Let's face it. I'm a lazy bum. That's why Kimie always woke me up first. Not 'cuz she loved me the most or she wanted to talk to me first thing. Well that was all true, but the real reason was 'cuz I'm a lazy bum.
I don't know how that little-Lady always managed to be the first one up in the morning. Sometimes she had more energy than Pony hoped up on Pepsi. My eyes were shut tight, and my brain dead to the world when she made her way in.
"Keith! Wake-up!" Kimie shook me real hard. Don't be surprised. The Curtis's couch, or my couch, is pretty soft. "Come on! Breakfast is ready! Just how you like it, too, chocolate cake, bacon, and eggs!"
She squealed out. With more force she shook me. I only shut my eyes tighter. Boy, I love this! It was so funny to listen to her get frustrated. It was hard not chuckle. This was a sort of game I played with her. Whenever she tried to make me wake-up I pretended to fall asleep. That breakfast smelled real good. She wasn't lying.
"Go wake-up Darry, Soda and Ponyboy first." I did my best to sound sleepy. "I'll be up when you get back."
"Promise?"
"Cross my heart."
"Hope to die?"
"Eat a thousand needles if I die."
"Okay!"
That there was the solemnest promise you could give to Kimie. It's never once been broken, except by Dally. But Dally don't count. No one expects him to keep promises. He's a born' bred hood if there ever was one. I can imagine it now! The slutiest girl and the most dangerous criminals combined to create Dallys! I crack myself up!
Soon as she left I fully opened my eyes. From the couch, I had a good view of the kitchen. There were pans soaking in the sink. It was pretty clean in there. Kimie does a good job at that sort of stuff. Plates, coffee, and chocolate milk were on the table.
It's not like we ask her to clean the kitchen or make breakfast. She just likes it.
I heard Kimie run towards Pony and Soda's room. There was a knock.
"Ponyboy! Sodapop! Wake-up, breakfast!" She always made the pop in Sodapop sound like an actual POP! Like I said she loved those names. I heard a door creak open. Then a:
"PONY! You shut that door!" Must of been Soda, still changing.
"Mornin' Kimie! I'm up!" That was Ponyboy, yawning as he said this. He was usually third-up. Darry was usually second…so? Oh! Right there. The shower could be heard turn on. It was hard not to miss, kinda loud.
"You up Darry?" That was Ponyboy again, yelling out toward the bathroom.
"Breakfast's ready! And the coffee's hot!" That was the Lady of the House, Kimie.
"Yup! Be right there." And that was Darry over the sound of rushing water.
Soda waltzed into the kitchen. He slung his DX shirt over a chair. Leaning back with his arms out, he yawned. That's when he noticed me, with my head propped up on my arms. I waved and he waved back, in mid back stretch. Then I shut my eyes real tight. I heard Kimie's little feet pattering back my way.
Please note I didn't expect what happened next. That's why I probably made a fool of myself. I snuggled into the couch, like I wasn't waking up anytime soon. Then I heard Kimie sigh. I heard padding on the floor. Soda probably noticed he hadn't slicked or even combed his hair. He was probably running to the bathroom 'for Pony or someone else got it. I was wrong. At the very moment I was thinking that something, on someone-Kimie- jumped on my legs, causing me too scream and kick my arms out so I fell off that damn couch. Graceful, I know?
"WAKE-UP!" Kimie yelled, probably as loud as she could. Oh, she got me good. 'Course she fell on the floor too, but she was sitting on top of me. That kinda thing matters in games and fights. I opened my eyes in defeat.
That Lady sat there, smiling in victorious gaze. Her rusty-brown hair, long and in two back braids. She was wearing overalls, too big, and one of Darry's old, Soda's old, Pony's old T-shirts shrunk in the wash. It was still too big. She was small, even for her age.
Soda was just standing there in the kitchen, laughing and laughing his pretty head off. Pony had stuck his head through the doorway. It was funny. Pony was so obviously trying hard not to laugh. A steady stream of giggles from the High Giggle God came through his lips.
Kimie got up off my legs and stood by Pony. She was chuckling too. Her hands covered her mouth, trying so hard not to break out in full fledged chaotic laughter. So I just had too.
Turning myself over, and propping my head on my hands, I tilted my head to one side and grinned ear-to-ear. Rather gracefully I went for the kill.
"Glad you lazy bums are finally up! I've been up for hours, and let. Me. Tell. YOU! Sleeping the day away will just make you lazy bums…like ME!"
Then I cocked an eyebrow. It wasn't needed. The three of them had already exploded into laughing fits.
Mornings were usually like this. When we had first moved in about six months back, Darry would wake-up first and cook. Kimie learned quick, and soon she was cooking breakfast and dinner. Pony, Soda and I asked Darry to sleep in a little. We all agreed Kimie didn't burn the eggs like Darry did. Ain't it funny? A little eight year old, formerly seven year old not to long back, girl taking care of four almost grown men? I should say three, though Pony would tackle me if I did.
Sometimes it was more. Steve was kicked out once a week by his pop, and Johnny slept in the lot a lot. His pop was a drunk, same with his mother. Then Dally lived anywhere he could. He was from New York. Snazzy right? Most of the time though, they were here in the morning.
