(Darry's POV)
"Curtis! Good to see you son!" Mr. Harrison said with a smile as I approached him.
"Good to see you too, sir," I replied, extending my hand for a handshake.
The week after Two-Bit revealed to Pony that he had been working– much to the shock of my younger brother– I decided it was time to get rid of my crutches for good and meet with my boss to talk about getting back to work. Two-Bit was a great buddy to fill in for me, but I couldn't have him keep working on my behalf and providing the money my brothers needed. It was time for me to step up and be the man of the house again.
Mr. Harrison had agreed to meet with me at a jobsite so he could continue to oversee the work being done on a house in the Soc area of town. As soon as I parked the truck, I spotted him waiting for me. I was suddenly terrified. What if Mr. Harrison decided I've been gone too long and he's going to fire me? I wouldn't really blame him if he did– it was practically unheard of for an employer to be okay with someone suddenly disappearing from a job for weeks and expect to come back to work– but I didn't have a backup plan. If I lost my job, it was almost a guarantee I'd lose my brothers in the long run. I can't expect Two-Bit to take care of my brothers until they turn eighteen.
"Let's sit down, Darry," Mr. Harrison said, leading me towards the shaded area under a tree where he must've put buckets for us to use as chairs. I wondered if he offered to sit in order to alleviate any stress on my body, specifically my leg, or if he just preferred to sit. I was grateful either way.
Once we were sitting out of earshot from the guys on the roof, my boss looked at me seriously. "How are you doing Darry?"
"I'm fine sir," I said confidently. "Ready to get back to work."
If I was being completely honest with him, I would've told him that my leg still ached after being on it too long and my chest felt like it burned when I exerted myself too much. I had been able to keep up with Pony on our walks without him being too suspicious of my labored breathing, and I even told my kid brother I was ready to start going on runs with him, but secretly I knew my breathing and stamina wasn't completely back to normal. All I had to do was convince everyone else I was okay. I had gotten to the point where I could tough it out until I was completely healed, and that was my plan.
Mr. Harrison looked like he was studying me carefully. Does he know I'm not telling him everything? What if he decides I'm not healthy enough to come back to work?
"Darrel, I don't want you making yourself worse because you came back too soon," he said after a bit of silence. "It's not a small thing, getting shot. Sometimes you don't get to decide when you're ready, your body has to tell you when you're ready." It doesn't sound like he's planning on firing me… that's a good start. "I can't have you falling off the roof or passing out because you're too bullheaded for your own good. If you need more time off, that's okay. Your friend is doing just fine filling in for you. He might not carry the load of three men like you do, but he's pulling his weight around here."
I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at him. "Is he actually working? Or is he just goofing around?" I had warned my boss that Two-Bit was a jokester, but he was loyal and would do whatever was needed of him. I had no doubt that he'd show up to work, but I was curious how much work he was truly doing between cracking jokes.
Mr. Harrison grinned. "He's really doing good work. Sure, he's a bit of a smartass and an oddball, but the team's morale hasn't been this high in a while. He's always making the guys laugh."
I chuckled a little at that. "Yeah, that sounds like Two-Bit."
My boss grinned. "He sure lightens the mood, and he fits in well. I'd hate to lose him at this point, but I know he was just planning on stickin' around until you were back. Still, if he wants to stay, I'd love to keep him with us."
I considered his words for a moment. Not only did my boss accept Two-Bit from day one and provide him with a job, but he wants him to stay?
Then once again, a bout of silence passed, and when my boss crossed his arms over his chest and his brows furrowed, I knew he was thinking about something. After a beat, he finally spoke. "I have a proposition for you, Darry, one that I think you might enjoy. When you were gone, George left, leaving me without a foreman, which is why I've been out here supervising onsite." Where is he going with this? "Let's cut to the chase. What do you say, Darrel? Would you like to be promoted to foreman?"
I looked at Mr. Harrison carefully as the words sunk in. Did I just hear him right? "But I- I've been out for weeks… you really want me to be your foreman?" I asked, not quite believing what he said.
He nodded. "Of course. There's no better man for the job," he said sincerely. "Nobody works harder than you, Curtis. Plus, you won't have to be doing as much of the manual labor, which will be good since you're still healing from saving your boys." He had a proud smile on his face, and it reminded me of the way my dad looked at me in those dreams I had in the hospital. Then, as if truly embodying my father, he put a hand on my shoulder and looked directly at me, forcing me to focus on his face and his words. "Nobody deserves this more than you, Darrel. The job is yours if you want it. Maybe you could even help your buddy become the next Darry Curtis up on those roofs if he wants to stay."
After a moment of shock and stupor, I nodded. "Yes, I'll take it. Thank you, sir. Thank you so much," I said, once again extending my hand for him to shake.
I couldn't believe my luck. I still have a job, and better yet, I got promoted! Two-Bit can even keep his job if he wants, but that's if he even wants to keep working after all of this.
