* * *
Part 5
Joseph was unsure of how long he had been asleep, but he knew that his headache hadn’t lessened in the least bit. Not only that, but his chest pains had returned, and his legs were unusually sore and stiff. He forced himself up and out of the bed, and left the bedroom.
He plodded down the stairs heavily, hearing Pie Eater sanding one of their rocking chairs they had been working on earlier. He arrived downstairs and Pie Eater acknowledged him.
“How’s th’ head?”
“It’s okay.” He lied. “How long was I asleep?”
“Liddle over ‘n’ hour.”
“And how’s your friend?”
“Actually, ‘e’s in th’ kitchen. ‘E’s the friend of mine that I toldja about.”
Joseph nodded. “I see. Why don’t you go get him and I’ll talk to him?”
“Alright.”
He set the tools down and went into the kitchen, where Bumlets said he would wait and watch over the baby. Once Pie Eater entered, he found the baby sleeping in his crib, and Bumlets asleep with his arms crossed on the table and his face hidden inside of them.
Shrugging, Pie Eater went to Bumlets and shook his shoulder. He moaned, but refused to awaken. Pie Eater shook harder.
“Bumlets, wake up.” He ordered. “My pa’s awake, you cin talk to ‘im now.”
Hissing was heard as Bumlets lifted his head. He rubbed the left side of his face with the heel of his hand and groaned gutturally. When he saw his friend, he nodded and rubbed his eyes. Then he staggered to his feet and followed Pie Eater out of the kitchen.
Joseph was resting against the front desk when the two appeared. Pie Eater stepped forward and introduced the two.
“Pa, this’s Bumlets. Bumlets, meet my pa.”
“Nice t’ meetcha, sir.” Bumlets said, nodding.
“And you. David tells me that you’d like to talk to me.”
“I’d sure appreciate that. I’m at th’ end ‘f my rope.”
“I’ll see to th’ baby.” Pie Eater interrupted, knowing he shouldn’t be there. “I’ll be in th’ kitchen if ya need me.”
When he left, Bumlets was ready to confess everything, but the right words to begin with would not form in his head. However, Joseph could tell this was difficult for him to discuss and emphasized with him.
“My son told me he had a friend who made a mistake with a girl. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
Sighing, he nodded. “Yes.”
“Do you want to give me the details?”
From there, he poured out every word and more that he had said to Pie Eater two weeks prior. Yet again, he left a few details out, knowing that they were only for Seven to hear. As he wrapped the story up, he explained why things were so difficult to him in particular.
“I’m jus’ so angry at myself cuz I was willin’ t’ use a girl t’ make myself feel better. It’s so despicable! I look at myself an’ I see what I done an’ I make myself even angrier. Then I look at my girl an’ I’m afraid I’m willin’ t’ do th’ same to her.”
“Would you really do that?”
“No, but afta Mary, I don’t know what I cin do.”
“Do you think marrying her would have justified what happened between you?”
He shook his head and bent it down. “No.”
“Then what would have?”
“We both forgive each other. That helped a liddle bit. But I can’t forgive myself. I looked at Mary t’day an’ she was wearin’ a dress that was low-cut ‘n’ th’ images came back t’ me cuz I know what she looks like underneath. Her husband don’t. I know something I shouldn’t ‘n’ he should.”
“Why can’t you forgive yourself?”
“Because I know that I gave a part ‘f myself away t’ Mary that I should be givin’ t’ Seven. She means everythin’ to me. I love ‘er. I try t’ tell ‘er that, but every time I do…I think of Mary.”
Joseph gazed at the younger man’s eyes. He was so tortured, so angry, so hateful at himself. His situation with Margaret had been completely different. He had taken her because he was in love with her, and did not want to wait for her. And she had become pregnant.
When he looked at Bumlets, he could see someone who was desperate for help and did not know of a way out of his guilt. The only advice Joseph could give was to one who had been in love with the girl. How could he help this boy?
“Let me tell you something.” He said. “After David’s mother and I did what we did, I wasn’t guilty at first. But after a week, I was beginning to feel regret. I went to Margaret and I told her I was sorry for what happened, and that I was gonna marry her once I got the money to support her. I worked at two jobs to earn that money. But after two months, her father stormed into my house with a shotgun in his hands and told me that I was marrying his daughter now because he wanted her and her child out of his house.”
