41. Reunion
The bus ride was long. Long and boring. Johnny managed to fall asleep on my shoulder, but I stayed awake, staring out the window at night and watching the buildings go by. Everyone left us alone, and there were more guys in leather jackets and greasy hair than guys dressed like socs, so I wasn't too worried. There were a few girls on the bus too, and women with kids, all of them keeping their distance from us. I missed Sue already…she didn't treat us like hoods.
We kept our bags at our feet the whole time, the straps around our ankles to keep anyone from pulling it away. The first day we talked for a while, keeping our voices low so we wouldn't bother anyone. We talked about books we'd read and which ones were the best. We both liked Agatha Christie, but I liked the classics better, like John Steinbeck. He liked F Scott Fitzgerald, and we'd both read the Tolkien book I'd started with and thought it was pretty good. Surprisingly, he'd read a bunch of science fiction books that he really liked. He'd gotten part of the way through a book called Dune but hadn't been able to finish it. I hadn't liked it much but he was into it. Maybe he'd be able to find it back home.
When we got bored with that, I pulled out my sketchpad and I flipped through the pictured I'd done when I'd first gotten to New York and the ones I'd done of him too without him knowing it...pictures of him working and one of the library. Johnny had been real impressed, staring at the one of Soda for a long time, telling me how good it was, and my ears got red when I tried to take it away from him, muttering for him to quit.
He laughed, crossing his arms. "What are you gonna draw now?" he asked. I shrugged, staring down at a blank page. "What about Sue?" he suggested.
"Um…sure." I shrugged, closing my eyes for a second and remembering how she'd looked outside the church the first day we'd really talked. In her church dress and white gloves, hair in braids with yellow ribbons, her smile when she'd invited me to stay after service for dinner. So I'd started to draw that. For almost an hour I'd done my best to draw on the bumpy bus ride, and he'd watched, apparently fascinated. "You wanna draw something?" I asked when I was tired of drawing.
He snorted. "Man, I can't draw nothing like you can."
I pushed the paper over at him, turning to a fresh page. "You can try." He grinned, then took the paper and pencil, drawing two horizontal lines, then two vertical ones. In one corner, he drew an X and I snorted, taking the pencil he handed me and drawing an O in another corner. So we passed about an hour with that and hangman, then he urged me to have a sandwich that I didn't feel like eating. I was too excited…and nervous. Still, I picked at it, not finishing it but doing my best.
I couldn't sleep at all. For a minute, I think I dozed against the window, but after a while I gave up. I kept jerking awake, finding Johnny on my shoulder, drooling a little. Snorting and letting it go, I just went back to staring out the window. By the time we finally reached Tulsa, my heart was racing. Johnny nudged me, looking well rested even though it was almost midnight. I could practically feel the bags under my eyes, but I wasn't about to complain. I could sleep when I was in my own bed.
My legs were cramped from sitting for so long, and I stumbled a bit when we climbed off the bus, bag over my shoulder. As we stood on the platform and Johnny went into the bathroom, I glanced around, pulling the gun out of my bag and pushing it into my pocket. It was a long walk home…I figured it couldn't hurt to have it just in case. And when we got home, I'd give it back to Dally.
We started walking as soon as he was out of the bathroom, bags thrown over our shoulders and hands in our pockets. Johnny made small talk as we walked, but all I could do was look around at all the places I'd missed so much. The movie house. The houses of greasers I only sort of knew but had still missed. A house Darry had roofed. The corner stores Dally had stolen from and the filling station…the DX. I stared at that for a long time, wishing he was there.
It was where I'd called him those three times.
By the time we reached the park, I was so nervous my hands were shaking. I wanted to see my brothers so bad…we were so close I wanted to break into a run. It was so close…my house was less than a mile away. Johnny was grinning real big and nudging me, and I laughed under my breath, nudging him back.
"We're almost there," he told me, patting me on the back, and I chuckled, a noise that died in my throat as I turned to the park as we passed the path that would lead to the playground and the fountain where Bob Sheldon had nearly killed me.
There was a familiar truck parked on the street, door thrown open, and I froze in my tracks, my blood turning to ice.
