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Days like today were very rare for Darryl Curtis Senior. He was off today but his wife was at work and his three boys were at school. Darryl was all alone in the house. He didn't mind of course and he usually went to the gym on his days off. Exercise was something that his oldest son Darry inherited from him. However, Darryl decided that today he was simply going to relax and clear his mind. Along with exercise, Darryl also loved to read, which is what Ponyboy inherited. After pulling "Gone With The Wind' off the bookshelf, Darryl gazed into the kitchen for a moment...he could really use a scotch right now.

'A little early to start drinking, don't you think?' The little voice in his head asked him.

Smiling a little to himself, Darryl sat down in his recliner and opened the book up. Before he could read one word, the phone rang. He glanced at the ringing phone in irritation for a moment before sighing and answering it; "Hello?"

"Hey, Darryl," It was his older brother Bill.

Darryl smiled as he sat up straighter. He hadn't talked to his brother for a little while.

"Bill, how've you been?"

"Fine, I've been fine," Darryl's brows furrowed as Bill's voice was somewhat shaky. "Listen, are you sitting down?"

There was something wrong. People just didn't ask if someone was sitting down or not for no reason.

"What's going on, Bill?"

Sighing heavily, his brother replied;

"Dad died."

Leaning back in the recliner, Darryl closed his eyes and exhaled heavily.

"Oh, man."

"Yeah, I know. Could you meet me at the house tomorrow so we can start planning the funeral?"

"Of course. I'll be there by eight o'clock."

After hanging up, Darryl rubbed his forehead before getting up and going to the kitchen. He was definitely having that scotch now.

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Darryl waited for Linda, Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy to all be home so he could tell them the news all at once. Linda wrapped his arms around her husband's neck, lightly crying into his shoulder. Soda began sobbing hard as he headed to his room, Ponyboy following after him, tears in his eyes as well. However, Darry remained stoic. It wasn't like he didn't care or lacked emotion, it was just how he was. Darryl understood, he was very much the same way. After Linda let go of him he took a seat back on the recliner as his wife went to check on her younger boys. Darry then took a seat on the couch across from his father.

"How did it happen?" Darry asked. The question seemed to surprise his father.

"You know, I actually didn't ask," Darryl realized. "He was old, he was seventy-eight. If I had to guess, it was probably heart failure."

Darry nodded. He wasn't comfortable with this sort of thing so he knew this next question was dumb, but didn't know what else to say.

"Are you okay?"

His father rubbed his chin before nodding.

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

Joseph Curtis died on Wednesday, May the 7th, 1967. As it turned out, it was from heart failure. He had died in his sleep, he didn't suffer at all. His funeral was held two days later on Friday and he was buried next to his wife Helen, Bill and Darryl's mother who had died three years prior at the age of seventy five. Even though they were upset, Darryl and Bill were actually strangely happy at the same time because now the two of them were going to be together again. Their father was really lost without the love of his life over the past several years. Sodapop was taking this hard as he really loved his Grampa Joe. His first memory of meeting him was when he was six years old. His Grampa held out his hand for Soda to give him a five, Soda slapped his hand as hard as he could(which was not very hard, he was six after all) and his Grampa let out a fake, overexaggerated howl of pain. After that, anytime they visited their Grandfather, he always extended his hand for a five, Soda would do it and he would always have the same reaction.

Once the funeral was over they all gathered at the house Bill and Darryl grew up in. They had always loved living out here, out in the country with so much land and the next house being miles away. It was so peaceful. As Linda and Bill's wife Rachel were in the kitchen, preparing a big dinner, the two brothers sat on the porch with beers in hand, Darryl watching proudly his three sons passed a football back and forth at each other. Then, a question suddenly popped into Darryl's mind.

"Bill...how come you never had any kids?" It just occurred to him that he had never asked his older brother that question.

Bill took another sip from his beer bottle before shrugging.

"Honestly, I guess I was just too scared."

Darryl raised his eyebrows in surprise. He never heard his older brother say he was scared of anything.

"Scared?"

"Sure. Weren't you scared when you found out Linda was pregnant the first time?"

"Sure I was, I was scared all three times. But it's all worth it when they are finally born. Trust me, you've never felt the kind of love you feel when you hold them in your arms for the first time."

"Yeah, I'm sure it's a great feeling," Bill nodded. "I always wondered if Mom and Dad were disappointed that I didn't have kids."

"Of course they weren't," Darryl assured. "They knew that it's not for everyone. I know that they were glad you found yourself such a good woman."

"That I do have," Bill agreed.

They remained quiet for the next few moments, Darryl smiling as he watched both Sodapop and Ponyboy jumping on Darry and pulling him down to the ground. It was then did he remember that there was another matter they needed to discuss.

"So, what are we going to do with the house?"

"Sell it I guess."

"Sell it? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I mean, Rachel and I are doing good but I'm sure you and Linda need the money."

Darryl stared at his older brother, now somewhat offended.

"My family is not destitute, Bill."

Bill held up a hand.

"I didn't meant it like, Dar. I just know that you and Linda work tough jobs. You guys could use some extra money. For your kids college if nothing else."

"I don't have to worry about that," Darryl assured. "Darry is going to get a scholarship, mark my word. And if Ponyboy keeps doing as well as he's doing he will too. Sodapop is never going to college, he hates school."

"Okay, so what do you want to do then?"

Darryl briefly thought about it before answering.

"Let's keep it in the family. Maybe one of the boys will want it one day. I can picture Darry living up here, raising a family."

"Sounds good to me," Bill smiled.

They then began to watch the boys again. This time Darry and Sodapop had dogpiled on Ponyboy and were doing their best to tickle him to death. After a few minutes Darry pulled Soda up and off before holding him down so that Pony could get his revenge.

"You've done a good job raising your sons, Darryl," Bill smiled again as he looked over at his younger brother. "I know Dad was very proud of you."

Darryl nodded. He knew his Dad was. Family was very important to their father. He knew that one time in his life his father had gotten into a really bad fight with his own younger brother Jacob that resulted in them never speaking again. Joseph didn't want that sort of thing to ever happen to Bill and Darryl. He made sure that they realized that this was your family and it's the only one you've got. Throughout his whole life, his father had never laid a hand on either Darryl or Bill and Darryl had never laid a hand on Darry, Sodapop, or Ponyboy. Because he never needed to. He taught them all to listen to adults, to respect their elders, be gentleman. That was how he was raised.

Just then, Linda opened the screen door and called out;

"Okay everyone, dinner is ready!"

Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy followed their Dad and Uncle inside of the house and to the kitchen, taking a seat at the table. The women had cooked juicy, thick steaks, mashed potatoes with gravy, cream corn, and homemade bread. Soda reached and picked up a piece of bread and Rachel smiled. They had a certain rule when it came to dinners and the whole family had gathered.

"Okay Soda, since you touched the food first, you say grace."

Soda raised an eyebrow.

"Me?"

His aunt nodded.

"O...kay," Soda muttered as he tried to think of something to say.

Everyone at the table interlocked their fingers and lowered their heads as they waited. Finally, Soda spoke;

"Good food, good meat. Good god let's eat."

They all turned their heads to look at him and Soda gave them all a bright smile. Ponyboy tried to stifle his laughter but couldn't. Pony's laughing caused a chain reaction and soon everyone at the table was laughing their heads off.

Darryl shook his head as he composed himself.

"That was beautiful son, thank you."