A/n: Don't expect chapters to come along again this quickly all the time,
lol. We have other things that we're working on and don't always have time
for this particular one – but know that it will always be updated, no
matter what.
Some of you may be disappointed in the very very beginning of this chapter, but it just would've have worked out to see them all say goodbye. Their goodbyes were done at the house, so you know...
Review Responses:
Skye Renegarde: HAHA. Weeee is right! Yeah, Texas shall be fun. Pony might not like it exactly as much as we do... but you know, life isn't fair all the time, lol. And in poor Pony's case it isn't fair for these last several years. Thanks!
ShyXshortieXbabe: Well, hopefully this'll give you a feel for Pony's foster family. We don't like to think of them as his family, but his temporary caretakers that just happen to rock... well, most of them, lol. Glad to know you're excited, haha.
MissLKid: Haha, we made you cry! Hahahahaha! Taunts Jk. But we're glad you felt it. Emotion was meant to be conveyed. Yes! Keep reviewing. The more the merrier...the merrier we are that is. :D
Oblivious Misconception: We love the title too, hehe. It was irresistible. Yeah, people around here... particularly the person who wrote that has had major experience in that field, so it better be authentic, lol. Thanks.
Tensleep: You just barely discovered that your computer is weird and picky? We don't think it deserved to be called a machine at that... Jk. Yes, adventure is nice... not so much for Pony, but it's nice...
The Almighty Captain Cookie!: Man, learn to spell your name right, geez... shakes their heads. You better keep reading even though it was mushy. The mushiness is over. So, calm down. Jk. Anyway, yeah PonyBOY is going to have some shifty-eyed... fun....hahaha. This should be enjoyable on your part. And Keira doesn't mind PonyBOY getting you a babe... but no fooling around. Remember, I'm pregnant? And that means we still need a name for the baby. Lol, see ya.
FUDDYDUDDY: Well, maybe you're experiencing the flashbacks, because they're flashbacks for Alli too...lol. Nah, but that's so sad that you had to go through that. At least he's back, right? Thanks for your compliment. That means a lot to us.
Catherine Ace: RTOL backwards huh? That ought to be fun... kinda like a panandrom huh? Good to know your laptop lasted long enough for us, haha. It must be good to you ;) Thanks for reading.
goddess of darkness3: Thanks a ton! Keep reading!
Anonymous: You think Pony's been through enough? Nah, he's never been through enough. If you wanna see him go through even more...just keep reading. Thanks.
A/n: Thanks guys, now for the part you actually want.... We hope.
The flight was much shorter than I had expected. I was prepared for a several hour flight, but it was only about two hours long. That was fine by me, I mean, if I had known it would only be that long I wouldn't have cared. But when the pilot announced that we would be landing in twenty minutes, I was far from ready.
The social worker had met us at the airport, and told me exactly what was going on. A family down in Fisk, Texas had agreed to take me in for as long as was needed. They were a younger couple, in their early thirties, and they had three kids, all five and under, and a nephew who lived with them that was my age, give or take a year. Fisk was a small town, with a population of about seventy people and the family ranched. Their names were Jack and Melanie Briggs, and they had only just agreed to this a few days before. They were good friends of my social worker, and when they heard about my case, they thought it over for a few days and decided they wouldn't mind having someone else around. Since neither parties had the time or opportunity to see pictures of one another to know who to look out for, they would be holding up a sign for me in the lobby, and I was to meet them there.
I was more than nervous about it all. I had never gone anywhere without at least one other person that I knew, and I didn't know how I felt about doing it. Obviously, I would've rather stayed at home, but since that wasn't an option, I didn't even know how I was supposed to be reacting to this. I know it happens all the time – foster kids going to live elsewhere – but that doesn't mean that I ever seriously thought that I would be one of them.
Sooner than I would've liked, the plane touched the ground. I could hear a little boy behind me squealing to his mother about seeing grandma and the man next to me snorted in his sleep before he jerked awake to see us slowing down. He sat up and grinned. He told me in the beginning of the flight that he was going home and that he had been away for three months on various business trips. I was humiliated when he asked if I was coming and going, and then who I was coming to see. I told him the truth because I wasn't in the mood to make up a lie, but I would've rather have done the lying bit. He stopped talking to me after that, probably afraid that he'd bring up a sensitive subject or something. I wouldn't have minded talking about it. I mean, yeah it sucks to leave, but it might have helped me to get over some of my nerves.
Finally we were walking out of the airplane and into the airport. I legs were shaking slightly. I guess you could say I was afraid that I wouldn't find Jack and Melanie Briggs, or that they wouldn't show up, or even that the next year or so of my life was going to go all downhill from here. Just about every possibility of what could happen had crossed my mind by then, and none of them were comforting.
I readjusted my backpack before stepping through the portal door. The airport was crowded with tons of people. I quickly moved out of the way so others could pass me while I looked for my foster family. I felt awkward standing there in my suit and tie, because most people were casual, but Darry had wanted me to dress to impress and I couldn't object.
