For The Love of a Greaser
Chapter 46
To Ask Permission
Another two weeks later after Darry and Abigail's little disagreement, found them working through things. At this point, Darry had brought up the topic of going to the countryside with her for the weekend, a smile on his face when she'd gotten excited. Although, he had an ulterior motive for going, but still. He'd been happy nonetheless though when he'd brought it up, coming to the conclusion that she'd been sleeping enough and cooperating. He figured that since she wasn't in as much pain at the moment, that now was as good a time as any for their trip. It also gave Abigail something to look forward to with another surgery coming up after the trip. No sooner would they be back, she'd have to be back at the hospital to get surgery done on her arm in order to fix it the rest of the way. They'd probably be putting in a few pins to keep it in place so that it could heal properly. Granted, she wouldn't be having much fun with it afterward, but that was beside the point. She'd need therapy for it later too possibly, depending on what the doctors decided on. That didn't seem to deter her much though as he watched her ironing clothes in the living room, using her left hand for everything since she couldn't do much with her right one at the moment.
As Darry took further notice, he found that she seemed more at ease today, a certain grace about her movements. Yes, he was sure. She definitely seemed more at ease as she stood there, iron in hand as she let it glide over the clothes gently, steam pouring from it as it pressed out the wrinkles. There was still a tired look in her eyes though as she stood there, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be.
"Why don't you come sit down?" he offered, catching her eyes with his.
"I'm almost done," she assured him, turning back to continue ironing one of his shirts as she took extra care with the shoulders and collar.
"You said that half an hour ago," he pointed out, a knowing look on his face.
"Yes, and I only have one arm at my disposal, so I think I'm doing pretty good," she said, obviously proud of herself, sitting the iron down for a moment.
Darry took this time to grab her, pulling her over onto his lap before she could reach out to grab it again.
"Darry!" she laughed, trying to get up, but he wouldn't allow it.
No, he wrapped his arm firmly around her waist, keeping her where she was while still being careful of her arm. He wanted her to take a break, especially, since she'd been at this for at least an hour already.
"You need a break," he told her, feeling her shift a bit on his lap.
"But the shirt," she started, before being interrupted.
"I think my shirt can wait a few minutes," he chuckled, pulling her to him just a bit more.
"You do realize how stubborn I am, right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, only to earn a grin in return.
"Yes," he said simply, before gripping her chin lightly between his fingers. "But I wouldn't have you any other way," he breathed, before pressing his lips to hers.
He found her face full of embarrassment once he pulled away, a smile tugging at his lips at her reddened cheeks.
"You did that on purpose," she grumbled, shoving against his chest with her good hand, causing him to chuckle.
"But of course," he grinned, having a hard time biting back a chuckle as she got up to start work back on ironing his shirt.
She merely mumbled as she stood there, sliding the hot metal over the fabric, pressing out all the rest of the wrinkles. Within minutes, she was working on the next one, the previous one painstakingly folded and resting on top of the basket on the floor.
"What do you think the guys are doing?" she asked suddenly, looking up from the current shirt that she was ironing to look at him.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "Maybe down at the lot. Although, I think I heard them say something about the bowling alley before they left," he said, picking his newspaper up for a moment to glance down at one of the articles.
He grimaced when he saw what it said. It was about them, Abigail, to be more precise. A reporter or journalist had apparently gotten wind of things and decided to put it in the paper, even going as far as to snap a picture of her. How they'd managed that though, he had no idea. It annoyed him to no end though as they explained things in the how she'd apparently come home to be greeted by her father. Reunited at last or are they? That was the title. Then they went on to explain how she'd started a rather heated argument with him, resulting in her fathers stabbing and her near fatal accident with the stairs. There were a few gaps in the story though as far as her stay was concerned, but he was thankful for that. No one needed to know what had gone on in there, he didn't need to be reminded of it since it was still fresh in his mind, an image of them shocking her back to life hitting him full force. He had to crumple it up, before getting out of his chair, and tossing the paper down onto the seat.
"Darry?" Abigail's voice was wary, laced with worry as she stared at him.
One moment he was fine, the next, he was obviously upset.
"What's wrong?" she asked, setting the iron down, her eyes drifting toward the paper.
"It's nothing," he sighed, walking off into the kitchen for a drink, leaving her standing there to wonder.
