July 4, 1888. Everyone is a year older. This is more on the fluffier side of things. I think. Anyway. Enjoy! :)
"Why is everyone gone so much?"
"Why don't I go outside?"
"The door squeaks A LOT."
"How did Crutchy get his newsie name? Why doesn't Jack have a newsie name?"
"There are three spiders in a corner of the bathroom."
"I'm hungry."
"Will I be able to go outside when I'm older?"
"Whoever thought it was a good idea to teach him how to talk, I'll soak 'em," Morris grumbles.
Now Antonio is well into being four years old, and well into talking. It's funny, because now, he's nearly totally silent or nearly totally ready to talk any of their ears off.
"What's going on tonight?" Antonio asks curiously. "Everyone is saying something."
"Well, Antonio," Jack answers, "today is July 4th."
"Mhm. But what's tonight?"
Louis grins. "You'll see."
Antonio pouts a little. "But that's so far away! You haven't even gone away for hours yet!"
That gets everyone nearby to chuckle a little. So that's what he thinks of them all working, leaving him alone in the lodging house.
"How 'bout this?" Jack starts. "How 'bout I take you outside? Not far, and not for long. But you'll see it. You'll be with me the whole time. But it's somethin', right?"
"Yeah!" Antonio bounces up. "Can we go now?"
"Go where?" Ray joins their conversation.
"Antonio was wantin' to go outside," Jack explains to him. "I was plannin' on only takin' him around within sight."
Ray nods. "Sounds good."
And with that, for the first time in his memory, Antonio walks outside the door of the Manhattan newsies lodging house; with Jack beside him, who is remembering all too well what happened the last time Antonio went outside. But that's not what's going to happen this time.
Antonio's small hand is enclosed in Jack's. Jack is making sure that Antonio won't escape. He also loves the feeling of holding hands with Antonio, knowing that Antonio trusts him.
"What's it like being twelve?" Antonio asks Jack curiously nearly out of no where.
Jack thinks about it for a second. "Well, it's kinda like bein' in between, 'cause I can be the oldest of the young kids, or youngest of the older kids. That makes it interestin'. Ain't all ages kinda fun while they last, though?"
Antonio shrugs. "I don't know."
"That's right. You've only had four years."
"Mhm."
"Well, Antonio, what do you think about coming outside everyday?"
That gets his attention. "Really?"
"Not yet, of course."
Antonio's shoulders sag a little. "But-"
"When you're a newsie," Jack tells him, "you'll be outside. A lot. Every day."
"Newsie?" Antonio tries the word on his tongue.
"Yep."
"When do I become a newsie?"
"I don't know," Jack answers honestly. "I think that's up for Ray or Kloppman to decide."
"I hope they decide soon." Antonio goes in his head for a few moments after that. Newsie. He's heard that word a few times. All the people he lives with are newsies, he knows that. But they never fully talk about what all of being a newsie is.
"What do newsies do?" Antonio asks.
"Newsies sell papes," Jack answers. "We'se work for the World, which creates newspapers. We sell those to people." Then he starts quoting what Ray taught him. "Without newsies, no one in the city knows nothin'. It's up to us to spread the news."
"Newsies teach people things?"
Jack chuckles a little. "Yeah. I guess we do."
"When did you become a newsie?"
"When I was seven."
"Why?"
Jack swallows. That's not a question he's real keen on answering. "I forget."
Antonio tilts his head. "I thought you knew everything."
Jack laughs. "I wish I did. But you know, Antonio? I think you'll know everything someday."
I think you'll know everything someday.
Antonio repeats that in his head. Now that's stuck in his mind forever, just like some of the other things he's heard.
"We should probably start walkin' back now," Jack mentions. "One thing about bein' a newsie is you better be there by the time the circulation bell rings. That's gonna real happen soon."
----------
All the newsies talk excitedly later that night. They can't wait for what's about to happen.
Antonio watches them all from his height. They're keeping something from him. He's sure about it. He wants to know what.
"What's gonna happen?" he asks anyone who will listen. Except no one does. They all brush him off and continue with their conversations.
Now he's frustrated. Why won't anyone listen to him?
Then he knows what they will listen to.
"I'm going outside," he announces, just for the reaction he'll get.
To his satisfaction, that finally gets eyes on him.
"Not now, Antonio," they respond automatically.
"But others are going outside!" he protests.
"They're older, Antonio," Crutchy tries telling him. "And-"
"Why can't I go outside?" he presses again.
Crutchy sighs. "Antonio-"
"Mm-nn." And with that, Antonio takes off.
"Hey! Antonio!"
He's much faster than he once was, and Crutchy much slower.
He opens the door.
"Antonio!"
Suddenly, there is a giant boom in the sky and an amazing display of colors.
Antonio's jaw drops. He has never seen anything like it.
"What was that?!" he exclaims.
Crutchy finally catches up with him and chuckles. "Fireworks, Antonio."
"Fireworks?" Antonio repeats, still in awe.
"Yeah!" Louis and Mush join them.
Another one goes off. Antonio jumps back, face lit up with delight, hands over ears, because that sound hurts.
But that explosion of color! Why is he just now seeing this?
"See, today is Independence Day," Mush explains.
"We'se celebratin' the freedom of our country," Louis adds.
"And we celebrate with fireworks!" Mush finishes.
Freedom of our country.
Freedom.
Antonio loves that word.
Freedom.
The fireworks continue.
This is how we celebrate freedom.
On one hand, this could cause him sensory overload. But he's too awed to care that the booms are loud and overwhelming. It's the colors, and how they're just like a picture, but not flat. They look like they will be, but then you can see the depth, and how they don't stay in one place. They're alive.
Jack comes up and helps Antonio cover up his ears more. It seems to work. Jack grins down at him.
The truth is that the newsies had no clue how Antonio would handle the fireworks. They've seen him get overwhelmed by some loud noises. But other loud noises are okay sometimes. They were wanting to make sure that he wouldn't get overwhelmed and run to someplace where they couldn't find him.
But he's staying right here, enjoying the show, with his newsie family with him.
Farther back, Ray looks at Jack and Antonio standing really close. He smiles. They truly are like brothers.
And then Ray looks up to enjoy the firework show himself, and with every fading burst, he looks at the stars, and thinks of Stargazer, all the way in Brooklyn, and all his stories of the stars that he would tell to anyone who would listen.
And when Ray turns his head, he sees Aquila the Eagle and Aquarius the Water-bearer, twinkling in the night sky overhead, shining comfortingly.
For me, I love the colors of fireworks, but sometimes they're too bright, and they're really loud. I can stand them, but for too long I get over-stimulated. Since Antonio is not like me in that way, the sounds bothered him but he has a higher tolerance for that stuff.
I love poetic endings. Or at least trying to write them haha.
Fun fact: the first year to celebrate Independence Day with fireworks was actually 1777. Fireworks have been around since 200 BCE in China.
I am going to have really inconsistent updates, just saying.
There we go. Fluffy Antonio discovering fireworks. :)
Honestly though? If you count this as fluff, enjoy this fluff. Because the next chapter is heavy. Kind of.
Please, no homophobia, profanities, hate etc in the comment section at any time.
Best,
~Your Beloved Author (who has somehow been getting around 7 hours of sleep regularly...which is still an hour under the recommended 8-10 hours)