Chapter 16

"You said Daddy" I said aloud in disbelief, "you spoke."

"Daddy!" shrieked Davanee.

"Soda! Darry!" I yelled. Both Soda and Darry came running in, like something was wrong.

"What is it?" asked Darry.

"She spoke. She said Daddy. Listen."

We all listened for a little while and, unfortunately, she didn't say anything.

"I don't hear anything" said Soda.

"Just listen."
So again we listened and again, nothing.

"Maybe you were just hearing things" said Darry, "you're probably tired."

"But I wasn't hearing things. She really did say daddy" I said.

"Sure. I'm gonna go to bed. It's getting late. You comin' Pony?" asked Soda.

"Yeah, I'll be in as soon as I get her to sleep" I said. I figured it wasn't worth arguing this late at night. We could always continue the argue the next morning. Both Soda and Darry left to go to bed.

"We'll show 'em tomorrow" I said, putting Davanee in her crib, "but now it's time for you to go to bed." I put her teddy bear and blanket in the crib with her. And of course, the night wouldn't be completely without the song. She went right to sleep after that. Once I was absolutely sure she was asleep, I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed. Soda was already asleep when I came in.

I didn't sleep at all that night. Davanee woke up around one and wouldn't stop crying for the rest of the night. Luckily, she wasn't sick again. Unfortunately though, I had to make breakfast for everybody since I was the first one up. It was a miracle I didn't fall asleep during breakfast.

Darry woke up a little later than usual that morning which is weird because he never sleeps in.

"It's about time you got up" I said.

"Sorry, I over slept. Where is everybody?"

"Soda and Steve went to work, Two-Bit and Johnny went out, and Dallas hasn't been around at all so I don't know where he is. You want breakfast?"

"No. I'm not that hungry" replied Darry, "She keep you up all night?"

"Of course she did" I said, getting down on the floor next to Davanee. She squealed once she saw me and climbed right into my lap.

"She's a daddy's girl, that's for sure" said Darry, smiling slightly.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with her being a daddy's girl" I said, giving Davanee a kiss.

"Did I say there was anything wrong with her being a daddy's girl? It's kinda cute, actually" said Darry. He was right. Her being a daddy's girl was really cute.

"So do you have to work today?" I asked.

"Yeah. Speaking of which, I'm probably gonna be late if I don't get goin'." Darry quickly got dressed and grabbed the car keys off the counter.

"You should go down to see Soda and Steve a little later. She might like getting out of the house" said Darry before leaving.

"Alright. Bye."

"Bye." I heard the muffled sound of the car starting coming from the driveway. I got dressed and got Davanee ready to go. About an hour and a half later, we started making our way towards the DX. About a hundred ladies stopped us to tell me how cute Davanee was. I smiled and said "thank you" as politely as I could. But what I really wanted to say was "I know. I'm not blind." When we got to the DX, Davanee smiled. She liked going to see Soda at work. Instead of going in through the front of the station, I decided to go in though the garage. I found Steve working on one of the cars.

"Where's Soda?" Steve nearly jumped at the sound of my voice.

"Damn it! Don't do that" said Steve, slightly pissed off.

"Sorry. Where's Soda?"

"He's up front, why?"

"Just wondering" I said, taking Davanee out of the stroller. I left the stroller out in the garage and took Davanee to see Soda. He was busy with a customer so we had to wait a little while.
"God, I thought she'd never leave" said Soda once he was done with the customer, "why can't little kids just leave me alone?" Soda was adored by everybody, especially 13 year old girls. Before I started going to night school, all the girls would ask me about him. I was kinda disappointed that they wouldn't ask me about me but I guess it doesn't matter now.

"I brought somebody to see you" I said. Davanee was reaching out towards Soda, which normally meant she wanted him to hold her. I gave the baby to Soda. My arms where starting to get tired. As soon as Soda had her, she pulled his hat off and somehow it landed on her head.

"Maybe we need to get her a DX hat. She seems to be attached to mine" said Soda, "so what have you guys been up to all day?"

"Nothing much."

Soda looked down at his feet. He had this expression on his face that said something was wrong. He would have been smoking but since Davanee was there he didn't.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure." He knows he can tell me anything. Why would he need to ask?

Soda practically pushed me into one of the rooms where they keep all of the supplies for the front of the station.

"You've got to promise me your not gonna tell Darry, ok?"

"Ok. What is it?"

Soda took a deep breathe. He looked a bit hesitant, as if he didn't want to say it. But whatever it was had to come out sooner or later. It might as well be sooner rather than later.