Within a minute I spotted a small, young family with a little boy who was holding up a small sign that read my name. His dad, who I assumed to be Jack, was holding him in his arms and when I walked their way, the little boy turned to him and asked, "Is that him?"
"I don't know, Preston. Let's ask."
I stopped a few feet in front of them and smiled weakly. "Mr. Briggs?"
He broke out in a smile and held out his hand. "Jack. You're Ponyboy? Is that right? Ponyboy?"
I laughed a little. "Yeah, that's my name." I shook his hand. He seemed all right so far. I could tell just by the way he handled his son that he was a gentle man. He couldn't have been older than thirty-two either, I wouldn't think. He had dark brown hair and a near-leathery brown tan. He was as tall as Darry or taller and he had a build of a rancher. He was definitely a cowboy, although he didn't dress like it right then. He was wearing a dark green suit, and I had a feeling that was his wife's doing.
"Nice to meet you. This is my wife, Melanie, and our kids, Kyle, Preston, and Kaytie, and my nephew Joe."
I shook hands with Melanie. You could tell she was on the younger side, but she looked older. Her blond hair was in a weave down to her shoulder blades and her skin was more leathery than Jack's was, but she was fair looking. It didn't tarnish her appearance too much.
"I'm so glad to meet you, Ponyboy," Melanie gushed. It was a tad overboard, but I knew her intentions were good, so it didn't bother me in the least. "We've been looking forward to this. I hope we can make you feel more than at home with us."
I smiled shyly. I don't think I'm very shy, but there's something to say for meeting your new "family" for the first time. "Glad to meet you too."
I nodded to Joe who looked bored out of his mind, and he nodded back. He looked forced into the suit and very uncomfortable in it. I could tell from the off that he was a lazy guy who could careless what this meeting was about or that it was even happening. He didn't look worried that I was invading his space or anything, just bored and passive. He had short, what would be clean cut, hair that was tasseled around a bit, like he had just woken up, and he looked like it as a general rule, just anyway. The only thing that irked me about him thus far was that every time someone said my name he would smirk a little. I couldn't blame him, but he could try and keep his humorous thoughts to himself.
I shook his hand and he opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He changed his mind and didn't say anything at all.
"Well, Ponyboy – do you go by Ponyboy... or?" Jack's thought changed half way through his sentence.
"Pony, Ponyboy...Pon...whatever. I go by whatever."
"All right. Well, is it all right if we go to dinner first? We made reservations here in the city." He was asking me if it was all right? Of course it was all right. Why would I object to that? Of course, I knew he was asking out of courtesy, so I didn't say any of that. Not that I would've at this point in time.
"Sure. Okay."
We made our rounds around the airport, collecting my luggage and stopping for the little kids to go to the bathroom. They were cute little kids. The girl was about one and a half years old and still sucked on a pacifier and looked too shy to say anything except to whisper in Melanie's ear. The two boys, who looked about three and five, ran in circles around us and the older one, Kyle, accidentally knocked Preston to the floor. Preston started to whimper, and Kyle patted him on the head and said he was sorry, but he was still upset, so Joe stopped and picked him up. He didn't seem like a half bad guy. He was just different than anyone that I had ever met. I wasn't sure what to think of him... Not that I had been given much of a chance yet to know.
"So, how do you like Tulsa?" Melanie asked me as we walked out the doors into the parking lot.
I grinned and started to talk to her. I wasn't afraid to talk to her like I thought I might be. She was trying so hard to make me feel welcome, I couldn't help but like her already. I could tell from the off that she was really warm and friendly.
The ride to the restaurant was quicker than I thought it would be. It was only a few streets from the airport and traffic wasn't that thick. The city, San Angelo, was quiet tonight. Probably because it was the middle of the week and most people reserved themselves for the weekends. From the looks of the restaurant on the outside, it wasn't cheap. The lights were dimmed on the inside, coming from red, Tiffany style, chandeliers that hung low over the tables. Waiters in black pants and crisp red jackets walked around like large robots, holding silver platters at shoulder height and bending stiffly to lower and lift dishes.
"Do you like Japanese food, Pony?" Jack asked as we walked to the front door.
"I've never had it before." I had always heard that it was good, but I never actually tried it for myself. The only Japanese place we had in Tulsa ran in the ranges of ten to fifteen dollars a plate, and what greaser had the money for that? Darry spends that much money on food for three days. The only one of us that had ever gone there was Darry and that was for the last meal his football team had before the end of the season his senior year. He wanted to go, because it would be strange if the captain didn't show up, so Dad forked over the money for him. We didn't eat out for a couple of months after that. Dad said that that had cleaned out whatever he would've used on any of us. It was fine with us though. Darry had fun and wasn't embarrassed by not going. It got to be normal with his buddies. "My brother likes it though. He said he was going to make me try it sometime, but we never got around to it."
