Chapter twenty-eight:
Discussions
The next day Soda and Darry left for work and Pony walked to the lot where he met with Johnny. I heard that Steve also had to work that day and I hadn't seen Two-Bit so I sat in the chair Darry often sat in and stared out the door. My mind constantly ran through everything that had happened in the past month and a half since my dad had passed away.
"Tore, are you alright?" A deep male voice asked. A shudder ran through my entire body and suddenly I saw Shawn kneeling in front of me.
"Honestly I don't know." I answered.
"Kelsey said she ran into Pony and Johnny and Ponyboy told her about what Cox did yesterday and she forced me to come check up on you. She also said that she's sorry she couldn't do it herself but she knew you needed your big brother and as Dally's gone, the role falls to me."
"How'd you know Dally was gone?" I asked.
"Word gets around. Babe, have you been crying?"
"I don't know." I said. I reached up, touched my face, and realized it was wet. "I guess so."
"You sound confused."
"I am slightly. I just feel like I'm going full throttle down a dead end road and now it seems like everything is flipping and twisting and almost like I'm waiting for the car to smack into something so hard. At times it feels like I'm waiting for a bad punch line in a joke."
"Does it have anything to do with these Brumly boys?" He asked standing and shoving me over a bit so he could squeeze into the chair next to me.
I shifted a bit and draped my legs over his lap. I rested an elbow on his shoulder and threaded my hand through his blonde hair. "Yeah, I guess. I never really understood why they had it out for me until one of them mentioned Steve's ex wanting me out of the way. Shawn, do you think I should maybe go back to the country and forget about these boys?"
"No." He snapped. I looked up at him and he smiled. "You love it here, even with these guys breathing down your back, you love your brother and his friends and you're so happy here."
"But all these guys—"
"So either stay here where you love your brother, friends, and have to put up with jerks or go back to the country where there are no jerks, you can ride and work all day, and you'll miss your brother like crazy." Shawn told me.
I sighed. "Why do you always have to be so right?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Maybe you ought to think about it. In the end you know I'm right but think about it."
"Shawn, will you sing to me?"
"Babe," he said exasperated.
"Please. In Spanish?" I begged. Possum High had a requirement that you take at least two years of Spanish. Our first year they taught us this song in Spanish and when he sang it always had the ability to put me to sleep and right now I needed to get my mind off everything that had happened and the best way to do that was to fall asleep.
"Alright just this once." Shawn said. Then Shawn sang me my favorite lullaby. I had fallen in love with it after I heard Shawn singing it one day when he was in the shower. "Get comfortable." Shawn said. I walked over to the couch and laid down on it getting comfortable as Shawn started singing.
Before I could fall completely asleep the door swung open again and I peeked up to see Two-Bit standing there. "Hi." Two-Bit said but he was looking at Shawn.
"Hey. Shawn Ridder." Shawn answered. "She's like a kid sister to me. I just came over to talk to her and she asked me to put her to sleep. You're Two-Bit, right?"
"Yeah. I remember you; you live just down the street, right?"
"Yeah. Keep an eye on her. With Dally gone she's going to need more protection."
"You really think she's in danger here?" Two-Bit asked.
"From harassment maybe but still, she should be comfortable here. Does the town know Dally's gone?" Shawn asked.
"Most of the greasers." Two-Bit answered.
"You see my point."
"She okay?" Two-Bit moved from the doorway towards the kitchen.
I shifted so I could watch both Shawn and Two-Bit from under half-lidded eyes and saw Sawn looking around the room.
"Is that Mr. and Mrs. Curtis?" Shawn asked.
Two-Bit reentered the living room and cocked an eyebrow. "Where?" He asked.
"There above the TV."
"Yeah." Two-Bit walked over to the TV. "It was taken about a year ago, shortly after Pony's 13th birthday. Jackie took it. She was on a real photo kick back then."
"About a year ago? So he'll be 14 soon?"
