The ride to North Carolina went on for what seemed like a lifetime.
Ms. Candrea was nice, better than Mrs. Parker anyway. She asked a lot of
questions about the gang. She seemed kind of suspicious, like she thought
they were hurting me or something. I never gave her detailed answers, If a
simple 'yes' or 'no' was needed, I'd simply nod or shake my head. She also
talked about herself, which prevented me from having to say anything.
Evidently she had been in social services for a little over 5 years, but
she was planning on going back to school to become a nurse. I just let her
ramble on, even though I didn't really listen.
My Aunt and Uncle lived in a little town called Hickory. What kind of name was Hickory? Anyway, Hickory was in the foothills of the mountains. All of the land was mostly used for farming, but even thought there was a lot of land that surrounded their house, my Aunt and Uncle didn't do any farming. Their house was off of an old dirt road that had only a few houses that weren't even in sight of each other. What in the world could make these people want to live in the middle of no where? I'd never been to the country before. Pony always talked about going to the country with his parents and how exciting it was. Exciting? Hickory? Yeah, right.
"Well, this is it, your new home." Ms. Candrea flashed me a cheesy grin, "Lets go meet your Aunt and Uncle, sweetheart." She called me sweetheart. Ha, sure, whatever she wanted to believe.
"I'm not a complete goody-goody, right?" I thought, "Oh, no! I am a goody- goody aren't I? I guess it could be worse." Anyways, I wished that she'd stop talking to me like I was five.
I dragged my suitcase up the wooden steps of an old, large, white house. My tiredness didn't stop my stomach from churning. If you think I wasn't nervous, you're crazy, though I couldn't figure out why.
As soon as I rang the bell, there was a shuffling behind the door and the click of the lock.
"Look Joe, its Delia!" A woman in her late 30's opened the door, her bright green eyes twinkling. I noticed them first, her eyes, because that was the only difference between her and my mother. "Come in! Please, come in." She opened the door widely to let me in. My Uncle Joe was waiting on the couch when the three of us made our way to the living room. He was a big-boned man, he had eyes the color of Johnny's, but they had a certain fierceness to them. Ms. Candrea left after forcing my Aunt and Uncle to sign a bunch of legal papers and wishing me a goodnight.
"So, Delia..." My Aunt tried to think of something to say.
"Call me, Mattie." I interrupted, hastily. I might have spoken a little bit harshly; she seemed a little less cheerful.
"Okay, Mattie," She corrected herself, "I'm your Aunt Kate and this is your Uncle Joe." She introduced them unnecessarily. I didn't offer my greeting, but I was tired, much too tired to be polite. "I suppose you've had a long day," She spoke after an awkward silence, "I'll take you up to your room."
Before taking me to my room, though, she gave me the grand tour of the house. Why the hell would somebody need so many rooms? How many uses could there be for a parlor, a sunroom, a game room, a dining room, and a study? Geez! Rich people are weird. Every room in the house was very elaborately decorated which gave off warmth that I'd never seen in a home. In our neighborhood people are considered lucky to have 4 walls and a roof. When we finally did reach my room, at the end of the hall on the second floor, she let me be. I sat on my new queen-sized bed that was littered with fluffy pillows of all shapes and sizes. I may not have been able to admit it right then, but I loved it. Even the tomboy I was could grow accustomed to a pastel purple room. I felt so confused; so many emotions were running through me. "Should I cry, or laugh out loud for joy?" I sat on that bed for a long time, wondering what to do in such a strange place.
"Can I get you anything?" Aunt Kate popped her head in the doorway, "I'm just about to turn in." It was almost midnight.
"Yeah, can I call my friend?" I had just remembered that I'd promised to call Pony.
"Now?" She looked surprised.
"I won't be long, I promise."
"Alright, there's a phone right on your nightstand. Goodnight, Mattie."
"Goodnight." I could her footsteps trod lightly down the hall.
A phone? All for me? Cool. I dialed the Curtis's, which forced me to think. Area Code? I'd never needed to use the Tulsa area code before; I'd never been outside Tulsa. It took me a minute to remember.
1 ring...2 rings...3 rings... "Come on, someone pick up the phone." I mumbled angrily.
"Hello?" I was relieved to hear a friendly voice on the other line.
"Soda?"
"Hey! It's Mattie!" Soda shouted.
"Quit yelling. Are you trying to but my eardrums or something?" I think I was irritable from the long day. I could hear a distant voice on the other end.
"Please, Soda, give up the phone." I knew it was Pony.
"No way! You're gonna have to jump for it!"
"Give him the phone, Sodapop." I demanded; to sleepy to listen to them argue.
"Oh, I see how it is, Mattie," Soda joked, "You're too good for me now, huh? Don't even want to talk to me." He gave the phone to Pony anyway.
"Hey." Pony was out of breath from attempting to wrestle Soda.
