Part Three: Weddings
What sad memory of yesterday, what terrible scar keeps you gathering the pieces of your shattered heart? There was once upon a time when hope was living within. I know there will come a time when you can believe again.
Seven sat down on her bed, reading when Bumlets came over and tapped her shoulder.
“Seven, can I talk to ya?” he asked.
Seven nodded. “Sure.”
She put a bookmark in her place and shut the book. She followed Bumlets out the window and up to the roof where they stopped.
“What’s this all about?” Seven asked.
“You tell me.” Bumlets said with a frown.
“What’re you talkin’ about?”
“I saw you wit Oscar.”
Seven shook her head. “Bumlets, you don’t understand. He was upset about Morris and I found out that Morris was the only friend he had. He just needed someone to talk to and who would listen.”
“Seven, either yer the craziest girl or the bravest. No one trusts a Delancy, not even when dey lost someone.”
“Well, he doesn’t have my trust yet, but as of today, he’s got a new friend. If that’s all, I have nothing else to say.”
Seven turned on her heel and went down the fire escape. She found Specs kissing Twilight on the fire escape, and when they saw her, they stopped.
“Hey Seven, we’s gettin’ married!” Specs exclaimed.
Seven’s face lit up. “No kidding?”
“No kidding!” Twilight answered.
Seven smiled and hugged Twilight. “Congrats, Twilight!”
Twilight beamed. “Thanks.”
“When’s the wedding?”
“We was just about to talk about dat.” Specs answered.
Seven nodded. “Okay. Well, I’m gonna turn in now. See ya later.”
* * *
A month had passed, and today was Twilight and Specs’ wedding day. Seven helped Twilight pick out dresses for the bridesmaids and helped her pick out a wedding dress. It was very pretty; it was a light blue with lace around the skirt and cuffs. Seven and Patch, since they got to be the bridesmaids, wore yellow dresses.
Specs had picked Mush and Bumlets to be the groomsmen, and Seven was not very happy about having Bumlets. Bumlets wasn’t all too thrilled either, but they decided to do it since they were doing a favor for their friends. The girls giggled as Seven stuck a rose in Twilight’s hair to add color to her blonde hair.
“You look fabulous!” Patch exclaimed.
Twilight beamed. “Thanks.”
Seven smiled but said nothing. The door opened and Mush stuck his head in.
“Hey, are you lovely goils ready yet?” he asked.
Patch giggled and grinned at Mush. “Yes, we’re ready. You ready?”
“Always ready fer you.”
Patch walked over to Mush and kissed him quickly. “Well, come on!”
Patch left, and Seven turned to Twilight. “Ready?”
“Yep. You?”
“I’d be a little more enthusiastic if I wasn’t with Bumlets.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on Seven, I know just about everything about him, and you have a lot more in common than you think. You’re perfect for each other!”
Seven shook her head. “I don’t think so, Twilight.”
Twilight shrugged. “Well, let’s get out there; you’ll be fine.”
Seven sighed but followed Twilight out the door. She met Bumlets by the doors to the sanctuary and tried to think of him as someone else. When the music started, Bumlets linked his arm around Seven’s and got ready to walk down the aisle. Both of them didn’t look too happy, and Patch happened to notice.
“For Pete’s sake, you guys!” she exclaimed. “Smile and look like yer having a good time!”
Seven looked at Bumlets for a second, then she sighed and put on a fake smile. Bumlets did the same and walked down the aisle. They looked like they were having a good time, but no one knew that it was totally fake. When they separated and waited by their friends, they both looked relieved.
Twilight reached the altar and took Specs’ hand. Seven smiled a real smile as the preacher began to speak. The wedding passed quickly, and Seven felt warm inside when the two kissed. When they started walking down the aisle, Seven didn’t care who she was linked up with.
When they arrived at the reception, she remembered who she was with, and remembered that she was supposed to sit next to Bumlets. When they sat down, Seven scooted over as far as she could, but tried not to make it look too obvious. Patch nudged Seven when she noticed what she was doing.
“Aw, come on Seven, he ain’t that bad.” Patch told her.
Seven shrugged but looked over at Bumlets. He looked at her at the same time, and when their eyes met, they both turned around and looked away. The reception went on, and soon, it was time for Twilight to toss her bouquet. She threw it over her shoulder and Patch caught it. Seven hugged Patch when she caught it.
“Way ta go, Patch!” she exclaimed.