He was here…in our neighborhood…in my neighborhood. He was in the park where I'd nearly died…the man who'd nearly killed me so many times. I touched my pocket, the gun heavy and cold there. I'd never really carried a gun before, except when our dad had taken us hunting, and those hadn't been revolvers. Those hadn't fitted in my pocket, hidden under my long sleeved shirt.
Darry and Soda would be upset if they knew I was carrying it around town. Sure, Darry had wanted me to carry a blade in case I needed to protect myself, but this was something a real hood did…and he didn't want me to be a real hood. Hell, I didn't want to be one either. Guns got you killed around here, either by other guys with guns or by the fuzz. I'd wanted to give it back to Dallas, but suddenly another thought came to me.
I could end this. Right now.
Beside me, Johnny stood frozen, staring at me in confusion. We were almost home…I just wanted to walk through my own front door…see the looks on my brothers' faces as I stepped into the house for the first time in nearly a year. I was so tired…I'd barely slept at all on the bus, so I would walk in the door, see my brothers, and somehow fall asleep. I was running on the sodas Mr. Williams had given us and adrenaline, and I wasn't sure how long that would last. But his truck was parked on the street and I couldn't move.
He was here.
"Pone?" Johnny asked. There was no one else around. At just past midnight , the streets were nearly deserted.
"That's his truck," I told Johnny, my voice dying in my throat.
"What?"
"His truck." I pointed and Johnny started shaking his head. There was s silhouette of a naked woman sitting upright in the back window, her head thrown back, and it reminded me of James's tattoo. Hanging from the rearview mirror was a beaded necklace and I was sure the floor was littered with beer bottles. "Go to my house. Get my brothers," I ordered, taking a step away from him.
"Man, I ain't gonna…"
Suddenly someone was screaming, and I felt bile rise in my throat. I was running then, full out toward the familiar voice, almost forgetting about Johnny who chased after me.
"Get help, now!" I ordered over my shoulder, and Johnny faltered, then ran in the opposite direction toward my house.
I knew that scream. I'd heard it too many times…my feet barely touched the ground as I sprinted toward the fountain where the lights shone down on a girl beating on a man, her fists useless against her chest as he held her hair in his fist.
"I already told them! I told them everything!" She was screaming, lashing out with her feet and missing. He danced around her easily, pulling her back toward the road where his truck was parked. I knew what he was going to do…the same thing he'd done to Lianne.
But he wasn't gonna get her into that truck.
He didn't even see me coming.
I tackled him, taking Rita with us, but he was so surprised that he let her go, and she scrambled backwards, gasping and using the fountain to pull herself to her feet. I cocked my fist back and hit him in the face as hard as I could, then again, getting his eye this time. He managed to hit me in the arm, squirming under me, but I sat on his stomach, punching him over and over until he caught my fist in his hand, shoving me back and throwing me onto the ground. Before I could get up, he was sitting on me, our positions reversed. My nose exploded in pain, then my eye, but I managed to grab his shirt, pulling him close and slamming my head against his.
We both groaned, him rolling off of me and holding his head. I touched my nose gingerly, feeling it shift between my fingers and moaning. He'd already broken my nose once, back a few weeks after I'd moved into his house, but this hurt worse. My eyes watered and I wiped at them, not wanting him to think I was crying. He didn't deserve that kind of satisfaction.
Suddenly there was yelling and running feet and I pushed myself up, hurrying to my feet. Had someone seen what was going on? Or were they his friends, ready to gang up on me and kill me like they'd killed Lianne? I heard something click, then, and glanced down to find a switch in his hand. Richard swung and I jumped back, stumbling as I reached into my pocket. The group of people running toward me froze at the edge of the circle of light as I pulled the gun out of my pocket.
I pointed the gun at his forehead, the barrel right up against his skin, and everything went quiet. I nodded at his hand that still held the knife and he dropped it. Reaching out with a foot, I slid it away from us and followed it with my eyes as it came to rest a few feet away from the people in the park with us. It couldn't have been his friends…they would have already shot me. Right?
Rita stood behind me, breathing hard and shaky, and I heard her take a few steps back. Good. She shouldn't be close to this guy. I wanted to tell her to run but I didn't dare look away. Richard stared up at me, eyes wide and dumb, and I felt my hands stop shaking for the first time in what felt like months. It would feel so good to end his life. To know that he'd never hurt another person.
