Yeah, it was a long day all-right. It felt more like a week than a day. By
five o'clock when Soda got home there was baby powder covering half of the
living room, scrambled eggs stuck in the carpet, dirty diapers piled up
high in the trash can, and several stuffed toys in various places. However,
to my great relief she had worn herself out and fallen asleep on my
shoulder. When Soda and Steve walked in to find the house in such a
condition they both broke down in laughter and I couldn't get them to shut
up until several minutes later. I was busy on my hands and knees trying to
clean all the baby powder off of the furniture. I had put Katherine in my
bed, in the middle with two pillows on each side of her. So I don't know
much about baby's but at least I know they fall out of bed, right?
"Darry!" Soda said, rolling with laughter. "This place looks like it was invaded by Martians. What the heck have ya'll been doing today?"
"Don't ask." I murmured and that just made everybody laugh harder.
"Where is she?" Soda asked, when everybody had calmed down. "Did you loose her already?"
"No." I said sullenly as I finished getting the baby powder off of the piano. "She's sleeping and if anybody wakes her up their in for it." I said. I guess they knew I met business because they lowered their voices. It took me an hour to finally get everything cleaned up. Pony and Soda weren't any help at all either. I didn't want to make them though because it wasn't their job to clean up my kids mess. After checking up on Katherine I went into the kitchen to start dinner. Just as I began though she started to cry.
"Oh Darry." They started.
"I hear her." I said grumpily and made my way back to my room. "Shhh." I said, picking her up. She stopped crying after a minute of so and I carried her back out into the living room. "Guys why don't ya'll go out to eat." I said, throwing Soda some cash. "I'm gonna stay here and wait for Brooke to pick her up."
"Tuff." Soda said cocking an eyebrow as he counted the bills. "Can we take the truck?" I nodded and threw him the keys. They all stood up and headed out happily.
"Soda, Pony." I yelled after them. They turned. "If ya'll wanna go somewhere after dinner give me a call first so I know where you are, ok?"
"Sure thing, Dar." Soda said.
"Bye." Pony yelled.
When they were gone I went into my room and got the number Brooke gave me for where she was staying. It was already six p.m. and I really wanted to know where she was. I called and asked to speak to Brooke Talent.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid you have the wrong number." The women on the other line said.
"Oh," I said surprised. "I'm sorry, Bye." I hung up and sighed. Then I wondered. would she give me a phony number? I turned to Katherine. "Where's your mommy huh? Do you know?"
"Momma go bye bye." She said.
"Yeah she did." I said walking into the kitchen to get her some dinner. "But she's supposed to come back soon. I don't know if she gave me enough diapers and stuff to last this long."
"Num num." She said as I got out the peanut butter.
I chuckled to myself. "Yeah, I agree. This is good stuff."
I woke up at 10 p.m. I had fallen asleep in front of the television with Katherine on my lap. I almost stood straight up but then I remembered she was there. I gently lifted her and brought her to my room to sleep. When I checked the clock I freaked out. Where in the world was Brooke? She hadn't even called like she said she would. I hoped I didn't sleep through any phone calls. Wait a second. where are Pony and Soda? They left at six and I know dinner didn't last four hours.
"Darry, you awake?" Someone yelled. It was Pony. Oh ok, so they were home. That's one less thing to worry about.
"Yeah." I shouted back. "Listen guys." I said walking into their room. "Brooke still ain't back yet so I'm gonna go over to the place she's staying. Katherine's asleep in my room. Watch her until I get back ok?"
"Why do we havta baby-sit?" Pony asked.
"She's sleeping. All you havta do is listen for her."
"What if your gone a long time and she wakes up?" Soda asked.
"I won't be gone long." I said and went out to the truck. Right about now I was beginning to wonder if Brooke was even gonna come back at all. I pushed that out of my head though and convinced myself that she would. She's just running late. I told myself. Really late. I found my way to the house she'd driven me to before. A young women answered the door. About my age. She looked at me strangely.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, is Brooke here?" I asked.
"Oh no." She said so softly that I could barely hear her.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"You're Darry, aren't you?" She asked. I nodded. "I'm sorry, I don't wanna get mixed up in this. I didn't know you'd come here. How did you know. did she show you this place?"
