Reflections of a Former Only Child.
Summary: Darry reflects backs on his life as an only child, and the births of his brothers.
Author's Note: This is my second fan fiction, sorry if it's a little OOC. Also, I'll take constructive criticism but no flames. Enjoy the story, and don't forget to review!
Disclamer: I don't own The Outsiders. All rights belong to S.E Hinton
For 7 years, I was an only child, the apple of my parent's eyes. My Dad taught me how to play football and was my number one fan when I was playing in the little kid football league. Mom, who didn't really understand football, would root for me anyway as my number 2 fan, even though half the time she had to ask Dad what was going on. Even though she didn't really know much about football, Mom was a very good baker. Mom, would make brownies with chocolate chips hidden inside, which was my favorite dessert that she was a perfect life for a 7 year old. Heck, I even had my own room at that time, full of footballs and other toys. But all good things had to come to an end It turned out sooner than I thought.
One day after mom picked me up from 1st grade, she parked the car in the grocery store parking lot, she told me she was pregnant. "Darry?" Mom's messy curly hair shook ."Yea?" I had been playing with an action figure at the time. " Sweetie, how would you like to have another brother or sister to play with?" She was smiling. " I DON'T WANNA HAVE A SIBLING! I had started to have a melt down and threw the figure to the ground. I don't remember how long I had a meltdown for because I had fallen asleep about 20 minutes later, but I remember waking up in my bed at home hearing my parents whispering. " I knew that having a baby now would be trouble, Darryl!" My mom spoke somewhat angrily. "Donna, We both wanted siblings close in age, so I think there is no better time than now" "I know. But I think I should tell Darry there isn't a return policy on babies."Both of my parents laughed. I laughed also but back then I didn't get what I was laughing about until later.
About 8 months later and a week before"Mommy is due " day, her water broke. Dad was cooking some dinner for me, as Mom didn't cook then. " I don't want to harm the baby with the flames" She flipped through some magazines at the table and I was coloring on the floor- well making a list of rules for my future sibling. "!" Mom screamed. Dad turned around and saw water on the floor. He turned off the stove, grabbed the black bag he had packed two weeks ago, and grabbed a book for me. "Darry, get in the car, NOW!" Dad picked me up and threw me into the back seat. Mom waddled out but it seemed like she was in pain every few minutes. By the time we got there, Mom could barely walk. "This baby has been kicking all day. I think it's ready to come out and I hope sooooonnn!" Mom started screaming . All the nurses and doctors rushed to help her to a chair and off they went to a room. Since I was only just turned 8 in March, and only kids who were 13 were allowed to be in the room to watch, Dad had to stay with me. "I hope it's another boy. Wouldn't you like a brother to play with, Darry?" He smiled at me. " I don't know." By then, I had gotten used to the fact I was no longer going to be an only child.
About 40 minutes later or reading the book Dad brought 20 times, the nurse finally came and told us to go into the room where Mom was. She was holding my new sibling. " Darry, do you want to hold your new brother?" Mom asked. " Ok." I responded unsure if I really wanted to hold him. "So what are you going to name him?" I had climbed into Mom's bed and she placed my brother into my arms. " Darry, your little brother is named Sodapop Patrick Curtis." Dad proudly said. At that time, I was confused as I never heard of anyone named that. Before I could say anything, Soda, who had been asleep, woke up. He was a little fussy, but as soon he looked up at me, he smiled. "Aww!," Mom teared up. " look Darryl, Soda smiled at Darry!" "I think he likes you, Darry," Dad took Soda from me, and started to wrap him in a blanket, since he was shivering. " As long as he does not wake me up, he's alright." I hopped off the bed. Both of my parents laughed. Little did I know that I was going to have another brother in two years.
Two years flew by quick. I went from 8 to 9 . But before I turned 10, Mom and Dad had news . By news, they meant that Mom was expecting again. " But I already have a baby brother. His name is Soda." I sighed, not wanting to deal with another future sibling. Meanwhile, Soda had just turned two, and was already showing signs of being hyper. He would color on the walls with markers, and would bounce off the walls contently. "Soda,you can't run around naked." Dad had Soda's clothes in his hands, and was trying to catch him. " But whhhyyyyy?" Soda had whined running throughout the house. " You don't see Steve from daycare running around naked do you?" "Noo..." That was exactly my point. What if my new sibling would be like Soda, and would run around naked? Mom and Dad and I had enough trouble with Soda, although he seemed to calm down when I would tell him- well maybe yelled sometimes to settle down.
Now, Mom started growing and growing throughout the months of pregnancy. I still couldn't believe I was going to have another sibling, but since football was getting tougher, I mainly focused on my favorite sport. Mom, Dad, and now Soda would go to my games. Even when Mom was um lets say well 6 months pregnant and would waddle, she still managed to come to my games, unless she was taking Soda to the Horse stables to ride some of the horses. That kid had managed to love horses since he saw a picture of one in Mom's magazine when he was one.
