That night when we had all sat down to dinner the phone rang. I groaned and
got up to get it. "Hello?"
"May I please speak to Darry?" The voice said.
"That's me." I said. The line was silent for a minute. "Hello?" I asked again.
"Um, Darry, it's Brooke. Brooke Talent."
I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. Brooke Talent? My mind was racing. Brooke Talent? I hadn't heard from my high school girlfriend in over two years. One day she had just up and left. I hadn't seen her since. I finally spoke up. "Brooke?" I said shakily.
"Yeah. Listen I really need to talk to you. There's something really important that we need to discuss."
"Well it's a little late for explanations on why you never said goodbye, don't you think?" I snapped. My shock had suddenly turned to anger.
She sighed. "Darry, please. I need to talk to you. Will you meet me somewhere?"
"What? Now?" I asked. "It's been over two years, Brooke. You can't wait one more day?"
"No, it's really important."
I sighed and glanced over at my brothers in the kitchen who were staring at me. They quickly looked away. "All-right." I said. "Where?"
"Remember that place we used to hang out at all the time? Is that still open."
"Yeah, the Dingo." I said.
"I'll meet you there in ten minutes." She said and hung up before I could say anything further.
"Broo-" Dial tone. I put the phone down and went to get my shoes. "Pony, Soda," I said walking back out. "I have to go see someone. I don't know when I'll back. Maybe an hour."
"Where you going?" Pony asked.
"I'll tell you later. Both of you stay here until I get back." I said and left.
I got there five minutes later and pulled up to the curb to park. As I walked in I saw her. I paused for a moment and just stood at the door. I then took a deep breath and walked over there, sitting down. She looked up surprised.
"Hi." She spoke softly. Boy did she look nervous but she looked as beautiful as she always had.
"So what is it that you had to talk about right this second?" I asked. She didn't say anything for a minute.
"Well, why don't you do me a favor and first explain why you disappeared the day before graduation and never made any effort to contact me and tell me where you had gone? The only thing you left behind was that ring I gave you, which I found in my locker on what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life?" I asked.
"Darry, I'm so sorry. I know I should've-"
"Two years after you're apologizing? Are you expecting me to say it's ok? To tell you that it doesn't matter anymore? I'm over it? It's all-right? Is that what you want me to say because it ain't happening."
"Darry, I have something I have to tell you and it's not easy for me so please just listen."
I looked at her curiously. "What is it?"
She pulled a small picture out of her purse and handed it to me. I looked at it and studied the infant in the photograph. An idea was dawning on me.
"That's Katherine Marie Curtis. She's one and a half years old."
I slowly looked up at Brooke. "Do you mean to tell me that-"
"I would've told you sooner Darry but I didn't know how."
I held the picture up to her. "This is my baby girl?" She nodded. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." She laughed but tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I wasn't sleeping with anybody else while I was dating you."
I looked at her shocked. I didn't know what to say or think. It was hard to speak and I was afraid if I did I'd start screaming for all the anger that was slowly growing inside me. I finally found something to say.
"I've had a baby for a year and a half and you didn't get a chance in all that time to tell me about her? You couldn't have done me the courtesy or saying, Darry, I'm pregnant before you decided to pick up and leave?"
She wiped away escaping tears but couldn't hold back the sobs. "I was scared Darry. I didn't know what to do and I didn't want to hurt you. You had your whole life ahead of you. I didn't want to throw this news at you right before graduation. I wanted you to get to college and go on living your life the way you've always wanted to."
"Don't you think I have the right to know about my own child!?" I said, fuming. No wonder she wanted to meet in a public place. I would've completely blown up at her over the phone.
"I'm sorry, Darry. I just-"
"You can't just come back years later, tell me I've got a kid, and expect everything to be ok. It ain't ok. There's a lot about this that ain't ok. If you'd told me it's not like I wouldn't have been supportive about it. Brooke, we could've gotten married and taken care of the baby. We still could've gone to school. We would've figured something out! Something!"
"It wouldn't have been that easy, Darry. You know it." She said.
"You still should've told me. I can't believe you went all this time without letting me know." We were silent for a moment. I looked at the picture again. "She's cute." I said.
"Yeah, she is." Brooke said.
"Where is she?"
"Who, Katherine?"
"No, the first female president of the United States. of course Katherine!" I yelled. I'm guessing by this time everybody in the Dingo was looking at us but I don't know for sure because I wasn't paying attention to that.
"She's at home with a sitter."
"I wanna see her."
"Now?" Brooke asked.
"Yes, now! It's been long enough already. I wanna see her."
Brooke nodded. "All-right. Lets go." We got up and walked outside. "Don't you wanna follow me in your car?" She asked.
I shook my head. "No, I'll ride with you if you don't mind. I don't want to risk you taking off again." She looked hurt but nodded. I got in the passengers seat and we drove for a while.
My anticipation was growing by the second so I started to make small talk. "Where are you staying?" I asked.
"With a friend."
"Where do you live now?"
"I moved to California." She said. "When I was growing up I always wanted to live near the beach."
"I know. You told me." I said. "We used to have big fights about that, remember?"
She nodded. "I wanted to get married and move there. You wanted to stay in Oklahoma where all your family is. I just wanted to get away from mine. Sometimes I just hate my parents."
I sighed at her words. "You ought to stop hating them and establish a relationship. I love my parents and I miss them something awful. I hate seeing people that have their parents still but just take them for granted."
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"A little while after you left my mother and father died in an auto wreck. So I dropped everything I was doing and started taking care of my two kid brothers. I have been ever since."
"I'm sorry about your parents, Darry." She said softly.
