There were newsies all around the bunkroom when Mush finally awakened. Though his eyesight was blurry, he rubbed his eyes and glanced toward Bumlets� bunk to check on Samantha. To his surprise, she was not there.
He leapt from his bunk, worry racking through his brain. He grabbed the first newsie he could find and demanded to know where Samantha had gone.
�I think one �f th� goils took �er upstairs.� Snoddy replied. �Ya�ve been asleep for hours.�
�What time is it?�
��Bout four thirty. Somewhere �round that time.�
�Four thirty.� He echoed, rubbing his face with his hand. �Man. I gotta get Sweetie, she might be hungry or needs �er diaper changed.�
Yawning, he left the bunkroom and went upstairs to the girls� room. However, he knew he would not be able to enter because Kloppman had told them that boys were not allowed in the girls� room. Girls were permitted in the boys� room, but these were under different circumstances. Mush knocked at the door.
He could hear a number of female voices as a few were scrambling to the door. Luna finally answered and grinned when she saw him.
�Hey, Mush.� She said. �I�ll bet you�re wondering where Sweetie is.�
�Yep. She �ere?�
�Actually, Indigo took her to the roof.�
�The roof? It�s freezin� outside!�
�Look, don�t panic. You can get outside through our window.�
�But Kloppman said-�
�Oh, don�t worry, Mush. We won�t tell.�
She grabbed his hand and dragged him inside, and he covered his eyes with his free hand so he would not see anything he did not want to. He could hear the other girls giggling at him, and he flushed a bright red. Luna could tell he would not want to remove his hand from his eyes so she opened the window for him.
�Thanks.� He mumbled
�No problem.�
He slipped through the window and Luna shut it behind him. He shivered slightly, and refused to look back through the window. He knew that some of the boys had the gall to walk up to the roof just to peek into the girls� room from time to time, and he was not one of them. He would rather have a clean conscience.
A cool breeze was blowing salty air inland, and he rubbed his arms to keep warm. Once he reached the roof, he found Indigo resting on a box, rocking a heavily bundled Samantha as she slept. Indigo�s head jerked when she heard him coming.
�Oh, it�s you.� She said. �You scared me.�
�Sorry.� He murmured. �Why�d ya bring Sweetie up �ere? It�s awful cold out.�
�All of the girls were handling her at once, and I thought she could use some time away.� She shifted Samantha slightly. �Don�t worry, she�s warm and fed. One of the girls got her some milk.�
�Gee, thanks.� He plopped down on the crate beside her. �She give ya any trouble?�
�Not at all. She�s a very good baby.� She paused. �Are you gonna take her to an orphanage?�
He shrugged. �T� tell th� truth, I really don�t wanna. I know I�ve only �ad �er a day but�there�s jus� somethin� about �er. I don�t know what, but I don�t wanna give �er up. I mean, Kloppman told me that if I do keep �er, I gotta pay for �er an� provide stuff for �er�I don�t �ave that much money. The money I do got is for a new pair of shoes.�
�I know it would be tough taking care of her, but all of us girls would be more than inclined to help. Some of the boys are too.�
�I know Crutchy is. �E likes �er a lot.�
�Personally, Mush, I think you�d do a very good job of taking care of her. Don�t think I haven�t noticed how good you are with kids.�
�I din�t think ya noticed that �bout anyone. Hope I don�t sound rude, but yer usually off by yerself an� not hangin� with anyone else.�
�I�m just giving myself time to adjust.�
�Ya�ve �ad three months.�
�I prefer to take things slowly. If you had any idea about my past, you�d understand.�
�I take it ya don�t wanna tell me.�
�No, I don�t.�
�Then wouldja tell me why ev�ry afternoon ya run off an� come back late?�
�I had another responsibility I had to attend to. I had errands to run for other people. And yesterday I was told that they couldn�t use me anymore.�
�Sorry t� hear that.�
�It�s all right. So, what do you think about Sweetie here? Are you gonna keep her or not?�
He paused, pondering her proposition. Could he truly raise a child not his own? What could he do about money? And where could he put her if he took another job? And most importantly, she would need a mother. He knew first hand what it was like to be raised by one parent and how difficult it was for the both of them.
