#dancerlittle006

“I’m bored.” Rolling onto this stomach, Albert propped his chin on his hand and sighed loudly. “Why isn’t there anything to do?” 

Jack looked up, chuckled at the two boys in the front yard with a shake of his head. “Have you done all your chores? As I recall, Medda gave you bikes, so you could go and get some exercise.” 

“Chores are done.” Race rolled onto his back, placing an arm behind his head as a prop. “It’s too hot to go for a bike ride.” 

Jack returned to his sketch. “Well why don’t you go blow something up?” 

Race & Albert looked at one another with grins on their faces. They had failed to note the sarcasm in Jack’s voice but knew what the two were going to do that day. 

After a quick google search, Race and Albert had the plan for the afternoon. They grabbed their bikes, yelled to Jack they’d be back and headed to the convenience store. Buying all the necessary items, they rushed back to the house and started setting up. Albert had pointed out to Race before disappearing around the corner of the house. 

By this time, Jack had noticed the Race had a shit eating grin on his face and knew whatever the 16 year old was up to wasn’t going to be good. “Ugh Race, what are you doing?”

“You told us to go blow something up so we’re taking your advice.” Race shrugged, counting the number of coke bottles and boxes of mentos they had gotten. Albert carried a piece of random wood with a grin, setting it down in front of where Race was standing. 

Jack’s eyes went wide. “Uhhh do you remember Medda’s rules for the summer?” 

“She told us to have fun and stay out of trouble. She didn’t leave us with any additional rules.” Al looked over at Race shrugging. “I think you’re getting up there in your oldness Jack.” 

Race grinned at his foster brother. “You’re going to want to stick around to see this Jackie. It’s going to be amazing!” 

“Do I dare ask what you’re going to be doing?” Jack was almost afraid to ask the question, knowing the damage his foster brothers could inflict. 

Albert chuckled. “Blowing something up, just like you told us to.” 

“YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO BLOW ANYTHING UP!” Jack roared, causing the two to take a step back. 

“But . . .” Race started, glancing over at Jack and the bulging vein in his neck. “Nothin’ catchin’ on fire, promise.” 

Jack threw his head back and groaned. “I’m going to regret this but demonstrate.” 

Race and Albert high fived before setting up. Albert placed an open bottle of Coke on the piece of wood, while Race counted out 8 mentos, popping them into a tube - Jack wondered where that came from - before putting a card on top of the tube and turning the top over. Looking at his foster brothers, Race grinned. “Ready?” 

“Ready!” Al yelled, jumping up and down in place as Race counted down. “Three, two, one . . . “ 

Sliding the card from the tube, the Mentos slid into the bottle of Coke and before any of them could say a word, the bottle of Coke exploded, coating them all with the sticky texture of the drink. 

Albert and Race both ran to one another for a hug, in their excitement. Jumping up and down, talking excitedly between them, they both failed to notice Jack’s shocked expression on his face. 

“So what did you think, Jackie?” Race peeked over at his foster brother who hadn’t moved or said a word in the last minute since the explosion happened. 

Turning to them, Jack had gotten the brunt of the Coke explosion. His clothes were now brown and damp from the liquid. “What do I think? What do I think?” 

He breathed heavily, taking a moment to plot the revenge he could inflict on his little brothers. However, he just got his own shit eating grin on his face. “You two better run.” 

Albert and Race’s eyes went wide before the two split running opposite directions around the house. Soon the other four boys were pulled out of the house, trying to figure out why Jack was going to kill Race and Albert and why he was covered in Coke. 

“I GIVE!” Race yelled, falling in the front yard, his chest heaving trying to catch his breath. “Just kill me now!” 

“There will be no killing today.” Medda slammed her car door shut, seeing all 7 of her foster kids standing in the front yard, Jack pulling Race up into a headlock. “Jack, release Race. Why are your clothes brown and wet?” 

Chuckling, Jack released Race and motioned between Race and Albert. “Your sons decided to blow up a bottle of Coke, drenching me right before Kat comes over for our date.” 

“Blow up a bottle of Coke? Whatever would give them the idea to do that?” Medda asked leaning against the car, trying to figure out what happened while she was at work that day. 

Albert grinned brightly. “Jack actually gave us the idea to do it. Wanna see how it happens?” 

