So, Pony has a girlfriend, Darry wrote, smiling as he thought about Sodapop's reaction to this news when he opened the letter. He remembered Soda's own first girl and how excited he'd been. Although, thinking about it, when Soda had first attracted a girl, he hadn't been that crazy about the idea...
They were down at the stables one day. Really, come summer, it was the only place to see Soda at all, he spent every minute he could down there. Darry wasn't as crazy over horses as Soda, but he could ride okay and the owner was cool about letting the boys ride if they did some work around the place.
Soda was just turning fourteen; to Darry he looked like one of the colts in the paddock, arms and legs too long for him. Kind of acted like them too, racing around, full of energy with no particular direction.
Darry was coming into the big barn with an armful of tack when he saw them. Soda was backed up against the end stall, pinned there by the stable owner's daughter. She was sixteen, a feisty brunette, who wore tight shorts and t shirts and generally drove the young men around the stables crazy on a regular basis.
The girl was kissing Soda thoroughly. He was obviously not sure what to do with his hands, because they were twitching ineffectively at his sides as she shoved her tongue in his mouth. She stepped back, grinning to herself, hands on hips as she looked him over. Sauntering out of the stable, she winked at Darry.
Soda was blinking hard as his brother came over to him, like he couldn't believe what had just happened. "Glory, Darry, what'd she do that for?" he exclaimed. Darry grinned.
"Did ya like it?"
Soda shrugged, "It was kind of wet! What time is it? 'cause Mr Rollins said I could finish early and ride Moonbeam." He bounded towards Moonbeam's stall, leaving Darry laughing at him.
She's a real nice girl, he met her in the library, of all places! He wrote...And she was nice, Darry thought, compared to most of the girls who would give a greaser a second look. Not like the first one Soda had got with, at that party. He'd been asleep when Soda came home and bounced onto his bed...
"Jeez, Soda," Darry remembered groaning at the time, "What time is it? I've got practice in the morning." He'd swatted at him, only half playfully.
"She didn't do what you said." Soda hissed urgently, in as much of a whisper as he was capable. Glory, that boy had energy!
"Who didn't what?" Darry rolled over to squint at him in the dark.
"BeckyAtTheParty." Like that was her name. "You said she'd stop me at second base." Soda's tone was accusatory.
Darry smirked. "I said, if she let you get to second, in the first place, kiddo..."
"Naw! You don't get it! She didn't stop me at all."
Darry let this sink in for a second. He had been quite puffed up when Soda came to him for advice about girls. The stable kiss was long past and the fourteen and half year old Soda was far more interested in girls now. After Dad had sat him down for 'the talk', he'd gone straight to Darry for confirmation and more detail.
Darry had plenty of advice to impart. Being captain of the football team got him plenty of interesting dates. He liked being the wise big brother in yet another capacity. Now he started to wonder if Soda had needed the advice.
"Whaddya mean she didn't stop you?"
"She didn't! She let me touch her...everywhere. She tried to take my jeans off and grab my junk!"
"Are you serious?" Darry was incredulous. "What'd you do?"
"Aw..." Soda squirmed a little. "I told her I had to go home."
Darry snorted with laughter, causing Soda to thump him.
"Shut up, Dar, you told me second base, you said 'stop when she says so' and Dad was all about 'respecting girls '. Nobody said what to do if she never stopped." He sounded indignant.
"I didn't know you were gonna hook up with a wildcat, little buddy," Darry defended his advice. "I thought it was a freshman party?" He sat up, intrigued. "Was she loaded? Didn't you like her?"
"Aw, she was okay. I don't think she was too blitzed. She was all 'Ooh, you're so cute', 'You're real handsome, we don't got guys like you at my school'." He put on a girly voice, imitating her. Darry smiled. Soda was a good looking boy. He was obviously about to discover what this could mean.
"And?" he prompted.
"And, it was okay. Nah, it was better than okay. I liked touching her, I liked when she...I just, what if I..y'know...'cause she was kind of rubbing it and...aw, y'know.."
Darry digested the garbled description. "Oh! Well, that's kind of the point of a hand job, Soda, that she gets you to 'y'know'"
"It is?"
"Yup. I mean, you might wanna have some Kleenex around. But I reckon she knew what to expect."
"Oh." Soda thought about this.
"So, do you wish you'd let her now?"
"Nah, she talked too much. And she wasn't as pretty as Lisa at school."
