Disclaimer: This is a non-commercial work of fanfiction. Anything recognizable from Newsies belongs to Disney and not to me.


Chapter 71: Celebration II

Les couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten so much food.

Sighing in contentment, he shoveled the last forkful of chocolate cake into his mouth, then patted his slightly-rotund belly before easing himself off of the picnic bench to stack his empty plate and fork with the rest of the dirty dishes that had been set off to the side awaiting transport back to the Becker residence.

"Nice job on the cake, Abby," Les remarked, sidling over to the younger birthday girl who was busy folding up a picnic blanket with Margaret. "David told me you helped make it. It was awfully tasty - I just had my second piece!"

Abby, as usual, hardly gave Les a second glance. "I'm glad you liked it," she said shortly.

"Did you enjoy the party, Les?" the significantly-more-affable Margaret inquired. "I saw you embroiled in a fierce game of ring toss."

"I was showing Ruben how to play," Les answered proudly. "He's one of our friends from Brooklyn. He's nineteen and filthy rich - or at least, his father is."

"I met his sister," Margaret mentioned, setting the folded-up blanket on one of the picnic benches. "She seemed quite well-heeled too."

"Rachel's not as fun as Ruben," Les remarked. "She's quiet and likes to read and think and talk about ideas like David."

"What's wrong with that?" Abby asked acerbically.

Les shrugged. "It's boring." He watched as the two girls folded up another picnic blanket.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and go help my sister clean up the drinks?" Abby suggested.

Les stuck his hands in his pockets, ignoring the pointed hint. "David's already helping her, and he told me that after I finished my cake, he wanted me to tell you that we have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Abby sounded a bit more agreeable.

Les nodded. "Yup. It's a birthday gift. I'm not sure what it is, but he's really excited to give it to you. He's going to bring it over as soon as he's done helping Sadie."

No sooner had he finished speaking when David himself appeared, joining the little group with a paper-wrapped parcel in his hand and an eager smile on his face.

"Happy birthday, Abby," he said, greeting the younger girl. "Did my brother tell you about the surprise?" Les had to roll his eyes at how nearly-giddy David sounded. He wasn't sure why the older boy was so pleased with himself over the gifts he'd picked out for the Becker sisters, but he'd been talking about the presents all evening with their mother the night before. Les had been too preoccupied with his own diversion to pay much attention to the items his brother had been wrapping, but he'd overheard the words "reading" and "writing," and that had been enough to convince him that the gifts were probably just as boring and practical as David himself and to forgo listening any further from that point on.

Now he watched, half-curious and half-disinterested as his brother handed the birthday present to Abby, saying (to be polite of course) that it was from both him and his brother before he (like Les) stuck his hands in his pockets, waiting for Abby to unwrap her gift.

As soon as the paper fell away, Les realized, too late, that he probably should have paid a little more attention to David's plans.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," Abby read the title aloud.

"It's a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," David explained as the girl lifted the novel out of its wrappings. "I know you enjoyed the first book, so I figured maybe you'd like to read the continuing story."

Les stole a glance at Abby and saw that her expression was one of growing suspicion. "Thank you," she said, sounding conflicted. "It's a very thoughtful gift."

David must have caught the misgiving in her voice, for after a moment, he asked hesitantly, "You don't...you don't have it already, do you?"

"Actually, I do." Abby's tone turned from uneasy to trenchant, and Les wished that he could just slink away right then and there. "In fact," she continued in a slightly-clipped tone, "I have a volume of it in my personal collection that I acquired just recently. It's the limited edition print version." The pointed emphasis of the last four words was not lost on Les, who could feel the girl's penetrating gaze on him even as he intently examined his shoes.

David (ever unsuspecting) responded with an incredulous laugh. "Really? That's a coincidence. I actually had that same version in my own collection, too. I was planning to give it to you - it's nicer than the version I found at the bookstore - but I couldn't manage to locate it in time. I must have misplaced it somehow." He gave Abby an apologetic look, and Les could tell that he was disappointed but was trying not to show it. "Sorry, Abby," he said. "If you want, I'll take it back and find you something else."