She glanced down at the paper again, before reaching out and picking it up, carefully pealing the thing back open. From there, she glanced around at the articles, skimming them. Finally, she caught sight of it. Reunited at Last or Are They? She could feel her hand shake slightly, fingers curling around the paper. Her nails tore into it a bit without even realizing it.
"What is this?" she whispered, reading it.
-The father, Roger Winters was apparently stabbed out of an act of violence, an outburst from his oldest daughter, Abigail Lee Winters. Though, sources can not confirm the whole truth, as we have yet to hear word from the Curtis residence. I don't know about everyone else, but it doesn't seem safe for children in that house.-
She stopped reading at that point, not wanting to look at it any longer, before tearing it into pieces. She couldn't stand to look at the thing.
"Remind me never to read the paper again?" she called out deafly, leaving the mess laying, before going back to the ironing board.
"Huh?" he peaked his head out of the kitchen, eyes widening slightly when he realized what she was talking about. "Damn," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Just what he needed, her in a bad mood. Unfortunately, he couldn't do much about it now. He hadn't thought to take the paper with him after crumpling it, leaving it there on the chair.
With a sigh, he walked back into the living room, picking up the pieces that she'd left behind of the shredded newspaper. Perhaps that's what he should have done, torn it up instead of just crumpling it and leaving it on the chair. Now, he held the pieces in his hands.
"Hey, I have an idea, why don't we go see Joe?" he suggested, coming to stand beside her.
"I don't know," she said, a bit unsure of herself.
"Come on, you haven't even gotten to see him since leaving the hospital. I'm sure he's worried about you," he told her, while placing a hand on her shoulder, knowing that she couldn't dispute what he was saying.
"Alright," she sighed, finally giving in.
She didn't miss the smile on his face though as he grabbed her scarf, carefully wrapping it around her neck, before grabbing her jacket from the coat rack.
"Thanks," she smiled, turning around so that he could help her with it.
Granted, she couldn't wear it properly because of her arm, but that didn't stop her from trying to dress warm. It was still kind of embarrassing for her though when he had to help her get dressed to a degree. He still helped her nonetheless though, not thinking any less of her for being unable to do it herself.
"Now, let's get out of here," he smiled, unplugging the iron from the wall, before grabbing his own jacket.
Not that he really needed the jacket, but he still grabbed it nonetheless, shrugging it on.
T
"There's no going back now," Darry told her, looking to his right as he turned the key off and killed the engine. "So, you ready?" he asked.
She looked at him for a moment, eyes trailing back to the diner.
"Like you said, there's no going back now," she replied, using his own words to express herself.
He chuckled at this, easily sliding out of the truck, before walking around to her side.
"Come on then," he smiled, opening her door to help her out.
"Thanks," she nodded, gripping his upper arm with her good hand as he lifted her out.
Once she was on the ground, he closed the door, taking her hand in his as he led her inside.
They were met with the chime of bells as they entered, the familiar sound hitting Abigail's ears. It'd been a while since she'd heard them.
"Well, he-llo there handsome," came the sound of a woman as she walked toward Darry, an apron wrapped around her waist.
Abigail rolled her eyes at this. Typical Danny. The woman had no shame.
"Um, hi?" Darry greeted, an eyebrow raised in question, before turning his gaze back toward Abigail.
It was hard to miss the look on her face as she gave him a side glance, a tired, yet annoyed look that was obviously placed toward the bold woman who stood before them.
"How can I help you sweetheart?" she asked, a sickly sweet smile on her face as she winked at him.
Abigail swore that if she didn't cut it out soon, then there would be serious problems, but Darry made quick work in fixing it.
"I'm sorry, but we're just here to see Joe. So, if you'll excuse me," he said, moving around her to the man counter, sitting down on a bar stool for a moment.
Without waiting for further words, he leaned forward, pressing his lips to Abigail's in a chaste kiss.
"See? I can handle myself," he chuckled softly, whispering in her ear.
She had to stop herself from blushing at his actions, now having no hair to cover it up.
"I never said that you couldn't," she pointed out, flicking his forehead.
Their little conversation was cut short though as Joe's voice soon came forward.
"Why, do my eyes deceive me or is that the lovely Curtis couple?" Joe exclaimed, making Abigail's face go red within seconds.
"Joe!" she hissed, trying to hide her face in her hands.
"It is!" he grinned, coming out of the kitchen and around the counter to hold her in his arms.
She tried her hardest not to cry out at the force, a small gasp escaping.
