Author's note, I came to realize something when I wrote this. Pony is sixteen , they put him up a year in school. He's a junior in high , shap I didn't realize this before, so i need to go back and correct those mistakes in previous chapters. I forget about that when I wrote those other chapters.
Darry-
I was exhausted, I fought Soda for hours. He need to sleep, eat and take his medicine. He fought the nurses and the doctors. I stepped in being stronger, Soda was a strong stubborn man . It felt weird to call Soda a man, but I had to remember he was eighteen now.
Soda tends to listen to me despite his adult age of eighteen. Soda has this thought that f you live under some else's roof, you listen. Soda was finally asleep, it took a cocktail of drugs to get Soda to sleep peacefully.
He had woke up seven times screaming and shaking. We gave in so he wouldn't be exhausted. I sat in the hospital room with Pony who rested his head on my shoulder. He was so quiet,I hadn't seen the sixteen year old so quiet before. He had started to come out of his shell with me.
"Darry", the voice of my baby brother asks bring me back into focus
"Yeah", I say
"Is Soda going to be okay?". Pony asks
"Physically, he's gonna have a bump on his head but it will heal Emotionally, it will take a bit of time. He's been through this before.", I answer
"I'm sorry, I fought with you earlier. I was being stupid today.". Pony says
"I shouldn't have over reacted. I skipped one or twice in my high school days.", I say
"But I'm a junior. I will be a senior next year, I have to work harder to get ready for collage.", Pony says
"I know I said the same thing. I skipped, got in trouble with Mama and that set me straight ", I say
Pony was much taller with a slight deeper voice. His hair wasn't as wild , he kept it straight and neat. He a stuff of facial hair on his chin. He liked to dress better, I worked a little extra and set aside money for those clothes. He was more mature but the same Pony I had always loved.
It was in that moment I realized that my baby brother was be coming a man. I felt a sense of pride but heart ached at the thought of my baby growing up. The question that came to mind was "What the hell do i do when I get done raising this boys?"
I can't simply go to collage. I won't be able to afford it. I will work all the time to get Pony's paid for. I will be in my thirties, before all the debts is paid off. It won't be more than a year before Pone's a senior. We had one more year to be a family, Pony would be going off to collage. I would stay here and work my debts off to put Pony through collage. Soda would be who knows where, he has plans of his own likey. I will be all alone,just me, work and an empty house.
"Why don't I go get a couple cups of coffee? ", I say
"Yeah, that sounds good. ", Pony replies
I went down to the cafe , I bought two cups of coffee and six sandwiches. I also grabbed a couple bags of chips. I paid for the meal and ran into someone I knew. Jenny McCarthy, the most beautiful women I had laid eyes on. She had long silky brown hair with gorgeous brown eyes.
"Darrel Curtis?", Jenny asks
"Yes, in the flesh", I reply
"What are you going here?", Jenny asks
"Soda got a bump on his head, I just wanted to get it looked at. Now, we are spending the night. ", I say
"I heard about your parents. I'm sorry, it must have been hard.", Jenny says
"Yeah, it was. But we got through it.", I say
"So Soda must be eighteen now and Pony must be sixteen.", Jenny says
"Yes, Pony is a junior now. ", I say
"Soda isn't a senior?", Jenny asks
"He dropped out to help pay the bills", I reply
"Oh. That's too bad", Jenny says
"What are you doing now?", I ask
"I'm in premed, I plan to be a doctor. I'm almost done with my schooling. I just need to put in some hours and I can graduate.", Jenny says
"You were almost the smartest girl in our class.", I reply
"Well, don't forget. You were the smartest boy", Jenny says
"Oh, I need to get going. I''m late.", Jenny says
"So do I, I have to get back to Soda.", I say
Jenny turns to leave and I kick myself. She pretty, smart and way out of my league. I need to ask this girl on a date, duh! No brainer , she's women, I'm a man, and I should ask her. I didn't have the guts to in high school. Here's my chance, she's single. Damn, no women has made me like this in a long time.
"Jenny, wait!", I call
"Yes, Darry", She says turning around
"Would you like to go on a date with me?", I ask
"Yes, I would love to", Jenny says
"How about Saturday at eight?", I ask
"works for me, here's my number and address", Jenny says handing me the paper.
"Damn, I still got it", I say as she walks away
I needed to wipe this stupid grin of my face before Pony catches it. He'll notice something is up and tease me until I tell him. I can't believe she said yes. I'm a guy who is raising his kid brothers, working two jobs to pay the bills and didn't go to collage.