Cherry and I went to Rusty's for a soda, but mostly to just hang out
away from our parents. Her eyes were all red and puffy from crying and I
felt real bad. Bob was a jerk and I wasn't too sorry he was gone but I
knew Cherry had loved him.
I played a little game I liked with the straw wrapper. I push it down off the straw so it is all folded up like an accordian and then put a drop of soda on it. It twists and expands like a big white worm. Cherry looked at me like I was juvenile. I smiled sheepishly.
"Bob's mother had a nervous break down," Cherry said quietly, twirling the ice in her glass with the straw. I nodded. It made sense. Her son was knifed down in the park on the sleazy side of town. She probably didn't believe he had it coming, like most mothers she was blind to the faults of her child. And she didn't have any other children to be strong for, Bob was her only one. I wondered what my parents would do if I was killed suddenly, here one day and then gone. Probably have nervous breakdowns, too.
"When's the funeral?" I blurted out and it sounded harsh somehow. Cherry shook her head.
"I don't know..." It was getting dark, the light sort of draining from the sky, the way it does in the fall. I wondered how Ponyboy and Johnny were doing, if they were scared where they were, wherever Dallas had hid them.
The door opened and Randy walked in, scanning the booths, he saw us and came over. Cherry said hello politely. I said nothing, barely looked at him, just saw his shirt from the corner of my eye.
"What happened to you?" Cherry said, but with less than her usual energy. I glanced up at him. He was cut and starting to bruise.
"I look better than the other guy, believe me," He said this and looked right at me.
"Your new little boyfriend isn't doing too hot," he said. I felt a helpless worry I wasn't used to. Two bit could take care of himself but I knew how Randy and his friends ganged up on one person.
Randy was leaving. Cherry barely noticed.
"It never stops, does it?" she said tiredly. I felt edgy and worried, thinking of how they had beaten up Johnny for no reason. How bad would it be with a reason, I wondered. And I was the reason.
I tapped my nails on the table, a quick staccato rhythm.
"We should go see if he's o.k.," I said carefully. Cherry looked at me with her new dull look.
"Who?"
"Two bit. You heard Randy say he just beat him up, right?" Cherry didn't look so good, sort of blank. I didn't like it.
"We don't know where he is,"
"I know where he lives. He's probably not far from there," Cherry nodded and looked up at me.
We took her sting ray and drove toward the east side. I saw the weird red glow beyond the smog, and the chain link fences depressed me. We passed the park, still and eerie as it was with Bob's ghost. In the vacant lot near Two bit's house we saw a bunch of people hanging out, and even in the dim light I could make out Dallas Winston. I nudged her.
"Look, it's Dallas," She slowed the car and peered over at the little knots of people.
"I should go and talk to him," she said, parking the car along the side of the road. Broken glass littered around picked up the last of the light.
"What? Are you crazy? You can't go talk to him," She was turning off the car lights and the radio in her methodical way and glanced up at me.
"Of course I can. I want to tell him that I'm going to help them," We got out of the car and I felt the nip in the air, saw the wind pick up the ends of Cherry's hair and the edge of her skirt.
"All right. You do that. I'm going to Two bit's house," I headed off but looked back and watched her. She looked small and determined walking toward the boys.
I was struck again by the poverty in this part of town, the small run down houses. Most of them I could look right into, there were no curtains. I saw the glow of black and white t.v.'s, heard yelling from one house, the high pitched shrieks of a woman and the lower tones of a man, heard something crash from inside the house and hurried on.
When I got to Two bit's house no one was home, it was dark and silent. I knocked anyway in the hope that he was there in the dark, but only silence answered me. Maybe he was at that lot with Dallas. I headed back.
I was a little worried about Cherry. That Dallas was no one to mess with, and considering how he behaved the other night who knew what he'd do. And I hugged myself in the chill and felt out of place on the slum side of town, maybe in danger I didn't even know about.
I saw someone coming toward me but they were far enough away so that their features were indistinct. It was one of those hoods and I hugged myself tighter and two words flashed into my mind at the same time, mugged and raped.
"Marcia?" I jumped even though the voice was familiar and then he stepped under the street light.
"Two bit!" He had a split lip and some blood under his nose, other than that he looked fine.
"Cherry said you'd headed to my house," He sounded fine and I breathed easier. I felt like I'd been holding my breath ever since Randy showed up at Rusty's.
"Are you o.k.?" I stepped toward him and touched his arm lightly.
