Tuesday afternoons in the Randle household were typically a flurry of movement and sound where one barely had time to stop and catch their breath. Steve's wife Victoria looked around their currently quiet home wondering where the noise had gone. It was past time for their kids to be home from school, but not quite late enough for Steve to be off. As she walked into the kitchen of their four bedroom, two story house, she spotted the muscle car calendar by the phone on the wall. That Tuesday read Kelly's playdate. Once a week, she, Soda's wife Ashley, and Dally's wife Jackie traded off hosting play dates for their daughters. One of the three women would pick up the girls from kindergarten and take them home to give the other two a break especially now that both Jackie and Tonia were pregnant again, each with their third child. This week the play date would be at Ashley's house.
That didn't explain where her oldest child was. 15-year-old Billy Randle definitely should have already been home from school even if he had landed himself in detention. The older Billy got the more he reminded Toria of his father. The minute she thought that, she realized he was probably out with his friends creating trouble. Of course since his two best friends were Tommy Winston and Tim Shepard Junior, called Tony by his friends, who both were chips right off the ol' block, she figured trouble was the name of the game.
This time though Billy's mother's assumptions couldn't be further from the truth. This time he was spending the early December afternoon at an old familiar DX station, in the back office watching his uncle fill out paperwork. Now, Sodapop Curtis wasn't technically Billy's uncle by blood but the man was his godfather. Billy's father had been best friends with Soda for years, so Billy had always referred to him as Uncle Soda. Soda knew it was best to wait for the boy to speak instead of asking anything. "You love Aunt Ashley, don't you?" Billy finally asked.
"That's why I married her," Soda answered.
"How'd ya know?"
"I didn't at first. First time I met her, your mom was riding shotgun. That was when I was introduced to both of them. Ashley had been coming by here maybe once a week to get my attention. That day she pulled up with your mom riding shotgun and inside me, something changed." Soda smiled fondly, thinking back to that day more than 20 years ago. "For the first time in my life I had a full blown crush. I mean she wasn't show-stoppingly pretty, nor was she the type to wear a ton of makeup, but I knew just from looking at her that she was very kind and very sweet and she just radiated confidence. I got to know her a little and found out she was all that and dug horses and cars. She was my kind of girl. Then I saw her mouth off to two really tuff guys and the crush wore off quickly. Just as quickly as it had come."
"You fell in love with her, right?"
"No, actually, I realized how great of a friend she was. It wasn't until I got to know her that—"
"You realized how perfect she was?"
Soda looked at his nephew carefully then smiled. "For your dad. If you ever tell him I had a crush on your mother," Soda left the threat hanging but Billy knew his uncle knew things he didn't want either parent to find out. It was best not to tell his dad anything anyway.
"So what about Aunt Ash?"
"Well, a few months after I met your mother and while I was dating another girl, your mother got really hurt, physically, and had to move to Arkansas for a while." Billy nodded having heard about it. "Well she moved back to town in June of '67 and for the next six months or so this girl kept dropping by the DX. In December I finally decided that the next time I saw this girl, 'the girl in the white Jeep' I called her, I was going to ask her out. So in late January I finally get up the courage and I ask her out. It was a disaster. I realized that I wasn't over my ex."
"How long did you date your ex?"
"A little more than eight months. Anyway I didn't hear from your aunt for at least another 10 months. Then one day Steve and I went down to the Dingo. This was long before it burned down. I saw her there and I wanted to try again but I promised myself I'd take it slow, so over the next few weeks we talked and I got to know her. About two months later I was on my way home when I saw her on the side of the road with a flat. We talked for quite some time and I finally asked her out again. The day Darry married his wife I realized I was in love with Ash."
"You just knew?"
