Part Five: Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave
How long have you been feeling lonely? How long have you been feeling sad and blue?
Seven didn’t move. Her chest was just barely rising, but Bumlets knew that he needed to stop the bleeding from the cut on the back of her head. He went over to the trunk down there and pulled out a blanket that he had kept and some rags that he kept just in case.
He rushed back to Seven and shouted at the rats that were getting close to her. He picked Seven up and tore a rag in two. He tied the two pieces of the rag together and made it into a bandage. He tore another rag and tied it to the first bandage. When it was all made up, he used the third to clean the blood off her head and tied the bandage around her head.
He set her head in his lap and used another to clean the blood off of her face and hands. Just as he started to clean her hands, Seven shifted. Bumlets’ heart skipped another beat as she moved again. Tears started falling from her eyes, and then they opened and looked up at Bumlets.
“Bumlets.” She said, her voice quiet, high-pitched and hoarse.
Bumlets pulled the blanket over her. “Shh, don’t try to talk; you jus’ had a bad fall.”
Seven closed her eyes. Bumlets could tell that she was in a great deal of pain, and he wanted to get help, but she was badly injured because of the accident and he was afraid of what might happen if he left her alone. He shook her gently until her eyes opened.
“Seven, stay awake! If you fall asleep, you might not wake up again!” he exclaimed.
Seven nodded but tears squeezed out of her eyes. Bumlets tucked the blanket around her and tried not to make any of her other wounds worse.
“Seven, where does it hurt?”
Seven looked up at him and smiled. “I’m not in any pain since I’m with you.”
Bumlets smiled and gently pulled her close to his heart. “And I’m gonna stay with you for as long as it takes.”
* * *
Twilight was rocking in her rocking chair and reading a play by Shakespeare. She smiled and put a bookmark in her book and set it on her chair. She got up and headed to the water pump to get a drink when she suddenly gripped her side.
“Oh God.” She whispered.
There was another sharp pain in her side, and she cried out in pain. The neighbors weren’t home, and Specs was at work. Twilight cried out again and fell onto the loveseat.
“Specs, please come home!” she cried.
* * *
Dark came, and there was no sign of Seven or Bumlets. It wasn’t a very big deal in the summertime, but since it was February, Jack became worried about them since it went below freezing at night. He stood on top on his bunk and got the newsies’ attention.
“Hey, listen up!” he shouted. “Bumlets an’ Seven ain’t here yet, an’ I’m getting worried. I want youse ta go out an’ look fer ‘em before it gets too cold. Kid Blink, Race, Boots, you check around the border of Harlem. Skittery, Itey, check around Queens. Snitch, Jake, look around East Side. Dutchy, Snipeshooter, check around the Bronx. Snoddy, check dat old house where Bumlets goes when ‘e wants ta think. Everyone else look whereva ya can.”
Everyone nodded, bundled up and started scattering away from the lodging house. Everyone knew where Janice’s house was because they were all there when she had died, so Snoddy had no problem in going there.
* * *
Twilight laid on the loveseat, crying hard. This baby was coming, and there was no one around to help.
“God,” she cried, “please let someone come soon!”
She had another contraction, and she was beginning to bleed. She just kept praying that someone would come sometime soon.
* * *
Seven shut her eyes. Her entire left side hurt, for that was the side that she had landed on. The bleeding on her side had stopped, but it was getting colder. She shivered under the blanket, but Bumlets held her close and rocked her.
“Shh, it’s okay, Seven. Just stay awake and everythin’ll be all right.”
Tears started pouring out of Seven’s eyes. She began to sniffle, and Bumlets’ comforting hand came down and was set on the side of her face. He gently turned her face towards his.
“It’s okay, Seven. Someone’ll come soon, and they’ll get a doctor and you’ll be okay.”
Seven smiled weakly. “Don’t fret, Bumlets. I’m not in any pain as long as you’re with me.”
Bumlets gave her a friendly smile, but he knew that she was in a great deal of pain. Just seeing her bruised and bleeding made him become more concerned about her, and the more concerned he became, the more he learned to love her.
He brushed a strand of hair that was in her face and tucked it behind her ear. Seven breathed and shut her eyes. Bumlets shook her gently.
“Stay awake, Seven!”