"Careful, she's still healing," Darry told him, watching for any other signs of pain or discomfort.
"Oh, sorry dear," Joe apologized, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm just glad that you're okay," he said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
At that, she leaned forward, wrapping an arm around his neck. Her face was in his shoulder as she spoke, a sigh escaping her lips.
"I'm sorry for worrying you," she said quietly, feeling his hand on the small of her back for a moment, before finally pulling back.
The felt a hand being placed on her cheek after a moment, a meaningful look on Joe's face.
"It's not your fault, you got that? I knew this day might eventually come where that good for nothing came back. It's not your fault though sweetheart, you got that?"
She nodded her head solemnly, looking him in the eyes finally. It was hard for her to hold his gaze like that. Especially, when she did blame herself to a degree. She'd caused so much trouble for everyone without even meaning to. She had to remember though that this was her father's doing, not her own.
"Now, if you don't mind, I think Darrel here needs to talk to me about something," Joe said, obviously seeing something in the man's eyes that she couldn't.
Before Joe did anything though, he went around the counter and got her a slice of pie, sitting it down in front of her.
"Here you go," he smiled, stabbing a fork into the top of it. "Now, just sit here and eat and we'll be back in in a few minutes," he told her, clapping a hand onto Darry's back and leading him around back of the building.
T
I sighed as I looked down at the plate in front of me, a slice of apple pie sitting there quietly, the crust flaking off easily when I touched it. I was still curious as to what those two had to talk about so privately though. Then again, I wouldn't want the whole diner knowing about my personal business anyway.
"Well, at least it's still warm," I mumbled, sticking a small piece of pie into my mouth and swallowing it.
I could hear snickering somewhere behind me though as I sat there on my stool, being careful and discrete as I looked around. It wasn't hard to figure out who it was coming from.
At the end of the diner sat a group of guys, a few big shot Greasers that thought that they were tuff stuff. Darry was way tuffer though by far, same with Dallas. They still sat there though with their greased back hair and funny looks. Each with a leather jacket draping over their torsos. It kind of reminded her of Two-Bit, but at least Two-Bit was a good kid for the most part.
"Man, would you look at her hair," one snickered, his voice loud enough for her to hear.
She scowled in response, annoyed by his words. It wasn't her fault that the doctor cut her hair. The only thing that she had done was fix it, cutting off what she could manage to even it out. Darry had been kind enough to help her with it. Honestly, she was lucky if she even had an inch of hair on her head anywhere. It was more like half an inch max, another reason for Two-Bit's occasional jokes.
"I dare you to go up there and touch it," one of the others egged him.
"You do it," he grinned, looking my way.
I had to turn my eyes back to my plate quickly, earning a few more laughs.
"Man, I think she likes me."
I rolled my eyes. That was never going to happen. I'd rather have Two-Bit than that guy any day of the week, that, I was sure of.
"Please, Darry, hurry up," I groaned.
The last thing that I wanted to deal with were these idiots.
T
"Now, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Joe asked.
"How did you?" Darry wasn't sure how to word it.
"I saw it in your eyes boy, now, spit it out," he told him.
"Well, I," he started, eyes looking around for a moment. "I'm taking Abigail into the countryside this weekend, just the two of us," Darry told him, licking his bottom lip.
"I'm sure that's not all that you wanted to tell me though," Joe assumed, folding his arms over his chest.
Darry sighed after a moment, running a hand through his hair. If he was going to ask, he had to ask now.
"No, no it's not," he told him. "Actually, I kind of wanted to ask you something."
"Alright, well, ask then boy," Joe chuckled.
"I know you're always kidding around with us when we come in and stuff, but I have a feeling that you were serious about some of it," Darry started, getting up the nerve to ask.
If he was this nervous now, then how was he supposed to ask Abigail when his chance came around. Would he mess up and ruin it?
"I..."
He took one final breath before letting it out, making up his mind that he had to do it and there was no going back.
"I want to ask her to marry me," he said finally. "I know that you're the closest thing that she has to a real father, so I figured I should ask you first."
It was quiet after that, making him even more nervous than before. Joe wouldn't say no, would he?
"Well," Joe started, seeming a bit surprised. "I thank you for asking," he told him, scratching his forehead for a moment. "To be honest, I'd think that you'd wait a bit longer."