"What drew me to her was the same thing that drew me to the rest of the girls. She was really sweet and I could talk to her easily. As I got to know her, the more I was around her, the better I felt. She brought me out of a really dark place and she was different. After my ex I never thought I'd feel love again but then Ash came into my life. I constantly wondered how she was doing, what she was doing, if she was thinking of me, if she was happy, and when I could see her again. Eventually my world revolved around her. I know that sounds sappy and everything but that's how I felt. One day I realized that I couldn't spend the rest of my life without her. You'll know if it's right. Is there some girl that's got you interested?"
"No, I just wanted to know in case some girl ever tries to get her hooks into me."
"Kid, you're starting to sound like your uncle Dally. And trust me Billy, it's a bad thing. I hope you do fall in love; it can do wonders for a man. Just look at your dad."
"My dad?" Billy asked confused. His dad wasn't in love with his mom. If he was, he wouldn't have tried to hit her.
"Yep, ask him how they fell in love. It's a crazy story but I guarantee you, she changed his life."
"Whatever you say Uncle Soda," Billy answered, but he was more interested in what Soda had said about his uncle Dally. Billy left the DX in search of his only biological uncle. Since his dad Steve was an only child, Billy's only cousins were on his mom's side. Dallas Winston was his mom's older brother and by far Billy's favorite uncle. Though Toria and Dally had spent nearly seven and a half years apart during their childhood and teenage years, Billy knew his uncle cared deeply about his mom. Judging by the time, Billy knew that his uncle was probably on his way to work at the bar or at the very least he'd be almost ready to leave, so he headed for the Winston home. The man in question was walking out the front door when Billy walked up. "Uncle Dally, can I ask you a question?"
"I'm on my way to the bar, Kid. Can it wait?"
"How about you drive me home since it's on the way." Dally sighed, motioning to his beat up Pontiac. "Have you ever been in love?" Billy asked as Dally fired up the engine.
Dally froze then slowly turned to look at his nephew. "Kid, I don't know what love is. Well, not in reference to loving a woman."
"But you and Aunt Jackie—" Billy started.
"Will be married for 16 years in December. Tommy's birthday plus 9 months prior is—"
Billy did the math in his head as Dally shifted into gear and drove off to take Billy home. "Aunt Jackie was already pregnant."
"Yes. Two-Bit threatened me, either I put up or I disappear for good. I made the same decision your father did, I'd be damned before my kid grew up the way I did. Even though I grew up with my father, he was not the kind of father any kid should have. Back then Jackie was a good but rebellious kid. She was good in bed." Jackie was younger than Two-Bit by about five years and he had nearly blown a gasket when he found out his sister was involved with Dally.
"Uncle Dally!"
Dally pulled to a stop at the stop sign and looked at his nephew. Then he smirked. "She was, but I've come to care about her deeply. If something happened to her ... Anyway, I care about her and I'd die to protect you kids, but I'm not sure I understand love."
"Don't you love Mom?"
Dally glanced both ways then pulled out into the intersection. "She's my kid sister, I do care about her. I put her through hell and back and she stood by my side every second of it. Every second. I know she loves me and maybe I do love her but she's my kid sister. I guess in a way I have to love her. You want real love, talk to your parents. Especially your dad."
"Sure, thanks for the ride," Billy said as Dally stopped outside the house.
After dinner Billy found his uncle Tim Shepard. Since Tim was close to Dally even now, and he cared about Billy's mom, Billy was close to Tim's son. Unfortunately Tim's story about his feelings for his third wife Megan was very similar to Dally's. Since he was of no help, Billy went off to find Two-Bit. Billy was shocked to find him at one of the more teen friendly pool halls. "Two-Bit," Billy said, slipping onto the bar stood next to him.
Two-Bit nodded, not taking his eyes off his pool game. Billy watched him play pool for a while and finally Two-Bit handed off his pool cue then sat down next to Billy. "So, what's up?"
"You ever been in love?" Billy asked softly and curiously.
"I love my kids, no matter how crazy they drive me." He had three of them, the oldest being the firstborn among the gang's children.
"I meant with a woman."
