"This is fun." Pony said. "We should do this every night." I laughed. Yeah
right. I thought. "Really though, we should. Dinner, movies, ice-cream,
bowling. it's fun." I'd taken them all over the town and complied to all of
their requests. I felt that I owed Pony at least that much for making him
miss that tournament. I really did feel lousy about it and I knew how much
it meant to him even if he wouldn't say so.
My little brother was hopping around happily. You'd think the kid would be tired at two a.m. but I hadn't seen him more hyper in a long time. "Ponyboy, calm down." I said. "You're driving me out of my mind."
"Sorry." He said, hopping on my back so he could hitch a ride back to the truck. "I think I'm high on Pepsi."
"Man you're high on something." Soda mumbled. Now that wasn't even funny. "The nights been fun but is it over yet?" Soda yawned. I laughed.
"No, lets go see another movie." Ponyboy said.
"We just saw two." I said. I honestly didn't think I could bare to see another. I did not need to know about the problems of all those fiction characters. For some reason Pony really enjoys movies though but I never have understood why. "Get on in." I said, dropping him on his feet as we reached the car. "I'm out of energy for tonight."
"Dido." Soda said getting in and resting his head against the window.
"I'm not." Ponyboy said, bouncing up and down in his seat.
"Knock that off." I said, pulling out of the parking spot. I really should've monitored his caffeine intake. I think he drank about five Pepsi's at the theatre. He was getting way to hooked on those things. I bet you can guess what his next request was.
"Lets go get more cola. I'm thirsty." He said, quit chipper and very unlike himself.
"No way." I said. "No more of that for you kiddo. You're practically bouncing all over the place."
"Can we go do this all again tomorrow?"
"Pon, you know I'm busy. The possibility of that is highly unlikely when you think realistically." I said.
"Then don't be so realistic." Pony said. Soda laughed at that.
"Poor Amanda." I said. "We sure left her there with Katherine for quit a while. Her dad knows she babysitting right?"
"I'd assume so." Soda said.
"I'm a Yankee doodle dandy." Pony sang.
"Shut up!" Me and Soda both chorused.
"You guys aren't any fun." He pouted.
"We're just tired, kiddo." I said. "And you're acting a bit odd right now. A little unlike yourself."
"I'm just happy!" Pony grinned. Then he stopped grinning and he looked like he was in deep thought. "Darry." He said softly.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"I'm sorry I told you I hated you earlier today." He mumbled. "I don't hate you."
I smiled. "I know you don't." He reached over and gave me a hug. I'd heard the words 'I hate you' many times ever since I started taking care of my brothers. I guess when you're parenting you get it a lot. But they always apologized later.
We got home a few minutes later. Amanda was asleep on the couch so Soda woke her up and drove her home. Ponyboy flopped onto the couch to watch TV and I went to check on Katherine, then went to bed.
"Darry wake up." Pony shook me the next morning. "Katherine wants 'Num Yum.' She wouldn't eat the breakfast that Soda made, just the chocolate cake and that's gone now." I chuckled and rolled over onto my back to face him. He was holding her on his hip and standing there impatiently.
"Did you sleep at all last night?" I asked, noting the black circles under his eyes. He shrugged. I rolled my eyes and got up slowly. "It's early to bed for you tonight, Pon." He moaned.
"Upy." Katherine said, reaching out to me. I took her and walked out with them into the living room.
"You slept late." Soda said. He was sitting with Two-Bit and Steve, playing poker.
"Did Amanda take that money I told you to give her?" I asked, putting Katherine down and stretching.
"No, she wouldn't." Soda replied, simply. "I tried but she said she didn't mind watching Kat and we didn't have to pay her. I'll take her out to a nice dinner some time and make it up to her." Soda said, smirking. "We'll both enjoy that."
"I'm sure you will." I mumbled, walking into the kitchen. "Katherine c'mere." I called, searching the ice-box.
She trotted in a few seconds later, holding a teddy bear and sucking on two of her fingers. "Wan cak." She said, pointing to the empty cake platter on the kitchen counter.
"It's gone." I tried to explain. "The cake went bye bye."
"Wan ike ceam." She said, once she had accepted the fact that there was no more cake left.
"How about eggs?" I said. She shook her head. I sighed. Did we have to do this again? "Well you can't have ice-cream because it's ten in the morning and you haven't had breakfast. I know that means absolutely nothing to you but what can I say? Eggs first, then ice-cream. Comprendo kiddo?" She looked at me strangely.
