S. E. Hinton
owns The Outsiders
The seven of us were sitting in the living
room, playing cards and just messing around. All in all, it was a
pretty normal night. Mom and Dad had gone out about two hours before.
So, it was just us guys in the of us had any idea that
later on, something bad would happen.
Two-Bit was watching Mickey Mouse, Darry was reading, and the rest of us were playing cards when we heard someone knock at the door. Darry got up to answer it. I was surprised when I saw who was standing there.
"Are you Darrel Shaynne Curtis Jr.", the cop asked. There was also a man in a suit with him.
"Yeah-I mean,yes,officer. What can I do for you?"
"I'm Officer Peterson. May I come in? I'm afraid I have some bad news."
The cop and the guy in the suit stepped into the house. The police officer looked solemn when he spoke again.
"I am sorry to inform you that your parents, Darrel Curtis Sr. and Maureen Curtis were in a fatal automobile accident about an hour ....didn't make it. This is Mr.O'Conor. He'll be back tomorrow to discuss what we are going to do with your brothers....Sodapop and.......Ponyboy. I'm very sorry for your loss."
He didn't look like he was very sorry. He looked as if he were bored, and I knew that he probably didn't care that Soda, Darry, and I had just lost our mother and father. No, he probably didn't care, he definatley didn't care.
Meanwhile, Darry and Soda looked as if they had been hit by a brick. I felt like the said brick had hit me in the gut.
"He'll be back tomorrow to discuss what we are going to do with your brothers, Sodapop and Ponyboy."
They were about to throw Soda and I into a boys' home.
The two men turned towards the door and Darry opened it for him and said, " Uh......thank you, officer."
"Darrel, I'll be back at twelve o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Good evening." The Social Worker followed the cop out the door.
Darry didn't say anything. He just closed the door, and then he sat down in Dad's armchair. It was like everything had stopped. I could feel the tears coming down my face. I didn't bother to wipe them away. How could my parents be dead? Two hours ago, they were sitting in this very house. I looked around the room,or tried to anyway.
My vision was blurry. Soda was crying too,and he wasn't bothering to hide it either. Darry had a sad look on his face, but he wasn't crying. Two-Bit had a shocked look on his face. Steve's face was stony,as well as Dally's. Johnny's face was somewhere in between registering what had happened, shock, and sadness.
"I'm gonna go.......I'm really sorry, you guys,"he said. He walked out the door, Steve, Dallas and Two-Bit, following. I could feel myself shaking. It seemed unbelievable that my parents were dead. Suddenly, Steve stopped.
"I'm really sorry, man,"I heard him say to just nodded and wiped his nose with his sleeve. Steve followed the others out the door. Now, it was just Darry, Soda, and I.
How
can they be dead? They were here just two hours ago! How come they're
suddenly just gone? Why are they suddenly just
gone? Darry was saving up money to get to college and now Dad and Mom
won't be able to see him get there! I really hate the phrase "Life
sucks" because it's true! Dammit! It's just not fair! Why did it
have to be our parents? Why?
I felt myself begin to shake more as I kept asking myself why this had to happen. Tear were still coming down my face. Suddenly, I came face-to face with a piece of fabric. I realized the fabric was from Darry's shirt. I just sat there and cried into his shoulder for awhile. I could hear him taking in quivering breaths as he told Soda and I that it would all be okaWill it be okay? Mom and Dad are dead, how could it be okay,I asked myself. I didn't see how it could all be okay, when Mom and Dad were gone. They held everything in the house together. Now, it all seemed as if it were going to crumble. Suddenly, the horrible thought that Soda and I were going to get thrown into a boys' home came back. I couldn't push it to the back of my mind.
"D-D-Darry?"
"Yeah",he replied softly.
"I-I d-d-don't want to go to a b-b-boys' h-h-home! I want to stay in the house, with you!"
Soda's head shot up form Darry's other shoulder. I was one hundred percent sure that my face look exactly like his. I knew that my face was red and blotchy and that my eyes were bloodshot. I could also feel tears still going down my face.
"Darry! I don't want to go either! Aw, man! This ain't f-f-f-fair!" He began to cry even harder.
"No,"Darry stated. "I'll become your guardian. I'm not going to let them put you two in a home!"
I was shocked, to say the least. I knew Darry was selfless, but I never expected him to do this for us.
"Really? You'll do that for us, Darry?"
Apparently, Soda was as shocked as I was.
"Yeah, little buddy. I'm not going to go to college. I'm going to become your legal guardian if it's the last thing I ever do!"
He sounded determined. I was grateful to Darry. It would kill me if I was seperated from my brothers. I wiped my eyes,but it was useless.I knew this was going to be one of the hardest times of my life, but I knew that ifI had my brothers with me, I could pull through this. We were going to pull through together. I went to sleep that night mourning over my parents' deaths but knowing that, after time, my brothers and I were going to be okay again.
