I pulled up to work and sat in the parking lot contemplating if i wanted to go in or not. It wasn't busy so the boss wouldn't really want or need me there, but he didn't usually tell me no. I could also ask someone if they wanted me to work for them, but usually the people that worked needed their hours. I certainly didn't want to make people mad.
I let out a heavy sigh and cranked the car. I didn't know where to go. My friends were sleeping, or if they were awake I couldn't just show up. Maybe, I could, it wasn't like they would turn me away, i just didn't want to go over there and have to answer a lot of questions.
I pulled out of the parking lot and turned right. Ordinarily, I would have turned left to go back home, to the DX, or to pretty much anywhere I'd ever want or need to go. But, I didn't want to go to any of those places. I put down the windows, turned up the radio, and reached over for my beer. I really felt like Two-bit then. I didn't think that was a good thing.
I drove for a while not turning just going straight. I knew it would have been a poor decision to start making turns. I end up getting myself turned around and lost in the blink of an eye.
When I ran out of my beer I thought about ways to get a new one. It was too early to go into a bar and have a guy buy me one.
"It's not even five yet," I said to my self as I let out a sigh.
"Five!" I repeated looking at the clock again.
"Oh hell." I made a U-turn and drove like hell to the DX. I had completely forgotten about Soda.
It looked at the clock every few seconds wishing I could freeze time.
I was a solid fifteen minutes away, I wasn't gonna make it.
"If you can get rid of those girls Curtis, we can start to close." Travis yelled over to me not caring that the girls had heard him.
Good ole Travis. He was older than the other DX workers. He was in his forties, and he wasn't as good as Steve and I, but he was a big guy. He could do all the heavy work.
I waved letting Travis know that I heard him, but the girls also took the hint. They were usuals around here. Always coming by needing to be filled up. I bet that they road around all day just so they could run out of gas to get me to help them fill up.
"We'll see you around Soda." They smiled and did their little flirty wave.
"Don't you have a girlfriend son?" Larry asked as I picked up the dirty towels.
"Yes sir, and she sure does make these girls look like nothing." I assured him.
"She doesn't mind all these girls fawning over you?" He looked at me skeptically. Travis reminded me a lot of Darry, never afraid of telling you what he thought.
"She knows that I have no interest in them!" I laughed slamming the hood on a car I was giving up on for the night. Steve would have better luck with it.
"I doubt it son. No lady likes to have her man looked at and dreamed about by anyone but them. It's common sense."
"Sandy's not like that Travis." I shook my head gathering the tool box.
"I've got a few more years on you. I've dated a large pool of women. Married my high school sweet heart. She ran around on me with my best friend. I spent time for nearly killing him, or as the dumb ass fuz say, "attempted murder." I never was gonna kill that bastard.I just wanted to mess him up. I did 90 days, and was on parole for a long time kid. A long time." I watched him as he talked.
"I'm alone kid. Don't be like me. That pretty lady that came in here, the one you went out back with," he paused and winked, " Don't do nothin' to make her suspect you running around on her. You tell her everyday how you feel and maybe, if your lucky, you won't end up like me.
I didn't know if I was suppose to say thank you, shake his hand, or what. I just stood there like an idiot.
"Where's you truck today?" He changed the subject. I was thankful for him changing it.
"My sister dropped me off. She oughtta be here by now." I told him looking at my watch.
"You want a ride?"
"Naw, man, she'll be here, but thanks. I'll see ya monday." I waved. I locked up and went out and sat on a pile of tires waiting.
5:15 came and gone, I started to get impatient. I opened back up the office and went in to use the phone.
"Darry, hey," I said when he picked up. "How's Johnny doing?"
"He's up. He ate a few bites and went to the bathroom. He's in your room with Pony now." Darry told me. He sounded dead.
"Did Mary leave to get me yet?" I decided not to ask him if he was okay, I knew he wasn't and I knew he would tell me he was.
"She left to go into work around 11:00, she was still planning on picking you up. I'll call the dinner," he told me.
"No, I can call her. You've got enough on your plate. I'm sure she just had to take out the trash or something, don't sweat it!" I hoped my happy mood was contagious. I couldn't contain how happy I was with Sandy.
"Alright, I'll see you tonight."
I let out a sigh and dug Mary's work number out of my wallet.
"Thank you for calling the Dingo this is Linda, how may I help you." She said like she had millions of time.
"Linda, hey, it's Soda," I greeted.
"Soda, hello!" She almost sang. Linda had so much energy it was insane.
"How's everything going Linda?" I decided it would be polite to invest in small talk.
"Everything's great, you really ought to come down more often Soda, you're such a stranger."
"Don't I know it. Hey, Linda, is Mary there?" I was tired of being on the phone, I just wanted to get home, check on Johnny, and later see Sandy.
"No, she's off today." Linda acted completely normal.
"Right, but she came in to work the lunch rush." I spun the phone cord around my finger until the tip turned blue.
"Soda, it's Sunday, we don't open until late, and there isn't a lunch rush." She acted like I was dumb for not knowing that.
"She didn't come in today?" I clarified.
"Nope, haven't seen her since we worked together yesterday."
"Alright, well if you see her tell her I'm waiting on her!" I hung up. My mind wondered where she would have gone off to, or why she would say she was working when she wasn't.
I picked back up the phone and called Steve. I knew he would be at home sleeping for sure. He would have been tired of Darry and Pony, and he wouldn't want to be with Two-bit and Dallas, plus I had no doubt that he was exhausted.
It rang, but there was no answer. That was odd.
I was about to give up and bum a ride home from someone when I saw the old truck pull up.
