Summer Adventures
Chapter 7
Tim's Help
XXX
Night was beginning to fall, and Darry still hadn't shown up. I was about to bust with concern, but I couldn't let it show. After all, there were several very logical reasons why Darry still wasn't here... power was out all over the city, phone lines were down and the roads were still mostly impassable. Darry's work site was about forty- five minutes away in the truck on cleared roads, so who knew how long it would take to get home on foot through cluttered streets if he was having to walk it. Or, he could be dead... and we were just waiting for the cops to come give us the news. Either way, I knew I had to hold it together, for Pony's sake. I tried to hide just how panicked with worry I really was.
"I see flashlights, Ponyboy. I think Steve's back."
"Darry with him?" he asked in a hopeful tone. I turned and glanced at him, shaking my head.
"No, Pone, I don't think so, I don't see him. But don't worry, okay? Let me do that. How's your arm?"
"Fine."
I just looked at him a minute more. He wouldn't admit to having problems even if his arm was hanging on by just a mere shred of tissue.
"You did a good job of cleaning up. Thanks."
"Well, I just wish I could have saved more of our things, though. It's stuff we can't ever get back."
"Well, the most important stuff made it, right?" I hoped he caught my meaning, but his eyes were filled with just as much worry as my own were.
"Most of it."
In the hour plus that Steve had been gone, Pony and I cleaned up the house, getting as much of the broken glass off of the floor, righting the furniture, and picking out stuff we could salvage versus stuff just too far gone to even try to fix. Thankfully, Mom's piano made it, and together Pony and I cleaned it up then covered it with two sheets and a blanket to protect it until the roof could be patched. I spent the rest of the time pitching the spoiled food from the fridge, realizing it was money down the drain. A lot of money.
"Hey," Steve called out, "I managed to get some other stuff I thought you guys could use." Steve came in through the back door, the only way we could get in and out of our house at this point. He set the stuff down on the table and started unloading.
"I got all the drinks I could carry, the radio, and some rolls of tape."
"Electrical tape?" Pony asked, looking at it.
"Sorry kid, the DX ain't exactly the hardware store, but you can go out next time if it ain't good enough."
"No, Steve, it's fine. I can make it work. Thanks for going out."
Steve just looked at him a second. He wouldn't say it, I knew he wouldn't. It wasn't in Steve's nature to return gratuities from Pony. Not unless things had become that desperate. Things weren't that desperate... yet.
"Here." Pony had found flashlights in drawers and closets all around the house, and handed one to Steve. At least we'd all be able to see. He put it in his pocket and looked around.
"You guys staying here? Two-Bit's place at least ain't got a hole in the roof."
"Yeah, we'll be okay. Darry might stumble in later, you know neither of us will sleep until he shows up. Two-Bit back from the hospital yet?"
"Nope. You know he ain't gonna get in for hours.. if at all. After he gets Karen's arm fixed, he just might head over to Buck's to stay."
"He's gonna take his kid sister to Buck's?" Pony nearly dropped the peanut butter and jelly sandwich he was eating. Thankfully not all the food was going bad in our kitchen.
"I didn't say he would, only that he might. Bucks place wasn't hit by the tornado, so he still has running water and power. I'm sure Two-Bit would rather spend five dollars and allow her to sleep in an air conditioned room and take a squat on a toilet that flushes before he'd drag her back out here. At least, that's what I'd do."
I ran my fingers through my hair... damn, I should have done that. Now it was too dark to go out.
"Sorry, Pone," I mumbled.
"Sorry? For what?" he asked while sipping on one of the warm orange drinks Steve had brought in.
"I should have gotten you out of here, taken you to a hotel or something. At least someplace safer than this. Darry would have."
"Soda, this is home. Besides, Darry would be madder than heck if he stayed here while we were living it up at the Ritz."
"Geesh, kid, just how much is Max paying you to clean cages anyway?" Steve asked. "Look, I understand why you guys need to hang here. I've already been by my place … lost some windows too, but the roof is still intact. Won't Dad just be thrilled. Anyway, I'm gonna cut out while I can still see the streets. If you guys want to come over, feel free. If my pop gives me a hassle, I'll be at Two-Bit's. I don't think I can deal with his shit tonight."
"Alright Steve. If things get bad enough, we'll head to Two-Bit's place too. More than likely, though, we'll stay here. Be careful out there."
Steve headed out, and I looked at Pony, lost as to what I was supposed to do now.
He went to the couch and pulled the curtains back to see out the window, then realized the busted overhang blocked most of the the view. He lay back and stared at the ceiling, eyes open. It was getting too dark to see, and I flipped on a flashlight.
"What time is it?"
I looked at my watch. "Going on nine," I answered. I looked at the strange shadows the flashlight made on the walls of the room.
