Chapter 17

The Curtis family was getting ready to sit down at the table for dinner when the phone started to ring.

"I'll get it." Sodapop said walking towards the phone. "Hello? Oh, hi. Fine, thanks. Yes Ma'am he's right here. "Sodapop covered the phone with his hand and in a loud whisper called over for Darry. Darry looked up from his plate and let out a sigh and pulled his achy body up from the table and walked over to the phone. As Sodapop was handing over the phone he quietly spoke to Darry. "It's Ms. Martin." Darry took the phone away from Sodapop before getting in a quick glance at his sister sitting quietly at the table.

"Hello, Ms. Martin. Well, thanks. Yes, it seems she is feeling a bit better. Thank you for asking. Yes, I'm hopeful that she'll be in school tomorrow. I know it would be awful if she's sick on her birthday. No, I'm sorry, I totally forgot about that. I will make sure it's in her bag tomorrow. She did?" At about this time in the conversation all the younger Curtis member were pretending to eat, but they were all listening carefully to Darry. It was right about this time that Sara had turned to peek over her shoulder to see Darry and she took note of the frown on his face. Sara wondered what Ms. Martin might be saying to him. "I will speak with her again about that. I will also send her to bed early, in hopes that will cure the problem. It was nice speaking with you too, Ms. Martin. Have a good evening as well." Darry placed the phone back down and focused his eyes on his sister who had her head down and was picking at her beef stew. Darry sat back down and buttered a piece of bread and the four of them sat in complete silence. It was killing Sara not knowing why Ms. Martin had called Darry, but she wasn't about to bring in up and make for that the topic of conversation during dinner. Instead she continued to pick at her bowl of stew in front of her. The table continued to stay quiet until Sodapop couldn't stand the silence a second longer.

"Hey Pon, did you get that project done that you stayed after for?" Sodapop asked while helping himself to another bowl of stew and crackers.

"No. Our library didn't have what we needed. I might need to go to the public library for more information." Pony looked over to Darry and cleared his throat. "Dar, I know tomorrow is Sara's birthday and all, but I really need to get over to the library after school."

Darry was quick to jump all over Pony. "Pony, when is the project due?"

Pony dipped his head down and mumbled, "Friday."

Darry's head just bobbed up and down. "I see. And you just happened to be waiting until the last minute? What have I've told you about procrastinating? Pony, this is a terrible habit you've got. You need to start learning how to prioritize. What were you doing Monday and Tuesday after school?" Pony continued to refuse to make eye contact with Darry. "Pony, I'm waiting for an answer." Darry demanded.

In a low voice Pony answered Darry. "Monday I had to meet with Coach Taylor and turn my uniform in. Tuesday I needed to come home and get Sara. When I asked you Monday night you said that I could stay after on Wednesday. Darry, I did what you told me too. I was prioritizing. Family first. Isn't that what you say?" Pony had now picked up his head and was looking eye to eye at his big brother. He knew that he had Darry there.

After a few seconds of silence from Darry he finally spoke. "Yes, Pony that is what I say. What exactly do you need to do from the library?"

"Just need to look at some old maps that they might have."

"So it isn't something that I could pick up for you on my way home then?" Darry questioned.

"No."

"Who are you going with?" Pony was starting to feel like Darry was playing twenty questions with him.

"I was going to go by myself." Pony knew that this was the wrong answer, but he wanted to be truthful with Darry.

"And you think that's such a great idea?" Darry asked raising a brow.

"It needs to get done, Dar." Pony paused before taking another bit. "I could ask Two-Bit to drive me. I'll make sure that we are back to get Sara, promise Dar." Darry still wasn't happy with this, but he knew that Pony needed to get it done.

"Fine, but make sure your back to get Sara by 3:30. No rendezvous." Pony placed a small smile on his face knowing anytime Two-Bit was involved they rarely ended up doing exactly what they were supposed to be. Darry knowing this just smiled back at Pony but made sure to add, "I mean it, Pony."

"Then you better remind Two-Bit of that, if he comes around tonight." Sodapop added to help Pony get Darry off his case.

