Sandy followed behind her grandmother, her daughter in her arms. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute in her chest. She hadn't been to her parents' house- her old home- in nearly two years now. And now, here she was, walking up to the same house and would staying at for the next two weeks back in Tulsa.
The whole situation was very nerve-wracking for a girl her age and who had gone through everything she had in the last two years.
Instead of the proposed one day on the train, the ride took two days due to an emergency stop in Louisiana. Another train that they would've bypassed at a certain point had somehow got derailed. It took nearly a day to get everything back on track- no pun intended- and for everyone to continue on to the train station where they'd arrive in Oklahoma.
Sandy jumped a bit when her grandmother put a hand on her shoulder. "You ready to go in?" the older woman asked her, a gentle smile formed her lips in an attempt of comfort.
Sandy gave a weak smile back, looked at her daughter, then back at her grandmother. "It's now or never," she said with a slight sigh and shrugged a bit.
-/-/-
Soda had finally told everyone about the draft letter- at least everyone that he cared about. When he did, he could tell by the looks on all their faces that it had affected them all too. After that, he had asked them all to act regularly and act like it was not as big of a deal as they all knew it was. They all agreed, but only for his sake and mental state of mind. When they were all away from him or when he wasn't around at the moment, that's when they'd let their feelings out about it.
Soda and Steve were in the garage of the DX, both finishing up a car. As they finished, they heard the little bell hooked up to the front door of the building ring a little bit. The two peaked through the doorway that connected the garage and the actual storefront of the building, and both saw their girlfriend's walking in, having some sort of heated discussion.
The two best friends debated on entering the store front to greet the two girls or finish up the last thing on the car. They figured they'd finish the last thing on the car quickly, then go and greet their girlfriends. That way, they wouldn't have to go back and forth between the garage and the store front, at least more than they usually would have to, anyway.
"Don't you think you should at least tell Soda?" the two boys heard Becca say as they went back into the garage.
"I know, I know," Cherry sighed, "I'm just… I'm not ready."
"What're you waiting for?"
"I don't know. The right time, I guess."
"Look, I hate to remind you of this, but remember: he's leaving in about a month."
"I know," the redhead nearly yelled, yet her voice was shaky, "Just let me say it when I'm ready to say it, ok?"
Soda and Steve exchanged weird looks. What were the two girls talking about? What did Cherry have to say? What was she waiting for the right moment to tell him? These were just a few of the questions that had been running like a track star through the greasers heads. All of the conversation they heard- they knew they'd miss everything before they came in- confused them immensely.
"What was the about?" Soda asked in a confused tone.
"I don't know," Steve answered with a shrug.
"You think somethin's wrong with Cherry? She hasn't said nothin'- yet anyway. Ya think I should be worried?"
"Personally, I don't think you got a thing to worry 'bout. Just don't mention that you heard anythin', or she might get mad."
-/-/-
Cherry and Becca walked through the town and to the DX. They had decided to walk instead of taking the redhead's refurbished 1955 F-100 or the blonde's own expensive car. They had no particular reason for their decision to walk, they just felt like walking instead of driving.
"So," Becca started, "Has Soda ever mentioned to you about someone who took care of both hospital bills for Dallas and that quiet boy Johnny?"
Cherry thought for a moment. "Yeah, he has," she answered, "A few days ago, why?"
"I was just curious cause Steve told me about it recently, too. Know anything about it?"
"Stop that."
"Stop what?"
Cherry rolled her eyes. "You know damn well what, Becca. I told what I did when I did it."
"You're acting like it was the wrong thing to do. It wasn't."
"Is it wrong that sometimes I feel like using nearly every cent my parents ever gave me was like betraying them? And didn't tell them what I used it for?"
"Using that money to pay for both Johnny and Dallas' treatments two years ago to keep them alive was not betraying your parents, Cherry."
"Not that part. The fact that I didn't tell them about it at first."
Becca let out an annoyed sigh. "DO you regret using the money at all the way you did?" she asked.
"Not at all," Cherry answered automatically and with no hesitation, "But I still haven't told any of them that it was from me. I signed that note anonymously, remember?"
The two girls entered the DX. "Don't you think you should at least tell Soda?"
"I know, I know. I'm just… I'm not ready."
"What're you waiting for?"
"I don't know. The right time, I guess."
"Look, I hate to remind you of this, but remember: he's leaving in about a month."
"I know!" Cherry nearly yelled in a shaky voice, "Just let me say it when I'm ready to say it, ok?"
-/-/-
The older woman knocked on the door of her son's house. She looked over to her granddaughter, who had a nervous look on her ace. She then looked over to her great-granddaughter, who was smiling and completely oblivious to the current situation at hand and everything going on around her. She turned back around when she heard the doorknob of the front door click and the door open.
When the door opened, the older woman's son- Christopher Williams- appeared in the doorway. He gave a small smile. "Hi, Mom," he greeted.
"Hello, Chris," the older woman greeted, bringing the younger girl up to her side.
Christopher's smile didn't diminish when he saw his daughter, but it rather stayed in place. "Hello, Sandy." His voice was soft.
"Hi, Dad," Sandy greeted her father, a small smile on her face replacing the nervous look that had been on her face.
The generation Williams looked at his daughter warmly, then the same way at his four month old granddaughter. He walked out of the doorway and over to his daughter, still looking back and forth between her and the little baby girl in her arms. "She looks like you," he said, still smiling at his own daughter, "I'm sorry. I've missed you. Your mother has, too."
Sandy let out a nervous chuckle and felt her eyes begin to tear up. "I've missed you guys too, Daddy," she choked out.
-/-/-
Mr. and Mrs. Valance- Daniel and Samantha- packed their bags to go back to Oklahoma. They had been visiting her younger sister Midge and her husband Bob in Wisconsin. They'd been there for two weeks, leaving their daughters Madeline and Sherri at home in Tulsa.
"Do you need any help packing, Sam?" Midge asked her older sister.
"No, thanks," Samantha Valance smiled her sister, "it was great seeing you and Bob, Midge. And the girls, obviously."
"We always love seeing you and Daniel, too."
A little girl with red hair came running into the room, jumped up and sat down on the bed. "Isn't Mr. Red next door scary, Aunt Samantha?" she asked.
The two sisters laughed at the little girl's question. "I guess he's a bit scary, Donna," Samantha laughed.
Midge chuckled. "Why don't you go play with Tina or Valerie, Donna?"
The little girl shook her head. "Tina's sleeping and Valerie is doing homework. Can I go see if Miss Kitty will let Eric play?"
"Of course, sweetheart. But make sure either Daddy or Uncle Daniel is with you when you go next door."
As the little girl smiled and ran out of the room, the two sisters finished whatever they could of "catching up". It'd be a while before either family could visit each other's home in the two vertical opposite sides of the Midwest. The two couldn't even call each other as often as they would've liked to due to long distance phone call charges.
As the two now adult sisters caught up on anything they may have missed during the past two weeks, they continued to- slowly but surely- pack the suitcases belonging to the Valance's. They also shared memories from their childhood, taking advantage of their rare opportunity they had to reminisce and discuss about past events.
MY FAVORITE PART WAS WITH SANDY AND HER FATHER OH MY GAHD IM SO PROUD OF THAT
Everything else sucks to me- well, actually, I like the conversation between Becca and Cherry, but only those two parts.
All I have to say is that I'm going to Alice's Teacup in New York City for one of my best friend's birthday's and her family (my two best friends are sisters). She's turning 22 :D (yes one of my best friends is turning 22, I've never really had any close friends my own ago, there's always a year or more in age difference)
Anyway- peace from all the hippies of the world! =^-^=