“I don’t want you sellin’ papes today.” I just about jump out of my skin. I look up and find Scrapes standing infront of me.
“Youse got no say in what I will and won’t do.” I warn my brother. He looks at me sharply and can tell he must still be mad at me for going off the night before without anyone with me.
“I know youse wants to do what youse wants to, but till things get cleared up, youse stayin’ here.” I’ve never seen my brother so persistent.
“I ain’t stayin’ noweres that you tell me, what right do you have.” I say on the verge of yelling at him.
“What do you mean, I made a promise and I’m going to keep it. You’re stayin’ here!” he states. His eyes are full of pain, I’ve never seen him so serious in my life.
“Some promise keeper you are, you let me down.” I screamed on the verge of tears.
“What do I have to do to make that up to you, can’t you see I care.” he yells back.
“No, no you don’t. You would have come back for me, you would have come back.” I cried. tears wanted to stream down my face but I held them back with the hate that had built up in me.
“Pet, listen to me!” he demanded as he took me by the shoulders and backed me into a wall slowly as to keep me from running from the truth.
“You called me Pet.” my tension left me. Maybe he was telling the truth, maybe he does care.
As if he hadn’t heard me, he continued on. “I care, I want you to know that...” he started.
I closed my eyes, I couldn’t allow my self to believe him. He left me and he broke his promise. Images ran through my mind of all the heartake he caused me. I couldn’t let him make me think that he cared. “I don’t care!” I screamed. “You left and you didn’t come back. I spent my life alone because you didn’t care.” Tears sprung from my eyes.
He rammed me into the wall and I turned silent. Pain ran through me; I wanted to run but found my self being held back by his firm grasp on my shoulders. He then through me down on an empty bunk. I tried to get up and run but he pinned me down.
“Shut up and listen to me.” He screamed at me as I helplessly lay on the bunk.
“Your hurting me Scrapes, let go!” I cried trying to peal his hands off my shoulders that are pinning me down with all the strength in them.
“I said Shut Up and Listen to me!” he screamed as loud as he could. “ If you won’t let me be nice then I won’t be! You’re staying here! You’re not going anywhere! I don’t want you to leave this building!” He stood up leaving me in pain and tears on the bunk. I looked around the room only to find every last newsie staring at me and my brother. I closed my eyes, rolled over on my side so no one could see my face and cried. I don’t know how long I laid there in tears but it seemed like an eternity. “I’m sorry.” I finally heard my brother say. “Pet, please try and understand. I don’t want you to get hurt.” his voice was much calmer and his touch was much softer.
“You called me Pet,” I said again, still not turning so I could see him “why?’ I asked.
“Youse me sista’ and I want what is best for you. Please try and understand that. I have my reason’s for you stayin’ here today and they are in your best interest. If you stay here today, I’ll promise I’ll make it up to ya. Race said that he would stay with youse today so you won’t be alone. Promise you’ll stay.” He said. I turned and looked him in the eye. They were soft, I could see pain in them, almost tears.
“I’ll stay.” I said as I wiped away a tear. He took me in his arms. I closed my eyes and the comfort I felt was that like when he held me when Momma died. I knew I had my brother back. He already made it up to me, there was nothing more in the world that he could do. I saw in him that he was truly sorry and that is all I had wanted.
“Good, I promise I’ll come back right after I take care of some business.” He said. He stood up and all but one newsie followed him out of the room. Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched him walk out the door. The sight was all to familiar. Last time he left and promise he would come back, I didn’t see him for eight years.
“So, Ray, what was that all about?” I look across the room and see Race sitting at table with a deck of cards infront of him. I give him a warning look. “I know, I know. I should know better than to ask.” I smile at him and make sure I wipe away every last tear.
“What business is it that Scrapes went to take care of that is so important that I have to stay here?” I ask as stand and head to the table were he is playing with the cards.
“Oh nothin’. Do you want to play poker.” he asks trying to avoid the subject I wouldn’t let go.
“Not until you tell me what it is that I want to know.” I say as I stop infront of him.
“He said not to tell you, you’ll find out if he comes back.” he said beginning to get a little nervous.
“I don’t think you understand,” I say as calmly as I can. I then reach up and carefully place my index finger and thumb under the joint of his jaw bone. I lift my hand up and he rises with it inorder to keep it from hurting too much. “I would like to know were it is my brother is going.”
“Let go, I’ll tell you, just let go.” he pleads as I continue to lift my hand farther that he can stand. I let him go and he falls into a heap on the floor rubbing his sour jaw. “Why do you always do that to me?”
“Well, because you have info I want.” I say leaning down playing like I’m about to put my hand back under his law.
“Wesley.” he says desperately trying to think of what he can say to keep me back.
“What?” I ask stepping back in confusion.
