I turn the corner and see the Refuge out of the corner of my eye. A wagon with two nuns carries a load a food. I know that it is supposed to be feed to the refugees, but Synder cooks it up for himself. That's is my chance.
I take a rock from the ground and toss it beside, but not too close to the wagon. The nuns look over towards the noise confused. I take this opportunity to jump on the back of the wagon. There is some type of fabric laying by a bucket of bread. I take that fabric and cover me so the guards nor nuns know that I am there.
The wagon starts slowing down. They must have passed the Refuge's gates. The wagon halts to complete stop. Oh no! I did not think that far. "Thank you for the food Sister Mary." I hear a guard's voice say.
"Anything we can do to bless those troubled children." The nun said, which I'm guessing is Sister Mary. The guard takes the bucket and barrels of food off. I felt the wagon rise without the wait of all that grub. I know it's going to go to Synder's own personal all you can eat buffet.
The wagon starts to move again. If I stay on it I'll miss my chance to see Crutchie. I slow pull back the fabric covering me, so the nuns don't hear me. They are turning around to head back out of the gates. I see a stack of barrels and boxes that I can hide against. While the wagon makes its turn I hop off quickly an scurry over to that stack and hide behind it.
The wagon leaves and the guards close the gates. Great, now how am I supposed to leave? Maybe they didn't lock the gates. Yeah, if I remember correctly the guards don't carry a set of keys. Perfect. Now that I now I can leave safely, I can continue with my plan. (It is not much a plan as it is just me making up things as I go.)
There is a fire escape. It's the way to see him. Only problem with that though is that some guard is standing close by it.
I look around me for something that can help me out. My fingers trace a old wooden board. I could use this in a way sorta like a base ball bat. I've punched Delanceys before I'm sure I can knock out some old 40 something.
I take my skirt and tuck the edge to my waist. That way I can run freely away from him if this plan doesn't work. I tighten my laces on my boots so I trip on the laces. I can't let this fail.
Slowing walking towards the man hoping he doesn't notice me even though I am standing out in the middle for him to see me. I hush my foot steps. But one thing I did not count on was a brick. That brick tripped me and I fell to the ground with a huge thump. Let's just say he noticed me.
"What the hell?" He muttered. He is most likely shocked that a girl appeared out of nowhere. "Surprising. I know." I scowl out at him. He starts running at me. I pick my self off my the ground and charge him. I swing the wooden board at lighting speed to his head. He falls down to the ground. Oh my! I just assaulted a grown man. That is so different that kicking Morris and Oscar Delancey.
I drop the wooden board and look around to be positive that no one else was there. I kick the guy's side to make sure that he is knocked out cold.
I get in the fire escape and climb up the floor where they keep the kids locked up. It has bars on the windows so I know it's the one. The candles are lit, I can tell by the little bit of light seeping through the cheap white curtains.
I wiggle my fist in between the iron bars and pound on the glass. Nothing happens for 8 seconds. I count because I am nervous. There is a tug on the curtains. Someone must be back there.
A kid about my age pulls the curtain back. He looks shocked. I cockily raise my eyebrows and smirk. The kid opens the window. "This looks weird. I bet."
The kid doesn't say anything to me only looks at me funny.
I start talking because I do not have the time to watch him say nothing to me. "Listen there's a boy here. Crutchie." He gives me a look like he is really confused. "A guy came to see him not too long ago." The kid still looks confused beyond belief. "He has a crutch." A lightbulb goes off in his head and he runs off.
I hear Crutchie's voice but I don't see him. "What? A girl?" Please let them not have beaten him up so bad that he can't remember me that would be my nightmare. I hear the taping of a crutch end and a footstep.
We look at each other. A light hearted giggle comes out of his mouth. I cover mine trying not to ball out. I didn't know that seeing him would bring out so many emotions. I guess I have been bundling then inside, because I have been working on the strike.
He hurries to the window and sit on the window seal. "Stray....How? Why? What are you doing here? What if they catch ya again?" He asks me.
"Crutchie I had to see you. I don't care if they find me. I needed to hear your voice." I explain to him. I get a good look at him. I extend my arm through the bar and touch his face. "Oscar and Morris did that?" I ask, mentioning a pretty bad black eye he got.
"It used to hurt. It doesn't anymores." He says. I even missed the way he slurred his words. "Are the guys still fighting in the strike?"
"You know it! And guess what else?" I says smiling
"What?" He asks like a little kid. He is so adorable. I'm so happy to see him you have no idea. "Katherine got us in the paper. Front page above the fold." I tell him this and he lights up like a firefly.
"Stray." He says holding my hand. He places his other hand through the bars and pulls my braid out from behind my shoulders. "Your hair is different....." He drifts off. He strokes my hair and smiles.
"Katherine braided it." I say. He didn't respond to me. He just kept smiling, which in turn made me smile. "It's beautiful, just like you.... New clothes?" He says. I nod my head very fast at him, he lets out a little giggle at my action. I grab his hand from my hair and hold it. Something isn't right. "What's on your mind?" I softly say to Crutchie.
He takes a deep breath and then looks at me. "Tonight, starin' at you... I'm scared. Tomorrow is gonna come and change everything. If there was a way I grab hold of something to make time stop, just so I can keep lookin' at you."
I lightly breathe and look into his eyes. "I thought I knew what love was, and then I met you. You were smiling and laughing your way through life and that made me happy. Everything changed. Listen if I'm gone tomorrow, I'll always be with you. You are the reason I'm still fighting this fight. You are my something to believe in."
Crutchie looks and me and his face goes serious almost as serious as me. "Stray. When we met I saw you sitting on that bench alone. I wanted to talk to you so I did, I was really nervous. I offered you a pape then I got to know you. And I saw that you were much more than I thought. You were just some stranger on the street now I have something to believe in because you decided to believe in a gimp like me."
I look at our hands and how they are interlocked with each other. "You are no gimp. That's not how I see you. Did you know that I've ran into the Delanceys? And every time I saw them I couldn't help but yell at them and tell them they would never be half the man you are."
Crutchie looks at me and sighs. "I love you."
"I love you too. And I will get you out of here." I say letting go of his hand and I touch his cheek with the back of my hand. "I need to tell you something."
"Stray you know you tell anything." He says grabbing ahold of my hand again.
"Pulitzer offered me a job in editing if I stopped got rid of our union." I say.
Crutchie squeezes my hand nervously. "Don't worry. I turned him down."
"Stray that would have been a chance of a lifetime for you." Crutchie said to me. I avoid his eyes. I hear him sigh. My head flings back towards him. "If I quit everything we have worked so hard for would be for nothing."
"Stray...you have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now." I laugh out loud and that results into me covering my mouth so that we don't get caught.
I hear a lot of movement and Crutchie looks at me worried. "You have to go....Before Synder gets you!" He whisper yells at me.
I start to leave but then I rush back to the window before Crutchie closes the window. "Wait before I leave. I need to tell you I love you and that the next time I see you we will have won the strike."
I run the down fire escape. The window slams shut, I can hear it from down here. Well that and muffles of Synder the Spider screaming. Why did I leave him there alone? Let them catch me just so I can be with him.
I get down the the ground and there is the guard still passed out. I roll my eyes. I run towards the gates and thank god, because they were unlocked. I push it open and make a break for it.
I will keep my word on this. The Newboy's Strike of 1899 will be a success. Mark my words on this.