“Pie Eater.” Bumlets murmured silently.
“I hadn’t known until then that she was with child. And I couldn’t do or say anything, even as her father dragged me to his house. A minister was there, and so was Margaret and her mother. The minister performed the ceremony with Margaret’s father pointing a gun at the back of my head.”
“Mary’s papa died three years ago. It couldn’t’ve happened with me.”
“I see. But even after we were married, we lived in regret a long time. Sometimes, Margaret would have hot flashes during her pregnancy and scream vulgarities at me because she was so angry.”
“What’d ya do?”
“I took everything she said until she had the baby. After she delivered him, she held him and began to cry. She looked at him and said that he was beautiful. But she wouldn’t say anything else after that. And you know something? I started to cry too.”
“Why?”
“I realized that our child was already known here. And he was going to suffer for what Margaret and I did. But when I first held him, I knew that I couldn’t continue on feeling so guilty about the way he was made. He was my son. I had a full-time duty to fulfill with him now. A few days after that, Margaret and I had a long talk and told each other that it was time we stopped living in the past and focused on our son. Whatever feelings we still had we needed to get rid of for our son’s sake.”
“But I don’t got a son. An’ Mary’s married. I got nothin’ t’ think about t’ put it behind me.”
“What about your girl?”
“What’s that mean?”
“You say you love her.”
“I do.”
“Isn’t she worth putting your feelings aside for? You said so yourself, thinking of Mary ruins what you and your girl have between you.”
“I’ve tried puttin’ it behind me for ‘er.”
“But you haven’t tried hard enough. You’re keeping your focus on yourself, and how you feel about what happened between you and Mary. Do me a favor and close your eyes.”
“What for?”
“Trust me. Close your eyes.”
Shrugging, Bumlets did as he was told. At first, he squeezed them together, then allowed them to ease and calmed.
“Now I want you to think about your girl.”
A small smile began to form of his face, then it grew bigger. Before long, the smile evolved into an enormous grin.
“Now tell me about her.”
“She’s wonderful. She’s so sweet, an’ wants to do what’s good for me. She’s always helpin’ other people out an’ wants t’ help anyone who’s not doin’ too good. She loves animals ‘n’ kids, ‘n’ she loves to sing. She’s pretty, too. I could keep goin’ on about ‘er.”
“Can you honestly say that you love her?”
“Yeah. I love her. I love her very much.”
“Is she worth putting this behind you?”
His eyes opened. Could he seriously put this event behind him without it taking from what he had with Seven? And most importantly, how could he?
“I don’t know how to. That’s th’ point.”
“I can tell you what’s going on.”
“What is?”
“You’re finding it hard for you to accept what you did as a part of the past and putting it behind you. But you’re also focusing mainly on yourself. You keep looking at what you’ve done and how it’s affected you in more ways than one. It’s time that you look at what you are now and what you’re going to do with the lessons you’ve learned. It may take some time, but begin by taking your eyes off of yourself.”
The words penetrated deeply. All this time, his attention had been centered around himself? How blind was he? He never would have thought of this being the result of his and Mary’s mistake.
It was then that he knew that Joseph was right. He had been right about everything. Now he knew what to do that could begin a healing process within him. Still, there was one tiny little detail that he still needed help with: Seven. How could he tell her?
“Thanks for th’ advice.” He said after a period of time. “Ya said all the right words.”
“Glad I could help.”
“But there’s still one more thing I gotta do. I gotta tell Seven ‘bout what happened.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“Losin’ ‘er. I don’t wanna lose ‘er. She’s th’ best thing that happened to me.”
“You said she’s said that she loves you?”
“Yeah.”
“Then telling her will determine whether or not she truly does. If what you tell her drives her away, then it wasn’t meant to be. But if she still holds on to you, no matter what you’ve done, she’s genuine. And that’s when you know that you can’t let her get away.”
* * *
Kay felt somewhat different as she returned home. She hadn’t had so much money to herself to spend before that she felt somewhat proud she had spent her money wisely and still had some left over. However, being away from Little David for so long had affected her oddly. She missed him very much.
