Darry's Girl

"Mom, look at those boys, they look cool," Kent, my eight year old was looking at some boys, who were playing football as we passed by the park, "Hey look there's cousin Steve!"

I pulled the car over, and started walking, I spotted my cousin, hr was the only one wearing a Kent, on his leg, "Steve," I laughed as I watched my son cling to his cousin, "Leave your cousin alone Kent."

Steve finally got my son off his leg, then made his way to me, "You're here."

"No kidding, we just finished moving everything into our new house, and now we are just driving around town, see if we could find a roofer," I watched as my son talked to a couple of other boys, who looked to be related, "Kent leave the poor boys alone."

My son hurried to me, dragging one of the boys by the arm, "Mom, you will never guess his name.

I knelt down to my son's size, "Kent we need to go…."

"Mom, please guess his name!" My son made his famous puppy dog face.

"Bob?" I guessed sarcastically.

My son gave me a puzzled look, "Nope, his name is Ponyboy."

I looked up at the boy who looked to be seventeen, "Your name is Ponyboy?"

The boy, now known as Ponyboy, nodded, "Yep," he pointed to the boy next to him, "This is my brother Sodapop."

My cousin grinned, "It's true, this is Sodapop, and Ponyboy."

I looked at my cousin, "I been to like three roofing businesses, and none of them are open on the weekends."

"Sodapop, and Ponyboy?" Someone called for the two boys.

I watched as an older boy came running up towards us, he was tall and muscular. He looked in his twenties.

He smiled a little at me, "Hey."

"Yeah," I couldn't take my eyes off the guy, "Come on Ponyboy lets go home."

"Is it alright with you Darry?" Pony grinned wildly.

My son looked at me more confused then Darry had been looking at me, "My name is Kent, mom."

Pony fell to his knees, and started laughing, then looked back up at me, "I'll go home with you though."

Darry looked at me, "Trust me miss, you don't want my brother to go home with you, not very good table manners."

"Darry, could you fix her roof tomorrow, or maybe tonight even?" Steve lifted my son up.

I glared at my cousin, "Steve..."

"Sure," Darry smiled at me, "I can't tonight, because I got a date, but maybe tomorrow after our date?"

"That will be great, thank you," I started walking away, 'Wait, did he just ask me out?' then I noticed I didn't have Kent by my side. I walked back to where the boys were, and looked at Darry, "Did you just ask me out on a date?"

He grinned a little, "Only if the answer is yes," he looked at Ponyboy, and at Sodapop, who was just staring in amazement. "I don't usually ask girls out."

I stared at him quizzically, "Oh," I looked at my cousin.

"Wait, no, I meant I haven't asked a girl out, since I can't remember when, I like girls though, a lot," Darry stepped closer to me, "Let me start over."

I felt my cheeks burn, "Alright."

"I know I just meet you. My name is Darry, would you like to go down to the Dingo and grab a bite to eat?" He looked at my son, "I was going to take my brothers there to eat…"

"You said we were boiling hotdogs when we got home," Pony looked at Sodapop.

Darry stared hard at his brother, "I changed my mind, we're going out to eat," he looked at my cousin, "You could come to Steve."

Steve fluttered his eye lashes jokingly, "Gosh Darry, your inviting little old me?"

I smacked my cousin in the stomach, causing him to shut up, then I looked back at Darry, "Alright. Sounds good."

"Well mom, said she wanted to see Kent, why don't I watch him while you go have time to yourself alright?" Steve looked at my son, "What do you say about that Kent?"

I looked at Darry, "Well since Kent isn't going, or Steve, I guess it's just the four of us."

Darry looked at Soda, then looked at me smiling, "Well I guess we'll come and get you in an hour."

I smiled back, "Great," I looked at my cousin, "You want me to drop you, and Kent off at your house?"

He nodded.

After I dropped my cousin, and son off, I hurried home to get ready. I looked at my reflection in the mirror after I got out of the quick shower. I learned how to tick really quick showers since I had Kent, and even when I don't have him home with me, I still hurry up even though I could stay for a long time. I started slowing down as I got ready when I remembered Kent was at my aunts house.

Knock! Knock!

I slipped my shoes on my feet as I hurried to answer the door, hitting my shin on the wooden coffee table, "Shit!" I opened the door, and saw Darry standing on the other side, "Hi."

He just stood there, and smiled, "Hello."

