"Aurea, you dere?" Blink shouted. He sounded worried.
"Psst, Blink!" Blink turned around. "Over here!"
He pushed some branches away to reveal a young Puerto Rican women. Her green eyes seemed to sparkle when she saw Blink.
"I thought I'd missed ya." He sighed with relief. Then he suddenly got worried all over again. "Why are you hiding?" he asked as she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the bushes.
"Shhhh..." she whispered, "They're close."
Blink opened his mouth to ask who they were, but was instantly shushed.
A few minutes later Aurea glanced through the bushes, letting out a sigh of relief, "Okay, they're gone now."
Blink just stared at her, feeling confused. "Why are ya hidin'," he asked again. "An' who are dey. An'," he paused, catching his breath, "Why are you hidin' in Central Park, a' all places?"
Aurea took a deep breath. "Promise not to laugh or interrupt me?" she asked.
He nodded.
"Well, I used to work at the sweatshop in Manhattan. Remember how we met? I got lost and ended up on the Brooklyn Bridge. Then I ran into you and you took me home?" she began.
Blink nodded.
"A few months after we met, my mother had another child, so I left home. Oh, Blink, I'm so sorry I didn't tell ya this before." He nodded again, so she continued. "I moved into a small temament, in Harlem, with some other Puerto Rican girls. I lived there for a year. Then, three days ago, I was fired from my job." She paused. " When a friend of ours, Tammy, was fired for no reason a few months before, the other girls and I knew that we would soon lose our jobs as well."
Blink's eyes opened a bit wider when he heard the name Tammy.
"Because our rent was due the day after I got fired, I had no money to pay it, mostly because I had given half to momma and poppa, and then bought food and clothes." She took a deep breath. "So I left and have been hiding in Central Park ever since."
"But," Blink began, "Dat don't explain who dey are."
Aurea sighed again. "The leader of the Harlem newsies has a younger brother. The boy has a thing for me." She spat out the word as if it were posion. "But I dislike him."She stopped.
"Is dat it?" Blink asked, with his eyebrows raised slightly.
"No. The boys dislike me for other reasons as well. Shall I list them?" she asked sarcastically.
Blink nodded for her to go on.
"First of all, I am a "beautiful" woman who works. Secondly I am a Hispanic woman who does not work with her "own kind." And thirdly, they know you and I are friends, and they can't have one of their "own" women associating with a white boy." She let out another breath.
Blink stared at her for awhile. Then he reached out and enveloped her in a hug, kissing her hair. "What kin I do to hlep ya?" he whispered.
"Find me someplace to hid." She leaned back and looked at him gravely.
"Come on," shouted Blink, over his shoulder.
Aurea ran to catch up with him. "Slow down, Blink! You'd think the bulls were after ya." She grinned.
He grinned back at her and slowed down to a walk. When she finally caught up with him, she asked, "Where ya takin' me?"
"To da Manhattan Lodgin' House. Dey'll know where a safe place fer ya is."
She nodded, knowing that was the only answer she was going to get. She tried not to look around, but this area of Manhattan was different from Harlem. She felt awed.
Blink leaned over and whispered, "Shut yer mouth 'fore you catch some flies."
Aurea grinned sheepishly and shut her mouth. After a few more blocks Blink stopped.
"Dere it is. Da Manhattan Newsboys Lodgin' House. Home sweet home." He told her, with pride in his voice.
She grinned at him.
"Hey!" someone shouted out a window, "'s Blink, 'e's back!"
Aurea turned toward Blink, “How long has you been gone?”
He looked at her sheepishly, “I’se been gone fer a few days.”
“Lookin’ for me?” she asked, slightly surprised.
He nodded silently.
Then several Newsies ran out the fron door. They pounded Blink with questions and excited chatter.Where ya been? Whose dat goil? We was worried 'bout ya." And lastly, "Da Bronx 'as a lodgin' house now!"
"Hey guys, i'm glad to be back. Dis 'ere is me friend Aurea."
Aurea smiled self-conciously at all the Newsies.
"Hiya Aurea, me names' Mush. I's Blink's best friend." He reached out and kissed her hand.
Blink playfully slapped him on the cheek. "Whatdaya think yer doin'? An'what would Ginia think?"