Once she arrived at the shop, she found Joseph finishing work by himself, and that he was moving rather slowly. Not only that, but his hands appeared rather gnarled, and clutching his tools in an unusual manner. He glanced up at his daughter-in-law and grinned.
“Hello, Karen.” He said lowly. “How was apartment hunting?”
“It was okay.” She gestured at the box in her hands. “I went shopping, too.”
“Did you get something good?”
“Yes. I got a new dress.”
“That’s good. David’s upstairs with the baby, if you’re wondering. He was getting fussy.”
“Alright. Thanks.”
She found the stairs and walked up, hearing tiny hums from the bedroom. Peeping in silently, she found Pie Eater in the rocking chair with the baby resting against his shoulder, humming to lull him to sleep.
It was a sweet scene, but Kay needed to set her box down. She allowed herself to be seen, and spoke quietly so not to disturb either of them.
“Hi.” She whispered. “How was he?”
“Pretty good, for th’ most part.” He grinned. “Guess what? He smiled today!”
“He did?”
“Yeah! It was so small, but it was a smile! He’s a big boy now!”
“That’s wonderful.”
“So, any luck in findin’ a good apartment?”
“A little. I found a few around this area that were pretty cheap and well maintained.”
“Glad t’ hear that. I was hopin’ ya’d look ‘round here so Little David cin see ‘is grandpa whenever ‘e can.”
“Me too. I got a new dress, too.”
“Really? Lemme see.”
She set the box on the bed and removed the lid. Then she reached inside and lifted a skirt and blouse set for Pie Eater to see. The blouse was an off-white with ruffles along the button train on the front. The skirt was a bold sky blue color with several varying colors of rusted pink flowers decorating it. He nodded.
“Nice choice.” He muttered. “I love th’ pinkish flowers. Looks nice.”
“Thanks.” She put the outfit away. “Is the baby taking bottles yet?”
“Still doesn’t like it too much, but ‘e’ll get it soon enough.” He rose from the rocking chair. “I’ll put ‘im in th’ cradle.”
Carefully, he bent over the cradle and set the baby inside. Before turning away, he touched the ever-soft skin of Little David’s right cheek and grinned.
“I’ll never get enough of my kids.” He thought aloud. “I can’t wait t’ have more.”
“I can.” Kay stated.
“Why?” he wondered, turning to face her.
“You try dealing with letting a baby grow inside of you for nine months, having terrible cravings, delivering the baby, having to feed him by yourself, having cramps and hemorrhoids and-”
He raised his hands in defeat. “Alright, alright. You win.”
“I’m not dismissing it completely, David. It’s still too soon. Why don’t we stick to our original plan and wait another four years?”
“Sounds good t’ me.”
“I’m glad.” She changed the subject. “Is your father doing okay?”
“Think ‘e’s a liddle stressed. Why?”
“When I can in he looked pretty tired, and he seemed a little sick too. He hasn’t been doing too well lately.”
“I noticed. I tell ‘im t’ see a doctor, but ‘e won’t lissen. I think I’ll call one for ‘im.”
“Better do that as soon as possible. The sooner he’s looked at, the better.”
* * *
Bumlets paced fretfully, not knowing how to do this. How could he tell the woman he loved that he had once made love to a woman he knew he would never love? His head pounded. The words he had formed to explain himself were all much too weak.
He raked his fingers through his hair and tugged. Grunting irritably at himself, he attempted to form a new way of saying what he had to. Nothing was working at all.
‘Just calm down, Bumlets.’ He mused. ‘Let your mind clear up, and stay calm. Don’t let yourself get jumpy or aggravated.’
“Bumlets?”
He shot back to reality, finding Blizzard and Psyche staring at him oddly. One hand fell into his pocket, and the other brushed through his hair again.
“Uh, hi guys-er, gals.” He stammered.
“Why are you standing in front of the door?” Blizzard wondered.
“I…uh, I wanna talk t’ Seven.”
“Have you knocked yet?” Psyche inquired.
“Um…not yet.”
Blizzard was the first to make a move and placed a hand up against his shoulder. Then, with a simple push, she moved him aside so that he was no longer blocking the entrance to the girls’ bunkroom.
“We’ll get her for you.” She stated. “Wait there and stay out of the way.”
