Disclaimer: This is a non-commercial work of fanfiction. Anything recognizable from Newsies belongs to Disney and not to me.
Chapter 62: Welcomed Assistance
"Sadie, are you watching the time? The potatoes should have been done several minutes ago."
Sadie snapped out of her musings and quickly dipped a slotted spoon into the boiling water. She lifted a dripping potato from the pot and gingerly set the steaming vegetable down on a plate, grimacing a little as she did so. She'd let her mind wander and hadn't actually been attending to the clock at all, and as she carefully put a fork to the potato, she saw with dismay that, instead of being perfectly tender, the tuber was sadly overcooked, collapsing into a mush the moment she applied the slightest pressure.
"If you're not going to pay attention to what you're doing, Sadie, please go help your father," Miriam Becker said wearily, taking the slotted spoon away from her daughter and quickly rescuing the rest of the potatoes from the steaming pot.
Sadie bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Mama - I didn't mean to ruin them." She paused for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Might I make them into mashed potatoes instead?"
"These were supposed to be for a hash," her mother answered, "but go and see if we have any butter in the icebox."
Sadie hurried over to the pantry and opened the icebox. Her heart sank. No butter. And no chance of redemption, then.
She returned to the kitchen.
"None?" her mother asked. Sadie shook her head.
"Go help your father," Miriam said again, gesturing to the door. "He's up to his ears in repairs today, so I'm sure he'd appreciate some help. I'll take care of dinner."
Sadie silently did as she was told. She knew that her mother was exasperated, and rightfully so - Lilly had endured a difficult day, seemingly beset with seizure upon seizure, and though they'd been mild enough, their frequency had been exhausting, and Miriam had hardly been able to get a moment's rest. Compounding the turmoil was the fact that a number of tenants had reported problems with their living quarters. This, too, wasn't anything unusual, as there were always repairs that needed to be made around the tenement, but the fact that several issues had arisen on the same day meant that Philip Becker had the difficult task of prioritizing them and trying to attend to all of them single-handedly.
After changing into her work clothes and covering her hair with an old hat, Sadie made her way out of the apartment and down the hall to her father's office. The door was ajar, and her father was at his desk, rifling through the contents of a box.
"Papa, can I help you?" Sadie asked, poking her head in. "I've made a nuisance of myself in the kitchen, and Mama thought I might be more useful as an extra set of hands to you."
Her father smiled. "If she can spare you, I'd be glad for your help, Sadie. It's been quite an afternoon, and I've got several projects to attend to at the moment." He fished a key out of the box on the desk. "I'll fill you in on what you can help me with in a moment, but would you mind going downstairs to fetch the ladder first? It should be outside of number fourteen - Mrs. Kogan said she was done with it, and I'll need it upstairs on the third floor. We're going to clear out number thirty-seven so that a family can temporarily relocate there."
Sadie nodded.
"If it's too heavy, leave it and I'll come down to get it," her father said, putting the box away in his desk and joining her in the hallway. "I just need to head down the hall to check on something, but after that I can come down and help you if it's too much."
"I'm sure I'll be fine," Sadie answered. She'd brought the ladder up by herself before, and though it was cumbersome, it really wasn't that heavy, so if she took her time, she knew she'd be able to do it.
Her father gave her a grateful smile and a word of thanks, then turned and hurried down the hall.
Sadie made her way to the first floor of the tenement and found the ladder exactly where her father had said it would be. Carrying the wooden structure proved to be simple enough...until she had to start climbing. She'd forgotten how awkward it was to carry something like a ladder up the stairs when one did not possess particularly long arms or legs.
Adjusting her grip, she struggled up the first few steps, trying to keep the ladder from scraping against the stairs as best as she could. She had almost reached the top of the first flight when she suddenly felt the weight of her burden lessen significantly, and a voice said, "Let me help you with that, Sadie."
She turned around and saw Davey standing behind her, his hands on the side-rail of the ladder. He looked like he had just come back from selling; he was wearing his newsboy cap, and his empty canvas bag hung at his side. "Is this going up to your father's office?" he asked.
"To one of the apartments on the third floor," Sadie answered. "But you don't need to do that. It's a bit unwieldy, but it's not really that heavy."