"Where's Brooke?" I asked, ignoring her questions. I was beginning to loose my temper. I'd been nice and watched Katherine all day when I was supposed to be at work and now it was past ten p.m., Brooke was still gone, and nobody would tell me what was going on.
"I don't know where she went." The girl said. "I'm sorry." She shut the door and locked it.
"Hey!" I yelled and pounded on the door. "Hey, open up! I need to talk to you!" There was no answer and I soon gave up and got back into my truck.
"Darry, how come the kids still here anyways?" Soda asked the second I walked in. "When's Brooke coming back?"
"I don't think she is coming back." I said, fuming. I had really known this in the back of my head ever since five p.m. I knew if she wasn't back by then she wouldn't be returning at all. Brooke had done this once before and I didn't doubt that she would do it again.
"What do you mean you don't think she's coming back!?" Soda shrieked.
"You know what I mean." I said.
"What's wrong?" Pony asked, walking out.
"Darry, she can't do this." Soda said. "There's gotta be a law or something. Ain't there a bunch of legal stuff involved in things like this? Whatever happened to custody hearings?"
"Shut up and lemme think." I said. I didn't mean to say that to him but I was kind of freaking out at that moment.
"What are you guys talking about?" Pony asked. I shushed him and tried to think of what to do. Maybe I'm just overreacting. I told myself. She could be here any minute. I knew that was unlikely though.
"I think that Brooke took off. I doubt she's coming back, Ponyboy. She probably went back to California."
"Was that her that called?" Pony asked.
I turned to him. "What?"
"This lady called and she told me to tell you to look in the blue bag she left. She said there was something in the side pocket that she needed to give you." At his words I rushed over and ripped open the bag. I yanked out a bunch of forms and this brown paper sack. The papers contained her birth certificate and other legal things like that. There was also a letter. I then emptied out the paper sack and three stacks of a hundred dollars bills came out. I could hear my brothers gasp.
"There must be at least ten thousand dollars here." I murmured, remembering the story about her wealthy ex-husband. I then opened up the not and read it.
Dear Darry, I've gotten into some trouble and I can't take care of her anymore. Most of Katherine's clothes and toys are in those bags I left with you. I've also left some money which you'll find in the bag and I hope it will help with most of the expenses. I'm so sorry I had to do this to you again but I had no where else to turn. Please take care of our daughter for me. With Love, Brooke
"Darry!" Soda said, rolling with laughter. "This place looks like it was invaded by Martians. What the heck have ya'll been doing today?"
"Don't ask." I murmured and that just made everybody laugh harder.
"Where is she?" Soda asked, when everybody had calmed down. "Did you loose her already?"
"No." I said sullenly as I finished getting the baby powder off of the piano. "She's sleeping and if anybody wakes her up their in for it." I said. I guess they knew I met business because they lowered their voices. It took me an hour to finally get everything cleaned up. Pony and Soda weren't any help at all either. I didn't want to make them though because it wasn't their job to clean up my kids mess. After checking up on Katherine I went into the kitchen to start dinner. Just as I began though she started to cry.
"Oh Darry." They started.
"I hear her." I said grumpily and made my way back to my room. "Shhh." I said, picking her up. She stopped crying after a minute of so and I carried her back out into the living room. "Guys why don't ya'll go out to eat." I said, throwing Soda some cash. "I'm gonna stay here and wait for Brooke to pick her up."
"Tuff." Soda said cocking an eyebrow as he counted the bills. "Can we take the truck?" I nodded and threw him the keys. They all stood up and headed out happily.
"Soda, Pony." I yelled after them. They turned. "If ya'll wanna go somewhere after dinner give me a call first so I know where you are, ok?"
"Sure thing, Dar." Soda said.
"Bye." Pony yelled.
When they were gone I went into my room and got the number Brooke gave me for where she was staying. It was already six p.m. and I really wanted to know where she was. I called and asked to speak to Brooke Talent.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid you have the wrong number." The women on the other line said.
"Oh," I said surprised. "I'm sorry, Bye." I hung up and sighed. Then I wondered. would she give me a phony number? I turned to Katherine. "Where's your mommy huh? Do you know?"
