Carrying soup is no easy business, but the pot I held was steady as I reached our bench the next day to meet Papa. The spoon in my apron pocket made its way into his hand before I turned back to Maus. I finished quickly, looking for Spot so I could buy my paper. I saw him coming towards us, one newspaper in hand.

"Mr. Fischer, Cat" he greeted as he approached, handing us his last paper of the day. I handed him the penny, and Papa shoed us both away. "I am tired today," he said, though I could tell this was not the case. "Perhaps the two of you could leave me some peace before I must return to work?"

"Sure, Papa," I said, smiling at Spot. "Do you want to walk for a bit?" He chuckled and joined me. We were scarcely out of earshot when he turned to me with a bit of an impish grin.

"Did you tell him what happened yesterday?" he asked, smirking a bit.

"Actually, no," I said, smiling as his face fell slightly. "I did have a question for you though, and I think he sensed it." Spot looked at me curiously, and I took a deep breath before plunging ahead. "I saw Red yesterday morning protecting a little newsboy from two bullies. He said that if they had a problem they could take it up with you. I thought you might know the two bullies' parents or something and was wondering if you were going to make sure their mothers punished them."

Spot just stared at me for a moment, dumbfounded. Then his face grew softer than I have ever seen it, and he smiled almost sadly at me. "Cat," he said, ruffling my hair, "you are the most innocent girl I have ever met. I love that. Don't ever change." He took a deep breath before I could interrupt him and held up a finger to stop me. "But no, that's not what Red meant. Red meant that they could pick a fight with him or they could pick a fight with me. He was letting them know in no uncertain terms that I would not tolerate their treatment of Roller."

I stared at him, waiting for him to explain. He would actually fight them? When Spot chuckled again I realized I had actually voiced the question aloud. "Katja, the streets are tough, especially for little guys like Roller. They need the protection that we bigger ones can give. I have spent years learning to fight—first to protect myself, and now to protect others. I don't expect you would even know this, but I am the leader of the Brooklyn newsies. They all answer to me. I keep order and discipline, and I keep them safe. In order to do that, yes, I have to fight. I have to fight a lot, and I have to win." I couldn't help it. I was staring at him in astonishment.

He smiled and continued, "The good news is that I don't have to fight as much anymore. Most kids on the streets of Brooklyn are starting to know my name. Sometimes the threat is enough, like yesterday. Red knew it would be. He's one of the best fighters in Brooklyn, and he does a great job lookin' out for the younger ones. That's why I had him sell near Roller; the kid's just startin' to sell by himself." I nodded, trying to understand just how things worked for someone like Spot.

"I see," was all I said. Spot laughed again.

"Darlin', I don't think you do. But that's what I'm sayin'. Talkin' to you and yer pop is the peaceful part of my life. You see all the good and none of the bad, and that's a real gift, Cat. A gift I enjoy every time I see you both."

"I guess I just never thought about your world before. I never really thought about where you lived or who your friends were," I said, embarrassed to admit it.

"I wanted it that way," was all Spot answered. We walked a bit further in silence. I was thinking hard about all that Spot had said. Suddenly I was bursting with curiosity.

"Can I see your world?" I spun towards him so suddenly that he actually took another pace before stopping.

"Cat, there will come a time soon enough when you will see parts of it without wanting to. Enjoy not knowing. You will know soon enough, and when that happens you will regret wanting to see it." Spot's voice was dark and his eyes had regained that steely look that had frightened me earlier. When I looked at him I realized the slight bitterness was not directed at me, and I understood that Spot was right. I shivered at the thought, and he looked at me with the same softness I had always known. "I promise you, though, that I will do my best to help you understand and feel safe when that time comes."

I smiled at him, then remembered something else I had wanted to ask him. "So if you're the leader of the newsies, is that why Red is afraid of you even though he's bigger than you?"

Spot laughed at that. "Yeah," he answered, chuckling. "You shoulda seen the soakin' I gave him two months ago when he tried to get all uppity. I wasn't in charge yet, and he thought I wasn't up to it. We had to fight it out to see which of us would be next in line, and let's just say I won so decisively that he won't try challenging me for awhile!" I smiled at that.

"He's nice, though," I said, and that elicited another laugh from Spot.

"Yeah, real nice." He laughed even harder, and I just giggled with him as we returned to Papa.

In hindsight, those two perfect days with the girls and Papa and with Spot were the last happy ones I was to have for some time.