1 We're Back Chapter 10
A/N: This is a direct continuation of the last chapter. It's probably confusing. I'm very sorry.
P.S. I think this one is cheesy. Oh well. My bad.
2 ~
Eleanor remembered.
~
There was a small boy was sitting on a bed, his hair shining in the sunshine that streamed through the window. He was drawing patterns on the plain blue blanket, pretending that there were dinosaurs all over them.
Diana was bending over him, a lady with soft brown hair and a frown on her face. She was tugging on the boy's hair with one hand, and waving a pair of scissors in the other. "Sit still Dallas!" she commanded. "Or your hair is going to turn out all messy."
The boy giggled. "Like yours?" Even at age five he was a pill.
The woman rolled her eyes but laughed with him. "No not like mine you little monster," she scolded. "And you'd better behave. And sit still! You want your new mommy to like your hair don't you?"
The boy nodded his head so fast it almost came right off. In spite of his desire to be good, he kept squirming and wiggling until Diana gave up, tossing away the scissors and giving him an annoyed look.
"Just brush it," the boy ordered. Naturally, he forgot to say please.
Just last week, in fact, when he'd heard the good news, they'd tried to teach him all the manners possible. He'd forgotten them easily. It was his own personal talent to misbehave. Luckily for him, it was also his own personal talent to gaze up at people with his blue eyes, turn on that five- year old charm and say "oops!" and easily get away with whatever he'd done when he was caught.
The woman combed his hair best she could. He never stopped moving once. In his hands he grasped a little backpack, blue of course, because it was his favourite colour, and the favourite colour of every other little boy in the building (and probably the world too). Well, not really. There had once been a boy on his floor whose favourite was the colour red, but he changed it to blue because they all said he liked a girl colour.
Finishing her grooming, Diana stepped back and surveyed the child in front of her. She knew him well, better than any of the other boys, partly because he'd been there since he'd been a baby, and partly because he was loud and not a bit shy, and was always getting sent to her for spankings. Most times she would have to give him a stern look, but today she smiled.
"You know what you're getting today don't you?" she said.
He nodded. "My own room."
The woman laughed. "You sure are."
The boy squirmed. "Can I go now?" he asked eagerly.
The lady nodded. "Got everything?"
"Yes," he replied solemnly. He'd made very sure of that.
"Sweater?"
"Yes."
"Juice?"
"Yes."
"You gonna give me a hug?"
They walked out slowly. The halls, decorated with paintings of bright yellow suns and tall green grass and rainbows, were strangely deserted. All the other five-year olds were in the mess room, having snack. But Dallas got to take his snack with him in his little blue backpack, because today he was special. Today he was getting adopted.
Down the stairs and into a large office they went. Dallas had been in the room before, but always because he'd been bad. Now there was a tall lady with red hair piled up on her head, watching him and smiling. A man stood behind her. He was also tall, with dark hair combed very nicely. Dallas was glad he'd let Diana comb his hair. The woman took a few steps toward him and crouched down.
"Are you Dallas?" she asked looking his straight in the eye.
He nodded, but said nothing, grasping tightly to his guardian's hand. He would have hid behind Diana if she'd let him.
Diana laughed. "He's never been shy before," she told his new mommy.
The woman nodded. "Well, honey," she said turning back to him. "You don't have to be afraid of me." She held out her hand.
Diana nudged him. "Go on," she whispered.
The woman's hand reached out to him. Dallas didn't want to take her hand. He'd already practised what he was going to do. He was going to hug her.
The woman was nearly knocked over as the small boy launched himself at her. But she laughed and hugged him back anyway. "We're going to be great friends you know," she whispered.
Dallas let her pick him up. She smelled so nice, like trees and roses. He watched the light shining off her red hair, and waved to Diana over her shoulder. He smiled at the man, who smiled back and patted his head.
"Wonder where he got his name, Jill," the man spoke up. "Dallas? Strange name for a kid ain't it?"
"It's lovely Bill," the woman replied. Dallas recognised the stern tone she was using, but the man kept smiling, so he probably didn't.
"You're in trouble," he whispered to the man and everyone laughed for some reason. He didn't think it was funny. Spankings hurt.
"His parents didn't name him," Diana said. "So we named his after his place of birth, in case someone adopted him early so they could name him whatever they wanted to."
"You can't name me anymore! I have a name!" he yelped, very indignant. "It's Dallas…"
~
Eleanor came to with a jolt. "What the hell?" she said out loud. She looked around quickly for the man, but he had left. In her hands she was tightly clutching a piece of paper. Adoption forms, she realised quickly. She let go of them. Her hands ached from gripping the paper so tightly, and she was surprised to see she was sweating heavily.
'What was that weird thought?' She rubbed her eyes feeling suddenly tired. The thought had been more like a memory. She hadn't had to think at all. It had been like a dream, only the people seemed very real, and everything made sense. Suppressing a yawn Eleanor lay back against the pillows. Whatever the 'thought' had been, it had made her extremely sleepy. She managed to shove the adoption papers under her pillow before completely zonking out.
~
Darry surveyed the living room with an exhausted smile. 12 o'clock and the room was spotless. In fact, the house was spotless. Perfectly straightened for his ordeal with the Social Service lady tomorrow night. Wiping his forehead on his cleaning rag, Darry hefted the soapy bucket of water and trudged to the door. Now all he had to do was make sure Soda and Ponyboy didn't mess the place up, find them all some decent clothes to wear, make sure Two-Bit or Tim didn't happen to amble over around 7 tomorrow, cook a world class meal, and through all of this, he had to work a regular 9-5 day tomorrow. "Lord help us," he moaned dropping down on the minuscule porch. He leaned his head against the bucket, and within seconds he'd fallen into a deep and soapy sleep.
