Guess what time it was? Ten p.m. Guess what else? Katherine wouldn't go to
bed. And know what else? Soda wasn't home from buying groceries yet. I was
finding it a bit hard to believe that it was taking him four hours to go
shopping. He'd been gone since six p.m. I ended up making pancakes for
dinner since we didn't have much food in the house and Soda wasn't bringing
anymore home. I had been trying to put Katherine to bed for the past hour
and a half but she wouldn't have it. I tried putting her in her crib again.
I laid her down, put the big pink baby quilt over her, and rushed towards
the door. I did all this so quickly that I almost made it by the time she
started screaming. I sighed deeply and flicked the light back on. "C'mon."
I pleaded, picking her up again. "Please just go to sleep, Katherine."
She sniffled and started to suck on the zipper on her pajamas. I sighed and carried her into my room, laying her down on the bed and then getting comfortable next to her. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep, hoping that she'd mimic me but she did quit the opposite. Instead she stood up and started bouncing on the bed. I sat up and caught her in mid air. "I give up." I mumbled, holding her above me and making noises similar to that of an airplane. She giggled wildly and clapped. I brought her back down when my arms got tired and put her on my lap.
"Katherine." She looked up at me thoughtfully. "You have got to go to sleep."
She got a stubborn little look on her face and tightened her small lips. It was so funny I had to hold back laughter. "No bed!" She said, in her tiny yet angry voice. I sighed, smiling slightly at her stubbornness. It was no wonder that she was stubborn. Me and Brooke both are the most hard headed people ever. When I want something one way I won't settle for it any other way. That's undoubtedly where are daughter got it from.
I then took her back into her own room, flicking the light off and pacing around with her on my shoulder. After about twenty full minutes of bouncing her up and down and rocking a little bit back and forth I could hear her light breathing. I carefully placed her in the crib and tucked her in, staring down at her for a few moments before very quietly exiting the room so I wouldn't wake her.
I walked out into the living room to where Pony was stretched across the sofa watching TV. His eyes weren't hardly half open and exhaustion was written all over him. I sighed and braced myself for bedtime battle number two. "Pony, you need to go to bed." He looked up at me, pleading for more time with solely the look on his face. "Don't look at me like that. You said yourself that you didn't sleep at all last night. You ain't getting enough rest and you're bound to get sick. Then if you get sick we'll all catch it and I really don't wanna have to deal with that. Now go on to sleep." He whimpered slightly and gave me that look again. I rolled my eyes. "Ponyboy, I don't have the patience for this right now." I warned.
He sighed deeply. "Fine." He got up and headed towards the hallway. "I ain't even tired."
"Sure." I said, watching my exhausted baby brother mope off to bed. "And if I catch you up and reading at four in the morning again you ain't gonna get off nearly as easy as you did last time. You hear me?" I said.
"Yeah." He mumbled, disappearing into his bedroom.
Now that I had gotten the two nocturnal members of my family to get some rest, I set out to clean up the house. There were plenty of dished that needed to be done from that morning. Why Pony and Soda didn't do them I don't know but I'd make sure they did them the next day.
It wasn't until 2:10 a.m. that Soda walked through the door. I had finished everything I needed to do, believe it or not. He didn't have any groceries with him as expected and he had a couple hickies on his neck so that took care of where he'd been. "Hey, Dar." He said. "It's late. I thought you'd be sleeping by now."
"Yeah." I said, putting the paper down. "It is late, isn't it?" I stood up. "Where've you been?" I didn't really need to ask that question because I already knew but I wanted to see what his answer would be.
"Out with Amanda." He said, scratching the back of his head. "Where's Pony? Is he sleeping already?"
I ignored his question. "I send you out to get groceries and you come home at this hour and with these?" I pointed to the red marks on his neck.
"Oh yeah. That's right. The store. I'm sorry, I forgot." He said.
"Yeah, sure you did. And what are you doing with these?" I demanded, referring to the hickies again. "I thought I told you I didn't wanna see anymore of those on you."
"Yeah, yeah." He mumbled. "But I did forget about the store. I saw Amanda while I was in town and took her out for a shake. I had planned on going back and buying the groceries after."
That was a sure lie. "Yet you didn't." I said.
