Chapter 13
"Hey Mattie, Pony's up!" Two-bit yelled from the kitchen, helping himself to the last beer in the refrigerator.
"No, he's not," Darry came out of Pony's bedroom carrying a bowl of uneaten soup, "He was up for a few minutes, though." My heart sunk.
"Two-bit, come help me with these groceries, would you?" I had just come back from shopping. That morning, there wasn't even enough sugar in the house to make a half of a chocolate cake. Two-bit came and took one of the bags into the kitchen.
"Did ya' get any beer?" Two-bit peeked into both of the bags.
"Yes, Two-bit, with one of those fake I.D's I carry in my pocket." I said, sarcastically.
"Geez, no need to get all hasty, Mattie." Two-bit laughed.
"Have you called your Aunt, Mattie?" Darry asked me a while later. I shook my head, I was dreading calling her and having to explain everything. "You should, she's probably worried about you." He said, but thankfully he dropped the subject.
Steve came in looking for Soda that night. He looked at me like he'd never seen me before, but then continued on into the other room to wake Soda.
"Is he getting up?" Darry asked from the couch, not bothering to look up from the newspaper.
"Yeah," Steve said, carefully fixing his hair in the hallway mirror, "I think the kids up, too."
Soda and Steve left to go who-knows-where. Darry said that it was good for Soda to get out of the house for the night, I agreed not really listening. I waited until Darry had gone back to his paper before making my way down the hall and into Pony's room. If he had been up, he seemed to already gone back to sleep. Making the decision not to wake him up, I began to tip-toe out of the room.
"Mattie, is that you?" A familiar voice reached my ears and made a large grin cross my face just before I reached the doorway.
"Yeah, it's me." I turned around and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Wow you look...different." He eyed my skirt, reproachfully.
"Different?" It wasn't the word I had hoped for.
"Since when do you wear skirts?"
"Since my Aunt bought me skirts," I answered plainly. "What is so interesting about a skirt?!" I asked, getting a little self-conscious by his continuous staring.
"It's just, well; I've never seen those before." He glanced at my lightly-freckled calves and his cheeks turned slightly crimson.
"They're called legs, Pony." He still wouldn't stop staring. "Okay, if you're all that bothered, I'll go put on my jeans." I stood to leave.
"No, don't, just stay." He called me back.
"No more staring?" I held out my pinky for him to promise.
"No more staring." Our fingers linked.
As soon as we let go Pony dropped the subject, "Why are you here?"
I started to answer, but I remembered what Darry had told me about Pony's denial of Johnny's death, "I missed Tulsa," Which wasn't a lie.
"Ya' know I had a dream that you were here." Pony told me later that night. Pony had been dying to get out of bed, but under strict orders from the doctor, he was forced to stay lying down for another week, "Except, you were singing to My Fair Lady." I sat up and looked over at him; he looked right back at me, his eyebrows raised and laughter hidden in his eyes.
I glanced away from him, knowing I'd crack up laughing if I met his eyes again. "You weren't dreaming." I mumbled, half embarrassed.
"What?" He turned his right ear toward me, "I didn't catch that, Mattie."
I leaned over, grabbing his shoulder and pulling his ear down to my lips, "You weren't dreaming!" I yelled, he met my eyes and smiled. "Don't you smirk at me!" I pushed him back down on to the bed, but he wouldn't stop laughing.
"Pony, it's not that funny." I picked a pillow and whacked him on the side of the head. When that didn't stop him, I began a full-fledged attack. He stopped laughing.
"Don't you dare, Curtis!" He picked up a pillow and began the battle. It only ended when Darry came in and told us to take it easy.
"What are you two doing in here, anyway?" Darry asked.
I didn't even think about my answer, the words just rolled off my tongue. "We're making passionate love right here on the bed." I said in a serious voice, "Do you want to hear about it?
"Um...No, I think I'll pass." He turned to leave the room.
"Make sure you close the door on your way out!" I yelled after him. I turned around to find Pony caught between hysterics and total embarrassment.
"Are you alright, Pony, you look a little hot?"
"I'm fine."
A week later I called my Aunt after being forced my Darry. She sounded relieved, but not surprised to hear that I had been in Tulsa. The Social Services people had been searching for me and were planning on sticking me in a home near Tulsa. I wondered why I couldn't go back to North Carolina.
"What did she have to say?" Pony asked after I'd hung up the phone.
"I'm not going back to North Carolina." I said with no emotion.
"Where are you going now?" Pony questioned, concerned, grabbing my arm and forcing me to look at him.
"I'm not going anywhere," I forced a smile, not knowing if I was truly happy or not.