"Thanks." I said, staring out the window. It really hurt to talk about it.
"May I please speak to Darry?" The voice said.
"That's me." I said. The line was silent for a minute. "Hello?" I asked again.
"Um, Darry, it's Brooke. Brooke Talent."
I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. Brooke Talent? My mind was racing. Brooke Talent? I hadn't heard from my high school girlfriend in over two years. One day she had just up and left. I hadn't seen her since. I finally spoke up. "Brooke?" I said shakily.
"Yeah. Listen I really need to talk to you. There's something really important that we need to discuss."
"Well it's a little late for explanations on why you never said goodbye, don't you think?" I snapped. My shock had suddenly turned to anger.
She sighed. "Darry, please. I need to talk to you. Will you meet me somewhere?"
"What? Now?" I asked. "It's been over two years, Brooke. You can't wait one more day?"
"No, it's really important."
I sighed and glanced over at my brothers in the kitchen who were staring at me. They quickly looked away. "All-right." I said. "Where?"
"Remember that place we used to hang out at all the time? Is that still open."
"Yeah, the Dingo." I said.
"I'll meet you there in ten minutes." She said and hung up before I could say anything further.
"Broo-" Dial tone. I put the phone down and went to get my shoes. "Pony, Soda," I said walking back out. "I have to go see someone. I don't know when I'll back. Maybe an hour."
"Where you going?" Pony asked.
"I'll tell you later. Both of you stay here until I get back." I said and left.
I got there five minutes later and pulled up to the curb to park. As I walked in I saw her. I paused for a moment and just stood at the door. I then took a deep breath and walked over there, sitting down. She looked up surprised.
"Hi." She spoke softly. Boy did she look nervous but she looked as beautiful as she always had.
"So what is it that you had to talk about right this second?" I asked. She didn't say anything for a minute.
"Well, why don't you do me a favor and first explain why you disappeared the day before graduation and never made any effort to contact me and tell me where you had gone? The only thing you left behind was that ring I gave you, which I found in my locker on what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life?" I asked.
"Darry, I'm so sorry. I know I should've-"
"Two years after you're apologizing? Are you expecting me to say it's ok? To tell you that it doesn't matter anymore? I'm over it? It's all-right? Is that what you want me to say because it ain't happening."
"Darry, I have something I have to tell you and it's not easy for me so please just listen."
I looked at her curiously. "What is it?"
She pulled a small picture out of her purse and handed it to me. I looked at it and studied the infant in the photograph. An idea was dawning on me.
"That's Katherine Marie Curtis. She's one and a half years old."
I slowly looked up at Brooke. "Do you mean to tell me that-"
"I would've told you sooner Darry but I didn't know how."
I held the picture up to her. "This is my baby girl?" She nodded. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." She laughed but tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I wasn't sleeping with anybody else while I was dating you."
I looked at her shocked. I didn't know what to say or think. It was hard to speak and I was afraid if I did I'd start screaming for all the anger that was slowly growing inside me. I finally found something to say.
"I've had a baby for a year and a half and you didn't get a chance in all that time to tell me about her? You couldn't have done me the courtesy or saying, Darry, I'm pregnant before you decided to pick up and leave?"
She wiped away escaping tears but couldn't hold back the sobs. "I was scared Darry. I didn't know what to do and I didn't want to hurt you. You had your whole life ahead of you. I didn't want to throw this news at you right before graduation. I wanted you to get to college and go on living your life the way you've always wanted to."
"Don't you think I have the right to know about my own child!?" I said, fuming. No wonder she wanted to meet in a public place. I would've completely blown up at her over the phone.
"I'm sorry, Darry. I just-"
"You can't just come back years later, tell me I've got a kid, and expect everything to be ok. It ain't ok. There's a lot about this that ain't ok. If you'd told me it's not like I wouldn't have been supportive about it. Brooke, we could've gotten married and taken care of the baby. We still could've gone to school. We would've figured something out! Something!"
"It wouldn't have been that easy, Darry. You know it." She said.
"You still should've told me. I can't believe you went all this time without letting me know." We were silent for a moment. I looked at the picture again. "She's cute." I said.
"Yeah, she is." Brooke said.
"Where is she?"
"Who, Katherine?"
"No, the first female president of the United States. of course Katherine!" I yelled. I'm guessing by this time everybody in the Dingo was looking at us but I don't know for sure because I wasn't paying attention to that.
"She's at home with a sitter."
"I wanna see her."
"Now?" Brooke asked.
"Yes, now! It's been long enough already. I wanna see her."
Brooke nodded. "All-right. Lets go." We got up and walked outside. "Don't you wanna follow me in your car?" She asked.
I shook my head. "No, I'll ride with you if you don't mind. I don't want to risk you taking off again." She looked hurt but nodded. I got in the passengers seat and we drove for a while.
My anticipation was growing by the second so I started to make small talk. "Where are you staying?" I asked.
"With a friend."
"Where do you live now?"
"I moved to California." She said. "When I was growing up I always wanted to live near the beach."
"I know. You told me." I said. "We used to have big fights about that, remember?"
She nodded. "I wanted to get married and move there. You wanted to stay in Oklahoma where all your family is. I just wanted to get away from mine. Sometimes I just hate my parents."
I sighed at her words. "You ought to stop hating them and establish a relationship. I love my parents and I miss them something awful. I hate seeing people that have their parents still but just take them for granted."
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"A little while after you left my mother and father died in an auto wreck. So I dropped everything I was doing and started taking care of my two kid brothers. I have been ever since."
"I'm sorry about your parents, Darry." She said softly.
"Thanks." I said, staring out the window. It really hurt to talk about it.