Seven moaned and opened her eyes. “I’m so tired, Bumlets.”
“I know, but why don’t you tell me something? Why don’t you tell me about Edward? I’ve always wanted to know about him. How’d you meet him?”
Seven shut her eyes for a brief second, and then tears started falling down her cheeks. “It happened when I was twelve. I was with my uncle at this New Year’s Day Party, and that was where I saw Edward. He was fourteen when we met. We talked for a while, and we became friends quickly. Later that night, we were walking and not watching where we were going and we stopped right underneath some mistletoe. Someone pointed it out, so we kissed. Right then, I knew I was going to marry him. Then five years later, he asked me to marry him, and a year after that, we were in a bank that got robbed. The robber was holding us hostage, and he was very skittish.”
Seven started crying. Bumlets pulled her head close to his heart and rocked her gently.
“It’s okay, Angela. Everything’s gonna be okay.”
Seven gulped. “The robber had a gun, and he threatened to kill the hostages. I was crying hard, and he pointed the gun at me. Edward saw and jumped in front of me when the gun went off. He was killed almost instantly, and the robber killed himself when he saw that Edward was dead.”
Seven hid her face in Bumlets’ chest and sobbed. Bumlets gently held the back of her head, trying not to disturb the cut on her head, and rocked her gently. He prayed that someone would come soon, and then he heard someone walking upstairs.
“Hello?” someone called. “Bumlets? Are ya here?”
Bumlets smiled. He knew Snoddy’s voice anywhere, and he heard Snoddy gasp when he saw the hole.
“Down here, Snoddy!” Bumlets shouted.
Snoddy rushed to the hole and looked down. He found Bumlets cradling Seven, who was wrapped in a blanket, holding onto Bumlets and covered in blood.
“Bumlets, what happened?” Snoddy demanded.
“She fell through two floors! Go get a doctor, and quickly! She’s hurt real bad!”
Without asking questions, Snoddy nodded, turned around and took off for the nearest doctor’s office.
* * *
Crutchy and Pie Eater walked down the street towards Twilight and Specs’ apartment. They had just been to Patch and Mush’s place, and they hadn’t seen or heard from Seven of Bumlets. When they reached the apartment, Crutchy thought he could hear crying coming from inside.
“Hey Pie Eater,” he said, “ya hear somethin’?”
Pie Eater stopped and listened. “Yeah, but we need ta get Twilight an’ Specs. Come on, der apartment’s right ‘ere.”
Pie Eater knocked on the door, but then he heard the crying coming from inside. He suddenly felt frightened.
“Twilight?” he called. “You in there?”
All he could hear was more crying. Pie Eater grabbed the doorknob and turned it. The door wouldn’t budge. He backed up and told Crutchy to stand back.
“You better stay outa da way.” he said.
Crutchy did as he was told and got out of the way. Pie Eater back up a little more, then broke into a run and crashed through the apartment door. Crutchy helped him and they rushed to Twilight, who was trying not to scream.
“Twilight, what’s wrong?” Crutchy asked.
“The baby’s coming!” she shouted.
Crutchy and Pie Eater froze. Pie Eater later shook his head when Twilight cried out again and pushed Crutchy a little.
“You stay ‘ere wit Twilight.” He told him. “I’ll get a doctor.”
* * *
Bumlets looked down at Seven, who had pulled her face out of his chest for the moment.
“Snoddy’s gettin’ a doctor.” He told her. “Everythin’s gonna be fine.”
Seven shut her eyes, thinking it was safe for her to sleep now, but Bumlets shook her again.
“Stay awake until the doctor comes!” he said.
Seven looked up at Bumlets. “Bumlets, I told you about Edward, why don’t you tell me about Janice?”
Bumlets nodded. “Okay. I met her when I was real little, and we met up shortly after the strike. When I met up with her, I asked her to marry me. She said yes, but then she got the fever just a month before our wedding and died.”
Seven sniffled. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Angela.”
Seven smiled. She was glad that someone was calling her by her given name now, especially the man she loved. The reason why she came in the first place is because she now knew that they were right for each other, but she couldn’t tell him now that this had happened.
She wanted to tell him when she knew that she was completely well, for she had her doubts about getting through this alive. Ten minutes went by, and then Bumlets heard footsteps. Snoddy peeked over the hole and found the two still there.
