Get your own Free Home Page
The next few days went in a similar manner. Birdie and Mac avoided each other at all costs. Neither seemed very happy about it. They would both snap at the others for no specific reason, just because they were in pain and needed to lash out at something. The rest of the Queens newsies were worried, along with several of the newsies around the city. They called a meeting for all of them at Rye’s when they were sure that neither Birdie nor Mac would stop by. They were both back at the lodging houses sulking. The fact that the houses were on opposite sides of the borough helped considerably.
“Hey, everyone, quiet down!” Faith yelled over the lull of the chattering newsies. They quieted down a little but didn’t silence. “Hey! I said shut up!” Faith screamed, getting a bit angry. They silenced instantly at her outburst. It was beyond unusual for her. “What’re we gonna do ‘bout Birdie ‘n’ Mac? Somethin’s up wit’ ‘em,” she announced.
“So we heard, Faith,” Lazybones Johnson from the Bronx chimed in.
“I figured, Lazy,” Faith remarked, glaring at the Bronx girl. “But the fact is, they both been actin’ real strange lately. We gotta do somethin’ ‘bout it!”
“Yeah, I’m in, but what, Faith? I mean, they’re not exactly welcomin’ help from anyone,” Echo replied.
Faith thought for a moment. “Anybody got any ideas?” she asked the room.
“How about we get them in the same place for a meetin’?” Shamrock suggested with a shrug.
“Sounds good, Shamrock, but how d’ya expect ta do that anytime soon?” Kit asked cynically.
“Aw, give ‘er a chance, Kit. She came up wit’ a good idea,” Deacon said, tightening his grip around her waist. Kit scrunched up her face and leaned more on Deacon, not saying anything further.
“I can get one of ‘em ta chase me,” Spider McKennah from Harlem put in.
“Ya run too fast!” Hunter pointed out.
“Aw, c’mon-“
“Hunter’s right,” Faith interrupted. They turned to her quickly. “It wouldn’t work anyway. Are there any other ideas?” she asked, looking around.
“Hey, Faith, why don’t we jist ask ‘em?” Ace Montgomery said coolly, leaning back in his chair.
“Ace, cuz, neither’ll ever talk to each other on those terms,” Faith pointed out.
“No, see, we get the guys ta ask Mac over ta a meetin’. Da girls ask Boidie over. Da meetin’s jist happen ta be ten feet from each other,” Ace replied with a sly smirk.
Faith thought for a moment as she leaned back on one of the tables. She finally nodded. “Fine. Echo, Reflections, you two go. Birdie’s fond a you two,” she decided. Both girls nodded. “Hawk ‘n’ Peppah, why don’t you two get Mac.” The boys nodded. “We’ll do it on Bayside. The rest a us’ll be ‘round there ready fer ya.” Everyone agreed to the plan. They dispersed and went about their plan.
Not too much later, Echo and Reflections approached Birdie cautiously. Birdie was trying to sell the last of her papers, which actually wasn’t going very well and adding to her already bad mood.
“Uh, Birdie?” Echo began.
Birdie glanced over. “What?” she said sharply.
Both girls jumped. “Uh, Faith wants ta tawk wit’ cha ovah on Bayside,” Reflections gulped.
“Why?” Birdie spit back, clearly not in a mood that was to be bothered.
“Sh- She didn’t say, jist that she needed ya,” Reflections continued, taking a step back.
“Fine.” That was all Birdie said. She dropped the last of her papers into the dirt and headed toward Bayside, which was quite a distance from Astoria.
Over on Mac’s selling spot on 46th Avenue, Hawk and Pepper walked up to Mac calmly. “Heya, Mac,” Pepper greeted with a smirk.
“Peppah, Hawk,” Mac greeted glumly.
“Say, we’se all havin’ a meetin’ ovah on Bayside, ‘n’ we needs our leadah dere,” Hawk informed. Mac nodded and followed them to Bayside.
Birdie wasn’t there by the time Mac met up with his boys. He was speaking to Hunter when Birdie arrived from a street that didn’t allow her to see Mac the second she turned onto Bayside. The street she’d walked out from was a good half block up from where Mac stood. He watched her hair blow softly in the wind as she turned toward her girls. Half of her hair had been pulled back with a green ribbon, but much of it had fallen out and now framed her face. She looked beautiful to him.
