Chapter 10

Steve was nervous. Here he had made all these great plans, and during one little conversation, one he wasn't even part of, he decided to change them. Well, she'll either like it or hate it. Hopefully, she'll like it. It will solve the problem and she'll be happy. Or she'll think he's an idiot.

By the time he finished up his errand it was close to closing time. He went back to the DX and helped Soda and Pony finish up. They all headed back to the house after. Darry was already there cooking chicken. They had just sat down to eat when Evie walked in.

"Hey. Where you been?"

"I stayed late and worked part of the next shift." She told them, sitting down at the table.

"You want some food Evie?" Darry asked her.

"No, I ate at the diner."

"Man," Two-Bit began. "You should have heard the old lady at the diner. Just going on about how great a waitress Evie is."

"Really? That's good." Darry said.

"How she's a natural and all."

"Whatever." Evie mumbled, wishing he would just shut up. She knew he was trying to be nice. That he thought it was a good thing and all, but at this moment, after spending all day with Gladys, and hearing about the corns on her feet, her two cats and her sister's gallstone operation, the last thing Evie wanted to hear was this.

"Yup! How great she is with the customers and all." Two-Bit kept going.

"Just drop it Two-Bit." She told him, trying not to get upset. But the more she heard it the more she couldn't stand it. The last thing she wanted to be was the person Gladys was describing. Because actually, that was Gladys twenty years ago. The thought of turning into Gladys about made her cry.

"How she's such the little career girl and all now!"

"Shut up Two-Bit!" She snapped at him as she got up and opened the fridge and got herself a beer.

"Sorry! Didn't know telling people all the good stuff somebody said about you would be such a criminal offense!"

"I'm sorry." She told him. "I'm just tired." And I hate my life. And if I had to listen to one more word from you at this moment, I'll start bawling right here and now she thought, sitting back down at the table.

"It's okay. You can make up for it by taking your little waitress extraordinar self back over to the fridge and grabbing me another beer." He laughed.

That was it. She knew she was going to cry. And she refused to do it in front of all of them. Evie bolted up from the table and rushed out of the dining room, knocking her beer over as she did.

Everybody jumped as the beer spilt. Confused looks passed between them all as Steve ran after here. She had made it to the front porch by the time he caught her. "Evie what's the matter?"

She tried wiping at her eyes, but she knew her mascara was already running. "Nothing!" She pulled away from him and turned around. "I just, I just… Oh Steve!" She flipped around and threw her arms around his neck and sobbed. "I hate my life! I hate that job! I hate my life and I hate the idea of turning into Gladys in twenty years!"

"What?" He was confused. He knew she wasn't happy working there, but the Gladys part confused him.

"I mean what else am I gonna do? And in twenty years I'll be Gladys!" She sobbed into his shirt.

He knew all four of the guys were standing at the door and window listening to them, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it right now other than just to ignore them. He hugged Evie and tried to get her to stop crying. Damn, and here you had all these great plans. Well, if they weren't ruined before, they are now. But if this little scene on the porch didn't prove that maybe this was the best thing to do, nothing would. He still hadn't changed from work, so he reached into his pocket.

"Listen Baby, Evie, I um," he turned towards the front door. "Do you guys mind!" He yelled at them. Darry shooed Pony, Soda and Two-Bit out of the door, but Two-Bit and Soda ended up back at the window. Steve just continued on. "Look, I had these really great plans for this weekend and all. And I was gonna give this to you then, but maybe I better do it now."

She just looked at him confused.

"Do you, um, do you um wanna get married?"

Evie just stared at him for a second. "Really? You really want to get married?"

"Yeah, I do. Not necessarily tomorrow, but yeah I do. So do you?"

"Yes. I want to marry you." She finally stopped crying and smiled.

By then Pony and Darry were even back at the front door listening. Pony had a huge stupid grin on his face. Steve kept trying to ignore them as he pulled the velvet box out of his pocket and held it up to her.

"Oh Steve!" She exclaimed when she saw the box. She was about to open it, but he put his hand over hers and stopped her.

"Listen, before you open this I gotta tell you something."

"Oh man it's a hot ring!" Two-Bit laughed from the living room as Soda told him to shut up.

Steve glanced quickly at the window before continuing. "Look, I know that marrying me isn't gonna make all that other stuff go away. But maybe this will."

Evie was still confused. Finally he moved his hand and let her open the velvet ring box. But inside it wasn't a ring. It was a very tightly folded up piece of paper.

"Oh man he got her a pawn ticket!" Two-Bit exclaimed as Darry smacked him upside the head and all three of the Curtis brothers told him to shut up this time.

Steve ignored them all and continued. "And I did buy you a ring. A nice one too. I got it a little bit ago. But I took it back. I got you this instead. Open it."

Slowly Evie unfolded the paper. He had folded over many times to get it to fit into the ring box. "What is it?" She asked him as she stared at the paper.

"What's it say?" He grinned at her.

"Tulsa Community College? But, how? Why?"

"I took the ring back. I used part of the money to pay for the fall semester and the rest is for the spring semester. We'll worry about next year later. But you're registered. You're officially a student of Tulsa Community College. In the accounting program. I spent a long time there this afternoon talking to this guy. Telling him about you and all. He pulled up your application and signed you up for the classes you need for the accounting program. And it's set up so you can get an Associate degree in accounting, and then get a job. A real job. As an accountant. A real accountant. And then if you want, you can take night classes after that and get a four-year degree, later. He was telling me all about."

"Oh my God Steve!" She threw her arms around his neck. "I love you so much! You are incredible!"

"Are you happy now baby?" He asked her as he kissed her.

"You have no idea!" She kissed him back. "No idea!"

Evie took her latest table's order and walked back toward the kitchen to put the order in. She looked down at her finger. Steve had taken her to the pawnshop that weekend and got her a ring. Not an engagement ring, but just a nice ring for $20. He wanted her to have something at least. She still couldn't get over him. Doing all that. Thinking to do all that. It was so un-Steve.

She thought back to the last few weeks. How it all went back to her over hearing Susie talk about Sandy and the baby. If she hadn't found that out, none of this probably ever would have happened. Soda wouldn't have gone away, leaving Pony and Steve alone. And God knows unless they were forced together before that weekend, they certainly would never have had enough of a conversation for Pony to go to Steve and tell him about her getting into the community college.

"Well that's a girl in love if I've ever seen one." Gladys said to the other waitress who agreed with her. "That girl has had that sappy little grin on her face for days now." She laughed.

Evie laughed too. Gladys was right. She had been grinning for days now. Suddenly life looked so much better. She remembered just before graduation how all she wanted to do was marry Steve. Well now she was. But there was more to it than that. She was going to school and it was all because of him.

Yes life was better. Life was actually great. She was going to school. Steve was happy. Soda and Sandy were talking and happy. Pony and Steve were getting along. And she liked her job. Yup, she liked her job. Now that it wasn't going to be her career, she really liked it. She made good money. She was a good waitress. She even had fun. Plus she could still work some shifts after school started to keep making money, so yes, she liked her job. But she also knew it wasn't permanent. Which made her happy. Yup, life was good.

The End.