“I got the doctor!” he shouted. “Where’s the stairs?”
“Straight ahead, first door on the left!” Bumlets shouted.
Snoddy nodded and led the doctor to the stairs. The doctor quickly made his way down the stairs and rushed toward Seven and Bumlets. Seven clung to Bumlets as the doctor checked her. Finally, he knew her condition and looked upset.
“We need to get this girl to the hospital. It’s okay for you to move her, so you’ll need to carry her up. You think you can handle that?”
Bumlets nodded. “I know I can handle it.”
The doctor packed his valise and Bumlets carefully lifted Seven up. Seven cried out when he was on his feet, but he moved careful so not to hurt her. He followed the doctor and Snoddy up the stairs, but was careful not to hurt Seven.
It was a good thing that the doctor had come in a carriage, so he let Bumlets come with them to the hospital. Before they rode off, Bumlets turned to Snoddy.
“Tell Jack where we are!” he shouted.
Snoddy did as he was told, and the carriage rolled across the pavement toward the hospital. When they arrived, the doctor opened the carriage door and Bumlets carried Seven out. She was still trying to stay awake, but it was hard for her. Bumlets took her into the hospital and she was wheeled away into the back room.
When the doors shut, Bumlets collapsed into a chair and covered his face with his hands. His heart pounded against his ribs because he was so scared. Just then, the door opened and he heard harsh crying.
He turned to see Pie Eater carrying Twilight, who was gripping her side and crying as if in harsh pain. Jack came in behind them, and when he saw Bumlets, he looked relieved.
“Bumlets! Where’s Seven?” Jack demanded.
Bumlets looked at the ground. “She’s hurt real bad, Jack. What’s up wit Twilight?”
“She’s ‘aving ‘er baby!”
A doctor came and took Twilight to the maternity ward. A few minutes later, Specs came running though the doors and rushed to Twilight’s room. Bumlets paced around the room, waiting for news on Seven. He needed to tell her something, and it was very important. A half-hour passed, and a doctor finally came out with news on Seven.
“How’s Angela?” Bumlets demanded.
The doctor sighed. “She has broken ribs all along her left side, she’s dislocated her left knee and cracked her left shoulder. She also has a few more cracked ribs, some deep cuts, but we’re still running a test to see if she’s sick.”
“Doc, can I see ‘er? There’s somethin’ I gotta tell ‘er, an’ it’s very important.”
“Well…”
“Please! It’s very important!”
The doctor shrugged. “Five minutes.”
Without asking questions, Bumlets took off like a bullet from a gun. He rushed to Seven’s room and found her on a bed, covered in bandages and sleeping quietly. There was a nurse in the room, waiting for the results of the doctor’s tests. She seemed surprised when she saw Bumlets.
“What’re you doing here?” she demanded.
“The doc gave me five minutes ta see ‘er.” Bumlets answered.
The nurse nodded and Bumlets walked over to Seven. He took her hand and gently stroked the side of her face with his finger.
“Angela,” he said softly, “can you hear me?”
Seven’s eyelashes fluttered, then they opened. When she saw Bumlets, she smiled.
“Hi.” She said, her voice quiet and hoarse.
“Hi.” Said Bumlets. “How’re you feelin’?”
“Terrible.”
“Well, I’ve only got a couple minutes before I gotta go, so I gotta make this quick. Der’s somethin’ I gotta tell ya.”
“And what’s that?”
Bumlets looked over at the nurse. She was watching the two, and she smiled at them. Bumlets knew that it was going to be hard to say, but he turned and looked at Seven and took a deep breath.
“What I wanna say is…” he began.
“Yes?” Seven asked.
“Well…um…what I’m trying to say is I…love…chocolate.”
Bumlets felt like he wanted to shoot himself in the head. You stupid idiot! He thought. He only took a deep breath and decided to try again.
“You want me to bring you some when I see you tomorrah?”
Seven smiled and nodded, but then her smile melted and she started to cough. She covered her mouth with her hand and her coughing became worse.
“Angela?” he asked.
Seven suddenly stopped coughing and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. The nurse sprang into action and called another doctor. Bumlets leaned over Seven, terrified.
“Angela?” he asked.
