It was decided that Bill would come back to Oklahoma with Dally and
Johnny. There was nothing else to do. Dallas didn't have the resources to
take on these people. Let them just try to find him in Tulsa.
Bill was all for leaving right away. Johnny shrugged, not caring one way or the other. But Dallas, who had done most of the driving, wasn't ready to go back.
"Jesus, Bill, I drove halfway across the fucking country. I need a little vacation,"
Bill nodded, but he wasn't happy about it, and suspected Dallas of not fully appreciating the seriousness of the situation. But you didn't argue with Dallas Winston, unless you wanted a few missing teeth. Cousin or no, you didn't argue.
* * *
A couple of days later Bill was almost out of his mind with worry. Out of his mind enough to bring up leaving again.
"C'mon, Dallas, what are we hanging around here for?"
Dallas shot him a glance and Johnny looked nervously from one to the other.
"We're fine, Bill, we'll leave in a few days,"
"I could be dead in a few days="
Dallas slammed his fist down on the kitchen table, hard. Bill and Johnny got wide eyed.
"I said we'd leave in a few days," Dallas' tone was quiet and his expression tight. Johnny recognized the look. Someone was going to get hit.
Outside they heard a racket, like someone kicking metal garbage cans. Now Bill's face went white and his breathing came in ragged gasps. Johnny didn't look much better. Dally looked disgusted with both of them.
"I'll go see what it is," Dallas said, getting up and brushing past Bill and Johnny.
He came back in a few minutes. Bill was too petrified to speak. All he could do was hear his own scared voice in his ears, "they found me, they found me, they found me..."
"What was it?" Johnny said, lighting a cigarette with shaking hands.
"That kid that looks like you. He threw his bike away,"
"What?" Johnny laughed. Threw his bike away?
"Yeah. He's bitching to his mother about how much he hates it here and he wants to go home. Whiny ass punk, that kid,"
Johnny nodded, not having an opinion about that kid one way or the other. He was just glad it wasn't someone trying to kill Bill and maybe himself and Dallas in the process.
* * *
Johnny got sick of Dallas and Bill arguing about leaving, and anything else they could think of. It was sunny, California sunny, the blue sky stretching on and on.
"I've had it with you two," Johnny said, getting up, "I'm going out,"
Outside the blue paint looked brighter with the morning sun shining full on it. Johnny wandered around a bit, petted a little dog panting under an old lady's fold out chair. He headed towards Buck's car and saw an old man taking a bike out of the dumpster. Johnny watched as he rolled the bike towards a little room near the parking spaces. The man noticed Johnny and regarded him cooly.
"Why you no in school?" He had a slight accent, Japanese or Chinese, Johnny couldn't tell which. Johnny shrugged.
"What're you doing with that bike?" Johnny said, watching the sun flash off the metal as the old man pushed it along.
"Fix for boy looks like you,"
"Why?" But the old man shook his head, indicating that it was too much to go into.
"Why you no in school, you drop out or something?" Johnny lifted one shoulder and dropped it like a little kid would. Something in the question made him feel guilty about school. The man stared at him, wanting an answer.
"Well, I, I don't know," He looked at his sneakers and kicked at the ground, "I just never seem to learn nothin' when I go,"
"Ah, see," the old man said, opening the double doors and pushing the bike inside. Spider plants hung by the door, casting spider shadows along the walls.
"School not only place to learn," He said, and motioned for Johnny to follow him into the room.
* * *
The phone woke Dally up. He groped for it.
"Hello?"
"Dally?" It was Soda. He was worried.
"Yeah,"
"Dally, listen, Pony ran away," Dally ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Rummaged in the drawer for his cigarettes.
"What do you want me to do about it?"
"We think, well, me and Darry think he's heading out there,"
"What makes ya think that?"
"He grabbed that letter from your cousin off the coffee table, said something about Johnny and California. So stay put until he gets there, alright?"
"Alright,"
Bill was still asleep but Johnny was up, fiddling with a tiny tree in a stone pot. Dally glanced at the tree and stubbed out his cigarette.
"What is that?"
"Bonsai tree," Johnny said, clipping at it with a pair of little scissors.
"Where'd you get it?"
"This old guy that lives here, he gave it to me," Dally sat at the table with Johnny and watched him clip at the leaves.
"Ponyboy ran away, Soda just called,"
"What, why?"
"I don't know, you know that kid, no common sense. Anyway, he's probably heading here. We'll have to wait for him,"
"Bill won't like it," Johnny said, never taking his eyes off the tree, twisting and pulling at it with the little scissors.
