For The Love of a Greaser
Chapter 48
Road Trip
The Adler's Ranch
"Here we are," Darry finally announced, putting the truck into park, and killing the engine.
Now, it was my turn to speak, turning my head to look out the window as I rubbed my eyes. I was shocked at what was in front of me.
There, ahead of us was a ranch. Not just any ranch mind you, but a horse ranch, the fences stretching far and wide.
"Darry?" I started, brows furrowing as I turned toward him, a question hanging in the air.
"I figured that we'd have a bit of fun. Especially, since I'm pretty sure that you've never ridden a horse before. Am I right?" he asked, turning toward me.
I felt my face heat up a bit upon hearing this, feeling slightly embarrassed at the idea of not knowing how to ride.
"Well, I..."
"Don't worry, it'll be fine. I'll show you," he assured me, a smile on his face.
T
"Wow... Darry, this is amazing," I smiled, holding his hand as we walked down the ranch's dirt path.
Everything around me seemed so alive and natural. It was a breath of fresh air.
"There's so many horses," I breathed looking around in the pastor.
"Well, it is a horse ranch," he pointed out, a chuckle escaping his throat.
I stuck my tongue out at him as a result, also feeling the need to roll my eyes. I knew that this was a horse ranch. I wasn't that dense as not to notice something like that.
"I already knew that," I told him.
"Just making sure," he chuckled.
"Pain in the butt," I muttered, walking forward with him.
"You know, a friend of mine actually runs this place," he told me, glancing down at me as we walked.
"Really?" I asked, watching as he nodded his head in response.
"Yeah, him and his family moved out here a few years ago and started this place," he explained, looking down the path. "Used to come down here every now and then and pay them visit. It's been a while though."
I found myself nodding at this, closing my eyes for a brief moment as I tried to imagine it. I wouldn't exactly say that the thought of Darry on a horse was strange, that definitely wasn't it. I suppose it was the fact that he'd had so much time on his hands maybe. I'd never had that much time on my hands. Unlike Darry who'd had the time to enjoy most of his childhood, I had to learn to grow up quickly, becoming the adult at a young age. Darry hadn't been doing it that long. I mean he had, but not quite like I had.
"Sounds nice," I whispered, opening my eyes once more.
"It was."
As we got closer, we could see someone working outside, a tall lanky man with short blond hair. It took him a few moments, but he finally turned toward us, a shocked expression on his face.
"Darrel? Is that you?" he asked, eyes slightly wide in shock.
"Hey there Eric," Darry greeted, a smile on his face.
"Son of a Greaser, it is you!" Eric grinned, running forward and tackling Darry to the ground.
I merely stepped back at this, a small giggle escaping my lips as I stood there and watched the two of them wrestle around on the ground, each of them trying to put the other in a head lock. It was a rather funny sight to be honest, seeing Darry wrestling around with his friend, something that I'd never seen outside the gang. The sound of me laughing seemed to grab Eric's attention, a sly smile slowly forming on his face.
"And who might this be?" he asked, eyeing me for a moment as he took in my appearance from his spot on the ground.
"My name is Abigail, Abigail Winters," I replied, introducing myself to him.
"A pleasure," he grinned.
"Don't even think about it," Darry warned, giving him a look as he shoved him.
"Alright, alright," he sighed, shaking his head. "I'm guessing by his reaction, you must be his girlfriend then?" he assumed, raising a brow in question, laying there on the ground for a moment.
"That would be correct," I smiled, watching as Darry stood up, brushing himself off before taking my hand in his.
It was a nice feeling, having his hand in mine, the warmth of his hand seeping into mine.
"And since you're here with your girlfriend, I'm guessing that you didn't come here just to pay me a visit?" he inquired, folding his arms over his chest.
"And you would be correct," Darry answered, rubbing the back of his neck.
"So, a couple horses then?" he asked, standing up and looking between the two of us.
"No, just one," Darry told him, looking down at me. "I'm going to teach her how to ride," he smiled.
"I'm sure I could do that," Eric offered, a teasing tone evident in his voice.
"Thanks, but no thanks," Darry told him, giving my hand a small squeeze. "I've got this one."