The nurse grabbed a cot, unfolded it and another doctor came into the room. They placed Seven on the cot and started to wheel her out of the room.
“What’s going on?” Bumlets demanded.
“Get her to emergency.” Another doctor said. “Boy, you’ll have to leave now.”
Bumlets shook his head. “NO! I’m stayin’ wit ‘er!”
Jack, who came in behind the doctor, grabbed Bumlets’ shoulders and held him back until Seven was gone. Bumlets shook his head in shock.
“Go back to the waiting room,” the doctor ordered. “I’ll tell you her condition in a few minutes.”
Jack pulled Bumlets to the waiting room and sat him down. Jack could tell that Bumlets was very afraid because the last person it had happened to that he knew was Janice, and she had died.
“She’s gonna be okay, Bumlets.” Jack told him.
Bumlets hoped he was right.
* * *
Part Six: A New Life, A Lost Life
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.
Specs squeezed Twilight’s hand as she cried out. “Yer doin’ great, Twilight!” he coached.
“Keep pushing!” the nurse shouted. “It’s coming!”
Twilight screamed as she pushed. Specs didn’t like hearing her scream like that, but he had never been around a woman who was in labor and had no idea what to do.
“I see its head!” the nurse shouted. “It’s almost over!”
Twilight pushed some more, and screamed even louder. Specs was glad it was almost over, for he had been waiting six months for this baby to come. The nurse looked up at the Twilight.
“Come on! Just a few more pushes and it’ll be all over!”
Twilight screamed louder than she had all night, and finally, she stopped and started breathing normally. Specs had his eyes closed, and he opened them as he heard soft crying that didn’t belong to Twilight. He saw the nurse cleaning off a tiny baby, who was crying loudly. The nurse cleaned it off and handed it to Twilight.
“It’s a boy.”
Twilight smiled and Specs jumped up and shouted, “YES!”
Twilight looked at the tiny baby and smiled. “Hi.” She whispered.
She rocked the baby and looked at Specs. She showed him to Specs and smiled.
“You’re a daddy now.”
Specs took the baby and looked at it. “Wow.” He said. “He’s my kid!”
“Whaddaya wanna call him?”
Specs looked at Twilight. “How ‘bout Eric Michael? He looks like an Eric.”
Twilight nodded. “I like that.”
* * *
Bumlets was wringing his hands as he waited for information on Seven. It had been an hour since she was taken to the ER, he was getting tired, but he didn’t want to go to sleep until he knew that Seven would be okay.
Finally, the doctor came through the door. Bumlets jumped up, but the doctor silenced his words but holding his hand up.
“I’m afraid I have some bad news.” He said.
Bumlets’ heart froze. The girl he loved was back in the ER, and the doctor comes out with bad news. He hoped it wasn’t that bad.
“We have just discovered that she has Tetanus. There is evidence that she was cut with a rusted nail and it has turned into a sickness.”
“Will she be okay?” Bumlets asked, his voice anxious and afraid.
The doctor sighed. “She’s taken a turn for the worst. My estimate is that there’s a forty percent chance she’ll make it through the night.”
That as the last thing that Bumlets wanted to hear. The same thing was said the night before Janice died, and the next morning she was gone. Bumlets fought back tears as Jack patted his shoulder.
“Let’s go home, Bumlets.”
Bumlets swallowed the lump in his throat as he nodded and followed Jack out the door. As they got farther away, he felt that something was trying to pull him back there. As much as he wanted to, he knew that he couldn’t.
* * *
Bumlets tossed in his bed and tears streamed down his face. He hadn’t gotten any sleep all night because all he could think about was Seven. He was also angry at himself because he wanted to tell her that he loved her, but it came out wrong, and now he might lose her.
Finally, he threw his covers off, pulled a coat on and opened the window the fire escape. He walked up the fire escape and when he reached the roof, he couldn’t hold back any more. He broke down and wept bitterly.
“Why?” he said. “Why are you taking her away from me?”
“He isn’t, Randy.”
Bumlets froze. He turned around and saw Janice standing there, and she knelt down beside him.
“Janice?” he asked.
Janice smiled and nodded. “I’m an angel, Randy. And God isn’t taking Angela away from you.”
