My Cigar

Once and For All

That night I spoke with Jack. He said that Katherine had an amazing idea of writing our own paper for all the kids workin and tell them to join us. We thought that that plan would take us to the finish line and end this strike. We were gonna use the old prinitn press in the cellar. The only prinitn press in Manhattan Pulitzer doesn't control. It was 1:00 in the mornin. We needed to do it when Pulitzer wasn't going to catch us. Me, Katherine, and Jack just walked in.

"I'll get the lights, and you get those windows unlocked." Katherine says to me as she hands Jack the keys. I walk up and unlock all the windows.

"You got enough keys for the entire building. Has someone been pickin daddy's pockets? Jack yells to Katherine teasingly. 

"The janitors been working here since he was 8 and hasn't had a raise in 20 years. He is with us 100%." Katherine says as she runs down the stairs. I was unlocking the last window and in the corner of my eyes I see Race, Davey, and 2 other men I never seen before walk in. The 2 random men walked down to Katherine but Race and Davey were stopped by Jack. 

"Hey, ya bring ya fellas with ya? What's happenin?" Jack ask.

"We could hold a ho down in here and no one would be the wiser." Davey says. 

"Good job." Jack says walking down the stairs. Race came up from behind me as I was lifting up the window.  He rest his elbow on the wall next to me and puts his hand that held his cigar in his pocket. I turn my body to him and give him a "really?" look as i laugh.

"Why ya laughin?" He ask smiling.

"Why are you actin so smug? We got work to do." I say looking at the printing press. Race puts his fingers on my chin and gently turns my head to face him with his elbow still resting on the wall.

"Who says I wasn't gonna work?" He says smirkin as he leans in for a kiss. I grab his wrist and push his hand off me.

"Race! Not right now!" I say in a sharp whisper gesturing to Jack.

"You didn't tell him yet?" Race ask taking his elbow off the wall.

"I did. And he is fine with it but that doesn't mean we's is gonna flirt in front of him." I say

"Fine." Race wines as he tilts his head back. We walk down the stairs and Katherine pulls the sheet off the printing press.

"Well her she is boys! Now just think. While my father sleeps blissfully in his bed we will be using his very own printing press to bring him down." She says dusting off the medal table.

"Remind me to stay on ya good side." Jack says hesitantly to Katherine. She laughs at his comment as Race walks up to the printer.

"Is this really what they print the papes on?" Race ask taking the cigar out of his mouth and looking the printing press up and down.

"I can see why they tossed this old girl to the cellar but, I think she'll do the job." The man in the yellow suit and glasses says. He looked familiar. He's the guy who was around Katherine's arm that one morning when Romeo tried to flirt with her. Still looks as innocent as he did in the beginning of the week.

"Oh Jack, this is Darcy. He knows just about everything there is to know about printing." Katherine explains to Jack as Darcy walks up to him. Jack spits in his hand and holds it out. Darcy gives him a nasty look and pulls his hand away.

"sorry." Jack says wiping his hand on his shirt and shaking Darcy's hand.

"You work for the papers?" Jack ask shaking his hand.

"My father owns the Trib."  Darcy says naturally.

"Whoa." Jack says watching Darcy walk off to hang up his coat on the coat rack. Me, Davey, and Race's expressions go blank. What is with these children turning on their parents?

"And this is Bill, he'll be typesetting the article for us." Katherine explains as a short man in a blue suit walks up to Jack.

"Bill. So i suppose you're the son of William Randolph Hearst?" Jack says smiling while shaking his hand.

"Yes and proud to be apart of your revaluation." Bill says putting his hands behind his back and standing tall.

"Ain't that somethin?" I ask out loud as Bill walks away to hang up his coat.

"In the words of the little one can we table the palaver and get down to business?" Katherine ask paranoid.

"A little grease and she'll be good as gold." Darcy says rolling up his sleeves. 

"Alright here's how it'll work: As we print the papes, Race, you'll let the fellas in and they'll spread them to every workin kid in New York. After that-" Davey starts.

"Afta that... it's up to them." Jack says handing the keys to Race. Race takes the keys and i walk with him to the stairs. Before he walks up the stairs I stop him.

"Race?" I ask.

"Yea?" He ask stepping down from the step.

"I'm probably not gonna see you until tomorrow but, however this ends up, just know we still have each other, alright?" I ask softly. I wanted Race and I to be together no matter what the outcome of this strike is. I hope he wanted that too.

"Always..." Race says grabbing my hand and holding it on his heart. As the tears fill my eyes a wrap my arms around Race's neck. He hugs me back holding my waist. I closed my eyes to hold in the tears. There were no time for tears right now. I haven't cried this much in a week since I was 5. I pull away and smile at him.

"Go." I say. He nods and runs up the stairs. He let's the boys in and all the newsies shake Jack's hand as they walk in. We stayed up all night printing the paper and handing it out to everyone. And by sunrise... our newspaper was in the hands of every workin kid in New York. Let's hope this does what Katherine promises and leads us to the finish line.