Exhaling heavily, he fell up against the wall and allowed his cheeks to puff up and release again. ‘Here goes nothing,’ his mentality spoke.
Seven emerged shortly afterward. She was wearing an older shirt one hers, one that had the sleeves sheered off that she preferred to wear around the house during hot weather. Bumlets couldn’t speak at first because he was captivated by her.
“There you are.” She said. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” he gulped, gasping back for his voice.
“Are you sure? You look a little pale.”
“I…uh, uh…I…”
She touched his brow with her fingertips, then placed her entire hand over his skin. Frowning, her hand slipped off and she wiped it on her pants.
“You don’t feel warm, so you’re not sick.”
“I feel fine.”
“Alright. Blizzard said that you wanted to talk to me.”
He panicked. For some reason, he knew that now was not the time nor was this the place for him to tell her about Mary. Could he take her somewhere to be alone? No, too much temptation was involved, and it was too soon.
Swiftly, he came up with a plan. Everything could work together in the amount of time that he had. He began to calm and finally willed himself to speak.
“I do wanna talk t’ ya.” He forced. “Ya doin’ anythin’ tomorrah night?”
“Not really, except that Twilight wants to talk over wedding plans with me and a few other newsgirls.”
Wedding plans. An airy feeling swept through his chest, easing more of his tension. He hoped they could talk over some of their own sometime in the near future.
“Tomorrah I’ve got a lot ‘f stuff t’ do, an’ I wanna spend some time wit ya cuz I’m gonna be goin’ away for a few days.”
“Away?” her eyebrows arched. “Where would you go? I thought you said you didn’t have any family.”
“It don’t gotta do with that. I jus’ gotta go away for a couple days. So tomorrah I wanna spend some time t’ tell ya ‘bout something.”
“Why couldn’t you tell me that now?”
“This ain’t th’ place. Meet me at Tibby’s at eight forty-five tomorrah.”
“Eight forty-five? Bumlets, Tibby’s closes at nine.”
Fifteen minutes. That was all the time he had to tell Seven everything about him and Mary. Would it be enough? It would have to be. On such a limited time schedule, he’d be able to force himself to tell her. He nodded.
“I know. But I wanna leave right afterward. Ya fine with that?”
She shrugged. “I guess so.”
“Okay.” He grinned. “I’ll see ya in th’ morning.”
Nodding, she turned and headed for the door. When she reached for the doorknob, Bumlets impulsively gripped her arm and gently yanked her to him. Before she could react, he planted his lips upon hers and swept her into a thrilling kiss.
For the first time in a long time, Bumlets felt truly passionate about this woman. He could touch her and feel exhilarating surges of life, and not having to look back upon Mary and revisit his past feelings. Now, he could look forward into the future and plan on having Seven with him.
When she returned his kiss, he loosened his grip on her arm and wrapped his own around her. She felt so open, so soft, so enticing…he shoved all of those thoughts aside. He was not going to pollute this wonderful moment with what entangled him in the mess with Mary.
“What in heaven’s name is going on here?”
The two broke apart abruptly to find Kloppman on the stairs, scowling angrily at them for breaking his rules. Bumlets wiped his mouth off with his sleeve and grinned guiltily.
“She was havin’ trouble breathin’.” He blurted.
Snorting sounds were being heard from Seven as she covered her mouth with her hand in attempt to hide her giggles. Kloppman was neither convinced nor amused.
“You both know my rules.” He clarified firmly. “Do you want me to throw the both of you out of this lodging house?”
“No.” Seven choked, still holding back her giggles.
“Then I’d better not catch you two necking like that again. Seven, go to your room.”
She glanced quickly at Bumlets, and he nodded and winked at her. Before she could open the door, Fantasia opened it and froze at the sight of the two newsies and Kloppman.
“What’s going on here?” she wondered.
“I was having breathing trouble.” Seven replied, shoving Fantasia back inside with her.
The door shut, and Bumlets sighed. However, Kloppman wasn’t finished yet.
“As for you, young man,” he continued, “another stunt like that and I’ll sew you up into a bag and tie you to your bunk.”
“No need for that, Kloppman.” He said as he passed him. “I’m leavin’.”
* * *
