Soda's POV
It was almost five and I was ready to spend a few hours with Steve. I grabbed the keys to the truck from the kitchen table and joined my brothers in the living room. Ponyboy was playing with Brianna while Darry watched football on the television. I sat on the floor with Pony and Brianna.
"Are you going to be a good girl tonight fo uncles Darry and Pony?" I asked Brianna as I pulled her onto my lap. She just smiled and I gave her a kiss before setting her back on the floor.
"What are you and Steve doing tonight?" Pony asked.
"I don't know." I admitted. "We'll probably go to Jay's or something."
"It's five, Soda." Darry spoke up from the arm chair.
I stood up and headed for the door. "I'll be back by ten." I told them as I opened the door and stepped outside. If I had anyone else watching Brianna, I'd probably wonder if she would be okay. But with my brothers watching her, I knew she'd be fine.
Darry's POV
I listened as Soda drove off in the truck. Then, I stood up and went to the kitchen and prepared dinner. I didn't have to worry to much about getting Brianna's dinner ready. Soda had taken out some food he had frozen in an ice cube tray for her and let it thaw so it would be ready for her to eat.
"Pony, dinner's ready!" I called out when the meat loaf I had made for us was ready.
Pony came in carrying Brianna and put her in her high chair. He gave her a spoon to play with like Soda does. And she happily banged it on the tray.
I placed Brianna's dinner in front of her. Pony looked at me. "Are you sure you want to give her that now?"
"Well, it can't hurt." I said.
"I guess not. It's just Soda usually waits till he's done eating before he feeds her." Pony told me.
I sighed. "It'll be fine. How bad can a little baby food be?"
By the end of dinner, we found out why Soda waits to give her food until he's done eating. At first she just continued to bang the spoon on the tray. But then she saw me and Pony eating and noticed the food on her own tray. She put down the spoon, or to be more accurate, dropped the spoon on the floor with a clank. Then, she stuck both hands in her dinner and smeared it on the tray before smearing it on her own face and clothes. She then proceded to throw her plastic bowl on the floor with a satisfied grin on her face.
"I see why Soda waits now." I said after Brianna threw the bowl on the floor.
"Do you think she got any of it in her mouth?" Pony asked.
"I don't know." I told him. "But why don't you give her a bath while I clean up this mess?"
"Okay." Pony said as he took Brianna out of the high chair and went to give her a bath. A few minutes later, I hear him running the water in the bathroom as I cleaned up the smeared baby food.
Pony's POV
Brianna was covered in baby food. I got her bath ready and after undressing her, placed her in the tub. At first I just played with her. pouring water out of old shampoo bottles and pretending that they were pirate ships. She laughed and splashe the water.
Then, I carefully held Brianna as I washed her. She giggled and squeeled the whole time. Splashing the water and getting me wet. Soda had always said that she enjoyed her baths. Now, I saw that he was right.
"Hey!" I cried as I got splashed with more water. "I'm supposed to be giving you a bath. I think I'm wetter than you!"
Darry laughed from where he safely sat in the living room.
"That's not funny!" I yelled, laughing myself as I lifted Brianna out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel. After she was dry, I put a diaper on her and a sleeper before I brought her back out to the living room just in time to see Two-Bit walk in.
Two-Bit's POV
"Well, look who's nice and clean now." Darry was saying as I walked into the Curtis home.
"Yeah, I try to shower on occassion." I joked.
"Not you." Pony said rolling his eyes. "Darry was talking to Brianna."
"Oh." I said pretending to be disappointed. Then, I reached out to Brianna. Pony handed her to me. "Did you get messy?"
"Yeah. She got her dinner everywhere." Darry said. "I just finished cleaning the kitchen."
I laughed as I sat down with Brianna on the couch. I played 'peek a boo' with her for a while. Soon, Pony joined in while Darry just shook his head.
It wasn't long before Brianna started rubbing her eyes. I had been over at the Curtis home enough times to know that when she started to rub her eyes, she was getting tired. "I think someones getting sleepy."
"Give her here." Darry said walking over to where I was sitting. "I'll put her to bed."
"Are you sure?" Pony asked.
"Yeah, I figure I can put her to bed since you gave her her bath." Darry told Pony as he took Brianna from me.
Darry's POV
I carried Brianna into her room and sat down with her in the rocking chair. I read her a story and gave her a bottle of water before I placed her in her crib. She laid there and looked at me with sleepy eyes as I covered her with a blanket and placed her stuffed bear next to her. I stayed with her until she was asleep. Then, I went to get ready for bed myself.
Soda's POV
I got home shortly after nine. Steve was with me. He had decided to spend the night. Two-Bit and Pony were playing poker in the kitchen. I assumed that Darry had already gone to bed.
"How did it go?" I asked.
Pony filled me in on everything. I laughed when he told me about how dinner went. "See why I wait?"
"Yeah. But it was Darry's bright idea." Pony said. "How was your night?"
"Not as good as yours." I replied. "We just went to Jay's then checked out the drag races."
Steve sat down next to Two-Bit. "Deal me in for the next game."
"I'm going to check on Brianna, then I'll join you, too." I told them. I walked to Brianna's room and looked over the edge of her crib. She was sound asleep and in one piece. I gently stroked her cheek and watched her sleep for a few minutes before I went to join in the poker game.