"It looks like you've got your own personal masseuse ." Soda said.
Katherine was walking and crawling all over my
back as I lied on the couch. I don't know why she found it so amusing but
it sure felt good. I was a little
worried she'd fall off and hit her head on the coffee table but she seemed
to balance real well.
"Boom!" She yelled as she jumped up into the air and then landed on my back again, falling into a sitting position and then giggling.
"Oomph." That one kind of knocked the air out of me. Everybody found it quite humorous.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" She yelled. She had gotten back up and was jumping all over me now.
I was holding my arm out on the side of the couch just waiting for her to fall and she did. I got her and pushed her back up on my back. She didn't stand up again though. Instead she crawled over to were I was resting my head on the pillow. I half closed my eyes as I saw her coming. I could see the blur above me which I knew was her and I shot open my eyes saying "Boo!" She fell back a bit and started laughing like nuts. I smiled and sat up as I lifted her off of me and set her back on the floor.
"Gen! Gen!" She squealed.
"Does anybody know what 'gen' means?" I asked my friends and brothers who where all playing a round of cards.
"Yeah." Two-Bit said. "I remember my little sister used to say it when she wanted me to give her another piggy back ride. I think she's saying again."
I nodded. That made sense. So I looked at Katherine, real calm like and then shouted out "Boo!" and just like before she giggled like crazy.
"Gen! Gen!"
Everyone laughed. "No we'll play boo another time." I said, knowing that she probably wouldn't ever stop saying again.
"Gen!" She said. I picked her up and held her on my hip, trying to distract her from the 'boo' game. It worked but then she started to entertain herself by pulling on my hair. That got really annoying after awhile so I finally pushed her hand away but that didn't work so I put her down. I watched the remainder of the game. Steve won.
"Pony. It's your night to cook." I said.
"What's he gonna cook if we ain't got any food in the house?" Soda said.
"We've got food." I said.
"No we don't. Haven't you looked in the fridge lately. You haven't gone shopping since Katherine got here." I sighed.
"What time is it?" Two-Bit asked.
"It's almost five p.m." Steve answered.
"I gotta go. I'll see ya'll later." Two-Bit said, heading out the door before we could even say goodbye to him.
"Soda, will you go to the store for me?" I asked.
He sighed. "Man, why can't you do it?"
"Hey, you can do me a simple favor and go get groceries." I said.
"Stevie, will you come with me?" He asked.
"Yeah." Steve said, getting up. I grabbed some paper and wrote down everything I could think of that we'd need and then gave it to Soda.
"Darry, can I go see a movie?" Pony asked.
"No, we all saw two last night." I said.
"So? Why does that mean I can't go see another? I've got plenty of money from babysitting Katherine."
"Money ain't the problem. We were out real late last night and you didn't get a wink of sleep because you got so loaded up with caffeine. I want you in bed early tonight, kiddo."
"Well, I'll go see a movie right now and I'll get home before eight. That's plenty early to be in." Pony said, trying hard to convince me. I wished he'd stop. I wasn't gonna change my mind.
"No, it's gonna get dark out and you ain't got anybody going with you. I can't drive you both ways either. I'm busy."
"You're always busy." Pony groaned.
"Pony, don't you start that." I warned. "Don't you play the guilt game. I said no movies tonight."
"Oh c'mon, Darry. Please?" He begged, giving me that puppy dog face. It didn't work for a second.
I was beginning to get aggravated at this point. "Ponyboy, if you ask me one more time you ain't gonna be seeing any more movies for week." I said sternly.
He sighed and flopped down on the couch. "I've got track tomorrow at four. Will you come pick me up?"
"It ends at five thirty right?" He nodded. "Yeah, I'll get you on my way home from work. I might be a few minutes late though because I have to pick up Katherine too. I can't be late for that or they'll charge me more."
"Ok." He said. I looked over at Katherine who was trying to open up the screen door but was unsuccessful, thankfully.
I sighed remembering the phone conversation I'd had earlier that day. "You're out of sick days Curtis. Either you're here tomorrow night or you're out of the job." I hadn't been going to my night job. I worked late nights three to five days a week depending on how business was and I hadn't shown up at all that week because I didn't know what to do with Katherine. My brothers sure didn't wanna watch her and I don't know of any daycares that run during the night.
"Pony, you and Sodapop are gonna have to watch her tomorrow night." I said. "I can't miss any more of work. I'm sure to get fired if I do."
"You said you hate that bartending job anyways." Pony mumbled. He paused for a second. "I'll do it if you let me go see a movie tonight." He tired.
"Ponyboy." I said sharply.
He sighed deeply. "It just ain't fair Darry. Why do me and Soda always get stuck watching her. Especially me. Maybe Amanda will baby-sit her again."
"Oh sure." I said. "Like I'm gonna leave Soda and Amanda here alone together until 12:30 a.m." Pony snickered. "Listen, Katherine would be in bed most of the time anyways."
"You usually can't ever get her to sleep until late." Pony said.
"Well, I'll put her to bed before I leave tomorrow night at eight. Then she'll just sleep the whole time I'm gone and all you and Soda need to do is keep an ear out for her."
"All-right." He sighed.
"Thank you." I said, getting up to get Katherine because she had accomplished her mission of opening the door and was now attempting to walk outside. She squealed angrily as I picked her up. Boy she was stubborn. "She kind of reminds me of you two." I said to Pony once I had brought her back in. "She likes to sneak out of the house at night."