"Sandy stopped by today. She said she's pregnant and it could be mine."

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

"I dunno. She said she wasn't sure but there's a pretty good chance that it's mine. What am I gonna do Pony? I can't be a dad. I'm not ready. I'm scared."

"I know how you feel. Soda, I can't really do anything at the moment to help you. But I will say that, if you are the father, it's not going to be easy. I mean, you've seen what I have to go through every night. And then there's all the other stuff."

"What other stuff?"

"Oh I don't know, the stares, the judgment, the occasional name calling. All that other stuff. Look, I'm not trying to scare you or anything but it's true. But who knows? Maybe there's nothing to be scared about. I mean, she did say there's a possible chance that it isn't yours, right?"

"Yeah but still. I mean, what if it is? I can barely baby sit, let alone be responsible for another person. How do you do it?"
"I dunno, I just kinda go by what I think is right and what mom and dad did to us when we were little" I said, taking Davanee from Soda. She started crying. Both Soda and I walked out of the room to the front of the store.

"If it is mine" continued Soda, "will you help me? You know more about this stuff then I do."

"Of course I'll help" I said, giving Davanee her bottle.

Soda smiled and said "thanks."

The rest of the afternoon went by slow. About every girl who came in the store had to stop and admire Davanee. Davanee would just smile and laugh and sometimes try to carry on a conversation which, of course, didn't work because it was just baby talk. She must of gotten the social thing from her mom because I for one am not that social with complete strangers.

Around 3 or so, Johnny and Dallas stopped by.

"How's the kid?" asked Dal.

"Which one?" I asked. He called me a kid sometimes.

"Both."

"Fine I guess. I heard you got in trouble yesterday" I said.

"Yeah. Got in a fight with Shepard again."

"What'd you do to him?"

"Slashed his tires." Now, you may think slashing tires is no big deal but to us and guys like Tim, it is. Tires ain't that cheep.

"Tim give you that black eye?" I asked.

"No, that's from getting jumped. I was walkin' over to the Dingo yesterday and got jumped by a couple of socs. It wasn't that bad though."

"Were you walkin' by yourself?"

"No, Two-bit was with me. We could take 'em. It was three to two." Dallas smiled, as if proud of beating those socs. But then again, knowing him he probably was proud. We stuck around the DX for another hour or so until it was time for Soda and Steve's shifts were done.

"You goin' home?" asked Soda.

"No, I think I'm gonna take her to the park first." Right after I said that, Davanee started crying, reaching out for Soda.

"I think she wants to go with you."

"She can come with us if she wants" said Soda, "we're just goin' to the Tastee Freeze."

"You walkin' there?"

"Might as well, it's not that far." So I let Soda and Steve take Davanee. Besides, it had been a long time since I hadn't had a baby attached to my side. And it had been an even longer time since I could smoke too. We walked around for a little while, drifting from the park to the lot and then, eventually, to the road that led to my house.

We were walking along quietly when a blue mustang turned the corner. It was fast at first but when it was right behind us, it slowed down.

"Should we run?" asked Johnny.

"There's no use" I replied. We stopped and, of course, the car stopped too.

Four socs stepped out. There where three of us and four of them. I figured the odds where as even as they could get.

"Well, looky what we got here" said one. He voice was slurred a little which probably meant he had been drinking.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Nothin'. We was just hopin' to have a little fun with ya" said another, his voice a little more slurred then the others.

"Over my dead body" I said.

"Be careful with what you say. It might just come true."

"Look, we're exhausted so why don't you just make this easy on us" said the first one.

"Your exhausted?" I asked.

"Yeah. We was out partying all night last night or was it early this morning?" asked another.

"You where out partying all night and you're complaining about being exhausted? Funny, ya know, because I'm exhausted too. But I was up all night with a baby who doesn't sleep anymore. Don't start with me when you say your tired from partying. I was up all night with a screaming baby who cries whenever she's alone. You, however, where probably having fun. Drinking beer, making out, possibly more, that right?" I asked, crossing my arms.

The socs started at me for a moment before finally nodding 'yes.'

"Thought so. So why don't you just get back in your car and get out of here. And oh yeah, the next time you want to complain to me about being tired, you better have a better reason then partying all night."

Without saying a word, the socs got back in the car and sped off down the road.

"Damn, Curtis. I never knew you had it in you" said Dallas.

"Yeah. Where'd all that come from?"

"I told you. I'm tired because Davanee was crying all night and she wouldn't stop" I replied, "now I don't know about you but I'm going home."