Green Pancakes
You know what it's like when you're really awake but still kind of asleep? Like when you first wake up in the morning, but you try to go back to sleep because you were right in the middle of a good dream? Well that's where Sodapop Curtis was at the moment. He could feel Ponyboy under his arm and was listening intently for any signs that Darry might all ready be in the kitchen.
Sodapop was sprawled across the bed on his stomach. One arm lay limply across Pony's chest, the other tucked under his pillow. He was clad in his loose, red plaid pajama pants and white t-shirt. His movie star like face was at peace and slightly squashed into the pillow. His dark gold hair that had been greased back the night before, now fell across his forehead and stuck out at all ends in a knotted mess.
Sodapop was determined to fall asleep again, so as not to have to make breakfast, and tried for what seemed like forever. But after a while his inability to stay still got the better of him and he opened his dark brown eyes, admitting defeat. Slowly he propped himself up on his forearms.
"Pony." He whispered looking down at his sleeping little brother.
"Ponyboy." He said again slightly louder. Ponyboy only rolled over and continued sleeping.
"You sure are lucky you're the baby." Sodapop said softly with a smile.
He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Then with a stretch he stood up to go and inspect the rest of the house.
Sodapop tiptoed into the hall and closed the bedroom door softly behind him. Then, walking as softly as a 16 year-old boy could, he made his way to the kitchen. He stuck his head around the corner with a huge grin on his face, expecting to see Darry at the stove. But there was no one. The kitchen was as empty as Two-Bit Matthews' head. Sodapop straitened up and walked into the center of the kitchen. He scratched his head and looked around. Then Sodapop padded into the living room, assuming that Darry was sitting in his armchair reading the paper. But, just like the kitchen there was no one. There were a few signs that Dallas Winston had spent the night on the couch again. A few booze cans were left on the floor, but the most apparent was that he had forgotten his brown leather jacket across the back of the couch.
Sodapop then went to check the place he should have looked first, Darry's room. Soda slowly opened the door and saw that Darry was fast asleep in bed. Soda almost decided to jump on Darry in the form of a flying leap, but then remembered how tiered Darry was when he had gotten home late last night. So Sodapop merely smiled and closed the door softly. He wandered back into the kitchen and with a rumble of his stomach, began searching through the cabinets for something to eat. Cereal seemed too boring and eggs seemed too complicated to make. Everyone liked them a different way. That's when Sodapop stumbled across a box of pancake mix.
"Huh…" Soda said to himself, an idea brewing in his handsome head.
He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten pancakes. So that's what he would make. A big batch of pancakes. Sodapop set to work; locating everything the back of the box said he would need.
He had finished mixing the batter and Elvis was singing at a low volume on the radio, so as to not wake Darry or Pony. Soda stared into the bowl of boring, light brown batter.
"Hmmm… Not very exiting." Soda said to himself.
He opened the closest cabinet and looked for something to make breakfast more exiting. Just when he was beginning to give up, he found it. The perfect final ingredient. Green food coloring. Sodapop grinned and snatched up the little bottle of bright green liquid. He added a few drops and mixed the batter. It slowly turned pail green. This would never do. Sodapop smiled and added half of the little bottles contents into the mixing bowl. He mixed it vigorously, turning the light green into a more satisfying dark green. He quickly cooked up the batter into a huge stack of forest green pancakes.
Sodapop set the table and gave each plate a generous helping of green. Just as Sodapop was bringing the pan back into the kitchen, Ponyboy and Darry came wandering to the table.
"Hey, Soda…" Darry said slowly. Soda poked his head around the corner.
"Yeah, Darry?" Soda said with a huge smile.
"What exactly is this?" He asked staring at the table.
"Pancakes." Sodapop said leaning in the doorway.
"But, why… green?" Ponyboy asked, slowly turning to look at his older brother.
"Why not?" He replied with a shrug. "And oh, I hope you don't mind but seeing as I cooked, you two can take care of the dishes. Right?"
"Well, yeah…I guess." Darry said still confused by the color of breakfast.
"Yeah, sure Soda." Pony agreed.
"Huh, maybe ignorance is bliss after all." Sodapop mumbled to himself as he looked over his shoulder at the unbelievable mess he had left behind. Just for his brothers.
"What?" Darry asked.
"Nothing. Come on let's eat." Sodapop said happily.
The three Curtis brothers sat down at the table and began to eat when the door swung open. Dallas stuck his head through the door.
"Hey, did I leave my…" He said looking around. "Oh, here it is…" He walked to the couch and grabbed his jacket. "What are you guy's eating?" He asked suddenly, staring at his friends.
"Green Pancakes." Sodapop said swallowing his mouthful and grinning.
"Oh…cool, I want some." Dallas said pulling a chair up to the table. Sodapop smiled and grabbed his friend a plate of breakfast.
Thanks for reading