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Post by Hope Dawson on Sept 26, 2009 17:47:58 GMT -5
Hope was sitting on the edge of the river with her feet in the water, her skirt was pulled up to her calves, and her shoes lay next to her. She was done selling for the day, and had nothing else to do. She wanted to free her feet from her shoes, and let them soak in the cool water. A cool breeze blew by, making Hope shiver.
She pulled her thin shirt around her, and covered up the hole on her right arm with her left hand. It was peaceful to be in solitude after being around so many different types of people that day. She sighed, Hope didn't like being alone very often, but there were a few moments where she didn't mind it at all.
This was one of those moments.
Soon enough, she would want to go cause some trouble, and find some company. Right now, she just wanted to think. Her slender right hand reached up to her neck where the plain, silver chain rested. Two weeks before her mother died, she gave Hope the silver necklace that Hope's father gave her on their wedding day. She gave it to her because she knew Hope had a hard time with her father leaving their family. Hope never took it off since she was given it, it was the only memory she had of her mother...of her family.
She often wondered what happened to her father, why did he leave them? Was it her fault? It was no use wondering, what happened happened, and that's all there was to it. And what about her sister, Sophia? Where was she? The last time she saw her was when they were planning to get out of going west so they could stay together. Obviously, their plan failed. But Hope was determined to find Sophia, and she would one day.
Hope sighed again, and fell back onto the ground, gazing up toward the sky. One arm rested on her stomach, and another rested above her head.
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Post by Irish on Sept 26, 2009 17:59:29 GMT -5
Irish had been thinking a lot lately... More then he should. He was confused about a lot of things... Especially Poet and his mother. He walked along the bank, kicking dirt as he went. He was tired, he had been taking double shifts lately-to try and balance his mother's spending. And partially to avoid Poet. He knew what was up, she was still in love with Jack and it hurt him to no end. He had promised she would be his one forever, but yet she couldn't do the same...
Irish yawned and rubbed his eyes, he had stopped walking and a breeze picked up and he pulled his coat around him. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a girl laying on the bank. he paincked... What if Killer had attacked her like he had Poet? Hawkeye would kill him...
Irish ran over and instantly saw a lack of blood, that allowed him to breath again. "Hey, you know you shouldn't lay like that, you might catch a cold." Irish told her gently. Even though he was no longer leader, he still felt a protective urgency over anyone in the borough. "Oi don't want you to catch anything..." He said, bending down and and waiting for her to speak. She was pretty, but clearly a street kid.
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Post by Hope Dawson on Sept 26, 2009 18:13:54 GMT -5
"Hey, you know you shouldn't lay like that, you might catch a cold."
Hope let out a squeal, jumped and sat up, looking over at Irish. She put a hand over her pounding heart, and took a deep breath before she chuckled at herself. "You scared me there." She said, smiling as she reached over for her shoes. "Thank you though for that." Hope said, as she pushed her hair out of her face. "Knowing me I would've fallen asleep, and the next thing I would have known is that I'm in the hospital with something." She said as she began putting on her shoes.
"Oi don't want you to catch anything..."
She looked up and made eye contact with him, "Thank you. I appreciate your concern, I really do." She stuffed her laces into her shoes, not bothering to tie them. The less she tied them the better, her shoelaces, for lack of a better word, looked like they were going to break if she touched them. She looked back up to Irish, she knew who he was, she had seen him around Harlem and such. But she decided to introduce herself to him, just in case he didn't know who she was. Might as well, right? "I'm Hope. Hope Dawson." She said, smiling.
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Post by Irish on Sept 26, 2009 18:28:37 GMT -5
Irish smiled softly. "Oi didn't mean to scare you. See, there's this lad, he attacked Poet the other day and Oi was afraid he might do the same to you..." Irish looked at her with concern. He looked at his hands, realizing they were covered in black soot-probably from the machines. He quickly rubbed them on his pants, trying to clean them.
"I'm Hope. Hope Dawson."
Irish nodded. "Oi'm Liam O'Reilly, otherwise known as Irish." He said, taking care to pronounce his nickname American style. He smiled again, and then stood. He held his hand out to her, it was still only slightly dirty. "Come on, Oi'll walk you where you're heading." He was always the gentlmen. He smiled at her reassuringly. "Oi don't think Oi've seen you around before. Are you new in town?"