Patch beamed and looked over at Mush. He had a smile on his face that said that he was going to catch Twilight’s garter. Specs gently took Twilight’s leg and pulled the garter off, but kissed her leg before he tossed the garter. He threw it over his shoulder, and it landed in a little girl’s hands off to the side.
She turned white and dropped it, and Mush ran to her, threw himself onto the floor and slid. He slid until he grabbed that garter, almost knocking heads with Skittery. Mush held it up in the air and shouted triumphantly. Patch and Seven screeched with joy when Mush started shouting.
A photographer took a picture of them, and they kissed for the second picture. Seven sighed when she watched them, for it reminded her of her and Edward. She looked over at Bumlets, who also looked like he was reminiscing about something similar to watch she was thinking about.
A half-hour went by, and Twilight and Specs went off to go on their one-night honeymoon. Jack handed them a present before they left, and told them not to open it until they got home. When they were gone, Kid Blink came over to Seven and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Hey Seven,” he said, “you wanna come wit a couple of us guys an’ play some pool?”
Seven nodded. “Sure, just as long as none of us can jump into that lake.”
Kid Blink laughed and looped his arm around Seven’s shoulder. Seven smiled at her remark, but followed him, Skittery, Snoddy, Pie Eater and Dutchy out the door and toward the grange.
* * *
Another month had gone by, and Seven discovered that Mush and Patch were getting married.
Patch had told her that Mush had proposed to her the night of Twilight and Specs’ wedding day. Seven gladly helped Patch plan her wedding again since she had all that money.
“You really don’t hafta do all this fer us, Seven.” Mush told her.
Seven shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I wanna do this.”
“But where’d you get all the money?” Patch asked.
“My parents left me their money, and I kept it for a few rainy days.”
As the wedding day approached, Seven learned that Bumlets was going to be a groomsman again, and she was going to be a bridesmaid. Seven shuddered at the thought of doing it again, but she was doing it for one of her best friends.
When the wedding day came, Seven was a little more enthusiastic about it, and didn’t look as bummed out as she was at Twilight’s wedding. She looked like she was having a little more fun at this one. Bumlets also looked more happy since the two had become closer over the last week, but not close enough to become beyond best friends.
When they went to the reception, Seven caught Patch’s bouquet, and Bumlets caught the garter. Both of them frowned since it was said that they should get married next.
“That’ll be the day!” Bumlets shouted.
Seven couldn’t help but laugh at his remark, but she knew that they would never get married, and she hoped that she would never marry or even come close to it.
* * *
Ten Months Later
Ten months had flown by for Seven. Before she knew it, it was Groundhog day, and four days before the second anniversary of Edward’s death. Of course she was sad, but she glad that she had Bumlets. They had become even closer over the last year, even though they had their differences.
Seven was beginning to feel more than a best friend to him, but it seemed like she didn’t want to have those feelings. Oscar Delancy had stopped teasing the newsies, but he had just recently moved away to live with his grandfather.
Today, Seven and Bumlets were selling their newspapers in Central Park. Just as Seven was almost finished, she heard a soft cry. She turned to see a little girl walking around, crying. Seven handed her remaining newspapers over to Bumlets.
“Bumlets, will you hold those for a minute?” she asked.
Bumlets nodded. “Sure.”
Seven smiled at him and walked over to the little girl. She knelt down to make herself not look so tall.
“Where’s yer mommy?” she asked.
The girl sniffled and rubbed her nose. “I don’t know.” She cried.
Seven took the girl’s hand. “Why don’t you come with me? I know a place where you can find your mommy.”
The girl nodded and Seven picked her up. The girl hugged Seven’s neck as she walked toward the police station with Bumlets behind her. When she arrived, she opened the door to see a woman standing there, crying and looking very worried. The girl looked up and her face lit up.
“Mommy!” she shouted.
The woman turned around and saw her daughter in Seven’s arms. Seven set the little girl down and she ran up to her mother and jumped into her arms. The woman held her daughter tightly and cried.
“Oh my baby, my precious, precious baby. Thank God I found you.”
The woman looked up at Seven, who was watching and smiling.
“I found ‘er walking around Central Park,” she explained, “and I told her that I’d bring her here.”
The woman set the girl down and walked over to Seven. She reached into her wallet and pulled out a ten-dollar bill.
“This is for finding my Emily.” She said.
Seven shook her head and raised her hands. “Oh no, I couldn’t take it.”
The woman nodded. “Please take it. If I had lost Emily, I don’t know what I’d do.”
Seven shrugged but took the money and put it in her pocket. “Thank you.” She said.
