Keys and Fear
Sodapop's P.O.V.
"Hey Darry, do you know my DX shirt is?" I yelled, stumbling to get my shoes on. I hated mornings because I was never ready for them. It was either I couldn't find my shirt or Ponyboy had hidden my shoes under the bed. It was really rare Pony ever hid my shoes and when he did I saw car wrecks on my way to work. I knew that at least one of those cars would be at the DX later in the day for repairs and Steve and I would be busy that day.
Today was Sunday, Darry's day off. I had to work because one of the guys called in sick and no one else was available today. I knew Steve was out of town because of some family emergency, didn't bother to ask what the emergency was, and my other two buddies, Jake and Vincent, were at this weekend football tournament. "Did you check the dryer Soda?" Darry yelled.
I went to the dryer found my shirt. It's a good thing Darry knows where everything is or I would be in a lot of trouble. "Thanks Darry," I said as I ran past him and out the front door. As I got to the truck I realized I was missing something, the keys.
Just as I reached the porch, there was a loud crack and then the crunching of metal. I jumped and looked at the truck. A branch from the old tree had fallen right on top of the cab, right where I would have been sitting if I had been in the car.
I heard giggling and looked around. When I saw who was giggling, I almost fainted. Across the street was Mom and she was looking at me with a happy expression and next to her stood my little brother with the keys to the truck. I was speechless. Did Pony hide my shoes because he knew that there was going to be an accident I would have been caught in if I had left on time?
He was probably going to hide my shoes today too, but I had beaten him to it. So he did the next best thing in his eyes, taking the keys so I wouldn't be in the car. "Ponyboy," I said, my eyes never leaving his spot. "Come here Pony,"
I noticed Mom wasn't there anymore. It was probably just an illusion, a trick of the light and Pony must have been giggling just as it happened. That had to be it; my mom couldn't have been there. She was dead along with Dad and there was no coming back. I had just about convinced myself of that when Ponyboy started talking to me. "Did you see her?" he asked, "Did you see Mommy Sodapop?"
I stared at him wide eyed. "She told me that the branch was gonna break today," he said, looking at the truck sadly. "I wanted to hide your shoes again but you found them before I could so she told me to hide the keys," He looked up at me with large, tear filled eyes. "Are you okay Soda?"
"I'm fine Lil' Colt," I said, picking him up. He was getting way too big for this, but I needed to hold him. Every time he did all those things, he was just trying to keep me alive. Which would explain why he hid Darry's tool belt from time to time, he was trying to save him too.
Speaking of my big brother, he came rushing out the house to see what had caused the noise. He groaned when he saw the truck and then had a panicked look in his eyes. "Sodapop!" he shouted, not looking at the porch steps.
"I'm fine Darry," I said, climbing the steps with Pony on my hip. "I wasn't in the truck when the branch broke. Thank God that Pony had decided to hide the keys today," I gave him a wink and he just stuck his tongue out at me. Darry pulled me into a bear hug, probably thankful that I wasn't killed.
I went to call Two-Bit to see if he could give me a ride and if he knew if Steve was home yet from his family emergency. I knew he would help me fix the truck. I just hope Two-Bit and Steve don't mind driving us to and from work for a little while. But I have learned something from all of this.
If Pony is hiding my stuff, I have every right to be fearful on the way to work.