"Good"
"Are you coming with me?" I asked and he looked at me, confused, "On a walk," I clarified, "Are you going with me on a walk."
"Where are going?"
"I don't know."
"Yeah, I'm coming."
We walked for a while. It was no surprise when we ended up in the park sitting on the grass and watching the kids cross the monkey bars.
"Let's go swing." I pointed at the now-empty swing set.
He looked at me like I was falling off my rocker.
"Come on!" I grabbed his hand and pulled him up.
I rocked gently on the swings for a couple of minutes, afraid that if I really swung I would get nauseous. I don't do so well on swings.
"Who will buy
This wonderful morning?
Such a sky
You never did see!
Who will tie
It up with a ribbon
And put it in a box for me?
There'll never be a day so sunny,
It could not happen twice.
Where is the man with all the money?
It's cheap at half the price!"
"What are you singing now?" Pony rolled his eyes.
"It's from Oliver, if you must know." I said, "But I'm done now, I'll shut up." I had been singing continuously that week.
"Don't." Pony said, softly.
"What?"
"Don't stop singing," he said, uncertainly, "It's...It's...I like it when you sing."
It took me a minute to figure out what to say, "Thanks."
As I lay in bed that night, I couldn't help thinking about what Pony had said and what could have provoked him to say it. I sighed a little more loudly than I intended to, which must have been the cue for the entrance of Ponyboy Curtis into the living room.
"Are you alright, Mattie?" To my surprise, he sounded completely awake.
"I'm fine, but have you slept at all?"
"No, I can't sleep, I've tried everything."
"Did you try counting tap-dancing penguins?"
"Yeah," He rubbed his bare arms and yawned, "Glory its cold."
"Winter's coming...Come here." I sat up and offered half of my blanket to him. He obeyed and we both huddled under the blanket to keep our limbs from the cold.
"Go to sleep, Pony." I whispered.
Still sitting up, his breathing gradually steadied as he fell asleep, his arm around my waste and my head rested on his shoulder. It was a little disturbing to me how content I was lying there, but soon that feeling was covered up by the sleep itching at my eyes.
"Goodnight, Mattie" Pony whispered, half asleep.
"Goodnight, Ponyboy Curtis."
Thanks for reading. Please Please Please review!!! Thanks Katie for the inspiration! The song is from "Oliver" and I do not own it!
"Hey Mattie, Pony's up!" Two-bit yelled from the kitchen, helping himself to the last beer in the refrigerator.
"No, he's not," Darry came out of Pony's bedroom carrying a bowl of uneaten soup, "He was up for a few minutes, though." My heart sunk.
"Two-bit, come help me with these groceries, would you?" I had just come back from shopping. That morning, there wasn't even enough sugar in the house to make a half of a chocolate cake. Two-bit came and took one of the bags into the kitchen.
"Did ya' get any beer?" Two-bit peeked into both of the bags.
"Yes, Two-bit, with one of those fake I.D's I carry in my pocket." I said, sarcastically.
"Geez, no need to get all hasty, Mattie." Two-bit laughed.
"Have you called your Aunt, Mattie?" Darry asked me a while later. I shook my head, I was dreading calling her and having to explain everything. "You should, she's probably worried about you." He said, but thankfully he dropped the subject.
Steve came in looking for Soda that night. He looked at me like he'd never seen me before, but then continued on into the other room to wake Soda.
"Is he getting up?" Darry asked from the couch, not bothering to look up from the newspaper.
"Yeah," Steve said, carefully fixing his hair in the hallway mirror, "I think the kids up, too."
Soda and Steve left to go who-knows-where. Darry said that it was good for Soda to get out of the house for the night, I agreed not really listening. I waited until Darry had gone back to his paper before making my way down the hall and into Pony's room. If he had been up, he seemed to already gone back to sleep. Making the decision not to wake him up, I began to tip-toe out of the room.
"Mattie, is that you?" A familiar voice reached my ears and made a large grin cross my face just before I reached the doorway.
"Yeah, it's me." I turned around and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Wow you look...different." He eyed my skirt, reproachfully.
"Different?" It wasn't the word I had hoped for.
"Since when do you wear skirts?"
"Since my Aunt bought me skirts," I answered plainly. "What is so interesting about a skirt?!" I asked, getting a little self-conscious by his continuous staring.
"It's just, well; I've never seen those before." He glanced at my lightly-freckled calves and his cheeks turned slightly crimson.
"They're called legs, Pony." He still wouldn't stop staring. "Okay, if you're all that bothered, I'll go put on my jeans." I stood to leave.
"No, don't, just stay." He called me back.