"No, actually, I'd like to keep this one," the youngest Becker said, curling her arm around the book. "It's the perfect gift, and it was kind of you to give it to me." She shot a look at Les, who squirmed uncomfortably. "In fact, I'd like to switch copies with you, if you don't mind," she continued, still speaking to David but directing an almost-withering glare in Les' direction. "I don't much care for the source I got my limited edition copy from, and I'd rather have this one from you."

David looked a little confused by the logic of the statement as well as the dark looks being leveled in his brother's direction, but he nodded. "Okay...if you're sure that's what you want, Abby," he said slowly.

"I'm sure." The girl finally turned her attention away from Les. "I wouldn't want you to go without a copy when I have two, and like I said, I prefer the version you've given me." She smiled (genuinely now, Les noted) and carefully folded up the paper the book had been wrapped in, tucking it under her arm with the gift. "Thank you again, David," she said. "I can't wait to start reading it."

"You're welcome, Abby. I'm glad you like it." David was still clearly trying (and failing) to figure out what was going on, but he didn't seem inclined to press the issue. "When you start reading it, let me know what you think," he added, and Les felt a faint flicker of relief as the conversation turned away from the subject of the duplicate books to other topics. He wished that he could escape, but he knew that suddenly leaving (when he really had no place to go) would arouse suspicions, so he stayed where he was, shifting uneasily and trying to appear politely engaged when all he wanted to do was to crawl away and hide.

Eventually, David asked him if he wanted to come along to give Sadie her gift, but Les declined, wanting, at that moment, to be as far away from his brother as possible and knowing that he owed Abby an explanation (and probably an apology as well). For a brief moment, David had given him a slightly concerned look (his older sibling senses no doubt beginning to suspect that there was more afoot than he'd initially thought), but in the end, his uncharacteristically eager excitement won out, and he went off to find Sadie by himself, leaving Les alone with Abby and Margaret.

"It's probably not for me to say…" the latter began delicately once David was out of earshot, "...but I'd be willing to bet that something fishy is going on with that limited edition copy of Huckleberry Finn."

"Les stole it and used it as a bribe to get me to go to the newsboy rally with him," Abby stated bluntly. She gave Les a scornful look. "I knew there was no way you could have gotten something like that on your own," she accused. "I can't believe you'd steal like that from your own brother, and that you'd try to dupe me, too. You're reprehensible, Les Jacobs!"

Les hung his head, embarrassed at the sharp reprimand. "Sorry, Abby," he mumbled. "I shouldn't have done it."

"You say that, but do you actually mean it?" Abby demanded, her eyes snapping with indignation. "You've lied to me once before - how do I know you're being sincere this time?"

"Abby," Margaret broke in gently, "be kind."

"No, she's right," Les said morosely. "I deserved that." He sighed. He hadn't intended to be dishonest - at least, not in a way that would hurt anyone - he'd only been desperate to find a way to get a date to the rally, and he'd known that Abby wouldn't agree to go with him without an incentive...but now it was beginning to dawn on Les how self-serving that approach had been. He'd taken advantage of both his brother and Abby, and though he wasn't sure if the contrition he was feeling stemmed primarily from the realization that he shouldn't have done it or from the regret that he'd finally been caught (probably both, he decided), he knew that he needed to somehow make things right.

"I guess there's nothing I can say to make you believe me," he admitted, giving Abby a hesitant glance. "But I'll try not to do it again."

"You'd better not do it again," the girl replied. "And you ought to come clean to David, too. You can thank me later for not ratting you out and giving you a chance to confess, but if you're not going to take the opportunity to be honest, I'm going to do it for you." Having delivered that ultimatum, Abby gave Les one last severe look, then stalked away.

Margaret gave him a slightly sympathetic smile. "Looks like you've got your work cut out for you, kiddo," she murmured, before she too took her leave.

Les grimaced at the diminutive, but didn't protest. He knew, unfortunately, that she was right.


Sadie had just finished putting the last of the lawn games into a gunny sack when her father came over, pulling a red toy wagon behind him.

"That looks like fun," she remarked, smiling at the slightly-amusing sight.

"I borrowed it from the Kogan twins on the first floor," he beamed, sounding pleased with himself. "It'll make our return trip much easier. We can pull the heavier items in the wagon instead of lugging them back."

