Liberty Calling

Chapter 28

I'd always loved the way the air felt early in the morning. It was sharp, almost to the point of hurting the skin. My lungs stretched as they were filled, and I had to cough as the cold air rushed into my chest. And still, I enjoyed the feeling in a strange way. There was a familiarity in the way the blue of the sunrise chased away the black of night. A sense of hope. It reminded me that I was still alive. By no accounts did I enjoy arising so early, and still...I thought to myself that I ought to do so more often.

Though the sky still clung to the shadow of night, the streets already began to bustle to life. Fishermen walked toward the docks, their eyes hooded with exhaustion and perhaps a bit of reluctance. A cock crew somewhere far in the distance, and a chorus of dogs followed suit, howling as though to announce to the world that the time had come to return to work. Autumn had arrived, and the swirling wisps of my breath testified to that fact. A young man, perhaps fourteen years of age, bolted past me. I had to catch my steps in order to avoid collision, and he turned with a start.

"Pardon," the boy said, in a clear, confident tone. His hair was a shining gold, sprouting from a widow's peak upon his forehead, and tied firmly in a blue ribbon. He was thin, though it could be seen already that he would grow to be of a good strength.

"No matter," I told him. His cocky smile was infectious, and I found myself grinning in spite of myself.

He turned upon his heel, and bolted into the doors of Levi's press. With a small chuckle, I followed him.

"Alright there, Johnny?" Levi asked, hefting a large bundled stack of newspapers onto the counter between them. I was near enough to smell the ink and paper, and I couldn't help the smile that grew at the familiar pleasure.

The boy nodded, and picked up the papers by the twine which held them together. "Yes, sir."

"Good man. To all the usual clients today. And you needn't come report to me afterwards, I'll be out on other business. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Young Johnny nodded, and turned, and for the second time, nearly collided with me.

"I'm afraid I keep getting in the way of your business," I told him with a small smile. In a way, he reminded me of Caleb, or what he would have been like had I known him outside of a dank prisoner's cell.

The boy's eyes widened, and a bit of red colored his neck. He nodded once, and ducked behind me. "Not at all, miss." He turned then with a start, and bent at the waist. "My name is Johnny, Miss. Should you need anything."

I resisted the laugh that bubbled up in my chest, and nodded. "Thank you, Johnny."

Without missing a beat, he bent at the waist again, and flew out the door. The wind caught the door as he left, and it slammed shut with an impressive bang. 

Levi cringed. "One of these days, he'll blow the hinges straight off that door."

"Well he is simply charming. How long has he been working for you?" I asked, pulling my cloak from my shoulders.

Levi glanced up from a letter he'd unfolded. "Johnny? Quite some time. Perhaps a year now."

"And he delivers all your papers?"

"Hardly. We employ five young men, of whom Johnny is always the last to arrive. He's a smart boy, and a fine worker, but he cannot keep the time for the life of him."

"How have I not met any of these boys before?"

My brother scoffed, and returned the letter to its spot on the desk. "Because you never rise before nine o'clock."