"Really? Oh, you're going to love it. They have non-seafood dishes too, if you're worried at all about that." He held the door open for everyone and Joe strolled up to the host like he was the boss of the place.
"I like seafood. I've had sushi before," I told him, remembering that tidbit. It wasn't my favorite thing, but if I could handle that, I was sure I could handle whatever else the Japanese made.
"Hmmm. Good stuff."
We were there for about an hour and half. The chef made the food when we ordered it, so it took a while to get our food, but I didn't mind it. I was too busy being overwhelmed. I was sitting to eat with the family I was supposedly going to live with for a while, in a state I had never been to before, in a restaurant I felt unworthy to be in – not to mention the awkwardness of ordering food that I wasn't going to be paying for, and felt like I would owe a huge favor to Jack for paying for me. I got water to drink while Joe helped himself to coke and an additional appetizer besides the one they provided to us for free. I figured that some day I'd be comfortable with how and what I ordered, but today wasn't that day. I doubted I would ever be that comfortable to order more than I felt okay with letting Jack pay for, but then again, I got the feeling that Joe wasn't concerned with money matters.
Jack went off and told me all about his ranch. He had over a hundred acres of land, seven tame horses, one colt that was still in training. Those horses belonged to the family. He also owned a herd of around thirty wild horses that roamed the land but stayed out of the way of people, along with a load of sheep that were good for sheering and selling the meat. On one side of this ranch, he had a lodge that he set up for people to vacation at. He called it a dude ranch, and although I was sure I had heard the term before, I didn't know exactly what it was. He explained it as a place where people came and learned all about what it's like to be a cowboy or cowgirl. That place alone had staff of twenty-three people who ran the place and it's twenty horses, three bulls and four cows, six pigs, two goats, and a pen full of hens for laying eggs to round off the authentic experience. Jack inherited the dude ranch from his father who passed away three years prior to then. He bought an extra twenty acres for himself and his family soon after.
Boy was I excited. He said I was welcome to ride the horses anytime I wanted, and I was more than anxious to take him up on that offer. I hadn't had much experience with horses, but I was ready to learn. Apparently Joe knew all about horses, but he didn't pay much attention to them except when he went off on long rides early in the morning and didn't come back until after nightfall. Joe didn't look very happy that I was enlightened with that bit of information, but could you blame him? I guaranteed that I wouldn't be going that far. I wasn't even sure I would end up liking horses, but I was willing to give it a chance. The thought sounded good to me.
"The black stallion is mine," Joe told me when Jack said I was welcome to ride them at anytime. "Don't no one ride him but me." That kid sounded more like a hood than I did. He also sounded a lot more selfish than any Soc I had ever met.
I just nodded. Who was I to ride his horse if he had any objections? Jack gave Joe a look and continued. "Diablo decided that Joe was the only person who could ride him, a long time ago. He doesn't like being touched by anyone else, so be careful around him."
"Okay." That was more than understandable. I wasn't aiming to get my head kicked in by a horse. "How big is he? Is he a thoroughbred?"
"Yup. Fifteen hands. Came from a good line of show horses too."
"Cool."
As it turned out, Fisk was around an hour out of the city. The nearest city was fifteen minutes north, and that's where I would be going to school. Fisk was too small for a school of it's own. Jack said there'd be around five high schoolers, if there had been one, and that's it. That gave me a pretty good idea of how small the town was.
We passed by two other houses, both very spaced apart, before reaching the Briggs' home. It was a two story, wooden laced house that could fit my house eight times, easily. I doubt I have ever even been in a house so big in my life. I could only imagine what they could do with so much space and so few people. Jack mentioned a pool in the back and a game room upstairs. Those two caught my attention right off, but I definitely wouldn't be getting around to them the first night. Besides, it was still winter and the pool wouldn't be in use for a few more months.
By the time we pulled up into the driveway it was heading on ten at night and all the kids were asleep in their car seats. Joe and I had to share a bench in the van, and I was fine with it until he spread out across two of the seats and propped his foot up in front of me, on Melanie's seat's arm. That pretty much crowded me out and I don't think I could feel any less comfortable. Boy was I glad to get out of there.
Jack unloaded my luggage from the back and gave some of it to Melanie and took the rest himself. Joe didn't stick around to help like Jack had asked, but instead was first in the house. I could tell that it frustrated Jack a little, but he didn't say anything. The main problem was that the kids were still asleep and Melanie was going to have trouble getting them all in and helping me.
"I can take my stuff..." I offered. I felt bad with them taking it all on themselves.
Melanie's face fell. "I'm sorry, Ponyboy. It's just that the kids will get cranky and I can't carry Kaytie and –"
"Don't worry about it," I laughed. "Really. I can handle it. I ain't got that much. It ain't that heavy."
