[A/N. okay so I know in practical terms that the Curtis' family should have
sold the trip for the money, but I'm not practical. If I won a holiday
somewhere I'd sure take it! Plus I couldn't resist the idea of the Curtis'
in London!]
SIX:
"Ponyboy Curtis, do you remember a competition you entered not long ago? The first prize was a trip to London?" The man asked.
"Sure do!" I said. How could I forget? Darry had been so annoyed at me for entering, but when I told Soda a funny look had come over his face, and he'd said, "Well at least someone's got hope here!"
"Well Mr. Curtis, it is my great duty to inform you that you've won first place. You're off to London!" The man crowed.
I was stunned. I couldn't speak.
"Mr. Curtis? Are you still there?" The man asked.
"Yeah, I'm here." I managed. "Glory, I never thought I'd win!"
"Well you have!" The man said.
After I hung up I sat there by the phone in shock. I'd never been on a plane, I'd never been to another state really, let alone another country. I thought about the English shows I'd seen and wondered whether it was really like that. I knew that they drove on the wrong side of the road, talked funny, ate funny foods and their cops were called "bobby's" but that was about it. I tried to remember anything I'd learnt in school about England- but it was all about wars and beheadings and bloody things like that!
When Soda came home a little bit later I was still sitting there and he looked at me strangely. "Pony, you alright?" He asked, looking concerned.
"Alright." I replied, my voice sounding funny. "Soda, I just had a phone call from the competition I entered the other week. Soda we won. We're going to London."
Soda stared at me. "Good joke Pony." He said. "You coulda' started something for dinner."
"Soda!" I said. "I'm not joking! The Curtis' are off to London. And of course another person can come, it was a trip for four."
Soda stared at me still, and it seemed to hit him all of a sudden that I wasn't joking! He let out a loud whoop, and then started cartwheeling around the room. "We're goin' to London! We're goin' to London!" He kept chanting as he did so.
I lit a cigarette in a shaky hand. I couldn't believe that we had seriously won a holiday. And not just any holiday-one overseas! After everything that had happened in the last few months finally something good was happening to us! Finally! We deserved this more than anyone I thought!
Eventually Soda stopped acting like a circus clown, and my hand stopped shaking. "What do you say we get a pizza for tea? I think we should celebrate!"
"Sure," I agreed. "Pizza is good."
*****
Darry came home later that night, exhausted, and looking surprised to see us eating a pizza. He slid into a seat, and grabbed a slice, taking a big bite before speaking. "What's with the pizza?"
Soda and I looked at each other.
"Well it's like this Dar-" Soda began, but it was my news, so I interrupted him.
"You remember that competition I entered Darry?" I asked.
"Sure." Darry said darkly.
"Well we won." I replied, trying to hide my grin, but I was unsuccessful, and I broke out into a big smile, which Soda was echoing.
"Won? You're hilarious guys. Have you ever thought about a career as a comedian team?" Darry replied. "But really, I'm too tired for jokes."
"Darry, it's no joke." Soda said.
Darry looked into Soda's eyes. The eyes which can never lie, and his face lit up. "You really won Pony? Wow!"
"We're going to London Darry!" I replied.
Darry's face dropped a little now. "I don't know that I can go." He said. "I've just started at this new job, I don't think they'd want to give me time off already."
"Darry!" Soda said. "You can't not go. You haven't had a holiday for ages. You work too hard, and you don't even take days off for heavens sake."
"Well we know that, but my new boss doesn't." Darry replied.
Soda sighed, and put his head in his hands thoughtfully. I knew what he was thinking because I was thinking the same. There was no way we could go off to London and leave Darry behind working. It was just not fair! But then I had a thought. But I knew there was no way on earth that Darry would do it, he was too proud. But I wasn't. And I wanted to go to London!
*****
The next afternoon after school I went to the hospital. I left class as soon as the bell rang, and didn't even bother going to my locker so I could avoid Two-Bit or any of my friends. I'd noticed Mandy in school looking at me, and for a moment during the day I had thought she was going to talk to me, so I'd quickly turned and hurried away. It had been hard telling not telling Two-Bit about my winning the trip, but since we'd pretty much admitted last night we wouldn't be able to go, there was no point. Yet.
It wasn't hard to find Darry's old boss's room. He looked surprised to see me. I'd only met him on one or two occasions. I glanced around the room, filled with lots of machines, and by the bed was a wheelchair waiting for him to be able to get out of bed and into it.
"Darry's little brother right?" He asked me, and I nodded.
"How ya going?" I asked.
He sighed. "As best as can be expected I guess. It's just hard to imagine not walking again."
I nodded. "I couldn't cope with it I don't think." I said sympathetically.
"I don't know whether I will." He agreed. "So, there must be a reason for your visit? I don't think you just came to see how I was, did you?"