"I plan on it, Little Buddy." Darry's eyes scanned over the table at his little sister who he hadn't heard a word from since he had gotten home. He understood that she had come home from school today not feeling well, but she wasn't running a temperature anymore, and other than looking exhausted, she didn't look sick to him. He also took note that again tonight; she had barely touched any of her dinner. "Sara, you need to eat some of that stew. It'll make you feel better." Sara just nodded her head in agreement and scooped up a carrot and potato from her bowl. Darry buttered two more pieces on bread. He popped one in his mouth and handed Sara the other. "Here this will help make you feel better too." Sara reluctantly reached for the bread and set it down beside her bowl.

"Can I be excused? I have a lot of homework to do tonight?" Pony asked reaching for his glass and bowl.

"Why don't you get started on the dishes?" Darry nodded to the sink. Pony was glad that his grounding was almost over; he needed a break from the damn dishes. Sodapop had finished his dinner and was getting up and on his way to the sink but paused and placed his hand on Sara's forehead. Sara just looked up from taking a bite from her bread.

"Is she warm, Soda?" Darry said getting up from the table.

"Nah, she seems alright. Maybe a nice hot tub and a good night's sleep with cure whatever ailing her." Soda moved away giving Sara a small smirk and a pat on the head.

"Well, she's definitely going to bed early." Darry made sure he emphasized the definitely part. "Ms. Martin said that she was off today and had fallen asleep again in class. But that no punishment would be given out this time because the nurse did send her home sick." Darry had handed Pony his dishes and moved over to the chair that Sodapop had just vacated and pulled it out to face Sara. "Sara, you need to start sleeping at night. We can't have you getting in trouble at school because you're falling asleep, now can we?" Darry gently placed his hand on Sara's arm. Sara answered Darry's question by just shaking her head "no". Even though Sodapop was on dish duty with Pony he was watching Darry and Sara over his shoulder. Soda could tell that Darry was trying to be sensitive to Sara and her weird behavior, but could also tell that Sara didn't want to hear any more from Darry.

"Hey, Dar, maybe Sara should go get in that tub and get ready for bed?" Darry looked over at Sodapop and thought about it for a few seconds. "Plus we need to get her outta of our hair so that I can bake her that birthday cake she wants." Darry let out a small chuckle.

"That's right too." He turned back towards Sara. "Why don't you take a few more bites and eat the rest of that bread and then get into the tub."

"Ok." Those were the first words that Sara had spoken to Darry since he had gotten home from work that night.

"Good, finish up now." Just as Darry was placing the chair back the Curtises phone rang again. "What's up with the phone tonight?" Darry stepped over to the phone and just before he picked it up he hollered back into Pony, "Pony, there's not anything you're not telling me, is there? I'm not going to pick this phone up and it be one of your teachers is it?" Darry was kind of joking a little but was relieved to hear a quick response from Pony.

"No," But when Darry shoot a look, Pony added, "Honest, Darry. I haven't done nothing."

"Good." Darry picked up the phone. "Hello? Hello, Mrs. Roberts. How are you doing this evening? Oh, yes, we are all doing fine. They are all doing well, thanks." Darry glanced back over into the kitchen where he noticed all three of his siblings had frozen in time. "You would? Tomorrow, late afternoon?" Once Darry had said late afternoon he looked up to see his brothers and sister all displaying a horrified look on their face. Darry was contemplating what to say to Mrs. Roberts. Almost all of Sodapop's and Pony's bruises were looking better from the rumble, but Pony was still nursing his ribs. He needed a little more time. Plus tomorrow was Sara's birthday he knew that she needed this day to help change her mood that she has been in. "Um, , I understand completely about this visit and I'm not trying to cover up for anything, or trying to avoid it, but tomorrow is Sara's birthday. Yes, Ma'am I understand." Darry couldn't stand another second of looking at the gloomy looks that were on his sibling's faces right now, and he honestly didn't want them to hear any more of this conversation so he turned his back to them and lowered his voice. "Mrs. Roberts, this is Sara's first birthday without our parents. In fact it is the first birthday in the whole house since their death. I want to try to make it as special as possible. I don't mean to be disrespectful in anyway, but if you show up tomorrow for a visit, it could very well upset Sara. She needs her day to be a special one; we need for her to have a special day. It's going to be hard enough without our parents, never mind adding a visit from the state to remind us of that. Yes, , I understand fully what you're saying. Please, I'm begging you, come the next day after if you like, but just not tomorrow. If it's about seeing everyone, than please feel free to stop in and see Sodapop at the DX, or Pony at school. I can even let you know where I'll be working tomorrow if you want to check in." Darry continued to try to talk Mrs. Roberts into anything but a real visit.

