Darry didn't say anything else to me right then, though. He just gave me a half-smile, and patted my shoulder. We all ended up in the
kitchen, eating sandwiches, after which Soda left to go to work on the car for the fellow named Booker. Pony watched a show on television
and I sat out in the living room with him, but I wasn't really watching. Darry went to bed shortly after that. He came
from the kitchen, switching off lights, and stood at the edge of the living room.
"I'm headin' to bed," he told Pony and me.
"It's early," Pony said.
"I figured I better get some rest, before tomorrow," Darry said.
"Yeah," Pony said, in agreement, looking at Darry from his spot where he was lying on the couch.
"Tomorrow's the sign-ups for the classes at the YMCA, don't forget," Darry said. "Make sure ya get down there by ten. Maybe Two-Bit
can give ya both a ride."
Neither Pony nor I said anything to that. We exchanged a look between each other.
"At least three classes or so each," Darry said. "And get 'em on the same days, so neither one of ya is walkin' by
yourself to and from."
"Even with everything goin' on?" Pony asked.
"What'dya mean?" Darry asked.
Pony sat up. "I was thinkin' I could find somethin' else-more than the bowlin' alley, to make some money."
"If ya find somethin' on the days opposite your class days, then we'll see about that," Darry said.
"I mean somethin' steady-like every day," Pony said.
"Ya have to take the classes. Two or three of 'em," Darry insisted.
"Well, how come?" Pony asked. "Ya never really said why Mrs. Richards wanted us to."
"Yeah," I said. "Ya never were real clear about that, Darry."
"She thinks both of ya could profit from it-" Darry paused, and ran his broken hand thru his hair, looking frustrated. "She says
it's to be, so it's gonna be."
We were both quiet, looking up at him, and he sighed. "Don't give me any grief about it, alright? Can ya both just do what
ya need to do with it?"
I guess Pony and I both felt a nudge of guilt then. Darry was still nursing his injuries-in pain, and getting ready to
return to work the next morning. It wasn't the time to argue with him-not over something that was not his decision, but, instead,
was on Mrs. Richard's say-so.
"Yeah. Okay," Pony said, grudgingly, and I nodded.
Darry said goodnight, and went to bed.
DSPJ
The next morning, Soda was frying eggs and bacon, and when I went out to the kitchen, he greeted me with
his customary good humor.
"Mornin', June-Bug," he said.
"Mornin'."
"Wanna make the toast for me?" he said.
I went to do that, while he finished up the eggs, and Darry and Pony made their way to the kitchen.
Soda was the only one who really did any talking. He was regaling Pony with the process of working on that
well-off guy's car.
The phone began ringing, and I got up to go answer it.
It was Rhonda, wanting to know if I could go swimming later, at the city pool. I told her I'd call her back,
and went back to my seat at the table. When everybody was finishing up, and Pony had followed Soda to the living
room, I gave Darry a covert glance. I picked up my plate and his, as he was standing up, finishing off his coffee.
"Darry?"
"Hmm?" he asked.
"After Pony and I go down and sign up for the classes at the Y, and after I do stuff around the house, could I go
swimmin' later?"
Darry paused in his coffee drinking to look at me. "Swimmin' where?" he asked.
"The city pool. With Rhonda. And maybe a couple other girls."
"You've still got some days left on your groundin'," he reminded me. I didn't need the reminding.
"I know," I said, softly, giving him what I thought was a plaintive look.
"If ya know-then why are ya askin' to go swimmin'?" he said.
"I was hopin'-that ya might let me go," I said, vaguely.
"Ya think I should just write off the rest of your punishment, huh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not all of it," I said. "Maybe just this afternoon?"
Darry was looking at me, still with his eyebrow raised.
"It's gonna get real hot later," I said. "At least ninety degrees. I heard it on the radio."
"That hot, huh?" he asked, pushing in his chair with his good hand. I thought I heard an amused softening to
his voice at my remark about the high heat.
I nodded, and he turned serious-looking again. "I guess so," he said.
I had to admit, I was a bit surprised by Darry's easiness at giving in. "Thanks!" I said.
"I don't want ya goin' anywhere with that cousin of Rhonda's," he said, then. "What's her name-the one that
had the grass?"
"Charlene," I said. "And, I won't. I won't go anywhere besides the pool."
"Alright," he said. He picked up his lunchbox that Soda had packed for him. "Are ya walkin' to the pool?"
The city pool is only five blocks from our house, so it's not as though there's too much risk of running into
any trouble.
I told him yeah, that I planned to walk over. He told me to have Pony walk me over.
"He doesn't have to," I protested. "Rhonda will probably come here, and we can walk over together."
"I want Pony to walk ya over," Darry insisted.
"It's five blocks, Darry-Pony shouldn't have to walk over there with me-"
"Junie, Pony walks with ya, or ya don't go," Darry said, pausing and settling that intense gaze of his on me.