“It’s my fault she’s like this.” Bumlets sobbed. “I should’ve told her about the loose floorboard before she came towards me.”
“It’s not your fault.” Janice said, soothingly. “Even if Angela didn’t survive, she’d go home. You’ve gotta know that she’d be going to a better place where she’d never be in pain again.”
“I know, but it hurts so much. I lost you, and now I’m on the verge of losing her too. I can’t live like that. Is God gonna take her away?”
“I don’t know yet, but you need to know that she is in God’s hands right now.”
Bumlets sniffled and turned to look at Janice, but she was gone. Bumlets knew that she was right, so he returned to the bunkroom and laid down on his bed. He tried to get to sleep, but he couldn’t.
He tossed and turned, but still couldn’t sleep. He was about to give up on it when he heard something that sounded like singing. He could hear mellow tunes and finally he heard a voice begin to sing.
“So much pain and oh the reason why.” The voice sang. “You’ve cried until the tears run dry. And nothing here can make you understand. The one thing that you held so dear is slipping from your hands. And you say, why, why, why does it go this way? And why, why, why? And all I can say, is somewhere down the road, there’ll be answers to the questions. Somewhere down the road, though we cannot see it now. Somewhere down the road you will find mighty arms reaching for you. And they will hold the answers at the end of the road.”
“Yesterday I thought I’d seen it all. I thought I’d climbed the highest wall, now I see the learning never ends. And all I know to do is keep on walking, walking ‘round the bend, saying, why, why, why does it go this way? And why, why, why? And all I can say, is somewhere down the road, there’ll be answers to the questions. Somewhere down the road, though we cannot see it now. Somewhere down the road you will find mighty arms reaching for you. And they will hold the answers at the end of the road.”
“Why, why, why does it go this way? And why, why, why? And all I can say, all I know to say now, is somewhere down the road, there’ll be answers to the questions. Somewhere down the road, though we cannot see it now. Somewhere down the road you will find mighty arms reaching for you. And they will hold the answers at the end of the road.”
Bumlets smiled and a tear rolled down his cheek. And right then, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
Bumlets awoke to someone shaking his shoulder vigorously. He only moaned and hid his face in his pillow.
“Go away.” He moaned.
Jack pulled his covers off. “Get up! It’s almost eleven o’clock!”
Bumlets rolled over. “What?”
“Kloppman let ya sleep in, an’ now it’s almost eleven. Ya wanna see Seven or not?”
Bumlets didn’t answer; instead he jumped off of his bed, grabbed his clothes and changed quickly. He grabbed his comb but didn’t stop to brush his hair out. Jack waited for him, and Bumlets came out of the washroom, and he started combing his hair.
“I’ll do the hair while we walk, okay?”
Jack nodded and the two headed out the door. When they got closer to the hospital, Bumlets’ heart turned cold. What if she didn’t make it through the night? He wondered. When they arrived, Bumlets ran to the front desk, startling the nurse behind it.
“How’s Angela Meyers?” he asked.
The nurse looked at her papers. “One moment, I’ll need to get her doctor to tell you her condition.”
Bumlets tapped his foot impatiently as the nurse left the room to get the doctor. He paced around room a little bit and his heart pounded against his ribs. He had never been so nervous in his life. Finally, the doctor came out with a clipboard in his hands. Bumlets rushed to him when he saw him.
“How’s Angela?” he asked.
The doctor smiled. “She made it through the night, and she’s recovering.”
Bumlets’ legs nearly gave out. He smiled and his heart stopped pounding against his ribs.
“She will however need to stay here for at least two months before she’s fully recovered. She has a few bones broken, and she has that cut on the back of her head. I’d say she’ll be able to leave in about two months.”
Bumlets sighed with relief. “Can I see her?”
The doctor nodded. “That would probably be the best thing for her. She hasn’t woken up since last night, and I think a friend would be perfect for her.”
Bumlets smiled and took off for Seven’s room. He had never felt so relieved in his entire life. When he opened the door, he found Seven sleeping peacefully, and she looked much better than she had last night. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles.
“Angela,” he said, “can you hear me?”
Seven’s eyelashes fluttered, and then they opened. She looked around the room before finally meeting Bumlets’ eyes.
“Hi.” He said. “How’re you feeling? The doctor said it was a close call.”
