Adele's Story
Adele narrowed her eyes at the outline of the city. “So much for the‘city
paved in gold’.” she muttered, mostly to herself. “It’s more like the
city paved in starvin' people.” She felt rather conspicuous walking in the
back allies of Lower Manhattan in her third best dove-grey dress, for although,
back at home, it was something to slum around in, here it made her look like the
best of high class. It was so different in North Carolina, or atleast, if it
wasn’t different, she had not been allowed to see it. All the children she saw
running around were poor, but for some reason, they looked much happier then she
ever had been. Adele narrowed her eyes again, suddenly angry at them for having
the nerve to be happy and carefree when she wasn’t. Life wasn’t fair. For
all the money her family had, for all the houses and villas and farms and horses
and dresses, she still was lonely. She though that if she ran away, even, she
would be able to be carefree. If she went to New York City to be a writer, she
could be happy. But here she was, wandering the streets, without a home, without
friend, without a face to say hello to. And she felt just as lonely as she had
felt back at home, with her mother and father dead and Uncle John running the
plantation. She was so caught up in her thoughts, that Adele didn’t notice the
boy who was standing right in front of her, and she went crashing right into
him. Her first reaction was to jump back, glare and wait for him to tell her he
was sorry. The boy, however, turned and looked at her with something like
contempt. “’Scuse you.” he snapped, finally. It was clear he was irritated
and not in a good mood.
“Excuse yourself.” Adele retorted. She shook her blonde hair out of her
eyes, and crossed her arms. The boy stopped what he was doing to turn and look
at her fully.
“Did you just talk ta me, or was that the wind, MISS?”
“If there’s any wind, it’s floating around your skull, SIR, and it’s the
only thing there. Yes, I just spoke to you. You’d do best to reply.” Adele
drew herself up to full height, which was still a few inches shorter then the
boy, and attempted to look regal. The boy gritted his teeth. He wasn’t liking
Adele at all, that much was clear.
“Why don’tcha just go away back to ya ball, princess.” he shook his head
and moved to turn away from her. Adele’s eyes widened, and her hand flew out
to slap him before he knew what was happening. He stood shocked for a second
before throwing himself at her and pushing her to the ground. Adele sat down,
hard, on the sidewalk.
“Street rat!” she hissed, trying to get to her feet.
“Go run home to ya daddy, princess.” the boy sneered at her.
“I would, if he was alive!” Adele yelled, finally letting her tears flow in
an embarrassing flood down her flushed cheeks. The boy’s jaw dropped slightly,
and he knelt down by her side.
“Um, I’m sorry. But, really, miss, you shouldn’t be wanderin around out
here. You should get home.”
Adele sniffed, and tried to stop herself from crying. “I don’t have one of
those either.”
“You don’t-?” the boy looked at her, confused.
“My father just died, and I ran away from my uncle because he was awful.”
Adele explained.
“Ohh...” the boy was turning a slight shade of red and looking very unsure
of what to do. “um...do ya need a place to stay? It’s the least I can do,
after pushing ya down...”
“I don’t need charity!” Adele stood up and started walking away.
“No! Wait! It...it wouldn’t be charity. Really. 10 cents a week, if ya can
pay it. And...we sell newspapers.” he began to babble before turning red
again. “I’m Kid Blink.”
“Blink?” Adele turned around and frowned.
The boy gestured to the eye patch that Adele hadn’t even seen in the
uncomfortable encounter. “Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Nah, don’t be. It happened years ago.” Blink shrugged and semi-held out
his arm. “Do ya want to come with me, or do ya wanna stay outside?”
Adele sighed and took his arm, picking up the small carpet bag that had gone
flying when she first ran into him. “I’m Adele.” she informed him as they
started walking. “Are you always so ornery when you first meet people, or was
it just me?”
“What? Oh, no.” Blink blushed again, “I was just...having a really bad
day.” He waved the stack of papers in his hand, even though it was close to
evening. “Bad headlines, no one wanted a paper. And I’m close to broke. And
a cart almost crushed my hand.” he held up a black and blue hand,
“and...well. It wasn’t a good day.”
Adele had to keep herself from laughing, he seemed so pathetic. “I shouldn’t
have asked. I wasn’t having such a wonderful day myself.”
“We’re a glum pair.” Blink shook his
head and laughed slightly.
“That we are.”
They approached an old looking building
that proclaimed itself to be the “Newsboys Lodging House”.
“A newsboys lodging house?” Adele spun on Blink, “You expect me to stay at
a newsBOYS lodging house?”
Blink cut in before she could say anything else. “Kloppy just got the top
floor from the lady that used to live there. He’s turnin it into a news girls
place. There’s even a girl livin there! She’s off in Brooklyn with Jack at
the moment, though.”
