Ponyboy's POV
The next few weeks went by fast and before we knew it, it was time to celebrate Brianna's birthday. Soda and I had made plans to take her to the zoo for the day. It would be her first trip to the zoo and Soda figured she was old enough to enjoy seeing the animals.
"Uncle Pony, I'm three!" Brianna told me that morning at the kitchen table.
"Yes, you are," I replied as I poured syrup over my pancakes.
"I'm a big girl now," Brianna continued.
I grinned at her. "You're not a baby anymore."
"Nope," Brianna said as Soda came in the room and sat down at the table.
"Did Uncle Darry make a special breakfast for your birthday?" Soda asked Brianna.
"Uh huh," Brianna nodded and took a bite of her pancakes which had chocolate syrup and whipped cream on them. She had already eaten the strawberries that Darry had placed on top of the whipped cream.
"Where is Darry?" Soda asked looking at me.
"He went to work early so he can meet us at the zoo later," I answered. "Steve's still picking us up, right?"
Soda nodded. "He'll be here shortly after eleven and Two-Bit should be with him."
Soda's POV
I watched Brianna eat her pancakes. It was hard to believe that she was already turning three and that she really was growing up. I wondered if Sandy was thinking about her at that moment or if Sandy ever thought about her.
"You're thinking about Sandy, aren't you?" Ponyboy asked, breaking into my thoughts.
I looked at him. "Yeah."
"Me too," Ponyboy admitted.
Brianna wasn't paying attention to what Pony and I were saying. She was too busy trying to get chocolate syrup off her plate with her fork. I was kind of glad that she wasn't interested in what Pony and I were talking about because I wasn't sure how I would explain Sandy to her. Brianna still didn't know about Sandy and I was hoping I'd still have some time before she'd start asking questions.
"Daddy, I want more pancakes," Brianna told me.
I put one more pancake on her plate and put some chocolate syrup on it.
"She's just like you, Soda," Pony commented.
"She doesn't eat jelly with her eggs," I pointed out.
"Yet," Pony mumbled.
The three of us finished breakfast and then spent the rest of the morning getting ready for our trip to the zoo. Well, Pony and I got ready for the trip to the zoo. Brianna played with her toys and colored in a few coloring bokks. Soon, it was eleven and Steve was entering the house with Two-Bit following behind.
"Where's the birthday girl?" Steve asked only to have Brianna run out of her room and into his outstretched arms.
Steve's POV
"Hey, Brianna," I said, picking her up. "Are you enjoying your birthday?"
Brianna nodded.
"Are you guys ready? I left the car running," I looked over at Soda and Ponyboy. Soda was holding a cooler and Pony held a basket of wrapped gifts.
"Yeah, we're ready," Soda replied.
"Well, then let's go," I said, leading the way to my car. Soon, we were on our way to the zoo.
"Where are we going?" Brianna asked from the back seat where she was sitting between Pony and Soda.
"It's a special surprise for your birthday," Soda told her.
Several minutes later, I was fulling into a parking spot in the zoo's parking lot and Darry was pulling into the spot next to me.
"Perfect timing, Darry," Soda commented as he got out of my car.
Darry grinned and patted Brianna's head when she got out of the car. "I wasn't going to miss this."
Darry and Soda both pulled a new red wagon out of the truck.
"This is from your uncles and me," Soda told Brianna. "We'll let you open your other presents later."
Ponyboy put the cooler and basket of gifts into the wagon.
"Do you want to ride in the wagon or walk?" Soda asked Brianna.
"Walk, I'm a big girl," Brianna replied.
Soda took her hand and we all walked towards the zoo entrance where Darry, Two-Bit and I paid to get in. It wasn't long before we were looking at the elephants which were located near the zoo entrance.
Darry's POV
"Look Brianna, do you see the elephants?" Soda asked Brianna. He pointed at an elephant that was raising it's trunk. "See, that one's waving to you."
Brianna laughed and waved back.
We stayed and watched the elephants for a few more minutes before we moved on to the giraffes.
"Daddy, they're tall," Brianna said as she watched a giraffe eat a few leaves the top of a tree.
"Yes, they are," Soda agreed.
"Do you like the zoo so far?" Two-Bit asked her.
Brianna nodded as we continued towards the next exibit which had the hippos in it. We would watch the hippos for a few minutes before we'd sit in the picnic area that was located there for lunch and to watch Brianna open the rest of her gifts.
