The bird of Manhatten

Chapter 5 - in which there is a (re)union

Early October 1894
The Newsboys Lodge, Manhattan, New York City
... still Jacks P.O.V.

We'se sittin' on da bunks an' talk or play cards or smoke.
Well, Race's doin' all three things at once.
Crutchie  an' I is sittin' on his bed, waitin' for da others ta go ta sleep, so we can go up ta da Penthouse.
Two months have passed since I escaped da Refuge an' left da goil Newsie called Magpie behind.
Ever since I've been searchin' foa her.
I visited da Refuge often, every time hopin' ta find her dere. Eventually a little guy called Ten-Pin informs me, dat Magpie is no longer dere. Dat dey brought her away. After dat I begin ta searched half of Manhattan. But all effort for nothin'...
Well, an' Crutchie's wit us foa two weeks now. I like him.
Suddenly, all four of Mags magpies is flyin' through da open window.
We'se all surprised an' then we I hear steps on da stair. A moment later a goil's standin' in da door.
She's wearin' a brown skirt an' a dirty white blouse. Her brown hair is in a messy bun an' in her hands she's holdin' somethin' wrapped in an old blanket.
We'se all starrin' at her. Then she smiles an'...
"Mags!", Race cries out an' jumps on his feet. He runs over ta her an' pulls her into a tight hug.
"Race!", she laughs. "Lemme go. I need air."
He lets her go an' now all da others is getting' up ta greet her. Only Crutchie an' I don't move, but when she looks over an' smiles, I smile back.
"Oh, I almost forgot.", she says. "I's got somethin' for ya guys." She makes a dramatic gesture wit' her hand an' reveals da somethin' in da blanket.
Actually, there's two somethings. Da first is a big, red ham, and da other's a big brown loaf of bread.
Da boys cheer an' while they'se eatin' Mags comes over ta us.
She doesn't sit on da bed, but on da floor an' looks up at us.
"Hi.", she says ta Crutchie. "I's Magpie. And you?"
"Um...", Crutchie says. "Um... I's Crutchie. Crutchie Morris."
"Nice ta meet ya, Crutchie Morris." She gives him a warm smile, before she turns ta me. "And wonderful ta see ya again, Jack. It has been a long time, Cowboy."
"I know.", I answer. "I's been searchin' for ya. Where were ya?"
"Ta da H.F.H.G (A/N: I made that up. It's no real place. Or so I think at least). Da Home for Homeless Girls. Terrible place."
"Oh, I's heard of dat.", Crutchie says. "I's got a cousin there, I think."
"A cousin? What's her name?"
"Charlotte Laurens."
"Oh, yes. Da dear Charlotte. I met her. A lovely young woman."
"Ya think so? She's da most awful female person, I's ever met."
"Well then.", Magpie says smilin'. "Ya clearly never met me."
We burst into laughter, earnin' confused looks from da others.
"But now I have ta change." Mags stand up an' point at her clothes.
She grabs da little bundle, which fell out of da blanket and heads towards da bathroom.

When she comes back, she almost looks like da Magpie I know again.
Da brown shoes an' trousers, both slightly too big. Da, also a bit ta big foa her, crème coloured shirt. Da hair tied ta a bun an' shoved under da cap, which falls her in da eyes.
She smiles an' I smile back.
Everythin' seems ta be like it was before.
But suddenly a thought hits me right into da face. She's da only one ta know my secret. My secret about who I is an' how I's lyin' ta da boys, day by day, an' she doesn't say a woid about it. She said 'Jack' when she greeted me an' I could never thank her enough foa dat.

"Let's go.", I say ta Crutchie as Mags had gone ta join da others with playin' cards.
We leave da room, I help him out da window ta da fire escape, an' up ta da roof, my Penthouse.
Da stars is shinin' brightly an' it's full moon. Although it's already October, there ain't a cloud on da sky.
We sit down next ta each other.
"Ya never mentioned her.", Crutchie breaks da silence after a few minutes. "Ya in love wit' her, ain't ya?"
"What? No!", I reply vehemently. "I see her as... as a little sister, nothin' else."
"Pff, sure."
"No, really! Why's ya askin'? Ya jealous?"
"Me? Jealous? No way!"
We tease each other like dat foa almost an hour, before Crutchie falls asleep on my shoulder. Carefully I lay him down, restin' his head on my jacket an' get up. I hear steps on da fire escape.
I turn an' see Mags. She doesn't notice me. She walks across da roof an' sits down at its ledge, her legs hangin' over Manhattan. She looks at da night sky, quietly hummin' some melody.
I watch her foa a while, before I join her. As I sit down beside her, she raises her head an' looks at me. "Ya still dreamin' of Santa Fe?", she asks.
"Yeah, why?"
"Jus' askin'."
"Do ya wanna come wit' me, when I go there?"
She thinks about it a second, before she shakes her head. "I'd love ta, but..." She breaks up. "Never mind.", she says an' looks away.
"But what?"
"I don't know. It's jus', New York's my home, ya know? I like it here. And I's got family here, well kind of. I couldn't bear ta leave 'em. Can ya understand dat?"
"I's not sure...", I confess. "But I'll try foa ya."
"Thank ya, Jacky."
"Jacky? Seriously?"
"Yeah. Ya don't like it?"
"No."
"My bad. Too late.", she grins. I shake my head, also smilin'.
We really could be siblings. Snyda wasn't that wrong.
"Can I tell ya 'bout it?"
I look at her confused. "Tell me about what?"
"Da H.F.H.G."
"Um, sure."
"Thanks."
Then she's silent foa a second, jus' sittin' there an' breathin' deep, before she starts her story:
"Da H.F.H.G. is a lot like da Refuge, just only foa goils, like da Refuge's only foa boys. And ya have ta work all day. Most goils were sick in there. And we weren't allowed ta go outside, except da older ones, which where searchin' foa a husband. We were sittin' there, knittin' or washin' or sewin' an' so on. I don't know how many goils were there, but it was never enough ta eat foa all."
She takes a deep breath again and looks up ta da stars.
We sit there in silence until she turns ta me and begins ta speak again.
"I liked bein' ya sista. It felt so familiar. Such as here, at home. Da boys see me as a sista too, ya know?"
"I still see ya as a sista.", I answer.
She smiles an' yawns.
"I'll head for bed now. Good night, Jack." She pecks my cheek an' stands up.
Mags walks over ta da ladder, then she turns back ta me, smiles and then she's gone.