It hit me when we were riding home in the truck after court. The judge had
said that the monthly social worker visits would continue. Our social
worker, Sophie Kenzington, came by the house every month to check up on us
and make sure we were all doing well. She would keep doing it for three
more years. I'd be 17 then. One visit a month, 12 months a year for three
years. I tried to do the math but couldn't figure it out.
"What's 12 times 3?" I asked.
"Thirty-six," Darry answered. He glanced at me out of the rearview mirror. "You're really that bad at math, huh?"
I nodded. We'd have to see Ms. Kenzington 36 more times. She was nice enough, but her visits were always weird, I always felt like she was trying to find a reason to separate us.
When we got home, Darry told Pony and me to get changed because he was dropping us off at school on his way to work.
"C'mon Darry, please let us stay home," I begged.
"Yeah, please?"
"I got the day off," Soda said, stretching out on the sofa, mock-laughing at us.
"Darry pleeeeeease?" I begged, giving him my best puppy dog face.
He was trying not to smile, but I knew he was about to give in. Pony sensed it too so he made the puppy dog face. For some reason, it doesn't look right when guys do it, so it made Darry laugh.
"Allright, allright, you can stay home."
"You stay home too," I said.
"I can't, we need the money," Darry said.
"Then let me quit school and help with the bills," I said, half-jokingly, half-seriously.
"I am not starting this conversation again," Darry said.
"C'mon, Darry, seriously; stay home with us."
"You could use a day off," Soda said.
"Yeah, I could, but-"
"But nothing, stay home," I said. I grabbed the keys off the table so he couldn't go anywhere.
"Zeta!" Darry laughed.
"You're not going anywhere now," I said, sitting down on the couch by Soda.
Darry smiled and sat down next to me, then Pony sat down next to him.
"So what do y'all wanna do?" Soda asked.
"We should be cleanin' the house," Darry said, looking around. "It's a mess."
I glanced around. "Looks fine to me," Soda said.
"It needs some new paint," Pony said.
"Let's go," Darry said.
"Huh?"
"Let's go to the store and get some paint, we can paint the kitchen and dining room!"
I looked at him. "Is that your idea of fun?" It was almost scary seeing him get so excited over paint.
"Actually, yes, it is," Darry said. "Painting or school, your choice," he said.
"I choose to stay home. I have the keys, remember?"
Darry leapt on top of me and started tickling me.
"STOP!" I tried to scream but it was hard to do because I was laughing so hard. He dug his hand into my pocket and quickly retrieved the keys.
"Good defense, Zay," Soda said.
Darry made us all pile into the truck and drove to the hardware store. He talked to the owner, a friend of Dad's, while Soda and I wandered around the store. Soda nudged me and handed me a long, thin piece of metal with a picture of Santa on the end.
"En guarde!" he shouted, and we started battling each other with our driveway reflector Santas.
"Would you two knock that off," Darry said. We put them down.
Santa. I had nearly forgotten it would be Christmas in two months. This would be our first Christmas without Mom and Dad.
"What color are we gonna paint it?" Pony asked. We walked over to the paint samples.
"What about Jamaican Blue," Soda said, pointing to a bright blue piece of paper.
"No, just white," Darry said.
Darry picked up two gallons of plain white paint and took them to the front, then he came back and got some tin pans, and some brushes and rollers. He paid for them and then we went back home.
"I've never painted before," I said.
"It's easy, but let's get out of these clothes," he said. We all went to our rooms to change into older clothes.
Darry covered the carpet and started pouring the paint into the tin pans. "You just brush the paint on the wall, but not too thick, and be careful to cover all of the area," Darry said. He dipped a brush in the paint and showed me how to do it, then handed the brush to me. "See? It's easy."
There were only four of us, so the painting went very quickly; we were done in about an hour and a half. The kitchen looked so much better.
Pony and I went outside to have a smoke, and Soda sat with us while Darry went to go get the mail. He started sifting through it while we went back inside.
"Bills, bills, bills," he muttered to himself, throwing them down on the table. I heard him rip a few of the envelopes open, looking through them and shaking his head. "What am I gonna do with all of these bi-" he stopped mid-sentence, looking at one of the pieces of mail.
"That's not from my teacher, is it?" I asked, fearing he had sent Darry a letter about the test I failed last week.
Darry was frozen, not moving or saying anything. Finally he broke out of his daze. "No," he said. He walked to his room and shut the door. I looked at Soda and we walked over by where the mail was. Darry had taken whatever it was he was looking at with him.
"Did you see what he was looking at?" Soda asked.
"No, did you?"
Soda shook his head. "Pony, did you?" Pony was all wrapped up in some movie, he didn't even hear me. Somehow he was able to totally lose himself in a movie or a book. I never understood how he did it.
"Let's go find out," Soda said.
We burst into Darry's room. He was sitting on his bed reading a pretty thick packet.
"Can you guys please leave for a few minutes, I have to concentrate on something," Darry said without even looking up at us.
Soda turned to leave but I stayed right where I was. Darry looked up.
"I'm not leaving. I wanna know what's going on."
"I don't know yet, okay? I'm trying to find out, just give me some time so I can focus on this, and then I'll explain everything, all right?"