"Soda?" Sara's voice was barely audible. It wasn't until Sodapop felt the tug on his shirt that he looked down at his sister. "Soda, is Mrs. Robert's going to ruin my birthday?" A little speck of water started to gather in the corner of Sara's eyes.

"Not if Darry can help it." Soda ruffled the top of Sara's head. "Why don't we go get you in the tub and let Darry try to work his prince charming magic on Mrs. Roberts." Soda reached down to get Sara's bowl and glass off the table so that Pony could finish up.

"You really think he can?" Sara was a bit skeptical of Darry's magic.

"If anyone can do it, little one, it's Darry. Now why don't you skedaddle to that tub? I need to start making a cake." Soda gave Sara a little love tap on her behind along with his movie star grin. Sara returned the smile back and started for the bathroom when she paused to look one more time at Darry who was still working hard to change Mrs. Roberts mind.

"I'm glad to hear this, Mrs. Roberts. I look forward to your visit. I will, I will. Thank-you again. You have no idea how much this will mean to my family. Friday it is." Darry swiped at a bead of sweat that had formed on his brow while trying his hardest to get Mrs. Roberts to understand that tomorrow's visit would not be the best. As Darry was hanging up the phone, he felt little hands wrap around his waist. He placed the phone down in the cradle and looked down at the Sara who was hugging the daylights out of him. "What's this for?" He asked while he embraced her, and rubbed the back of her head.

"Thank you Darry." Sara voice mumbled into Darry's waist.

"Yeah, well, she's still coming. It just won't be tomorrow." Darry said while trying to push Sara away.

"That's ok, as long as it's not on my birthday." That's the longest sentence Darry had heard from her all night." Sara slowly let go of Darry's waist and stepped back to look up into his face.

"That's right, but shouldn't you be in that tub? If you don't get going, I'm afraid Baker Soda won't make that cake if you don't get going." Darry winked down at Sara as he noticed Sodapop getting things ready in the kitchen.

"I'm going, I'm going right now." Sara hurried off towards the bathroom.

"I'll be in to check on you in a few minutes." Darry hollered but smiled as he watched his sister rushing off to the bathroom. Once Sara was in the tub and Ponyboy had moved off into his room to start his homework, Darry moved over to take an ice cold beer from the refrigerator.

Sodapop was watching over his shoulder and couldn't resist, "That bad, Dar?"

"I'm telling you, Soda, that lady is going to cost me going gray, way before the three of you can." Darry watched as Sodapop was combining all the ingredients into the bowl. Darry let out a little chuckle as he watched Sodapop mix a white cake instead of the traditional chocolate. Sara sure did have to be different than the rest of them.

"I'm gonna say sorry first for the language I'm about to use, but Darry, what a bitch. If she really cared about this family, like she is always saying she does, she would of known that it was Sara's birthday tomorrow. I swear she is always looking for a way to make our lives miserable."

"You owe the swear jar a dime." But Darry then smiled at Soda and added, "but those were my exact thoughts too, little buddy." Darry placed his beer on the counter and started to put some of the stuff away that Soda didn't need anymore.

"How did you do it? I mean get her to change her mind. I was over here almost shaking in my socks thinking this couldn't be happening." Soda stated while pouring the batter into the cake pan.