The woman smiled and nodded and took Emily’s hand and led her out of the station. Seven left to and met Bumlets, who was waiting outside for her.
“Found ‘er mom?” he asked.
Seven nodded. “Yep. She gave me ten bucks, so why don’t we go to Tibby’s fer dinner tonight?”
Bumlets smiled. “Sounds like fun. By the way, here’s yer papes. Wanna head back to Central Park?”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
* * *
Bumlets pulled the chair out, dusted the seat of and then pointed to the seat.
“Have a seat, madam?”
Seven chuckled and sat down. “Thank you, sir.”
Bumlets pushed her seat in and went to his own seat and sat down. He pulled up the menu and looked over everything.
“You can order whatever you want.” Seven told him.
“Ya sure?” Bumlets asked.
“Yeah. I’ve got more money elsewhere.”
Bumlets smiled. He knew about her bank account since she had been doing so much stuff for all the newsies that got married. No one knew how much money she had, but no one asked. Bumlets looked at the menu again and found what he wanted.
“Can I take your orders?” the waiter asked, when he came by their table.
Seven looked at Bumlets. “You first.”
Bumlets nodded. “I’ll take a turkey sandwich, soup and a sarsaparilla.”
The waiter jotted it down on his pad. “And for you, miss?”
“The same.”
The waiter jotted that down and headed to get their food. Seven looked at Bumlets and blushed a little bit. This was the first date she had gone on with him, and it seemed somewhat different than when she was with Edward.
Bumlets thought that same thing about her; it seemed so different without Janice. Even though Bumlets knew that there would always be something for Janice in his heart, he rethought his decision about not getting married. Seven had rethought her decision too, but neither of them suspected it.
A few minutes later, the waiter returned with their dinner. When he left, both Seven and Bumlets started with their soup. When they noticed that they had started with the same thing, they began to laugh.
“Oops.” Bumlets said with a grin.
Seven shook her head. “Are our thought linked or something?”
Bumlets pointed at Seven. “Good point.”
They laughed a little more, and Bumlets pushed his soup away and began to munch on his sandwich. When they finished their dinner, the waiter came by and took their plates.
“Would you like dessert?” he asked.
Bumlets looked at Seven. “That okay with you?”
Seven nodded. “Yes.”
Bumlets looked at the waiter. “Can I have a slice of blueberry pie?”
The waiter jotted it down. “And for you, miss?”
“I’d like a slice of chocolate pie.”
The waiter jotted that down and left. Bumlets looked at Seven and noticed that she had a little bit of mustard on the side of her face.
“Hey Seven, you’ve got mustard on yer cheek.”
Seven started to wipe at the wrong side of her face. Bumlets took his napkin and wiped it off for her. As he wiped it off, Seven reached up and accidentally took his hand. The two looked up and their eyes met.
They stared into each other’s eyes for a few minutes until the waiter placed their pieces of pies on the table and the tab for dinner. Bumlets removed the napkin from Seven’s face and started to eat his pie. Seven did the same, but once in a while, they’d look up at each other for a split second.
When they were finished with their desserts, Seven placed the ten-dollar bill on the small tray and waited for the waiter to take it. The waiter took it and returned with her change. Seven handed him a dollar for a tip and she and Bumlets left the restaurant.
The two were silent as they walked back to the lodging house, but both of them would often sneak glances at each other. If either of them caught the other looking, they would both turn away. Seven knew that she needed to talk to someone about it, and there were two that could tell her what she needed to know.
* * *
Part Four: More Than Friends
Ain’t nobody gonna say goodbye, no ain’t no body gonna walk away; this time, baby, I’m learning how to love you, love you. Ain’t nobody gonna make you cry, no ain’t nobody ever really tried to love you like I love you.
All the next day, Seven was busy, but the day after, she went to Twilight’s to talk to her about Bumlets. She knocked at the apartment door, and Twilight came to the door. Her stomach was very large, but her face lit up when she saw Seven.
“Seven! Come on in!”
Seven smiled and walked into the apartment. Their apartment wasn’t very big, but it was a place they could call home.
“Have a seat.” Twilight offered.
Seven nodded and sat down on the loveseat. Twilight slowly sat down in her rocker and rocked a little bit.
“So, what brings you here? I thought you’d be with Bumlets.”
Seven folded her hands and leaned forward. “Actually, he’s what I wanted to talk about.”
Twilight looked a little surprised. “You’re not breaking up, are you?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Seven exclaimed. “We aren’t seeing each other! We’re just friends, that all.”