Knowing there were worse things the boys could be doing, Medda waved her hand. “Wait, Specs, Elmer, Finch, and Romeo, you come down here. There’s only 2 bathrooms with showers in that house and I don’t need WWIII to break out.” 

Albert set up the open bottle of coke on the piece of wood, while Race counted out the number of Mentos. “You going to back up, Jackie? Wouldn’t want you to be anymore delayed with Plums tonight for your big date.” 

The younger four all made kissing noises while Race and Albert laughed loudly at the blush that heated Jack’s cheeks. “Get on with it will you.” 

Albert stepped back, outside of the range of the Coke spray, while Jack did too. Race counted quickly to himself before dumping the Mentos into the Coke bottle, causing him to get the full brunt of the spray. 

Throwing his arms out to his side, Race grinned. “See no harm, no foul. Just a little science experiment.” 

“Well done, boys.” Medda walked up the stairs leading to the house. “Make sure you clean this and yourselves up before dinner, which will be ready in 45 minutes.” 

Watching her disappear into the house, Albert and Race turned around to face Jack, with their tongues out. “Told you she wouldn’t care, Jackie boy.” 

Jack grinned at the two. “How about two more before we go in for dinner?” 

Albert and Race high fived as their four little brothers came up to see how they were doing the experiment.  Yelling to clear out, Albert dumped the Mentos this time, getting the brunt of the spray while everyone yelled in excitement and laughed at how the teenager had looked drenched in Coke. 

Which leads up to the current day. Race had volunteered to pick Sammi and Ellie up from school that sunny, unusually warm October day. He was standing outside the school building with half a dozen other parents waiting for the bell to ring.   

With the loud ringing of the bell, he was on the lookout for the two girls, who would usually meet up before walking out together. He spotted Sammi, tugging Ellie’s hand as they descended the stairs.  “Uncle Race!” “Da!” 

He grinned at the two names as the two came flying towards him. He crouched down, opening his arms letting them fly into his embrace as he laughed. “Mys two favorite girls. Hows school?” 

“Good” Ellie quipped, grinning brightly at her da. 

Race looked at Sammi who was biting her lip, nervous about something. “Sammi? Good day?” 

“Uh yea.” She was distracted by something but he let it go for now. He knew she would ask when she was comfortable. 

Race stood up, offering a hand to both girls. “Alright, let’s get going. Wes having family dinner tonight and Papa/Uncle Spottie is grilling out. Should we stop at the market for some veggies?” 

The two girls cheered as they walked down the street. Sammi held onto his hand as Ellie skipped ahead, giggling at something. He tugged on Sammi’s hand as she looked up at him. “Yous okay, Sammi?” 

“Yea but Is need to ask yous and daddy somethin’.” She said, giving him a grin. “Can wes talk about it later?” 

Race nodded. “Of course, Sammi. Wes talk later on tonight after dinner.” 

She smiled, satisfied with his answer before dropping his hand and skipping alongside Ellie. Race watched the two girls, who had gotten even closer as they had gotten older, giggle about something he wouldn’t even start to understand. 

“Geeze yous walk really slow, Uncle Race.” Sammi gave him a look, while Ellie giggled as he joined them in front of the market. 

Race’s jaw dropped but secretly loved that his niece was sassy. “Yous trouble, Miss Kelly. Wait until Is tells your momma.”  

“Momma will just laugh.” Sammi grinned, walking into the market with Ellie behind her as Race was stunned by her. She was a force to be wreckin with since the day she was born and had only grown in her confidence. It was a wonder to behold. 

They walked through the market, grabbing some cucumbers, peppers, and radishes. “Can we get apples?” 

“For what, Ellie girl?” Race asked, bagging up the radishes. 

Ellie grinned, looking at her da with bright eyes. “Can papa make a pie?” 

Race shook his head. Spot had been making pies throughout the autumn with apples they had gone picking with the Kelly family a few weeks ago. “Is think wes have apples at home, El.” 

“But not theses ones.” She pointed to the granny smith apples. 

Race shook his head, trying to stay strong against his daughter. But he lost that battle with a sigh. “Alright, pick seven out and wes have papa make a pie.” 

Gathering the fruit and vegetables, they made their way to the checkout before paying everything and heading to the brownstone. 

Sammi ran ahead and threw open the front door with a flourish and a yell, causing Katherine to yell at her daughter, as Race closed the door behind him. “You need to enter the home quieter, Samantha!” 