“Hey, Faith!” she yelled up the street. Everyone on the street turned to her, but, as they saw what she was, went about their business. The boys went back to their discussion while the girls walked up to Birdie.
“Heya, Boidie,” Faith greeted with a weak smile.
“Whatta ya want, Faith,” Birdie demanded, clearly not in a mood to be messed with.
“Well, okay, ya see…” Faith continued, but Birdie seemed to tune out for a moment. She took a few steps up the street, away from the girls, and then turned back to them. She sighed and scanned the streets around them, still not exactly listening to Faith.
Birdie’s eyes finally rested on Mac. He seemed to be in much the state she was, distant and in pain. She watched him for a minute. He seemed to be watching her, too. He’d noticed her when she’d spoken before. She didn’t think; she just stepped around her girls. Faith stopped short and watched their leader with eyes the size of dinner plates, along with the rest of the girls.
“Ya think dey’s gonna fight?” Molly asked, looking up at Faith.
“I don’t know,” Faith answered slowly, actually scared that the two leaders really would.
Mac noticed her movements and the look in her eyes as she approached them. He stepped around his boys and walked toward her with the same unreadable expression on his face. They stepped up to each other slowly. Birdie placed her hands onto his shoulders firmly and jumped up, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Mac held her around her waist and kept her on his belt. She leaned down and kissed him passionately, right in front of all the shocked newsies, those with their jaws on the ground.
After a moment, they pulled apart. “Please let me love ya. Please love me back. I can’t stand seein’ ya wit’ anyone else,” she pleaded softly.
Mac swallowed and let her down to her feet slowly. “Anyone else? I thought you were da one dat didn’t love me no more,” he breathed, not fully understanding what was going on.
“I love ya more ‘an anythin’, Mac,” she answered quietly, worried that he still didn’t quite love her back.
Mac smiled slowly and leaned in and kissed her as softly as possible. “I do loves ya,” he finally whispered, pulling away and looking into her eyes. The two leaders hugged each other tightly, eminently glad to have each other again.
Birdie smiled and noticed the brown-haired girl staring at the two leaders a block away. She recognized the girl instantly and pulled away from Mac. She walked past him without another glance. He watched her curiously. He was about to open his mouth to speak when she beat him to it. “Huntah. Trackah,” she ordered, nodding for them to follow after her as she started up the street cautiously.
Hunter jogged up beside her while Tracker hung back a few steps. “What’s up, Boidie?” Hunter asked carefully.
“See da brunette on da cornah?” He nodded. “I want you ‘n’ Trackah ta bring ‘er back ta Lilah’s, willin’ly er not. We got some things ta discuss,” she continued with an icy tone to her voice.
“But, Boidie, uh, we-“
“Do it,” she ordered forcefully and not in the mood to be disobeyed. He nodded quickly. Tracker had heard every word and agreed to it as well. The two boys looked back at the girl, who immediately bolted down the next street. Hunter took off after her. Tracker took off after them but at a slower pace. He lived up to his name and reputation as being the best tracker in Greater New York City.
Birdie watched them disappear with a skeptical look on her face. She turned back to the others and meandered over to them slowly. As she walked a small smile grew on her lips. “Let’s go on home, girls. It’s been a long day,” she said as she passed them coolly.
Mac hurried up to her and spoke the inevitable question. “What was dat ‘bout, Boidie?” he asked, reaching out for her hand.
Birdie looked over at him lazily with a specific look in her eyes, one that said that she wasn’t telling all. At least, not just yet. “An old…” she paused for almost an entire minute, “…friend,” she informed with a soft voice and a small smirk. She took Mac’s hand and took him back to the lodging house along with the rest of her girls and several of the boys.
About an hour later, Birdie lay on her bunk with one knee up and her hair dangling off the edge toward the floor. Mac sat beneath her and played with the ends of it with an odd smile on his face. Hunter and Tracker walked in a few minutes later. Hunter held the brunette’s arm firmly and cleared his throat. Birdie looked over and slid off her bunk gracefully. She walked over to the three of them.