"You've finally reached that age huh? I remember this time with Jeff. Being in love with a woman is not a bad thing. Love is ... love is a woman that will settle you down. Love is crazy. Love is not a word for you to use to get in a girl's pants. I've been there and the only thing it got me was a fight with her big brother. I do love your aunt Kathy and I've known that for a while now but when I was your age I had no idea all this stuff."
"How did you know?"
"I went through girls faster than Dally did. I'd always came back to her though. She's the most beautiful girl I had ever met. She was fun to be around and she really got me. I remember one day it just sorta hit me that it wouldn't be so bad to have her in my life for good. And it wasn't because she was pregnant. Jeff did not come about until after I married her. We got real lucky. Of the six other boys I grew up with only two got girls pregnant before they married them. Well 2.5 depending on which story you believe.
"2.5? How is that possible?"
"Your mom and dad swear you were a honeymoon baby but some of us think otherwise."
"Especially since I'm three weeks older than Tommy?"
"Well he was two weeks late and if one were to believe your parents you were a month early."
"Hmm," Billy hummed. He did the math on it and if Two-Bit was right he would be the one three weeks younger. Then he remembered his parents had married a week before his aunt and uncle meaning it was possible. "Thanks, Uncle Two-Bit."
"Sure, kid. If you really want to know about love though, ask your dad, she changed his life."
Billy considered his words for a moment then was off to find Johnny as the night manager at Jay's. Johnny told Billy how he had fallen in love with his wife Kelsey but the feelings were similar to how Soda felt about Ashley so he didn't get anything from that visit. Being that it had gotten so late Billy went home opting to save the rest of the people he was going to question for the following day. The next day after dropping his kid sister at the house, Billy went in search of Ponyboy. The first place he checked was the writer's home office and there he was. "You're good with words and descriptions, tell me what love is." Pony dotted the last period of the paragraph he was writing, capped his pen, laid it beside the papers, pulled off his glasses and carefully folded them, then leveled the boy with a disbelieving look. "Uh, there is this girl at school and I think I'm falling for her but don't know what love is."
"According to Webster's, love is strong affection based on tenderness and admiration. As a writer I know a lot of ways to describe actions and how people react when they're in love. As a person I can tell you how finally fell in love Caitlyn and how I feel about her now but as far as love goes and what you should expect, I can't answer that. Fact is love is different for everyone."
"Well then tell me how you fell in love and how you knew."
"All those clichéd things that you hear about, I felt it. The first time I met her was at Jay's. She was the night waitress there. She was very cute. My heart didn't exactly stop, but it was a little hard to breathe when she was around. Any time she'd stop by to talk to me my ears would turn red, I wouldn't know what to say, I'd glance at her every couple of seconds, and I prayed that I was coming off cool not like an idiot. When I fell in love with her I felt safe. It was almost like no matter how I screwed up I knew she'd be there. Dates and weeks passed, I grew to care about the deeper things. It's not about the looks or the status; it's about how you feel. Love is an emotion that can't really be put into words. It just is."
"Whatever it is, my parents don't feel it anymore."
"Of course they do sweetie." They both looked at the door to see Caitlyn standing there. "Your parents still love each other very much. Your dad just worries about the new baby and how they'll handle that since your mom's a cop and on maternity leave right now. Plus you'll be getting your permit soon and learning to drive. He just snaps a little easier."
"Ever since Kelly was born they've been fighting more. Did you know he almost hit her last week? He would have if I hadn't stepped in. She wanted to leave him."
"We know," Ponyboy said, "just like we know they love each other very much. Who else you going to ask about love?"
"Mom, Dad, and Uncle Darry, though I think I'll start with your brother."
"He does have an interesting story about Ann."
Billy nodded and made his way to the Curtis' home. As he sat down on the porch seeing neither car on the curb, his cousin sat down next to him. "You know the door is open, right?" Tommy Winston asked.
"Yeah, I know but it's a nice day," Billy said.
Tommy just stared at his cousin. "It's December. You finished that paper yet?"