I laughed, a little embarrassed. "Not exactly, no."
"Well?" He asked, looking at me expectantly.
"It's like this.." I said, and I explained about how I'd won this competition, and I thought that it would be great to get overseas, especially after all we'd been through in the last few months, but Darry didn't think he'd be able to get time off from his new job as he'd just started there. We all knew how hard working he was, and how much he deserved, and needed, a holiday, but the new boss didn't! And without Darry we couldn't go!
The old boss nodded slowly, as he thought about this all. "You're right. If anyone deserves a holiday it's sure Darryl Curtis. Leave it to me Ponyboy. I'll make a phone call now."
I smiled, and thanked him.
Back at home I didn't tell Soda what I'd done. I didn't know whether I was going to be in trouble for it or not.
Darry arrived home later than usual, but we'd started tea later than usual and were just sitting down to it when he walked through the door. He looked straight at me.
"Sometimes Pony I don't know whether to strangle you or hug you." He said.
I bit my lip. Well it seemed as if Darry's old boss had kept his promise and called his new boss if this comment was anything to go by. But what was the outcome?
"Honestly, you had to meddle didn't you?" Darry asked frowning.
I sighed. Bad news then? Had Darry's new boss decided it didn't matter, and therefore Darry wasn't allowed to go, and we weren't going? Still, surely I'd had nothing to lose right?
And then Darry grinned. "We're all going to London!" He said.
I let out a deep breath. "Glory Darry!" I complained. "You didn't have to scare me like that!"
"Well it'll teach you to keep your big mouth shut in future." Darry replied. "Not that I'm not a little pleased you don't have the humility I do!"
Soda was looking confused. "What's going on?" He demanded.
"I better go see Two-Bit. He'll come with us right Dar?" I asked. There was no question of me asking Steve-not just because I didn't like him, but because after him being off with his broken arm there would be no way he'd be allowed to have more time off work. I was pretty sure that Soda's boss would give him the week off because he'd been working extra hard with Steve injured.
"Darry! Pony!" Soda said angrily. "Will someone fill me in here?"
Darry grinned, and relented. He told him what I'd done, and Soda grinned. "Good on ya Pony!"
I left my dinner sitting there, and hurried over to tell Two-Bit we were off to London! His reaction was a little different from my brothers. He didn't think it was a joke, he started singing something about werewolves of London.
"Knock it off Two-Bit!" I said. "We'll leave you behind otherwise!"
He grinned at me and stopped, knowing that there was no way we'd possibly be able to leave him behind!
We were going to London!!!!!!
SIX:
"Ponyboy Curtis, do you remember a competition you entered not long ago? The first prize was a trip to London?" The man asked.
"Sure do!" I said. How could I forget? Darry had been so annoyed at me for entering, but when I told Soda a funny look had come over his face, and he'd said, "Well at least someone's got hope here!"
"Well Mr. Curtis, it is my great duty to inform you that you've won first place. You're off to London!" The man crowed.
I was stunned. I couldn't speak.
"Mr. Curtis? Are you still there?" The man asked.
"Yeah, I'm here." I managed. "Glory, I never thought I'd win!"
"Well you have!" The man said.
After I hung up I sat there by the phone in shock. I'd never been on a plane, I'd never been to another state really, let alone another country. I thought about the English shows I'd seen and wondered whether it was really like that. I knew that they drove on the wrong side of the road, talked funny, ate funny foods and their cops were called "bobby's" but that was about it. I tried to remember anything I'd learnt in school about England- but it was all about wars and beheadings and bloody things like that!
When Soda came home a little bit later I was still sitting there and he looked at me strangely. "Pony, you alright?" He asked, looking concerned.
"Alright." I replied, my voice sounding funny. "Soda, I just had a phone call from the competition I entered the other week. Soda we won. We're going to London."
Soda stared at me. "Good joke Pony." He said. "You coulda' started something for dinner."
"Soda!" I said. "I'm not joking! The Curtis' are off to London. And of course another person can come, it was a trip for four."
Soda stared at me still, and it seemed to hit him all of a sudden that I wasn't joking! He let out a loud whoop, and then started cartwheeling around the room. "We're goin' to London! We're goin' to London!" He kept chanting as he did so.
I lit a cigarette in a shaky hand. I couldn't believe that we had seriously won a holiday. And not just any holiday-one overseas! After everything that had happened in the last few months finally something good was happening to us! Finally! We deserved this more than anyone I thought!
Eventually Soda stopped acting like a circus clown, and my hand stopped shaking. "What do you say we get a pizza for tea? I think we should celebrate!"
"Sure," I agreed. "Pizza is good."
*****
Darry came home later that night, exhausted, and looking surprised to see us eating a pizza. He slid into a seat, and grabbed a slice, taking a big bite before speaking. "What's with the pizza?"
Soda and I looked at each other.
