Wish I Could Catch a Breeze // Albert DaSilva

Chapter Four

Albert pulled open the door to the Newsboys Lodging House, ushering Gretchen, Max, and Henri inside. "We ain't got much extra clothing that would fit you, but we's got some blankets," Albert explained, closing the door behind him.

Gretchen looked around at all the boys, and surprisingly one girl, sitting around inside. Their chatter ceased when they spotted the soaking wet girl that Albert had brought in. Ignoring their stares, Albert hurried around, grabbing several blankets and bringing them back to Gretchen.

"These should be okay for now," he said, sitting her down in an empty chair and covering her with the blankets.

"Thank you," Gretchen replied softly, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"Sorry, who's this?" One of the newsies, the only girl, spoke up.

Albert looked surprised, as if he had forgotten the other newsies were even there. "Oh, this...this is Gretchen. Gretchen, this is everyone." The others in the room greeted Gretchen, most of them still sounding confused. Albert turned back to Gretchen. "The blankets should keep ya warm. You're welcome ta stay as long as ya want."

"Thank you," Gretchen said once again. She glanced around the room, realizing that her brothers were not next to her anymore. She spotted them talking to a small group of newsies playing a card game. She also noticed the girl newsie looking at her. "This is where you live, right?" She asked Albert, who nodded in response.

"Right. Where we all live." He gestured at the newsies around them. "Are the blankets workin'?"

Gretchen nodded. "Yes, I'm warming up nicely. Thank you, Albert."

He shrugged modestly. "You don't gotta keep thankin' me. Anyone else would'a done the same."

"Whether or not they would have, you saved my life." She gave him a small smile. "I owe you one." Albert shook his head, but Gretchen nodded. "I do."

"You don' owe me." Albert shook his head again. "Really." Gretchen didn't reply, but she wanted to argue. She could see that their conversation was going nowhere.

The next hour passed quickly, and Gretchen warmed up considerably. The blankets helped, but the laughter from spending time with the newsies was more effective at warming her. She couldn't stop smiling.

When she had noticed the sky begin to grow dark outside, she realized she had been at the lodging house for a long time. Standing up, Gretchen called to her brothers. "Max, Henri, let's go. We don't want to overstay our welcome. And besides, Mama and Papa are probably wondering where we are."

"But I wanna stay!" Henri exclaimed. The newsies were teaching him how to play marbles, and he was pretty good at it.

"No," Gretchen told her youngest brother firmly. "We need to get back before dinner."

Albert stood up. "You can stay if ya want. We don't mind." The newsies around him shook their heads. He looked hopeful, and Gretchen didn't want to say no to him, but she needed to be a responsible sister.

"That's very kind, but we really should be going." She removed the blankets from around her shoulders and neatly folded them. As her brothers helped clean up their messes, Gretchen turned to Albert. "I can't thank you enough. You saved my life."

Albert offered her a small smile, and in return, Gretchen stepped forward and hugged him. Perhaps it had been too forward of her, but as soon as he wrapped his arms around her, she didn't care anymore. They stood there in each other's arms for a little too long, but neither minded it at all. The sound of a newsie clearing his throat caught Gretchen's attention, and she was suddenly aware that everyone was looking at them.

Albert became aware of the fact as well and let his arms drop, stepping back. "Right, so, um, I-I'll see you later?" He stammered, the tips of his ears coloring red out of embarrassment.

Gretchen nodded, her cheeks flushing red, too. "Yes. I'll probably see you tomorrow morning." She took her brothers' hands and left the building. Just before the door closed, she could hear the boys teasing Albert about the hug they had shared.

~~~~~
I hadn't planned on updating today but I'm procrastinating studying for a midterm tomorrow, so here you go!
thanks for reading!