“But momma Is knew you’d be here.” She grinned, hugging her mom before going over to greet her father and Uncle Spot.  Tulip followed her around, loving the little girls and all the cuddles they had given the puppy over the last few years. 

The first few minutes anytime the two families were together was pure chaos. All the kids greeted one another while the adults did the same, usually Tulip barking for whosoever attention she could get. Tommy, Benny, Lizzie and Maisie were playing with trucks and dolls in the living room, while Lucas was in the bassinet sleeping peacefully. Sammi and Ellie dropped their book bags before wandering over to where the littles were playing. 

“Sammi, Ellie where do your bags go?” Spot asked, looking at the two older girls. They both sighed, going to put their bags on the bench in the hallway. 

Race soaked in the quietness that had descended on the house before wandering into the kitchen to greet Spot. “Hi love.” 

“Hi yourself.” Spot pulled him into a kiss before he greeted Kat. “How was pick up?”

Race grabbed a carrot before shrugging. “Nothing different than usual. Wes stopped and picked up some veggies. Yous daughter insisted on getting apples so yous can make a pie.” 

Spot rose an eyebrow in question. “My daughter?”

“She’s in rare form today.” Turning to look at Kat, he grinned. “As is yous daughter.” 

Kat laughed, glancing over at the five kids playing. “She’s always in rare form. What’s different about today?” 

“She told me Is walked too slowly. Also, she’s quieter than normal.” Race shrugged. “She wants to talk to mes and Jack about somethin’ after dinner.” 

“She gets her sassiness from her father. Did she give any indication what it’s about?” Kat asked, biting her lip. 

“That’s a lie, Katherine Kelly and you know it.” Spot gave her a look as the front door opened. Jack came in as the kids all ran to him to tell him about their days. The house was once again in chaos for a few minutes while they all greeted him. 

Race shook his head. “No but after shes told me that, she seemed to cheer up a bit. Is sure it’s nothing.” 

The three watched Jack wrangle the five kids. Spot shook his head watching him wind them all up. In the middle of the kids screaming and yelling, Lucas woke up unhappy. Kat quickly grabbed him before he started screaming. “Oh did your cousins and siblings wake you up, sweet boy?” 

Luke buried his head in his mom’s shoulder as he tried to wake up. Lucas was the chillest baby the Kelly’s had had and he would much rather watch his siblings than get in the middle of their playing.  

Jack managed to direct the kids back to playing before stepping into the kitchen, moving to kiss Katherine hello. 

Looking at his youngest son, he ran a hand through his hair before pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I’m sorry sweet boy for getting your cousins and siblings all riled up.” 

Kat gave him a look. “Will there ever be a day that you don’t do that?” 

“Only when theys moved out, married and have children of their own.” Jack grinned, taking Luke from Kat’s arms and snuggling with him. “What were you talking about when I walked in?” 

Spot chuckled. “The sassiness of your daughter, Katherine trying to pass that off to your genes and Sammi being quiet on the way home from school.” 

“She’s usually bubbly and talkative; we can’t get her to stop talking until she’s asleep. That sassiness is all yous, Kat.” Jack glanced over his shoulder at the kids playing. “Why was she quiet?” 

Race nodded over to the oldest. “Shes wants to talks to yous and Is tonight about something.” 

Jack’s eyes furrowed with worry, Race watching him. “Don’t worry about it . . . after she told me that, she was back to her normal self. Is don’t think its anything bad.” 

Jack nodded as Spot asked about his work at The World. They chatted while Spot finished making dinner before throwing the pie together.  Dinner was a chaotic mess, trying to get a 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1.5 year old to all sit down and eat, peacefully. The adults all had an adult beverage with the lasagna and the chatter around the table was loud and boisterous. 

Race and Jack had volunteered to clean up from dinner while Spot and Kat got the kids cleaned up. Soon everything was put away and the couples were on the two couches, each with a drink when Jack cleared his throat. “Hey Sammi?” 

“Yea daddy?” She glanced up from working on her homework, a math sheet it looked like. 

Jack motioned his daughter to join him on the couch. “Uncle Race mentioned that yous wanted to talk to him and me about something.” 

Taking a deep breath, she sighed, dramatically, throwing herself against the couch. “Ugh . . . do we gotta?” 

“Well yous looked pretty worried when Is picked you up from school.” Race said, giving his niece a look. “Wes said wes talk about it after dinner.” 