T
Abigail smiled as Darry explained things to her, standing with her by one of the horses, leaving Eric watching the two of them.
"Eric, what are you doing," his mother called, startling him.
"Oh, sorry Ma," Eric chuckled, turning as his mother approached him.
"Who's that?" she asked, pointing toward Darry and Abigail. "I didn't know that anyone was here."
"That's Darrel. Don't you recognize him?" he asked.
"Wait, you mean little Darrel Curtis?" she asked, looking toward her son, before turning back to the young couple on the other side of the corral.
"Yeah, that's him," Eric grinned. "Although, he's not so little anymore."
"Who's he got with him though?" she asked curiously. "I don't think I've seen her before.
This made Eric grin even further, watching as Darry helped Abigail mount the horse, hesitation evident on her face.
"His girlfriend," he grinned, leaning back against the gate as he looked over his shoulder at the two.
"Girlfriend?" his mother inquired, a smile pulling onto her lips."I don't think he's ever brought a girl out here with him before," she mused.
"That's because he hasn't," he told her, pushing off of the gate and toward the stalls.
"Eric, what are you doing?" she asked, watching as her son grabbed something from the wall.
"Nothing," he grinned, walking back over to the gate and gazing out at his friend, catching the smile on his face and the look in his eyes.
He'd never seen Darry look at a girl the way that he looked at Abigail. It was a look that his parents gave each other. It was a look of love, something that he wasn't sure he'd ever see on his friend. Even though they didn't see each other often, Eric still knew about Darry's parents, and the car accident that they'd been in.
As he stood there watching though, he found a small smile forming on his face. This smile was for his friend, his friend Darry whom had found someone to love and love him in return. Even though he didn't know Abigail yet, he could still catch the same look in her eyes as Darry had. What he wondered though was why he'd brought her out here and why it was just the two of them. Normally, a trip out there was a family thing, not just a two person thing. That left him with a few extra thoughts rattling around in his head, a smirk spreading across his face as Darry mounted the horse, getting on behind Abigail.
"Hey, Ma, what do you think?" Eric asked, looking down at the small metal noise maker in his hand, moving it around as it shown his reflection.
"Hm?" she questioned, brows furrowing slightly as she looked at her son.
Eric grinned as he held up the whistle, holding it between his middle and index finger, almost like a cigarette.
"Should I?" he asked.
"Eric!" she scowled, catching onto his meaning.
He just grinned though, looking out at the two in the corral, laughter hitting his ears as Darry coaxed the horse forward. He'd always been a good rider, Eric knew that much from their time together over the years. Still, none of that would stop Eric as he slowly brought the whistle to his lips.
The moment Eric blew, the horse reared up, Darry grabbing tightly onto the reigns as Abigail let out a cry.
"Damn it!" Darry yelled, holding onto Abigail as they fell backwards onto the ground, his arms wrapped securely around her form.
Darry let out a groan a moment later, his back searing with pain for a moment, before his eyes glanced toward where Eric was standing. He found his eyes narrowing slightly as Eric grinned, whistle in hand as he turned around and walked back toward the house, hand waving over his shoulder.
"I'm gonna kill him," Darry groaned.
T
"Darry, are you sure you're alright?" I asked, sitting next to him outside the corral, my back against the wooden fence.
"Yeah," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Besides, I've had worse thanks to him."
"You're kidding me, right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
I knew that the guys could get rough with one another at times, but this? I think causing someone to fly off of a horse was a bit much to be honest. Then again, I wasn't a guy, and I didn't know how these two acted with one another. For all I knew, they liked trying to take each others heads off. Although, I seriously doubted that, but you never know with a couple of rowdy guys.
"Great," I muttered, shaking my head slightly.
"What?"
"Um, n-nothing," I laughed nervously, my face heating up slightly.
I hadn't meant to speak out loud, but I some how managed, leaving myself rather embarrassed to say the least.
"You sure that you're okay?" he asked, trying not to laugh at his own question.
I just shook my head. He knew very well that I was just fine. He on the other hand, that was yet to be proven since he winced whenever she prodded his back just the right way.