“Hello, Colleen,” she greeted with a sly smirk and a soft, subtle voice.
“Birdie,” Colleen greeted nervously but boldly.
“Take ‘er ta da empty room,” Birdie ordered and turned back to the room. Hunter and Tracker obeyed immediately. Such a calm look on Birdie Kelley’s face was never good.
“Uh, Boidie, what’s goin’ on?” Mac asked, having no clue as to whom Colleen was. He’d known Birdie for ten years, but he’d never met a Colleen.
Birdie blinked slowly and smiled sweetly yet mischievously at him. “Nothin’ a consequence,” she answered and meandered out of the room. Hunter and Tracker stood outside the door when Birdie arrived. “I’ve got ‘er, boys. You go on back ta da bunkroom.” She kept that cool look on her face and walked through the door and into the room. The boys exchanged glances and did as they were told.
When Birdie walked in, Colleen was standing in the corner nervously. The room was barren of everything except the light in the ceiling and a locked window on one wall. Birdie had whitewashed it several days previous. Birdie closed the door slowly before turning to the other occupant of the room.
“Colleen Poindexter, long time. What’s it been? Six? Seven years now?” Birdie began as she stepped over to Colleen slowly.
“Now, Birdie, I never meant ta make ya mad,” Colleen noted, trying to calm the Queens leader.
“It’s too late, Colleen. Ya made da wrong decision before, ‘n’ yer makin’ da wrong one again. I told ya nevah ta mess wit’ me,” Birdie warned, getting closer to the frightened girl.
“Please, Birdie. I know what ya said. Please don’t hurt me,” Colleen pleaded.
“Hey, whatta ya think Boidie’s doin’-“ Azure was cut short by a large thump from the other room. One of the girls had obviously been thrown into the opposite wall. “Nevahmind,” Azure finished. If they hadn’t been worried about either girl, they would’ve laughed at the comment.
The girls and boys in the bunkroom waited anxiously for either their leader or Colleen to emerge from the other room, jumping each time a loud noise or ruckus was made. Kit nearly fell off her bunk once when one was thrown into the wall so hard it nearly sounded as if the girl would go right through the wall. Deacon caught her before she fell, though. Mac just waited patiently on Birdie’s bunk, wincing at the slightest sound of noise from the other room. He finally couldn’t take it anymore, so he went outside for a smoke. A few moments later, the noise ceased, and Colleen came running out of the room, badly beaten but able to stumble around quickly. She raced down the stairs and out the door as fast as she could. The newsies rushed over to the door, finding Birdie walking out of the room with barely a hair out of place, nothing new anyway.
“Boidie! What da hell happened?!” Hunter exclaimed, demanding an answer from her.
“We got an address on ‘er?” Birdie asked Tracker, ignoring Hunter’s question.
“Yeah. Three-fourty Brownstone on Seventy-thoid,” Tracker nodded.
Birdie nodded once and headed down the stairs. No one questioned why. When she walked out the door, she saw Mac heading up the street after Colleen. Birdie approached him silently but quickly. She placed a hand on his shoulder to stop his movements. He jumped and spun around, relaxing when he saw her. “Ya needn’t bother,” she informed him softly.
“We gots ‘er address den?” he asked. She nodded once. “Besides, we got a meetin’ ta git to,” she replied with a small smile.
“A meetin’? Now? Who?” he asked, confused.
“An old warehouse off Greenpoint,” she smirked. He grinned and took her hand, leading them both back to the old warehouse.
The room was just as they’d left it, partially because both had returned at various times to clean it up and keep it as it should be. Neither had been there in the past month, but that didn’t matter. It felt just right to both of them. The bed was as comfortable as they’d remembered, even more so at times. They stayed in that bed the entire night, and, for the first time in a very long time, it truly felt right.
The next morning, Birdie and Mac were back to their own selling spots. Quite a bit later than usual however. All was as it should be. Time passed, and no one heard anything from either Colleen or Wesley, whom none of the newsies actually knew existed, but Birdie figured that Colleen had a boyfriend of some sort. He just hadn’t yet surfaced. She waited patiently for him, getting progressively more anxious about something as the weeks wore by.
