Summer Stinks and Winter's Waiting, Welcome to New York

The Newsies

I woke up the next morning to both my parents and their servants gone. On my dresser there was a note. 

 Your father's at work and I left to meet some of my friends. We'll both be gone all day. Wander around, find a job, enjoy yourself! Just be back by half past eleven. Be safe! Love you.

Mother

I smiled. I was alone... in a big city... to do what I wanted. I'm gonna have the time of my life.  

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And that was that. I set out on the streets to find a job. The beginnings of summer air was warm, but there was cool breeze blowing through. I was looking around, enjoying the city view when I came to a square filled with scruffy boys. 

They all assembled in a group when they saw me, awing and oohing, taking off their hats in respect. "What an angel," one of them, with a cigar said. I turned and faced them. "Is that how you act every time a girl walks past? 'Cause if so, you ain't gonna get one in your bed..." I glanced over them. "If any of you actually HAVE a bed." They laughed. "Oooooohh," some of them said. A boy with a brown vest... well they all had brown vests, a green shirt, and brown hair came up to me. "Where you'se from Miss? That accent of yours ain't from 'round here." He picked up my right hand and gingerly placed a kiss on it.  I politely snatched it away. "New Orleans, Louisiana," I replied, using the most amount of a southern accent I could muster, which was actually a lot. "Now Romeo, I better be on my way." The boy smiled. "I'se not Romeo, he is," he said gesturing to a smaller boy. He turned back to me. "I'se Mush." He tipped his hat. "See you'se 'round." I turned and left. I couldn't help but mentally comment the strangeness of the boy's name. Right before I turned the corner, I took a quick glance back at the boys, who where celebrating and acting all excited. I chuckled a little. Huh, guess they don't get a lot of girls who actually talk to them, I thought. 

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After a day of searching, I hadn't found any job. I repeatedly ended up running into those boys from the square. They seemed nice. I found out they were newsies, I had never seen one because they sure as hell ain't gonna come up to some fancy mansion down south. Because of that though, I kinda wanted to be one. It wasn't fancy, and they clearly didn't care about rules. 

I walked through my front door at eleven, half an hour before my curfew. My mother was in the parlor, listening to my father talk about his day at work. "The mayor was- ah, Nellie! How was your day?" My father asked as I entered the room. I sat down on one of the couched. It had a intricately carved mahogany frame and green velvet cushioning. "Enjoyable," I responded. "I'm still yet to find a job, but I'm sure I'll find one tomorrow." My parents smiled. "I'm going to bed. I'll be leaving  early tomorrow morning, before either of you are up," my father said. "As am I. I'll be leaving early as well Nellie. We'll both be gone till late. Curfew is the same," my mother added. I nodded in acknowledgement.  I was really excited for tomorrow because, if all goes well, I'll be a newsie by midday.