"Almost, you?"
"Not even close. I mean, I've covered everything in the book reference area that I need but when it comes to personal experience, I've got nothing. I don't know anyone who's left the state let alone the country. How's love treating you?"
"Almost everyone we know has been in love at least once. Finding a book on it though is the tough stuff. You know Uncle Darry's dad was in Korea. Maybe he knows a thing or two, if not I'm sure my mom knows someone. She knows everything."
"True. You think Uncle Darry knows about love?"
"Hopefully. That's why I'm bumming around here. The paper is due next week and my mom won't let me hear the end of it if I bring home another failing paper. Mom demands at least three assignments a week. Or I wouldn't care."
"Well, Aunt Tore can be scary to cross."
"Come over for dinner tonight. You can ask my mom if she knows anyone who's been to war. First though I have to talk to Uncle Darry," Billy said.
"Talk to me about what?" Darry asked as he walked up towards the boys on his front porch.
"Love."
"From the first day I met your aunt I knew she was a true beauty. Come inside, boys." Darry lead them into the house and motioned to the couch. "I was actually on a date at a seedy party when I met her. My date had excused herself to use the restroom and Ann and I got to talking. I had never been able to talk to a girl like that before. I don't know how it happened but somehow an hour had passed without me realizing it," he said as they sat down.
"Your date must have been furious."
"Actually she wasn't. She had spent the hour talking to Two-Bit. That girl was one of the tuffest girls I ever knew. Classy and smart. A true doll. Part of me is sorry I ever screwed that up but at that point I think we both knew we weren't right for each other. We didn't work and now she's happy with a beautiful family and I couldn't love anyone more than I love your aunt."
"Have we ever met this woman? Maybe she has a daughter just like her," Tommy suggested. That's what he really needed, a girl who really understood him or at least one who didn't care what he did.
"Yes, both of you have met her and yes she has a daughter but I will never tell you who she is." Darry answered.
"So Ann?" Billy prompted.
"Seven months later I met her again and got a date much the same way I got a date with the woman I was on a date with when I met Ann. At that time Ann was a car hop at the Dingo. I dropped in there from time to time and eventually asked her out. We took it real slow as she was worried I'd met another girl and do the same thing I had to the first girl I had taken out. Ann made me a better person. It felt right being with her and I just knew I had to have her for good. That if I let her go I'd lose the best thing in my life. She was everything I wanted in a woman and I never wanted to be apart from her. Plus I wanted to give her a better life. I cared about her so deeply that I didn't ever want to see her hurt."
"Wow. That's great. So who was the first girl you were on a date with again?" Tommy asked.
"Try all you want Tommy, you're not going to get it out of me. She and I both promised to never speak of it again. I've told you all I'm going to."
Billy could see the older man wasn't going to give in and shook his head. "He's right. He cares about this other girl and he won't give it up. So, time to go talk to my parents." Billy sighed and he stood as Ann and Darry's two kids, Jen and Travis, came in.
"Don't look so dreadful. Your parents love to tell their story," Darry warned him. Billy nodded then he and Tommy headed back to Billy's.
"I just feel like every time I ask my dad about something he gets this look like he can't believe I'm actually talking to him and Mom works so hard that I feel guilty when I ask her things."
"At least your parents like to talk about things. My dad always looks at me like I ruined his life. He may never say it but I know he regrets me."
"If he regrets you, why didn't he just leave you and your mom?"
"He won't tell me."
"Maybe Uncle Dally wanted you to have a better childhood than he did. Maybe he does care about you and your sister and the new baby," Billy said. Tommy shrugged as they reached Billy's house. Billy wandered into the garage and Tommy went inside. When Tommy asked his aunt Toria about war and if she knew anyone who had been, she told him to ask Darry about his father and Korea then promised to take Tommy down to Texas where his great grandfather now lived in a nursing home so the two could talk about his time in World War II and Korea.
