4. Memories.
The next morning when I got up Darry had already gone to work, which was probably lucky because despite the conversation with Soda the night before I was still a bit annoyed with Darry. Sometimes I think he takes his responsibilities a little too seriously. But he's always been that way. Remember how I said earlier he believes in hard work? When I think about our family I actually have to wonder how we get along most of the time. In case you haven't already noticed we're not exactly the same!
Soda came into the kitchen yawning. "I guess I should get over to the hospital to see Steve..you wanna' come Pony?"
"Sure, why not?" I replied. I didn't have any other plans for the day, and I thought maybe Soda might need my support, although Steve might not be all that happy to see me. That thought made me grin, but I didn't realise it until Soda asked what was so funny?
"Nothing-just your face!" I replied, and Soda laughed and reached over to grab me, playfully punching me.
"You cheeky Greaser!" He said. "You need to be taught a lesson!"
"And you need a bath. Get thee hands off me, filth!" I replied. For a moment even joking about like this made me feel slightly sick. I remembered the moment when Johnny and I'd gotten into trouble with the socs. "You know what a greaser is?" Bob had asked. "White trash with long hair." I'd felt the blood draining from my face. "You know what a Soc is? White trash with Mustangs and madras." And at a loss for anything to call them which was bad enough I'd spat at them! I shook my head to clear my memory, telling myself that I couldn't let myself think about that night!
"You better get dressed then Soda.you go out like that and you'll be arrested!" I said.
*****
At the hospital Steve was sitting up in his bed, still looking pretty pale, but he at least seemed to be better than the night before. I hadn't really thought about it, but even seeing Steve, who admittedly was not my favorite person, like he'd been the night before had worried me a bit. And maybe it had brought back memories of Johnny? I chased the thought away again, and tried to concentrate on Soda and Steve's conversation.
"Yeah, the old lady came in here last night." Steve was saying. "She told me that she knew I'd get hurt if I kept hanging...well she basically said it was my own fault. 'I bet you couldn't keep that smart mouth of yours shut!' she said."
He didn't need to complete his first comment; I knew what his Mother had said- "if you keep hanging around people like that!" The funny thing was she wasn't much better off than us financially, and her husband told Steve to get out and not come back at least once a week! At least when my parents had been alive only my father had worked. Everyone in the gang liked to come back to my place after school so that my mother would give us something to eat, and ask to hear about our days. That was probably the thing I missed most about her; not having her there when we got home!
"Did the doc say how long it would be before you could be back at work?" Soda asked. "The garage wont be the same without you-hell, we could go broke without you there to do the mechanical stuff!"
"Funny you should mention it. The boss came in here before, and he spoke to the doc..they're going to let me go back to work in a week or two, although I wont be much good if you ask me. But they think I should be back there as soon as I can!" Steve explained.
I thought personally that the garage probably got more business not so much because of Steve's mechanical skills, but also because of Soda's good looks. Both of my brothers are good looking, leaves me the odd one out!
"That's good to hear." Soda said.
"Yeah, and hey, you'll never guess who else was here this morning?" Steve said.
Soda raised an eyebrow. "If I wont guess don't make me guess!" He said.
"Tim Shepard. He is thinking of organising another rumble-thinks that the Soc's have no guts for taking me on by myself." Steve replied.
"Did you tell him no?" I demanded.
Steve looked at me for a moment. "I didn't tell him anything, why the opposition? After what happened to you I'd have thought you'd hate the socs!"
"I." I trailed off, not sure what to say. Unbidden another memory came to me. Johnny lying in the hospital bed, talking about dying! "I don't want to die now. It aint long enough. Sixteen years aint long enough. I wouldn't mind it so much if there wasn't so much stuff I aint done yet." And me telling him he wasn't going to die, even though in my heart I knew he would.
I suddenly realised Soda was looking at me strangely. "Pony, you alright? You've gone pale."
"Yeah, uh, I'm just tired. I didn't sleep much last night. I might go home and get some sleep..you stay here with Steve Soda!" I said.
I ran home from the hospital, concentrating on breathing properly rather than the thoughts which had driven me from the hospital! I thought I was over that stuff. I thought I was all better. Maybe I wasn't as good as I thought? As I neared our house I realised that there was someone out the front. It wasn't until I got closer that I realised who it was: Sandy.
"What are you doing here?" I greeted her, still panting from my run.
She blanched. "Pony-I know you're probably mad at me-"
"Smart aint ya?" I snapped.
"Don't do that Pony. Don't be like Dally..you're not like him!" Sandy pleaded.
"Why did you come back? Why did you have to come back and upset Soda?" I demanded.
"I realised better!" Sandy replied.
I looked down at her stomach. It had to be a few months before the baby was due, and she was already huge!
"What are you going to call it?" I asked, interested in spite of myself.
"I don't know.something pretty I think if it's a girl..Pony, I've been sitting here for a long time- I went to the garage but I was told Soda had the day off because of Steve getting hurt so I came here to wait for him- can't I come in and have a drink? When will Soda be home?" She asked.
"A little bit." I replied, and then I sighed. "Yeah, come in, I'll get you something, and you can wait for Soda."
She smiled. "Thanks Pony, you're a good kid you know!"