He held his arms out to Indigo, and she handed him Samantha without waking her. He gazed at her face as she slept peacefully and sighed.
�I�ll need some time t� think it over.� He replied. �This ain�t an easy decision.�
�It may not be easy, but it�s important. This is her future that you�re deciding about.�
* * *
It was another rough night having to hold Samantha as he slept. Mush�s neck was sore and his arms were stiff. If he did decide to raise Samantha, the first thing he would do was to buy her a crib. There was no way he would hold her until she was old enough to take a bed of her own.
Once he finally fell asleep, his dreams were filled of memories from his past. He had not had many happy memories because his family was very poor. He couldn�t even remember his father very well. Only a few lingering memories of him remained, and even they were fading.
Mush had only been six when his father died. He had been ill for a very long time and was unable to provide for his family any long. He had been Mush�s hero, wanting to be just like him when he grew up. He loved both him and his mother so much and would do absolutely anything for them. When he died, he made Mush promise to take care of his mother for him.
Although he was devastated at the loss of his father, his mother had never fully recovered from his death. She could never forgive herself for taking a job at a factory so she could provide a life for her son without ever seeing him. She wanted to be with him. Instead, she sent him off to school every day so he could have an education and live a more prosperous life than the one she was providing.
During the summer, he would join her in the factory to help raise a few extra pennies for them to live on. They could no longer live in the boarding house they had lived in for many years and had moved into a run-down apartment complex where other families in the same financial situations lived. Children there were few because most of them took to the streets to steal or find other ways of making money.
Once Mush had turned twelve, his mother had to take him out of school because bills were piling high and he needed to work at the factory full time. They worked together for a year until his mother grew weaker. She was ill, but refused to call a doctor because it would only cost money they needed.
Before long, she was fired from the factory because of her condition and sent home. Mush had done all that he could to urge her to see a doctor, and she still refused. Finally, after returning home from work one day, he found her so ill she could hardly move at all. He went for help and by the time he had returned, she had died.
With the money from his final paycheck, he paid off the final bills and then left their part of the city. He roamed the streets of New York for nearly a week before he met Blink in Lower Manhattan and took him in to be a newsie. He had been working there ever since.
As Mush took stock of his past, he knew he wanted Samantha�s to be better than his. As a child, he would have given anything to have his father and mother together again. If he was to raise Samantha, he would need to find someone to be a mother to her. Yes, there were many girls here who could help, but most had boyfriends of their own.
�I still don�t know if I should raise her.� he thought. �If I do, it ain�t gonna be easy, and I�ll be needing a lot of help.�
* * *
Although Blink had sold with Mimic that day, Mush had managed to sell all of his papers within two and a half hours, thanks to Samantha. He took her to Tibby�s afterward for some lunch and then returned to the lodging house and set her on his bunk to take a nap. His own nap could wait another few hours.
He trudged down the stairs, hoping to find Kloppman for some grandfatherly advice. Apparently, he had gone to the market for supplies and would not be back for at least another half hour. Mush spent that half hour wondering how he could break the news to Kloppman and how to find a way to provide for Samantha.
When at last Kloppman did appear, his arms were filled with the items he had bought. Mush offered to help and took half of what he held to the desk.