"Copend." She said, trying to say that new and unfamiliar word. I laughed and put her in her high chair. Then I made her some eggs and to my surprise she ate them. "Upy." She said, when she was through. I lifted her up and cleaned her off. Kids her age really make a mess when they eat but you probably already knew that. I put her in the living room with some toys and went to do the dishes.
My little brother was hopping around happily. You'd think the kid would be tired at two a.m. but I hadn't seen him more hyper in a long time. "Ponyboy, calm down." I said. "You're driving me out of my mind."
"Sorry." He said, hopping on my back so he could hitch a ride back to the truck. "I think I'm high on Pepsi."
"Man you're high on something." Soda mumbled. Now that wasn't even funny. "The nights been fun but is it over yet?" Soda yawned. I laughed.
"No, lets go see another movie." Ponyboy said.
"We just saw two." I said. I honestly didn't think I could bare to see another. I did not need to know about the problems of all those fiction characters. For some reason Pony really enjoys movies though but I never have understood why. "Get on in." I said, dropping him on his feet as we reached the car. "I'm out of energy for tonight."
"Dido." Soda said getting in and resting his head against the window.
"I'm not." Ponyboy said, bouncing up and down in his seat.
"Knock that off." I said, pulling out of the parking spot. I really should've monitored his caffeine intake. I think he drank about five Pepsi's at the theatre. He was getting way to hooked on those things. I bet you can guess what his next request was.
"Lets go get more cola. I'm thirsty." He said, quit chipper and very unlike himself.
"No way." I said. "No more of that for you kiddo. You're practically bouncing all over the place."
"Can we go do this all again tomorrow?"
"Pon, you know I'm busy. The possibility of that is highly unlikely when you think realistically." I said.
"Then don't be so realistic." Pony said. Soda laughed at that.
"Poor Amanda." I said. "We sure left her there with Katherine for quit a while. Her dad knows she babysitting right?"
"I'd assume so." Soda said.
"I'm a Yankee doodle dandy." Pony sang.
"Shut up!" Me and Soda both chorused.
"You guys aren't any fun." He pouted.
"We're just tired, kiddo." I said. "And you're acting a bit odd right now. A little unlike yourself."
"I'm just happy!" Pony grinned. Then he stopped grinning and he looked like he was in deep thought. "Darry." He said softly.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"I'm sorry I told you I hated you earlier today." He mumbled. "I don't hate you."
I smiled. "I know you don't." He reached over and gave me a hug. I'd heard the words 'I hate you' many times ever since I started taking care of my brothers. I guess when you're parenting you get it a lot. But they always apologized later.
We got home a few minutes later. Amanda was asleep on the couch so Soda woke her up and drove her home. Ponyboy flopped onto the couch to watch TV and I went to check on Katherine, then went to bed.
"Darry wake up." Pony shook me the next morning. "Katherine wants 'Num Yum.' She wouldn't eat the breakfast that Soda made, just the chocolate cake and that's gone now." I chuckled and rolled over onto my back to face him. He was holding her on his hip and standing there impatiently.
"Did you sleep at all last night?" I asked, noting the black circles under his eyes. He shrugged. I rolled my eyes and got up slowly. "It's early to bed for you tonight, Pon." He moaned.
"Upy." Katherine said, reaching out to me. I took her and walked out with them into the living room.
"You slept late." Soda said. He was sitting with Two-Bit and Steve, playing poker.
"Did Amanda take that money I told you to give her?" I asked, putting Katherine down and stretching.
"No, she wouldn't." Soda replied, simply. "I tried but she said she didn't mind watching Kat and we didn't have to pay her. I'll take her out to a nice dinner some time and make it up to her." Soda said, smirking. "We'll both enjoy that."
"I'm sure you will." I mumbled, walking into the kitchen. "Katherine c'mere." I called, searching the ice-box.
She trotted in a few seconds later, holding a teddy bear and sucking on two of her fingers. "Wan cak." She said, pointing to the empty cake platter on the kitchen counter.
"It's gone." I tried to explain. "The cake went bye bye."
"Wan ike ceam." She said, once she had accepted the fact that there was no more cake left.
"How about eggs?" I said. She shook her head. I sighed. Did we have to do this again? "Well you can't have ice-cream because it's ten in the morning and you haven't had breakfast. I know that means absolutely nothing to you but what can I say? Eggs first, then ice-cream. Comprendo kiddo?" She looked at me strangely.
"Copend." She said, trying to say that new and unfamiliar word. I laughed and put her in her high chair. Then I made her some eggs and to my surprise she ate them. "Upy." She said, when she was through. I lifted her up and cleaned her off. Kids her age really make a mess when they eat but you probably already knew that. I put her in the living room with some toys and went to do the dishes.