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Post by Hope Dawson on Sept 26, 2009 18:39:06 GMT -5
"Oi didn't mean to scare you. See, there's this lad, he attacked Poet the other day and Oi was afraid he might do the same to you..."
Hope frowned, she had heard of Poet before from another newsie or something. "Isn't Poet the Queens leader?" She asked, "That's terrible she got attacked." Fear crept into her, what if that would have happened to her? She pushed those thoughts away. What ifs were never good. The only thing that mattered is that she was perfectly fine, despite being a little cold and her shoes were now wet. "Is she okay?" Hope asked.
"Oi'm Liam O'Reilly, otherwise known as Irish."
She shook his hand and smiled, "Its nice to meet you. Do you want me to refer to you as Liam or Irish?" She asked.
"Come on, Oi'll walk you where you're heading. Oi don't think Oi've seen you around before. Are you new in town?"
Hope grinned and pulled the hem of her skirt back down to her ankles before standing up. Another breeze blew by, which made her shiver. She needed to get a new shirt, and soon. "I think I'm headed toward the Harlem Lodging House, I don't have anything else to do, so might as well go back home." She said with a shrug. She shook her head to his question, "Nope, I've been here since I was eight. I've been a newsie since I was ten or eleven."
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Post by Irish on Sept 26, 2009 18:53:26 GMT -5
Irish nodded. "Yeah, it is horrible. But she's fine. Just a little tramatized, as you can expect..." Irish trailed off, feeling only slightly guilty about Poet. "We haven't been talking much..." He grinned at her. "Call me whatever you prefer," he laughed. It was refreshing to meet and talk to someone new. Irish saw her shiver, he slipped out of his coat and draped it gently over her shoulders. "There, that should be better, ey?"
He thought about it carefully, taking her arm and beginning to lead her down the riverbank. "Eight, ey? That's a long time. Newsie too huh? Oi never had mush patience for papes. Never made enough money-Oi did it for a bit but then me da died..." Irish trailed off. "Oi stay at the Harlem House too, sometimes. Oi mostly live with me ma and the rest of me family in a tiny apartment-though it gets crowded so Oi bunk at the Lodging House." He shrugged. "Do you have any family in New York?" He asked, family was a touchy subject fro many kids he knew.
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Post by Hope Dawson on Sept 26, 2009 19:13:28 GMT -5
"Yeah, it is horrible. But she's fine. Just a little tramatized, as you can expect..."
Hope shook her head, she couldn't imagine putting herself in Poet's shoes. To get attacked by someone, it was just awful. "I can't even imagine.." She trailed off, softly.
"There, that should be better, ey?"
She glanced up to Irish, smiled and nodded. "Yes, but you don't have to freeze on my account. Its your coat." She paused for a moment before looking back up to him, "Thank you." Hope said.
"Eight, ey? That's a long time. Newsie too huh? Oi never had mush patience for papes. Never made enough money-Oi did it for a bit but then me da died..."
Hope listened to him talk, it was so nice to be able to talk to someone. She often felt lonely, she didn't know of that many other girls in Harlem, and it seemed like everyone had their own friends and they didn't need any new ones. She hated that. Everyone could benefit from meeting new people.
"Sometimes it feels like I've been in New York my whole life, but I haven't only for half of it." She said with a chuckle, "I'm Hungarian." She nodded, agreeing with him about selling papers. "The papers are so frustrating, but selling is all I've ever known. I can't sew, well, not like my mother good, and I can't bake at all. Those are the two jobs I see women getting most often."
"Oi stay at the Harlem House too, sometimes. Oi mostly live with me ma and the rest of me family in a tiny apartment-though it gets crowded so Oi bunk at the Lodging House. Do you have any family in New York?"
