Hey everybody! So here's chapter 7- early again. It's just a few paragraphs shorter than most chapters will be. But it shouldn't be too much shorter. Anyways, enjoy and SE Hinton owns the Outsiders.
A week later the funeral occurred. On the same day, Darry would be fighting for custody of his siblings. It would be right after the funeral. He'd drop his siblings off at the house first- he didn't want them to go through the stress of it all. But for now, they had to go to the cemetery. Darry and Sodapop carried their father's coffin. Nancy and Ponyboy carried their mother's. Behind them, the four friends they had lined up behind them. They'd dressed in the best clothes they could find. And nobody (not even Two-Bit) was in a cheerful mood.
Their feet carried them to the place they were to be buried. They were going to have a funeral the way their parents wanted it. For their children to lead the upsetting ceremony by themselves. The oldest went first and youngest went last. After putting the coffins down, Darry stood before the seven people attending the funeral. He would be speaking first.
"Our parents were too young," he started," to have died. All I did was cry the night they died. They had big plans for the future. I want to fulfill their dreams. To do what they would've wanted for us. I, Darrel Shaynne Curtis Jr., will do whatever it takes to make sure my parents' dreams come true."
That was all Darry had to say on the subject. He would've broke down if he went any further. He walked back into the group where his youngest brother and his sister stood by him. Sodapop stood before the crowd, only looking at the coffins. He didn't have much to say.
"Ya know," he said, holding the necklace his father had given him," I woke up the next morning searching for my parents. Only when Darry tell me did I realize...I don't know how i'm gonna make it. I just…"
Tears streamed down his face. Ponyboy went up to him, leading the boy back to the people. Nancy let go of her brother's arm. She glanced at the coffins and back to the crowd before speaking.
"I had a lot to tell them," she began," I had so many 'I Love You's and Goodbyes to say to them. But I didn't get to say them all. Not in the short amount of time we had together. I love them too much to stop. Right now, I bet there smiling at us. Because they know we're gonna be okay."
She walked back to her older brother. He hugged his sister as Ponyboy started off his speech.
"My mother," he said," loved me an awful lot. My father was my protector. I loved them too much to let them go. I was always- and may forever be- a Momma's Boy (people smiled). But I know that- one day in Heaven- i'll meet them again. And when I do, i'll-"
Ponyboy decided to stop his speech. He could feel a lump grow in his throat. He walked back to Soda- who held him close. The coffins lowered into the ground slowly. After the headstones were in place, the eight began to walk away. Nancy stayed for a few seconds, before hearing Darry's voice. She stood up and walked off with her family, wishing this wasn't truly happening.
The oldest dropped his siblings and their friends off at the house. Nancy watched as her brother left the house. She didn't know if this was one of the last days she'd ever spend with her brothers. Even if she was a boy and lived with Pony and Soda, she'd miss Darry too much. For some reason, he seemed to be the one she leaned on. Maybe he really was her favorite brother. She soon forgot about it as her favorite tv show (Bewitched) came on the screen. It would calm her nerves for just an hour or so. Until her older brother would return.
"Everything seems to be in order, Mr. Curtis," Mr. Rogers (the man who was helping with the custody battle) said," it looks like you'll have full custody of your family."
A smile of relief came to Darry's face. He wouldn't have to give up the people he loved the most. They wouldn't be separated from each other. But he realized he would be the provider of the family. He would get a better job and work long and hard. If he wanted the family to be together- like his parents had requested.
"However," Mr. Rogers said," I warn you. Taking care of three children will be a big responsibility. I understand that the youngest one is fourteen. It will still be quite difficult. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Darry didn't want to hesitate when answering. But he wanted to think about this clearly. Responsibilities would be a lot higher now. No run-in's the law- or they had a higher risk at losing each other. The hours he would work to keep them under a roof. To feed and care for them- he remembered what his mother told him.
"My parents wanted us to stay together," he said," and i'm not gonna let them down."
Mr Rogers smiled and nodded. Darry went to leave and he spoke again.
"Although," he said," we were looking through some files and...the other boy you wanted to adopt. Johnny Cade, we know you've been wanting him to come home into your family. But, he's still in the custody of his parents...I wish I could do something."
The young man knew this would happen. No matter- Johnny could just stay over whenever he wanted to. After a short period of time, Darry was driving home. He had tears in his eyes when he walked through the front door. The siblings were sitting in their clothes from the funeral, watching Bewitched. They turned, Nancy shutting off the TV to look at her brother. He held up the papers to prove he was now their legal guardian. They hugged Darry, holding tightly to him.
The family would go through many different obstacles as the year went on, but right now, it was a moment of peace.