“But Specs told me that you and Bumlets went to Tibby’s last night on a date.”
“It was just a dinner. The problem is, I think I’m falling in love with him.”
“But that’s wonderful! Everyone wanted to see you two get together!”
“No, that’s not it. The problem is, I’m afraid of falling in love with him.”
Twilight looked confused. “What’re you talking about?”
Seven looked up at Twilight. “Edward.”
“Oh. I see. You’re afraid because he was your fiancé, right?”
Seven nodded solemnly. “Yeah.”
“Bumlets was engaged at one time, too.”
“I know. That’s another reason why I’m afraid of falling in love with him. He still has a place in his heart for Janice. Just like I still have a place in my heart for Edward.”
Twilight leaned back in her rocker and began to rock again. “Oh, I see. So you’re afraid that if you two fall in love, you won’t love each other completely, right?”
Seven nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, all I can tell you is that you should listen to your heart. God speaks to you through your heart, and he guides you from there.”
Seven smiled. “I know. So, when’s the baby due?”
Twilight put a hand to her side. “In about three weeks. You know, Jack gave us a pair of baby booties at our wedding.”
Seven chuckled. “How cute.”
Twilight shifted in her chair. “And this baby’s kicking so much that it’s beginning to carve its initials into the sides of my stomach!”
Both Seven and Twilight began to laugh. Seven nearly fell off the loveseat because she was laughing so hard.
“That’s a new one on me, Twilight!” Seven exclaimed.
Twilight smiled. “I have no idea where I thought of that, but it makes me laugh too. But about Bumlets, I think you should pray about it, or maybe you should talk to Patch about it too.”
* * *
The next day, Seven went to Patch’s apartment. She lived down the street from Twilight’s apartment, so it didn’t take her very long to get there. When Seven arrived, she was about to knock on the door when the door opened and Mush stepped out. He nearly plowed into Seven in the process.
“Whoa! I didn’t see ya there, Seven!” Mush exclaimed.
Seven smiled and hugged Mush. “Hey Mush, great to see ya again. Is yer lovely bride home?”
Mush nodded. “Yep. Love ta chat, but I gotta get to my job. I’ll be seein’ ya.”
“Seven? Is that you?”
Seven saw Patch coming our from behind Mush. Her smile grew bright when she saw her.
“Seven! Get over here, I haven’t seen you in a while!”
Seven pushed past Mush and hugged Patch. “It’s so good to see you!” Seven exclaimed.
Patch nodded. “You too.”
“Well, I’ll be goin’ now.” Said Mush. “Love ya, sweetie.”
Patch kissed her fingers and waved at Mush. Mush did the same thing and shut the door behind him. Seven pulled away from Patch looked her over.
“You look great, Patch.” Seven said with a smile.
Patch blushed. “Actually Seven, I just found out I’m pregnant.”
Seven’s eyes lit up. “Really? Oh Patch, this is great!”
Patch chuckled. “Thanks. I’ve heard rumors that Twilight’s gonna pop in a few weeks. Is that true?”
“Couldn’t be more truth in it.”
“Well, I came here to talk about something personal in my life.”
“Is it Bumlets?”
Seven nodded. “Yeah, how’d you know?”
“Wild guess.”
“Well, I talked with Twilight about it yesterday, and she said I should talk to you too.”
“Well, make yourself at home and I’ll bring over some tea.”
Seven sat down on the couch while Patch took the teakettle off the fire and poured the hot liquid into some china cups. She brought them over and gave one to Seven. Seven took a sip before she began to talk.
“Well, there’s a problem with me and Bumlets. He’s my best friend and all, but I think I’m falling in love with him.”
“There’s nothing bad about that.”
“I know, but the problem is Edward. I’m afraid of being in love with him after I’ve been engaged to Edward. Plus, Bumlets has been engaged too, but we both lost them.”
“You’re afraid that you won’t have enough love for him since there’s still a place for Edward in your heart?”
“Exactly.”
“I say pray about it.”
“That’s what Twilight said. Besides, tomorrow’s the second anniversary of Edward’s and Janice’s death.”
“Well, I say pray about it. I’m afraid I don’t have any more advice for you today. I wish I did, but I don’t.”
Seven smiled. “It’s okay. Well, it’s been nice chatting with you, but I think I’ve got a prayer appointment to keep.”
Patch nodded. “Okay. Well, it was nice having you, and come over again soon, cuz I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll visit next week. I promise.”