I stared at him confused, "You alright?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you outside?"

He laughed a little, "Well you didn't invite me inside."

"Shit, sorry," I opened the door, allowing him to come inside.

He looked at the living room, "Looks just like my place."

I realized I never told him my name, "My name is …"

"Mandy, I know from how much Steve talked about his trips to California to visit you, and your family," He turned around and looked at me, "You ready?"

I grabbed my purse, and opened the door again, limping a little as he lead me to his car, "So where are your brothers?"

"Ponyboy is watching Brent Cade, and Sodapop is with your cousin, and son at your aunts house," He opened the door for me, and then got in on his side.

"Who's Johnny?" I knew the last name sounded familiar for some reason.

"Oh, Johnny Cade is Pony's best friend, he is a coupled years older the Pony is, and married to a girl the same age as Pony," Darry kept his eyes on the road.

"That's right Steve was telling me in his letter he saw the baby's birth," I smiled as I remembered how excited he sounded, in the letter.

"Yeah he thinks he's a big shot now that he was there for Toni, and Johnny through the birthing," Darry pulled into a parking lot he parked and walked to my side of the car and opened the door, he wrapped his arm around my waist, and lead me inside the Dingo.

We sat at a corner booth, and just sat silently for a moment.

"So how old is Kent?" Darry turned toward me in the booth, and looked at me, "Is he six or seven?"

"He's eight, just turned eight," I watched as people danced, "I had him when I was fourteen. I'm twenty-two now."

"I'm twenty-four, so what brought you to Tulsa?" He wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

I looked at him, "My grandpa owned this house, and left it to my dad, so my dad just signed the house to me, and here we are."

"It must had been hard having to leave California," Darry watched as the waitress set our food down.

"I had to leave, I had to come here," I took a bite of a french-fry.

Darry took a couple of big bites of his hamburger, then looked at me, "Kent, looks a lot like you."

I smiled at the complement, "Thanks."

"I'm sorry, this is the first real date I been on since I was in high school, Soda is always saying I need to stop worry about how they will get along for one night with out me, but easier said then done," He mumbled the last part, before taking a bite.

I smiled a little relieved, "Yeah, I know what you mean, I am child free, and most of the date I been worried about if Kent was hungry, did he take a bath, or things like that," I sneaked an onion ring off his place.

He just laughed, "Help, yourself," he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, "So what are you going to do for a living out here?"

I scooted closer to him, "I got a job as a school receptionist, I start Monday morning."

He grinned, "Sounds good, we should get your son and be getting you home."

I smiled at him, "Yeah, it's about time he is in bed."

We drove to my aunt's house, and picked up my son, then went back to my house.

He pulled up to the curb, "I really had a good evening, we should do it again some time," he patted my back.

I looked down at my son in my arms, and noticed he was asleep, I looked at Darry, "You could come in for coffee or beer if you want," I stood up, and lifted my son up, "I just need to lie him down in his bed, and then I will be right with you."

Darry got out of the car, and walked up to my house with me, he took the key I had already had out for him to open the door, "He held the door open, and waited for me to enter,"

I took my son into the room and laid him in his bed, I kissed his cheek, "Good night my little, Knight."

Kent rolled to his side, "Night mommy."

I smiled as I watched him for a moment asleep, then I returned to where Darry was sitting in the living room, "You want something to drink?"

"I'm alright," He watched as I made my way next to where he was seated, "You're beautiful you know that?"

"I'm a single mom of an eight year old who is to good to be real," I smiled as I felt his strong arms pull my into his side.

He just stared at me, smiling.

I rolled my eyes, "I know you want to kiss me, so can we just stop the staring, because I want to kiss you as much as you want to kiss…" I felt his lips press against mine, "…me." I wrapped my arms around his neck, as I felt his tongue sneak it's way into my mouth.

He pulled away, and stared at me, "I been wanting to do that since I saw you in the park," he leaned back in and kissed me again.

I felt his muscular hands slide underneath my sweater, against my back, then the other arm started pushing me back into the couch, "Wait…" I tried to catch my breath, "Lets take this to the bedroom."

He stood up, and started carrying me down the hall; he looked at the two closed identical shut doors, "Which one?"

I kicked my foot to point to the right room, "This is my room."