"Don't waste the battery," he cautioned. I turned it back off.
A tension-filled silence filled the room. "He's probably gonna stay out tonight. It's getting too dark to walk around the streets. Heck, for all we know, he's probably at the Ritz." I tried to laugh some, but it wasn't real. We both knew Darry wouldn't stop trying to get home no matter what the obstacle. Nothing I said was going to loosen the tension. "He's okay, Pony," I finally said, cautiously confident.
"How do you know?" Pony softly asked me. I could barely see him now, but I knew he was looking at me.
"Because, we need him. That's why. Now come on, lets go to bed. We got a lot to do tomorrow, and I'm sure we're gonna be up early." I flipped the light on again, and the two of us headed to our room, leaving the back door open in case Darry did manage to make it home.
XXX
That night was hard to sleep through. It took a long time to get Pony to nod off, his eyes darted all over the room with every noise that came up. I knew that storm had to have freaked him out, being home in a tornado alone. Hell, I had been scared at the station, and the roof at least stayed intact there. Our house looked like a war zone had hit it, and stuck in the middle through the battle was Ponyboy. He finally gave in to a fitful sleep some time later, and I could only hope it was giving him some rest. He started sweating in the middle of the night, and I hoped it was from the stifling heat and not from a nightmare or worse, that cut. He didn't wake, and I just gently rubbed his back to try to calm him.
Hours later, the first rays of sun started to creep up in the sky, and I finally gave up the fight for sleep and got out of bed, having slept none. I was sore, hurting all over. My head ached, but I didn't have time to worry about it. Pony's eyes were still closed, and I crept out of bed as quietly as I could so I wouldn't disturb him.
The house looked worse in the daylight. Maybe I had hoped some of this destruction was just imagined, but nope, it was real. I looked at our bathroom wishing something worked in the house. I tried the light switch, but nothing happened, then tried the faucets but nothing came out. So much for a shower and a shave. Or my toothbrush. My mouth tasted nasty, and I didn't even have a single stick of gum to help matters.
"Darry? You home?" I called out in frustration to an empty house. While there was no answer from Darry, it did however wake up Ponyboy.
"Darry? Is he home now?" Pony came out of the room looking hopeful, scrubbing his eyes then looking around for him.
"No, sorry Ponyboy. I didn't mean to wake you. How's your arm?"
He'd been holding his shoulder with his other hand, not realizing it. I took the bandage off and looked at it, not liking what I saw. The area around where Steve stitched was pinker than before, and larger. Not good. Don't be infected, come on... cut us a break!
"Let me put some of that antibiotic goop on it again. And here, take this too." I rifled through the first aid kit and handed him two Tylenol, then smeared more of that stuff on him, hoping that would fix it. "You even remember what cut you?" I wasn't sure when he last had his tetanus shot, but hoped Darry kept up with his shot records. I didn't even know where my own shot record was.
"Soda, I don't even remember getting cut. When is Darry gonna show up?"
"I don't know, but go get dressed. We're gonna be walking a lot today, and I want to get an early start before the mid-day sun comes out and starts to bake us."
"Where we going?"
Oh heck, he had that tone that said he didn't want to go anywhere, which was not like him at all. One of Pony's favorite things to do, if he can't sit and read a book all day, is wander all over town.
"First I gotta go to the DX to see if my boss has shown up. The place got hit pretty hard, and Steve and I locked the money in a locker for safety. Then, we need to go to the hardware store and buy a coupla tarps for the roof until Darry can get it fixed the right way. Then I thought we'd go to Tim's place and see if he can help. He's got an extra set of wheels and might let me borrow them for a few days."
"You really think Tim's gonna just give you a loaner?"
"Little brother, you'd be surprised what Tim will do when the shit hits the fan."
XXX
The walk up to the DX was different than it usually was. Around us, we heard lots of chainsaws being used. The streets were clearer, and some electrical crews were out repairing lines. With any luck, our street would have power back on by tonight.
There were some cars at the DX when Pony and I got there, but we weren't open for business. I guess the people couldn't see the busted glass and closed bay doors, when all they saw was the Open sign still sitting in the busted window. Neither Steve nor I remembered to turn the thing around in the chaos of yesterday as we left. You'd think it'd be sort of obvious that if glass is all blown around from a tornado, the shop ain't open for business. Some folks just ain't all that smart - goes to show not all the folks who graduate from school deserve that diploma.
"Sorry, folks. We're not open," I said as I used my key to go inside.
They seemed upset, but that was the last thing I was going to worry about.
Pony made a beeline for the restroom in the back, and I heard him holler, "It works!" in a triumphant tone as he shut the door.
I tried the phone, but it still wasn't working. Finally, Pony came out and I had my turn. When we were both finished and ready to go I locked the place again, which really only kept out the dumbest of thieves since the windows were shattered.