I sighed, and gave in. "Okay," I said.
"Okay. Have fun," he told me. He walked to the door, picking up his tool belt that was laying on the end of the couch. He was
juggling it with his lunch box in his good hand, and I said, "I'll help ya." I took his lunch box, and walked out with him. At his
truck, he put the tool box in, and then took the lunch box from me, setting it inside as well. He rolled down the driver's window.
"Pick some classes that you're gonna like doin'," he told me.
I was already tired of talking about those dumb YMCA classes.
"Promise you'll take it easy today," I told him.
Darry settled himself into the truck. "I'll be fine," he said.
He paused. "You have enough money for the pool and all today? Or did ya give it all to me last night?"
"I have a little left," I said.
He was looking at me sort of serious-like, and regretful, and I didn't want him to start trying to make me take my
money back again. So, I closed the truck door, and said, "See ya later."
"Yeah. See ya," he said.
Outsiders
Two-Bit showed up, which is common. He helped himself to a big bowl of cereal, and sat in the kitchen eating it while I
did the breakfast dishes. Pony cleaned up the living room, and ran the vacuum. By then, it was time to be going to the
YMCA. Neither one of us was very excited as we rode down there with Two-Bit.
There were lots of kids, running all around the parking lot and in and out of the building.
We sat there for a few minutes, just watching.
"Want me to hang around?" Two-Bit asked.
"I don't know how long it's gonna take," Pony said.
"It's okay. I got nothin' better to do," Two-Bit said. "'Sides, there might be some good-lookin' girls in here."
So, we all went inside, past the area where the pool was at. You could look into there thru the glass.
"I think that's the registration table down there-" Pony said, pointing down the hallway.
"I'll wait here," Two-Bit said.
Pony and I exchanged a knowing look. Two-bit, no doubt, planned to just stand and ogle the girls in their
swimming suits.
We went to the desk that had been set up and waited in line. Once we were standing in front of the woman sitting
there, she smiled and asked us our names, and gave us papers to fill out, and all of that.
She told us to find a place to sit and fill them out, and choose our classes, and then bring them back.
Looking over the papers, I saw Pony marking something and I leaned over to see what he was doing.
"A writin' class?" I asked him.
"Yeah. It doesn't sound too bad."
"No. I bet you'll like it," I said.
"One more," Pony said.
"Darry said three classes," I said.
"I'm only doin' two. I've gotta get a job, Junie. In case Darry can't keep workin' cause of his ribs, or in case that guy doesn't
pay by the end of the month," Pony said.
"Oh." I sat back in the chair. "Ya think that might happen?"
"I dunno. Maybe." He looked up at me, and then tapped the paper in my hand. "Come on. Get to pickin' somethin'."
I looked over the choices of classes.
"There's a photography class, Junie," Pony said, pointing to a certain row of words. "That'd be good for you, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess," I said.
After a few more minutes, I'd chosen the photography class and an art class. We gave the papers to the lady at the
desk, and she instructed us to return the next day to begin.
After that, Two-Bit took us to the drive-in, and insisted on buying us hamburgers and Cokes.
"I got a little extra jingle-jangle," Two-Bit said. "I can afford it."
It was getting close to the time that I'd agreed to meet Rhonda at the pool, so I had Two-Bit swing by
the house, and I grabbed up my swim suit and towel and had him drive me to the pool.
"What time ya sposed to be home?" Pony asked me. "I'm gonna go cut Mrs. Thatcher's grass, and get a couple of
bucks, so when do I come get ya?"
"Ya don't have to come get me," I said. "I'll walk with Rhonda or one of the other girls."
They dropped me off at the pool, and I went in as they drove off.
Rhonda was already there, sitting pool-side, with another girl that I recognized from the high school. I didn't know her
well. She was older.
I changed to my suit, and we sat around, slathering tanning lotion over our skin. The other girl, (Alice Kaye) was
nice enough. She kept asking me questions about Soda. Which was annoying after awhile.
Was he dating anybody right now? Was he still working at the station? Blah, blah, blah.
I had fun, though, until the boys from the drugstore showed up, honking a car horn, and Rhonda went to
the fence to talk to them. She came back, and immediately began pulling on her shirt.
"There's a party at the lake," she announced. "Plenty of beer, and plenty of boys. Come on."
Alice Kaye shrugged. "I've got nothin' better to do."
"How about you, June?" Rhonda asked me.
I shook my head. "Naw, I better not."
Rhonda gave me a disapproving look, her hands on her hips. "Grief, June-here we go again-don't ya get
worn down, always bein' under Darry's thumb?"
I started to say that it wasn't like that-but suddenly I just didn't feel like bothering anymore. Rhonda just didn't get it,
and she wouldn't ever get it. She didn't have to worry about social services, and she didn't have to worry about getting into trouble
with her parents.