But today, Steve's dad had just handed him a fiver to make up for the yelling, and Dally was in the cooler. Johnny didn't want to stay over last. He came in just as I was finishing my grand victory.
"Johnny!" Kimie yelled out.
"M-mornin' Johnny-ha-ha-ha," Ponyboy struggled to say between gasps for air. Soda would've said something too, had he not been on the floor in the fetal position, laughing like a mad man. He was the easiest to make laugh. For hours and hours on end he would laugh about the tiniest thing. Well I shouldn't be one to talk. I've been told the same thing.
"Mornin' Lady, Pony, Soda, Two-Bit, Darry." Johnny nodded to each of us in recognition. I was surprised when he said Darry. I turned and the said person was leaning against the doorway that connects the hallway to the living room. Grinning and shaking his head, he turned around and walked into the kitchen. I felt proud. Darry's the hardest out of all of us to make laugh, on account of his cool, tough guy attitude.
It was Kimie who brought us back to reality. She pushed us to the table, made Soda put his shirt on and comb his hair, Pony wash his hands and Johnny put on a clean pair of pants borrowed from Pony. When you sleep in the lot, you don't smell to hot the next day. I talk from experience. Kimie sure was bossy for eight, but none of us minded. I think of it as Kimie being the mother hen and all us boys, her greasy chicks.
Everyone in that room liked eggs a different way. Darry preferred them cold in bacon-tomato sandwiches, Soda enjoyed them scrambled with grape jelly, and Johnny though he'd never say it, liked them scrambled with enough pepper to make them gray. His plate looked like an ash tray. One time I even thought was one. Let's just say it was funny and not get into how Dally almost strangled me. Pony and I liked them in similar ways. Both of us wanted them fried crispy, only I liked mine with a wet yolk and Pony wanted them almost burned. Kimie knew this very well. She had all these, chocolate cake, and extra bacon form Darry's sandwich for whoever was still hungry. Then toast buttered till greasy for Johnny. The kid wasn't interested in sweet things much.
A large mug of hot, black extra-strong coffee was handed to Darry. He drank it like an old man, but then he worked his butt of like an old man too. Kimie poured chocolate milk out for
everyone else 'cept Johnny. He got plain milk. None of us would of thought he preferred it hadn't Kimie asked one day.
Soon as that last drop was poured, the beasts were released. All of us ate like monsters, big scary ones you would have in you nightmares. We eat how you imagine a creature would eat you when you're spooked in your bed after a horror movie. Even Johnny could hound down a few plates. Though I wondered whether he would if Kimie hadn't cooked so good.
"Huh"
I was the first to look up when Kimie said that. With egg yolk dripping down my mouth like an Egg-Dracula, I looked over at her. She was sitting in her chair, wide-eyed in sort of a shocked, surprised look. By then everyone was watching her, mouths full of whatever. We turned over heads to stare at her plate, which she had been focusing on. There was nothing on it. Boy. She forgot to cook herself an egg, again.
Soda was the first to burst, followed closely by me. We chuckled, and egg-salvia rocketed out of our mouths.
"You furgot ta cook yourself an egg fur yersef agin 'Ady?" Pony asked, sloppily with his mouth full of cake.
"Ya. I must of. Oh well."
It was Johnny who first did it. He'd been watching her closely and silently. In an almost hurried way, he took a bit off his own ash-tray eggs and slid it on to Kimie's plate. The rest of us followed suit, giving her a bite of our own till she had a enough for a helping. Kimie smiled so wide her eyes closed, and those baby dimples showed like crazy.
"Thank-you!" Then she proceeded to eat. I don't think she noticed, the rest of us sit still for a bit. It wasn't a bad silence, just strange.
"She does that every time," Darry whispered out, what we all had on our minds but afraid to say. When he said this though everyone else piped in. If Darry said something gushy-mushy the rest of us could.
"It's a tradition now," Pony mumbled in between bites.
"I don't mind. Least she don't burn up Darry." Soda shrugged, then dodged Darry's good-natured swing.
"Even remembered me, but forgot herself…" Johnny mumbled out in a daze, under his breath.
"Ain't she sweet…"Ponyboy said dreamily. Then the tips of his ears turned red. He probably hadn't meant to say that out loud.
"Well shucks kid! You go around blushing at calling a little girl sweet, and what's gonna happen when Steve comes around and brags about what he did with Evie last night." Oh, I should have been glad he wasn't there to hear that.
But Kimie didn't hear our conversation. She didn't need to. Fact if she did, she'd turn a million shades of red. But our Lady Kimie knew she was loved, and she loved us right back. Sometimes Kimie knew us better than we knew ourselves. That's how she was. I'm glad though. I ain't good at mushy stuff like telling someone you love them, that why avoid it. Man, now I wish I said just once.
dun-dun-dun-DA! Foreshadow! Okay the next few chapters are gone be hokey-pokey and maybe a little slow. You should still read them though! I promise they'll be cute and worth it. I'm gonna make up for it though by trying to update a little faster. Anyway REVIEW! It helps me know what you think, and plot my story or future stories better. Also new record for me! over 2,000 word chapter! YAY! SO tune in next time for 'The lady and the gentlemen"!
-Zara Uchiha
teaser:
"Greaser!" Some Beatle-look alike called out. They sat across the street, lounging on the side walk. Beer bottles littered the area around the. Boy, they looked stoned.