Chapter 52
October 8
I didn't need to worry about watering Soda's tree after all. That night, rains came. A deluge of sorts. I lay in bed listening to the drops dance across the windows, walls and roof of the garage. Was he crying? Were these his tears raining down on me, missing me as much as I missed him? Was Darry laying in his own bed right now, thinking of Soda too? I missed his voice. Quietly, I crossed the apartment and picked up the phone, dialing the number I so often wished were still my own. It rang, and rang, and
"...Hello?....... Helloooo?"
I hung up. My words choked me, unable to escape my throat. It was Two-Bit..... Tears streamed down my face as I cried, his voice sounded so good, so warm. I yearned to have talked, but terror overtook me. Even though I had longed to make the connection home again, I couldn't. My shaking hand finally let go of the handset, and I crawled back into my bed. I cried in earnest, letting my sobs be lost in the rainstorm outside my room.
YYYYY
"Who was on the phone, Two-Bit?" Soda called over as Two-Bit put the receiver back down.
"Dunno. They hung up. Guess they heard about your party and wanted to crash it."
"This ain't much of a party, with the kid here!" Steve silently said, not wanting Patty to hear. Darry had been adamant – no beer while Andy was in the house.
"Aw, hush it. Andy's doing us a favor. Two-Bit, you're gonna get a beer gut one of these days." Darry said.
They looked at the boy who was having more fun eating the icing off his cake than the gang had had making the cake. It was Soda's birthday, 20 years old – at last!
It was a subdued celebration, with Ponyboy still missing and no clue to his current location or state of well being. The gang knew Soda would be down, so they secretly invited Patty to join them at the Curtis house for burgers and chips, and of course ice cream and cake. Soda was surprised to see her when he came in from his new job, giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek, then picking up Andy making the child squeal with delight. They all ate and played cards, eventually Andy fell asleep on the floor in front of the TV. It had been getting late, but Patty and Soda were sitting on the couch looking at old photo albums. She took her time, watching the Curtis boys grow from babies to boys to men in small black and white pictures secured on page after page of the album.
In those pictures, she saw one boy who was athletic yet physical, either building something or carrying a football in every photograph. In other pictures, she saw another boy who always had either tools or machinery parts in his hands. He was slender and was always grinning the familiar grin she was coming to admire. Yet, the third boy gave her pause. He was more quiet in the pictures, even though pictures made no sound. He had books and drawing things, and while he would smile, it wasn't one that was outgoing as the other two boys smiles' were. He wasn't sad, yet... she wasn't sure how to describe it. One picture especially held her interest so long, she got up the nerve to ask.
"Who's this?" She pointed at it. Darry came over and looked. It was one of their mother and Ponyboy, they were at the piano, both sitting side by side on the bench and they didn't know their father was behind them with the camera. She was looking down into his eyes as he was looking up into hers, with their hands on the keys.
"That's our mother with Ponyboy. She taught him to play piano when he was about Andy's age. He was maybe three in that picture."
"He plays piano? Seriously! You're kidding, right?" Steve almost fell off his chair, wanting to laugh but catching the looks both Darry and Soda were giving him.
"Does he still play? I never heard him." Said Two-Bit, interested in this talent the youngest greaser never let on to having.
"Nah, well, he used to. He'd play when we weren't around. It was rare, though. Nope, once mom and dad passed, he basically quit." Darry walked back to the kitchen.
"Can I borrow this photo? I promise I wont damage it." She asked of Soda.
He reached over and pulled the protective film back. "You know these are all we have left of our parents. Return it when you're done." He handed her the picture without asking what she wanted it for, or for how long she was going to use it. She put it carefully in her purse.
"Well," she said, closing the album, "I think it's time for us to go." She got up and started to get Andy, but Soda pulled her out to the porch instead. He shut the door so it was just the two of them, alone in the dark with only the moonlight to see by. It was cool, but neither of them felt it.
"Thank you for coming over. I'm getting rather old for birthday parties, but this was fun. I hope you had a good time." He said, getting close to her.
"Why Soda, I never would think you of all people would think you're too old for a party." Her eyes laughed at him.
"What do you think of my brother and our nutty friends?" He stood so close, his breath mingled with hers.
"I think they're a great bunch of guys. They support you. It's rare to find real support in this world today. My mother..."
"...Patty," Soda interrupted.
"Yeah, Soda?"
"Shut up." He pulled her to him and his lips found hers. The pressure was soft at first then grew stronger, needing more, from each of them to the other. Finally, she pulled away, needing to breathe, but stayed wrapped in his arms.
"I promise you, Patty," Soda said solemnly, "I wont hurt you or mislead you. I wont cheat on you or lie to you. I'll do nothing to ever cause you regret. We'll take this as far as you want it to go, and if you say stop, I will."
She looked at him. "I know you will, Soda. I know." Her lips met his again, and for another blissful moment, she forgot she was an unwed mother, still living at her own mothers house with barely enough of an income to feed her and her child. He forgot his past romantic failure, Vietnam, and ...for fifteen seconds at least, the biggest worry of his life, the whereabouts of his baby brother, now 17 and alone. He thought only of the woman in his arms and how good it felt again. He finally let her go, gently pushing back her hair from her face as they pulled apart.
"I better get Andy," She said quietly. He opened the door for her and she went in to collect her sleeping son.
WWW
In Montana, the sleeping son of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis was dreaming of younger years, when he, Soda and Darry played tag in the yard after Soda blew out his birthday candles. In his dream, the candles flicked by like pages on a calender until stopping at 18. The pages refused to budge from that point. Soda was gone. The letter from the Army hidden behind the group photo sitting on his night stand, the photo he saw every morning and closed his eyes to every night said so. He went by that letter, and therefore there were no more candles to blow out. Soda's candle had gone out instead.
XX
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