"Nah." Pony said, smiling widely. "Me and Sodapop don't ever use the door. Our bedroom window is much more efficient." He frowned. "Why did I just tell you that?" I laughed and set Katherine back down, closing the screen door tight.
"Boom!" She yelled as she jumped up into the air and then landed on my back again, falling into a sitting position and then giggling.
"Oomph." That one kind of knocked the air out of me. Everybody found it quite humorous.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" She yelled. She had gotten back up and was jumping all over me now.
I was holding my arm out on the side of the couch just waiting for her to fall and she did. I got her and pushed her back up on my back. She didn't stand up again though. Instead she crawled over to were I was resting my head on the pillow. I half closed my eyes as I saw her coming. I could see the blur above me which I knew was her and I shot open my eyes saying "Boo!" She fell back a bit and started laughing like nuts. I smiled and sat up as I lifted her off of me and set her back on the floor.
"Gen! Gen!" She squealed.
"Does anybody know what 'gen' means?" I asked my friends and brothers who where all playing a round of cards.
"Yeah." Two-Bit said. "I remember my little sister used to say it when she wanted me to give her another piggy back ride. I think she's saying again."
I nodded. That made sense. So I looked at Katherine, real calm like and then shouted out "Boo!" and just like before she giggled like crazy.
"Gen! Gen!"
Everyone laughed. "No we'll play boo another time." I said, knowing that she probably wouldn't ever stop saying again.
"Gen!" She said. I picked her up and held her on my hip, trying to distract her from the 'boo' game. It worked but then she started to entertain herself by pulling on my hair. That got really annoying after awhile so I finally pushed her hand away but that didn't work so I put her down. I watched the remainder of the game. Steve won.
"Pony. It's your night to cook." I said.
"What's he gonna cook if we ain't got any food in the house?" Soda said.
"We've got food." I said.
"No we don't. Haven't you looked in the fridge lately. You haven't gone shopping since Katherine got here." I sighed.
"What time is it?" Two-Bit asked.
"It's almost five p.m." Steve answered.
"I gotta go. I'll see ya'll later." Two-Bit said, heading out the door before we could even say goodbye to him.
"Soda, will you go to the store for me?" I asked.
He sighed. "Man, why can't you do it?"
"Hey, you can do me a simple favor and go get groceries." I said.
"Stevie, will you come with me?" He asked.
"Yeah." Steve said, getting up. I grabbed some paper and wrote down everything I could think of that we'd need and then gave it to Soda.
"Darry, can I go see a movie?" Pony asked.
"No, we all saw two last night." I said.
"So? Why does that mean I can't go see another? I've got plenty of money from babysitting Katherine."
"Money ain't the problem. We were out real late last night and you didn't get a wink of sleep because you got so loaded up with caffeine. I want you in bed early tonight, kiddo."
"Well, I'll go see a movie right now and I'll get home before eight. That's plenty early to be in." Pony said, trying hard to convince me. I wished he'd stop. I wasn't gonna change my mind.
"No, it's gonna get dark out and you ain't got anybody going with you. I can't drive you both ways either. I'm busy."
"You're always busy." Pony groaned.
"Pony, don't you start that." I warned. "Don't you play the guilt game. I said no movies tonight."
"Oh c'mon, Darry. Please?" He begged, giving me that puppy dog face. It didn't work for a second.
I was beginning to get aggravated at this point. "Ponyboy, if you ask me one more time you ain't gonna be seeing any more movies for week." I said sternly.
He sighed and flopped down on the couch. "I've got track tomorrow at four. Will you come pick me up?"
"It ends at five thirty right?" He nodded. "Yeah, I'll get you on my way home from work. I might be a few minutes late though because I have to pick up Katherine too. I can't be late for that or they'll charge me more."
"Ok." He said. I looked over at Katherine who was trying to open up the screen door but was unsuccessful, thankfully.
I sighed remembering the phone conversation I'd had earlier that day. "You're out of sick days Curtis. Either you're here tomorrow night or you're out of the job." I hadn't been going to my night job. I worked late nights three to five days a week depending on how business was and I hadn't shown up at all that week because I didn't know what to do with Katherine. My brothers sure didn't wanna watch her and I don't know of any daycares that run during the night.
"Pony, you and Sodapop are gonna have to watch her tomorrow night." I said. "I can't miss any more of work. I'm sure to get fired if I do."
"You said you hate that bartending job anyways." Pony mumbled. He paused for a second. "I'll do it if you let me go see a movie tonight." He tired.
"Ponyboy." I said sharply.
He sighed deeply. "It just ain't fair Darry. Why do me and Soda always get stuck watching her. Especially me. Maybe Amanda will baby-sit her again."
"Oh sure." I said. "Like I'm gonna leave Soda and Amanda here alone together until 12:30 a.m." Pony snickered. "Listen, Katherine would be in bed most of the time anyways."
"You usually can't ever get her to sleep until late." Pony said.
"Well, I'll put her to bed before I leave tomorrow night at eight. Then she'll just sleep the whole time I'm gone and all you and Soda need to do is keep an ear out for her."
"All-right." He sighed.
"Thank you." I said, getting up to get Katherine because she had accomplished her mission of opening the door and was now attempting to walk outside. She squealed angrily as I picked her up. Boy she was stubborn. "She kind of reminds me of you two." I said to Pony once I had brought her back in. "She likes to sneak out of the house at night."
"Nah." Pony said, smiling widely. "Me and Sodapop don't ever use the door. Our bedroom window is much more efficient." He frowned. "Why did I just tell you that?" I laughed and set Katherine back down, closing the screen door tight.