the back.
"And who will step up to fill Jack's shoes?" Spot yelled, pulling on his suspender. They quieted to listen, "What you seem to forget is how much Jack held this together. Who will represent us? Who will be the one to step up and take over his role?"
"Someone from the Bronx!"
"I'm not following no one from the Bronx!"
The newsies were in an uproar again, each group trying to have one of their boys be the leader. Blink clenched his fist, seeing the others around him starting to lose it. He stood, pushing to the center of the room where Spot was now shouting in vain.
"Everyone shut your mouths!" Blink shouted, those nearest to him looked at him expectantly, but some of the others continued arguing. Blink pulled off the eye patch. The group began settling down, stunned into silence while looking at the disfigured face in front of them. "When I lost this eye, no one wanted me." Blink voice was raised, sure of himself. "No one, that is, except the newsies. Once you're a newsie, it don't matter where you're from, 'cause you know who you are?" He shouted, "You're a newsie of New York City, God dammit!" A lot of the guys shouted in agreement. "And I'm pissed that Jack spat on that." They were nodding around him, but before things got out of control again, he continued, "But that don't matter now. What matters is that we're still here!" Blink waved his arms around the room, "We started this because we weren't gonna get pushed around. It shouldn't matter that Jack's gone. We gotta finish this for ourselves dammit!"
The newsies seemed to leap up around him, shouting in unison. The newsies clapped him on the back, encouraging him. Blink slipped the eye patch back on, setting it into place as Spot approached him. "How about it?" Spot shouted above the din, "Are you gonna represent us?"
"He's got my vote!" Racetrack shouted, laughing as he rubbed his knuckles into Blink's hair.
"We should find Davy!" Blink shouted to the two of them, "We still don't know if he's out."
A commotion started at the door, Boots was pushing through, shouting for their attention. He ran to Blink and those nearest shushed those around so they could hear Boots. "Blink! Jack and Davy got a message for everyone. They're organizing something for tomorrow!"
"What's goin' on?"
The others quieted as Boots explained, "Jack and Davy are printing their own newspaper! It's gonna ask all the kids in the city to go on strike tomorrow. They need our help to get it around the city."
Spot grinned, "You tellin' me Jackie Boy is back?"
Boots grinned, "He's back."
Blink whooped, raising his fist in the air, "What are we waiting for?"
It was easy for the newsies to forgive Jack. They walked in small groups, as quietly as they could with their excitement, down to one of the basement windows of the printing office, and picked up bundles of the freshly printed article that Denton had written for them. In the early hours of the morning, they scattered around the city. They gave the article to anyone who would take it, including hundreds of the youths who labored in the city.
Blink worked his way around the city, his feet light with purpose. He hadn't slept all night, but it didn't matter. His stack grew lighter by the minute. He looked suddenly as a familiar man stumbled past him, having been pushed out of a bar's doorway. Molly's father stood before Blink, his eyes fierce as he shook his fist at the closing door. He turned, finally seeing Blink before him.
He growled, "You!"
Blink had to step quickly to the right in order to dodge Seamus' fist. Seamus stumbled, hitting the ground hard. Blink put his papers down, approaching the man cautiously. He seemed dazed and didn't rise immediately. Blink stood over him, reaching for his hand to help him up. Seamus knocked his hand away and rolled onto his side, pushing off the ground slowly.
"Molly's been worried about you."
Seamus grunted as he stood, "Don't speak to me about my daughter."
"Someone ought to," Blink tried to remain calm, but Seamus didn't make it easy. "She needs her father, not some drunk."
"What do you know about my family?" he said angrily. People stopped to watch them in the street. "You're just some errand boy reaching above his place."
"I'm not an errand boy." Blink set his mouth, reaching for his papers on the ground. "I'm a newsie."
Seamus laughed, "A newsboy! So you're apart of all those kids running in the streets, shouting 'Union!'"
"I am," Blink said proudly. "You know what's different about me and you?" Seamus narrowed his eyes. "I know what's worth fighting for. I'm not giving up because my life got bad." He raised up the papers and shouted, "I'm fightin' for the kids who ain't got a voice! I'm fightin' for Molly! I'm fightin' for myself!" He gritted his teeth, "Maybe you think I'm not good enough, but that won't make me give up."
Seamus watched him closely, his hands no longer clenched at his sides. Blink tried to catch his breath, "You shouldn't give up either." They stared at each other for a moment longer, and Blink turned away, unable to think of anything else to say. He paused, and walked closer, holding out one of the papers to Seamus, "Here." To his surprise, Seamus took it.
Blink stalked away without another word. For all he knew, Seamus threw the paper in the street. He wasn't worried about that, though, not really. He headed straight to Molly. When he opened the back door, she ran to him and threw her arms around him. He held her tight with his free arm and breathed deeply, realizing that even the smell of her made him feel calm.
She pulled away, examining his face, "You look exhausted! Have you been out all night?"
"Yes, a lot has happened." He explained what had happened with the newsies and Jack, and now the city wide strike they were planning. He showed her the paper and she read it eagerly, her face glowing with excitement.
"Nick, this is wonderful." She breathed deeply after finishing the article.
"I saw your father." He hurried to explain as her face grew concerned, "He was alright. A little drunk, but not as much as you'd think. I gave him the article."
"What did he say?"
"Nothing. I don't know if he read it. He didn't say much at all."
Molly nodded, "He'll come home when he's ready." Blink could tell she was trying to convince herself.
"I know it's a lot to ask of you, but do you think you could make it to the strike?" He played with the cuff of his jacket.
She grinned, "Of course!"
He grinned back. "I gotta get more of these out. I'll come get you as soon as I can." He got up, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he left. "I love you," his cheeks grew hot and he smiled sheepishly.
She smiled as well, whispering, "I love you, too."
Blink and Molly stood side by side with the other newsies. Blink had managed to introduce her to almost everyone, and they were waiting tensely. At that moment, it was only the newsies gathered beneath the statue in front of Pulitzer's printing office. The sun was high above them, as just as their spirits were at their lowest, they heard a low rumble in the distance. The all looked, trying to place the sound. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Look! They're coming!"
They all turned, watching as hundreds of kids flooded the street towards them. They began shouting and cheering. The boys threw their hats in the air, and soon there was barely room to stand as the street filled with protestors. Blink kept his arm around Molly's waist as they shouted up at Pulitzer's balcony. They cheered as Jack was ushered upstairs and continued the battle cry while he was inside.
Molly watched as people gathered to take pictures and men were circling with pads of paper, writing furiously. She shouted eagerly with Blink, the excitement of everyone around them was intoxicating. Her gaze drifted through the crowd and stopped, her breath catching. Her father was staring at her, his back to a brick building on the other side of the street. There was something in face that she hadn't seen in a long time. She thought it may have been pride.
"Blink!" she shouted. He bent his ear towards her, "My father is here!"
He looked immediately, catching sight of the tall man easily. Blink may have imagined it, but he thought Seamus nodded at him. Blink nodded to him before returning his attention the strike. It wasn't long before Jack came out of the building. There was a hush over the crowd. All eyes turned to him as he bent and whispered into the ear of Davy's little brother.
The boy was quickly hoisted onto Jack's shoulders. He raised his arms high and shouted, "We won!" The crowd erupted, jumping and shouting with joy. Blink and the other newsies embraced roughly, shouting their congratulations. Blink turned to Molly, embracing her. He was so happy, he didn't think twice before kissing her deeply in front of everybody. The newsies near him whooped and whistled, slapping him on the back.