She sighed again, throwing her long brunette hair over her shoulder.  “Fine . . .” 

She looked at the four adults in the room before playing with her hands. “MissPinkyMentionedYousinClassToday.” 

Race looked at Jack with wide eyes, while Jack gave him the same look. “How about you try that again, short stack?” 

“Miss Pinky mentioned yous and Uncle Race in class today. She used your real names, Jack Kelly and Antonio Higgins. But I knew right away who she was talking about.” Sammi looked at both of them. 

Race looked between his husband and brother and sister before swallowing the knot in his throat. “So yous talkin’ about the newsboy strike in school?”

“Yeah. Its was 10 years ago.” Sammi shrugged. “Buts Miss Pinky wants us to write an essay about the strike.”

Kat and Jack looked at one another. “About the strike?”

“It’s a research paper.” Sammi shrugged. “Only gots to be three pages. But . . .” 

Jack hugged his daughter closer. “Yous want to talk to Uncle Race and me abouts it, right?” 

“Yeah. But Is didn’t know how to.” She glanced at her daddy and uncle. 

Kat grinned, standing up and going into her office, returning with an old newspaper. “I think this might help.” 

Sammi took the paper from her mom’s hand, eyes widening when she realized what was on the page. She squinted, looking at the faces in the photo, eyes going wide when she recognized many of the faces - her dad, Uncles Race, Albert, Romeo, Finch, Specs, Crutchie, and Elmer all staring back at her. “Yous all were in the strike?” 

“Yes.” Jack said, looking over her shoulder at the photo. It seemed just yesterday that Kat took the photo. “Yous mom and I met during the strike.” Jack pointed to the name on the byline. “Thats your mom.” 

Sammi’s eyes went wide, looking up at Katherine. “Yous wrote this?” 

“Yes, I did. I made your dad and uncles front page news.” Kat giggled. “Can’t believe it’s been ten years.” 

Sammi’s eyes darted back to the article, looking between the words and photo on the page. “Can yous tell me about the strike?” 

Jack looked at Race with a grin. “I think I can do one better.” 

Two Nights Later

Kat, Jack, and Sammi walked into Jacobi’s, enjoying the cozy feeling of coming home. They looked towards the back, the usual tables filled with their friends.They had gotten a babysitter for the young kids so they wouldn’t have to worry about them during this discussion. Albert, Elmer, Race, Spot, Specs, Romeo, Davey, Les, Finch and Crutchie were all loudly talking to one another. Race grinned seeing Sammi nervously playing with her hands and gave the soon to be 9 year a big grin. 

The group enthusiastically greeted the three as they sat at the table. The boys talked with Kat and Jack about what had been going on while Sammi walked over to stand between Race and Spot. “Hi Sammi. Yous a bit nervous?” 

“Hi Uncle Spot.” She snuggled into his embrace as she looked between her two favorites. “Yea but Is don’t know why.” 

Race ran a hand through her hair, kissing her forehead. “Yous nervous because yous gonna be asking questions you never have asked before. But yous know these guys. Theys not scary at all.” 

The table had quietened down, all looking at between Jack and Race. “Yous said this was important. What’s with the meeting, Jackie?” 

Jack looked at Sammi with a grin before glancing in Albert’s direction. “Sammi has a school assignment that we thought yous could help her with.” 

The eight men turned their attention to Sammi, who was sitting in Race’s lap with a nervous look on her face. She looked at each of the guys she had known growing up. 

“What’s up Sammi?” Romeo looked at the young girl, who twirled her pencil, looking between her parents and Spot. 

Sighing, she saw her mom nod at her before grinning. “Wes talking about the newsboy strike in school. Miss Pinky mentioned dad and Uncle Race but momma said yous were all there.”

Jack grinned watching all of their eyes widened at his daughter’s words. “Yous want to interview us?” 

Sammi tilted her head at Elmer’s question before shaking it. “No, just tells me what happened.” 

Jack knew the boys didn’t know where to begin, so he grinned at his daughter. “Before I met your mom, Is was living on the streets, workin’ as a newsboy. Wes get the papes every morning and tell people the headlines hopin’ they would buy a pape from us.” 

“Yous dad was the best newsboy, Sammi.” Albert cut in with a grin. “He taught us all how to hawk the headlines.” 

Jack pushed his shoulder with a grin. “Is did what I had to. Anyways, one day yous grandfather raised the price of the papes from 50 cents for 100 to 60 cents for 100.”