"Yeah, Dal and Darry showed up in the nick of time," He smiled ruefully and felt his swollen lip. I kissed his cheek and then his lips. He closed his eyes and I tasted the blood from his lip on my own.
I played a little game I liked with the straw wrapper. I push it down off the straw so it is all folded up like an accordian and then put a drop of soda on it. It twists and expands like a big white worm. Cherry looked at me like I was juvenile. I smiled sheepishly.
"Bob's mother had a nervous break down," Cherry said quietly, twirling the ice in her glass with the straw. I nodded. It made sense. Her son was knifed down in the park on the sleazy side of town. She probably didn't believe he had it coming, like most mothers she was blind to the faults of her child. And she didn't have any other children to be strong for, Bob was her only one. I wondered what my parents would do if I was killed suddenly, here one day and then gone. Probably have nervous breakdowns, too.
"When's the funeral?" I blurted out and it sounded harsh somehow. Cherry shook her head.
"I don't know..." It was getting dark, the light sort of draining from the sky, the way it does in the fall. I wondered how Ponyboy and Johnny were doing, if they were scared where they were, wherever Dallas had hid them.
The door opened and Randy walked in, scanning the booths, he saw us and came over. Cherry said hello politely. I said nothing, barely looked at him, just saw his shirt from the corner of my eye.
"What happened to you?" Cherry said, but with less than her usual energy. I glanced up at him. He was cut and starting to bruise.
"I look better than the other guy, believe me," He said this and looked right at me.
"Your new little boyfriend isn't doing too hot," he said. I felt a helpless worry I wasn't used to. Two bit could take care of himself but I knew how Randy and his friends ganged up on one person.
Randy was leaving. Cherry barely noticed.
"It never stops, does it?" she said tiredly. I felt edgy and worried, thinking of how they had beaten up Johnny for no reason. How bad would it be with a reason, I wondered. And I was the reason.
I tapped my nails on the table, a quick staccato rhythm.
"We should go see if he's o.k.," I said carefully. Cherry looked at me with her new dull look.
"Who?"
"Two bit. You heard Randy say he just beat him up, right?" Cherry didn't look so good, sort of blank. I didn't like it.
"We don't know where he is,"
"I know where he lives. He's probably not far from there," Cherry nodded and looked up at me.
We took her sting ray and drove toward the east side. I saw the weird red glow beyond the smog, and the chain link fences depressed me. We passed the park, still and eerie as it was with Bob's ghost. In the vacant lot near Two bit's house we saw a bunch of people hanging out, and even in the dim light I could make out Dallas Winston. I nudged her.
"Look, it's Dallas," She slowed the car and peered over at the little knots of people.
"I should go and talk to him," she said, parking the car along the side of the road. Broken glass littered around picked up the last of the light.
"What? Are you crazy? You can't go talk to him," She was turning off the car lights and the radio in her methodical way and glanced up at me.
"Of course I can. I want to tell him that I'm going to help them," We got out of the car and I felt the nip in the air, saw the wind pick up the ends of Cherry's hair and the edge of her skirt.
"All right. You do that. I'm going to Two bit's house," I headed off but looked back and watched her. She looked small and determined walking toward the boys.
I was struck again by the poverty in this part of town, the small run down houses. Most of them I could look right into, there were no curtains. I saw the glow of black and white t.v.'s, heard yelling from one house, the high pitched shrieks of a woman and the lower tones of a man, heard something crash from inside the house and hurried on.
When I got to Two bit's house no one was home, it was dark and silent. I knocked anyway in the hope that he was there in the dark, but only silence answered me. Maybe he was at that lot with Dallas. I headed back.
I was a little worried about Cherry. That Dallas was no one to mess with, and considering how he behaved the other night who knew what he'd do. And I hugged myself in the chill and felt out of place on the slum side of town, maybe in danger I didn't even know about.
I saw someone coming toward me but they were far enough away so that their features were indistinct. It was one of those hoods and I hugged myself tighter and two words flashed into my mind at the same time, mugged and raped.
"Marcia?" I jumped even though the voice was familiar and then he stepped under the street light.
"Two bit!" He had a split lip and some blood under his nose, other than that he looked fine.
"Cherry said you'd headed to my house," He sounded fine and I breathed easier. I felt like I'd been holding my breath ever since Randy showed up at Rusty's.
"Are you o.k.?" I stepped toward him and touched his arm lightly.
"Yeah, Dal and Darry showed up in the nick of time," He smiled ruefully and felt his swollen lip. I kissed his cheek and then his lips. He closed his eyes and I tasted the blood from his lip on my own.