“Oh.” Adele didn’t know what to say, so she opened the front door and
walked in. Blink hurried behind her, not quite sure what to think of her. He
thought she was very pretty, and proper, but besides that, she seemed to be an
enigma. Kloppman looked at Adele over his glasses and smiled slightly. “May I
help you, miss?”
“She needs a bunk, Kloppy!” Blink leaned against the counter, grinning.
“Are you a miss, Jonathan?” Kloppy turned a stern face at Blink, “I’m
sure she can talk for herself.”
Adele laughed. “Thank ya kindly, sir. I’m Adele Hanneton. I need a bunk.”
“A bunk? A bunk...well, as it happens, Miss Adele, I have 19 bunks on the
girl's floor. Up the stairs, two flights, on the right. Blink’ll show ya the
way. Take whichever one ya want, ‘sept for the one with sheets. While ya get
settled, send the boy down for the sheets and pillow.” Kloppman smiled and
waved towards the stairs, “But first, sign the book, will ya dear?” he
pushed the book and a pen towards Adele.
“Of course.” Adele took up the pen and signed her name. “Well, c’mon
then Blink, up we go.”
* * *
Bareness. That was Adele’s first
impression of the room. The one taken bunk was near the middle of the room,
pushed against the window. Adele marched right over and threw her bag on the top
one. Pulling the bag open, she pulled out a small picture. Adele stared at it
for a few seconds before leaning up and wedging it in a crack between the window
sill and her bunk. Then she turned and kept pulling things out. Blink walked
over and looked at the picture. It was a family portrait, taken when Adele was
about 10. Just Adele and her father, both stiff-backed and almost frowning.
“He been gone long?” Blink finally asked.
“Father?” Adele paused to look at Blink, who nodded.
“Almost a year. He died in a ship wreck on his way back from England. I
hadn’t seen him in over a year as it was. Mother died when I was born.” she
added, almost as an after thought.
“I’m sorry.” Blink turned away from the picture and started down the
stairs.
“I’m gonna go get ya those sheets.” he called.
As soon as he was out of sight, the tears started falling down her face. Adele
brushed them away, knowing that tears were a weakness she couldn’t afford.
“I’m strong, I’m fine.” she told herself. She pulled herself together
before Blink got back, and even managed to smile at him when he invited her to
dinner at some place called “Tibby’s”. As she walked out the door, Adele
glanced at the picture and said a silent prayer for her father, and herself. She
could make it. She was strong. She was a Southern Belle, and she would build her
way back into that if it killed her.
© 1999; Adele
Adele's Story
Adele narrowed her eyes at the outline of the city. “So much for the‘city
paved in gold’.” she muttered, mostly to herself. “It’s more like the
city paved in starvin' people.” She felt rather conspicuous walking in the
back allies of Lower Manhattan in her third best dove-grey dress, for although,
back at home, it was something to slum around in, here it made her look like the
best of high class. It was so different in North Carolina, or atleast, if it
wasn’t different, she had not been allowed to see it. All the children she saw
running around were poor, but for some reason, they looked much happier then she
ever had been. Adele narrowed her eyes again, suddenly angry at them for having
the nerve to be happy and carefree when she wasn’t. Life wasn’t fair. For
all the money her family had, for all the houses and villas and farms and horses
and dresses, she still was lonely. She though that if she ran away, even, she
would be able to be carefree. If she went to New York City to be a writer, she
could be happy. But here she was, wandering the streets, without a home, without
friend, without a face to say hello to. And she felt just as lonely as she had
felt back at home, with her mother and father dead and Uncle John running the
plantation. She was so caught up in her thoughts, that Adele didn’t notice the
boy who was standing right in front of her, and she went crashing right into
him. Her first reaction was to jump back, glare and wait for him to tell her he
was sorry. The boy, however, turned and looked at her with something like
contempt. “’Scuse you.” he snapped, finally. It was clear he was irritated
and not in a good mood.
“Excuse yourself.” Adele retorted. She shook her blonde hair out of her
eyes, and crossed her arms. The boy stopped what he was doing to turn and look
at her fully.
“Did you just talk ta me, or was that the wind, MISS?”
“If there’s any wind, it’s floating around your skull, SIR, and it’s the
only thing there. Yes, I just spoke to you. You’d do best to reply.” Adele
drew herself up to full height, which was still a few inches shorter then the
boy, and attempted to look regal. The boy gritted his teeth. He wasn’t liking
Adele at all, that much was clear.
“Why don’tcha just go away back to ya ball, princess.” he shook his head
and moved to turn away from her. Adele’s eyes widened, and her hand flew out
to slap him before he knew what was happening. He stood shocked for a second
before throwing himself at her and pushing her to the ground. Adele sat down,
hard, on the sidewalk.
“Street rat!” she hissed, trying to get to her feet.
“Go run home to ya daddy, princess.” the boy sneered at her.