"What's today?"
"July 16th."
"Yeah, a week from yesterday." Two-Bit said.
"Thursday. Wow sooner than I thought. That makes Toria's birthday ... two weeks from tomorrow." Shawn said.
"How old's she gonna be?" Two-Bit asked.
"16. I've always gotten her a stuffed dog. Are you getting her anything?"
"I don't know. I probably should but I wouldn't know what to get her."
"She loves Mickey Mouse. Her favorite TV show was The Mickey Mouse Club until they stopped running it a couple years ago."
"I think I know a place where I can get one of those. Shawn, we will keep an eye on her. She's a good kid."
"Luck of the draw for her brother though." Shawn said.
"Dally's not so bad. I mean sure he can be really mean when he wants to be but deep down I think he cares about her." Two-Bit defended.
"I guess. You know some say that it takes more guts and strength to show how much you care about someone than it does to shrug everything off and not care about anything." Shawn said.
"I'd agree with that but you don't know Dally."
"And I don't care to. She's a special person and he doesn't deserve her." Shawn stood and walked over to me. I slowly slid my eyes shut. "He doesn't deserve you." Shawn whispered. He kissed my forehead and then seconds later I heard the front door open then shut. I peeked at Two-Bit to see him sitting across the room staring at me with a pensive look on his face. Not wanting him to know I had heard the entire conversation I tried to, and eventually fell asleep.
When I woke up I noticed I was lying on the couch and someone was gently pulling on my toes. "Come on, Two-Bit, stop it, you'll wake her up." I heard a male voice say. My brain was still too crowded with sleep to tell who it was.
"No, I won't, but if you don't shush you will." Two-Bit answered.
"Both of you shush. She's had a hard couple of months. Leave her alone." This time I could tell it was Darry which meant it was a lot later than I thought it would be.
Two-Bit tugged on my toes gently again but it was starting to feel weird. "Two-Bit, what are you doing exactly?" Pony asked.
"Bothering her." Two-Bit said. "Seeing how much it takes to wake her up."
"Two-Bit, leave her alone." This time it was Soda.
"Two-Bit!" Darry snapped. I could tell from his footsteps that he had moved into the living room. He didn't sound too happy to be telling them this so I guessed it wasn't the first time he had snapped at them.
"She's asleep Darry, it's not bothering her." Steve answered. I shifted my shoulders and felt what must have been Steve's lap under me.
"I said stop and I meant it." Darry said. I peeked at Two-Bit and saw his attention was on Darry and I shoved my foot into his shoulder sending him sprawling sideways. "Guess that ends that. Johnny, you staying for supper?" I didn't hear an answer but Darry said "then you, Pony, and Soda go wash up. Steve? Two-Bit?"
"Naw, my mom's got dinner ready." Two-Bit answered running a finger up the bottom of my foot.
I pulled my feet out of his reach as Steve ran his hand through my hair. I finally opened my eyes and looked at Steve. "Yeah?" I asked.
"You want to go get something to eat?" Steve asked.
"Darry, what ya making?" I asked.
"Chicken." Darry answered.
"Mind if I stay?"
"Not at all."
"Sorry Steve."
"Alright. I'll see you around then." Steve said. He slid out from under me and then he and Two-Bit left.
"Soda, do you think we could talk, after dinner?" I asked, sitting up.
"Sure." Soda asked.
After dinner I looked at Soda, "I'll be on the roof when you're ready." I said then I walked into my room and grabbed a blanket. In all the time I had been there I noticed that there was a tree outside the bedroom window. I loved sitting on roofs, it was the best place to watch sunsets. I climbed the tree to sit on the roof. I spread the blanket and lay down. I heard a door open and brushed it off as someone down the street. I looked up as the sun started it's decent. Soon Soda had scaled the tree and sat down on the blanket beside me.
"So?" He asked.