She set down my suitcase and got back into the van to take out the kids.
"You see that room up there? On the end?" Jack pointed to the right side of the house.
"Yeah?"
"That's your room. We weren't sure what you'd prefer more, but it was between that and the flowery room Melanie's parents stay in there sometimes, or the unfinished room with bare spots still in the floor. So, we assumed..." He grinned.
"Nice. Thanks."
Melanie climbed back out and guided a sleepy Kyle to Jack, who picked him up and propped him on his chest, then took off into the house, beckoning me to follow him. Melanie followed with Kaytie and Preston.
Walking in the front door was like entering a new world. From the doorway you could see almost the entire downstairs. There were only partial walls separating rooms, and it made it seem even more spacious than it was. To the right was a large room with couches and chairs and a stone fireplace. To the left was a breakfast room and a huge kitchen. There was a TV room, a play area, and at the back, you could see to the outside where there was the pool, covered and gated, and swing sets and all sorts of play equipment for the kids.
"We'll give you a tour tomorrow, if that's all right," Melanie said, coming in behind me. "It's just getting so late tonight and there's school tomorrow and..."
I had almost forgotten about school. "How early do I need to get up?"
"Oh, hunny," she giggled. "You don't start until Monday. We want you settled before you have to start school. No, the school is aware you're coming, and they are just fine with waiting until Monday. You don't have to get up at any particular time until then. But starting with school, we'd like you to be up by seven. School starts at eight thirty and it's a twenty minute drive to the city. You and Joe will be driving together." Today was Wednesday. That was quite a while to wait, but I didn't mind at all.
"Oh, okay. Great." I smiled. No school was more than okay with me, for now.
We made our way upstairs and I followed Jack to the end of the hallway, while Melanie took the kids to bed. "The second room at the other end is Joe's. He likes to be secluded some. Don't be afraid to go over there though. He's a good kid, don't let him scare you."
"He doesn't."
"Good. And then the one at the at the very end is mine. The one across from yours – I hope you don't mind – is Kyle's and Preston's. They keep pretty quiet at night though. The one at the top of the stairs is Kaytie's, and she's usually not too bad anymore. You shouldn't be bothered by her though. You're spaced far enough away."
We walked into my room and he flipped on the light. My jaw almost dropped seeing it. It was at least three times as big as Soda's and my room, and a lot cooler looking. It wasn't quite Western, but every piece of furniture was made from the same reddish raw wood – the bed frame, desk, chair, night stand, dresser, even the wood around the mirror above the dresser was built with raw wood. The comforter on the bed was a creamy blue and white, and looked more than comfortable. The floor was smooth, dark wood covered by a hand woven rug.
"I hope it's okay," Jack said, smiling at the surprise on my face. He dragged my suitcase over by the dresser and closet. I followed suit. "There are about a million hangers in there for you to use and you can use the dresser and whatever you'd like." He opened the closet. He sighed, good natured, when he spotted two white cloth hampers. "Melanie is really organized. Don't worry about doing everything perfect. Although I'm assuming one is for lights and one for darks... or one for school and one for others... I dunno, but either way, don't worry about it. She has fun doing laundry and separating. She's a neat freak."
I barely heard what he said as I was concentrating on four identical suits hanging up in the closet.
"Oh, yeah. Don't mind those for now," Jack said following my gaze. "You aren't being subjected to wearing them until you start school. They aren't that bad. I used to wear them myself. They're actually pretty comfortable."
"School...uniforms?" No one mentioned wearing a school uniform...
"Yes, sir. For Coleman Academy. They're pretty particular about their dress code too." He started to step away, heading more towards the door.
"Do I go to a private school?" That's the only thing that came to mind when I saw those.
"Did no one tell you?"
"Nope..." Me at a private school? I never imagined that ever happening. It was kind of a spooky thought.
"Ah, well, you'll get a good education there. I hear you like school. Got yourself into all the smart classes, huh?"
"Uh, yeah. Does Joe go there too?"
"Sure does. Have to beg the school to keep him at the end of each semester too. He causes them grief sometimes... but no matter... I'll leave you here. You're probably tired anyway. The bathroom across the hallway is all yours, go ahead and unload whatever you want in there. We've set out a few towels for you to use. You can either hang them out to dry after you use them, or put them down the laundry shoot in the kids bathroom if they get dirty. Or do whatever you would like."
"Okay. Thanks."
"Sure thing. Are you okay? Anything I can get you or...?" He looked beat, completely worn out. But even if he hadn't, there wasn't anything else I could think of that he could possibly do for me. As if he hadn't already done enough...
"No. I'm good."
"You sure?" I nodded. "All right. If you need anything, you know where to find me. G'night, Ponyboy." He started to leave.
"Good night, Mr. Briggs. Thanks."
"Jack," he corrected me as he closed the door behind him.
Standing in my new room with my two suitcases at my feet and all the time in the world to unpack and do whatever I wanted in there... I had only one thought crossing my mind.