Meanwhile out in the garage Steve was under the hood of his old rusted out Ford. It barely ran anymore and since it didn't most days they kept the Ford up on blocks. It had been a 21st birthday present from all the guys since his dad was more often than not refusing to let Steve use the Fury. It had been in much the same condition when they bought it as it was now. So Steve drove his wife's old GMC pickup and she drove the Camaro he had bought for her 25th birthday and Steve's Fury sat under a tarp on the other side of their three car garage. He only really used it on special occasions to take his wife out. Billy leaned back against the fender of the Ford as his dad was working under the hood. "Hey Dad," Billy said softly, blowing out a breath and trying not to startle the man and cause him to hit his head.
"Hey, Bud. Hand me that wrench," Steve answered, motioning to the work bench in front of Billy. Billy picked up the wrench and toyed with it instead of handing it over. "Billy?" Steve asked pulling back to look at his son.
"I'm still kinda pissed off for what happened last week," Billy told Steve as he turned the wrench over and over in his hand, "you know, when you almost hit Mom. You two always taught me if I couldn't do it to a child then I shouldn't do it to a lady. There are a few things where that doesn't quite fit but I knew where you were coming from. I really thought you loved mom."
"Of course I love Toria. Aside from you three kids, she is the best thing in my life. Unlike your uncles I have loved her for a very long time."
"How long?"
"Our second date. It was a little more than a month before her 16th birthday. Even though I have loved her since then, I didn't realize it for years." Steve turned towards his son, leaning against the front bumper and wondering where all this was going. Soda had told him of the talk he had with the teen but Steve wasn't hopeful of having the same conversation.
"So you recently forgot how much you loved her?"
That's where it was going, Steve realized with a heavy heart. "My temper gets the best of me from time to time. I'm not perfect kiddo, no matter how much either of us wishes that were true. Last week was only the third time in all my 38 years that I have EVER threatened to hit your mother and I have never actually done it. I may have grabbed her a little harsher than I meant to but I have NEVER in my life hit your mother. I also apologize from the deepest part of my heart for hitting you. I know you get into fights, Billy, and I know you can hold your own, I've watched you roughhouse with your cousins, but I am your father and I should have never laid a hand on you. I swore I'd never be like my father—"
"You're not. You have never kicked me out of the house and you never say I'm worthless. Don't even try to protest. Every couple fights and every teen fights with their parents. It's part of life."
"Your mom threatening to leave isn't a part of life. Neither is a child getting hit by their parent."
"Mom's only threatened to leave twice, both times after you threatened to hit her, but she never has. She always calms down."
"I don't know, Billy. It's been a week and she's still giving me the cold shoulder."
"Yeah, but she's still in your house and you two still sleep in the same bed. You really want to make it up to me, and her?" Steve nodded. "Mom told me when she was younger she didn't have a favorite flower until one day at a rodeo this handsome boy showed up with yellow roses."
"I don't want her to associate yellow roses with the same thing she associates red roses with."
"Then perhaps a night on the town. I'll even watch Kelly for a couple hours. Just do something to apologize." Steve nodded. "And you'll take me and Kelly out for lunch on Saturday in the pickup. As much as I love the Camaro the new has worn off," Billy said.
"The pickup doesn't have a back seat."
"Then in the Fury. Come on Dad, you know you should drive it more."
"Fine, Saturday, lunch, in the Fury."
"And there's one more thing," Billy said, holding up a single finger. Steve stared at him in shock. "You say you love my mom but ... how did you know?"
"The number one word your mom hates is intrigued." Steve smirked. "Mainly because that's how Soda described my interest. I was intrigued by your mom. She wasn't exactly a greaser girl but she wasn't a Soc either. First time I remember seeing her, she was dancing with Tim Shepard." Billy stared in disbelief. "I thought she was his girl at first. Then I started seeing her around the DX in the afternoons with Curly and was confused so I asked Soda and he told me that Tim was friends with her brother and Curly was a friend of hers."
