Chapter 4- The Aftermath
Soda's POV
Around 9:30 am, Darry dropped me off at the DX. I told him goodbye and headed inside, finding Steve at the register. He noticed me immediately.
"Hey, Soda, how did it go?" He asked.
Looking up, I walked behind the counter. "It went."
Steve sighed. I guess I was hiding my emotions pretty well for once. "Well, are you going or not?" he asked nervously.
Before I could respond, we heard a voice, "Going where?"
We looked up to see Two-Bit messing with the magazine rack. I groaned. Two-Bit was a blabbermouth. "Doesn't matter, Two-Bit."
"Why not?" Asked Steve.
I looked at him like he was stupid. Why can't he drop it until after Two-Bit leaves?
Just then, Two-Bit says, "I'll let you two bitches fight. By the way, thanks for the cigarettes!" Then he's out the door.
"Two-Bit!" I yell. This was the last thing I needed – him stealing something that I would have to cover with my own money to keep my job.
"Don't worry about it. I'll cover him this time."
I sighed. "Thanks, Steve and thanks for covering for me this morning."
"You're welcome, Soda. Now I need to know, are you going to 'nam or not?"
I groaned. "I'm not going, Steve."
He started to smile but then noticed my face. "Soda, aren't you happy?"
"No," I replied. "I'm not happy."
Steve knew I had more to say, so he waited. "I'm not going because Darry volunteered to take my place."
Steve gasped. "What?"
"We were both selected, but Darry was marked ineligible because I wasn't Pony's guardian when they picked. Now that I am, it worked out that we could kinda pick who goes, and he volunteered."
Steve looked me in the eyes and said, "Well, it's gonna be ok, Soda, because he's Superman, and he will be fine."
I nodded, wishing I believed him. Just then, another worker came in to manage the register while we were at the garage.
Darry's POV
After dropping Soda off, I knew I needed a minute or two to think, so I pulled into the Dingo to collect my thoughts. Sitting there, I start thinking about my brothers. Soda didn't want me to take his spot, but I had to. If Soda went, Steve might enlist, and maybe even Pony. If Pony didn't enlist, I knew he'd lock himself away like he did after we lost Johnny and Dally. I also knew I was tougher than Soda. I can't let him die. I hope Pony will understand the sacrifice I'm making. I look over to the seat beside me and pick up the letter. Opening it, I started reading.
Finally, I found what I was looking for: "After induction, you will find out the details of your service, including but not limited to service time, basic training, and combat pay."
I knew I had to tell Soda about the pay. Glancing at my watch, I realized I needed to get going, so I drove to my work site, pulling up to a house on the West side of town. The first thing I did was find my boss James Carter. I found him pretty quickly. James is a tall, burly man with brown hair. Most of the time, he is serious, but he can also be understanding.
He was looking at the roof when I walked up. "Mr. Carter."
He turns around. "Darry!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought you had an appointment."
"I did, sir," I said, handing him the draft letter. He took it, staring at it briefly before looking back at me. "When do you leave?"
"Monday."
Mr. Carter groaned. "Well, I hate to be losing one of my best men, but it's what has to happen. What day do you want to be your last one?"
"Saturday," I said.
"Alright then," he said, starting to walk away.
"Mr. Carter, there is one more thing you need to know," I said.
He turned back around. "What is that?"
"I will be given a physical as soon as I reach base. If I fail, I get to come back."
He sighed. "Well, if that happens, your job will be waiting for you."
"Thank you, sir," I said, walking away.
Soda's POV
"Come on, Soda. Let's go!" said Steve.
I came out from under a car and looked at my friend. "Alright, I'm coming." I stood up, and we started to leave the garage when I noticed my manager's car in the parking lot. "Hold on, Steve. I need to go talk to Roy for a minute."
He turned around. "Alright, I will wait in the car."
I walked into the station and straight into the office behind the register. My boss Roy Maloney wasn't here most of the time, but he came in one day a week to check the books.
"Roy," I say, walking into the office and sitting down in a chair.
Roy is a big fat guy with black hair. "What do you want? I'm busy."
"I need to talk to you a second, Roy."
"This better be good," he said, looking up at me. Roy is the head manager. I didn't even meet him until 2 days after I started working at the DX. He lets Marvin, my shift manager, do all the hiring.
"It is. I wanted to know if there were any management positions open."
"Management positions? You're interested in management?" He asked in a very surprised tone of voice.
I sighed. "Not really, but my older brother is being drafted, and I could really use the money."
Roy sighed. "I don't know, Soda, but I will see. Talk to Marvin about it tomorrow. He should be able to get you some more overtime for sure."
"Alright," I said as I stood up and left the office.
When I get back to Steve, he is leaning against the side of his car. "What did you talk to Roy about?"
"Management position. Something that makes more money." I reply as I get into the car.
Steve nodded. He knew that I would need every penny I make from now on. I really hope I can do this.