Darry smiled. "But Lisa might not give out."
Soda flopped down on his back, looking at the ceiling. "I know. Steve said she wouldn't even let him kiss her at the Halloween party."
"Well, that might just be how she feels about Steve. You should ask her out if you like her."
"Reckon?"
"Reckon."
"But what if..."
"Soda. I gotta sleep. Can we talk about this tomorrow?" Darry yawned.
"Okay." Soda got off the bed. "I don't think Steve is bothered about Lisa anyways."
"Huh?" Darry was drowsing off.
"'Cause I told him about BeckyAtTheParty and he was real keen to walk her home."
It's weird, seeing Pony all gussied up on a Saturday night. He won't take any money off me, likes to use his own to take her out... Darry wrote, smiling at the thought. Soda knew that Pony was working weekends now. He'd probably approve that most of his wages were going on his love life. When Soda got a Saturday job at the DX in sophomore year, Mom and Dad had let him use the money how he liked.
Having enough cash wasn't necessarily the only answer though, Darry remembered, wryly...
"What the hell? Soda, get out of my stuff!" Darry had come into his room to find Soda rifling through his nightstand drawer. Soda jumped guiltily.
"Language, Darrel!" Mom must have been passing in the hallway.
Darry glared at Soda for getting him in trouble. "What are you doing in here, you little punk?" he hissed, reaching for him.
Soda blushed as he darted out of the way of his big brother's flicking hand. Darry wouldn't really hurt him, but he was still big enough to remind Soda who was boss. Just lately, they'd been arguing more than talking.
"I was looking for something," Soda said evasively.
"I can see that!"
Soda shuffled, then seemed to pluck up courage, ducking his head out to check the hallway was clear and closing the bedroom door before speaking. "I was gonna borrow a rubber."
"What?!" Darry stared. "Firstly, ick! Not something you can 'borrow', idiot! And, secondly, I don't have any."
"Liar!" Soda said cheerfully. "I heard you and Paul talking and I also seen ya with that girl goin' behind the bleachers."
"Seen me what...?! Never mind, 'cause, thirdly, you don't need one." Darry crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"That's what you know." Soda grinned.
Darry looked at him hard. Soda was slicking his hair back these days, maybe not as much as Steve or Two-Bit, but he was pretty much running with the gang full time. He'd held his own in at least one fight Darry had heard about recently. Maybe it was time for Darry to reassess this fifteen year old little brother.
He didn't think Soda had a girlfriend at the moment. He had plenty of offers, Darry knew that. But still, hearing girls at school talking about Soda being a real doll, even if some of them were in Darry's own senior year, was still some way short of him...Darry frowned, something occurring to him.
"You going 'round with Dallas tonight?"
Soda shrugged, but couldn't stop the edge of a smile creeping in.
"Dallas Winston is trouble."
"Girls like trouble." Soda grinned.
"Sounds like Dally talking! Not all girls and not the right kind of girls."
Soda snorted with laughter. "What are the 'right kind', Dar? The kind that go behind the bleachers with you?"
"Shut up about that!" Darry couldn't help himself grinning.
"Anyway, it ain't one of Dally's girls. It's someone I been seeing from school. Aw, c'mon Dar. Lend me one."
"Nope. If you're man enough to use one, buy your own."
Soda blushed. "Dar..."
"I'm serious, Soda. Go down to the drug store, you got cash."
"I can't." He mumbled something Darry didn't catch.
Darry waited him out. Soda sighed. "I can't. Her mom works there."
Darry burst out laughing as Soda squirmed. He had to sit down on the bed, he laughed so hard. "Jeez, Pepsi Cola, you picked a girl whose mom would have to ring your rubbers up on the cash register? Glory!" He laughed again as Soda shushed him, embarrassed. Then he opened his eyes wide. "Soda? Not Ginny Townsend? Her mom works down at the drug store."
Soda bit his lip, trying, unsuccessfully, to maintain an innocent face.
"Ginny Townsend? Is gonna let you...?" Darry would have to seriously reassess him. Ginny was a tall, beautiful brunette in the year below Darry, who had turned down Paul and at least three other guys that Darry knew. One had even asked her to the prom and she'd said no. Silently, Darry went over to his closet and took down an old shoe box from the shelf. He retrieved a couple of shiny packets and handed them over.
