New York City was a sight to behold in the summer. The air filled with vendors selling their in-season fruits and vegetables, children ran through the streets, horse-drawn carriages ratted across the cobblestone, on every street corner there was a new sound, smell and sight. Saturday was always the most hectic for Lilian Callaghan but she did not mind in the slightest. Saturday meant it was the weekly picnic for Lilian's apartment building. Children that lived in the building and others would gather on the rooftop of the old brick structure in the late afternoon with blankets and food for all to enjoy.
Every family invited was responsible for bringing one meal to the picnic. The Diginori sisters Angela and Orabella, who lived in one of the apartment buildings down the street, would bring a meat and bread dish their grandmother would prepare. The Ross children Molly, Mathew, and Mac lived directly below the Callaghan's and would bring potato wedges with boiled onions. The rowdy McAlester boys Aiden and Brandon would always manage to sneak some of their father's beer and a few loaves of bread. But there were more mouths to feed. Affectionately nicknamed the Littles, some were tenants of the building, but most were orphans or runaways. Ranging in ages from three to seven, the picnic for many was the only guaranteed meal they would have all week. What started out as just a few has grown to over a dozen as news of the picnic spread through the boroughs over the years, now children from Staten Island to the Bronx travel to Manhattan for the weekly celebration.
The Callaghan family had been the ones to initiate the picnic. The diverse family consisted of biological siblings Daniel, Lilian, Evelyn, and their adoptive siblings Mary Anne, Liam, Finn, Sara, and little Bruno. The army of eight brought dessert, a chocolate cake from the bakery on the corner they saved up for all week. The family hadn't always been so large as Daniel, Lilian, and Evelyn were not born in Manhattan, unlike the other members of their family. They grew up with their parents, William and Alice, in Boston where William's family settled when they arrived on the Mayflower. Alice was a New York native and when William lost his job it made the move an easy answer, though much had changed in the 8 years since.
They first met Mary Anne when she nearly pounded the Callaghan's door down, begging for a nannying job after she had nowhere left to turn, having been orphaned young. Instead of a job, William and Alice took pity on the girl and took her in as their own. Liam had been a Newsie that sold William his paper every day on his commute to work. He too had been orphaned young, forced to sell papers to feed himself. William and Alice quickly opened their home to him as well. Twins Finn and Sara had been orphans all their short lives. They had been living in a small alley when Evelyn noticed them on the way home from school one day. She brought them home and William and Alice could not refuse. Lastly was little Bruno, who had been the first son of Alice's childhood friend. He was only two when his mother contracted a deadly case of pneumonia. As her dying wish was Alice raise her son, he completed the Callaghan's pack.
Everything worked smoothly for many years. William and Alice both worked full-time jobs, William finding a job in a metal factory and Alice working as a seamstress in a textile factory. With Mary Anne, Daniel, and Liam all working as well, there was plenty of income to support the small army. Evelyn went to school and was the smartest in her class which left Lilian at home to watch her younger siblings. It was chaotic, but it worked for the Callaghan's. But the good times would not last forever. William began to stay out for weeks at a time, only to return with the stench of booze and foul words falling from his lips. But the family soon began to adjust their lives around their ever-increasingly absent father, but too soon their good luck ran out. One day, Alice came home from the factory with a strange cough, which only worsened with each passing day. The family scraped together all the money they could to get her treatment, but doctors were baffled at her illness and had no answers. By the end of the month, Alice Callaghan was dead. Only adding fuel to the flame, William quickly took off after the funeral and hadn't been seen by his family in the two years that had passed
All the children had to step up. Mary Anne took over Alice's job at the textile factory, Daniel found a better paying job at the Sheepsheads Bay docks, loading and unloading cargo and Liam was still a Newsie, but had begun taking the twins with him so they could begin selling as well. Evelyn's brains and beauty only increased as she grew older, and soon the suitors began to flock. Lilian continued to stay home, watching Bruno. Occasionally children of tenants would be dropped off into their small apartment which was a small source of income. She cleaned the apartment, washed all the clothes of her siblings, and cooked every meal. It was hard work, but the Callaghan's were not quitters. They were determined to live life the best they could, and would not hesitate to help others in need.
The rooftop was filled with the sounds of eating, drinking, singing, laughing, and dancing which melded together with the symphony from the busy streets below. They stayed up there until the sun was well below the horizon. Soon a calm washed over the group as everyone started to pack up, some knowing their parents wouldn't want them out so late. Many of the Littles would sleep with the Callaghan's tonight, already descending down the fire escape to the blankets already set up for them in the living room. They would be given whatever scraps were left in the morning, and almost all would be gone before the sun fully rose. After wrangling most of the children down into the apartment, Lilian rounded up the Diginori sisters as it was her turn to walk them home. Angela was thirteen and perfectly capable of walking ten-year-old Orabella the 15 minutes it took to get home, but Lilian knew they enjoyed the company. And Lilian loved the Diginori's grandmother. Every time she knocked on the door, the old Italian woman would all but tackle her into her arms. Her shoulders were hunched at a dangerous angle with old age, her skin wrinkled and freckled from many years in the sun and the few hairs on her head were pure white and always pulled back. Their apartment smelled of spices and different meats, guaranteed to make anyone's stomach rumble no matter how full. She had known Alice's grandparents as they all crossed over to New York on the same boat, which in her eyes had made them family.
