It was my idea to go to the lake. Johnny hadn't really wanted to, especially at night, but I told him it had to be then as it was the only time we could guarantee it would be pretty much deserted. He'd tapped quietly on my bedroom window at about 9pm just as we'd planned and I'd quickly wriggled out to meet him. It wasn't often that I snuck out because, honestly, there weren't that many places in Tulsa I felt the need to visit after the sun went down. Much as I might complain about having a curfew, or a 'bedtime' as the gang called it just to bug me, and rolled my eyes at my brothers' over-protectiveness, to tell the truth I didn't really mind that much. My big brothers knew the score and they just wanted to look out for me.
But tonight was different, I reasoned as I landed softly on the grass beside Johnny. Tonight was about conquering fears and proving something to myself, which made it noble and if I'd learnt anything from all the books I've read in my lifetime, it's that a quest with noble intentions has to be completed. I explained all this to Johnny as we hoofed it over to the highway and stuck out our thumbs.
"I dunno, Pone," he mumbled back, keeping his eyes out for cars. "Kind of just seems like breakin' curfew to me."
Luckily it didn't take long for a car to stop for us. I knew Darry and Soda would be glued to the Tv tonight as there was some show on they'd been talking excitedly about since last week, but I couldn't be sure what time it finished so the quicker we made it back the better.
"Where are you kids headed?" A guy with a ponytail asked once he'd rolled down his window and looked us up and down. Hitch-hiking was one of the few things Johnny and I did better at on our own as we looked pretty non-threatening whereas we'd once stood in this same spot with Dal and Steve for well over an hour and I swear cars actually sped up as they passed us. I'd told Steve his face was to blame and he'd knocked me down into the dirt. Not a minute later a soccy women stopped her little red beetle and jumped out of the car, yelling at Steve about hitting me and asking if Johnny and I needed her to get us away from 'these dangerous hoodlums'. I almost said yes just to see the look on Steve's face but Johnny was starting to look freaked out and Dally had quickly grabbed my arm and yanked me down the embankment before the women could cause any more of a scene. We high-tailed it to The Dingo with Dal cussin' up a storm the whole way and never did get wherever we we trying to go. Steve still got mad whenever I reminded him of it which was enough to keep me repeating the story every time I got the chance.
"Sullivan's Pond, please," As was our habit I spoke instead of Johnny and was careful to mind my manners. This guy was kind of scruffy lookin' and his t-shirt was a bunch of crazy bright colours all mixed up together. I was thinking he must be one of those hippies Darry liked to shake his head and tut at whenever they came up on the news. I never really paid much attention but I think they liked peace and cigarettes which didn't sound like a bad thing in my book. "You know where that is?"
"Sure do. Pretty deserted out there this time of night, kids, you wouldn't be headin' out there to cause mischief now would you?"
"No, Sir," both Johnny and I blurted at the same time, then looked at each other guiltily. I was the better lier out of the two of us but even I was struggling to come up with a vaguely innocent reason as to why we were going to the lake at 9 o'clock on a Friday night. With no other options I settled on the truth. "We're goin' swimmin'."
There was a long pause and I thought for sure we were busted but when I finally got the courage to look up and meet the man's gaze, I could see his eyes had a twinkle in them. "Swimmin' huh?" He threw back his head and let out a huge guffawing laugh, making us both jump. "You cats are wild, man! I love it! Get in!"
We climbed in the back, exchanging a quick glance as we shuffled over the seats. His car was kind of dirty with random clothes and shoes strewn around amongst lots of fast-food wrappers. It smelt weird too, not bad exactly, just kind of sweet with something tangy underneath it. The Byrds were playing on the radio and there were a bunch of charms dangling from the rear-view mirror. One looked like it was an elephant but it was coloured bright blue.
"You from around here, mister?" Johnny asked and I turned to look at him in surprise as he wasn't real fond of talking to strangers. I guess I must've been too engrossed in looking at the car to take up for him.
"Yeah but I ain't been back in a long time. I live out west now, you boys heard of San Francisco?" We nodded but I knew for both of us, he might as well have been talking about Greenland for all we really knew about it.
"I seen it on the news once," Johnny said quietly.
"You like it out there, mister? It's by the ocean, huh?" I'd always been strangely fascinated by the idea of the ocean, spending long car rides just starting out the window imaging what it would be like if salt water replaced Oklahoma's endless fields of wheat, stretching as far as the eye could see. It was terrifying but also thrilling to imagine.
"Kids, I'm gonna tell you something right now and you gotta promise me you won't ever forget it. San Francisco is the still point of turning world. Whatever comes next, it will have started in San Francisco. There's things happening there, the things people are taking about - I mean you can't even imagine. It's…" he shook his head, like he could hardly find the words to describe it. "It's like everything that matters here isn't important there. People are just people and they want everyone else to just be people too. Everyone should be free." I must've made some kind of sound because his eyes met mine in the rear-view mirror. "And yeh kid, it's by the ocean."