"Well, that's tough, isn't it?"
Bill was all for leaving right away. Johnny shrugged, not caring one way or the other. But Dallas, who had done most of the driving, wasn't ready to go back.
"Jesus, Bill, I drove halfway across the fucking country. I need a little vacation,"
Bill nodded, but he wasn't happy about it, and suspected Dallas of not fully appreciating the seriousness of the situation. But you didn't argue with Dallas Winston, unless you wanted a few missing teeth. Cousin or no, you didn't argue.
* * *
A couple of days later Bill was almost out of his mind with worry. Out of his mind enough to bring up leaving again.
"C'mon, Dallas, what are we hanging around here for?"
Dallas shot him a glance and Johnny looked nervously from one to the other.
"We're fine, Bill, we'll leave in a few days,"
"I could be dead in a few days="
Dallas slammed his fist down on the kitchen table, hard. Bill and Johnny got wide eyed.
"I said we'd leave in a few days," Dallas' tone was quiet and his expression tight. Johnny recognized the look. Someone was going to get hit.
Outside they heard a racket, like someone kicking metal garbage cans. Now Bill's face went white and his breathing came in ragged gasps. Johnny didn't look much better. Dally looked disgusted with both of them.
"I'll go see what it is," Dallas said, getting up and brushing past Bill and Johnny.
He came back in a few minutes. Bill was too petrified to speak. All he could do was hear his own scared voice in his ears, "they found me, they found me, they found me..."
"What was it?" Johnny said, lighting a cigarette with shaking hands.
"That kid that looks like you. He threw his bike away,"
"What?" Johnny laughed. Threw his bike away?
"Yeah. He's bitching to his mother about how much he hates it here and he wants to go home. Whiny ass punk, that kid,"
Johnny nodded, not having an opinion about that kid one way or the other. He was just glad it wasn't someone trying to kill Bill and maybe himself and Dallas in the process.
* * *
Johnny got sick of Dallas and Bill arguing about leaving, and anything else they could think of. It was sunny, California sunny, the blue sky stretching on and on.
"I've had it with you two," Johnny said, getting up, "I'm going out,"
Outside the blue paint looked brighter with the morning sun shining full on it. Johnny wandered around a bit, petted a little dog panting under an old lady's fold out chair. He headed towards Buck's car and saw an old man taking a bike out of the dumpster. Johnny watched as he rolled the bike towards a little room near the parking spaces. The man noticed Johnny and regarded him cooly.
"Why you no in school?" He had a slight accent, Japanese or Chinese, Johnny couldn't tell which. Johnny shrugged.
"What're you doing with that bike?" Johnny said, watching the sun flash off the metal as the old man pushed it along.
"Fix for boy looks like you,"
"Why?" But the old man shook his head, indicating that it was too much to go into.
"Why you no in school, you drop out or something?" Johnny lifted one shoulder and dropped it like a little kid would. Something in the question made him feel guilty about school. The man stared at him, wanting an answer.
"Well, I, I don't know," He looked at his sneakers and kicked at the ground, "I just never seem to learn nothin' when I go,"
"Ah, see," the old man said, opening the double doors and pushing the bike inside. Spider plants hung by the door, casting spider shadows along the walls.
"School not only place to learn," He said, and motioned for Johnny to follow him into the room.
* * *
The phone woke Dally up. He groped for it.
"Hello?"
"Dally?" It was Soda. He was worried.
"Yeah,"
"Dally, listen, Pony ran away," Dally ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Rummaged in the drawer for his cigarettes.
"What do you want me to do about it?"
"We think, well, me and Darry think he's heading out there,"
"What makes ya think that?"
"He grabbed that letter from your cousin off the coffee table, said something about Johnny and California. So stay put until he gets there, alright?"
"Alright,"
Bill was still asleep but Johnny was up, fiddling with a tiny tree in a stone pot. Dally glanced at the tree and stubbed out his cigarette.
"What is that?"
"Bonsai tree," Johnny said, clipping at it with a pair of little scissors.
"Where'd you get it?"
"This old guy that lives here, he gave it to me," Dally sat at the table with Johnny and watched him clip at the leaves.
"Ponyboy ran away, Soda just called,"
"What, why?"
"I don't know, you know that kid, no common sense. Anyway, he's probably heading here. We'll have to wait for him,"
"Bill won't like it," Johnny said, never taking his eyes off the tree, twisting and pulling at it with the little scissors.
"Well, that's tough, isn't it?"