One afternoon about a month and a half after Colleen disappeared, Birdie decided to take a stroll around Queens. She hadn’t been in the mood to sell all day, but she’d bought a small stack that morning anyway. She decided to take a stroll down the street, thinking things through, when Hawk ran up to her.
“Heya, Boidie! How’s it goin’?” he asked once he’d caught up with her.
“Not too much, really,” she shrugged. “I’m takin’ da rest a da day off.”
“How come?” he asked, looking at her oddly. “Ya’s da best newsie in all a Queens, but ya ain’t been doin’ too good lately. How come ya ain’t buyin’ as many papes as ya usually do?” He was very persistent when he wanted to be, especially when it concerned his friends.
Birdie shrugged again. “Jist haven’t been feelin’ too good is all,” she answered, glancing over at him.
“Why?” he asked quickly, not liking his friend and almost leader to be ill.
Birdie had a pretty good idea, but she wasn’t about to tell Hawk, at least not until she was sure. She sighed and tucked the loose bits of air behind her ears. “Don’t worry none, Hawk. I’ll be bettah in a couple a days,” she assured him with a warm smile.
“Ya shoah?” he asked with raised eyebrows. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’se heah if ya need me.”
“I know, Hawk, thanks, but I’ll be jist fine,” she smiled, almost wanting him to go away and leave her alone.
“Awright den,” he nodded and headed off to finish selling his papers.
Birdie smiled a little and watched her friend disappear around a corner. She turned down a street a block later and walked into a small clinic. “Miss Alberson?” she asked the pretty young nurse. Miss Alberson turned and smiled when she saw Birdie.
“It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen you in here, Birdie,” she greeted warmly.
“It sure has, Miss Alberson. Is Doc in?” Birdie smiled.
“Yes, he’s in his office. Go right on in,” Miss Alberson said, nodding in the direction of Doc’s office.
“Thanks,” Birdie mumbled with a small smile and headed into Doc’s office. “Heya, Doc.”
Doctor Polesak looked up from the papers he was working on and smiled. “Ah, Birdie Kelley, so nice ta see ya again, and in my office no less. Now, what can I do fer you this fine afternoon?” he asked with a certain happiness to his voice.
“I came in ta git a couple a things checked out, Doc,” she answered simply.
“Come right this way,” he said and stood. He led her into the adjoining examination room.
After the tests were run and analyzed, Doctor Polesak returned to the examination room where Birdie had been waiting. He had somewhat of a proud smile on his face. “I have good news,” he greeted gleefully as he shut the door. Birdie waited patiently for the news. “You’re going to have a baby.”
Birdie smiled and looked down at her feet, which were swinging toward and away from the examination table where she sat. “Thanks, Doc,” she breathed.
Doctor Polesak became serious. “Have ya someone ta take care a ya?” he asked seriously.
Birdie smiled further. “Yeah,” she mumbled.
“I know you can take care of yerself just fine, Birdie. I do know that, but it never hurts to have the father’s help in this. The reason I asked in the first place is because ya have no wedding ring or anything to that effect. I want to make sure yer taken care a. I’ve taken care a you and the newsies since ya got here ‘round ‘bout ten years ago. I’m fond of all a ya. I don’t wanna see the first Queens newsgirl hurt, let alone the leader.” He smiled when he’d finished. He and the newsies really had gotten to be very good friends.
Birdie slid off the examination table and headed for the door. “I ‘preciate it, Doc, but I’ll be well taken care a. He will, too. I assure ya a dat,” she smiled.
“Uh, Birdie, if ya don’t mind my asking, who’s the father?” Doctor Polesak asked before she could leave.
Birdie smiled when she thought of him. “He’s a great guy, handsome, strong, a real gentleman when ‘e wants ta be. Ya even know ‘im, Doc, a newsie, one a da best in Queens, in fact,” she smiled.
“A newsie, huh? Who then?” Doctor Polesak asked eagerly.
“He’s handsome ‘n’ charmin’ ‘n’ a mighty fine leadah,” she replied with a smirk as she headed out the door. After the initial surprise, Doctor Polesak smiled and wished them well. He’d known there was something other than friendship between them for a long time, but he never knew just how deep it actually went.
Get your own Free Home Page