"Momma go bye bye." She said.
"Yeah she did." I said walking into the kitchen to get her some dinner. "But she's supposed to come back soon. I don't know if she gave me enough diapers and stuff to last this long."
"Num num." She said as I got out the peanut butter.
I chuckled to myself. "Yeah, I agree. This is good stuff."
I woke up at 10 p.m. I had fallen asleep in front of the television with Katherine on my lap. I almost stood straight up but then I remembered she was there. I gently lifted her and brought her to my room to sleep. When I checked the clock I freaked out. Where in the world was Brooke? She hadn't even called like she said she would. I hoped I didn't sleep through any phone calls. Wait a second. where are Pony and Soda? They left at six and I know dinner didn't last four hours.
"Darry, you awake?" Someone yelled. It was Pony. Oh ok, so they were home. That's one less thing to worry about.
"Yeah." I shouted back. "Listen guys." I said walking into their room. "Brooke still ain't back yet so I'm gonna go over to the place she's staying. Katherine's asleep in my room. Watch her until I get back ok?"
"Why do we havta baby-sit?" Pony asked.
"She's sleeping. All you havta do is listen for her."
"What if your gone a long time and she wakes up?" Soda asked.
"I won't be gone long." I said and went out to the truck. Right about now I was beginning to wonder if Brooke was even gonna come back at all. I pushed that out of my head though and convinced myself that she would. She's just running late. I told myself. Really late. I found my way to the house she'd driven me to before. A young women answered the door. About my age. She looked at me strangely.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, is Brooke here?" I asked.
"Oh no." She said so softly that I could barely hear her.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"You're Darry, aren't you?" She asked. I nodded. "I'm sorry, I don't wanna get mixed up in this. I didn't know you'd come here. How did you know. did she show you this place?"
"Where's Brooke?" I asked, ignoring her questions. I was beginning to loose my temper. I'd been nice and watched Katherine all day when I was supposed to be at work and now it was past ten p.m., Brooke was still gone, and nobody would tell me what was going on.
"I don't know where she went." The girl said. "I'm sorry." She shut the door and locked it.
"Hey!" I yelled and pounded on the door. "Hey, open up! I need to talk to you!" There was no answer and I soon gave up and got back into my truck.
"Darry, how come the kids still here anyways?" Soda asked the second I walked in. "When's Brooke coming back?"
"I don't think she is coming back." I said, fuming. I had really known this in the back of my head ever since five p.m. I knew if she wasn't back by then she wouldn't be returning at all. Brooke had done this once before and I didn't doubt that she would do it again.
"What do you mean you don't think she's coming back!?" Soda shrieked.
"You know what I mean." I said.
"What's wrong?" Pony asked, walking out.
"Darry, she can't do this." Soda said. "There's gotta be a law or something. Ain't there a bunch of legal stuff involved in things like this? Whatever happened to custody hearings?"
"Shut up and lemme think." I said. I didn't mean to say that to him but I was kind of freaking out at that moment.
"What are you guys talking about?" Pony asked. I shushed him and tried to think of what to do. Maybe I'm just overreacting. I told myself. She could be here any minute. I knew that was unlikely though.
"I think that Brooke took off. I doubt she's coming back, Ponyboy. She probably went back to California."
"Was that her that called?" Pony asked.
I turned to him. "What?"
"This lady called and she told me to tell you to look in the blue bag she left. She said there was something in the side pocket that she needed to give you." At his words I rushed over and ripped open the bag. I yanked out a bunch of forms and this brown paper sack. The papers contained her birth certificate and other legal things like that. There was also a letter. I then emptied out the paper sack and three stacks of a hundred dollars bills came out. I could hear my brothers gasp.
"There must be at least ten thousand dollars here." I murmured, remembering the story about her wealthy ex-husband. I then opened up the not and read it.
Dear Darry, I've gotten into some trouble and I can't take care of her anymore. Most of Katherine's clothes and toys are in those bags I left with you. I've also left some money which you'll find in the bag and I hope it will help with most of the expenses. I'm so sorry I had to do this to you again but I had no where else to turn. Please take care of our daughter for me. With Love, Brooke