Spot Conlon & the Lady Livy

The Past can Hurt

Spot Conlon walked back inside the lodge to his room where he found Livy asleep in the bottom bunk, HIS bunk! He wasn't exactly pleased about this, but he didn't have the heart to wake her up and make her move. She looked like a sleeping angel with her hair that was now in a single braid alongside her back. Spot sighed and undressed to just his drawers (underwear) and climbed into the top bunk and fell asleep instantly.

The next morning Spot awoke to the smell of...was that bacon? No that couldn't be, no newsie would ever have enough money to get a luxury like that. Spot couldn't pretend to be asleep anymore because he was fully awake now. He opened his eyes and climbed out of bed to find that Livy was no were to be found. He got dressed and walked down stairs to the kitchen. Livy was cooking over the stove, "Good morning Mr. Spot, sleep well?" she asked. Spot looked at Livy; she looked a lot better than the day before. She was clean, had her hair curled and half way pinned back, and wore a light brown skirt with a white lacy top and light brown boots. The only thing that seemed out of place was the shiner (bruise) on her right cheek and the split lip she had received from those two men the night before. "If I's eva find dose men I's kill um," Spot thought to himself. He noticed Livy had been staring at him for quite some time, "I's sorry, what you's say?" Livy frowned thinking that Spot hadn't listened to a word she had said, "I said, how'd you's sleep?" "Oh um fine, just fine. You's?" Livy smiled, "I managed, but I's usually can't sleep till past four in da morning. I always had ta be up before my older brothers ta cook dem breakfast 'fore they's went ta work." Spot smiled at her and it didn't go unnoticed by Livy, "what?" she asked. "dat's da first time you's spoke bout you're family. I didn't know you's had brothers." Livy's eyes widened, "you's don't know dem!' she quickly said, "I mean, how could ya? I've neva really spoken of my family. Anyways, dere's food here if ya want it. There's a spot of bacon left and some oatmeal, if ya could really call it dat." Spot ate a few pieces of bacon and dug into the oatmeal that Livy had made. The bacon was crispy just how he liked it, and he detected a hint of brown sugar and cinnamon in the oatmeal. It was delicious and reminded him of his mother's cooking back in Ireland. He hadn't realized how hungry he was till he ate two bowls of oatmeal and 6 strips of bacon. He looked at Livy who was now cleaning the dirty dishes, "thanks Livy, da food's delicious, but ah how did ya get da pig?" Livy kept cleaning the dishes while she answered him, "I swiped it dis morning from da butcher when he wasn't looking. No big deal." Spots eyes widened with concern, "Livy! You's have any idea how dangerous dat is? If they's woulda caught ya they's sent ya straight ta jail...or worse." Livy laughed which surprised him, "Oh Spot Conlon, you worry too much. Trust me, if dey'd caught me dey wouldn't dare touch me. Anyways eat up! You can't deliva papes on an empty stomach. I better be gettin ready anyways, I have ta go out and find a job today. See you's later SPOT!" Livy went swiftly upstairs to their bedroom to get ready while Spot just sat there in shock. "Dat was the first time she had eva called me Spot, no mista or nothing," he thought to himself before leaving to go to the distribution center.