Davey took the ladder from her hands. "I'm just happy you're actually using this," he said, grinning at her before he started up the stairs. "Books make good step-stools in a pinch, but they're really supposed to be for reading."
"You're never going to forget that, are you?" Sadie sighed, trudging after him.
"How could I?" He laughed a little. "It made quite an impression."
Despite the fact that he was the one burdened with the ladder, he was taking the steps two at a time, and Sadie was having difficulty keeping up with his long strides. "I wish you didn't have such a good memory about that particular incident," she lamented. "It was one of my less-than-glorious moments."
"It was one of my less-than-glorious moments, too," Davey agreed. "But it turned out all right, didn't it?" He saw her trailing behind and stopped on the landing of the second floor to wait for her to catch up.
"I suppose it did," Sadie acknowledged. She drew even with him, and he motioned for her to precede him up the next flight of stairs.
"Would you mind going ahead?" he asked. "I'm not sure which unit we're heading to, and this way I won't get ahead of myself."
"You mean this way you won't leave me behind."
He gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. I guess I just never realized that you were so - " He stopped himself abruptly.
"'Short,' Davey. The word is 'short.'"
"I didn't mean for it to come out that way," he insisted as she breezed past him and started up the stairs. "It's not a bad thing, Sadie."
"It is when you can never reach the top shelves and when you can't see ahead in a crowd and when people don't take you seriously," she countered.
Davey didn't say anything for a moment as he followed her up the stairs. "I guess I could see how that would be challenging," he acquiesced. "But it can't be all bad. I mean, if you weren't...well, short...you probably wouldn't have needed to stand on those books, and then you wouldn't have fallen and spilled that paint on my shirt, and maybe we wouldn't have become friends." He paused, then added. "That would have been a loss...at least, for me." She couldn't see him at the moment, but she could easily imagine the look of slightly-embarrassed sincerity on his face.
They reached the third floor landing, and Sadie was about to turn to him and say something - namely, that it would have been a loss for her, too, if they hadn't become friends - but before she could do so, her father appeared at the end of the hall, walking out of the very apartment that was their destination.
"Excellent timing!" he called out. "I've just opened up number thirty-seven, and it's ready to be cleared." He smiled at Davey. "Thank you for helping Sadie with that, David. I'm afraid we've had quite a few unexpected projects come up today, so she's going to be helping me out with a few things."
"If you'd like, I can pitch in, too," Davey offered. "I've started working on the past tenant files like you asked and was going to try to finish them this evening, but if there are more urgent projects that I can do, I'm at your disposal."
Sadie watched as her father considered for a moment before replying. "If it wouldn't trouble you, I'd actually be thankful for your assistance," he admitted. "Sadie and I were going to work on clearing out one of the unoccupied apartments. We've been using it as a storage room, but one of the families on the first floor has a leak in their unit, so I'm going to temporarily relocate them to the third floor until I've fixed the problem and everything's dried out. If you can help Sadie move the heavier items out of number thirty-seven and into my office, I'll be able to get to fixing that leak directly."
"Not a problem," Davey answered.
Philip beamed. "Excellent!" He turned to Sadie. "The office is already unlocked, as you know, and I've tried to clear some space, but if you and David are able to figure out a better configuration for things, feel free to rearrange whatever you need to." Thanking them once again, he hurried off towards the stairs.
"Poor Papa," Sadie murmured as they continued down the hallway. "He doesn't let it show, but he's worried, I can tell." She looked up at Davey. "Thank you for stepping in to help," she said. "It was kind of you to do that, and I know it's eased the burden for my father, but I'm sure you weren't expecting to be put to work when you offered to carry the ladder up here for me."
"It's really no trouble," Davey insisted. They reached the apartment, and she held open the door so that he could enter with the ladder. "Your father was generous to let my family have such a reasonable rate on our rent - my parents often mention it - and he gave me a job, besides. Helping out when he needs it is the least I can do."
They entered number 37, and Sadie glanced in dismay at the many boxes and miscellaneous items that were arranged about the room.
"I didn't realize there was so much that needed to be moved." She bit her lip. "It's going to be a tight fit to get all of this into Papa's office."
Davey set the ladder down so that it leaned against the wall, laid his newsboy bag down on the floor, then walked over to stand next to her. "Does your father need all of this to be easily accessible?" he asked, surveying the aggregation.
