FOURTEEN:
"Hello Darryl. I'm glad to see you scrubbed up so well." An older woman, with graying hair, and sparkling blue eyes came over to hug Darry.
"Hi." Darry replied. "Actually I'm just glad these kids scrubbed up so well." He indicated us.
"With a few minor hiccups." Soda corrected, glancing at me with a grin. I sighed and drew my jacket round me tighter. I didn't think this woman, who I was assuming was Helen's mother, would look too kindly on the holes in the shirt Soda had lent me.
"Hello Sodapop." She said smiling. And then she looked at me. "You must be Ponyboy, back from college."
I nodded. "Hi." I said.
She gave me a cursory glance, and then turned back to Darry. "Well we better all get inside so Helen can make her grand entrance. Wait until you see her wedding dress- we spared no expense on this one."
Her choice of words made me think: 'We spared no expense on THIS one.' What did she mean by that? But I didn't have time to think about it as I was being hurried into the church. The side which housed our friends and relatives was fairly sparse, although Helen's side more than made up for it.
"See the knock out blonde in the third row." Soda whispered to me.
"I've got my own knock out waiting for me back at college." I whispered back. I hadn't thought about Mandy much since I arrived home- something which I'd be sure to keep from her! But thinking about her now made me realise that I'd be glad to get back there tomorrow and see her. If it was like this after only being apart for a few days I wondered what it would be like for longer. And then I wondered whether or not she was missing me as much as I now missed her.
The priest organised us into where we were to stand and I followed obediently, although I did wonder why Darry was having a priest- he wasn't exactly the religious type was he? A few minutes later the music began, and Helen slowly walked up the aisle towards us. As she walked I studied her carefully. She was a pretty enough girl, and her smile was a wonder, but in my opinion she didn't look like Darry's type. Not that I really knew what Darry's type was...I shook my head slightly to get the thoughts out of my mind. Was it just because of Soda's failed wedding that I was thinking like this?
The ceremony itself was pretty boring, but that's just me. Darry didn't seem at all bored by it, and Soda was busy exchanging long looks with the knock out blonde he'd noticed earlier. I glanced over at where our friends were sitting and saw Two-Bit busily making a paper plane out of the wedding program. Some people really would never change, which was a pretty comforting thought when you thought about it. Finally, after what seemed like forever to me, Darry and Helen were pronounced "husband and wife" and we were able to leave the church.
"Nice wedding wasn't it?" someone beside me asked once we were outside the church and Darry and Helen were posing for photos. There was no official photographer as that was a bit too expensive, but relatives were happily snapping away and playing photographer for the day.
I turned around to see one of Helen's bridesmaids. A smallish girl with thick black hair piled up on her head. She had a heart shaped face, and a lovely smile.
"I guess so." I said. "But when I get married I think I might skip all the boring talking bits."
She laughed. "I doubt your future wife would agree with that." She said.
I shrugged. I didn't know whether Mandy would agree or not, we'd never really talked about an actual wedding. Sometimes we'd talked about the future: two kids and a house with a picket fence, but never the actual wedding. And it occurred to me that if I DID marry Mandy, her parents wouldn't let us have a small ceremony. It would be one huge one!
"I suppose you've got plenty of time to think about that hmm?" She asked.
I shrugged again. "I hope so."
"So you're Ponyboy right?" She asked.
I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, how did you know?"
"Well I've met Soda before, and Helen said both Darry's brothers were being his groomsmen, so the process of elimination leaves me with Ponyboy." She said, with a laugh.
I laughed too. "Good work, but call me Pony please, everyone does."
"Okay Pony." She said, tossing her head to get rid of the stray strands in her face. "You've certainly got interesting names in this family."
"Yeah," I agreed. "My parents were pretty original."
A funny smile crossed her face. "That was your cue to ask me my name." She teased me.
"Oh. Right. What's your name?" I asked embarrassed.