It was late by time Spot got back to the lodging house because the headlines were no good, even with him improving the truth, but people were just in bad moods everywhere he turned. He was tired and sore and went up to the room that he and Livy shared. He reached for the door knob, but stopped thinking twice with a lady now living with him. He knocked on the door and after a few moments of silence he walked into the room to find it empty. "Where is she? It's gettin dark and she shouldn't be roamin da streets dis late at night on her own. She could get hurt or worse" he thought to himself. Spot decided to go looking for her and he finally found her sitting on the edge of the Brooklyn Bridge. Spot sat next to her, she didn't even look over in his direction, and she was staring off into space. "What you's thinkin?" he finally asked her. "Everything. My family, my past, my future. " After a few moments of silence she continued, "I's was waitin for you." Spot was taken aback, "what do you's mean you's was waitin for me?" Livy finally looked over to Spot and her eyes were red and puffy from crying earlier, "I promised you I would tell ya bout my past and my family another time, but I'm scared of what you's might dink." Spot reached over and grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it, "you's don't have ta be scared of me. You's can tell me anything and I won't tell no one." Livy nodded, "I will warn you it ain't a happy story." Spot felt a tinge of excitement, this is it she was finally letting him in, and she was finally going to tell him about herself, her real self. He smiled at her, "I's live in da toughest city dere is, what could be worse? Go on, tell me" Spot said. Livy took a deep breath and began from the beginning. "Ever since I was little my parents, my two brothers, and I lived in Manhattan. We came from da middle class, on da outside we's looked like da typical happy American family, but on da inside dere was so much pain and agony. My father was extremely abusive, it started with my mother, but he soon started beatin on me and my brothers. My mom would always try ta stop him from hittin me because I was just a child. I was scared ta do the littlest thing wrong, like one time I was five and I dropped a glass cup that I was cleanin and he beat me till I was unconscious. I guess one day my mom couldn't handle it anymore cause when I was nine I found her in our bathroom dead." Livy started crying and Spot wished that he could make the tears stop. He wasn't really good at comforting girls, so he just rubbed her back gently. Livy continued, "she had slit her writs and den a few months later my dad died in a tragic factory accident. I guess it was fo da best cause den he couldn't touch me anymore. I can still feel da bruises and broken bones when I dink of it. After my mother died my brothers changed, it was just me and dem. We could no longer afford our apartment, so we's had ta move out and live with our uncle. He gave my brothers jobs, but my uncle could sometimes be worse den my father, but my brothers..." Livy's began crying harder. Spot's heart was heavy with sadness, but he wanted to know more. "What happened to you's brothers?" he asked. Livy started shaking her head and began crying extremely hard, "I can't. I CAN'T. I'm sorry." Spot wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. "it's ok. You's don't have ta tell me if you ain't ready." In a few minutes Livy calmed down a bit and stopped crying, Spot was still holding her close to him.

"You's wanna know my story? It ain't much of a happy own either, but maybe you'd like ta hear how I came ta America." Livy nodded while Spot still held her. She listened to him even though she didn't look up at him and Spot knew that. "Well, I'm an only child...now and my ma, pa, and I came to America from Ireland in hopes ta have a better life. My ma was pregnant at da time with me little brother when we's went on da boat ta come here, but she had da baby earlier den she should have. She died giving birth to my brother on da ship and he died a few days after. It was just my pa and I and he changed. He blamed me fo my ma's death and he started drinking again, he would beat me ta no end. I promised myself dat as soon as I hit land I'd be outta dere and I came here ta New York. I've been a newsie for many years since I was eight years old, but I've only been da leader for a couple of years. It's a hard life, but well worth it." Livy finally looked up to Spot, and all Spot could see were here emerald green eyes. Even when she had been crying he thought she looked beautiful, he felt weird because he had never had these types of feelings towards a girl. Livy spoke with kindness, "Spot, what is you's dreams?" Spot didn't know what to say, "what do you's mean?" he asked her. "I mean what do you's want in da future after you leave da newsies." Spot had a secret that he had never told any of the other newsies, but he felt that with Livy he could be completely honest. "Well, one day I'd like ta find a nice goil, get married, and settle down. Even dough I ain't gotta lot of money, I'd give her da world. She'd always have da key ta my heart." Spot could see Livy's cheeks reddening and he could feel his reddening too. "What is you's dream?" Spot asked her. Livy looked at the ground, "I wish I's could have a dream like dat, but I can't. I'll neva be nothing, no one could eva love me, I'm worthless." Spot cupped Livy's face in his hands so she'd have to look him in the eyes, "Livy, you ain't worthless and I know dere is someone out dere dat loves ya. You's can be anythin you's wanna be." She smiled, "you's really dink so?" Spot smiled back at her, "I's know so. Come on its gettin late we's betta head back ta da lodge." He grabbed her hand and walked her back to their room. Spot kept thinking to himself that he'd love to kiss her, he desperately wanted to make Livy HIS goil, but he was scared that she wouldn't like him that way. She had been through so much and all Spot wanted to do was protect her from the world. He wanted to make sure no one ever hurt her again.

~Hey everyone, another chapter done! I know in my insta fanfic this is where Spot kisses Livy for the first time, but on wattpad I want to extend it so they get to know each other a bit better before he makes his move. Also I'm super excited for the next chapter because you'll find an incident occurs that I deleted from my original story, but here I shall post it. Yay! Have a lovely night.