She got out of the car pretty quick.
"Sorry I'm late," she said almost casually.
"No problem, your here now." I smiled and gave her a half hug. "Where were you?"
"Work needed extra hands." She told me handing me the keys.
"Really, was Linda there when you worked?" I wondered what she was hiding.
"Yeah, she came in as I left."
"That's weird right, because it's a Sunday and you aren't busy?"
"There's a church rush and I guess it was bigger than usual." She started to open the car door but hesitated when I didn't get in.
"What's going on?" Mary turned and faced me.
"You tell me?" I paused and returned her stare.
"Soda," she sighed
"Mary, I talked to Linda on the phone. She worked all day and she didn't see you."
"While we're here, Soda, we need gas." She told me changing the topic.
"No, we don't, we had half a tank yesterday." He walked around me put the keys in to look at the gage.
"What did you do all day?" He asked when he saw it.
"Soda, I went to work, but they didn't need me so I drove around until I realized that I needed to pick you up!" She pointed to her work clothes in the back seat.
"Why did you go to work if they didn't need you?" he squinted his eyes. "I'll get gas tomorrow."
"Steve, Dally, and Two-bit had come and gone. Johnny woke up and went back to sleep, laundry was done, dishes were clean. There was nothing for me to do at the house." She told me. I didn't believe her, I knew something was up.
"Just call you Super Woman." I laughed getting in the car.
There was tension as we were driving. It wasn't unusual for it to be quiet, but it was a bitter quiet.
I figured I had a few minutes to dig it out of her.
"What'd Darry do all day?"
"Sorted through mail."She told me emotionless.
"All day?"
"Pretty much."
"Sounds like he had a fun day." I tried to laugh. "What about Pony?"
"Uh, he sat with Johnny for a while, then I dunno stayed in his room." Pony stayed in his room? I doubted it. He would have been glued to Johnny's side. Unless, someone made him mad and prevented him from staying with Johnny.
"Was Pony mad at someone? Did one of the guys make fun of him?" I wasn't too worried, Pony was too sensitive. But, at the same time, he was my little brother.
"No, the guys weren't around long." She smashed her forehead against the glass window. I looked at her but decided not to speak. Is he didn't get upset by one of the guys it had to have been Darry.
"Did Darry upset Pony? Did he yell at him for something? Did they get into a fight." I could tell she was thinking over what she should say.
"I'm gonna find out anyway Mar, prepare me for how bad it's gonna be." She didn't respond. "It's pretty bad for it to run you out of the house, huh?" I put my hand on her knee. I looked at her hard as we pulled in the drive way, and I would have sworn that a tear rolled down her cheek. It could have just been the way I looked at her, but if not. Hell must have broken loose. Mary. Doesn't. Cry.
I left the Curtis' in a huff. I was pissed off, and tired. Not a good combination for me. I didn't know where the hell Dally, and Two-bit were and I certainly wasn't staying at the Curtis'. Not with Darry and the kid there, that'd be like pure torture.
I walked back to my house. I pushed the front door open to silence. That was nice. Everyone was gone. My mom wasn't there to fuss and my dad wasn't there to get mad.
I walked to my room picked out a clean set of clothes then walked to the bathroom and took a shower
. I hadn't felt so at peace in a long time. It was quiet. No one was yelling, there was no bottles breaking. I took a longer shower than usual. I didn't see the need to hurry up. Soda wouldn't be off work for an hour or so, and no one was bothering me here. I got out, dried off, and put on my clean clothes.
I realized I needed to start an other load of clothes when I put on the last of my somewhat clean clothes. I did the smell test on them before I put them on. I looked them over, and didn't see anything wrong, then I smelled them and it didn't smell like anything had died, or not recently so I figured I was good.
I opened the mirror and got out my hair grease after fixing it all up I went into the kitchen to hunt for some food.
There wasn't ever much to eat in my house. There were stale crackers, moldy bread, and what ever was in the fridge. I opened the fridge looked around in it. I decided I'd have the stale crackers I took out a beer and turned around and walked smack into my dad.
"Dad, I didn't know you were here." I looked up stunned.
"Is that what you do when I'm gone? Steal from me? My own kid, flesh and blood, steals from his old man." He took the back of the hand and slashed it across my face before I could even react. I was on the ground after loosing my balance.
"You're nothing but a lying, stealing, cheating, waste of space!" He took the bottle that I previously had in my hand and smashed it on the wall I was leaning on less than an inch from my head. The glass and beer hit my skin specifically the top of my shoulder, It felt like a razor blade slicing flesh.
"I cant even look at you!" He grabbed me and pushed me onto the table.
"What, you can't even fight off your old man?" He soccer punched me in the stomach. I thought I was going to puke right then and there. I think I would have if he would have given me a chance. He pulled me off the table and pushed me face first into the side of the fridge. I heard my nose crack. I felt the blood begin to pool.
I felt helpless with him. I could fight people bigger than him in a rumble, but I never seemed to be able to defend myself with him.
"Let this be a reminder,"he paused and back handed me before resuming, "Stay the hell away from here." He pulled me to the front door, opened it and literally kicked me out so fast that I fell down the three steps. My hands and knees were like cheese graders on the concrete. My jeans had holes in them with blood already soaking through.
I didn't have the strength to get up, but I also wasn't safe to stay put. I laid on the ground in more pain than I had been in, in a long while. Then I realized Johnny was in such worse shape. I got up and thought I was going to walk in the direction of the Curtis' but actually I stood up and puked up my guts. Usually when I puked I felt better, not today.