Part Two
Sandy's POV
Dear Mom,
Sorry that I don't get to tell you this myself, but you should have told me about my dad a long time ago. I found that letter you wrote to him when I was a baby. Is his name really Sodapop? Sorry, but that's kind of a weird name. Anyway, I promise I'll call you soon, once I've talked to my father. I'll be careful. Love, Daphne
For the second time in my life, everything was crashing to pieces around me. The first time, of course, was when I found out I was pregnant. I had to move to a different state, alone with a baby coming, leave my friends, my family and everything I knew behind. Not to mention I had to admit to Sodapop that I'd cheated on him. The worst time of my life. Until now.
Now my daughter, the person I loved most in the world, was going to Tulsa, Oklahoma, the home I'd left behind, to find her father. Only she didn't realize that Sodapop Curtis was not her father. If only I hadn't kept that silly letter for her to find! If only I'd told Daffy about her father years ago like I should have. If only none of this had happened in the first place.
And the worst part was, by the time I found the note after work, she was well on her way to disaster.
Daphne's POV
What will my father be like? I wondered while I was on the plane. Will he be movie-star handsome like I always imagined, or plain and simple? Why did he and Mom never get married? Will he be happy to know me or will he want nothing to do with me? My stomach was a mass of thick, twisted knots.
The plane landed, and I didn't know what to do next. How was I even supposed to find my father in a place this size? For all I knew everyone in Oklahoma could have a thing for weird names, and there could be dozens of Sodapops wandering around. Unlikely, I know, but I wasn't thinking clearly.
Daphne S. Anderson, you've got to stop worrying and focus!
Focus? Easier said than done. I was practically out of money, and so all I could do was walk down the streets of Tulsa aimlessly. Not real smart for a sixteen-year-old girl, alone, but like I said, I wasn't thinking clearly. I was planning on going to my grandparents' house to stay while I was in town, but first I wanted to at least get an address for my dad. At long last, I came to a high school. Will Rogers High. I knew that this was where my mother had gone to school, so I figured if I would find anything about Sodapop Curtis, it would be here. After all, just because she'd had to leave school didn't mean he didn't finish it. The door was surprisingly open, even on a Saturday afternoon. I guess there were meetings going on or something. And I walked down the hallways, reading all the awards on the walls, trying to find any mention of Soda Curtis, my father. But no such luck. However, I did find several plaques with other Curtis' names on them ("Boy of the Year, 1962: Darrell Curtis, Jr.", "Athletic Scholarship, 1962: Darrell Curtis, Jr.", "Academic Scholarship, 1967: Ponyboy Curtis") and I figured they must've been related to me somehow. Then someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I had to bite back a scream as I spun around.
It was a man, and he chuckled. "Looking for someone?" he asked.
"Um, sort of," I said. "Sodapop Curtis."
His eyebrows shot up. "Sodapop? What are you looking for him here for?"
"Well, um, my mom knew him when they were in school," I said lamely. It wasn't exactly a lie, she certainly did know him in high school. "Do you know where I could find him? And is Sodapop a nickname or something?"
At this, the man laughed, really laughed. "No, it's his real name. And he's probably at work, like most people in Tulsa on a Saturday afternoon. But if you really need to talk to him, you could try the park on East Sixth Street around four-thirty. He takes his daughter there every weekend."
My heart stopped beating. "H-his daughter?" I managed to choke the words.
"Sure, little Amy. The light of Soda's life nowadays," the man rolled his eyes. "He's crazy about her. The most doting dad you'll ever see."
I nodded, forcing a smile. "Thanks for your help. You know him well?"
The man grinned. "Yeah. Me and Soda have been through a lot together." He walked away, and I noticed he had a slight limp. I raced back through the halls and out the door. It was already ten after four. If I was going to get to the park to meet him, I was going to have to hurry. I hated running, but there was one thing worth running in this heat for. The chance to meet my father.
Okay. So she's in Tulsa, and going to meet Soda. But what will he say to her? And did you all figure out who "the man" was? Please review!