This was going to be interesting.
Some of you may be disappointed in the very very beginning of this chapter, but it just would've have worked out to see them all say goodbye. Their goodbyes were done at the house, so you know...
Review Responses:
Skye Renegarde: HAHA. Weeee is right! Yeah, Texas shall be fun. Pony might not like it exactly as much as we do... but you know, life isn't fair all the time, lol. And in poor Pony's case it isn't fair for these last several years. Thanks!
ShyXshortieXbabe: Well, hopefully this'll give you a feel for Pony's foster family. We don't like to think of them as his family, but his temporary caretakers that just happen to rock... well, most of them, lol. Glad to know you're excited, haha.
MissLKid: Haha, we made you cry! Hahahahaha! Taunts Jk. But we're glad you felt it. Emotion was meant to be conveyed. Yes! Keep reviewing. The more the merrier...the merrier we are that is. :D
Oblivious Misconception: We love the title too, hehe. It was irresistible. Yeah, people around here... particularly the person who wrote that has had major experience in that field, so it better be authentic, lol. Thanks.
Tensleep: You just barely discovered that your computer is weird and picky? We don't think it deserved to be called a machine at that... Jk. Yes, adventure is nice... not so much for Pony, but it's nice...
The Almighty Captain Cookie!: Man, learn to spell your name right, geez... shakes their heads. You better keep reading even though it was mushy. The mushiness is over. So, calm down. Jk. Anyway, yeah PonyBOY is going to have some shifty-eyed... fun....hahaha. This should be enjoyable on your part. And Keira doesn't mind PonyBOY getting you a babe... but no fooling around. Remember, I'm pregnant? And that means we still need a name for the baby. Lol, see ya.
FUDDYDUDDY: Well, maybe you're experiencing the flashbacks, because they're flashbacks for Alli too...lol. Nah, but that's so sad that you had to go through that. At least he's back, right? Thanks for your compliment. That means a lot to us.
Catherine Ace: RTOL backwards huh? That ought to be fun... kinda like a panandrom huh? Good to know your laptop lasted long enough for us, haha. It must be good to you ;) Thanks for reading.
goddess of darkness3: Thanks a ton! Keep reading!
Anonymous: You think Pony's been through enough? Nah, he's never been through enough. If you wanna see him go through even more...just keep reading. Thanks.
A/n: Thanks guys, now for the part you actually want.... We hope.
The flight was much shorter than I had expected. I was prepared for a several hour flight, but it was only about two hours long. That was fine by me, I mean, if I had known it would only be that long I wouldn't have cared. But when the pilot announced that we would be landing in twenty minutes, I was far from ready.
The social worker had met us at the airport, and told me exactly what was going on. A family down in Fisk, Texas had agreed to take me in for as long as was needed. They were a younger couple, in their early thirties, and they had three kids, all five and under, and a nephew who lived with them that was my age, give or take a year. Fisk was a small town, with a population of about seventy people and the family ranched. Their names were Jack and Melanie Briggs, and they had only just agreed to this a few days before. They were good friends of my social worker, and when they heard about my case, they thought it over for a few days and decided they wouldn't mind having someone else around. Since neither parties had the time or opportunity to see pictures of one another to know who to look out for, they would be holding up a sign for me in the lobby, and I was to meet them there.
I was more than nervous about it all. I had never gone anywhere without at least one other person that I knew, and I didn't know how I felt about doing it. Obviously, I would've rather stayed at home, but since that wasn't an option, I didn't even know how I was supposed to be reacting to this. I know it happens all the time – foster kids going to live elsewhere – but that doesn't mean that I ever seriously thought that I would be one of them.
Sooner than I would've liked, the plane touched the ground. I could hear a little boy behind me squealing to his mother about seeing grandma and the man next to me snorted in his sleep before he jerked awake to see us slowing down. He sat up and grinned. He told me in the beginning of the flight that he was going home and that he had been away for three months on various business trips. I was humiliated when he asked if I was coming and going, and then who I was coming to see. I told him the truth because I wasn't in the mood to make up a lie, but I would've rather have done the lying bit. He stopped talking to me after that, probably afraid that he'd bring up a sensitive subject or something. I wouldn't have minded talking about it. I mean, yeah it sucks to leave, but it might have helped me to get over some of my nerves.
Finally we were walking out of the airplane and into the airport. I legs were shaking slightly. I guess you could say I was afraid that I wouldn't find Jack and Melanie Briggs, or that they wouldn't show up, or even that the next year or so of my life was going to go all downhill from here. Just about every possibility of what could happen had crossed my mind by then, and none of them were comforting.
I readjusted my backpack before stepping through the portal door. The airport was crowded with tons of people. I quickly moved out of the way so others could pass me while I looked for my foster family. I felt awkward standing there in my suit and tie, because most people were casual, but Darry had wanted me to dress to impress and I couldn't object.