“Grandpa?” Sammi’s eyes went wide looking between her parents. Kat and Jack both chuckled, remembering how awful her father was. 

Jack nodded. “Yes, your grandfather was our boss, as he ran The World Newspaper and most of the city.  Most of the boys already had a hard time making ends meet so this wasn’t a welcomed surprise.” 

“So your dad tells the circulation desk that hes not gonna pay that amount.” Crutchie pipes up. “And says that no one else will either.” 

Jack chuckled, looking over at Davey. “So Davey asks if wes gonna strike and it goes from there.” 

“Was yous scare?” Sammi asked, jotting down a few notes on her piece of paper. 

All of the guys nodded their heads, Jack smiling sadly at his daughter. “Of course, wes was Sammi. Sellin’ papes was our job so wes didn’t know if wes would have a job once this was over. But this was somethin’ we had to do.”

“So what happened?” Sammi looked around the table. 

“Your dad and Davey had a talk with your grandfather who promptly threw them out.” Les grinned, shaking his head at the weirdness of talking about Kat’s dad with his granddaughter. “So then we came here and devised a plan. Davey told us wes had to go to the different boroughs to let all the other newsboys know.”

They all chuckled at the next part. Jack glanced at his brother-in-law with a grin, knowing Sammi wouldn’t like the next part. “Mes and Davey went to see Spot Conlon in Brooklyn but he told us no.”

“Uncle Spot?” Sammi looked at her uncle with wide eyes. “Yous told them no?” 

Spot nodded, slowly. “I did at the time, Sammi. Is didn’t think your dad or Uncle Race was serious about taking on The World and your grandfather. Is told them they would have to prove theys wouldn’t run at the first sign of trouble.” 

Sammi sat back, leaning against Race’s chest, taking it all in. Race leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Yous okay?” 

“Its a lot.” She whispered back, glancing up at everyone watching her and Race’s interaction. “Hows old were you?” 

Race thought back on his time as a Newsie. “Is was 16, yous dad 17, and Uncle Spot was 17; the rest of these boys were younger. Wes were kids, honestly.” 

“What happened next?” 

Jack looked at Kat with a grin. “Your mom came and wrote the article that ended up in the paper. Is told her to show up at the circulation gate with a photographer and she’d get the story. The next morning comes and no one shows, no other borough shows up. It’s only the Manhattan newsies going against the circulation desk and it doesn’t go so well.” 

“The cops and bulls show up, Crutchie gets thrown in jail, and everyone is devastated that things could go so wrong.” Albert spoke up, smiling sadly at Sammi. “Until your mom shows up with the newspaper article.” 

Sammi looked at Kat with a grin. “So what happened then?” 

“There’s some sense of excitement with the newsboys and we continue the fight, the other boroughs eventually showing up, including Brooklyn.” Davey said, looking between Race and Jack, not knowing how much they wanted Sammi to know. 

Jack bit his lip, looking at his daughter, knowing she needed to know everything. “This isn’t easy to tell ya, Sammi but I ran. I left the boys because Is was so worried that what wes were doing was going to turn out badly. Davey and Uncle Race led the strike while I was gone.” 

“Why yous run?” Sammi asked, leaning over and putting her hand on top of Jack’s. 

“Your mom and Is met with your grandfather.” Jack smiled. “Is didn’t realize Katherine Plumber was actually Katherine Pulitizer, your grandfather’s daughter. Mom went by her byline name instead of her real name the entire time she was working with us to get our story out. Your grandfather threatened to throw all of the newsboys into jail and Is couldn’t do that to them. So I ran, hid out at Miss Medda’s theater and painted my frustrations away.” 

“Until, I went and saw him and convinced him that we could do something, if he quit being an idiot.” Kat grinned at her daughter. “I wrote another article and we brainstormed on how to get it printed and distributed. The other newsboys now involved and helped us shut down the city showing New York how much they relied on child labor.” 

Race grinned, hugging Sammi. “Essentially that paper that was printed shut down the city of New York that your grandfather had no choice but to give into our demands, roll the raise back by half, and buy back any paper we couldn’t sell.” 

Sammi sat there taking everything in. “But yous and grandpa are good now.” 

“Yes, but that took several years and you coming along to mend that.” Jack grinned. “It wasn’t easy but we had to do what we had to do. I had to ensure yous and your siblings had a better life than I had when Is was your age.” 

