Brooklyn Baby | Spot Conlon ¹

Chp. 25: Birthday

"Hey, Jackie, how you doin' on this fine day?" I was up extra early, I couldn't sleep with all the excitement in my brain. It was special day in my life. It was my sixteenth birthday!

"What's special 'bout today?" He was shaving his face. His belt wasn't buckled yet, and his shirt was half buckled. He hadn't even put on his red neck tie.

"Um, ya don't know?"

"Should I?" He dips his face down to rinse it off. He didn't really forget my birthday, did he? He remembered last year, I'm sure. Well, that's sums up brothers. Race will know.

"Race! Ain't the sun shinin'?"

"It always does, Ken." He flipped a page in the newspaper Kloppman had gotten. Recently, with the help of Jackie and I's money, we hadn't been peddlin' as often. The money from the Vanderbilts covered all of our food, and most of Kloppman's cost. "What's so pah-ticulah about today, hm?"

"Really, Race? Quit playin'."

"I ain't playin', it's only Saturday." He says, not looking up at me. "Unless someone ordered today a national holiday, I's lost."

One Week Earlier

Jack's POV

Since the Luciano ordeal last week, everyone's been a bit on edge. Hopefully, Kenny's birthday next week will get everyone outta their funks. I had called an emergency meeting with our newsies.

"Alright, listen." I said, my voice low so Kenny wouldn't wake and hear us. "Kenny's birthday is next Satah-day. We all got's to pretend we don't know it's her birthday, and that night at Tibby's, we surprise her."

"Good idea, Jack, ya got any extra money from ya uncle so we can buy her a gift?" Race asks.

"What would she want?" Kid Blink asks, tapping his chin.

"I dunno, what if she gets upset?" Mush says.

"She might, but the look on her face when we surprise her will be worth it,"

"Maybe we can get her some jewelry, goils like that?" Snipeshooter suggests.

"Not Kenny, ya dim," Skittery retorts. "She's different,"

"Has she eva' told anyone what she might want?" I ask.

"Maybe one person knows," Race speaks up.

"Who?"

"Spot."

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"Well, a Sullivan down here ain't unusual, but you ain't the one that's usually he-ah," Wiz says. "What can we do for yah, Jack?"

"I need to speak ta Spot,"

"That was a given, but fah what?"

"It's Kenny's birthday next week, and we's got a plan," I say.

He lets me aside, and I walk past him and another newsie I don't know the name of. I guess this is what Brooklyn does when they ain't brawlin' at night. They's just being regular kids, swimmin' and laughing.

"Jackie boy," Spot says. "Not my favorite Sullivan to see, but what's ya doin' down in these parts?"

"Glad ta know Kenny's foist on ya mind, which is actually why I came. It's her birthday next Saturday, and we don't have a clue as to what she wants. We thought maybe she told ya,"