Within a minute I spotted a small, young family with a little boy who was holding up a small sign that read my name. His dad, who I assumed to be Jack, was holding him in his arms and when I walked their way, the little boy turned to him and asked, "Is that him?"
"I don't know, Preston. Let's ask."
I stopped a few feet in front of them and smiled weakly. "Mr. Briggs?"
He broke out in a smile and held out his hand. "Jack. You're Ponyboy? Is that right? Ponyboy?"
I laughed a little. "Yeah, that's my name." I shook his hand. He seemed all right so far. I could tell just by the way he handled his son that he was a gentle man. He couldn't have been older than thirty-two either, I wouldn't think. He had dark brown hair and a near-leathery brown tan. He was as tall as Darry or taller and he had a build of a rancher. He was definitely a cowboy, although he didn't dress like it right then. He was wearing a dark green suit, and I had a feeling that was his wife's doing.
"Nice to meet you. This is my wife, Melanie, and our kids, Kyle, Preston, and Kaytie, and my nephew Joe."
I shook hands with Melanie. You could tell she was on the younger side, but she looked older. Her blond hair was in a weave down to her shoulder blades and her skin was more leathery than Jack's was, but she was fair looking. It didn't tarnish her appearance too much.
"I'm so glad to meet you, Ponyboy," Melanie gushed. It was a tad overboard, but I knew her intentions were good, so it didn't bother me in the least. "We've been looking forward to this. I hope we can make you feel more than at home with us."
I smiled shyly. I don't think I'm very shy, but there's something to say for meeting your new "family" for the first time. "Glad to meet you too."
I nodded to Joe who looked bored out of his mind, and he nodded back. He looked forced into the suit and very uncomfortable in it. I could tell from the off that he was a lazy guy who could careless what this meeting was about or that it was even happening. He didn't look worried that I was invading his space or anything, just bored and passive. He had short, what would be clean cut, hair that was tasseled around a bit, like he had just woken up, and he looked like it as a general rule, just anyway. The only thing that irked me about him thus far was that every time someone said my name he would smirk a little. I couldn't blame him, but he could try and keep his humorous thoughts to himself.
I shook his hand and he opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He changed his mind and didn't say anything at all.
"Well, Ponyboy – do you go by Ponyboy... or?" Jack's thought changed half way through his sentence.
"Pony, Ponyboy...Pon...whatever. I go by whatever."
"All right. Well, is it all right if we go to dinner first? We made reservations here in the city." He was asking me if it was all right? Of course it was all right. Why would I object to that? Of course, I knew he was asking out of courtesy, so I didn't say any of that. Not that I would've at this point in time.
"Sure. Okay."
We made our rounds around the airport, collecting my luggage and stopping for the little kids to go to the bathroom. They were cute little kids. The girl was about one and a half years old and still sucked on a pacifier and looked too shy to say anything except to whisper in Melanie's ear. The two boys, who looked about three and five, ran in circles around us and the older one, Kyle, accidentally knocked Preston to the floor. Preston started to whimper, and Kyle patted him on the head and said he was sorry, but he was still upset, so Joe stopped and picked him up. He didn't seem like a half bad guy. He was just different than anyone that I had ever met. I wasn't sure what to think of him... Not that I had been given much of a chance yet to know.
"So, how do you like Tulsa?" Melanie asked me as we walked out the doors into the parking lot.
I grinned and started to talk to her. I wasn't afraid to talk to her like I thought I might be. She was trying so hard to make me feel welcome, I couldn't help but like her already. I could tell from the off that she was really warm and friendly.
The ride to the restaurant was quicker than I thought it would be. It was only a few streets from the airport and traffic wasn't that thick. The city, San Angelo, was quiet tonight. Probably because it was the middle of the week and most people reserved themselves for the weekends. From the looks of the restaurant on the outside, it wasn't cheap. The lights were dimmed on the inside, coming from red, Tiffany style, chandeliers that hung low over the tables. Waiters in black pants and crisp red jackets walked around like large robots, holding silver platters at shoulder height and bending stiffly to lower and lift dishes.
"Do you like Japanese food, Pony?" Jack asked as we walked to the front door.
"I've never had it before." I had always heard that it was good, but I never actually tried it for myself. The only Japanese place we had in Tulsa ran in the ranges of ten to fifteen dollars a plate, and what greaser had the money for that? Darry spends that much money on food for three days. The only one of us that had ever gone there was Darry and that was for the last meal his football team had before the end of the season his senior year. He wanted to go, because it would be strange if the captain didn't show up, so Dad forked over the money for him. We didn't eat out for a couple of months after that. Dad said that that had cleaned out whatever he would've used on any of us. It was fine with us though. Darry had fun and wasn't embarrassed by not going. It got to be normal with his buddies. "My brother likes it though. He said he was going to make me try it sometime, but we never got around to it."