"Come on, hardware store next." It was four miles up the road, but four miles seemed more like forty by the time we got there. I was thirsty for something with ice in it. Funny how you don't appreciate things until you ain't got them. As we crossed the street, I was glad to see they were open and had lights and running water. Once again, Pony and I used the facilities, then I drank my fill at the water fountain.
"Do you have any tarps left?" I asked the salesman in the sporting goods isle.
"Just a few. With the storm, most of our stuff is sold out. Try aisle seven."
I went off to aisle seven while Pony went elsewhere, and thankfully I found two tarps left. I got both, then found some hammers and a box of nails. I knew Darry had another hammer and lots of nails in the shed out back, but in all the chaos, I didn't even look to make sure the shed was still there. I didn't like the idea of having to walk all the way back here to buy them once we finally got back home, and anyway, we could always use another hammer.
"Ready, Ponyboy?" I asked. He was leaning against a shelf looking at nothing in particular, but when he glanced up at me, I noticed he seemed somewhat off color. "You okay?"
I reached out to feel him, but he turned away before I could find out if he was hot or not. He was wearing a short sleeved shirt with cut off jeans for shorts like I was, but I wasn't sweating quite as bad.
"Hey, go drink some of that cold water from the fountain. Might perk you up some."
He went and drank while I paid for the stuff, then we headed over to Tim's. He stayed quiet for most of the trip, which concerned me. While I was used to him being the silent type around the guys, we usually talked when it was just the two of us. This wasn't right.
"Look, I don't need you hiding it if you're getting sick, so tell me... anything the matter? You okay?"
"Tired, is all. I hope Darry's home by now."
"Don't worry, Pony." I put my hand on his shoulder, but he winced and pulled away. I was gonna say something more, but Pony dropped his bag and cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone.
"Tim! Hey, Tim!"
Tim must have heard Pony, who apparently saw Tim go by and started yelling. Brake lights lit up on his car, and Tim pulled over.
"Well now, what's got the youngest greaser in Tulsa out calling for me? Hey Soda, you're both looking mighty rough. You get hit bad by the storm?"
"Yeah, we got hit alright. Can we step into your office and talk?"
"Hop on in."
So while Tim drove aimlessly around his side of town, I told him of Darry's absence, and about the big gaping hole in our roof. Even Tim looked concerned.
"Ain't like Darry to leave you both in a lurch, especially with the kid and all."
"I ain't a 'kid'," Pony mumbled, and I reached over the seat and gave him a sharp nudge. I didn't need him getting mouthy with Shepard, especially not when we would be needing his help. Tim looked at him in the rear view and gave a cocky grin. He had to contend with Curly, so he was used to little brothers being a pain in the rumpus at the wrong time. Even I was surprised Pony'd said something; like I said, he usually stays quiet. Something about him was definitely off.
"Shut it, kid," he said to Pony, then turned back to me. "Let's take a trip out to Bakersville and see what's up. Maybe it ain't nothing."
"Thanks Tim."
We found Darry's work site about thirty minutes later, the roof blown to bits with fresh timber strewn around. There weren't any trucks or people anywhere, just the foreman's work order and permits fastened to a stake at the site. How it didn't get blown away was beyond me, but tornadoes were funny like that. The rest of the place, though, didn't escape so easily. They'd have to start over from scratch. None of what I saw eased my comfort levels, and Pony was wide eyed and as pale as could be. We got out and walked around a bit, while Tim leaned on his hood smoking his cig's as he waited for us.
"Don't look like anyone's around here, Soda. Darry's a smart man, he'll show back up." Tim said standing up, obviously ready to leave. "I'll make some calls, see if I can't find him as soon as I get home. Ready to head back now? I'll drop you off at your place, I don't think the kid especially wants to walk back from my side of town to yours."
"Um, Tim.. I was wondering if you could help me out with that. You got a set of wheels I can use for a few days.. until we get back on our feet with a roof over our heads. With Darry still missing, I ain't got no other way around except my Converses here."
"Ahhh, Sodapop. I got a set, but it's already on loan. However, you have greater need than the idiot using it now. I'll see if I can get my wheels back and in your hands by nightfall, but I can't promise anything. That good enough?"
"Yeah, Tim. That's great. Thanks."
Tim couldn't get into our neighborhood due to the roads being closed, seems the electrical company was working to restore power on our street, but he got us as close as he could before we headed the rest of the way in on foot.
"Everything's gonna work out. You'll see, Pony," I said before we made that last turn down our street.
Pony looked at me, and for once I saw a glimmer of belief in his green eyes. That was until he looked at our house and saw Mrs. O' Donovan and another man standing in our yard.
That's when he came to an abrupt halt, turned around and threw up.
XXX
Calla Lilly Rose