"That's brilliant, Papa!" Sadie exclaimed. The wagon only looked to be around three and a half by two feet, but it would hold a decent amount of supplies, including the now-empty beverage jugs. "We should have an easier time on the way back since Davey and Les are here to help us too."

"Oh yes, that'll help tremendously." Her father began packing items into the wagon. "Did you have a good birthday, Sadie?" he asked, his eyes merry.

"It was lovely, Papa." Sadie tied off the gunny sack holding the lawn games and walked over to help him. "Thank you. I know it was an expense throwing a party for so many people, but it was wonderful to see so many of our friends."

"Well, your mother did all the hard work, and it's been a while since we've been able to celebrate like this, so I'm glad we could do it. It was worth every penny to see the smiles on your faces."

Working together, they quickly loaded up the wagon, and Philip glanced around the picnic area to see what more was left. "I think it might work best to make two trips," he observed. "It looks like Abby and Margaret are still cleaning up a few things, and I've got a full load already, so I'll take this along to the tenement and then come back."

"Would you like me to come with you, Papa?" Sadie offered. "It will go faster if you have someone with you to unload everything."

Her father shook his head. "I'll manage," he said. "If Lilly's resting, your mother might be able to help me, and if not, it'll be good exercise for me to make a few runs up and down the stairs." He winked at her. "Besides," he added, "I think you might have someone who wants to speak with you…"

Sadie looked over her shoulder and saw that Davey was making his way across the lawn in their direction.

"I'll be back," her father said, giving the wagon a tug and trundling off in the direction of the tenement.

"Does your father need help with that?" Davey asked, arriving just a moment later. "I can go along with him."

"He said he can manage," Sadie replied, "but thank you for the offer. I think you've already done more than your fair share of assisting us for the day." She gave him a curious glance, noting that he had a paper-wrapped package in his hand. Catching her notice, he smiled, looking almost bashful as he held it out to her.

"I know you said that we didn't need to bring any gifts, but I thought you might like this. It's from Les, too," he added quickly. "Just something small."

"How kind of you both!" Sadie sat down on one of the nearby picnic benches to unwrap the package. "I'm curious to know what it is."

"It's really not - I mean, it's nothing fancy or all that exciting," Davey reiterated, but she could tell that he was anxious to see what she thought of the present.

Carefully, she pulled away the wrapping paper, revealing a thin rectangular box. Lifting the lid, she saw that inside was a stationery set containing several sheets of fine-grain writing paper that had been tinted a lovely pale peach color. A stack of matching envelopes completed the set, and as Sadie lifted them out, she could tell that the paper was of high quality, well-weighted and elegantly sturdy.

"I know you mentioned that you write to your sister often," Davey ventured, "so I thought maybe this could be useful."

Sadie looked up at him, touched by the thoughtfulness of the gift and knowing that, despite its simplicity, it must have come at a cost. She'd only mentioned writing to Judith once that she could recall, and the fact that he'd remembered it made the gesture even more meaningful.

"Thank you, Davey," she smiled. "It's perfect. I'll be even more impatient for Judith's letters now that I have something so pretty to write her back with!"

"I'm glad you like it," he said, and she could tell that he was pleased. "Happy birthday, Chare."

She gave him a knowing look, but couldn't find it in herself to scold him. "I'd better make sure to thank Les, too," she said, glancing around for the younger Jacobs brother. "I probably ought to lecture you both for ignoring the 'no presents' directive, but it would be completely ungracious of me to do so when you've been so thoughtful!"

"Margaret told me she broke the rule too," Davey disclosed. "She said she's been waiting for months to give you your hat. It sounds like there's quite a story behind it."

"There is," Sadie affirmed, smiling a little to herself. "But it's just one of those silly things between friends. You wouldn't find it all that interesting." Perhaps one day she would tell him...but today was not that day. He really didn't need to know.

They chatted for several more minutes, cleaning up the last of the party supplies before joining Margaret and Abby who had finished folding up the blankets. Les eventually trudged over from where he'd been sulking at one of the picnic tables (responding to Sadie's enthusiastic expressions of gratitude with a mumbled "You're welcome"), and the little group waited patiently for Philip to return, which he did not long after.