Hope watched him as he talked to her, and a small smile spread across her face. She was envious that he still had a family, it would be so nice just to have someone who would always be there again. She shook her head in reply to his question, "No, my father left my mother a year before she died. We have no idea where he went, or why he left. Then my mother married this terrible man." She shuddered, "He made our life a living hell, and then my mother passed away when I was ten." Her mother's death was still a sore topic for her, she loved her mother so much, and she missed her. "My stepfather didn't want anything to do with me or my sister, Sophia, so he planned to send us out west with the other orphans. We made a plan to escape, but it didn't work. So now I'm here, and my sister's not." She sighed, "My stepfather is probably still around here, but I pray that he never finds me."
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Post by Irish on Sept 26, 2009 19:30:43 GMT -5
"Don't feel bad, Oi don't know how to cook or sew either." he grinned, "Neither does me ma." He added softly. "Oi take care of me whole family, Ma, me aunt and uncle, Grandda, me cousin Sean, and me two little sisters." Irish told her. "I work several jobs because me ma doesn't know when to stop spending money-she buys things to fill the hole Da left..." He shook his head.
"Oi'm sorry about your family. But now, all of Harlem's your family. See, you're not alone!" He told her cheerfully, grinning. "Don't worry about the coat. Think of it as... a friendly gesture." He told her, nodding. "Oi'm sorry about your ma, Oi think that when Da died, part of her died too. She's frail now, physically and mentally. Me aunt doesn't help either, encouraging her." he shrugged, his strong shoulders lifting quickly and falling even quicker.
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Post by Hope Dawson on Sept 26, 2009 19:49:52 GMT -5
"Oi take care of me whole family, Ma, me aunt and uncle, Grandda, me cousin Sean, and me two little sisters. I work several jobs because me ma doesn't know when to stop spending money-she buys things to fill the hole Da left..."
"Wow." Hope said, when she heard he took care of his whole family. "I'm impressed." She said with a smile, "I don't know how you can do that, I can barely even take care of myself." She said with a laugh. Her playful mood changed back to somber, "That's how my mother was." She said, quietly. "When my father left, she married the first man she met. And then he treated her so bad, treated all of us bad." She shook her head, her mother died because Mike didn't want to take her to a doctor, she thought bitterly.
"Oi'm sorry about your family. But now, all of Harlem's your family. See, you're not alone!"
Hope smiled, and nodded slowly. "That's true." She said with a laugh. Hope paused for a moment, "Harlem really is great, I'm glad they're now my family." She said, grinning again.
"Don't worry about the coat. Think of it as... a friendly gesture. Oi'm sorry about your ma, Oi think that when Da died, part of her died too. She's frail now, physically and mentally. Me aunt doesn't help either, encouraging her."
She smiled, "You really are too nice, almost too good to be true. I don't think I've ever been treated this kindly by a man before. I think I've already thanked you a thousand times, but thank you..again." Hope looked up at Irish, "I'm sorry about your mother. I think that if you lose the love of your life then part of you will die too." She shrugged, "That's just my own humble opinion, though."
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Post by Irish on Sept 26, 2009 21:43:13 GMT -5
Irish shrugged, "It's not really something Oi'm happy about. Oi work meself ragged. Selling papes, working at the docks, factories, mills. Oi feel like Oi'm working everyday." He sighed. "Yeah, it seems that way doesn't it? Oi think our mas got desperate-they didn't know how to survive and care for the family-so they clutched at the first thing they could. Me ma pulled me out of school and made me enter a factory... That was... seven years ago Oi believe..." Irish thought and nodded, it seemed so long ago.
"Harlem's glad too, lass. It's nothing, honestly. Oi'm sure that kindness is around every corner for you. Just be sure to look for it..." he told her kindly. "Oi don't know about that though... Well, what can Oi say, Oi've never lost the love of me life before..." He shrugged.
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Post by Hope Dawson on Sept 26, 2009 21:56:23 GMT -5
"It's not really something Oi'm happy about. Oi work meself ragged. Selling papes, working at the docks, factories, mills. Oi feel like Oi'm working everyday."
Hope nodded, "That must be hard on you. That's a lot of jobs." She said "I can barely even handle being a newsie." She said with a laugh.
"Harlem's glad too, lass. It's nothing, honestly. Oi'm sure that kindness is around every corner for you. Just be sure to look for it..."
She picked a piece of lint off of her shirt, "Oh, I do." She said. "I believe that its better to look on the bright side of things, it saves a lot of hassle. I could be dwelling on my past, wondering why things happened to me. I choose to try my hardest to move on, and know that something better will happen soon." She smiled, and looked up at him.
