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As a woman, no one ever gave Sarah enough credit. She was always just David and Les’ older sister, the Jacobs’ daughter. She wasn’t anything special, couldn’t give anything special, not like her brothers.
Except she noticed. She noticed the things others ignored, the things no one else noticed.
Sarah noticed.
She noticed when her parents would bicker about things like the month’s rent or how little they were able to provide for the kids. She noticed when her mom went without food so that she could eat enough. She noticed when her mother would be trying not to cry when making dinner or when her father would get stressed when the weather was bad. She noticed the hushed voices and the sobs at night. She noticed how they tried to keep the family’s struggles from the three of them.
Sarah noticed.
She noticed how Les perked whenever David mentioned spending time with Jack or the newsies. She noticed how Les was the first one ready in the morning, always waiting at the front door, how he couldn’t keep still until they left. She noticed how excited he was to tell their parents what happened during the day during supper. She noticed how Les hung onto the newsies, how he wanted to go to the track with Race. She noticed how he tried to copy everything Jack did, going far enough to have been gifted an identical cowboy hat to wear by the other newsies.
Sarah noticed.
She noticed how Spot and Race would disappear from the rest of the newsies and come back happier. She noticed how their faces would be flushed and their clothes would be rumpled. She noticed how their lips would be swollen, and Spot had red marks forming on his neck, only accompanied by a smirk from Race. She noticed all the looks shared between them when they walked, and no one was looking. She noticed when Spot started hanging around Manhattan more after the strike, or when Race had gone to Brooklyn more.
Sarah noticed.
She noticed when the other newsies would disappear and return happier, covered in bruises, and their clothes messed up. She noticed the sounds that came from alleyways and hushed conversations between the pairs and trios within the group of newsies. She wouldn’t say anything, though.
Sarah noticed.
She noticed when David had taken his leave late at night after he thought everyone was asleep. She noticed when he would come back early in the morning, before he thought everyone would be awake, with his shirt crumpled and his face flushed. She noticed how he tried to hide his blush from Jack.
Sarah noticed.
She noticed the fact that no matter what, Jack always wore his red bandana. She suspected what that meant; she had heard rumors. She noticed how he tried to get as close to David as he possibly could; he seemed to always want to be touching David. She noticed how Jack stayed in New York for David. Not for her, like everyone thought.
Sarah noticed.
She noticed when Jack would meet David outside the apartment and instantly put a hand on his arm. She noticed when they would go up the rooftop late at night, she noticed when their necks were covered in red marks. She noticed the hushed sobs from David late at night, making her heart break for him.
She noticed when Jack and David had their first kiss.
While Sarah didn’t quite understand what it meant for two boys to kiss. She didn’t understand why they couldn’t kiss like her and Jack had done after the strike. If they loved each other, why couldn’t they show it?
The world was cruel, but Sarah was determined to make her brother happy. If that meant keeping his relationship a secret, then she would take that secret to the grave.
After all, Sarah noticed things that others didn’t.