�Thanks, son.� Kloppman murmured. �What�re you doing back here so early?�
�Sweetie helped me get my sellin� done early. An� I need t� talk t� ya.�
�About Sweetie?�
�How�dja guess?�
�Because when you brought her in two days ago, I saw something in your eyes that told me that she was going to change your life. I had the feeling you were gonna decide to keep her.�
�Boy, you certainly got a way wit knowin� dese things.�
�You�ll understand when you get to be my age.�
�So seriously, Kloppman, how�m I gonna take care of Sweetie? I know all ya said th� other night is true �n� all, but there�s no way I can handle this by myself. I�m gonna need lots of help. You �ad kids, din�tcha?�
�A long time ago, yes.�
�I�m gonna need all th� help I cin get with Sweetie.�
�I know that. But there�s so much else you need to know about raising a baby. It�s not just about changing their diapers and feeding them.�
�Let�s not go there again.�
�I�m not. First off, as they�re growing, you�ll need to take more precautions with them. Sweetie, from what I can tell, is at least four and a half months old.�
�I figured that out by myself.�
�Soon she�ll be crawling, and will want to put things in her mouth. She will find absolutely anything on the floor and cram them into her mouth. This can cause her to choke.�
�I didn�t know that!�
�Not only that, but she�ll be curious to everything around her. This means she could easily fall down the stairs or even out a window if it�s left open. She will need someone with her at all times.�
�I got plenty �f volunteers.�
�And you need to provide clothing. Babies grow very fast. She�ll be nearly twice her size come six months.�
�That soon?�
�That soon.�
�This�s gonna be harder than I thought.�
�It always is. If anyone knew what they were getting into once they had a baby, they would certainly think twice about the responsibilities.�
�Got that right. Maybe that�s why �er momma left �er on th� street.�
�When she turns two, Mush, she�ll begin to realize that she has a freedom and will try to exercise it. She�ll be rebellious and constantly getting into trouble. That�s why that age is referred to as �the terrible twos.��
�I doubt Sweetie�ll be that bad.�
�Just you wait, she will. And around that time she�ll need to learn that she can�t use diapers anymore.�
�I�ll let a goil take care �f that.�
�That�s another thing. I know you can be a good father to her, but girls need mothers as well. They need them for specific reasons, ones that I don�t even know about. Don�t you have a girl someone in Manhattan?�
�Nope. Never did, eidder.�
�Then I suggest you choose carefully. The type of girl you find can make or break Sweetie.�
They continued throughout the afternoon discussing how to raise a baby. Then when Mush heard Samantha crying, he excused himself to attend to her. As it turned out, she was only lonely and wanted to be held. He held her a few minutes, then set her back to sleep.
The newsies began returning then. He ignored them and reached under his bed and pulled out an old, grey sock. He opened it and there were thirteen one dollar bills and sixty-eight cents in silver coins and pennies. He drew out the bills just as Blink passed.
�Mush, whatcha doin�?� Blink wondered. �Ain�t that yer shoe money?�
�Yep.� He replied, counting out the bills.
�Ya gonna get �em right now?�
�Nope.� He crammed the bills into his pocket.
�Then whatcha doin� with �em?�
�I�m gettin� some stuff Sweetie needs. If she�s gonna stay �ere, I gotta provide for �er.�
�Stayin��Mush, are ya sure yer doin� th� right thing?�
�Sweetie needs stuff more th�n I need new shoes. I�ll get new shoes later.�
* * *
Mush had left Samantha in Kloppman�s care when he left, and when he returned, he had given her to the girls. He was not surprised.
�Well, this should tell you something.� Kloppman advised. �You got the girls going crazy over that baby, it shouldn�t be too hard finding a suitable mother for her.�
�Ha ha ha.� Mush muttered, shifting the baby things he had bought. �I gotta take this stuff upstairs, I�ll go get �er later.�
Among the items he had bought, he had a second-hand wooden crib, a baby blanket, a few baby clothes and shoes, and some toys he hoped she would like. One of the toys he had bought was a stuffed puppy that was sure to attract her attention.
As expected, the newsies were quite shocked by his load, and Blink was the first to lend a hand. They took the baby pieces to Mush�s bed and set them up.
�This must�ve cost a fortune.� Blink murmured.
�Almost did. Thankfully I got th� clothes from goodwill, so it was practically given t� me.�
�Got any money left?�
�Not a cent. Jus� th� stuff I got for papes t�morrah.�
�Oh. So yer never gonna get them shoes, huh?�
Mush shrugged. �Sweetie�s more important t� me now. I got a new purpose for m� life now. I love �er, Blink. She ain�t my flesh �n� blood kid, but she�s my kid in my heart. I�ll get shoes someday later.�
They parted as he went to fetch Samantha. He found her upstairs in the girls� bunkroom again, and this time they invited him in. Through much debating, he finally gave in. Rio, Mix, Twilight and Indigo were crowded around her, tickling her tiny feet and making her laugh.
Once Mush appeared, they backed away with curious smiles, wondering what was in store for Samantha�s future. The one girl who kept close to her was Indigo.
�Was she a good girl while I was gone?� he wondered.
�Yes, she was!� Twilight replied. �She had lots of fun with us.�
�Are you gonna keep her?� Mix wondered.