After a brief discussion about my schedule, pay, and the details of me returning to work, we stood up from the buckets and walked back into the sun.
"Darry!" I turned to see Two-Bit standing on the roof, waving his hand frantically at me. "Hold on a sec," he said as he scurried to the ladder.
"Hey Two-Bit," I said, stopping in my tracks and waiting for my buddy to descend.
Once his feet hit the ground, Two-Bit walked up to me. There was sweat dripping from his face, but despite how hot and tired he must've been, there was a grin plastered on his face. "What're you doin' here?"
"I talked to Mr. Harrison about coming back to work," I said, pointing my thumb at our boss, who had gone to talk to Josh over by the trucks.
Two-Bit quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah? You sure you're ready for that?" His tone was joking, but the look on his face told me he was being serious. "I can keep working for ya, Darry. It ain't a big deal. I kinda like hanging out with these guys and earning my way, you know?"
I grinned at him. "Yeah? Well that's good to hear, because Mr. Harrison seems to like having you around. Ever think about keeping this job?"
His eyebrows pinched together. "But I'm working your job. If I stay, what happens to you?"
I shrugged, but I couldn't fight the smile off my face. "I just got promoted to foreman. I'll be supervising the worksites and everyone on them."
Two-Bit's face lit up. "That's great, man!" Then he slung an arm around my shoulders, which was hard for him since I was taller. Still, he pretended like it wasn't difficult. "So if I stick around, then you'd be my boss? Man, we'd have so much fun-"
"I'd be making sure you're working the whole time," I cut in. "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because we're buddies."
He rolled his eyes, then nudged me gently in the ribs. "You have to say that, but I know you couldn't be too hard on your buddy." Then a look of realization crossed his face. "You know, if I keep at this job long enough, I'll have muscles as big as you. Then the ladies could never resist good ol' Two-Bit Mathews," he said, flexing his biceps like he was some bodybuilder.
I shook my head, but the smile on my face was unwavering. "Whatever you say ladies' man. Does that mean you'll stay?"
He considered it for a moment, then he nodded. "Yeah, I think I will. Hell, I'll actually have money to spare for once! I can take all those ladies out to dinners and movies!"
That immediately reminded me why he started working in the first place, and the reason why despite working fulltime, he still didn't have a dollar to his name. I put my hand on his shoulder and spoke evenly. "Seriously Two-Bit, thank you so much for what you've done for me and my brothers. We couldn't have made it without you."
The joking demeanor immediately disappeared, and he gave me a small nod. "Of course, Darry. Anything for family."
"Mathews! I need to talk to you!" Mr. Harrison yelled, drawing our attention towards him.
The boisterous smile reappeared on Two-Bit's face. "Sorry boss, I gotta go talk to the big dog. I'll see ya later!" Two-Bit said before he went to talk with Mr. Harrison. Despite his antics and the fact that he called the owner of our company 'big dog,' I smiled all the way to my truck.
"That's great, Darry! Congrats!" Soda said loudly, his mouth full of food.
The whole gang was at the house for dinner that night, and after Soda asked about my meeting with Mr. Harrison, I told everyone about my promotion. There were varying levels of enthusiasm, with my brothers and Johnny seeming excited, Steve looking indifferent, and Dally acting bored.
"That's right, Darry here's gonna be my boss!" Two-Bit said, once again throwing an arm across my shoulders, but having an easier time since we were sitting next to each other at the table.
"You're still plannin' on working?" Pony asked Two-Bit with raised eyebrows.
"Yessir, it's about time I work a real job, ain't it?" Two-Bit replied with a huge smirk on his face. "Maybe I won't even have to swipe stuff. I still will, of course, but I won't have to, you dig?"
Steve snorted, then everyone else busted out laughing.
Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door, causing everyone to fall silent.
"Who could that be?" Pony wondered out loud.
Nobody good, I thought. Still, it was up to me to get up and answer the door.
I could feel everyone's eyes following me as I opened the door. In front of me, there was a woman dressed in a fancy outfit, wearing glasses and high heels. There was an air about her that told me she was an important, official type of person… or maybe that's just what she thought of herself. "Hello. Can I help you?"
"Darrel Curtis, I assume?" she asked. Her pretentious tone immediately rubbed me the wrong way.
"Yes, that's me," I said plainly. "And who are you?"
"I'm Linda Simpson. May I come in?" she asked.
"Can I ask why?" I replied, standing my ground and blocking her path from entering the house.
"I work with social services. I'm here to check on Sodapop and Ponyboy Curtis," she said. "I need to make sure they're being taken care of and are in good health."
"I assure you, they are," I said. Like you even care about my brothers.