"Chantelle." She said with a laugh. "Not as original as your names but it's up there."
"Sure is." I agreed.
"PONY! Come here for photos..and you too Chantelle!" someone called and I sighed. I wasn't exactly a huge fan of having my photo taken, but what choice did I have?
As we walked over there Chantelle leant closer to me and whispered "I hate having my photo taken. I don't think I'm very photogenic."
I looked at her in surprise. Not because she hated having her photo taken, but because she thought she wasn't photogenic. "Don't worry," I assured her. "You're beautiful, and your hair up like that looks really good."
She smiled again. "Thanks Pony- and let me tell you, you look pretty good too."
"Thanks." I said with a wry grin. I didn't think that was completely true, but at the same time hearing it didn't do my ego any harm.
As we reached the wedding party Chantelle whispered to me again "Can I have the first dance Pony?"
I shrugged. "I don't dance very well, but if you're game, sure."
"I think I'll take that chance." She told me.
"Why were you hiding?" Soda greeted me. "Did you think you'd get out of having your photo taken?"
"I don't know, but it didn't work did it." I said with a sigh, lining up with the rest of the bridal party in front of the crowd snapping photos.
"It's a pity Mandy isn't here." Soda commented. "She'd love this wedding."
"She'd probably cry." I remarked wryly. "Why is it girls cry at weddings?"
Soda shook his head. "I don't know Pony, I think that's just another one of the many mysteries of women..When it comes to weddings- well they're just a little stranger than usual."
After the photos were over- and in my mind they went forever and my face was beginning to get sore from the permanent smile I was showing- Helen cornered me to ask me what I thought of the wedding. I thought back to my comments to Chantelle about the speeches going too long, and then Soda's comment about how women were strange when it came to weddings. "It was lovely." I assured her.
[A/N. I know I was going to make this the last chapter before Pony goes back to college, but another idea came into my head, one which will go well, or at least interestingly, with the one I've all ready got. So you're going to have to wait for Pony's return to college and the promised surprises in store for him there....]
"Hello Darryl. I'm glad to see you scrubbed up so well." An older woman, with graying hair, and sparkling blue eyes came over to hug Darry.
"Hi." Darry replied. "Actually I'm just glad these kids scrubbed up so well." He indicated us.
"With a few minor hiccups." Soda corrected, glancing at me with a grin. I sighed and drew my jacket round me tighter. I didn't think this woman, who I was assuming was Helen's mother, would look too kindly on the holes in the shirt Soda had lent me.
"Hello Sodapop." She said smiling. And then she looked at me. "You must be Ponyboy, back from college."
I nodded. "Hi." I said.
She gave me a cursory glance, and then turned back to Darry. "Well we better all get inside so Helen can make her grand entrance. Wait until you see her wedding dress- we spared no expense on this one."
Her choice of words made me think: 'We spared no expense on THIS one.' What did she mean by that? But I didn't have time to think about it as I was being hurried into the church. The side which housed our friends and relatives was fairly sparse, although Helen's side more than made up for it.
"See the knock out blonde in the third row." Soda whispered to me.
"I've got my own knock out waiting for me back at college." I whispered back. I hadn't thought about Mandy much since I arrived home- something which I'd be sure to keep from her! But thinking about her now made me realise that I'd be glad to get back there tomorrow and see her. If it was like this after only being apart for a few days I wondered what it would be like for longer. And then I wondered whether or not she was missing me as much as I now missed her.
The priest organised us into where we were to stand and I followed obediently, although I did wonder why Darry was having a priest- he wasn't exactly the religious type was he? A few minutes later the music began, and Helen slowly walked up the aisle towards us. As she walked I studied her carefully. She was a pretty enough girl, and her smile was a wonder, but in my opinion she didn't look like Darry's type. Not that I really knew what Darry's type was...I shook my head slightly to get the thoughts out of my mind. Was it just because of Soda's failed wedding that I was thinking like this?