He set me down on the bed, then finished what we started on the couch, "I saw you at the park, and I knew there is this connection between the two of us," he removed my blouse, "I never had with anyone before," he positioned himself once our clothes were no longer an obstacle keeping our bodies from touching.

"Me to," I smiled up, as I looked in his almost grey eyes.

The Next Morning

The next morning I woke up, to someone banging on the roof, and the sound of cartoons playing from the living room. I put on some jeans, and a sweatshirt, then noticed Darry's black T-Shirt at the foot of the bed, I walked into the living room where my son was watching some Mickey cartoon, and cracking up whenever Goofy would do something clumsy.

He looked back at me, "Morning mom, isn't Goofy funny?"

I knelt down beside him, and wrapped my arm around him, "I need to explain about why Darry was here this morning?"

"Yeah he came to fix the roof," My son looked at me innocently.

I kissed his forehead, then got to my feet and headed to the kitchen.

"Or did you want to explain why he was in bed with his arm wrapped around you this morning," He followed me into the kitchen.

I stared at his serious expression, "So how did you feel when you saw mom, with Darry?"

He wrapped his arm around my waist, "I like Darry, he fixed a bowl of cereal for me, and said next time he'll get doughnuts."

I propped my son on the kitchen counter, "You didn't wake him up did you?"

"I laid my hand over his to see how big it was, he must had felt me and woke up, he thought I was Ponyboy, and said go get your own breakfast Pony, and let me sleep," He made his best tough guy voice, then started laughing.

I kissed his cheek, "I wish you didn't wake him up."

"Cartoons are on, Darry's on the roof, and I hear voices in the kitchen," My cousin stepped into the kitchen grinning, "So did you have fun last night Mandy."

Kent looked at Steve, "Darry has real big hands, and he woke up when I was seeing how small mine are to his," he leaped from the counter into our cousins arms.

Steve grinned at me, "So you and Darry?" he had a mischievous grin on his face, "You know?"

Kent tried to imitate Steve's grin, then laughed when he noticed I was watching, "Hey can we go to the park uncle Steve."

"Sorry kid, I got to take Jen out today, then I got work," He set my son back down on the ground.

"It's all finished Mandy, you shouldn't have any leaking problems," Darry came into the kitchen, he didn't have his short on, and was grinning at me (I think he likes just showing off his muscles) and then looked at Steve, "Aren't you suppose to give Soda, a ride to work with you?"

"I got to go, you kids stay out of trouble now," He looked at Kent, "Keep an eye on them two, alright Kent?"

"Alright," My son watched as his cousin Steve left, and then turned and faced the two of us with his arms crossed like Darry's (he has this habit that he likes to imitate everything he sees.)

Darry found it amusing, and started doing different things to see if Kent would do them, he looked at me, "He was measuring his hand to mine this morning,"

"So I heard," I leaned against the counter, "Kent, go watch cartoons alright sweetie."

Kent nodded, and hurried back to the living room.

Darry quickly pulled me into his arms, "So what are …."

"Darry we need to talk," I took him into the dining area so I could keep an eye on my son, then I looked at Darry, "I am sorry that I let this whole thing get carried away, I am not usually so quick to get into bed with a guy I just meet, so I was just going to give you the chance of walking away before either of us end up hurt," I felt tears ready to come out.

Darry took my hand, "I wouldn't had slept with you if I planned on not seeing you again."

"You don't mind that I have an eight year old son, who is use to just walking in my room, without an invite," I couldn't help crying now.

Kent hurried from his spot in front of the T.V. and wrapped his arms around his neck, "Don't be sad mommy, it's alright."

Darry knelt down beside my son, and me, "Do you mind that I have a seventeen year old brother that walks around in his underwear in the middle of the night, and a nineteen going on twenty year old brother who acts like an eight year old sometimes?"

I shook my head, and smiled, "I don't mind Soda acting like a eight year old, but if you teach Pony not to walk around the house in just his underwear, I will work with my boy about knocking first when you are here," I shook my son gently to let him know I was talking to him, "You need to knock for now on okay when you enter my bedroom alright."

My son stared at Darry, and then back at me, "Mom you need to tell Darry what you tell me," he looked at Darry, "You can't go outside without a shirt, or you will catch your death," he pointed his finger the way I do when I tell him important things.

Darry mockingly saluted as he stood up, "Got it."

I laughed as my son stared up at Darry, "Go back, and watch cartoons alright."

The rest of the Day went better expected….