I gathered up my stuff, and went to change back to my clothes, and when I came out, Rhonda said, "I think you're
crazy, June. But, we can give ya a ride to your house."
"No, that's okay. You go on," I said. There was something inside my head telling me not to get into the car with
the boys. I knew that walking home alone wasn't what Darry had had in mind, but I thought he would prefer that to
me riding with them.
So, I set out for home. I'd gone about two blocks, and reached the highway, which I needed to cross in order to
go the last three blocks. Crossing the highway on foot is always a bit tricky. I was paused there, waiting for the
right opening to make my run across.
A familiar beat-up blue truck came past me, and pulled to the side of the highway, off the shoulder. I ran quickly and
pulled the passenger door open, and climbed in, slamming the door shut again. Darry merged back into the traffic, and pulled
out.
"Why are ya walkin' alone?" he asked.
"Rhonda wanted to go with somebody else."
"Who?"
"Her boyfriend."
Darry turned to the left, heading to our house. He gave me a surprised, shocked look.
"Rhonda has a boyfriend?" he asked, stunned.
"Yeah. Well, sort of," I said.
Darry shook his head slightly, and said something under his breath that sounded like, "Bullshit."
"How was your day back at work?" I asked, giving him a once-over. "Was it real hard?"
"Not too bad," he said.
"Are ya real tired?" I asked.
"I'll admit to bein' ready to sit down."
"You'll have to eat and get to bed early," I told him.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," he said.
We were on the last block before our house, and Darry returned to the previous topic. "Ya shouldn't have been walkin' alone, Junie."
"I know-but I didn't think I should ride with Rhonda and the boys. She said they'd give me a ride, but I didn't think
ya would've wanted me to do that."
"Well, you're right about that," he said. "Ya could have called Pony, though."
"Pony's cuttin' Mrs. Thatcher's grass." (Mrs. Thatcher is an older lady who lives on the next street over)
"Oh. I forgot he was gonna do that."
"Yeah." I rolled my window down a bit further, letting my arm trail in the breeze. "It's only five blocks, Darry."
"Five blocks is plenty for somethin' to happen."
I decided to drop it. By now, we were on our own street, and pulling into the driveway. We got out, and I pulled out
my house key from my pocket, unlocking the door.
When we went in, I turned on the fans, and went to pour two glasses of lemonade, and carried them to the
living room, where Darry was leafing thru the mail. He was having difficulty opening one of the envelopes, holding it
with his casted hand.
"Here," I said, handing him his glass of lemonade, and taking the letter from him. I used my fingernails to open
the envelope. I shook out the paper inside, as Darry took a long drink.
"That's good lemonade," he said, and sat down on one end of the couch.
"It's a bill," I said, handing him the envelope and contents.
"Yep," he said, and began looking thru the other envelopes.
Looking at him more closely, I thought that Darry looked real worn down.
"What sounds good for supper?" I asked him, as the telephone began ringing.
I went to answer it, and Pony said, "Hey, Junie. Ya made it home, huh?"
"Yeah."
"If Soda comes home for supper, tell him I'm eatin' here at Mrs. Thatcher's. She's got some stuff needin' fixin', and
so she offered to feed me if I'd stay around and do it."
"Darry's here," I said. "I'll tell him."
"Darry's home already?" Pony asked, sounding concerned.
"Yeah."
"He okay?"
"He seems okay," I said, lowering my voice.
"That Pony?" Darry asked, from his spot on the couch.
When I said, yeah, that it was, he said, "Tell him I said not to walk home in the dark. To call and I'll come pick him up."
I relayed that to Pony, who sighed thru the telephone wire.
"Tell him not necessary," Pony said.
"Not necessary," I said, turning to tell Darry.
"Call," Darry said, in a no nonsense tone.
"Call," I repeated to Pony, enjoying using the same tone as Darry.
Pony said okay, and I hung up, going to stand by the sofa.
"So, what for supper?" I asked. "It may be just you and me."
"I'll make some grilled cheese," Darry said.
"Aren't ya too tired?" I asked.
"I'm tired, but if I get a shower, I can manage some grilled cheese."
"Okay," I said.
So, while Darry went to shower, I got out the stuff he would need to make the meal with, and folded some
laundry. When he reappeared in the kitchen, wearing clean jeans and t-shirt, his feet bare, he got busy working
on the grilled cheese. I went to the refrigerator and pulled out a cold beer, opening it, and handing it to him.
He took a long drink of the beer, and I set the table for the two of us. When we sat down together, there was
a cooler breeze blowing in the back screen door.
We ate in companionable quiet, at times, and then Darry surprised me when he brought up Rhonda
and the boys.
"How long has Rhonda been seein' her boyfriend?" he asked.
