Where You Belong

by Spitfire Dougan   

As I sat on the train to Manhattan I thought to myself." What are you doing?Is going back to your old life, the hard life, really worth leaving your wealthy grandparents in Jersey? Why not stay and live in high society with them?" I thought and thought yet still couldn't think of a logical reason. It's just...well...something deep down inside of me keeps saying, "you belong there."  

That's when memory of the day I left floated into my thoughts. It was so clear that I could smell that water from the piers in Brooklyn. I could hear my father say "I know ya wouldn't like it. But I'se gotta  send you'se to yur gramparen's house. Yur mudda woulda wanted me ta."    

"But I'se don' wanna go. I'm happy 'ere wit you." I remember how mad I was at that moment. I could feel the anger trembling deep down inside me. I felt like as if I would erupt like a volcano at any given moment. He tried to talk but I wouldn't listen. So I ran down the steps and out the door of the lodging house in Brooklyn that my dad had started right after he married my mother.    

That's when I saw my best friend walking towards me. He was a small Italian that was only 12 years old. He was a newsie that lived in the house with me. His real name was Antoine Higgins but we all called him Racetrack because even at the age of 12 he loved gamblin'. He could tell I was upset but didn't ask why. We had always been the type of best friends that knew what each other was thinking. Somehow he knew I had to leave . He didn't know where I was going but  knew I had to leave.    

My thought was interrupted by the abrupt sound of the screeching train whistles. I jumped to my feet startled by the sound. As I boarded off the train I could hear that strange voice telling me "you're home, finally back home."At that time I wanted to get back on the train and head back to Jersey but my feet wouldn't budge. I pulled out the letter sent by my best friend over 4 years ago. It talked about how he had left Brooklyn after my father died and moved to Manhattan so he could be closer to "the races". I didn't want to go back to Brooklyn, not just yet, so I headed to Manhattan to find the lodging house that my best friend was living in. "If he's still there."    

My feet were starting to hurt  so I sat down on some steps to rest. When I looked above me a sign read 'Newsboys Lodging House'. I thought this could be it so I found a nearby restaurant and changed into some male clothes. I was going to play a little trick on my best friend. Just to see how well he knew me.    

" Excuse me sir," a kind old man at the counter said to me as I entered the lodging house. "Can I help you?"    

"No than--well, maybe you'se can. Ya gotta fella' that calls himself Race hea' ?" Luckily he said yes so I headed upstairs trying to keep from laughing. I did it though. I had always been good at acting. Ever since I was born.    

I walked right into a large bunk room where I saw a group of boys playing a poker game. None of them looked up until I harshly said,"I'm lookin for a fella named Race."    

"What's it to ya?" one of the boys asked.    

"I'se got a bit of a problem wit him dat we'se needs ta sort out," I said clutching my fist as if I were warning them.    

That's when I saw him. It was him. My best friend. He got up and walked towards me followed by all his friends. No of them looked to happy." I'se been hearing tings', me boys up in Joisey,dey says you put da moves on me goil, Ellen. Name sound familiar. Or did ya forget 'er already."   

" I'se swear, I ain't never touched 'er."    

"Oh Ya!"    

I knew his next move would be to take a swing. Hopefully he hadn't changed his fighting habits over the past 5 years. I was right, he took a swing but my hand was there ta block it. That's when his jaw dropped and in a questioning look he said,"Christine, Christine Dougan is that really you?" A large grin suddenly appeared on my face and he gave me a big hug as I took off my hat and let my reddish-brown hair fall to my shoulders. The group of boys who had been confused ever since he said my name were whispering among themselves when Race turn to them with his arm around my shoulder and said,"fellas, this is Christine Dougan. She's my best friend in the whole world."    

Then a dark complected boy with curly hair stepped up and said," wait a minute, this cain't be da goil that I knew from when ya lived in Brooklyn."    

"Well Mush it-"    

I interrupted Race at that moment and said," Morris Cohen. I tink you'se changed quit a bit. I think the last time I saw's ya you'se 'ad a nice shina' from a little fight we'se 'ad gotten inta.'Memba?"    

All of the group broke out into laughter. But I think I embarrassed him because he turn away blushing a little but quickly turn back around to prove he wasn't ashamed and yelled at the boys, "she'd a whooped you'se too. Dis hea' was da best dam fighta' I'd eva' seen.Betcha she was tougha' den Spot Conlon is now."    

The group of boys gasped a little and mumbled under their breath that Mush was gonna get in trouble for insulting the almighty Spot like that.I was confused and asked,"Spot who? I ain't nevea' hoid of 'em. Cain't be dat tough."    

That's when a tall boy in a cowboy hat that had been standing there the whole time stepped forward out of the crowd and said almost sarcastically," why, you ain't nevea' hoid of de almighty, one and only, powaful, and fearless leada' of  Brooklyn." At that moment my heart sank. The grin on my face suddenly disappeared and I felt weak in the knees. I could feel Race's arm's that had been wrapped around me tightly from the second the boy had said the leader of Brooklyn. He lead me to a bed in the middle of the room that had his shirt hanging on the post.    

"Go ta sleep, you'se hadda long day. Go 'ta sleep. Close 'dos pertty hazel eyes of ya's."    

" But isn't dis ya bed?"    

"Don'tcha worry fia'."    

My heart felt warm inside once he said that. I hadn't heard anyone call me that since I left on that sad day almost 5 years ago. See, that was my name in Brooklyn. No one in Brooklyn called me Christine. They always called me Spitfia'or just plain old Fia'. My dad and all the newsies had always called me that. I used to love the way Red, the leader and my dad's closest friend, called me that. My dad treated Red as if he were his own son. When my dad died he left me the lodging house but my grandparents wouldn't let me come back. So Red quit being a newsie and took it over. I fell asleep quickly while thinking about how much Red loved me as a sister.    

Race sat by me till I fell asleep, then walked towards the group of boys who had turn there attention back to the poker game...    

"Heya Race," Blink said," what was dat all about? Why when Spot came up did she get so upset?"    

"It wasn't Spot dat made 'er upset. It was Brooklyn."    

"Why would dat make 'er sad?"    

"Eva' hoid of a guy named Bandit Dougan."    

"Hoid of 'im. He's practically a legend. He was the bravest and strongest leader dat Brooklyn has eva' had."    

Then Snipeshooter burst into the conversation saying,"I thought Spot was the greatest that has eva' lived?!"    

All of the boys in the group that knew who Bandit Dougan was burst out laughing. They all knew how powerful he had been. There was a group of alleys he liked to fight in that was named Bandit's Roost after him. They explained all that to Snipeshooter while Race waited for them to finish so he could explain all about Spitfire. He told them about who she was, where she was from, how she got to this point in her life, and that her father was the real Bandit Dougan. After all her past was unveiled and the boys had finished asking questions about her they all went to their bed and fell asleep. It was late and they all knew that they would only be able to catch about an hour's worth of sleep before they would have to get up and carry the banner.

to be continued...

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