"Yeah. Are you?" I asked, even though I'd already asked him once before, poking him in the back a few inches below his right shoulder blade.
"Don't do that," he jumped, moving and grabbing hold of my hand, bringing it to rest against his cheek for a moment as he took in a breath.
I smiled, moving a bit closer until my shoulder was touching his, quietly resting my head on it.
"I hope that this isn't the only thing that you had planned?" I teased, smiling at him as he kissed the palm of my hand.
"Of course not," he smiled, taking his arm and wrapping it around my shoulders. "We've still got lunch," he chuckled, earning a small shove from me a moment later.
"You're terrible, you know that?"
"Yeah, I know," he chuckled. "But first, I'd like to introduce you to Eric's parents before I take you anywhere else," he told me, standing up from the makeshift bench, his hand extending toward me.
With a smile, I took it, allowing him to pull me up beside him. This was something that I'd grown used to over time, the smile that he bestowed upon me whenever he looked at me. This was the smile that I was so fond of.
T
"Mary!" Darry called, pulling Abigail with him as he walked toward the house.
Said woman was pulling weeds around the front of the house, her hands dirtied with soil. She also had a part of blue jeans on, protecting her knees from the ground as he brushed back a lock of golden blond hair.
"I was wondering when you were finally going to say hi young man," she smiled, standing from her spot in the grass.
"Sorry about that, I was a bit preoccupied," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's alright, I'm just glad to see you," she said, walking forward and pulling him into a hug.
It'd been a while since the two had actually seen each other, giving them both the incentive for the friendly exchange.
"And, who's this?" she asked, gesturing toward Abigail with a friendly smile on her face.
"Ah, Mary, this is Abigail," he introduced, gently pulling Abigail forward for a proper introduction. "My girlfriend," he grinned. "Abigail, this is Mary Adler, Eric's mother."
"Nice to meet you Mrs. Adler," Abigail smiled, holding her hand out for Mary to shake.
The older woman obliged immediately, shaking her hand firmly.
"So, you've finally found yourself a nice girl," she smiled, looking between the two.
"She much more than that Mary," Darry said, a sense of pride filling him as he pulled Abigail close, wrapping an arm around her so that she could lean against him.
"Yeah, well, I could say the same for you," Abigail pointed out, poking him lightly in the stomach.
Mary merely smiled at the two, pushing a bit of hair out of her face again.
"So, how long have you two been together?" she asked, watching as they looked at each other for a moment.
"A few months," they said simultaneously, causing Mary to laugh.
"Interesting," she breathed.
"A lot has happened in the last few months," Darry explained, giving Abigail's hand a small squeeze.
"To much possibly," Abigail added.
"Really?" Mary inquired, looking between the two as she wondered what it meant. "I hope that doesn't mean that you two-"
"No!" they both cried, faces full of embarrassment.
"I would never," Darry assured her, face still a bit red at the thought.
"Oh, good," Mary said, letting out a sigh of relief.
The last thing that she wanted to hear was that he was starting a family before he was even married, no matter how much he liked the girl that he was with.
"You should come inside, I'm sure that Marcus would love to see you Darrel," Mary said after a moment, trying to change the topic. "In fact, you should stay for lunch," she smiled, gesturing toward the house.
"Well, I..." Darry started, scratching the back of his head.
"Come on, Darry, I think it'd be nice," Abigail nudged, a smile on her face.
"Please, Darrel, it would mean the world to me if you would stay for lunch," Mary told him, a hopeful look upon her face.
"Alright," Darry sighed, finally caving in. "But just for lunch," he told her. "I have a few other things planned."
"Oh, of course," Mary said happily.
Yay! Chapter 48 is up now! It also means that it's one step closer to the proposal. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter/story. I'd love to hear your feedback on it, so please REVIEW and MESSAGE me with your thoughts, opinions, ideas, and feelings on this chapter/story. Also, I have another movie story I've been doing. It's for the 1996 movie Michael with John Travolta. Check it out and let me know what you think? Thanks everyone!
Also, happy belated birthday NegligibleNaina!