"I doubt it," Sadie answered. "Most of the things he needs he keeps in the supply closet."
"Hmm."
"What are you thinking?" she asked, giving him a curious look.
"Divide and conquer," Davey answered. "If we can't fit everything into the office, maybe some of this can be stored elsewhere. I'm not sure if your family has room in their apartment, but I could ask my parents if we could keep some of these things temporarily until everything's been settled - at least, if your father would be comfortable with that. We don't have a lot of room, but some of those boxes - " he gestured to a stack of similar-sized cartons " - could definitely fit next to Les' and my bed, and I think we might be able to squeeze that trunk into the kitchen area if we move some things around."
It was a straightforward statement on his part, but Sadie found it slightly jarring to be reminded of exactly how not well-off the Jacobs family was. She knew that their apartment was small, and she'd even been in it that one time, not long after she'd made Davey's acquaintance, but the reality of that fact was often lost on her until these little details - like the fact that the Jacobs brothers shared a bed between them - came up in casual conversation. And though she knew that it was out of necessity that Davey had dropped out of school to become a newsboy, she often forgot how dire his family's situation had been - and perhaps still could be, should he fail to come up with the requisite income to offset their expenses.
How, she thought, did he manage to shoulder it all without letting it crush him? The shame of possibly falling short, of disappointing the most important people in your life, was burden enough - she knew that far too well. But to have the responsibility of your family's very survival further compounding that pressure? And then to have to figure out a way to succeed in a job you'd never done before, and to willingly give up the pursuit of something you enjoyed in the process? She wasn't a scholar in any sense of the word, but she knew that Davey loved learning, so for him to have to leave school to become a newsboy hadn't merely been exchanging one occupation for another; it had been a complete sacrifice of something that he was passionate about (and rightfully should have been free to devote himself to) in exchange for something that he seemed to struggle with and did not enjoy.
What kind of strength would it take to be able to bear that burden as well as he did?
"If you think that wouldn't be advisable, I'd completely understand," Davey said, breaking into her thoughts.
"No, it's a great idea!" Sadie remonstrated. "I'm sorry, I wasn't hesitating, I was only just distracted for a moment."
"Well, I suppose we could start out and see how much we can fit in the office," Davey suggested matter-of-factly. Sadie agreed, and they began carrying some of the larger items down the hall, methodically fitting them into whatever space they could find in the landlord's office.
"Should I get those boxes down from the shelves?" Davey asked, after they'd cleared some floor space in the unoccupied apartment. "They look like they might be small enough to fit on top of the bookshelves if your father doesn't mind us stacking them three or four high."
Sadie nodded. "Those are boxes of his old ledgers," she said. "He won't need them to be close at hand, they're only for record-keeping purposes." Davey brought the ladder over to where the shelves began on the far side of the apartment and climbed up (only a few rungs high, Sadie noted grudgingly, thanks to his relatively ample height).
"How has Les been, by the way?" she asked as Davey began handing the boxes down to her. "He seems to be getting along a little better at school these last few days after that incident he got into with one of the older boys in class, but I know that sometimes the story at home is different."
Davey gave her a wry smile. "Funny you should mention it; I was actually just thinking about him on my way home." He reached for another box. "I'm trying to figure out if I should talk to my parents and ask if they'll let Les go back to selling - for a day or two on the weekends at least. I think it would help him to still see the newsies regularly, and the extra income couldn't hurt. I know it would take time away from his studies, but if we extend the offer on the condition that he pays attention in class and doesn't fall behind, maybe it will help offset some of the frustration he's feeling."
"It seems like it's been a difficult transition back to school," Sadie said sympathetically. "I can certainly relate to the sentiment of preferring to be outside in the sun and the wind instead of being cooped up in a stuffy schoolroom."
"Well...you and Les are kindred spirits there." Davey handed her a box. "What about your sisters?" he asked. "I see Abby often enough, but how has Lilly been, and your oldest sister?"