"Oi don't know about that though... Well, what can Oi say, Oi've never lost the love of me life before..."
"Me either. The only love I've ever known was from my family, and then of course friendship love. But I've never been in love before."
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Post by Irish on Sept 27, 2009 0:20:38 GMT -5
Irish laughed. "Yeah, not a lot of people can do what Oi do without going insane." He shrugged. "What am Oi talking about, Oi am insane." He chuckled brightly. "That's a good way to look at things, on the bright side. Too many people look on the dark side."
"Me either. The only love I've ever known was from my family, and then of course friendship love. But I've never been in love before."
Irish sighed and thought about not replying to that, but then he thought, 'Why not?' and he plunged. "Oi though Oi was in love once, not to long ago actually... But now... Oi'm not so sure. She's undecided. Oi mean, Oi gave me heart to her-Oi pledged meself to her-and she couldn't decide if she loved me or Jack Kelly more. Oi told her Oi wasn't going to be stringed along and now, we're taking a break for twenty-fours hours-until she makes up her mind." Irish sighed again, he hadn't meant to say all that.
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Post by Hope Dawson on Sept 27, 2009 13:10:15 GMT -5
"What am Oi talking about, Oi am insane. That's a good way to look at things, on the bright side. Too many people look on the dark side."
Hope laughed, "I think all of us are insane in some way." She said, nodding. "I know, its so sad to see people who could be having the time of their life depressed because their glass is half empty. Too many people do that, its up to a select few to be different." She smiled.
"Oi though Oi was in love once, not to long ago actually... But now... Oi'm not so sure. She's undecided. Oi mean, Oi gave me heart to her-Oi pledged meself to her-and she couldn't decide if she loved me or Jack Kelly more. Oi told her Oi wasn't going to be stringed along and now, we're taking a break for twenty-fours hours-until she makes up her mind."
Her eyebrows knit together as she listened to Irish tell her about the girl. It must be so hard for him to know that the girl he loves might love someone else mor. "I'm so sorry to hear that." She said, "That must be hard, you gave your heart to her, and she might love someone else." She shook her head slightly, "I hope everything works out for the best with you." She smiled, "If things don't work out, I bet you'll find someone better. You're a nice guy, Irish, you'll find the perfect girl soon. I'm sure of it." She gave him another smile.
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Post by Irish on Sept 28, 2009 18:54:42 GMT -5
He smiled back a bit. "Yeah, Oi hope everything works out too. Oi don't want to hurt Poet, nor do Oi want to be hurt." He sighed, "Perhaps one day, Oi can fall in love. Oi mean, truly and forever..." He shrugged. "You're find someone too..." He added kindly. He kicked a rock into the river, it splashed a bit and then sunk. He lifted his face to the sky. "You know, me grandma had a word for things like this... She called it 'simple aches and pains that lead to heaven.'" He told her, glancing at her. "Me gran was a bit... Philosophical?"
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Post by Hope Dawson on Sept 28, 2009 22:18:50 GMT -5
"Yeah, Oi hope everything works out too. Oi don't want to hurt Poet, nor do Oi want to be hurt. Perhaps one day, Oi can fall in love. Oi mean, truly and forever..."
Hope nodded, "Its a tough situation. Hopefully things will work out, I'm sure they will, everything happens for a reason." She gave him an encouraging smile before nodding again. "I think everyone has a soul mate, that they're destined for someone in the world and that they will find them one day." She smiled again, "Its so strange to think that maybe your soul mate is in New York City. Sometimes I wonder if I've already met my soul mate."
"You're find someone too..."
She laughed softly, "I hope so. I don't want to be alone forever." She said, rubbing her hands up and down her arms trying to keep warm.
"You know, me grandma had a word for things like this... She called it 'simple aches and pains that lead to heaven.' Me gran was a bit... Philosophical?"
Hope smiled, "Philosophical or not, its nice and its true." She said, "I never got to meet my grandparents. My father's parents lived somewhere in New Jersey. My mother's mother died when my mother was my age, and my mother's father died a few months before I was born."
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(c)Street