She nodded, understanding what her dad was saying. She looked around the table, her eyes stopping on Crutchie. “Yous said Uncle Crutchie was in jail . . . why?” 

“The bulls didn’t like that I had a bummed leg so they arrested me.” Crutchie shrugged. “I was in jail for a few days before getting out.” 

Sammi nodded, sighing, never knowing her dad and uncles had lived this. “Why didn’t you tell us this?” 

Kat, Jack, Race, and Spot all shrugged. Spot smiled at his niece. “Yous almost 9, Sammi. Wes knew we had to tell yous kids some time but didn’t think now would be the time to do it. We’ll tell your cousins and siblings when theys older.” 

“Do you have any other questions?” Kat asked, looking at her daughter for any signs of being overwhelmed or scared. 

Sammi nodded. “Two. Can I ask grandpa about this? And did things get better after the strike?” 

The table laughed at her first question. “We’ll go see grandpa tomorrow and you can ask him.”  Kat grinned at her daughter, knowing full well her father would hate the questions from his granddaughter.

“As for the second question, yes, things got better.” Specs looked around the table at his friends. “Most of us stayed and sold papers until we turned 18 then we looked for other jobs. Your dad helped a lot of us get other jobs.”

Sammi looked between her dad and Uncles. “You said yous were 17, dad. What happened when yous turned 18?” 

“Uncle Race was put in charge of the lodging house and the Newsies. I married your mom and worked for your grandfather at The World.” Sammi smirked hearing her dad talk. “But Is still checked in on the Newsies and made sure things were good for thems.” 

“What did you learn from the strike?” She asked, as everyone looked at one another. Silence fell amongst the table, each reflecting on the past. 

“It taught me that if friends stick together, you can do almost anything.” Albert grinned. 

Romeo shrugged. “Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” 

“Sometimes you need a little help from bigger and stronger friends, and that’s okay.” Race grinned, looking at Spot who smirked. “Also never be afraid to ask for help.” 

“Dad? Mom?” Sammi asked, looking between the two of them. 

Jack looked at Katherine with a grin. “Being boss doesn’t mean you have to have all the answers. Just the brains to recognize the right one when you hear it - someone once told me that during the strike and it’s just stuck.” 

Race threw his head back and laughed at that one. Katherine had told them the story of how she knocked Jack on his ass. Sammi raised an eyebrow at her mother before looking at her uncle. “Mom?” 

“Don’t be afraid to stretch the truth a bit . . . you never know what good can come from it.” She grinned, looking around the table smirking at the guys surrounding her. 

She smiled, looking around the table. “Thank you for telling me this.” 

“Thank you for asking, Sammi.” Crutchie grinned at his niece. “Yous got enough for your paper?” 

She nodded, looking at her scribbles on her paper. “Is think so. But Is have an idea.” 

“Oh she’s Katherine Kelly’s daughter for sure.” Finch chuckled, watching the little girl grin at both of her parents. 

“Is have to check with Miss Pinky first buts maybe yous can help me with somethin’.” Sammi grinned, looking around the table at her uncles. 

“Anything for you Sammi.” Race said, grinning at his niece, knowing he would never be able to say no to her. 

Next Day, After School

“This is grandpa’s office?” Sammi asked, standing on the sidewalk, glancing up at the tall building. 

Kat chuckled, knowing Sammi had never been inside. “It is, Sammi. Shall we go see grandpa?” 

They made their way inside, going over to the elevators before pushing the button to the top floor. Once they arrived, Katherine grinned at Hannah, her father’s secretary. “Hi Hannah. Is he available for a visit?” 

“Absolutely. Is this Samantha?” Hannah asked, hearing Pulitizer talk about his oldest granddaughter many times. 

Kat nodded. “It is. Sammi, this is Hannah, grandpa’s secretary. Hannah this is mine and Jack’s daughter, Samantha.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Hannah grinned. “You can go on in.” 

Kat nodded at Hannah before taking Sammi’s hand and leading her to the solid oak door, knocking gently before pushing it open. 

Joseph looked up, a smile stretching across his face at his daughter and granddaughter. “Katherine, Samantha. This is a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?” 

Joseph pushed himself away from the desk before standing, making his way to both of them, pulling them in for hugs and kisses on their cheeks. “Samantha needs to ask you a couple of questions for a project she’s doing for school.” 