Two extra sets of hands and the help of the wagon eased the trip back to the tenement considerably, and it was a happy group that left the park after a satisfying afternoon of revelry. Everyone was noticeably tired, but all (except for Les) seemed to be in good spirits. By the time everything had been brought up to the apartment, it was nearly dinnertime (though at that point hardly anyone felt like eating). Margaret and the Jacobs brothers were thanked profusely for their help and sent home with a hamper of leftover food apiece, and the Becker family settled into the final task of cleaning up the dishes and putting away the rest of the party supplies.

Sadie had just finished drying the last of the plates when her mother came over to her, holding out her hands for the towel. "You and Abigail have done enough work for today, Sadie," she said briskly. "I'll take care of the rest."

Sadie protested. "You've already worked so hard making all of the food, Mama!"

"I got to rest while you all were out this afternoon. Lilly took a long nap - she's still sleeping, in fact - so I'll be fine." She shooed Sadie towards the door. "Go and look on the writing desk," she instructed. "There's a letter there from Judith that just came today."

"Thank you, Mama!" Sadie said eagerly. And just when she'd thought that the day couldn't get any better! Hurrying over to the sitting area of the apartment, she saw that there was indeed a letter on the desk. The envelope had already been torn open (Abby having no doubt claimed her part of the missive), but there was a single folded sheet still inside, and as Sadie carefully pulled it out, she saw that it was addressed to her in her older sister's distinctive handwriting.

Sitting down at the desk, she unfolded the letter and began to read.

Dear Sadie,

Happy birthday, dear! If I've timed things right, this will arrive in Manhattan on the day of your party, and I hope it will suffice for the time being until I can give you my warmest wishes when we arrive in December. Yes, John was able to take the time off, so it's been confirmed that all of us will be coming up to Manhattan to stay for a few weeks and through the end of the year! We're eager to see all of you, and I'm happy to know that you shall not be left to police Abby's chocolate consumption without assistance.

I apologize for the delayed response to your two letters; it seems you've had some things to think about as of late. I'm curious to know how you ended up approaching the dilemma concerning David and your so-called "careless words." To be perfectly honest, I would have erred on the side of confronting him about the matter had I been in your shoes. You cannot control how others will react, but you can at least take the initiative to offer an olive branch. For most reasonably-minded people, a gesture of goodwill can go a long way, and David, at least as you've described him, seems like a reasonable boy.

Whatever the case, I hope that things have all been set to rights, and that you are not being too hard on yourself for your mistake. I know that last year was difficult for you, Sadie, and that memories of that trying season will not simply dissipate no matter how much we'd all like them to, but you must not let yourself think that you are simply a silly, careless girl as you've described yourself in your last letter. We all make errors of judgement, but what matters is that we learn from them. The mere fact that this situation involving your friend concerned you so much indicates a sensitivity and thoughtfulness that you've always had but perhaps hadn't shown often in years past. It may be true that you have, as you say, ample room for improvement, but clearly you are already learning, and that is all you can expect from yourself.

I shall give you another well-meaning talking-to when I see you in person (and there are number of questions of a more lighthearted nature that I'm eager to ask), but for now, I will close this letter by simply saying that I am deeply grateful that you have been a part of my life for the past eighteen years. There is a sisterly spot in my heart that only you, Sadie Charity, can fill, and I would not have anyone else in it but you - not as you hope to be, or as you think you should be, but simply as you are.

Take care of Lilly and Abby, and give my love to Papa and Mama. I am eagerly counting down the days until I can once again be with you all. Until then, I remain…

Your affectionate sister,

Judith

Sadie re-read the letter, her spirits lifting at her sister's affirming words and her heart full with the thought that Judith and her family would soon be coming to visit. It would be wonderful to have them in Manhattan to close out the year, and December couldn't come soon enough.

Content and happy, Sadie rose and walked over to the end table by the door where she had left the stationery set that Davey and Les had given her. Retrieving it, she returned to the writing desk and took out a single sheet of letter paper, pausing to enjoy the feel of it in her fingers for a moment before she sat down and eagerly began to compose her reply.