"I don't know, Soda. I just knew that I couldn't give up. I had to do everything I could come up with to get her to change her mind. Finally, she just did. The look in Sara's eyes was just about killing me. I couldn't disappoint her. All that kept running through my mind was, what if…. What if Mrs. Roberts tried to take her, and on her birthday of all days? That look in Sara's eyes, it was just too much. I had to turn around at one point because I couldn't stand it anymore."

"So instead of tomorrow, she's coming Friday afternoon?" Soda asked washing up the dishes he had just dirty.

"Yup, 4:30. So tomorrow I'm gonna need to let Mr. Day know that I have to leave early. And if at all possible, it would be great if you could get off at 3:30."

"Yeah, I'll ask Steve to come in early for me. He isn't schedule until 4:00. Mr. Frizzle had been riding him though for overtime. We'll figure something out. Don't worry about it Dar." Soda lightly slapped Darry's arm and walked out to the living room.

"Yeah, right. Easier said than done." Darry said under his breath as he took a long, chug from his beer.

Darry had gotten Sara out of the tub and into her pj's and sent her off to go watch tv with Sodapop in the living room. He got started on a load of laundry and was cleaning up the house to help get it in shape for Mrs. Roberts visit. He checked on Ponyboy and was pleased that he was working hard at his homework. He finished his beer and decided to have a seat and rest for a minute in his chair. As he entered the living room he wasn't one bit surprised at the sight he saw. There curled up in a ball, resting her head on Soda's lap was Sara. She barely could keep her eyes open and it was only 7:30. But Sodapop wasn't helping matters much for her was running his fingers through her hair and caressing her back. "Nice." Darry said to the two as he sat down.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Soda could sense the hint of sarcasm in Darry's voice and didn't really appreciate it.

"Nothing. Continue." Darry said flicking open the daily paper. The three sat in silence for about 15 more minutes before Darry noticed that Sara was out like a light. "Soda, she's out, why don't you go put her to bed and finish up that cake."

"Yeah, ok." Soda carefully slipped Sara off of his lap and got up off of the couch.

"Where are you going?" Darry asked.

"To finish the cake."

"Well, what about Sara?"

Sodapop looked down at the sleeping child and shrugged his shoulders back at Darry. "She looks comfortable right where she is." Sodapop pulled the afghan up over her and walked passed Darry and got started on the frosting for the cake.

Darry finished the local section of the paper before placing it down and getting up from his seat. He softly walked over to the couch and scooped Sara up in his muscular arms and started for her room. With the jostle of walking Sara to her room, she started to wake some. "Darry?" She asked with a sleepy voice.

"Just getting you to bed." Darry lightly tossed Sara on her bed and helped her get under the covers. Sara hunkered down in her covers and got herself comfortable. Darry leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead when Sara stopped him.

"Darry, can I have a story tonight?" Sara looked up to him with tired eyes.

"I think you'll be just fine without one tonight."

"Please?" Sara tried again.

Darry swiped the lingering hair out of her face. "No, Babygirl. You need rest. Now close those eyes and dream sweet dreams." Darry tried to go in for a kiss again, when Sara's tiny hand went up to his chest to stop him. "What now?"

"If I can't have a story, can you turn my music on?" Sara wasn't giving up.

Darry let out a heavy sigh but turned to switch the radio on. "I Get Around," by the Beach Boys was playing. "Sometimes, I swear." Darry said moving in again to place that kiss on Sara's forehead. "You get some sleep now. I don't want to hear that you were up in the middle of the night. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Darry."

"Good, sleep tight." Darry started heading towards the door when his sister finished their famous banter.

"Don't let the bedbugs bite." Sara said back to her big brother. Darry flashed her one of his genuine smiles. "I won't." Darry ventured back out into the kitchen where Sodapop was just finishing up the cake. He was placing six candles on the top of the cake before placing it into the refrigerator. "It looks good, Soda. I know she'll like it."

"I just hope that this will help change the mood she's been in lately. Do you have her present wrapped?"

"Oh, shit. I forgot to pick up some paper. Damn it." Darry said slapping his palm up to his head.

"Well, we can just give it to her as it." Soda said walking back towards the living room.

"What fun is that?" Darry followed behind Soda and sat back down in his chair and picked up the sports section of the paper. As Sodapop was watching a commercial he looked over towards Darry and caught a glimpse of the back of the paper.