"You should maybe, like, practice, with one. You don't wanna look like you don't know what you're doing," he advised, still taking in the fact that his fifteen year old brother was going to score one of the most sought after girls in school.
"Oh." Soda fiddled with the door frame, didn't quite meet his eyes, a little smile hovering on his lips. "That's okay, we already...I mean..."
Darry sat down again, listening.
"I'm only asking you 'cause the vending machine in the men's' room at the DX is on the fritz again, or I woulda got them there. That and the whole 'mom at the drug store' thing." Soda beamed at him, happily. "But, thanks, Dar, you're the man!" He exited the room, whistling happily.
He's been for Sunday dinner at her parents' so I'm guessing they're okay with Pony...Darry stared at the page. Should he take out the part about Sunday dinner? It seemed a long time ago now, but would it bring back painful stuff for Soda...?
"Mom? I'm hungry!" Ponyboy was yelling. "When can we eat?"
Darry heard his mother's calm voice from the kitchen. "When Sodapop gets back with his guest. I won't tell you again, Ponyboy Michael, now mind your manners." She wasn't ever angry, but her unruffled manner was enough to pull any of her boys back into line.
Pony came into the living room to join his oldest brother just as Soda arrived, showing a pretty blonde girl into the house. Pony gawped, then launched himself back towards the kitchen.
"Mom! They're here!"
Soda smiled at the girl. "That was Pony."
Darry had got up from the sofa and said hello. The girl smiled shyly, she probably remembered him from school. She was a greaser girl, but she was obviously dressed up for today in a smart, not too short, skirt. He watched as his mother came through to greet her.
"Mom, this is Sandy." Soda seemed nervous, looking carefully for his mother's reaction. Mom had been completely cool about it, of course, welcoming her in.
"I've made baked chicken, I hope you like that, Sandy?" She'd asked. Sandy nodded and asked if she could help with anything. Mom approved of that and Soda basked in her warm smile.
Pony had fetched Dad from the back yard and he made Darry smile by pulling a 'wow' face and signalling a thumbs up behind Soda's back once he'd been introduced. Dad obviously also approved of Soda's choice of girlfriend.
Darry hadn't ever brought a girl to Sunday dinner. He'd been to one or two girls' houses, usually their dads were the kind who were interested in checking out any boy who dated their daughters. If they were football fans, he was on good ground. But he'd never been serious enough about a girl to want Mom and Dad's opinion. He watched Soda carefully through dinner.
That night, as he was reading in bed, Soda appeared in his doorway. Darry was quite surprised. Lately, Soda had been going in a different direction to Darry. He hadn't come to him for advice in months. Now he shuffled awkwardly, not quite coming into the room.
"'S'up?" Darry realized he wanted to talk.
Soda looked at him gratefully and came in, perching on the end of the bed. "Well? Did you like her?"
"Sandy? Sure, she was real nice." Darry nodded. Soda still looked at Darry expectantly, so he continued. "And...real pretty. I liked her."
Soda beamed. "Yeah, ain't she? Real pretty. And she's smart too. She's in way better classes than me. Do you think she's prettier than Evie?"
Darry chuckled. "Sure. But I don't think you'd better ask Steve that!"
Soda pushed Darry's foot. "I ain't an idiot. Steve'd punch my lights out!" He sighed. "She is though. I reckon she's about the prettiest girl I ever seen. Do you think Mom liked her?"
"She said so, didn't she?" Darry was amused.
"I know, but really? Do you think...?"
"Yes, Soda. Mom liked her, Dad liked her, we all liked her."
Soda smiled to himself, bouncing up onto his feet. "Good."
Darry couldn't help it, he had to have a little fun at his brother's expense, this loved-up Soda was too good an opportunity to miss. He pretended to get up from the bed,
"I s'pose you need to 'borrow' some items again?" he teased.
Soda's eyes went wide and he stared at Darry. "Oh no," his tone was deadly serious. "She ain't that kind of girl at all!" He was smiling to himself as he left the room.
Darry had finished his letter. He tried to imagine Soda opening it. He wasn't sure exactly where Soda was and whether he should be imagining the kind of jungle he'd seen on the TV, or a proper Army base. He couldn't really imagine Soda in fatigues or without his long hair, the pictures in his mind were always the old Soda. The irrepressible, full of energy and full of life little brother who bounced through all Darry's memories. He didn't really want to think of him any other way.
Darry unfolded the letter to add another line.
Take care of yourself, little buddy.