�Yep, it�s official.� He announced. �I�m gonna take care of �er.�
�Glad to hear that!� Lightning squealed. �Would ya mind if held her for a little while? I only got to hold her once.�
�Don�t see why not.� He set Samantha in Lightning�s arms. �Jus� make sure ya support �er head. Makes �er neck strong.�
Lightning did as she was told and admired the tiny baby. The other girls crowded around, adoring the scene as Mush looked on with a wide smile. The girls dispersed when a knock at the door was heard. Lady Luck was the first to the door and answered.
�Afternoon, ladies.� The suave, debonair voice of Spot Conlon floated into the room. �Hope ya don�t mind my pokin� in, but is th� lovely Lightning in here?�
�I�m here, Spot!� she called.
He peered inside, and his jaw nearly hit the ground when he saw the bundle in her arms. He had to grip the doorframe in order to maintain his balance and keep from falling. Apparently, he had jumped to the wrong conclusion.
�Do-don�t tell me that�s my kid.� He stammered.
Mush cackled from behind her. �Naw, ain�t yours, Spot, she�s mine!�
�Oh, good!� he sighed, relieved. �I was gonna say, Lightning-�
�Now, Spot,� she handed Samantha back to Mush, �you know there�s no way she could be our baby.�
�Yeah, ya got a point there. So, why�s Mush in �ere? I thought Kloppman said that guys weren�t allowed up �ere.�
�We�re making an exception, now that he has Sweetie.� Indigo stated. �As long as he has her, they�re both welcome here.�
The girls murmured in agreement, and Spot thoroughly understood. Mush walked over to him with Lightning following behind to introduce them.
�Betcha ya�ve heard of �er already.� He said. �Thought it�s time ya meet �er face t� face. Spot, meet Sweetie.�
�Hello, Sweetie!� Spot introduced. �I�m Spot.�
Samantha cooed merrily and waved her arms at him. Spot, the ever-tough, fearless Brooklyn leader, feared by all newsies, was entranced by this baby! The smile on his face proved it.
�Boy, she�s really somethin�!� he exclaimed. �Awful cute, too. Cin see why ya�d wanna keep �er.�
�Yeah, well it ain�t gonna be easy.� He gazed at Samantha�s face. �Might hafta get �nuther job so I cin support �er.�
�If you do,� Harlaquinne said, �us girls can stay here and help watch her.�
�Oh, yes!� Bunny agreed. �You know we�d love to!�
�Thanks gals,� he muttered, �I appreciate that. But I don�t know for sure yet. I�ll get back t� ya on that soon.�
* * *
Mush dragged the tiny crib over to his bunk and glanced at the spaces on either sides of his bed. Snitch and Itey shared the bunk to his right, and Bumlets had the bunk on his left. Shrugging, he decided to move the crib between his and Bumlets� bunk, since, on some occasions, either Snitch or Itey would roll off their bunk from lack of space to move about freely.
Although he had not had a very good baby experience with Bumlets earlier, he knew he was surely understand why he would put the crib where he had and probably wouldn�t mind. He wedged it between the two beds and set Samantha into it.
Waiting in the crib for her was the blanket he had bought, and the stuffed puppy. Samantha took quite a liking to the puppy and began to chew on its ear. Mush laughed softly at her, then shifted her onto her back and covered her with the blanket.
�Ya gotta go t� sleep now.� He whispered. �Almost time f� me, too. So ya gotta go nigh-night. �Kay?�
She giggled at him and gripped the blanket, then began to settle down as she yawned. Mush smiled and backed away. By then, Bumlets had come to his bunk, and Mush held a finger to his lips to signal for him to be quiet.
�What�s goin� on?� Bumlets wondered.
�Shh.� Mush hissed lowly. �Sweetie�s tryin� t� sleep.�
Bumlets flopped onto his bed carefully and glanced down at the sleepy baby. It wasn�t long before a smile crossed his face too.