“Wesley, he is Mike and Liam’s cousin. One day, he say you and started saying things he shouldn’t have. Scrapes found out and told him to stop and he wouldn’t. Then Wesley started to try and act on his proposal. We all had to work hard to keep him away from you.”
“What did he say?” I asked not sure how this could lead to something as important as what Scrapes seemed to be worried about.
“He said that he wanted to ...”he paused almost as if ashamed to say what I wanted to know, “ to make you his Whore. OK. That’s why Tracks and you’se brudda’ was fightin’. Scrapes said he had to help and Tracks said that he only took orders from Spot, so you’se brudda’ fought him and then the others chimed in and he got soaked. After you left the Hang out last night, Spot came by and there is gonna’ be a big fight this morning and Scrapes said you have to stay far away. He said he was doing it to make it up to you for leaving. Now I don’t know what that means but last night when he said, he ment it. So if he comes back, the least you could do is act like you’re grateful.”
“What do you mean by if he comes back. He is coming back, right.?” I feel my body go numb. I sit back in a chair behind me.
“I don’t know if he will be able to or not Ray.” Race says. He stands up and walk toward the door.
He looks at me waiting for a response, I just sat there, appalled at what I have just heard. “I have to tell him.” I stand up and head for the door. Race stops me with a strong grasp on my are. “Let me go, I have to tell him.” I pull my arm back to punch him, but someone grabs it. I turn to find Hea`ro standing behind me.
“Its ova’ kid, he’s gone.” Hea`ro says as Race lets go of my arm and turns away. Hea`ro lets go and I bolt down the stares jumping over the railing, skipping the last four steps. I ran as fast as I could to Greeley square by the distribution office.
“Mark!” I scream as I run up to my brother’s now lifeless body. “Mark, you have to get up! Somebody help my brother, please help us!” I collapse down beside him as tears flow down my cheeks. “I cried when you left, I did miss you. Every place I ever went, I wished you were there with me. Don’t leave me again, I need you, please wake up. Mark Cutstone, I demand you get up. Scrapes, please this isn’t funny any more.” I look up to the many people passing by. “Will someone please help me.” I screamed at the top of my lungs, but no one stopped.
“Come on, lets get youse outa’ here.” I hear Hea`ro behind me. “You don’t need to see this.” he tries to help me up but I just push him away.
“Get outa here, leave me alone.” he steps back and soon I hear a voice, a demanding voice.
“Hey Hea`ro, he said nine, so weres da fight, me and my boys came ready to fight.” it said as if ready to jump into action at any moment.
“Its ova.” Beam says as he turns to leave along with most of the other newsies. Soon, only Hea`ro and the owner of this mesmerizing voice remain. I stand up and turn away from my brother’s now lifeless body.
“Whats youse lookin’ at, ain’t ya eva’ seen a dead guy before?” My heart broke, the fact that I knew my brother was gone was enough to make me want to go with him. I took off down the street at a dead sprint, faster than I had ever had any reason to go before. Not caring were I wound up, I let my feet take me were ever they wanted to go; surprisingly I found my self in the lodging house.
I sat down on the bunk were he had last talked to me. I tuned out the world and think on all I had ever wanted to tell my brother, but now will never get a chance to. I stayed there all day with no expression on my face and to tears in my eyes, I won’t let them. I refuse to let this get to me even though I know it already has.
I’m jolted out of my trance when some one shakes my shoulder. “Youse been there all day, it’s time for youse to get some rest.” I look up, into Hea`ro’s face.
“I need some time to my self.” I start to head for the door, “I’ll be out back.” I head down the stares and out the door to the alley.
“Let me talk to her.” I hear from behind me as I sink into a heap next to the wall still with no way to express the pain I feel. “Youse can’t hold it in forever ya know.” the mysterious young man with a demanding voice says as he pulls me to my feet. I can’t hold back the tears any longer. I let it all out, because I knew he was right; I had tried before. He took me in his arms and let me cry. I hadn’t even seen this young man’s face, but I didn’t care, right now all I needed was someone to let me cry.
“I need to show you some thing.” he says softly. I let go and follow him to the east end of the alley. “I knew youse brudda’ vary well. ‘bout three years age, he was in me territory and was talkin’. He told me about his old man and how he treated him and his sista’. He said he regretted leaving, and he’d do anything to go back and bring you with him. He said if I eva’ get a chance to, to tell youse that his mudda’ told him ‘bout those stars. He said with the three in a row, it’s the third one on the right.” he points it out in the vast sky, and I can feel tears coming to my eyes again. “He said that if I eva’ gets a chance to, to tell youse that and now I has.” He turns back and starts to head back inside.
“Hey, thanks” he turns back toward me. My chin starts to quiver, and my eyes start to fill up with rears.
“Come’er kid,” he takes a few steps toward me and I back against the wall; he stops. “Want to talk about it?” I sank back into a heap on the ground, and he sits down beside me. I nod my head and work up the gumption to start my story.