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Part 39

As Hop drove back to his cabin, he started to get a little nervous about how the afternoon would go. There were not a lot of people that knew ALL the ups and downs he had been through so far in his life, and fewer knew some of the history both he and Joyce were going to go through with Billy. People in small towns just made-up gossip to fill in unknown or hidden details, and there were plenty of skeletons in the closets of the Byers house and Hopper cabin. This was the heartland of Reagan's America. Bad things never happened here in most people's minds. Everyone conformed with societal norms. Everyone knew each other, of course that didn't stop the rumors and theories. If a marriage fell apart, the woman was a bad wife, if one of the town "lifers" got arrested, it was a misunderstanding, and when Joyce's son will went missing, he was lost in the woods or someplace unfamiliar. They were just good, God-Fearing Americans that went to church on Sundays, so never you mind what happened Monday through Saturday, bless their heart.

Joyce Byers was Jim Hopper's sounding board and confidante. They had known each other since kindergarten, so were lifers through and through. Sure, Jim left for several years to fight in Vietnam, then got married and lived away from Hawkins for a few years before coming home, but the girl he married must have been a bad wife (bless her heart) according to the town's people, because he divorced her and moved back to Hawkins, where he belonged. Not many knew the real story, but Joyce did. Most didn't know Joyce threw Lonnie Byers out and divorced him. Most assumed he left Joyce and his two sons. But Hopper knew the full story. It's just how small-town life could be. The Hargrove-Mayfield clan were "newcomers" and would be for at least 30 years, so really were not kept informed by the town grapevine, but boy were they a steady subject of it.

Hopper arrived back at his cabin just after noon, and asked Steve to take El out for a couple hours. Billy was due over soon, so Steve was hesitant to leave. Hopper expected this of course. But Hopper assured him that he and Joyce thought it would be best to speak to him alone. So, with a few hesitant steps, he went and got dressed so he could take El out to wherever he thought best. Joyce arrived a few minutes after Hopper returned. El and Steve were just about ready to leave, both now wearing their right attire and had everything in hand. but it being chill in the early November afternoon, El asked Steve to warm up the car for her, which he went out to do, gladly. Not like he would want to go in a freezing car either. Steve had decided to probably take her to one of the party's house. He'd see where they'd end up. Maybe he'd just gather all of them up and drive them to the park. Maybe have some "family time".

Joyce greeted Steve on the porch as they passed, and El met her just inside the front door. Joyce hugged El, to which El excitedly hugged back. She loved Joyce and thought of her as her mother (Bedsides Steve, you know) Joyce complimented her hair now that it was beginning to grow back into their long brown curls. Telling her she looked stunning. El loved it. "Thanks Joyce... I really appreciate it" She smiled warmly down at the girl before El then motioned for her to come closer like she was about to tell her a secret. "Friends don't lie, Joyce, and Jonathan lied to Steve, so he isn't really Steve's friend". El whispered instead. Joyce definitely did not expect that El's voice would sound so serious. Joyce looked rather taken aback and asked El what she meant. El explained everything that happened that evening several weeks ago when Billy arrived, and Jonathan claimed Steve invited Jonathan to sleep over and how it made Steve so upset that he was having a very bad panic attack and Billy spent almost half an hour calming Steve down. Her voice was one of seriousness, one that contrasted her naturally lively one. Joyce looked El in the eyes, put out a pinkie, which El hooked her pinkie to, and Joyce told El in a matching serious voice "I pinky promise I will talk to Jonathan later, and he will not be allowed to come here anymore". "Thank you" El quietly responded before she went out the front door, yelling a happy "Bye Hop!", and climbing into the passenger seat of Steve's BMW. Hopper came out of the kitchen and asked Joyce, who was VERY displeased at Jonathan's behavior as relayed by El, what the pinkie promise was about.