"Let the sun go down a bit first." I answered. He nodded and wrapped his arms around his legs as we watched the sun go down. The sun turned the sky a deep purple and red and I grinned breathless. Eventually the sun slipped behind the horizon and all that was left were colors.
"So ..." Soda prompted.
"That was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen."
"You like sunsets?" Soda asked.
"Yeah." I answered. "They're so ... I don't know it's like there's something so pure about the sunset. It's special because everyone takes it for granted and those that slow down to enjoy it know the secret."
"Why'd you want to talk?"
"Steve and I were talking the other day and I was worried that I'm becoming different. That what I've gone through has completely changed my personality. You knew me for three weeks before my dad died. Do you think I've changed?" I asked.
"Yes."
"You really think so?" I asked sitting up and looking at him.
"Yeah, but," Soda stressed, "I think that what you went through with The PR and losing your dad is bound to change you. I've seen how tough you can be when you stood up to Tim Shepard. I've also seen how sweet you can be when you looked at that puppy dog. The very same one we've got inside. A couple times you've surprised me. When you confronted Bigdog, some of the interactions I've seen between you and Dally, and the way you talk to Curly Shepard. It's not something I would have ever expected from the girl I met back in May. I can see it in your eyes, you've changed and yes part of that is bad but as long as you can stop and enjoy sunsets and smile at the little things then maybe you haven't changed as much as you think."
"Is it a bad thing to change?" I asked.
"No, not really. You've got to adapt to being in the city and knowing that guys are going to hit on you and yeah some of them will cross a line. At the same time you do bring a breath of fresh air to the guys and we'll accept you either way."
"Do you think Dally and I will ever get along?" I asked.
"I don't know, maybe. I think the two of you just have to work things out. There's no easy way to do it with a hard head like Dally but if you really mean it then sure somehow, you'll figure it out."
"Do you really think he owed someone in New York and that's why he went up there?"
Soda looked down at me trying to mask his shock. I had forgotten I hadn't told anyone where Dally had gone. However he didn't say anything about that. "Possible. Dally likes to keep a lot of things close to the chest. He doesn't talk about a lot. He never mentioned you or his mom."
"My mom apparently was a lot like yours, a sweet woman but she expected a lot from Dally and later me. She didn't like that my dad treated me like a working heir. She told him that the only I should be doing is enjoying my childhood and being treated like an heiress. Told him not to make me work so hard and that's why he had hired Buck so I wouldn't have to. Her exact words were "She's your daughter, not a stable hand, don't treat her like one." I wouldn't have even cared but I didn't like causing fights between them."
"He wasn't happy about that?" Soda asked.
"I don't know. Our jockey caught me eavesdropping and I didn't hear the rest but I know that she didn't like it when I went to the track with him." I answered. "I heard your brother's birthday is Thursday."
"He'll be 14. It's the first birthday that we've had since my parents died."
"Aside from Two-Bit's."
"And Johnny's. Johnny's birthday is in March but I meant of us brothers. Darry's birthday was before they died. Mom used to make up this really good cake and there were always presents and all the guys would come over." Soda sighed.
"Listen, I know it's not the same but what if I made him a cake? We can still have your guys over and I'm sure he'll appreciate it, even if you can't get him anything."
"Thanks Tore, that's real sweet of you."
"Hey, it's my first birthday after losing my parents too. I probably know what he's going through. I don't even know if I want to go through with our birthday traditions this year. Find out what he wants to do. That's the best way to handle it." I said.
Soda nodded and we stared up at the big, darkening sky. "What are you going to do tomorrow?" He asked after a few moments of silence.
"I don't know maybe I'll hang out with Two-Bit or something. Probably stop by the station see how you guys are doing." I answered. "It is Saturday."
"Steve's not working tomorrow but I am. I think Sandy's going to drop by around lunch time maybe." Soda said.
"Hmmm, I see." I answered.
Sometimes I just want to hug Soda.