I glanced to the side and felt like throwing up. It was Darry I saw first…I could barely see him, but his eyes were huge. Sodapop was beside him, then I think it was Steve right behind him. I was sure the others were there. They had to be…but I didn't want to look over at them long enough to take attendance. Johnny had been fast. Richard was on his knees in front of me and I could end all of this…no more problems with the state or social workers…he'd be gone. Of course, it wasn't that simple. If I killed him there would be a price to pay.
My brothers were so close…they were right there! With everything Rita had told me…told the cops…everything had to be okay now. Right? The state would believe her and arrest Richard. But…he was here. In the park by my house. Why hadn't they arrested him? Didn't they believe her? Would I have to live with him again? I couldn't…he'd kill me.
Unless I took care of it first.
Tires squealed and a car door slammed, the sound of running feet toward me. How many people were going to show up?
"Put the gun down!"
I figured it was a cop. Blue lights flashed in the corner of my vision, but I kept my eyes on Richard.
"Young man…put it down."
Which cop was it? The one my brothers trusted, or one of Richard's? Was he going to arrest this asshole, or shoot me in front of my brothers?
"Ponyboy Curtis?" the cop asked then, his voice a little softer. My brothers were still dead silent. Were they surprised to see me? Horrified to find me pointing a gun at a man's head? Maybe both. Or maybe they didn't even recognize me.
"Yeah," I told him. I guess they really hadn't recognized me, because when I spoke, Soda let out a sob. From the corner of my eye I saw someone move forward…I guess someone held him back, though, because he didn't get any closer.
"Pony?" I heard Darry ask like he didn't quite believe it.
I guess I really did look different. The light above my head was bright, but beyond the circle, I could barely see anything...just vague shadows in the darkness. It didn't help that I refused to turn my head…to let Richard get the jump on me. Instead of answering, I nodded.
"Ponyboy, put the gun down," the cop ordered. "My name is Officer Charlton. I've been trying to help your brothers. Your foster sister has given her statement, and this man is under arrest. We've been looking for him for the last two days…ever since your foster sister gave her testimony."
"It's not enough." I kept my gaze on Richard's. His eyes never strayed from mine, and for once, it didn't hurt to keep eye contact with him. He couldn't hurt me now. "Not after everything he did, it's not enough."
"C'mon, Ponyboy, put the gun down." That was Darry, his voice weak, not commanding like I'd thought it would be. I gripped it even tighter, hating the tears that filled my eyes. It was the first time I'd heard his voice in person in…a year? Almost. I'd never heard him sound like that before…so absolutely terrified and small. Still, I spoke right to Richard.
"You don't deserve to live. You know that? Do you know what you did to me!? To all of us?" My voice was too loud…bordering on hysterical, and I didn't want to be hysterical. I wanted to be cool like Dally when I looked this man in the eye and ended him. I wanted him to be scared of me like I'd been of him. "You killed her. You…all of you…"
"Ponyboy, put it down!" the cop ordered again, and I glanced up. He was short and kind of pudgy, moving forward until he was standing right at the edge of the circle of light…made me think of the oatmeal guy.
The oatmeal guy was pointing a gun at me.
"You deserve to die," I told Richard, ignoring the cop. I had so much I wanted to say to him…so many accusations. But this was the most important. "She was only thirteen and you…you raped her and killed her." My voice broke and I fought to blink back the tears, the gun still steady. I wasn't going to cry. Not in front of him.
The cop spoke again, gentle and friendly. "Son, I'm going to take him into custody. He's under arrest. He's going to prison for a long time. He'll never hurt another kid."
Richard just stared at me though his one good eye, the other one swelling so fast I could watch, hatred and mild worry mingled. Did he think I wouldn't do it? My finger touched the trigger and I heard the cop's gun click…he was ready to shoot too.
"Ponyboy Curtis, put it down!" he barked, sounding less like a friend and more like a cop now.
There was movement beside me then, and a hand landed on my shoulder.
"Dallas…" the cop warned.
Dally ignored him. I just stood there, not willing to let the gun drop. He finally couldn't hurt me. I could stare him right in the face…light a cigarette if I wanted, and he couldn't hurt me. Hell, I could put it out on his arm, let him see how bad it hurt. The thought of lighting a cigarette made me wanna be sick and I felt another wave of hatred. His fault...all of it was his fault.