�She�s a cutie, that one.� He said. �Glad ya won�t be pesterin� me �bout holdin� �er at night no more.�
�Hey, I only did that once.�
�An� once is enough! I toldja Seven�d be botherin� me �bout kids after that! She keeps bringin� up names of kids that she likes. It kinda drives me nuts.�
�And the rest of th� guys wonder why I still don�t got one.�
�Aw, it ain�t bad, Mush. Seven�s a great goil. I�m blessed t� have �er. But women�ya never can figure �em out. Not one�s th� same as another. That�s what m� pop told me when I�s little.�
�So ya think you�ll someday take up �er offer on havin� kids?�
�Someday. Maybe about five, ten years �r so. Don�t think I�m ready yet. Neither of us �r� ready yet. Gotta exchange some vows first, then we�ll be on th� road t� bein� ready.�
�Don�t think anyone�s rightly ready yet. Ya cin tell that all th� girls who got guys are talkin� �bout Sweetie though. I mean, Spot �n� Lightning already like �er a lot. An� Race �n� Bunny, they wanna be godparents already! Blink says that Mimic has �nother excuse t� come �ere now. �N Specs �n� Twilight�well, ya know them. They�re settin� wedding plans so they can have a couple kids �f their own!�
Bumlets chuckled to himself. �I know whatcha mean. Firecracker �n� Pie Eater was talkin� about kids this mornin� too. Rio �n� Boots was talkin� �bout names they liked at Tibby�s. Now Palomino �n� Dutchy don�t talk �bout that stuff much, but ya know they�re thinkin� about it.�
�I�ll say. Lady Luck �n� Skittery �n� Harly �n� Swifty are like that too. But Jack�s still a little sore �bout Sweetie barfin� on �im. Mix says it�s wearin� off though cuz they talk �bout kids.� He sighed. �Jus� th� way these babies are. It�s like they got some power to entrance people.�
�That�s jus� parenthood, Mush. For what it�s worth, I think ya�ll do a great job of takin� care of �er.�
�Thanks.�
* * *
Mush entered the restaurant with a heavy sigh and plopped into a booth. He set Samantha upright on his lap and rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes.
�Tough morning?� Bunny wondered.
�Not really.� He muttered. �I sold m� papes a little later than usual, an� Samantha was cryin� a while an� I couldn�t get �er t� settle down. But I got me a problem.�
�A problem?� Race repeated.
�Yeah. Th� money I get from sellin�. It ain�t cuttin� what I need for Sweetie. I need to find another job.�
�Aww.� Bunny whined. �Do ya absolutely gotta?�
��Fraid so. Unless I cin get a part-time job an� sell papes in between time.�
�Y� know,� Blink spoke up, �there�s a help wanted sign in th� window �ere.�
�There is?�
�Yup. Guess you was too tired t� see it.�
�Won�t argue there.�
�From what I �eard, it was Frank who left. He got a job as a dancer �r somethin�.�
He laughed lightly. �Ya think they�ll hire me?�
�They might! I mean, Mr. Tibby knows ya well �nough. An� �e knows ya got Sweetie wit ya now. Why don�tcha apply?�
�Why not? I�ll talk t� �im afta I get some lunch.�
He did just that once he had finished lunch. He spoke to Mr. Tibby about his situation, and how he would be needing make more money to help raise Samantha. Mr. Tibby thoroughly understood and told him to come back in two days for an interview.
Thrilled, Mush rushed back to his table, where Bunny and Race were playing with Samantha. They didn�t see him come back so soon and were rather surprised at him.
�What happened?� Race wondered.
��E�s gonna interview me in two days!� he announced. �I might get a job!�
�That�s great!� Bunny cheered. �So, if you do get it, what�ll ya do with Sweetie while you work?�
�I thought you girls said ya�d be more than inclined t� help.�
�We did, but don�t forget, most of us have our boys to watch. You should set up a system for us to follow if you get the job.�
�You don�t need to do that.� Indigo eavesdropped, startling everyone. �I don�t have a boy to worry about. I can take care of Sweetie if you get the job.�
�By yerself?� he wondered.
�I could do it. Most mothers do it all the time.�
�Well�what about th� other goils? They like Sweetie jus� as much.�
�I never said they couldn�t help. I�ll just be her main babysitter, and the others can help if they want.�
�Wow, thanks! This is workin� out jus� great! But don�t make any plans jus� yet, I dunno if I got th� job yet.�
* * *