"No more staring?" I held out my pinky for him to promise.
"No more staring." Our fingers linked.
As soon as we let go Pony dropped the subject, "Why are you here?"
I started to answer, but I remembered what Darry had told me about Pony's denial of Johnny's death, "I missed Tulsa," Which wasn't a lie.
"Ya' know I had a dream that you were here." Pony told me later that night. Pony had been dying to get out of bed, but under strict orders from the doctor, he was forced to stay lying down for another week, "Except, you were singing to My Fair Lady." I sat up and looked over at him; he looked right back at me, his eyebrows raised and laughter hidden in his eyes.
I glanced away from him, knowing I'd crack up laughing if I met his eyes again. "You weren't dreaming." I mumbled, half embarrassed.
"What?" He turned his right ear toward me, "I didn't catch that, Mattie."
I leaned over, grabbing his shoulder and pulling his ear down to my lips, "You weren't dreaming!" I yelled, he met my eyes and smiled. "Don't you smirk at me!" I pushed him back down on to the bed, but he wouldn't stop laughing.
"Pony, it's not that funny." I picked a pillow and whacked him on the side of the head. When that didn't stop him, I began a full-fledged attack. He stopped laughing.
"Don't you dare, Curtis!" He picked up a pillow and began the battle. It only ended when Darry came in and told us to take it easy.
"What are you two doing in here, anyway?" Darry asked.
I didn't even think about my answer, the words just rolled off my tongue. "We're making passionate love right here on the bed." I said in a serious voice, "Do you want to hear about it?
"Um...No, I think I'll pass." He turned to leave the room.
"Make sure you close the door on your way out!" I yelled after him. I turned around to find Pony caught between hysterics and total embarrassment.
"Are you alright, Pony, you look a little hot?"
"I'm fine."
A week later I called my Aunt after being forced my Darry. She sounded relieved, but not surprised to hear that I had been in Tulsa. The Social Services people had been searching for me and were planning on sticking me in a home near Tulsa. I wondered why I couldn't go back to North Carolina.
"What did she have to say?" Pony asked after I'd hung up the phone.
"I'm not going back to North Carolina." I said with no emotion.
"Where are you going now?" Pony questioned, concerned, grabbing my arm and forcing me to look at him.
"I'm not going anywhere," I forced a smile, not knowing if I was truly happy or not.
"Good"
"Are you coming with me?" I asked and he looked at me, confused, "On a walk," I clarified, "Are you going with me on a walk."
"Where are going?"
"I don't know."
"Yeah, I'm coming."
We walked for a while. It was no surprise when we ended up in the park sitting on the grass and watching the kids cross the monkey bars.
"Let's go swing." I pointed at the now-empty swing set.
He looked at me like I was falling off my rocker.
"Come on!" I grabbed his hand and pulled him up.
I rocked gently on the swings for a couple of minutes, afraid that if I really swung I would get nauseous. I don't do so well on swings.
"Who will buy
This wonderful morning?
Such a sky
You never did see!
Who will tie
It up with a ribbon
And put it in a box for me?
There'll never be a day so sunny,
It could not happen twice.
Where is the man with all the money?
It's cheap at half the price!"
"What are you singing now?" Pony rolled his eyes.
"It's from Oliver, if you must know." I said, "But I'm done now, I'll shut up." I had been singing continuously that week.
"Don't." Pony said, softly.
"What?"
"Don't stop singing," he said, uncertainly, "It's...It's...I like it when you sing."
It took me a minute to figure out what to say, "Thanks."
As I lay in bed that night, I couldn't help thinking about what Pony had said and what could have provoked him to say it. I sighed a little more loudly than I intended to, which must have been the cue for the entrance of Ponyboy Curtis into the living room.
"Are you alright, Mattie?" To my surprise, he sounded completely awake.
"I'm fine, but have you slept at all?"
"No, I can't sleep, I've tried everything."
"Did you try counting tap-dancing penguins?"
"Yeah," He rubbed his bare arms and yawned, "Glory its cold."
"Winter's coming...Come here." I sat up and offered half of my blanket to him. He obeyed and we both huddled under the blanket to keep our limbs from the cold.
"Go to sleep, Pony." I whispered.
Still sitting up, his breathing gradually steadied as he fell asleep, his arm around my waste and my head rested on his shoulder. It was a little disturbing to me how content I was lying there, but soon that feeling was covered up by the sleep itching at my eyes.
"Goodnight, Mattie" Pony whispered, half asleep.
"Goodnight, Ponyboy Curtis."
Thanks for reading. Please Please Please review!!! Thanks Katie for the inspiration! The song is from "Oliver" and I do not own it!