"Judith is doing well, as far as we know," Sadie answered. "We're expecting a letter from her any day, and she and her family will be coming to visit us in December, so we're all looking forward to that. Mama loves to have the whole family under one roof again, even if it's only for a week or two, and I'm curious to see how tall my nephews have grown since the last time I've seen them. As for Lilly…" she reached up to take another box from Davey's hands, "...today was more difficult than usual, but the rush of seizures seems to have passed, and she's resting now. My mother's exhausted, though. Days like these take a toll on her as well as Lilly."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Davey said quietly. He descended the ladder and moved it over to the next set of shelves, but before he climbed up, he paused for a moment and regarded Sadie with a thoughtful look.
"It must be...complicated," he said, clearly choosing his words carefully, "...having Lilly at home, I mean. She's your family, so of course you'd want her to be with you...but...well, it sounds like seeing to her care can be difficult at times. Not," he added quickly, "that it negates the reasons for why you'd keep her home...but it's not simple, is it?"
It wasn't a particularly well-articulated question, and she could tell that he was already second-guessing whether or not he should have voiced it, but the fact that he was trying to understand and that he was inviting her to talk about it was rather touching, and she found herself giving him a reassuring smile.
"No, it's not simple," she agreed. "And there have been many conversations between my parents over whether or not keeping Lilly under our care is the right thing to do. There are institutions that provide oversight for people in her condition, and perhaps some of the more well-resourced ones would be able to offer excellent service, but there are others where the quality of care is questionable, and sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference at first glance. Papa and Mama have always preferred to have Lilly home with us, but it hasn't come without its challenges. Mama bears the brunt of it, but we've all had to learn how to adjust. And sometimes we wonder if Lilly would be happier elsewhere. It's difficult to know what she's thinking or feeling."
"You mentioned before that she doesn't leave the apartment," Davey said. "Has that always been the case?"
Sadie shook her head. "Growing up, I remember her coming along with us to run errands on occasion. Mama or Judith would always have to walk arm-in-arm with her in case a seizure hit, but Lilly was able to go on short walks to the grocer's or sometimes even to the confectionery - that was her favorite stop. Mama would always buy her a little bag of buttermints, which I would grouse about because I wanted chocolate instead and didn't understand why Lilly always got to choose, but now that I'm older and a bit less selfish, I know it was a good thing for me. I'm sure I would have turned out dreadfully spoiled if Lilly's presence in our family hadn't forced me to learn how to yield."
It was slightly embarrassing to admit, but it was true, and for this one anecdote that she'd given Davey about growing up with Lilly, there were dozens more - memories of canceled plans and unexpected chores and divided attention from her parents who had been - and still were - daily preoccupied with the needs of running the tenement and caring for their disabled daughter. Judith, as the oldest, had taken the challenges in stride, seeming to know intuitively how to assist their mother with Lilly's care and with the keeping of the household, but Sadie's disposition was of a different nature, and when Judith had gotten married and had moved away to Boston, the entire family had felt her absence.
"Anyway," Sadie continued, "that was several years ago. Once Lilly's seizures started getting worse, she stopped accompanying us on our errands. She doesn't seem to have the strength or the desire to go out anymore, and of course we worry about her getting hurt walking on the street or going up and down the stairs. I wish that there was more in the way of diversion that we could offer her, but she seems to be content at home, as far as we can tell."
Davey looked thoughtful, but he didn't say anything, and Sadie hastened to add, "I don't mean to misrepresent our situation - Lilly is very much a part of our family and we keep her home for our sakes just as much as for hers. She has a sweetness about her that slows our too-often hurried pace of life, and I've always believed that she can understand more than she is able to articulate. We wouldn't be complete without her. And yet…" she trailed off, a little wistfully. "Well, as you've conjectured, sometimes it's not that simple or easy."
"Do you have friends or family members close by who help with Lilly's care?"
"My mother's sewing group has been generous with their time and their resources," Sadie answered. "They come over regularly, which gives my mother some much-needed time to socialize while still being able to be close by if Lilly needs her, and sometimes they'll bring over a meal so that Mama has one less thing to do." She shook her head slightly. "Even that, however, comes at a cost. Some of them don't agree with my parents' choice to keep Lilly at home, and they take the liberty of telling Mama so. It makes it even harder for her, though she'll never say it aloud."
"It's a...slightly unconventional arrangement, isn't it?"
