Disclaimer: I don't own anything. S.E Hinton does.
"Curtis, can you come over here for a second?"
Darry looked up from the mounds of paperwork and bills that covered the surface of his desk. He recognized Nat Henley's voice and the head poking out from the small office near the exit. It was rare to see his boss ever make an appearance out of the cubicle.
Darry pushed back the wooden chair and stood up. He was careful not to knock over any piles of papers and even held a hand out as a precaution. "Yes sir?" he asked, leaping up the steps to meet Mr. Henley at the top.
His boss waved his hands, inclining him to come in. Darry stepped into the office, and not without taking in his surroundings. The place was not so different since the last time he was here, about a year ago. There was a new plant, replacing the one Mr. Henley never bothered to water, and a few more pictures of his wife and children.
Mr. Henley closed the door behind him and sauntered over to sit behind his desk. He leaned back in his chair and ran a bony hand through his greying hair. "Darrel, you've known me for how long?" he asked, pointing at the chair facing his desk.
Darry pulled the chair back and slid into it, unsure of what his employer wants to discuss. "Uh," he said, doing the math, "I think it's been a year and a half."
"Correct," Mr. Henley replied. "In the whole time that we've known each other, you have only taken one day off, am I right?"
Darry slowly nodded, still confused at the direction of this conversation. It did not appear that it was going to be a bad direction, but a direction nonetheless. His mind quickly skimmed over the possibilities; one thought in particular stood out: maybe he was getting promoted?
"Yeah," Darry said, remembering the day he did miss work. It was the day that Ponyboy went to court and Darry had been so afraid that he might lose his little brother. "What exactly are you gettin' at, sir?"
"Nat, please. I've wanted to say that we need more men like you around." He paused and ran a hand through his hair again. "Men that are productive, strong, independent workers."
Darry nodded, almost feeling the taste of the promotion on his tongue. He tried to keep the eagerness out of his voice, and that wasn't really hard, as he pressed on, "Did you bring me here just to say that?" A promotion was exactly what he needed. He had already been getting heat bills in the mail and they were beginning to collect dust on his desk. He still hasn't touched them, he was waiting for payday.
His boss frowned, and was probably wondering whether that statement was sarcastic or not. Henley was a pretty easy-going guy and it was no surprise that he let the comment slide.
"Darrel, do you remember my wife?" he asked.
His wife? Darry wondered what the woman had to do with him. She was a nice lady, firm but nice. "Uh, yes," he said and added quickly, "How is Francis?" He began shifting uncomfortably in the chair.
"I don't know, Curtis. The doctors say that her migraines will go away and I..." He didn't finish his sentence. Suddenly, Mr. Henley seemed years older than he already was. "That's beside the point. Anyways, Fran and I always bring Carey to Kaw Lake, have you ever been there?"
Darry shook his head. Back when his parents were alive, Dad would bring him, Soda, and Pony out of the city to go hunting in the country. Those days were Darry's favorite one and old memories of the ruffed grouse he'd caught came back. Once, he even caught a deer and helped his father strip the creature of its skin, the veal was cooked into a broth with vegetables that Soda and Pony refused to eat.
Other than hunting and ski trips, Darry had never gone any further than Bixby. He was too busy to even incorporate an occasional ski trip with a couple old pals from high school. Work consumed half of his time and taking care of Ponyboy took up the other half. If he did find free time, he would rather spend it resting and simply hang out at home or with friends.
"This year's been pretty stressful for our family, what with Fran's doctor check-ups and such. We were going to go to our cabin up at Kaw, but Fran has some tests over in Oklahoma City," Mr. Henley explained, pulling a lighter of his pocket along with a pack of cigarettes. He offered one to Darry, but he declined it. Lighting the cigarette, he continued, "I found that you're one of our most productive workers here at Smith & Crawford, and I'd like to reward you with a two week vacation."
"I'll give you the keys to my cabin and we've already stocked the place with food from our first trip. The place has four bedrooms, and you have two brothers, right?"
Darry's jaw clenched and he winced from the last question. He'd been avoiding it for a long time and it hurt to hear it out loud. "My brother, Soda, is in 'Nam, s–Nat," he said, biting the inside of his cheek. Thinking about Soda out in the jungles sent a shiver down his spine.
"You must be proud of him, working for Uncle Sam," Mr. Henley responded, rubbing his hands together. "Anyways, I suppose you can bring a friend along and could I ask you one favor?"
Darry casted a wary eye at his boss and furrowed his brow. The man did not even ask whether he wanted the vacation or not; he simply bestowed the reward on him and Darry had no idea why the man was granting him this gift in the first place. On the other hand, a vacation was something that he thought himself pretty well-deserving. Pony would definitely appreciate a couple weeks without school.
"Yes?" Darry asked, finding it too awkward to call his boss by his first name.
"I'd appreciate it if my son could tag along with you?"
That was the catch. Darry shrugged, "I suppose, but I hafta check out with my brother if he isn't really busy," he said.
"Thank you, Darrel."
x
The book report Pony was writing was taking longer than needed. It probably had to do with the fact that his mind kept drifting elsewhere, into the land of mystery and murder. He did not notice his older brother enter the room until he felt the book in front of him snap shut. He leaped up in surprise, accidently elbowing Darry in the process.
"Golly, Dar!" he exclaimed, turning to face Darry. "You scared the heck outta me."
Darry chuckled and began pulling off his work belt, dropping it at the entrance doorway. He kicked his boots off, each one hitting the wall before falling in the heap of other shoes. Once Pony's attention redirected at A Study in Scarlet, he began doodling in the notepad. As hard as he tried concentrating, he could not help but return to his daydream.
Pony often wished life was like the one in books and movies. It was not seldom did he imagine himself as Sherlock Holmes or Joe Friday and the adventures he would have. It was a world far more interesting than the one he was in right now. At least in those worlds he would not have to worry about Socs and the fact that he was a greaser and it he would always get the girl in the end. Plus, he would not have to write book reports in the end.
Darry returned into the living room with a beer and fell backwards onto the couch. Pony looked back at his brother and sighed. "Can I just go to the movies tonight instead of working on this report?" he asked, gnawing on his pencil. He remembered seeing an advertisement for a Richard Burton one that just came out. He was not exactly a fan of Burton, but the movie looked pretty good. A friend of his had seen it already and said it was alright.
"I dunno, kid," Darry said, with a small smile on his face and his tone cheerful. Pony wondered what he had to be happy about, the two of them hadn't been in the best of moods since...well, since Soda left for Vietnam. "I kinda thought you would like to use tonight for packing and–"
Pony snapped up from drawing a horse in his notebook to look at Darry, wondering whether he was serious. Then again, it was not often his brother joked about many things and rarely did he retain his hard image. "What do you mean?" Pony interrupted.
"I mean that we're goin' on vacation," he replied, his grin growing even wider.
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