"Well it's like this Dar-" Soda began, but it was my news, so I interrupted him.
"You remember that competition I entered Darry?" I asked.
"Sure." Darry said darkly.
"Well we won." I replied, trying to hide my grin, but I was unsuccessful, and I broke out into a big smile, which Soda was echoing.
"Won? You're hilarious guys. Have you ever thought about a career as a comedian team?" Darry replied. "But really, I'm too tired for jokes."
"Darry, it's no joke." Soda said.
Darry looked into Soda's eyes. The eyes which can never lie, and his face lit up. "You really won Pony? Wow!"
"We're going to London Darry!" I replied.
Darry's face dropped a little now. "I don't know that I can go." He said. "I've just started at this new job, I don't think they'd want to give me time off already."
"Darry!" Soda said. "You can't not go. You haven't had a holiday for ages. You work too hard, and you don't even take days off for heavens sake."
"Well we know that, but my new boss doesn't." Darry replied.
Soda sighed, and put his head in his hands thoughtfully. I knew what he was thinking because I was thinking the same. There was no way we could go off to London and leave Darry behind working. It was just not fair! But then I had a thought. But I knew there was no way on earth that Darry would do it, he was too proud. But I wasn't. And I wanted to go to London!
*****
The next afternoon after school I went to the hospital. I left class as soon as the bell rang, and didn't even bother going to my locker so I could avoid Two-Bit or any of my friends. I'd noticed Mandy in school looking at me, and for a moment during the day I had thought she was going to talk to me, so I'd quickly turned and hurried away. It had been hard telling not telling Two-Bit about my winning the trip, but since we'd pretty much admitted last night we wouldn't be able to go, there was no point. Yet.
It wasn't hard to find Darry's old boss's room. He looked surprised to see me. I'd only met him on one or two occasions. I glanced around the room, filled with lots of machines, and by the bed was a wheelchair waiting for him to be able to get out of bed and into it.
"Darry's little brother right?" He asked me, and I nodded.
"How ya going?" I asked.
He sighed. "As best as can be expected I guess. It's just hard to imagine not walking again."
I nodded. "I couldn't cope with it I don't think." I said sympathetically.
"I don't know whether I will." He agreed. "So, there must be a reason for your visit? I don't think you just came to see how I was, did you?"
I laughed, a little embarrassed. "Not exactly, no."
"Well?" He asked, looking at me expectantly.
"It's like this.." I said, and I explained about how I'd won this competition, and I thought that it would be great to get overseas, especially after all we'd been through in the last few months, but Darry didn't think he'd be able to get time off from his new job as he'd just started there. We all knew how hard working he was, and how much he deserved, and needed, a holiday, but the new boss didn't! And without Darry we couldn't go!
The old boss nodded slowly, as he thought about this all. "You're right. If anyone deserves a holiday it's sure Darryl Curtis. Leave it to me Ponyboy. I'll make a phone call now."
I smiled, and thanked him.
Back at home I didn't tell Soda what I'd done. I didn't know whether I was going to be in trouble for it or not.
Darry arrived home later than usual, but we'd started tea later than usual and were just sitting down to it when he walked through the door. He looked straight at me.
"Sometimes Pony I don't know whether to strangle you or hug you." He said.
I bit my lip. Well it seemed as if Darry's old boss had kept his promise and called his new boss if this comment was anything to go by. But what was the outcome?
"Honestly, you had to meddle didn't you?" Darry asked frowning.
I sighed. Bad news then? Had Darry's new boss decided it didn't matter, and therefore Darry wasn't allowed to go, and we weren't going? Still, surely I'd had nothing to lose right?
And then Darry grinned. "We're all going to London!" He said.
I let out a deep breath. "Glory Darry!" I complained. "You didn't have to scare me like that!"
"Well it'll teach you to keep your big mouth shut in future." Darry replied. "Not that I'm not a little pleased you don't have the humility I do!"
Soda was looking confused. "What's going on?" He demanded.
"I better go see Two-Bit. He'll come with us right Dar?" I asked. There was no question of me asking Steve-not just because I didn't like him, but because after him being off with his broken arm there would be no way he'd be allowed to have more time off work. I was pretty sure that Soda's boss would give him the week off because he'd been working extra hard with Steve injured.
"Darry! Pony!" Soda said angrily. "Will someone fill me in here?"
Darry grinned, and relented. He told him what I'd done, and Soda grinned. "Good on ya Pony!"
I left my dinner sitting there, and hurried over to tell Two-Bit we were off to London! His reaction was a little different from my brothers. He didn't think it was a joke, he started singing something about werewolves of London.
"Knock it off Two-Bit!" I said. "We'll leave you behind otherwise!"
He grinned at me and stopped, knowing that there was no way we'd possibly be able to leave him behind!
We were going to London!!!!!!