The two were play fighting when someone Aurea vaguely recoginized walked out of the Lodging House.
"Jack!" said Blink.
"Hiya. Glad yer back. Whose dis pretty goil?" he asked, smiling at Aurea.
Jack, she thought, who is he?
"Aurea, I'd like ya to meet Jack Kelly, former strike leader," Blink said.
Oh, she thought, the strike leader. She remembered who he was. "Hello. Nice to meet ya," she said softly, and shook his hand.
They all tramped back into the Lodging House, and upstairs to what looked like a bedroom.
"Guys, we gots a problem. Aurea here needs someplace safe to go. Got any ideas?" Blink asked.
"Brooklyn's out, Spot's got too many newsies already," announed Tootsie. "Heya Aurea. I's Toosie Conlon, sita of da famed Spot Conlon."
Blink leaned over and whispered, "See da blond newsie in glasses?" Aurea nodded. "Dat's Dutchy, 'e's Tootsie's man."
"East Side's out too, da lodgin' house dere boirned ta da ground an' dey ain't finished da new one yet." Said another newsie.
Aurea just stared at that newsie. Blink leaned over again and said, "Dat's Snoddy, an' da guy sittin' next ta 'im is 'is best friend, Pie Eater."
Aurea nodded.
"Ain't dere somewhere Aurea kin go?" Blink asked, he almost sounded if he was pleading. Aurea silently thanked him.
"Da Bronx could use some more goils." Said a crippled boy, "ain't dat right, Itey?"
The boy in question nodded, "Ginia an' Song both told me dat dey could always use more goils."
Aurea waited for Blink to tell her who these newsies were. As if on cue, he leaned over, "The crip is Crustchy, his goil, Piper, lives in da Bronx. Song is Spot's goil, an' Ginia is Mush's, who ya already met. Dat boy, Itey, has a goil, Flame, who lives in da Bronx wid 'em."
Aurea surveyed the crowd thoughtfully. The Bronx sounded like the place for her.
"So," Blink asked, "Ya wanna live in da Bronx?"
Aurea nodded, "When are we goin'?" Those words surprised everyone because she hadn't spoken since she first arrived. Which shocked even her.
Another Newsie, smoking a cigar, said, "Why don't she jus' stay 'ere tonight?"
Several other newsies nodded in agreement. "Good idea Race," said Jack.
Aurea wondered if they would ask her how she felt. Suddenly Blink leaned over, "Dat ok wid ya?"
She nodded.
"Ok, Bumlets an' Jumpy are in da Brnx an' dey ain't comin' home tanight so Aurea can 'ave one of dere beds." Said Jack.
Blink took Aurea's hand and led her to the bed she would be occupying. She lay down and shut her eyes.
I hope I'll be safe in the Bronx , she thought. She yawned and rolled up in a ball, but did not fall asleep right away. She lay there and listened to the nwsies get ready for bed. Before she knew it, morning was upon her.
"Goils?" called Crutchy.
Several girls bounded down the stairs. A brown haired girl yelled, "Crutchy!" and ran up to him and gave him a big hug.
There were several "hellos, heya Crutchy's, and Blink!'s."
A girl with long brown hair scrambled down the stairs, closely followed by a tall boy with tan skin and black hair. Suddenly she stopped.
And Aurea stopped and stared. It couldn't be, she thought, I would recoginize her after two months. She opened her mouth and said, without thought, "Tammy?"
The girl ran down the rest of the stairs and gave her a huge hug, "Aurea!"
"We midded ya after you were fired." Aurea began.
Tammy nodded, "I missed youse all too." She smiled at Aurea. Then she turned to the guy who was following her. "Bumlets, dis is Aurea. Aurea, dis is me boy, Bumlets."
They shook hands, "So," Bumlets asked, "D'ya have a newsie name?"
Aurea shook her head and looked slightly confused.
Tammy laughed, "Me newsie name is Jumpy. Din't Blink tell ya 'bout dat?"
"No." Aurea said.
"D'ya still have dat picture of da Griffin I gave ya 'fore I left?" asked Jumpy.
"Yeah, why?" replied Aurea before it dawned on her.
Aurea grinned at everyone around her, "Hiya. Da name's Griffin. It's nice ta meet y'all."
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