I hesitated but Darry had a pleading expression on his face. "Fine," I said. I shut the door behind me and went outside for another cigarette.
"What's 12 times 3?" I asked.
"Thirty-six," Darry answered. He glanced at me out of the rearview mirror. "You're really that bad at math, huh?"
I nodded. We'd have to see Ms. Kenzington 36 more times. She was nice enough, but her visits were always weird, I always felt like she was trying to find a reason to separate us.
When we got home, Darry told Pony and me to get changed because he was dropping us off at school on his way to work.
"C'mon Darry, please let us stay home," I begged.
"Yeah, please?"
"I got the day off," Soda said, stretching out on the sofa, mock-laughing at us.
"Darry pleeeeeease?" I begged, giving him my best puppy dog face.
He was trying not to smile, but I knew he was about to give in. Pony sensed it too so he made the puppy dog face. For some reason, it doesn't look right when guys do it, so it made Darry laugh.
"Allright, allright, you can stay home."
"You stay home too," I said.
"I can't, we need the money," Darry said.
"Then let me quit school and help with the bills," I said, half-jokingly, half-seriously.
"I am not starting this conversation again," Darry said.
"C'mon, Darry, seriously; stay home with us."
"You could use a day off," Soda said.
"Yeah, I could, but-"
"But nothing, stay home," I said. I grabbed the keys off the table so he couldn't go anywhere.
"Zeta!" Darry laughed.
"You're not going anywhere now," I said, sitting down on the couch by Soda.
Darry smiled and sat down next to me, then Pony sat down next to him.
"So what do y'all wanna do?" Soda asked.
"We should be cleanin' the house," Darry said, looking around. "It's a mess."
I glanced around. "Looks fine to me," Soda said.
"It needs some new paint," Pony said.
"Let's go," Darry said.
"Huh?"
"Let's go to the store and get some paint, we can paint the kitchen and dining room!"
I looked at him. "Is that your idea of fun?" It was almost scary seeing him get so excited over paint.
"Actually, yes, it is," Darry said. "Painting or school, your choice," he said.
"I choose to stay home. I have the keys, remember?"
Darry leapt on top of me and started tickling me.
"STOP!" I tried to scream but it was hard to do because I was laughing so hard. He dug his hand into my pocket and quickly retrieved the keys.
"Good defense, Zay," Soda said.
Darry made us all pile into the truck and drove to the hardware store. He talked to the owner, a friend of Dad's, while Soda and I wandered around the store. Soda nudged me and handed me a long, thin piece of metal with a picture of Santa on the end.
"En guarde!" he shouted, and we started battling each other with our driveway reflector Santas.
"Would you two knock that off," Darry said. We put them down.
Santa. I had nearly forgotten it would be Christmas in two months. This would be our first Christmas without Mom and Dad.
"What color are we gonna paint it?" Pony asked. We walked over to the paint samples.
"What about Jamaican Blue," Soda said, pointing to a bright blue piece of paper.
"No, just white," Darry said.
Darry picked up two gallons of plain white paint and took them to the front, then he came back and got some tin pans, and some brushes and rollers. He paid for them and then we went back home.
"I've never painted before," I said.
"It's easy, but let's get out of these clothes," he said. We all went to our rooms to change into older clothes.
Darry covered the carpet and started pouring the paint into the tin pans. "You just brush the paint on the wall, but not too thick, and be careful to cover all of the area," Darry said. He dipped a brush in the paint and showed me how to do it, then handed the brush to me. "See? It's easy."
There were only four of us, so the painting went very quickly; we were done in about an hour and a half. The kitchen looked so much better.
Pony and I went outside to have a smoke, and Soda sat with us while Darry went to go get the mail. He started sifting through it while we went back inside.
"Bills, bills, bills," he muttered to himself, throwing them down on the table. I heard him rip a few of the envelopes open, looking through them and shaking his head. "What am I gonna do with all of these bi-" he stopped mid-sentence, looking at one of the pieces of mail.
"That's not from my teacher, is it?" I asked, fearing he had sent Darry a letter about the test I failed last week.
Darry was frozen, not moving or saying anything. Finally he broke out of his daze. "No," he said. He walked to his room and shut the door. I looked at Soda and we walked over by where the mail was. Darry had taken whatever it was he was looking at with him.
"Did you see what he was looking at?" Soda asked.
"No, did you?"
Soda shook his head. "Pony, did you?" Pony was all wrapped up in some movie, he didn't even hear me. Somehow he was able to totally lose himself in a movie or a book. I never understood how he did it.
"Let's go find out," Soda said.
We burst into Darry's room. He was sitting on his bed reading a pretty thick packet.
"Can you guys please leave for a few minutes, I have to concentrate on something," Darry said without even looking up at us.
Soda turned to leave but I stayed right where I was. Darry looked up.
"I'm not leaving. I wanna know what's going on."
"I don't know yet, okay? I'm trying to find out, just give me some time so I can focus on this, and then I'll explain everything, all right?"
I hesitated but Darry had a pleading expression on his face. "Fine," I said. I shut the door behind me and went outside for another cigarette.