"Woah," I heard Johnny breath beside me.
"It sounds like magic," I said without even thinking about it and the guy's eyes crinkled as he smiled. We pulled up at the turn off for Sullivan's Pond ten minutes later having been silent for the rest of the ride. I guess we were all thinking about San Francisco. It was rare to meet someone who had actually left Tulsa. Everyone talked about 'getting out' but no one seemed to specify where they'd go or what they'd do outside the city limits. Even when Darry was set for college, he was only going to the University of Oklahoma and he was the most ambitious person I knew.
Once we'd clambered out and slammed the backdoor, the guy leaned out of his open window to tell us goodbye. "You kids take care, now. Enjoy your swim and remember San Francisco's where it's at! Stay groovy, cats!"
And with that he was gone, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust to show he'd ever been there at all.
"Where what's at?" Johnny eventually asked after a long moment. I shrugged.
"Everything I guess. Gee, you think we'll ever make it to San Francisco to see the ocean, Johnny? I dunno about all that other stuff but I think that would be pretty neat!"
"I dunno, Ponyboy. San Francisco's pretty far and sounds a little nutty to me but it would be cool to visit somewhere other than Tulsa. Hey, maybe Dal can take us to Texas if he wins big at the rodeo sometime. He told me if you're good enough you can make crazy money down there!" I grinned, pleased that my friend had dreams of his own to get exited about. I'd figured out a long time ago that Johnny and I were on different paths in life and that was ok, I was just glad we'd bumped into each other along the way. Of course Johnny couldn't imagine a future without Dally in it and the idea of Dallas Winston hangin' loose in San Francisco with all the hippies was just about the funniest thing on earth.
"That would be a blast!" I agreed enthusiastically, although privately I thought life on the rodeo-circuit was a pretty rough gig and I wasn't one hundred percent sure I was built for hard livin'. But I'd go if it would make Johnny happy. "And I bet we could get Soda to come with us, he's crazy about horses!"
Johnny nodded, understanding that Sodapop was just as non-negotiable in my future as Dally was in his. "But hey, you know if Soda comes then Steve and Two-Bit are gonna tag along too, right?" He elbowed me softly as we began to walk down the dirt track towards the lake. I made a face and he laughed softly.
"I guess Two-Bit would be ok, at least for a little while. But Steve…"
"He ain't so bad, Pone. He just makes fun because you're like his little brother!" I rolled my eyes, having heard this argument many times before.
"That ain't even half true because I got two real brothers and he's worse to me than either of them! He just likes gettin' me in trouble is all!" Now it was Johnny's turn to roll his eyes.
"I dunno, Pony, sometimes you manage that all on your own!" He opened his arms wide and gestured to the pitch-black that surrounded us, cocking an eyebrow.
"Except this time I'm not all on my own because I got my old pal Johnnycakes with me!" I cried happily, throwing my arm around his shoulders and nearly knocking us both off the path in the process. He shoved back and we kept it up until suddenly we were at the lake.
"Gee…" Johnny breathed, all of our previous joking around forgotten. "It sure does look different at night. You can't hardly see the other side."
"Yeah," I muttered, pretty surprised myself. I'd been to this lake more times than I can say but I swear it seemed to have doubled in size. "Good job I ain't plannin' on swimmin' across it I guess."
"You sure you wanna do this, Ponyboy? Maybe tonight could just be like the fact-findin' mission so when we come back next time you know what to expect?" I couldn't help but notice the slightly hopeful tone to his questions.
"Nah, who knows when I'll be able to sneak out next and it's gettin' near the end of summer. It has to be tonight." Johnny's the best best friend so he nodded.
"Okay, tonight it is. How do you wanna do this? Should I climb up with you? Or keep look out from down here?"
"You stay here, I need to do it by myself. But when you see me on the edge, if it looks like I'm not gonna do it, can you shout for me? Just be like 'Hey Pone, it ain't even that high!' or something? I think that might help."
"Sure," Johnny agreed. "I'll stand right at the bottom as you climb up so I can shine the flashlight for you then once you've made it I'll come back here and watch for you on the edge."
"Oh yeah, good idea!" I'd forgotten all about the flashlight. "Ok, I think we should go right away. The longer we're out here the higher the chances of Darry figuring out I'm not in bed with a stomach ache."
Plus I was getting more anxious by the second. There was a gentle breeze blowing and I could hear the water lapping against the banks. Any other time it would've been peaceful but I was quickly remembering that being out in the dark of the country was way creepier than the Tulsa dark I was used to.
I hastily heeled off my sneakers and made quick work of wriggling out of my jean shorts - they used to be Soda's and were still big on me so I didn't even need to undo them. Placing them in a pile by the water's edge, close to where I figured Johnny would stand to watch me, I was careful not to let my eyes drift upwards.
"Ready?" Johnny asked, tapping the flashlight nervously against his leg.
"Ready," I confirmed and together we made the short walk over to the High Rock.