Our Side of the Strike

It Must be Nice to be Jack, Davey, or Les

The day began as usual so ise'll spare youse the details and skip to when we are standing outside the distribution gate.

"Them sirens kept me awake all night." I complain.

"Sirens is like lullabies to me." Mush puts in. "The louder they wail the better tha headline. tha better tha headline tha better I eat. Tha better I eat-"

"Tha further away from you I sleep." I cut him. I Neva get enough sleep so Ise ain't exactly a mornin person, but no sleep at all? With a person that's as temperamental as me? You might as well tell Spot Conlon canes are for old geezers. Just then, Davey and Les rush in, looking a bit frazzled.

Please don't recognize me, please don't recognize me, please don't recognize me...

"Sorry everyone we had to help our mom with something."

Muddas. I think to myself bitterly. Nothin but trouble.

"Theys got a mudda?" Race asks rhetorically, "I was gonna get me one of those."

"What'd ya do with tha one ya had?" Romeo asks with genuine intrigue.

"Traded her for a box of cigars." I say, smirking at him.

"Dey was Periques!" He puts in, as though it justifies the action.

"We have a father too!" Les puts in.

This kid sure is rubbin salt in the wound ain't he?

"A mudda and a fadda!" Buttons exclaims.

"Ain't we tha hoi polloi?" Race asks.

"So hows it goin today?" This Les kid asks Romeo.

"Ask me afta dey put up da headline." He tells tha kid.

Increased Newsie Price 60 cents per Hundred

Pretty soon, everyone starts talking real panicked like, wes is all starting to descend into madness until Jack calls our attention to him just waltzing right in like its a normal day.

"What are you all standin around for?" He asks in such an patronizing way in contrast ta tha situation. Blink fills him in,

"They jacked up tha price! 10 cents more per hundred! It's bad enough we eat what we don't sell, now they jacked up the price!"

"It don't make no sense. Why tha jack up?" Mush asks.

"Cause he's tight wad." I answer sickly, thinking of all his money just layin around.

"Papes for da newsies!" Weasel calls, just as if it was any odda day.

"It's gotta be some kind of a gag." Says Jack, simply brushing it off. "Good gag weasel ya really had tha fellas goin. Da usual."

Weasel just looks at him smugly and tells him that a hundred costs 60 now.

"I ain't payin no 60."

"Then make way for someone who will." Weasel sneers.

"You bet well take our business ova ta Da Sun!" Jack announces. Just then, specs comes rushing in tellin us that it tha same there, as well as everywhere Stunned. That's what I am. Stunned. A few minutes ago, these kids were jokin around about bein orphans, then these same boys is on tha brink of panic, shouting out things and moaning about how they ain't makin enough money as it is, and how it's not their own woild.

"It's a rigged deck, dey got all da marbles." I state.

"Nobody's payin nothin!" Jack states, as though his woid was final.

Afta a bombardment of questions, Les tells us ta,

"STOP CROWDING HIM! LET THE MAN WORK IT OUT!" And just like that, wes is all gatherin around Kelly at a distance, in some kinda come and orderly fashion.

"Calm and orderly" ain't natural for newsies.

All I can do is stand and listen, but it's hard ta pay attention, when something inside me is in a state of shock, that at Jack commands everyone's attention with such ease. Even though it's clear he don't know what tha hell he's doin. He don't even have a plan! He's just tryin ta make one up in tha spot! And is takin an awfully long time.

"Hey Jack ya still thinkin?" Les asks.

At least I'm not tha only one who thinks so.

"Course he is." I tells him, "Can't ya smell smoke?" A couple of tha boys just groan.

Don't know good quality comedy they don't.

But just think of havin that much power, that much respect. Enough ta start a strike. Wait a strike?!

"Are you out of you're mind?!" I scream at him. My voice is almost completely drowned out from all the oddas, who's shouting, questioning, and arguing.

"It's a good idea, Jack tries to assure us. The group of us is still shouting, questioning, and arguing until davey's voice rises above everyone else's,

"I didn't suggest anything of the sort! I'm just here trying to feed my family!" Taking Les, he indignantly tries ya speed walk in the odda direction, until he's stopped by, ya guessed it, Kelly,

"What and tha rest of us are here on playtime? Just because only make pennies it don't give them tha right ya rub our noses in it."

"It doesn't matter. You don't have a union." Davey points out

"What if I says we does?"

What gives ya da right ta make our own decision for us? Excuse me as I ain't an expert in da topic, but I don't think strikin is somethin you, Jack Kelley,, but I don't recall you strikin in your leisure time. We ain't some unimportant group of people or "ensemble" is ya will, of filla characters for youse ta control!

"There's a lot of stuff you gotta have in order to be a union. Like membership." Davey explains.

"What do ya call those guys?" Kelly asks, pointing back at us.

"And officers-"

"I nominate Jack president!" Crutchie twitters.

Of course ya do

"Gee I'm touched."

"How about a statement of purpose?"

"Mussta left that in my odda pants."

"What's a statement of purpose?" Race asks.

Wait, am I da only one who knows what dat is?

"A reason for forming a union." Davey explains.

The only kid odda kid who knows is da geek!

"Well what reason did the trolly woikers have?" Jack asks him

"I don't know; work hours, fair wages, safety on the job?"

"Well who don't need that?"

We don't have a democratic system! Da union wasn't involved wit one decision! Dis is dictataship at its woist, on a plain I won't stand for!

"Wait! The membership has to vote!"

"Ok so we'll vote. What do ya say fellas? Da choice is yours, do we let Pulitzer roll ova and pick our pockets or do we strike?" He asks sarcastically.

"STRIKE" everyone shouts.

Dis democracy stinks.

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Thank you so much for reading this chapter! It means the world to me and thank you to everyone voting and commenting (y'all have basically earned the rights to star on snl I swear you guys kill me XD). I hope you are having a great day (or have had or will have depending on what time you're reading this). Thanks again for reading and please continue on!