He motioned for the two of them to sit on leather chairs before sitting down across from them. “Of course. Samantha, what’s your project on?” 

“The Newsboys Strike.” Sammi kicked her feet back and forth, looking at her grandpa for any sign of anger or being upset. 

Joseph raised an eyebrow at his daughter. “I’m guessing she talked with you, Jack, Spot, and Race already?” 

“Along with all the other Newsies.” Kat nodded. “She wants your perspective on things.” 

Joseph shook his head grinning. “She takes after her mother.” 

“Naturally.” Katherine grinned, hugging Sammi closer to her side. “Now what were your questions for grandpa, Sammi?” 

Sammi flipped open her notebook she brought with her before grinning at her grandpa. “Why did you raise the pape prices?” 

Joseph sat back and looked between his daughter and granddaughter, both with their eyebrow raised, waiting for his answer. “The World was in trouble, the circulation was down and it was hurting business. It was easy to raise the price so the Newsboys would have to sell more papers to make a bigger profit for the paper.” 

“Didn’t you think about the little guys?” Sammi asked, tilting her head. 

Joseph chuckled. “Not when I raised the prices. It wasn’t until your dad busted in my office, after the entire city had been shut down that that was brought to my attention.”

“Why didn’t you hire mom as a reporter?” Sammi had poured over the newspaper Kat had given her, realizing very quickly it was for The New York Sun, not The World. 

His eyes widened at Samantha’s question but quickly realized he shouldn’t expect anything else. “She didn’t want me to give her a job. She wanted to earn it all on her own. So I dropped some subtle hints to some colleagues at The Sun she was applying and they hired her on as a reporter. I would have loved having her as part of The World but she didn’t want it.” 

Sammi looked at her mom, who merely grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “Any other questions, Samantha?” 

“Why did you write opinion columns against the Newsboys?” She asked, Katherine and her father’s eyes both going wide. “Miss Pinky said you weren’t very nice when the boys were striking.” 

Kat looked at her father with a grin. “Does she remind you of someone?” 

“Yes, you.” Joseph smiled. “I wanted to discredit the boys and show they weren’t anything to worry about. Obviously it didn’t work and your father and mother found a way around my attempts to stop them.” 

“Anything else?” Kat asked, knowing her daughter had one more question for her father.

Sammi jumped off the couch before going to stand beside her grandfather. “What did you learn from the strike?” 

Kat chuckled at the question. She had asked the same question the other night. “I learned that I should listen to anyone who is willing to raise a fuss, no matter what they do for a living or how small they are. People’s thoughts and ideas are one of the most powerful things in the world.” 

She nodded, looking between her mother and grandpa, giving her grandpa a hug. “Thank you for your time, grandpa and thank you for answering my questions.” 

And with that, Kat and Sammi took their leave, heading out of The World and heading home, Sammi excited to tell her father and uncles about her conversation with her grandpa. 

The Following Monday

“Children, children, please quiet down.” Miss Pinky, Sammi’s teacher, called to the children as they all looked at the visitors in their classroom. Sammi grinned, folding her hands on her desk and looking towards the front of the room. “I know we have visitors but that doesn’t mean you can cause a ruckus.” 

Waiting until the children were settled, Miss Pinky gave Sammi a smile. “Samantha, would you like to present your findings?” 

Standing from her desk, she made her way to the front of the room with a smile. Her eyes narrowed in on the six people who stood in the back of the room and grinned at them. “My father is Jack Kelly, one of the organizers of the 1899 Newsboy Strike that stopped the city in its place.  As my mother wrote in the paper, it was David vs Goliath, a battle of wills. The Newsboys were up against The World and my grandfather, Joseph Pulitizer.” 

“Hundreds of children across the city of New York came together to shut down the city to demand that the price of papers go back to what it was and the newspaper giant buy back the papers the newsboys didn’t sell that day.” Sammi stopped. “It was a fight they had to win, because if they didn’t, their worlds would shift and the majority of them would be out on the streets, worse off than they already were.” 

Sammi looked around the room at her fellow classmates. “In the end, they won . . . the Newsboys won their battle, Pulitzer agreeing to roll back the price of papers to half of the raise and buy back any papers they didn’t sell.” 

“Well done, Samantha.” Miss Pinky said, standing from her desk. “Would you like to introduce the class to your visitors?” 

