Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders.
In the days following my meeting with Darry and Pony, Pony turned his attendance record around and was not only back in class everyday, but he even stopped by occasionally on his lunch period to talk to me about the memorial that he and his brothers had started planning. They wouldn't have enough time to have it before Bob's memorial service, so they were planning it for two weeks afterwards. It seemed like a good idea to me, and I tried to help Pony in any way I could with advice and suggestions. And then I got a note in my mailbox to report to the principal.
As soon as I saw the note, I knew what was coming. My principal is notorious in our school for catering to parents, and the fact that I had a student who was planning something that could potentially upset a parent with money… well, there was really very little question of why I was being called on the carpet, so to speak.
I showed up at the appointed time, fully prepared to defend myself, and his secretary told me to go right in. He was obviously expecting me, so I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. This was not going to be easy.
Bill was sitting at his desk when I walked in, and he glanced up at me with a forced smile.
"Sarah, thanks for coming. Take a seat, please."
"Thanks," I said, settling myself in to the chair across from him. He finished whatever he was writing, and then he finally looked up.
"Let me explain why I called you in here. Some relatively distressing rumors have been floating around to the effect that Ponyboy Curtis is planning a memorial service for Johnny Cade." He pursed his lips and looked straight at me for the first time since I sat down. "That, in and of itself, is really not my concern since he is not doing this on school property. What is my concern, however, is that I have heard that you are encouraging this."
I looked at him calmly and said, "I am encouraging this. Bob's parents are not the only people who lost someone, and whether they are admitting it or not, Bob was killed when he was in the process of trying to kill someone else. Johnny may have done it, but it was clearly out of an effort to save his friend. And then he died a hero… which is a lot more than I can say for Bob. I understand the conditions of Bob's memorial service, and whether I agree with it or not, I am respecting it. But there is nothing to say that the community cannot hold a service for Johnny…and I am a member of this community in addition to being a teacher in this school. I'm not telling you not to have a memorial service for Bob, and Bill, you can't tell me not to go to the one for Johnny."
He sat there in stunned silence for a moment before heaving a sigh. I could see he knew he was beaten, but he also needed to have the last word.
"Just be careful with what you say about Bob's memorial service. If I hear that you're criticizing this, it could mean bigger problems than I think you realize."
I nodded curtly and stood up before I could roll my eyes in frustration. I walked out of the office, seething. Now I was more committed than ever to helping Ponyboy with his memorial. It already seemed so much more meaningful than the school's false display of sympathy.
