11. When shadows grow longer...

Pony's POV

The next day I even went very early to the lot again.
There I met with Claudia again as I expected - or rather as I hoped.

"Hey, Pony." she already shouted towards me and waved.

I smiled and waved back.

"Hey, Claudia. Nice to meet ya. How you're doin'? Why did ya disappear that suddenly yesterday? Are ya perhaps mad at me, 'cause my brothers and friends came to the lot as well?"

I just had to ask her about it!

She smiled at me and shook her head.
"Oh no, I ain't mad at ya at all. Why should I?
I'm sorry that I just walked away without even saying goodbye to ya or introducing myself to the others.
I wouldn't bother ya. That's why I thought, it would have been better when I would have gone."

"But ya don't bother!
I'm sorry that the others have appeared, too. I didn't know anythin' 'bout it that they would come to the lot, as well.
Please don't think that I've ordered 'em there, so that they would have the chance to see ya."

"Yeah, I know that ya didn't have invited 'em. Don't worry 'bout that.
It ain't ya fault that they appeared as well and I walked away 'cause of 'em.
That has nothing to do with ya! Ya ain't responsible that they came.
It's just comprehensible. They just wanna know who you're meetin' with. They didn't mean to harm. They just wanna help ya and be sure that you're all right." Claudia replied.

"Sure!" I answered and I tried hard not to let show the anger about this unintended disturbance.

Anyhow, Claudia seemed to notice it, because she said, "Aw, Ponyboy. Try to understand ya brothers for once. They're worried 'bout ya! They wanna help ya and how can they do that, when ya don't let 'em help ya?
Ya can't settle some things alone. Sometimes ya need help from others. And in such cases ya also should take the help, ya get offered completely voluntarily for purely love.
Try to understand 'em. Maybe you'll see one day."

I thought a moment, before I answered her, "Ok, I'll try it. But I can't promise anythin'."

"Fine. Well, it's worth a try."

I nodded.
After that we were silent a while.

"Oh, the sun's goin' down." I remarked suddenly, when I looked to the sky which already was reddish in the meantime.

"Yeah, right." Claudia said and looked into the sky as well.

So we both watched silently and astonished at the same time this pretty sunset.
It was already a while ago, when I have watched a sunset that intensively for the last time.
I've watched a few sunsets as well as sunrises lately - the latter rather rarely - but that happened more superficially.
That was intensively for the first time again.

"Nature's first green is gold,
her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
so dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay." I suddenly heard Claudia quietly reciting beside me.

I slowly turned around and looked at her surprised.

"Where... where do ya know this poem from?" I asked whispering.

It has confused me so much, that I wasn't able to talk aloud.
I wasn't even quite sure, if she has heard my question at all.

But she turned her head towards me and answered, "I've learned it from someone nearly one year ago. Though I don't know exactly any more who has taught me."

I swallowed hard, before I replied, "I... I've learned this poem in school. I've also recited it, when I've watched a sunrise. That was then... with Johnny. After that he said to me that this poem meant exactly, what he thought while watching this single sunrise. He never cared 'bout sunrises or sunsets before, until he has watched one with me..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, if I've reminded ya of Johnny with that poem again."

"Aw no, it ain't that." I replied and quickly wiped over my eyes.

"It's just that it's pretty funny that ya also think exactly 'bout this poem in the moment of a sunset. Ya don't meet someone who also likes to watch sunsets and also thinks 'bout that, as I do, every day. Above all it's pretty rarely in that neighborhood, if not even somethin' like unique, ya understand?"

"Uh-huh." Claudia only answered.

"Say, what 'bout goin' to the movies? I've still time until I've to be home again." I suggested after a while.

Claudia looked at me skeptically. "I don't really know..."

"It's also ok if ya don't like to. It was just a suggestion." I said quickly.

"Well, if ya don't mind to go there with me..."

"Why should I mind? Would I have asked ya otherwise?"

"I don't know, probably not, right? But..."

"What?"

"I, um, have no money with me..."

I laughed relieved. "Aw, if it's nothin' else... I'll invite ya."

"No, I can't take that."

"Yeah, you can! Don't worry. Sure we don't have that much money, but it's enough to invite ya to the movies though. It also ain't that expensive."

"All right. Thanks, Pony." Claudia said smiling.

"Not for that!" I declined and noticed that I blushed a bit.
That's why I said quickly, "Well, let's go to the movies now, ok?"

"Yeah."

So we set off to the movies.
And this time I preferred the legal way and not the illegal one through the broken fence I took with Johnny and Dally on that one evening, which changed my life completely.

So I ordered two tickets while Claudia waited patiently next to me.
I didn't know why the clerk looked at me that odd when I paid the tickets and moved on with Claudia.
I found it a little strange, but I didn't think about that any longer.

There were also a few Socs in the movies, who cast glances at us, which said clearly that they didn't like our presence very much and I really hoped that none of them would start a fight with us.
I was a bit nervous near them and hoped that they and also Claudia wouldn't notice it.
But I was lucky, because they didn't seem to be out for a fight so much today, since they left us alone.

After the movies I accompanied Claudia to the lot.

"Thank ya so much for that nice evening, Pony. And thanks once again that you've invited me." Claudia said when we reached the lot.

"You're welcome. It really was no problem. I also liked this evening." I replied. "Shall we meet us again tomorrow? I could show ya the neighborhood a bit; the park and everything. Ya got to know the movies today and ya already know the lot very well."

"I like to."

"Ok, then I'm gonna pick ya up here tomorrow, all right?"

"Yeah."

"Fine, then see ya tomorrow. Shall I see ya home?" I asked once again.

And as expected I got the same answer again, "No, it ain't necessary. I live close by here and nothing's gonna happen to me up to there."

"Ok, if ya say so..."

"Yeah, I say so!" Claudia replied smiling.

"Well, then goodbye."

"Yeah, till tomorrow. Aw Pony, why have ya actually been that nervous in the movies? Had it somethin' to do with me?"

Oh, she had noticed it!

"Um, no, it had nothin' to do with ya, but with the people at the movies." I answered her.

"What was with 'em?" Claudia kept on asking.

"I'll rather explain that tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok, as ya like, I don't mind. Good night, Ponyboy." she said, waved towards me and turned away.

"Good night, Claudia."

And I also walked home.