The ceremony itself was pretty boring, but that's just me. Darry didn't seem at all bored by it, and Soda was busy exchanging long looks with the knock out blonde he'd noticed earlier. I glanced over at where our friends were sitting and saw Two-Bit busily making a paper plane out of the wedding program. Some people really would never change, which was a pretty comforting thought when you thought about it. Finally, after what seemed like forever to me, Darry and Helen were pronounced "husband and wife" and we were able to leave the church.
"Nice wedding wasn't it?" someone beside me asked once we were outside the church and Darry and Helen were posing for photos. There was no official photographer as that was a bit too expensive, but relatives were happily snapping away and playing photographer for the day.
I turned around to see one of Helen's bridesmaids. A smallish girl with thick black hair piled up on her head. She had a heart shaped face, and a lovely smile.
"I guess so." I said. "But when I get married I think I might skip all the boring talking bits."
She laughed. "I doubt your future wife would agree with that." She said.
I shrugged. I didn't know whether Mandy would agree or not, we'd never really talked about an actual wedding. Sometimes we'd talked about the future: two kids and a house with a picket fence, but never the actual wedding. And it occurred to me that if I DID marry Mandy, her parents wouldn't let us have a small ceremony. It would be one huge one!
"I suppose you've got plenty of time to think about that hmm?" She asked.
I shrugged again. "I hope so."
"So you're Ponyboy right?" She asked.
I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, how did you know?"
"Well I've met Soda before, and Helen said both Darry's brothers were being his groomsmen, so the process of elimination leaves me with Ponyboy." She said, with a laugh.
I laughed too. "Good work, but call me Pony please, everyone does."
"Okay Pony." She said, tossing her head to get rid of the stray strands in her face. "You've certainly got interesting names in this family."
"Yeah," I agreed. "My parents were pretty original."
A funny smile crossed her face. "That was your cue to ask me my name." She teased me.
"Oh. Right. What's your name?" I asked embarrassed.
"Chantelle." She said with a laugh. "Not as original as your names but it's up there."
"Sure is." I agreed.
"PONY! Come here for photos..and you too Chantelle!" someone called and I sighed. I wasn't exactly a huge fan of having my photo taken, but what choice did I have?
As we walked over there Chantelle leant closer to me and whispered "I hate having my photo taken. I don't think I'm very photogenic."
I looked at her in surprise. Not because she hated having her photo taken, but because she thought she wasn't photogenic. "Don't worry," I assured her. "You're beautiful, and your hair up like that looks really good."
She smiled again. "Thanks Pony- and let me tell you, you look pretty good too."
"Thanks." I said with a wry grin. I didn't think that was completely true, but at the same time hearing it didn't do my ego any harm.
As we reached the wedding party Chantelle whispered to me again "Can I have the first dance Pony?"
I shrugged. "I don't dance very well, but if you're game, sure."
"I think I'll take that chance." She told me.
"Why were you hiding?" Soda greeted me. "Did you think you'd get out of having your photo taken?"
"I don't know, but it didn't work did it." I said with a sigh, lining up with the rest of the bridal party in front of the crowd snapping photos.
"It's a pity Mandy isn't here." Soda commented. "She'd love this wedding."
"She'd probably cry." I remarked wryly. "Why is it girls cry at weddings?"
Soda shook his head. "I don't know Pony, I think that's just another one of the many mysteries of women..When it comes to weddings- well they're just a little stranger than usual."
After the photos were over- and in my mind they went forever and my face was beginning to get sore from the permanent smile I was showing- Helen cornered me to ask me what I thought of the wedding. I thought back to my comments to Chantelle about the speeches going too long, and then Soda's comment about how women were strange when it came to weddings. "It was lovely." I assured her.
[A/N. I know I was going to make this the last chapter before Pony goes back to college, but another idea came into my head, one which will go well, or at least interestingly, with the one I've all ready got. So you're going to have to wait for Pony's return to college and the promised surprises in store for him there....]