Sammi walked to the back of the room. “This is Jack and Katherine Kelly, my parents. My mom wrote an article on the strike and my dad was one of the leaders of the strike. This is my Uncle Race and Uncle Spot. Uncle Race was my dad’s second in command at the Newsboy Lodging House and Uncle Spot ran the Brooklyn Newsies.” She grinned at the four of them. “This is my Uncle Albert, he was Uncle Race’s second in command and part of the strike as well. And this is . . .” 

Sammi took a deep breath as she went to the last person’s side. “This is my grandpa, Joseph Pultizer, the one my dad and uncles striked against.” 

Her classmates’ eyes went wide as Sammi finished. “So that’s my history . . . I’m proud of my parents and uncles and all they accomplished ten years ago. Any questions?” 

Almost every hand went up at Sammi’s question, which made the adults chuckle. Sammi grinned at her best friend, Bella, pointing to her. “What is the one thing from the strike you’re most proud of?” 

Sammi, as well as every kid in that classroom, looked at the six adults.  They all motioned to Jack to start. “I would say that I’m proud that we came together and won at the end of the day.” 

“I’m proud of my friends standing their ground and making a difference.” Katherine said looking at Spot and Race, who shrugged. 

“That we didn’t back down, despite how scared we were at potentially losing our jobs.” Race said as Spot nodded. 

Albert grinned, looking between his friends and Sammi. “I would say that I’m most proud of our leaders and guiding us to victory.” 

Sammi saw her dad duck his head in embarrassment but grinned, looking at her teacher. “Thank you for allowing them to come in while I presented, Miss Pinky.” 

The bell rang as all the kids stood up and grabbed their book bags, relieved the school day was over. Miss Pinky walked over to Sammi’s parents and uncles to thank them for coming. Despite how many times she had read about the Newsboys Strike, Miss Pinky couldn’t believe she was talking to the actual people who formed and were involved with the Strike. 

Sammi put her books away before putting her book bag on and walking over to her parents. “Great presentation, Sammi. Well done. I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

She said goodbyes to her teacher before walking out of the building with her parents, uncles, and grandpa. 

“Proud of you Samantha Anne.” Jack pulled her into a hug with a kiss on her forehead as she giggled, Kat, Race, and Spot soon followed. Albert and her grandpa both said their goodbyes and thanks before they both took their leaves. 

The five remaining stood outside the school, waiting for Ellie to make her appearance. She soon was flying down the stairs and ran right into Jack’s arms who picked her up and swung her around. Race and Spot both grinned at their daughter’s giggles. 

“Apparently wes chop liver.” Race nudged Spot who nodded and pouted at their daughter. 

“Da, Papa!” She giggled, running over to both of them for a hug. “Didn’t see ya there.” 

Ellie and Sammi ran ahead as the four adults meandered behind them. Kat smiled watching the three men grapple with their thoughts. “Sammi is somethin’ else, huh?”

“Her presentation was great and she spoke with confidence.” Spot grinned at her proud parents. 

Race looked at Kat with a big grin. “Shes her momma through and through. That was a younger Katherine Kelly in that classroom this afternoon, I have no doubt.” 

“That she is.” Kat agreed. “But you should’ve seen her in my father’s office asking those questions to him. She was a spitfire and held his gaze while she waited for his answers. I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes into journalism when she’s older.” 

Jack shook his head, thinking back on Katherine’s career. “Is don’t know if the world will be ready for Samantha Kelly to be a journalist. She’ll be more ruthless than you are, dear.” 

“And the world will be better off for it, if that’s the path she decides to go on.” Kat grinned. “She’ll be brilliant at whatever she decides to do.” 

Ellie and Sammi were waiting on the street corner for the adults to catch up to them giggling about something. “Ellie and I were thinkin’ we should get ice cream!” 

Kat raised her eyebrow at Sammi’s proclamation. “Oh really, what’s the occasion?” 

“Well, I had a good presentation at school and Ellie said she did really well on her spelling test.” Sammi held her mom’s gaze, a wobbly lip tucked away in her back pocket in case she needed to bring out the big guns. 

Kat looked at the three men behind her. “What do you say, dad, da, and papa? Should we get the girls ice cream?” 

“Please!!!!” Ellie and Sammi cried, not hesitating to show their pouty lips to try to sway their fathers. 

“Lead the way.” Jack motioned the girl into the ice cream parlor with a flourish.