"That's the thing though Joe," Darry sighed. "After everything that's happen..." he paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath. "After what happen in the hospital...after how close I came to losing her, I realized that I couldn't wait any longer," he told him. "I'm afraid that if I wait any longer, I'll never get another chance, that something will happen and then she'll be gone."
This left Joe standing there speechless. He knew Darry was speaking the truth. Not to mention, after everything that he'd seen between the two, he knew that Darry loved her with all that he had. Joe knew that the man before him would always love her, always take care of her, protecting her. Darry would cherish her until the day that he died, that much was obvious.
"And you're sure of this?" Joe asked, already knowing the answer to his question even before he opened his mouth to speak it.
"I'm sure," Darry nodded.
"Well, I guess I can't argue with that then," he chuckled, watching Darry's eyes water. "Just promise me one thing Darrel," he said.
"Anything."
"Take care of her?" he asked, looking up at the man before him.
"Always," Darry said confidently, a smile on his face.
"Now, there better be a ring on my girl's finger next time I see her," Joe said, a grin on his face as he began leading Darry back around the building.
"Don't worry, there will be," Darry assured him.
T
"Go on," one of the guys pushed, shoving the other onto his feet.
I merely closed my eyes at this, shoving another bit of pie in my mouth as I tried to ignore them. I just hoped that I wouldn't end up having to hit someone. The gang knew I was good for it if something happened, but these guys didn't.
"Hey there, baby," I heard a voice say next to my ear.
I felt myself choke on what was in my mouth, eyes widening as I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Why don't you come join us?" he offered, letting his hand slide down my denim covered arm.
I drew in a sharp breath as he gripped it, pressing my teeth together tightly, my other hand curling around the fork painfully so. He was gripping my bad arm and it didn't feel very good. Not one bit.
"How about you go away and leave me alone," I said as nicely as possible.
"Come on baby, we won't bite, promise," he grinned.
"You may not, but I might," I told him, biting back a further remark.
"Oh, scary," he chuckled, gripping my arm forcefully.
My hand met his face in a harsh slap a second later, leaving him reeling as I stood up, moving away.
"Now, I'd appreciate it if you didn't try breaking my arm anymore than it already is," I said with a glare, turning toward the door when I heard the sound of bells, Darry and Joe coming into my line of sight.
His friends laughed in the background as he glared at me, rubbing his cheek.
"Why I oughta," he started, but never finished as Darry came forward, grabbing hold of him.
"Is there a problem here?" Darry asked, looking him in the eyes.
"No, no problem. Just a stuck up-," he didn't get the chance to finish though as Darry gripped him by the front of his shirt, pulling him close.
"I'd advise you not to finish that statement," he warned, eyeing him dangerously.
"Darry, let's just get out of here? I'm tired and I wanna go home," I told him, placing a hand on his arm.
He looked down at me before sighing, dropping the guy on his rear.
"Fine," he said in defeat, his arm coming to wrap around my waist protectively.
He pulled me a bit closer as we stood there, pressing his lips to my head for a moment as he eyed the guy on the floor. He then turned his gaze toward Joe.
"I see ya later Joe," Darry called, turning toward the door.
"Let me know when you get back," Joe chuckled.
I looked up at Darry when he said that, giving him a curious look.
"You'll find out later," he promised, walking me over toward the door, where he fixed my jacket and scarf for me.
"By Joe," I smiled, waving to him.
"See ya later darlin'," he smiled, waving back.
After that, we left, refusing to turn back as we walked into the cool afternoon air.
Chapter 46! Chapter 46! I FINALLY figured out what to do with it. Anyway...! Next time you see them, they'll be in the countryside or getting ready to anyway. Oh, I'm SO happy to be writing this. Again, if you have ANY IDEAS on what they should do while out there PLEASE let me know? Even if it's a suggestion on HOW he should propose to her. I'd love to hear them. Also, PLEASE read the bottom part. Don't forget to REVIEW and MESSAGE me with your thoughts, opinions, ideas, and feelings on this chapter/story! Thanks guys!
IMPORTANT:
READ THE ABOVE. SERIOUSLY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE AN ACCOUNT TO REVIEW AND GIVE INPUT. DON'T BE SCARE TO SAY SOMETHING. I DON'T BITE. TRUST ME. I SHALL ALSO PUT A SPECIAL THANK YOU ON THE NEXT ONE FOR ANYONE THAT REVIEWS. REMEMBER I NEED IDEAS, SO HELP ME PEOPLE. IT'S FOR YOUR BENEFIT.