She raised her eyebrows at me, but not in surprise. She almost looked entertained that I dared to put up a fight with her. "Well if that's the case, you wouldn't mind-"
"Hey Ms. Simpson," Two-Bit said, his voice suddenly coming from right behind me. "To what do we owe the pleasure? Need more paperwork or something?" Without even looking at him, I could tell Two-Bit was smiling. He was probably enjoying the fact that I was putting up a fight with some state worker, but I also knew that he'd help me physically keep the woman away from my brothers at a moment's notice if needed.
Linda's snooty expression faded, and annoyance took its place. "Hello Mr. Mathews. Everything going well at work?" she asked, sounding like she assumed Two-Bit would have been fired or something. She's just hoping to have a reason to take Soda and Pony away. Glory, what did we ever do to her?
"Yes ma'am. I'll actually be working for this guy soon," Two-Bit said, slapping a hand on my shoulder. "He got promoted, did you hear? Even got a raise."
Linda's eyebrows shot up. "Really?" She looked directly at me. "Even after all that time off?"
"'Time off?' Listen here-" Two-Bit started, but I nudged him in the rubs to make him shut up. Recovering from gunshot wounds wasn't my idea of 'time off' but I wasn't going to let the woman's words cause either myself or Two-Bit to say something that would get us in trouble.
"Yes, that is correct. My boss has very graciously offered me a promotion, which comes with a raise, and I accepted. Keith here is going to keep working too," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "That means that my brothers will continue to be cared for and money shouldn't be an issue." At least not more of an issue than normal. "So I shouldn't anticipate any more visits from the state or social services, right?"
Linda's lips were pressed into a thin line, and it almost looked like she was scowling at me. After a moment, she finally spoke, her voice sounding tense. "Assuming nothing else changes, that is correct. Once you begin working again, you'll need to resume doing everything that's expected of a legal guardian. There will still be home visits to ensure the boys' wellbeing, of course."
"Of course," I confirmed with a nod.
There was a long silence, and I knew she was judging me, the guys, and how we lived, but I refused to let her gaze wear me down. She can judge us all she wants, but it doesn't mean she's better than us.
"Well, it looks like my job here is done," she said after a while, apparently trying to keep some dignity. "Take care, boys." With that, Linda Simpson turned and walked away.
The second I shut the door and turned around, I noticed that the entire gang was in the living room, and they all started talking at once.
"Way to go Darry!"
"You showed her!"
"Who does that lady think she is?"
Then the phone started ringing, interrupting everyone. I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Glory, now what?"
Before I could even move towards it, Steve answered the phone. "Curtis residence. This is Steve."
I put my hand out, waiting for him to give me the phone, but he just flipped me off and listened to the person on the other end of the call.
"You serious? That's it?!" Steve exclaimed into the receiver. "That's bull-" he was apparently cut off by the other person, who I was already impressed with since they managed to cut Steve off in the middle of what I was sure was going to be a string of curses. A hint of a smile appeared on his face, but he quickly made it vanish like he would if he was playing poker. "Yeah, I'll let them know. Thanks," he said roughly before slamming the phone down.
"What was that all about?" Soda asked his best friend.
"It was the public defender lawyer guy. He said the Soc that almost killed you and Darry is only getting six months in jail and a year of probation," Steve spat.
"That's bullshit!" Dally shouted loudly.
"That's what I said," Steve replied bitterly. "But apparently the judge decided it was fair since it was his first offense and the Soc was claiming self-defense… says he feared for his life. What a load of shit."
"Yeah, because when you bring a blade and heater to a skin fight, you'd be the one that was scared," Two-Bit said sarcastically.
Everyone in the room either nodded or muttered something in agreement.
"The lawyer said the Soc has already been roughed up in jail by some greasers," Steve added, sounding a little happier than before. "Probably Tim's guys, if you ask me. They'll make that Soc's life hell for the next six months, and when he gets out, it'll be our turn."
Now I know why Steve was grinning.
"Hell, maybe I should get more time in the cooler and pay that Soc a visit," Dally suggested.
"Nobody else is getting arrested," I said determinedly. "And we aren't going after him when gets out either. I don't want anything else to happen, alright? It's over."
It was obvious the guys weren't thrilled, but nobody argued with me, not even Dally.
"Alright, enough with the serious stuff. Let's celebrate Darry's promotion with some cake!" Soda said excitedly, instantly lightening the mood in the room.
The gang seemed excited about the promise of cake, so they all went back towards the kitchen, probably to argue about who was going to get which slice. Pony stayed back though, and he was staring right at me with a look of concern. "Everything okay, Dar?" I could tell he was still worried about Linda showing up at our house, and I had to reassure him.
I grinned as I walked up to him. Once I was within arm's reach, I pulled him to my side with one arm, and reached over with the other hand to ruffled his hair. "Everything's great kiddo. There's nothing to worry about anymore."
"You promise?" Pony asked quietly, sounding like a little kid.
I kissed the top of his head and pulled him tighter to my side. "I promise."
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. "Good."