"Hey." I said softly. Homesickness had taken over me at the sound of his voice.
"Are you alright?" He knew the answer to that question before he had even asked it.
"Yeah," I'm a horrible liar.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a long time. No excuses, I was just really lazy. I know you know the feeling. Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, they really make my day!
My Aunt and Uncle lived in a little town called Hickory. What kind of name was Hickory? Anyway, Hickory was in the foothills of the mountains. All of the land was mostly used for farming, but even thought there was a lot of land that surrounded their house, my Aunt and Uncle didn't do any farming. Their house was off of an old dirt road that had only a few houses that weren't even in sight of each other. What in the world could make these people want to live in the middle of no where? I'd never been to the country before. Pony always talked about going to the country with his parents and how exciting it was. Exciting? Hickory? Yeah, right.
"Well, this is it, your new home." Ms. Candrea flashed me a cheesy grin, "Lets go meet your Aunt and Uncle, sweetheart." She called me sweetheart. Ha, sure, whatever she wanted to believe.
"I'm not a complete goody-goody, right?" I thought, "Oh, no! I am a goody- goody aren't I? I guess it could be worse." Anyways, I wished that she'd stop talking to me like I was five.
I dragged my suitcase up the wooden steps of an old, large, white house. My tiredness didn't stop my stomach from churning. If you think I wasn't nervous, you're crazy, though I couldn't figure out why.
As soon as I rang the bell, there was a shuffling behind the door and the click of the lock.
"Look Joe, its Delia!" A woman in her late 30's opened the door, her bright green eyes twinkling. I noticed them first, her eyes, because that was the only difference between her and my mother. "Come in! Please, come in." She opened the door widely to let me in. My Uncle Joe was waiting on the couch when the three of us made our way to the living room. He was a big-boned man, he had eyes the color of Johnny's, but they had a certain fierceness to them. Ms. Candrea left after forcing my Aunt and Uncle to sign a bunch of legal papers and wishing me a goodnight.
"So, Delia..." My Aunt tried to think of something to say.
"Call me, Mattie." I interrupted, hastily. I might have spoken a little bit harshly; she seemed a little less cheerful.
"Okay, Mattie," She corrected herself, "I'm your Aunt Kate and this is your Uncle Joe." She introduced them unnecessarily. I didn't offer my greeting, but I was tired, much too tired to be polite. "I suppose you've had a long day," She spoke after an awkward silence, "I'll take you up to your room."
Before taking me to my room, though, she gave me the grand tour of the house. Why the hell would somebody need so many rooms? How many uses could there be for a parlor, a sunroom, a game room, a dining room, and a study? Geez! Rich people are weird. Every room in the house was very elaborately decorated which gave off warmth that I'd never seen in a home. In our neighborhood people are considered lucky to have 4 walls and a roof. When we finally did reach my room, at the end of the hall on the second floor, she let me be. I sat on my new queen-sized bed that was littered with fluffy pillows of all shapes and sizes. I may not have been able to admit it right then, but I loved it. Even the tomboy I was could grow accustomed to a pastel purple room. I felt so confused; so many emotions were running through me. "Should I cry, or laugh out loud for joy?" I sat on that bed for a long time, wondering what to do in such a strange place.
"Can I get you anything?" Aunt Kate popped her head in the doorway, "I'm just about to turn in." It was almost midnight.
"Yeah, can I call my friend?" I had just remembered that I'd promised to call Pony.
"Now?" She looked surprised.
"I won't be long, I promise."
"Alright, there's a phone right on your nightstand. Goodnight, Mattie."
"Goodnight." I could her footsteps trod lightly down the hall.
A phone? All for me? Cool. I dialed the Curtis's, which forced me to think. Area Code? I'd never needed to use the Tulsa area code before; I'd never been outside Tulsa. It took me a minute to remember.
1 ring...2 rings...3 rings... "Come on, someone pick up the phone." I mumbled angrily.
"Hello?" I was relieved to hear a friendly voice on the other line.
"Soda?"
"Hey! It's Mattie!" Soda shouted.
"Quit yelling. Are you trying to but my eardrums or something?" I think I was irritable from the long day. I could hear a distant voice on the other end.
"Please, Soda, give up the phone." I knew it was Pony.
"No way! You're gonna have to jump for it!"
"Give him the phone, Sodapop." I demanded; to sleepy to listen to them argue.
"Oh, I see how it is, Mattie," Soda joked, "You're too good for me now, huh? Don't even want to talk to me." He gave the phone to Pony anyway.
"Hey." Pony was out of breath from attempting to wrestle Soda.
"Hey." I said softly. Homesickness had taken over me at the sound of his voice.
"Are you alright?" He knew the answer to that question before he had even asked it.
"Yeah," I'm a horrible liar.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a long time. No excuses, I was just really lazy. I know you know the feeling. Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, they really make my day!