Sadie nodded. "Most families in our situation would have housed Lilly at an institution, not at home. We're rather unusual, I suppose - at least in our circle of acquaintance. I'm sure it would be easier if there were others we knew who were in this situation and could give us advice or guidance...but this is a path we're forging as we go, unaccompanied for now it seems."
Suddenly recalling the task at hand, she gave Davey an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, brushing her hands on her skirt. "I've stalled our progress with my chatter, and you've been waiting patiently for me to finish so that you can get the rest of those boxes."
Instead of going along with her segue as she'd expected, Davey lingered at the bottom of the ladder, clearly feeling the need to say something more but perhaps unsure of how to voice it.
"Thank you for telling me," he said finally. "I'm sorry that it's been challenging for you and for Lilly and for your family...but…" he trailed off. "...well, I respect the decision you've made and the fortitude it requires to follow through with it," he concluded, his voice softening a bit. "That's not something that comes easily. It's admirable." He gave her a tiny smile, then turned back to the ladder.
"It doesn't seem like there are as many boxes on this shelf," he said, climbing up to take a closer look. "I think we should be able to fit all of them down the hall with a little room to spare."
They quickly cleared the rest of the shelves and relocated the ledgers to the landlord's office, then worked steadily for another half hour or so until they'd filled every available space. As there were still several items left that needed to be relocated, Sadie went downstairs to find her father, procuring his permission to proceed with Davey's idea of using the apartments as additional storage space. They were able to transfer nearly everything to the Becker residence, save for the one trunk that Davey had pointed out earlier. He went down to the second floor to ask his parents if they would mind housing it temporarily, and they readily agreed, so the final item in number 37 was taken to the Jacobses' apartment and accordingly stowed therein.
The now-vacant unit was ready to be occupied and only wanted a thorough sweeping, which they'd nearly finished by the time Philip Becker returned.
"Well, you've made quick work of moving all those boxes!" he said, clearly pleased as he surveyed the empty apartment. "The Halfords will be able to move in right away, thanks to your efficient work."
"The ladder's back in your office, Papa," Sadie said, sweeping up the last of the dust bunnies, "and we managed to fit everything there or into our apartment, all except for that green trunk, which Davey's family is keeping for us."
Philip gave Davey a grateful nod. "Please tell your parents I'm much obliged to them," he said. "We should be able to move the trunk back into storage by the end of the week."
"It's not a problem," Davey responded. "They said that they're happy to help."
"Well, you've all done me quite a service," the landlord smiled. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out some coins. "Sadie," he beckoned, "why don't you take a break and go along with David to the drugstore for some ice cream or a soda? I only have one more urgent matter to attend to before dinner, and the rest can wait for an hour or two. If you head over there now, maybe your mother won't scold me for spoiling your supper."
"Thank you, Papa!" Sadie exclaimed, elated at the suggestion. She had been craving cold custard as of late.
Davey looked conflicted. "You don't need to do that, Mr. Becker," he protested. "You've done so much for me and for my family, I'm just glad that I could help. No further compensation is necessary. Really."
"Nonsense," Philip asserted heartily. "I insist."
"Come on, Davey," Sadie coaxed. "We've already satisfied your cautious predisposition by using the ladder and not climbing anything dangerous; it's only fair that we satisfy my bent for spontaneous frivolity in turn! You've already worked enough for one afternoon, and it's good to take a break every once in a while. Besides, Papa is your boss, isn't he? You ought to listen to him."
"You did assert on one occasion that my daughter was rather bright, David," Philip added with a twinkle in his eye. "And it was a rather fervent assertion, if I recall correctly." He put his hand on Davey's shoulder. "Maybe you should trust her judgement in this case."
It was probably embarrassment and not the compelling nature of the argument that cowed him into submission, but whatever the case, Davey gave in.
"Thank you, Mr. Becker," he said, ducking his head a little. "I appreciate it." He turned to Sadie, giving her a look of resignation. "After you," he mumbled. She exchanged a triumphant look with her father, who winked at her in return, then promptly led the way out of the apartment.
A/N: So, Sadie and Davey's conversation was only supposed to be one chapter long, but Mr. Becker - like all of my OCs - has a mind of his own and decided to throw me a curveball, so one more installment featuring these two will be coming next. Thanks for reading; I'd love to hear any comments or remarks you might have!