Suddenly, a month before Mom was due, She went into labor. Like when Mom went into labor with Soda, we were at home just lounging around. Dad was going to take me to the movies to watch a new football movie, and Soda was playing with a stuffed horse, until he heard Mom scream from the living room. She had been making a blanket, (sewing was another talent Mom was good at.) but she felt pain and saw water on the floor. "Darryl! This baby isn't due for another month! Why am I in labor?" Mom waddled to the front door. Before she reached it, she screamed again. "Darry, go get the black bag in the hall. Soda,let me get you into the car." Dad pointed to the left and I nodded. This time, we got to the hospital in about two minutes faster since Dad broke every speed limit. As we jumped out of the car, I noticed a Baby Names book under the seat. I barely grabbed it before Dad shut the door. " Come on Soda," I grabbed his tiny arm. "we don't want you to get lost."
The nurses took Mom to another room, which happened to be in the ICU since there wasn't a Neo-Natal Intensive Care unit yet. "Darry, Can you stay with Soda, and make sure he doesn't run off?" Dad, who seemed a little stressed, asked. "No problem Dad." I quickly answered before he ran to joined mom. "I'm gonna be a big brother, I'm gonna be a big brother!" Soda skipped throughout the waiting area. Now the other people in the area were dealing with relatives or friends dying, so I grabbed him. "Be quiet!," I hissed Not everyone needs to know." Soda frowned and then said "Sowwy Darry. I'm just excited, ya know?" I then placed him in a chair. " I know, Soda. But lets try to say it in your head, okay? Lots of people here are dealing with loss." He nodded and then started to play with his horse. I picked up the Baby Names book and looked at it. Two hours flew past, and there wasn't a word from Dad. Soda, however, became bored at a hour and a half in. " I'm borrredd!" Soda whispered and started to bang his feet on the seat.
5 minutes later, Dad came out and smiled. " Would you two want to meet your new brother?" We both nodded and followed. There was a lot of nurses and doctors everywhere. Dad stopped in front of room 234, and opened it. Mom was resting and my new brother was in a rectangular shaped thing- It turned out later to be an incubator. " What's his name? Can I hold him?" Soda bounced around the room. " Well Soda, we were hoping you and Darry could help name him, and no, you can't hold him yet." Mom smiled as she helped Soda onto her lap. I was looking at my new brother. He was tiny, with light brown but still dark hair like Mom's. As I curiously looked at him, he woke up. He had an expression that looked like he was daydreaming. " Lets name him Ponyboy!" Soda said suddenly. "Ponyboy sounds like an interesting name." Dad beamed with excitement. Soda definitely inherited Dad's taste in name choice selections.
Knowing that Ponyboy would have a weird middle name if I didn't step in so I screamed what he should have for a middle name. "Ponyboy Michael Curtis!" Mom, Dad, Soda, and I think even Ponyboy looked at me weird. "That's what his full name should be." " Oh" Mom, Dad, and Soda said. Pony smiled. " Oh look at that Darryl, Pony's smiling! I guess he likes his name." Mom yawned. " Yes, he does like his name. But I also think he's smiling since Darry is right by him. Darry made Soda smile, too. I think they both like him." Dad responded joyfully. That was one memory I won't forget, along with the many other memories growing up from that point on. Man, there was many good times compared to now.
If I could have stopped them going out for their anniversary two weeks after Pony turned thirteen, Mom and Dad might be still be here and I could have gone off to college. But life gets in the way, and things change for better or worse. "Pony, Did you turn in the theme for Mr. Syme?" I looked up from the bills I was paying. Pony was drawing something on some paper on the floor, just like he used to before Mom and Dad's accident. " Yeah, turned it in yesterday." He sighed and erased a part of what he was drawing. " And you don't have any other homework assignments?" " No, Dad.!" I laughed. Sometimes Dad would ask me that, and boy when I said that, he sometimes got mad at me. "Don't use that tone with me ,Darryl Shaynne!" He would say. " See ya later, Steve!" Soda walked in. " Hey what are you drawing there, Pony?" He looked at the paper. " Nothin.." " Let me see." I got up from the table, and bent over. On the paper was a sketch of a tiny baby in an incubator, with two little boys looking into it. When I looked in closer, the boy in the incubator was Pony, and the little boys were Soda and I. "How do you remember this? You were so little, Pony." I shook my head in disbelief. " I don't really know, I guess somehow I remembered it by luck or I have a little photogenic memory." Pony shrugged and then turned back to coloring the drawing. " What's for dinner?" I asked getting back to the bills. " I'm going to make blue spaghetti!" Soda replied grabbing the big pot to cook with. " Easy on the blue food dye, Little buddy. Last time all that dye stained our teeth for a week." I pointed out. " Okay, Superman." Soda glumly said.
Even though I was pretty happy being an only child when I was seven, I'm glad Mom and Dad gave me more brothers. Raising my brothers is no easy task, but hey, I'm glad they're here. After all, who else could I play football with, and help with homework, and make sure they don't get it trouble? It certainly beats me.