A/N: This is a direct continuation of the last chapter. It's probably confusing. I'm very sorry.
P.S. I think this one is cheesy. Oh well. My bad.
2 ~
Eleanor remembered.
~
There was a small boy was sitting on a bed, his hair shining in the sunshine that streamed through the window. He was drawing patterns on the plain blue blanket, pretending that there were dinosaurs all over them.
Diana was bending over him, a lady with soft brown hair and a frown on her face. She was tugging on the boy's hair with one hand, and waving a pair of scissors in the other. "Sit still Dallas!" she commanded. "Or your hair is going to turn out all messy."
The boy giggled. "Like yours?" Even at age five he was a pill.
The woman rolled her eyes but laughed with him. "No not like mine you little monster," she scolded. "And you'd better behave. And sit still! You want your new mommy to like your hair don't you?"
The boy nodded his head so fast it almost came right off. In spite of his desire to be good, he kept squirming and wiggling until Diana gave up, tossing away the scissors and giving him an annoyed look.
"Just brush it," the boy ordered. Naturally, he forgot to say please.
Just last week, in fact, when he'd heard the good news, they'd tried to teach him all the manners possible. He'd forgotten them easily. It was his own personal talent to misbehave. Luckily for him, it was also his own personal talent to gaze up at people with his blue eyes, turn on that five- year old charm and say "oops!" and easily get away with whatever he'd done when he was caught.
The woman combed his hair best she could. He never stopped moving once. In his hands he grasped a little backpack, blue of course, because it was his favourite colour, and the favourite colour of every other little boy in the building (and probably the world too). Well, not really. There had once been a boy on his floor whose favourite was the colour red, but he changed it to blue because they all said he liked a girl colour.
Finishing her grooming, Diana stepped back and surveyed the child in front of her. She knew him well, better than any of the other boys, partly because he'd been there since he'd been a baby, and partly because he was loud and not a bit shy, and was always getting sent to her for spankings. Most times she would have to give him a stern look, but today she smiled.
"You know what you're getting today don't you?" she said.
He nodded. "My own room."
The woman laughed. "You sure are."
The boy squirmed. "Can I go now?" he asked eagerly.
The lady nodded. "Got everything?"
"Yes," he replied solemnly. He'd made very sure of that.
"Sweater?"
"Yes."
"Juice?"
"Yes."
"You gonna give me a hug?"
They walked out slowly. The halls, decorated with paintings of bright yellow suns and tall green grass and rainbows, were strangely deserted. All the other five-year olds were in the mess room, having snack. But Dallas got to take his snack with him in his little blue backpack, because today he was special. Today he was getting adopted.
Down the stairs and into a large office they went. Dallas had been in the room before, but always because he'd been bad. Now there was a tall lady with red hair piled up on her head, watching him and smiling. A man stood behind her. He was also tall, with dark hair combed very nicely. Dallas was glad he'd let Diana comb his hair. The woman took a few steps toward him and crouched down.
"Are you Dallas?" she asked looking his straight in the eye.
He nodded, but said nothing, grasping tightly to his guardian's hand. He would have hid behind Diana if she'd let him.
Diana laughed. "He's never been shy before," she told his new mommy.
The woman nodded. "Well, honey," she said turning back to him. "You don't have to be afraid of me." She held out her hand.
Diana nudged him. "Go on," she whispered.
The woman's hand reached out to him. Dallas didn't want to take her hand. He'd already practised what he was going to do. He was going to hug her.
The woman was nearly knocked over as the small boy launched himself at her. But she laughed and hugged him back anyway. "We're going to be great friends you know," she whispered.
Dallas let her pick him up. She smelled so nice, like trees and roses. He watched the light shining off her red hair, and waved to Diana over her shoulder. He smiled at the man, who smiled back and patted his head.
"Wonder where he got his name, Jill," the man spoke up. "Dallas? Strange name for a kid ain't it?"
"It's lovely Bill," the woman replied. Dallas recognised the stern tone she was using, but the man kept smiling, so he probably didn't.
"You're in trouble," he whispered to the man and everyone laughed for some reason. He didn't think it was funny. Spankings hurt.
"His parents didn't name him," Diana said. "So we named his after his place of birth, in case someone adopted him early so they could name him whatever they wanted to."
"You can't name me anymore! I have a name!" he yelped, very indignant. "It's Dallas…"
~
Eleanor came to with a jolt. "What the hell?" she said out loud. She looked around quickly for the man, but he had left. In her hands she was tightly clutching a piece of paper. Adoption forms, she realised quickly. She let go of them. Her hands ached from gripping the paper so tightly, and she was surprised to see she was sweating heavily.
'What was that weird thought?' She rubbed her eyes feeling suddenly tired. The thought had been more like a memory. She hadn't had to think at all. It had been like a dream, only the people seemed very real, and everything made sense. Suppressing a yawn Eleanor lay back against the pillows. Whatever the 'thought' had been, it had made her extremely sleepy. She managed to shove the adoption papers under her pillow before completely zonking out.
~
Darry surveyed the living room with an exhausted smile. 12 o'clock and the room was spotless. In fact, the house was spotless. Perfectly straightened for his ordeal with the Social Service lady tomorrow night. Wiping his forehead on his cleaning rag, Darry hefted the soapy bucket of water and trudged to the door. Now all he had to do was make sure Soda and Ponyboy didn't mess the place up, find them all some decent clothes to wear, make sure Two-Bit or Tim didn't happen to amble over around 7 tomorrow, cook a world class meal, and through all of this, he had to work a regular 9-5 day tomorrow. "Lord help us," he moaned dropping down on the minuscule porch. He leaned his head against the bucket, and within seconds he'd fallen into a deep and soapy sleep.