"Really? Oh, you're going to love it. They have non-seafood dishes too, if you're worried at all about that." He held the door open for everyone and Joe strolled up to the host like he was the boss of the place.
"I like seafood. I've had sushi before," I told him, remembering that tidbit. It wasn't my favorite thing, but if I could handle that, I was sure I could handle whatever else the Japanese made.
"Hmmm. Good stuff."
We were there for about an hour and half. The chef made the food when we ordered it, so it took a while to get our food, but I didn't mind it. I was too busy being overwhelmed. I was sitting to eat with the family I was supposedly going to live with for a while, in a state I had never been to before, in a restaurant I felt unworthy to be in – not to mention the awkwardness of ordering food that I wasn't going to be paying for, and felt like I would owe a huge favor to Jack for paying for me. I got water to drink while Joe helped himself to coke and an additional appetizer besides the one they provided to us for free. I figured that some day I'd be comfortable with how and what I ordered, but today wasn't that day. I doubted I would ever be that comfortable to order more than I felt okay with letting Jack pay for, but then again, I got the feeling that Joe wasn't concerned with money matters.
Jack went off and told me all about his ranch. He had over a hundred acres of land, seven tame horses, one colt that was still in training. Those horses belonged to the family. He also owned a herd of around thirty wild horses that roamed the land but stayed out of the way of people, along with a load of sheep that were good for sheering and selling the meat. On one side of this ranch, he had a lodge that he set up for people to vacation at. He called it a dude ranch, and although I was sure I had heard the term before, I didn't know exactly what it was. He explained it as a place where people came and learned all about what it's like to be a cowboy or cowgirl. That place alone had staff of twenty-three people who ran the place and it's twenty horses, three bulls and four cows, six pigs, two goats, and a pen full of hens for laying eggs to round off the authentic experience. Jack inherited the dude ranch from his father who passed away three years prior to then. He bought an extra twenty acres for himself and his family soon after.
Boy was I excited. He said I was welcome to ride the horses anytime I wanted, and I was more than anxious to take him up on that offer. I hadn't had much experience with horses, but I was ready to learn. Apparently Joe knew all about horses, but he didn't pay much attention to them except when he went off on long rides early in the morning and didn't come back until after nightfall. Joe didn't look very happy that I was enlightened with that bit of information, but could you blame him? I guaranteed that I wouldn't be going that far. I wasn't even sure I would end up liking horses, but I was willing to give it a chance. The thought sounded good to me.
"The black stallion is mine," Joe told me when Jack said I was welcome to ride them at anytime. "Don't no one ride him but me." That kid sounded more like a hood than I did. He also sounded a lot more selfish than any Soc I had ever met.
I just nodded. Who was I to ride his horse if he had any objections? Jack gave Joe a look and continued. "Diablo decided that Joe was the only person who could ride him, a long time ago. He doesn't like being touched by anyone else, so be careful around him."
"Okay." That was more than understandable. I wasn't aiming to get my head kicked in by a horse. "How big is he? Is he a thoroughbred?"
"Yup. Fifteen hands. Came from a good line of show horses too."
"Cool."
As it turned out, Fisk was around an hour out of the city. The nearest city was fifteen minutes north, and that's where I would be going to school. Fisk was too small for a school of it's own. Jack said there'd be around five high schoolers, if there had been one, and that's it. That gave me a pretty good idea of how small the town was.
We passed by two other houses, both very spaced apart, before reaching the Briggs' home. It was a two story, wooden laced house that could fit my house eight times, easily. I doubt I have ever even been in a house so big in my life. I could only imagine what they could do with so much space and so few people. Jack mentioned a pool in the back and a game room upstairs. Those two caught my attention right off, but I definitely wouldn't be getting around to them the first night. Besides, it was still winter and the pool wouldn't be in use for a few more months.
By the time we pulled up into the driveway it was heading on ten at night and all the kids were asleep in their car seats. Joe and I had to share a bench in the van, and I was fine with it until he spread out across two of the seats and propped his foot up in front of me, on Melanie's seat's arm. That pretty much crowded me out and I don't think I could feel any less comfortable. Boy was I glad to get out of there.
Jack unloaded my luggage from the back and gave some of it to Melanie and took the rest himself. Joe didn't stick around to help like Jack had asked, but instead was first in the house. I could tell that it frustrated Jack a little, but he didn't say anything. The main problem was that the kids were still asleep and Melanie was going to have trouble getting them all in and helping me.
"I can take my stuff..." I offered. I felt bad with them taking it all on themselves.
Melanie's face fell. "I'm sorry, Ponyboy. It's just that the kids will get cranky and I can't carry Kaytie and –"
"Don't worry about it," I laughed. "Really. I can handle it. I ain't got that much. It ain't that heavy."
She set down my suitcase and got back into the van to take out the kids.
"You see that room up there? On the end?" Jack pointed to the right side of the house.