Seven gave him a strange look. “My head hurts, and my side hurts.”
“The doc says ya gotta stay here fer at least two months. Think you can handle that?”
Seven shrugged. “I dunno.”
Right then, Bumlets knew what he needed to tell her. He needed to tell her what he had meant to say that last night.
“Angela,” he said, “remember what I said last night, about loving chocolate?”
Seven shook her head. “No.” she turned her head away from him. “Actually, this may sound silly, but I don’t remember anything. I don’t even know who you are.”
Bumlets turned pale. “What?” he exclaimed.
Seven let out a sniffle. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t remember anything or anyone.” She looked at Bumlets. “Who are you, anyway?”
Bumlets stood up. “I’ll be right back. Don’t you worry, I promise I’ll be back.”
Seven nodded and Bumlets left the room. The doctor was waiting outside, and when he saw the look on Bumlets’ face, he knew something was wrong.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Bumlets looked at the ground and a tear ran down his cheek. “She don’t know who I am. She doesn’t know anything, an’ she can’t remember anything.”
The doctor’s eyes grew wide and he rushed into Seven’s room. Bumlets leaned against the wall and slumped to the ground. He pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them. A few minutes later, the doctor came back.
“I’m afraid she suffering from amnesia, or memory loss.” He told Bumlets.
Bumlets wiped his nose on the back of his hand. “Is there any way she could get her memory back?”
The doctor shrugged. “I don’t know. My guess is that if her memory doesn’t come back by the end of two months it won’t come back.”
Bumlets stood up. “Can I see her again?”
“Yes.”
Bumlets walked into the room and looked at Seven. When she saw him, her face lit up.
“You came back.” she whispered.
Bumlets nodded. “Yeah, I promised ya, didn’t I? By the way, my name’s Bumlets.”
Seven nodded. “And what’s my name?”
“Yer name’s Angela Meyers, but yer a newsie, and yer newsie name is Seven of Nine, but everyone calls ya Seven except me. I call ya by yer real name.”
Seven nodded again. “Okay. What’s a newsie?”
“A newsie is someone who sells newspapers.”
Seven looked ahead and saw a newspaper on a chair in front of her. She pointed to it.
“That’s a newspaper.”
Bumlets’ eyes lit up. “Yeah! How’d you know?”
“I dunno, I just knew.”
Bumlets stood up. “I’m gonna get a friend a yours. Just wait here and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Seven nodded and Bumlets turned around and left the room. He had high hopes that Seven would get her memory back, but he needed to tell Jack what was going on with her. When he reached the waiting room, Jack jumped up.
“Jack,” Bumlets said, “before you go see ‘er, she’s lost ‘er memory an’ doesn’t know who ya are.”
Jack’s eyes grew wide. “What?”
“She can remember what certain stuff is, but she can’t remember anything from ‘er past or anybody. I’d better go wit ya if ya wanna see ‘er.”
Jack nodded and followed Bumlets to Seven’s room. When the door opened, Bumlets stepped in and pulled Jack aside.
“Angela,” he said, “this is Jack Kelly, leader of the Manhattan newsies.”
Seven smiled at him, but Jack knew that deep inside, she had no idea who he was. He held his hand out to her, but didn’t spit in it before he held it out.
“Hey Angela.” He said. “How’re ya feelin’?”
Seven shook his hand. “I’m pretty sore, but other than that I’m fine.”
Jack looked at Seven. When he stared into her eyes, he could tell that she was very frightened. I would be too if I’d lost my memory, Jack thought.
“How did I get hurt, anyhow?” Seven asked Bumlets.
Jack looked at Bumlets. He hadn’t told him how she had gotten hurt either. Bumlets shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets.
“You were walking in this old house, and you stepped on a floorboard that was breaking and broke right out from underneath ya. You fell through the floor, and through the second floor as well. When I found ya, ya had a whole bunch of boards piled on top a ya.”
Bumlets wanted to cry right then. He could remember her saying how she didn’t feel any pain as long as he was there with her, and how she looked when she said that. It was enough to make his tears spill over. Before anyone could say anything else, the doctor came in and walked over to Seven.
“Young men, I think you should leave now. Angela has had enough excitement for one day.”
* * *
PART FOUR