Lilian dropped the sisters off at home, received the usual rib bruising hug, and was off. By the time she arrived home, the Littles were asleep and the rest of her family was getting ready to do the same. As she walked into her room, a groan left her lips at the sight of a pink ribbon sitting in the middle of her bed.
"I swear I'm going pin this thing to her head permanently," she grumbled under breath, swiping the ribbon up into her hand. She turned back towards the front door but before she could get far, a voice spoke up.
"Where d'ya think you're going huh?" Daniel was leaned up against the door frame of the boy's room, arms crossed but a smirk tugged on his lips when he spotted the pink material in her hand.
"You would never believe it, but Orabella forgot her hair ribbon. Again." Lilian explained with a chuckle. Daniel just shook his head, well aware of how forgetful the youngest Diginori was.
"I'm just going to bring it to her now so we can avoid the dramatics in the morning." Lilian started towards the door again.
"Lock the door when you get back," Daniel yawned and turned back into his room. Lilian rushed down the stairs and practically jogged the whole way to the sister's apartment. With a few sharp knocks and a threat to sew the ribbon into Orabella's head, she was back on the street in no time. But as she started her walk home, a warm breeze fluttered around her ankles and ruffled the skirt of her dress a bit. It had been a while since she had been out this late on such a nice night, so she decided to take the longer route home. She figured if she took longer, then everyone in the house would be in a deeper sleep and it would be less likely she would wake them with her return. So she ducked into one of the small alleys separating the brown houses and popped out on the parallel street. She would walk around the little park in the neighborhood and be home within the hour, she told herself.
The walk was enjoyable, it was early enough in the summer where the humidity wasn't unbearable. The streets were dimly lit, only a few street lamps scattered here and there so the moon cast a lovely glow. She had almost forgotten why she didn't come this way more often until she was rounding the last corner of the park. The street was suddenly illuminated by McConroy's Pub, a small little place across from the park that many of the men in surrounding neighborhoods would flock to after late shifts. Her father had often frequented the pub so the sight of the building alone left a sour pit in her stomach. The bar was the brightest building on the street, dark spots of the drunken patrons danced in and out of the glow as their boisterous laughter filled the empty night. But Lilian was walking on the opposite side of the street so she didn't have to worry about weaving through the crowd, although her pace had increased to a slight jog. But soon the pub was behind her and she was nearing the end of her extended walk. She crossed the cobblestone street as she approached the alley that was lead her back home. She could still hear the noise from McConroy's, but it had faded into a gentle hum. But as the street grew quiet once again, a new sound suddenly caught her attention. Heavy and quick, it took her a second to recognize what it was.
Footsteps.
She whipped around to try and find the offender and was immediately pushed up against the brick building behind her. She yelped in pain as her head cracked against the bricks, a large meaty hand clamping down over her mouth to muffle her screams. He shuffled her into the alleyway, the tall buildings casting a shadow over them, swallowing his features in the darkness.
"What's a pretty thing like you doing out here all alone?" He slurred, the stench of whiskey washing over Lilian. The man's free hand roamed over her trembling body, squeezing whatever he pleased. She tried to push him off but he barely took a half step back.
"Don't be nervous," he purred, pressing his large body even closer until they were chest to chest. She prayed someone from the bar would tumble into the alley, coming to her rescue. But no voices drew near as the man's hand continued to travel up her leg, sliding the fabric of her skirt along with it. Lilian tried to wiggle out of her attacker's grip but to no avail. Quick as lighting, his fingers wrapped Lilian's throat, squeezing down and trapping the air in her lungs. Dipping his head down he whispered,
"If you don't scream, I won't kill you." He chuckled in her ear. Fear shot through Lilian's body like a bullet, body freezing in place as tears sprung to her eyes. The hand gripping her throat dropped to his belt buckle, trying fruitlessly to loosen it. He mumbled incoherently and in his drunken state, released his other hand from Lilian's mouth to have another go at it. Immediately sucking in a large breath, she slipped away from the man and took off down the street. The man's angry cries suddenly filled the alley and his pounding steps quickly followed. She couldn't go home, fearing the man would follow her there but she was still lightheaded and her thoughts muddled by the fear pumping through her that she couldn't think of anywhere else to go. As she burst out of the alleyway, something stood out to her in the inky sky. The only thing big enough to be seen through the crowded apartment buildings was suddenly calling to Lilian like a moth to a flame. With a sharp turn, Lilian found herself barreling straight towards the Brooklyn bridge.
It's not that much better but I like it a little more than the original. The next couple chapters will hopefully be better lmao
*Who would have thought that I would be updating this story AGAIN in the year 2020? Definitely not me but people are still interacting with this story all these years later so it only felt right to do my best to make it better. Especially since I have all the free time in the world right now since Miss Rona put me out of a job. Hopefully you guys like this version and hopefully it adds a little more substance to the story. If you guys want I will update the other parts of this story and maybe upload more chapters that have been sitting in my drafts for YEARS. I hope you guys are staying healthy and safe! Ciao for now*