The next morning when I got up Darry had already gone to work, which was probably lucky because despite the conversation with Soda the night before I was still a bit annoyed with Darry. Sometimes I think he takes his responsibilities a little too seriously. But he's always been that way. Remember how I said earlier he believes in hard work? When I think about our family I actually have to wonder how we get along most of the time. In case you haven't already noticed we're not exactly the same!
Soda came into the kitchen yawning. "I guess I should get over to the hospital to see Steve..you wanna' come Pony?"
"Sure, why not?" I replied. I didn't have any other plans for the day, and I thought maybe Soda might need my support, although Steve might not be all that happy to see me. That thought made me grin, but I didn't realise it until Soda asked what was so funny?
"Nothing-just your face!" I replied, and Soda laughed and reached over to grab me, playfully punching me.
"You cheeky Greaser!" He said. "You need to be taught a lesson!"
"And you need a bath. Get thee hands off me, filth!" I replied. For a moment even joking about like this made me feel slightly sick. I remembered the moment when Johnny and I'd gotten into trouble with the socs. "You know what a greaser is?" Bob had asked. "White trash with long hair." I'd felt the blood draining from my face. "You know what a Soc is? White trash with Mustangs and madras." And at a loss for anything to call them which was bad enough I'd spat at them! I shook my head to clear my memory, telling myself that I couldn't let myself think about that night!
"You better get dressed then Soda.you go out like that and you'll be arrested!" I said.
*****
At the hospital Steve was sitting up in his bed, still looking pretty pale, but he at least seemed to be better than the night before. I hadn't really thought about it, but even seeing Steve, who admittedly was not my favorite person, like he'd been the night before had worried me a bit. And maybe it had brought back memories of Johnny? I chased the thought away again, and tried to concentrate on Soda and Steve's conversation.
"Yeah, the old lady came in here last night." Steve was saying. "She told me that she knew I'd get hurt if I kept hanging...well she basically said it was my own fault. 'I bet you couldn't keep that smart mouth of yours shut!' she said."
He didn't need to complete his first comment; I knew what his Mother had said- "if you keep hanging around people like that!" The funny thing was she wasn't much better off than us financially, and her husband told Steve to get out and not come back at least once a week! At least when my parents had been alive only my father had worked. Everyone in the gang liked to come back to my place after school so that my mother would give us something to eat, and ask to hear about our days. That was probably the thing I missed most about her; not having her there when we got home!
"Did the doc say how long it would be before you could be back at work?" Soda asked. "The garage wont be the same without you-hell, we could go broke without you there to do the mechanical stuff!"
"Funny you should mention it. The boss came in here before, and he spoke to the doc..they're going to let me go back to work in a week or two, although I wont be much good if you ask me. But they think I should be back there as soon as I can!" Steve explained.
I thought personally that the garage probably got more business not so much because of Steve's mechanical skills, but also because of Soda's good looks. Both of my brothers are good looking, leaves me the odd one out!
"That's good to hear." Soda said.
"Yeah, and hey, you'll never guess who else was here this morning?" Steve said.
Soda raised an eyebrow. "If I wont guess don't make me guess!" He said.
"Tim Shepard. He is thinking of organising another rumble-thinks that the Soc's have no guts for taking me on by myself." Steve replied.
"Did you tell him no?" I demanded.
Steve looked at me for a moment. "I didn't tell him anything, why the opposition? After what happened to you I'd have thought you'd hate the socs!"
"I." I trailed off, not sure what to say. Unbidden another memory came to me. Johnny lying in the hospital bed, talking about dying! "I don't want to die now. It aint long enough. Sixteen years aint long enough. I wouldn't mind it so much if there wasn't so much stuff I aint done yet." And me telling him he wasn't going to die, even though in my heart I knew he would.
I suddenly realised Soda was looking at me strangely. "Pony, you alright? You've gone pale."
"Yeah, uh, I'm just tired. I didn't sleep much last night. I might go home and get some sleep..you stay here with Steve Soda!" I said.
I ran home from the hospital, concentrating on breathing properly rather than the thoughts which had driven me from the hospital! I thought I was over that stuff. I thought I was all better. Maybe I wasn't as good as I thought? As I neared our house I realised that there was someone out the front. It wasn't until I got closer that I realised who it was: Sandy.
"What are you doing here?" I greeted her, still panting from my run.
She blanched. "Pony-I know you're probably mad at me-"
"Smart aint ya?" I snapped.
"Don't do that Pony. Don't be like Dally..you're not like him!" Sandy pleaded.
"Why did you come back? Why did you have to come back and upset Soda?" I demanded.
"I realised better!" Sandy replied.
I looked down at her stomach. It had to be a few months before the baby was due, and she was already huge!
"What are you going to call it?" I asked, interested in spite of myself.
"I don't know.something pretty I think if it's a girl..Pony, I've been sitting here for a long time- I went to the garage but I was told Soda had the day off because of Steve getting hurt so I came here to wait for him- can't I come in and have a drink? When will Soda be home?" She asked.
"A little bit." I replied, and then I sighed. "Yeah, come in, I'll get you something, and you can wait for Soda."
She smiled. "Thanks Pony, you're a good kid you know!"
