"I'll see you guys later!" Jack jogged back past us, heading to the Lodging House. I looked into my bag and counted 4 papers left. "He's done already?" I turned to Crutchie who was helping me out with the last of my papes. "Ya, like I told ya, Jack's the best Newsie." I nodded and continued, determined to sell the rest of my papers before it got to dark.
"So yous said yer name was Ryan?" Crutchie asked handing off his last pape in exchange for a coin. "Ya," I answered doing the same with my last paper.
"Well if you're gonna be a Newsie you're gonna need a Newsie name too!" he said.
"Like a nickname?" I asked, knowing that Specs, and Crutchie definitely couldn't be their real names.
"Ya like some of the guys call Jack 'Cowboy' cause he wants ta go ta Santa Fe when 'e's done 'ere. I'm obviously 'Crutchie' and I'm sure you heard some of the other guys names." I nodded remembering hearing the names "Romeo, Mush, Race, and Finch" when I was standing in the line this morning.
"So lets see.." Crutchie said rubbing his chin. He looked me up and down and once he got to my eyes, he paused. I tensed up hoping he didn't suspect anything, but when our eyes locked my nerves vanished. His serene hazel-green eyes were so welcoming and cordial. He smiled and snapped his fingers, "I got it! Your eyes are like, super blue...We'll call you...Little B! You know like 'Little Blue!" I smiled. "I like it!" I high-fived his left hand and we headed towards the Lodging House since my apartment was down that way too.
I told Crutchie that I'd see him tomorrow and jogged to the alley with my dress hiding in one of the cleaner cardboard boxes I found, and quickly changed. I looked in the cracked mirror, adjusted my long blonde hair and tried to wipe the grime off my face. I took the flannel shirt, pants, and the grey hat and stuffed them into the bottom of a box and placed another box over it. Hopefully no one will find the clothes. I arrived home, fixed supper and nothing seemed unusual between my mother and I. She asked me about work and I just made up a story of how Old Man John showed me the whole recipe book and how we almost ran out of scones throughout the day. We went to sleep and I knew I would just repeat this cycle until my mother was on her feet again.
At the Lodging House
Race, Specs, Albert and Jack sat around the circular table in the Lodging House as Race stuck his cigar in his mouth and began to deal the deck of cards he bought the other day when Crutchie broke through the door and exclaimed, "I got da newbie a name Jack!" and most of the boys in the room turned their heads and recalled seeing an unfamiliar newsboy this morning. Specs turned to sit backwards in his chair, the back of it pressing to his chest, "Oh! That new kid Ryan?" he asked fixing his glasses. "Ya, dat's da one!" Crutchie said. "I told him we'll call 'im 'Little B' or 'Little Blue' cause of those eyes 'e's got!" Some of the guys gave each other weird looks, but they all secretly remembered those eyes "he" had. Specs smiled, "That's a good one! So is he coming back to the house?" Crutchie sat on the torn couch and laid his crutch on the floor, "Nah, 'e's got a ma to take care of." Jack turned back to the game of cards that Race and Albert already began and the rest of the boys continued their chatting. Specs smiled and returned to the game as well, glad that Ryan was already welcome.