"You didn't know Uncle Dally was her brother?"
"At that point, I didn't even know her name. She was just a girl hanging around with Curly. She had this country girl vibe to her. There was a sorta natural feeling to her. Almost like she was comfortable in her own skin and didn't care what anyone thought of her."
"Your second date must have been amazing."
"Actually I almost went to jail and I did make her mad." Steve looked at his son carefully. "I will only tell you what happened if you promise you will not ever do it."
"I promise," Billy said softly as he handed over the wrench.
Steve took the wrench and turned back to the engine. Toria may not like him filling their son's head with ideas or take the chance of Billy thinking less of her but Steve wanted Billy to understand how they fell in love. "Our second date, I took her out to dinner. We had some pretty incorrect preconceived notions. Then after dinner I took her down to the lake, you know the one we go to for our family picnic in the fall?"
"Dad!" Billy grinned. He knew exactly why his dad had taken her to the deserted lake.
"Yes, I was hoping for that but not expecting it. She didn't seem like the type. We talked for a while and as the sun set we started making out. Suddenly a police siren rips through the air then cuts off before coming back on. There was this wild look in her eyes almost like she was itchin' for a race or something. It turned me on. She slid out of my lap, behind the wheel, and took off like a bat out of hell. The cops followed us through town and somewhere near the edge of town she managed to lose them. She told me outside of Buck's that the cop was her godfather and since she had out run him we'd be fine. I upset her slightly when I said I had never met a girl like her and I wasn't sure if it was a good thing. When I took her back to Soda's as that's where Dally was since he had been in a bad fight a night or two before, she must have overheard me talking to Soda. I kinda called her crazy and I may have made her sound a bit ... out there."
"Wait, was that after that rumble you had with one of the gangs from the west side of town? The PR? The gang that wanted mom because she reminded their leader of his dead kid sister?"
Steve nodded. "I was in shock by how well she could handle the Fury and how excited she was about running from the cops. I just didn't know what to think so I kinda misspoke. I realize now how great that night was. I'd do it all over again if I could."
"When did you find out about Uncle Dally?"
"That he was her brother? About three weeks or so before that date. The day of our first date. He threatened me." Steve set the wrench down and looked at Billy. "The look on her face as she was tearing through town: such joy, freedom, happiness. As I look back on it now I realized that I wanted to protect that and her free spirit. Up until that point I never cared how a girl felt more than if she was happy enough to sleep with me. With your mom, everything was different. At first she was something I couldn't figure out, then she was Dally's kid sister, but the more I got to know her the more I cared about what she thought about everything. The day she introduced herself was June 3rd and the day she moved to Arkansas was September 29th. Those five months were the best months of my life. However in late August your mom started to have nightmares again and I got scared. Not of your mom but of the feelings I was having. I had never felt like that before and I didn't want to hurt her. She was amazing and I didn't feel worthy enough. I realized I was in love with her about three years later."
"How?" Billy asked.
"We were sprucing up the old farmhouse and one night, just before her birthday we were together for the first time, don't give me that look you wanted to know," Steve said when Billy looked disgusted. "After that I went to turn the lights out and when I came back to the bedroom she gave me this look. It was like she had been so scared I wasn't going to come back and once I did she was so relieved. There was this vulnerable look in her eyes and I wanted to protect that. I never wanted to see it in her eyes again and my heart clenched and I knew I was in love. She was the best thing that had ever happened to me and it wouldn't get any better. That's love." Steve smiled putting aside his tools. "Now let's get washed up for dinner."
When Toria found her son's paper entitled "What is love good for?" three weeks later she was proud to see the A+ marked at the top but it was the last paragraph that got to her.
"Everyone I know says my mom changed my dad's life and maybe that's true but from what I can see he changed her life just as much. Love makes you a better person. It's a reason for living and one day I hope everyone is lucky enough to feel it. I'm not saying it's a vital part of life but it is something one should experience at least once."