"I've got it!" Sodapop said shooting up from where he was sitting. He walked over towards Darry and grabbed the paper out of his hands.

"Hey, I wasn't done with that. Give me that back, Sodapop Patrick."

"The comic section, Dar. We can use the comics to wrap the gift. She'll love it Dar!" Sodapop couldn't of been prouder of himself at that moment.

"You sure can be clever, Buddy." Darry smiled up at his little brother.

"Sometimes. I'm going to go into your room and wrap it up. Better keep guard for me." Soda warned Darry as he headed off to Darry's bedroom with the comic section in hand.

"She better not come out, but if she does, I'll whistle a signal."

"Sounds good." Sodapop grabbed some tape from one of the drawers in the kitchen before moving towards Darry's room. He quickly and quietly went to work wrapping Sara's gift up in the comic section. He was as proud as a peacock wrapping it up. He knew that Darry had picked the right gift for Sara. He was sure hoping that this would bring back the "old" Sara. He was wondering what Steve had said to her before leaving this afternoon, "You have until Friday night." He would need to remember to ask him about it tomorrow. Sodapop finished with the gift and placed it back in its hiding place just in case. As he was coming out from Darry's room and past by Sara's he heard her music playing, "You've Lost that Loving Feeling," by the Righteous Brothers. Sodapop liked this song and sometimes in the garage him and Steve would take turned singing the two different parts. It brought a smile to Soda's face just thinking about the foolish thing he does with Steve. As he was getting ready to switch it off her heard Sara roll over.

"Please don't shut it off yet, Soda." Sara's sleepy voice asked.

"You're supposed to be sleeping." Soda said coming to the side of her bed.

"I can't get back to sleep." Sara said sitting up from her side.

"Sara, you were sleeping just fine about 20 minutes ago out on the couch. So why not now?"

"I don't know. Can you lay with me and do what you were doing out on the couch?" Sara practically begged Soda to stay with her. Soda knew that this was a bad habit to start with Sara, but then again he wanted her in the best mood possible for tomorrow, and one way to help that was for her to get some sleep.

"Ok, slide over." Soda slide down beside her and Sara rolled over to face the wall so that Soda could rub and caress her hair. The two laid in silence for a few minutes. Soda started humming along with the music which soon put Sara right back to sleep, but before Soda knew it, he too was drifting off to sleep.

Darry was bringing folded laundry into his room when he heard the music coming from Sara's, he paused to look in when he noticed that she had an extra body with her in the bed. Darry crept into Sara's room and shook Sodapop. "Soda." He whispered. "Soda." Soda opened his eyes and it slowly hit him where he was. "Come." Darry said shaking his head towards the door. Soda carefully got up out of Sara's bed and tip-toed to the door. "Did you have a nice nap?" Darry smiled while pushing him out the door. The two moved away from the door towards the boy's bedroom.

"I think I'm going to hit the sack."

"Ok, little buddy, tell Pony lights out in 15 minutes." Soda poked his head into the bedroom and let out a soft laugh.

"I don't think we have to worry about that." Soda pointed towards a sleeping Ponyboy.

"Good, two down just one to go." Darry slapped Soda on the back and smiled.

"I'm going, I'm going. Good night Darry."

"Good night Soda." Darry watched Sodapop from the hall quietly strip down to his boxers and walk over to Pony's side of the bed to shut off the light. "See ya in the morning little buddy." Darry closed their door and decided to call it a night himself. As he was closing the house up and shutting lights off a family portrait taken last year caught Darry's eye. He stopped and took a closer look at it. He couldn't believe how much they had all grown up from just last year. He scanned each of his siblings and a small smile grew at his lips when he came to his father who was holding Sara in his arms. "Well, Mom and Dad, you sure have made things interesting for me around here that's for sure. Your little girl is going to be six tomorrow. I hope that we can make it just as special for her as you always did for us." Darry took one for glance at the picture before hitting the lights and moved on towards his bedroom for what he hoped would be a full night's sleep.