"I forgot." He shrugged. I looked at him sternly. He was really pushing it. "Ok fine. I didn't forget. I was having a good time and I didn't wanna go to the store. I woulda called you."
"Well you didn't call and you didn't do the one simple thing I asked you to do. Do you know what time it is?"
"Eleven?" He guessed.
"You wish. It's passed two o'clock in the morning. You'd just better stop breaking curfew kid or I'm gonna shorten it to twelve. You didn't even have permission to go out in the first place." He sighed. "Where's the money I gave you?" He looked away quickly. "Sodapop."
"What? Pay day ain't till next Friday. I needed some cash. Besides you owe Amanda for babysitting anyways so consider her paid."
"It costs you fifty bucks to buy milk shakes?" I asked.
"Well, no." he said, slowly. "I also bought her this real cute little necklace and some chocolate. But I didn't spend all fifty." He added quickly. "I've still got twenty two dollars left. I hardly even spent more than half" He took the rest out of his pocket and handed it to me. Yeah sure there was twenty two left but when I gave him the money there was fifty. Yet somehow it had gotten down to twenty two and there were no groceries in his hands!
"Dang it Soda!" I barked. "What's the matter with you? I gave you as much as I spend on groceries weekly and you spent it on your girlfriend. What in the worlds the occasion anyways?"
"The I have money occasion." Soda said, grinning. Oh no. Uh uh. That smile was not gonna work this time.
"Give me your license."
"What license?"
"You know what I mean. Your drivers license. Give it to me."
"How come?" He asked.
"Because you're being irresponsible and you don't get to drive nowhere for the next week."
"That ain't fair." He said.
"I don't care weather or not you think it's fair. You just lied to my face. Now give it to me." He sighed and reached into his wallet, pulling it out and handing it to me reluctantly.
"A whole week, Darry?"
"That's what I said, ain't it?"
"Oh c'mon. Give me a break already."
"This is as much of a break as you're gonna get. You know better than to go and do something like that. And if you're not responsible enough to go shopping, you're obviously not responsible enough to be driving yourself around. Not to mention you spent nearly thirty bucks of my money on Amanda and that's far more than I owed her for babysitting Kat."
"Well gosh, it ain't like I'm never gonna pay you back."
"That ain't the point and you know it. Now go to bed."
"Man." He groaned, heading towards his room. I sighed and shook my head, turning off all the lights in the house and shutting the blinds. I knew he was gonna give me trouble for the next few days but I can't teach my brothers unless I punish them when they've done wrong. If I didn't then I'd be doing wrong myself.
She sniffled and started to suck on the zipper on her pajamas. I sighed and carried her into my room, laying her down on the bed and then getting comfortable next to her. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep, hoping that she'd mimic me but she did quit the opposite. Instead she stood up and started bouncing on the bed. I sat up and caught her in mid air. "I give up." I mumbled, holding her above me and making noises similar to that of an airplane. She giggled wildly and clapped. I brought her back down when my arms got tired and put her on my lap.
"Katherine." She looked up at me thoughtfully. "You have got to go to sleep."
She got a stubborn little look on her face and tightened her small lips. It was so funny I had to hold back laughter. "No bed!" She said, in her tiny yet angry voice. I sighed, smiling slightly at her stubbornness. It was no wonder that she was stubborn. Me and Brooke both are the most hard headed people ever. When I want something one way I won't settle for it any other way. That's undoubtedly where are daughter got it from.
I then took her back into her own room, flicking the light off and pacing around with her on my shoulder. After about twenty full minutes of bouncing her up and down and rocking a little bit back and forth I could hear her light breathing. I carefully placed her in the crib and tucked her in, staring down at her for a few moments before very quietly exiting the room so I wouldn't wake her.
I walked out into the living room to where Pony was stretched across the sofa watching TV. His eyes weren't hardly half open and exhaustion was written all over him. I sighed and braced myself for bedtime battle number two. "Pony, you need to go to bed." He looked up at me, pleading for more time with solely the look on his face. "Don't look at me like that. You said yourself that you didn't sleep at all last night. You ain't getting enough rest and you're bound to get sick. Then if you get sick we'll all catch it and I really don't wanna have to deal with that. Now go on to sleep." He whimpered slightly and gave me that look again. I rolled my eyes. "Ponyboy, I don't have the patience for this right now." I warned.