"Alright, kiddo. Give it here." Dal shook my shoulder a little, not sounding concerned, just firm.
"He deserves to die, Dally," I told him.
Dal snorted, but he didn't sound amused, just disgusted as he stared down at Richard for a second. "Yeah…yeah he does."
"He raped them…both of them." I made myself say it, my voice shaking as my eyes got hot. Behind me, Rita sobbed softly, and I knew she was hiding her face in her hands. They'd lived through it…the least I could do was say it. "She was only thirteen." It didn't matter if he knew anymore…Rita had already told them everything. "I tried to stop him." I felt like I had to explain myself…Dally wouldn't have let that man hurt him. No way. "I tried, Dal," I told him, my voice breaking.
"I know you did." He squeezed my shoulder, comforting. "Shit, kid, you're a lot braver than I am."
That stopped me cold, and I tore my eyes away from Richard to look up at Dally. With him so close, I didn't have to be afraid of Richard.
"No way I'd take a beating like that every day to help someone I barely knew." He patted my shoulder. "And yeah, he deserves to die about as much as anyone I've ever met, but you sure don't. If you act like you're gonna squeeze that trigger, our friendly officer of the law over there's gonna shoot you, savvy? And after all the shit your brothers have been through…hell, that all of us have been through, you think we deserve to see that too?"
"No," I murmured, looking back down at Richard, my hands starting to shake again. I felt light headed…I was home. I was finally back home. My brothers were less than a hundred feet away. It was almost over.
"Good. I really don't want your blood all over me, kid. I'd probably never get it out of the leather."
I grinned up at him, taking my eyes off Richard for just a second. Dal wouldn't let him do nothing.
"As good as it probably feels to point a gun at this sorry asshole, it's time to put it down. So hand it over, okay? And try not to shoot me with it." I felt hot water drip down my face and realized I must be crying after all. "C'mon." He squeezed my shoulder again then patted me on the back. "Hurry up, kiddo. I've got places to be."
I snorted then, lowering the gun and putting it in his hand, and he immediately put it on the ground, kicking it toward the cop.
"There you go, officer. We're unarmed again. Go ahead and take this sorry piece of shit away."
He pulled me backwards by my shirt, away from Richard, and toward my brothers and the other guys who had yet to move. Probably Two-Bit and Steve but I couldn't see. Johnny too…Johnny and I were home. I watched the cop grab Richard and put him in handcuffs and thought I might fall over in relief. Then suddenly, someone was holding me so tight I couldn't breathe, but it didn't matter. I didn't need to breathe.
The last time I'd seen Darry, he'd promised to get me back. He'd wrapped his arms around me and rocked me back and forth just like this, promising he wouldn't let this happen. Now I gripped his shirt so hard I thought it might rip, hiding my face in his shoulder and crying so I could hardly stand, his arms holding me up. I was home. I was with my family again…it didn't seem real. But his arms around me were real. Nothing had ever been so real.
He pulled back after a long time, his hands cupping my face as he looked at me so close it was like he was trying to memorize me by the street lights. One hand moved to my hair, smoothing it back and probably taking in the new color. I'd half forgotten that I'd even dyed it; I so rarely looked in a mirror. His thumb traced the scar then, going from right beside my eye down my cheek to my mouth. I hated it…it made me look tough and mean, sure…but it also reminded me of a thirteen year old girl with a hand over her mouth, screaming behind a bar. He glanced down at my arms then, but didn't pull the sleeves back, just looked back up at my face. He was crying…I hadn't seen my big brother cry since…before our parents died, I guess.
At some point, Soda got a hold of me, his face hidden in my shoulder, and I was crying again, holding him so tight I doubted he could breathe while Darry kept his hands on our shoulders like he didn't want to let me go. Soda, too, pulled away, his eyes tracing the scar and taking in my hair. "You got tall," he choked out at one point, laughing a little through his tears, and I realized we were eye to eye now…heck, I was almost a little taller than him. Darry pulled us both close again, and for so long I lost track of time he just held us, his head on mine, and I felt him crying through his chest.