“I would, if he was alive!” Adele yelled, finally letting her tears flow in
an embarrassing flood down her flushed cheeks. The boy’s jaw dropped slightly,
and he knelt down by her side.
“Um, I’m sorry. But, really, miss, you shouldn’t be wanderin around out
here. You should get home.”
Adele sniffed, and tried to stop herself from crying. “I don’t have one of
those either.”
“You don’t-?” the boy looked at her, confused.
“My father just died, and I ran away from my uncle because he was awful.”
Adele explained.
“Ohh...” the boy was turning a slight shade of red and looking very unsure
of what to do. “um...do ya need a place to stay? It’s the least I can do,
after pushing ya down...”
“I don’t need charity!” Adele stood up and started walking away.
“No! Wait! It...it wouldn’t be charity. Really. 10 cents a week, if ya can
pay it. And...we sell newspapers.” he began to babble before turning red
again. “I’m Kid Blink.”
“Blink?” Adele turned around and frowned.
The boy gestured to the eye patch that Adele hadn’t even seen in the
uncomfortable encounter. “Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Nah, don’t be. It happened years ago.” Blink shrugged and semi-held out
his arm. “Do ya want to come with me, or do ya wanna stay outside?”
Adele sighed and took his arm, picking up the small carpet bag that had gone
flying when she first ran into him. “I’m Adele.” she informed him as they
started walking. “Are you always so ornery when you first meet people, or was
it just me?”
“What? Oh, no.” Blink blushed again, “I was just...having a really bad
day.” He waved the stack of papers in his hand, even though it was close to
evening. “Bad headlines, no one wanted a paper. And I’m close to broke. And
a cart almost crushed my hand.” he held up a black and blue hand,
“and...well. It wasn’t a good day.”
Adele had to keep herself from laughing, he seemed so pathetic. “I shouldn’t
have asked. I wasn’t having such a wonderful day myself.”
“We’re a glum pair.” Blink shook his
head and laughed slightly.
“That we are.”
They approached an old looking building
that proclaimed itself to be the “Newsboys Lodging House”.
“A newsboys lodging house?” Adele spun on Blink, “You expect me to stay at
a newsBOYS lodging house?”
Blink cut in before she could say anything else. “Kloppy just got the top
floor from the lady that used to live there. He’s turnin it into a news girls
place. There’s even a girl livin there! She’s off in Brooklyn with Jack at
the moment, though.”
“Oh.” Adele didn’t know what to say, so she opened the front door and
walked in. Blink hurried behind her, not quite sure what to think of her. He
thought she was very pretty, and proper, but besides that, she seemed to be an
enigma. Kloppman looked at Adele over his glasses and smiled slightly. “May I
help you, miss?”
“She needs a bunk, Kloppy!” Blink leaned against the counter, grinning.
“Are you a miss, Jonathan?” Kloppy turned a stern face at Blink, “I’m
sure she can talk for herself.”
Adele laughed. “Thank ya kindly, sir. I’m Adele Hanneton. I need a bunk.”
“A bunk? A bunk...well, as it happens, Miss Adele, I have 19 bunks on the
girl's floor. Up the stairs, two flights, on the right. Blink’ll show ya the
way. Take whichever one ya want, ‘sept for the one with sheets. While ya get
settled, send the boy down for the sheets and pillow.” Kloppman smiled and
waved towards the stairs, “But first, sign the book, will ya dear?” he
pushed the book and a pen towards Adele.
“Of course.” Adele took up the pen and signed her name. “Well, c’mon
then Blink, up we go.”
* * *
Bareness. That was Adele’s first
impression of the room. The one taken bunk was near the middle of the room,
pushed against the window. Adele marched right over and threw her bag on the top
one. Pulling the bag open, she pulled out a small picture. Adele stared at it
for a few seconds before leaning up and wedging it in a crack between the window
sill and her bunk. Then she turned and kept pulling things out. Blink walked
over and looked at the picture. It was a family portrait, taken when Adele was
about 10. Just Adele and her father, both stiff-backed and almost frowning.
“He been gone long?” Blink finally asked.
“Father?” Adele paused to look at Blink, who nodded.
“Almost a year. He died in a ship wreck on his way back from England. I
hadn’t seen him in over a year as it was. Mother died when I was born.” she
added, almost as an after thought.
“I’m sorry.” Blink turned away from the picture and started down the
stairs.
“I’m gonna go get ya those sheets.” he called.
As soon as he was out of sight, the tears started falling down her face. Adele
brushed them away, knowing that tears were a weakness she couldn’t afford.
“I’m strong, I’m fine.” she told herself. She pulled herself together
before Blink got back, and even managed to smile at him when he invited her to
dinner at some place called “Tibby’s”. As she walked out the door, Adele
glanced at the picture and said a silent prayer for her father, and herself. She
could make it. She was strong. She was a Southern Belle, and she would build her
way back into that if it killed her.
© 1999; Adele