He sighed deeply. "Fine." He got up and headed towards the hallway. "I ain't even tired."
"Sure." I said, watching my exhausted baby brother mope off to bed. "And if I catch you up and reading at four in the morning again you ain't gonna get off nearly as easy as you did last time. You hear me?" I said.
"Yeah." He mumbled, disappearing into his bedroom.
Now that I had gotten the two nocturnal members of my family to get some rest, I set out to clean up the house. There were plenty of dished that needed to be done from that morning. Why Pony and Soda didn't do them I don't know but I'd make sure they did them the next day.
It wasn't until 2:10 a.m. that Soda walked through the door. I had finished everything I needed to do, believe it or not. He didn't have any groceries with him as expected and he had a couple hickies on his neck so that took care of where he'd been. "Hey, Dar." He said. "It's late. I thought you'd be sleeping by now."
"Yeah." I said, putting the paper down. "It is late, isn't it?" I stood up. "Where've you been?" I didn't really need to ask that question because I already knew but I wanted to see what his answer would be.
"Out with Amanda." He said, scratching the back of his head. "Where's Pony? Is he sleeping already?"
I ignored his question. "I send you out to get groceries and you come home at this hour and with these?" I pointed to the red marks on his neck.
"Oh yeah. That's right. The store. I'm sorry, I forgot." He said.
"Yeah, sure you did. And what are you doing with these?" I demanded, referring to the hickies again. "I thought I told you I didn't wanna see anymore of those on you."
"Yeah, yeah." He mumbled. "But I did forget about the store. I saw Amanda while I was in town and took her out for a shake. I had planned on going back and buying the groceries after."
That was a sure lie. "Yet you didn't." I said.
"I forgot." He shrugged. I looked at him sternly. He was really pushing it. "Ok fine. I didn't forget. I was having a good time and I didn't wanna go to the store. I woulda called you."
"Well you didn't call and you didn't do the one simple thing I asked you to do. Do you know what time it is?"
"Eleven?" He guessed.
"You wish. It's passed two o'clock in the morning. You'd just better stop breaking curfew kid or I'm gonna shorten it to twelve. You didn't even have permission to go out in the first place." He sighed. "Where's the money I gave you?" He looked away quickly. "Sodapop."
"What? Pay day ain't till next Friday. I needed some cash. Besides you owe Amanda for babysitting anyways so consider her paid."
"It costs you fifty bucks to buy milk shakes?" I asked.
"Well, no." he said, slowly. "I also bought her this real cute little necklace and some chocolate. But I didn't spend all fifty." He added quickly. "I've still got twenty two dollars left. I hardly even spent more than half" He took the rest out of his pocket and handed it to me. Yeah sure there was twenty two left but when I gave him the money there was fifty. Yet somehow it had gotten down to twenty two and there were no groceries in his hands!
"Dang it Soda!" I barked. "What's the matter with you? I gave you as much as I spend on groceries weekly and you spent it on your girlfriend. What in the worlds the occasion anyways?"
"The I have money occasion." Soda said, grinning. Oh no. Uh uh. That smile was not gonna work this time.
"Give me your license."
"What license?"
"You know what I mean. Your drivers license. Give it to me."
"How come?" He asked.
"Because you're being irresponsible and you don't get to drive nowhere for the next week."
"That ain't fair." He said.
"I don't care weather or not you think it's fair. You just lied to my face. Now give it to me." He sighed and reached into his wallet, pulling it out and handing it to me reluctantly.
"A whole week, Darry?"
"That's what I said, ain't it?"
"Oh c'mon. Give me a break already."
"This is as much of a break as you're gonna get. You know better than to go and do something like that. And if you're not responsible enough to go shopping, you're obviously not responsible enough to be driving yourself around. Not to mention you spent nearly thirty bucks of my money on Amanda and that's far more than I owed her for babysitting Kat."
"Well gosh, it ain't like I'm never gonna pay you back."
"That ain't the point and you know it. Now go to bed."
"Man." He groaned, heading towards his room. I sighed and shook my head, turning off all the lights in the house and shutting the blinds. I knew he was gonna give me trouble for the next few days but I can't teach my brothers unless I punish them when they've done wrong. If I didn't then I'd be doing wrong myself.