Beside us, I was vaguely aware of Johnny getting hugs and pats on the back from the gang. I wanted to say hello to them…I wanted to thank them for everything. But glory, I'd missed my brothers more than anything in the world. Soda was gripping my shirt, still crying, and I was too. Darry probably was too…I couldn't manage to look up at him. Instead I stayed where I was, gripping him as tight as he was holding me, the three of us in a tight circle in the middle of the park, right by the fountain where this had all started.
"Come on, guys…let us see the kid," Two-Bit urged, and I felt him reach out and grab my shoulder. Soda laughed, letting me go but keeping a hold of my shirt while Two-Bit hugged me, lifting me up and spinning me around, making Soda let go. "Hey Ponyboy!" He dropped me back down and I grabbed him to keep my balance, laughing and feeling so tired…I was dizzy with it. I felt like I hadn't slept in days, which I guess I hadn't really.
"Hi, Two-Bit." I grinned, gripping his arms, and he steadied me.
"Was starting to wonder if you were ever coming back."
"Me too," I admitted.
He put his hands on my shoulders, squeezing and looking real serious. "Glory, kid, it is so good to see you." He reached up, ruffling my ungreased hair. "Now what the hell did you do to your tuff hair?"
Soda snorted, patting me on the back. "Tell me about it…I didn't even recognize you at first."
"That was kind of the point," I admitted, and they both sobered up.
Steve managed to elbow Two-Bit aside then and I crossed my arms, grinning at him…we were the same height now. "Did you miss me?"
"Shoot, Ponyboy." He sighed, reaching out and grabbing me in a bear hug. I hugged him back tight, kind of surprised, but grateful. I'd missed Steve. He was Soda's best friend and we'd grown up together and he was practically family. He smelled like oil and I swear it was the best thing I'd smelled in a year, my face in his shoulder. "Yeah, I missed you." He patted me on the back, then held me at arm's length. "Soda's right…you did get tall. Think you can fix the hair?" he asked, running a hand roughly through it, and I laughed, batting him away.
"I don't know." I shrugged. "Guess I could shave it and start over."
He snorted. "Nah, don't do that. You'll look even more ridiculous."
"He looks tuff," Soda defended me, throwing an arm around my shoulders and squeezing. Beside us, Dally had an arm around Johnny's shoulder.
"Not the word I'd go with," he put in, grinning at me. "You guys wanna move this inside?"
"Good idea." Darry put a hand on the back of my head, pulling me closer and hugging me to his side. "Come on, Pony. Let's get you home."
"Hang on a sec," I told him, turning away from the guys to find Rita standing at the edge of the group, her arms crossed tight over her chest. She smiled when she made eye contact, and met me halfway when I hurried toward her, her arms thrown around me. She'd never hugged me before. Never touched me at all, except when she was patching me up after Richard about killed me a couple of times. I hugged her back, surprised to find that I was a little taller than her now.
"I never thanked you," She whispered, her chin on my shoulder, and I pulled away when she finally did, grinning at her. Glory I was glad she was okay, despite a fading black eye. The guys and my brothers were a little ways away, giving us space, and I didn't think they could hear. Still, I kept my voice low.
"You didn't have to."
"I still should have. You let him hurt you so he couldn't hurt me and…"
"Don't worry about it," I told her, uncomfortable. "It's all over now. Right?"
She nodded, the smile sad and painful. "Yeah. I think so." Despite her words, I could tell she didn't quite believe it.
All of a sudden she seemed to swim before my eyes and I gripped her arms, stumbling a little, and immediately someone was behind me, holding me up. "Ponyboy? What's the matter?" Sodapop asked, sounding panicked, and I let Rita go, murmuring an apology to her. She nodded, stepping back.
"Nothing…just awful tired. Couldn't sleep on that stupid bus," I grumbled, rubbing my eyes.
"Yeah? When's the last time you got any sleep, kiddo?"
I thought back to the nights before leaving…the nightmares and the crying and the drawings I'd done and the books I'd half read to pass the time. "Honestly? No idea." I admitted with a half smile, and he slung an arm around me.
"Let's get you in bed, huh, Pone? You okay to walk?"
"Yeah, sure," I assured him, leaning on him a little as we all made our way home. I was finally going home. Too bad I felt like I was about to fall over. But I had my brothers with me...and for the moment, that was all that mattered.