"Yeah?"
"That's your room. We weren't sure what you'd prefer more, but it was between that and the flowery room Melanie's parents stay in there sometimes, or the unfinished room with bare spots still in the floor. So, we assumed..." He grinned.
"Nice. Thanks."
Melanie climbed back out and guided a sleepy Kyle to Jack, who picked him up and propped him on his chest, then took off into the house, beckoning me to follow him. Melanie followed with Kaytie and Preston.
Walking in the front door was like entering a new world. From the doorway you could see almost the entire downstairs. There were only partial walls separating rooms, and it made it seem even more spacious than it was. To the right was a large room with couches and chairs and a stone fireplace. To the left was a breakfast room and a huge kitchen. There was a TV room, a play area, and at the back, you could see to the outside where there was the pool, covered and gated, and swing sets and all sorts of play equipment for the kids.
"We'll give you a tour tomorrow, if that's all right," Melanie said, coming in behind me. "It's just getting so late tonight and there's school tomorrow and..."
I had almost forgotten about school. "How early do I need to get up?"
"Oh, hunny," she giggled. "You don't start until Monday. We want you settled before you have to start school. No, the school is aware you're coming, and they are just fine with waiting until Monday. You don't have to get up at any particular time until then. But starting with school, we'd like you to be up by seven. School starts at eight thirty and it's a twenty minute drive to the city. You and Joe will be driving together." Today was Wednesday. That was quite a while to wait, but I didn't mind at all.
"Oh, okay. Great." I smiled. No school was more than okay with me, for now.
We made our way upstairs and I followed Jack to the end of the hallway, while Melanie took the kids to bed. "The second room at the other end is Joe's. He likes to be secluded some. Don't be afraid to go over there though. He's a good kid, don't let him scare you."
"He doesn't."
"Good. And then the one at the at the very end is mine. The one across from yours – I hope you don't mind – is Kyle's and Preston's. They keep pretty quiet at night though. The one at the top of the stairs is Kaytie's, and she's usually not too bad anymore. You shouldn't be bothered by her though. You're spaced far enough away."
We walked into my room and he flipped on the light. My jaw almost dropped seeing it. It was at least three times as big as Soda's and my room, and a lot cooler looking. It wasn't quite Western, but every piece of furniture was made from the same reddish raw wood – the bed frame, desk, chair, night stand, dresser, even the wood around the mirror above the dresser was built with raw wood. The comforter on the bed was a creamy blue and white, and looked more than comfortable. The floor was smooth, dark wood covered by a hand woven rug.
"I hope it's okay," Jack said, smiling at the surprise on my face. He dragged my suitcase over by the dresser and closet. I followed suit. "There are about a million hangers in there for you to use and you can use the dresser and whatever you'd like." He opened the closet. He sighed, good natured, when he spotted two white cloth hampers. "Melanie is really organized. Don't worry about doing everything perfect. Although I'm assuming one is for lights and one for darks... or one for school and one for others... I dunno, but either way, don't worry about it. She has fun doing laundry and separating. She's a neat freak."
I barely heard what he said as I was concentrating on four identical suits hanging up in the closet.
"Oh, yeah. Don't mind those for now," Jack said following my gaze. "You aren't being subjected to wearing them until you start school. They aren't that bad. I used to wear them myself. They're actually pretty comfortable."
"School...uniforms?" No one mentioned wearing a school uniform...
"Yes, sir. For Coleman Academy. They're pretty particular about their dress code too." He started to step away, heading more towards the door.
"Do I go to a private school?" That's the only thing that came to mind when I saw those.
"Did no one tell you?"
"Nope..." Me at a private school? I never imagined that ever happening. It was kind of a spooky thought.
"Ah, well, you'll get a good education there. I hear you like school. Got yourself into all the smart classes, huh?"
"Uh, yeah. Does Joe go there too?"
"Sure does. Have to beg the school to keep him at the end of each semester too. He causes them grief sometimes... but no matter... I'll leave you here. You're probably tired anyway. The bathroom across the hallway is all yours, go ahead and unload whatever you want in there. We've set out a few towels for you to use. You can either hang them out to dry after you use them, or put them down the laundry shoot in the kids bathroom if they get dirty. Or do whatever you would like."
"Okay. Thanks."
"Sure thing. Are you okay? Anything I can get you or...?" He looked beat, completely worn out. But even if he hadn't, there wasn't anything else I could think of that he could possibly do for me. As if he hadn't already done enough...
"No. I'm good."
"You sure?" I nodded. "All right. If you need anything, you know where to find me. G'night, Ponyboy." He started to leave.
"Good night, Mr. Briggs. Thanks."
"Jack," he corrected me as he closed the door behind him.
Standing in my new room with my two suitcases at my feet and all the time in the world to unpack and do whatever I wanted in there... I had only one thought crossing my mind.
This was going to be interesting.