* * *
Seven had prayed almost all night, but she still didn’t know what to do about Bumlets. When they went out to sell their papers, she could see that he looked a little nervous too. When they finished, Bumlets startled her by putting his arm around Seven. Seven nearly jumped a mile.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Seven.” Bumlets said. “I didn’t know you weren’t paying attention.”
“It’s okay, Bumlets. So, was there something you wanted to say?”
Bumlets nodded. “You wanna come with me on a walk? I wanna show ya somethin’.”
Seven smiled. “Sounds like fun.”
Bumlets looked happy and he tightened his embrace on Seven. They walked away from Central Park, and Seven stuck by Bumlets’ side. He was taking her someplace where she had never been before.
“Uh Bumlets,” Seven said, “where exactly are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Seven looked confused but didn’t ask any questions. After about fifteen minutes, Seven looked in front of her and saw the Statue of Liberty.
“Here we are.” Said Bumlets.
Seven’s jaw dropped. “Wow! For as long I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen the Statue of Liberty!”
Bumlets looped his arm around Seven’s waist. “Yeah. It’s beautiful, ain’t it?”
Seven nodded. “Yes.”
“But ya know somethin’?”
“What?”
“It ain’t nowhere as beautiful as you.”
Seven smiled and stared into Bumlets’ smiling eyes. They stared at each other for a minute, then they slowly began to get closer. Just as their lips were at least an inch apart, both of them drew back and took a few steps back. Bumlets turned around and broke into a run.
He ran until he reached the old house where Janice used to live. It was a two-story house, but it was broken since no one had lived in it since she had died. Bumlets walked inside and looked around. Cobwebs were everywhere, and floor was covered in dust. Most of the things had been taken out of this old house, but down in the cellar was a trunk of things that he couldn’t take to the lodging house.
Remembering why he was there, he ran up the stairs to the second floor. He found Janice’s room and walked toward it. He opened the door and looked into the empty room. He took a step into the room, and a floorboard creaked and snapped as he shifted his weight on it.
Bumlets knew that the board would break if he stepped on it again, so he jumped over the board to the other side of the room. He walked over to a corner and sat down. He pulled his knees up to his chest and hid his face.
God, he prayed, what am I going to do? I’m in love with Seven, but I don’t know what to do.
* * *
Seven felt sad when Bumlets ran away, but she ran off when he was out of her sight. She ran over to Newspaper Row and ran down the alley where she had first met Oscar Delancy. She slumped up against the wall and pulled her legs up to her chest. A stray tear made its way down the side of her face.
Oh God, she prayed, what do I do? I’m in love with Bumlets, but I don’t know what to do. Please, I really need you right now.
Just then, she could hear a still, small voice speaking to her heart. The tears stopped flowing down Seven’s face, and a smile slowly began to make its way across her face. She had her answer now, and she needed to tell Bumlets.
She stood up and broke into a run. She knew where Bumlets went when he wanted to think, and she was sure that he was there. She ran toward the old house where Janice used to live. When she arrived, she could see that Bumlets had been there. She ran up the stairs and found the door to one of the rooms in front of her.
Inside, she could see Bumlets in the same position that she was in a few minutes ago. He looked like he was praying too.
“Bumlets?” Seven asked, walking towards him.
Bumlets looked up and his face lit up when he saw her. As she got closer, he remembered the old floorboard.
“Seven!” he shouted. “Don’t-”
It was too late. Seven had stepped into the room, and on the loose floorboard. The board creaked, then it gave way and Seven fell through the floor.
“SEVEN!” Bumlets shouted.
He heard another crash, and his heart stopped. He looked down the hole where Seven had crashed through, but there was so much dust that he couldn’t see or breathe. He got up, jumped over the hole and stampeded down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, his heart skipped a beat.
There was another hole in this floor. Bumlets rushed to the stairs that led to the cellar and rushed down them. When he reached the foot of the stairs, he found a pile of boards in a large pile, and dust arose everywhere.
“Seven!” he shouted.
No answer. Bumlets rushed over to the pile of boards and looked around it. He finally found one of Seven’s arm extended out of the pile of boards. He grabbed her hand and stroked her wrist to feel her pulse race furiously.
“I’m gonna get you out, Seven.”
Bumlets set her arm on the ground and started moving the boards off of her. It took him a while since there were so many boards on top of her, but was relieved when he saw her shirt. He grabbed the rest of the boards and pulled them off of her. When he found Seven, she was covered in blood and there was cut on the back of her head. Bumlets gently grabbed Seven and held her in his arms.
“Come on Seven,” he said, “come on, wake up!”
* * *
PART THREE