Cora Cartmell and New York City

Chapter 7~ School day

The next morning Rose gently shook Cora until she opened her eyes. She glanced over at the table and saw Jack already eating breakfast.
Cora rose up out of her warm bed and put one of her Bare Feet on the cold ground. She flinched a little, and grabbed her stockings that hung on the bottom of her bed. She dressed as quick as she could, and went over to the breakfast table to eat the leftover potatoes from last night's supper.
Not a second after Cora sat down to eat, Jack got up, kissed Rose, took the letter for Cora's Grandma and said;
"I'll drop this off right now."
He winked and gave Cora a hug.
"Good luck at school." He said.
"Thank you." Cora said.
She was finished eating when Rose said to her;
"Cora, darling, could you run the water pail down to the alleyway and fetch me some more water please?"
Cora nodded and took the water pail. She ran as fast as she could down the stairs, opened the heavy door of the building, and ran to the alleyway. She held her nose as it reeked of rotten garbage. She put the pail on the ground, and took the big water pump handle in both hands. She pumped as hard as she could, until the pail was full.
Then with two hands, Cora gripped the pail and carried it back down through the alleyway, pushed open the heavy door, somehow holding the heavy bucket with one hand, and trampled up the stairs with it. She gave the door to her Tenement a gentle kick, and it swung open. Cora rushed over to the stove Rose was cooking by, and put the bucked in front of her.
"Thank you." Rose said, taking the bucket. Cora sighed out of tiredness and glanced at her hands. They had two big blisters on each, and one was bleeding.
Rose looked shocked when she saw them.
"Come over here, Cora." Rose said, gently shoving Cora from behind, by the sink.
Rose picked up the bucket.
"Put your palms face up to me." She said.
Cora did as Rose told her, and she poured the cold water over her bleeding hands. Cora flinched, because the water burned her cuts a little.
Rose finished pouring the water, and handed Cora a hand towel. She dried her hands, and Rose passed a little tin pail with a white cloth to her. Cora peeked inside it and saw a little brown cake, as well as two pieces of bread with some butter.
Rose smiled and said;
"That's your lunch for today. Don't lose it!"
Cora laughed and said; "I won't!" She put the cloth back over the bread and cake and put on her coat.
Rose smiled and put on her coat too. "I'm going to my job today." She said.
Cora was slightly shocked.
"You're working?" She said.
"Yes. They need seamstresses over at the shirtwaist factory." Rose replied. She smiled, and took Cora's hand.

They walked along the dusty, busy streets of the City, and Cora felt very nervous. She was going to her first day of school. She had never been to school before. What would it be like? All those thoughts buried up in her mind and made butterflies appear in her stomach.

"We're here." Rose said, in front of a huge building that had engraved on the side "PS. 62."
"PS.62? What does that mean?" Cora said to Rose.
"PS means 'Public School' and 62 stands for the street number." Rose said.
Cora nodded her head in understanding, but still squeezed Rose's hand. She was still so nervous.
Cora's hands were sweating. She wiped them on her dress, as Rose and her entered the building.
As soon as they opened the door they were led to a small closet where many coats were hung, as well as little tin dinner pails. There was also a lady sitting at a desk with a big can full of papers.
"Hello." Rose said. "I wanted to enrol my daughter in school today."
Cora smiled. Even though Rose was not Cora's real mother, she liked it when she called her her daughter.
The women at the desk looked up, and Cora smiled at her but the lady didn't smile back.
"What's your name?" She said to Cora.
"Cora Dawson." Cora replied.
The lady wrote it down in a big book.
"How old are you and when is your birthday?" She asked.
"Eight." Cora replied. "I was born on the 9th of November in the year 1903."
"So you will be starting in Third grade, or would you prefer an immigrant class." She asked, in a rude tone.
"Cora can read and write perfectly fine. She's very smart. She will be fine in Third Grade." Rose replied again, placing her hand on Cora's shoulder.
The lady scoffed and wrote that down.
"Have you been to school before?" She asked.
"No. My Mama taught me at home." Cora said.
The lady seemed to roll her eyes. Cora was shocked, did she do anything?
She finished scribbling down things on the paper, and looked up at Rose.
"Cora Dawson, your classroom is right down the hall. You can walk there now. Room 5." She said.
Cora stuttered. She had to walk alone?
"I have to go alone?" She whispered in a terrified whisper.
The lady rolled her eyes again.
"Yes. It's right there to your left. Your mother needs to stay here and finish filling out paperwork. Now off you go!" She said.
Cora looked up at Rose with tiny worried eyes.
Rose hugged her and whispered in her ear.
"You'll be fine. I'll meet you right outside when school is over."
Cora nodded, feeling as if she would cry right there.
Rose kissed her, and walked closer to the lady, leaving Cora to have to walk alone.
She walked with shaking feet to the doorway. The halls of the school seemed so big, even though it was very small.
Cora wanted to take her time and walk as slow as she could, but she didn't want to be too late. She walked at a normal pace, stopping to stare at each room's door number.
Then, finally, she ran into a door that had the number 5 written on it. She braces herself and opened the squeaky door.