"I dunno. A couple of months, I guess." I took a drink of my lemonade, and saw that he was watching me
with an intent sort of an expression.
"What?" I asked.
"I guess I'm just surprised by it," he said. "Her havin' a boyfriend."
"How come?"
"Well-because she's thirteen," Darry said, as if I should have known the reason.
"Rhonda's fourteen."
"Fourteen's not long from thirteen," Darry said. He took another long drink of his beer, and sort of leaned back in
his chair, pushing his empty plate to the side.
"Want another one?" I asked, reaching for the platter of sandwiches.
"Naw. Thanks."
I kept nibbling on my own sandwich, and Darry said, "Her folks don't see anything wrong in it?"
"I dunno. She doesn't say. They probably don't even know," I said, without thinking.
When he was silent, and I looked at him, I saw that his expression was a mixture of disapproval and disbelief.
"How can they not know?" he said.
I shrugged. "They're busy. They don't really worry too much about what she does, I guess."
"Oh," Darry said.
I started telling Darry about the classes that Pony and I had signed up for.
"That's good. That photography one oughta be interesting to ya," he said.
"Yeah. Maybe."
We cleared the table, and I went to take a shower. When I came out, Darry and I sat around the living room,
reading different sections of the newspaper. Again, it was companionable.
Pony got home. He'd gotten a ride from Mrs. Thatcher, and he was in high spirits. He waved his ten dollars
at Darry and I. "Not bad for five hours," he said. "Plus she fixed a heck of a supper-"
"That's good," Darry said.
Pony went to shower and then ate a couple of the leftover sandwiches. It seemed to me that Darry was
extra quiet, and thoughtful, as I was gathering up the newspapers.
By the time I was in my bedroom, just about ready to get into bed, he rapped on the door.
"Junie? Alright if I come in?" he asked.
I said yeah, and Darry came in.
"I thought ya were headed to bed," I told him.
"I am. I wanted to talk to ya for a minute first."
"Okay," I said, sitting down on the edge of my bed. Elvis Presley came on my small radio, crooning in his velvet voice.
"Alright if I turn it off?" he asked me, gesturing at the radio.
I nodded, and he went to turn the knob, silencing Elvis.
I tucked my legs up, cross-legged. I was certain that Darry wasn't peeved at me about anything. I mean, we'd spent
the whole evening together, basically on our own, and he'd been easy-going to me. So, I wondered what he wanted to talk about.
Darry put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I wanted to ask ya somethin', Junie."
"Okay."
"I want ya to be truthful with me."
"Okay," I said, again, looking at him in trepidation.
"Have ya been thinkin'-to be doin' like Rhonda?" he asked.
I wrinkled my forehead at him, puzzled. "Ya mean smokin'?" I asked him. "No, Darry, I promised ya that I
wouldn't, remember?"
"Yeah. I remember. That's not what I meant," he said. He came over to sit beside me on my bed, rubbing his
hands on his jeans as though they were sweaty.
"I'm talkin' about-goin' out with boys like she is," he said. "Or have ya?"
I couldn't help it, I felt my face get all hot. I didn't think Darry felt any too comfortable, either.
I shook my head. "Naw," I said.
"Ya haven't thought about it-or ya haven't done it?" he clarified.
"I haven't done it-I mean, I sat with a group at the drugstore-but it wasn't anything," I said.
"And Rhonda was there, too, I'll bet. Right?" he asked.
I nodded, but I said quickly, "I've got my own mind, Darry. I don't let Rhonda lead me into anything."
He nodded, quiet for a moment. "Well, that's good," he said.
We were both quiet then, and I could tell that he was feeling even more uncomfortable.
"I just got to thinkin', after what ya told me earlier, that maybe we needed to have a talk. I don't think I've done
the best at talkin' this stuff thru with ya-" he said.
"Awe, no, Darry, you've done fine," I defended him.
"Well, thanks," he said, and turned so he was looking at me, full-on.
"I don't want ya rushin', Junie. And, ya might as well know right now, I think thirteen is way too soon to be
runnin' 'round with older boys, especially goin' in cars with 'em, and all, like Rhonda's doin'. A girl your age-you're not
prepared for it. For all the-emotions, and for what might be-" he hesitated. "For what might be demanded
of ya."
Now, I was really feeling shy. I wasn't used to talking about stuff like this with Darry.
"I'm not rushin'," I told him. "I'm sort of awkward, anyway. It's like I told Soda. Ya don't have to worry yet."
I could tell he wanted to believe me. About not worrying yet about me being interested in dating.
"Okay," he said. "Ya can come talk to me. Ya know that, right?"
I gave him a shy smile. "It's hard for ya, though."
"Yeah. It is," he said, not denying it. He gave me a half-smile in return. "Maybe I'll get better at it."
Outsiders