ITS ABOUT TIME ➤ Ponyboy Curtis

2

𝙿𝚘𝚗𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝙼𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚎𝚕 𝙲𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚜
    ♫ - "Be My baby" by The Ronettes

I'll never forget the first time I saw her. Two-Bit's sister, Georgia, was watching the gang act like corn-ponies and I couldn't help but watch as well. The gang, mostly Johnny and Soda, had thought that it would be nice if she hung around more. More than she usually did which was almost never. I didn't know why they wanted her around but I wasn't against the idea. Neither was Steve, who said that she could set us up with girls. He liked that idea.
   They were laughing up a storm and blocking out the noise of cartoons playing on the television. Most weeknights were like this; talking and laughing with the gang before eating and talking and laughing again. The gang wasn't really a gang, though. We were  just a couple of friends who stuck together. Organized gangs are rarities in Tulsa—not counting the warfare between the social classes. Oh, there are a few named gangs around, like the River Kings and the Tiber Street Tigers, but here in the Southwest there's no gang rivalry.
I glanced at Georgia and saw she was sporting a wide toothy grin. Glory, was she pretty. She had a real nice smile and long red hair with bangs that fell over her face in wisps. She had porcelain colored skin that turned pink when she laughed and was covered in freckles and specks. Her laugh was soft, just like her eyes that were a shade of green. They were a color that I had only seen in the trees—during the sunset when the sunlight hits the branches, the leaves are clover-colored with a gold shine on the surface.
You wouldn't expect Two-Bit's sister to be as pretty as she was. She was gorgeous. I guessed it wasn't a dominant trait given that Two-Bit didn't look half as good as Georgia did. Their smiles were the same, though. The only difference was his smile maked you laugh while hers made you stare.
Her and Two-Bit lived next door. Sometimes I would look out the window and catch her reading a book. We would smile at each other, but that was about all. I'm guessing I had spoken a few words with her as little kids, because we were in the same grade and neighborhood, but I didn't know her and didn't talk to her much. I've always wanted to though, because she seemed interesting. Something about her caught my interest. I guess I had a bit of a crush on her. Nothing big, I just thought she was pretty. I'd never thought to do anything about it because I was half-scared of her. I'm half-scared of all nice girls, especially the pretty ones like Georgia.
I had been sitting at the kitchen table reading while Darry was making pot roast. It had been a few hours since he started cooking and he had to make a whole lot since we all eat like horses. They gang always came over for dinner. It started after my parents died. Eating dinner without them just didn't feel right, like a piece was missing. I guess the guys knew how we felt and decided to keep us company. With all of our parents gone or bad, we only had each other—Darry and Soda and I's parents were killed in an auto wreck, Two-Bits father ran off and his mother was always working, Johnny's parents didn't love him and showed it through beating him, Steve hated his father more than anything, and Dally's folks couldn't care less about him. It was like we were filling a hole where each other's families should be.
A soft voice made me look up from my book—Georgia's. She was asking Darry if she could help with dinner.
Darry responded, pointing to the pile of produce by the sink. "If you want you can cut up some of those vegetables over there, but don't feel like ya have too."
Georgia smiled, "Its alight, I want too. I feel bad just sitting here." Darry gave her a polite grin and continued cooking. None of the gang ever helped him, except me and Soda, but that was when it was just us three.
I watched Georgia cut up the pile of greens. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed and she was biting the inside of her lip. I wasn't trying to look at her, my eyes were just doing it on their own. I've been told that I have a staring problem, mostly by Johnny and Sodapop. I had never shown interest in a girl before so it was frustrating. I hadn't cared too much for girls yet. Soda had said I'd grow out of it. He did. And at this moment, apparently I did too.
Eventually the the gang came in to eat dinner when Darry and Georgia were done. We all sat around the table and dug in. Georgia was laughing and talking with guys like she had been pals with them all her life.
"I was thinkin' we could play a game of football after me and Stevie get off work tomorrow." Sodapop said after finnishing up his food.
The gang simultaneously agreed.
"Whatta 'bout you Georgia? D'you play?" Steve asked.
I thought it was a stupid question. Maybe it wasn't stupid and I just thought it was because Steve was the one who asked. I'd never tell Soda, because he really liked Steve a lot, but sometimes I couldn't stand Steve. Sometimes I hated him.
Georgia laughed, "No, I'm not the biggest football fan."
Two-Bit attempted to speak with his mouth full of food, "Well you could always come down with us and watch."
Georgia leaned away from her brother. "Do you have any manners at all?" She wrinkled her face in disgust.
   "Of course he doesn't." Darry had a small smile.
   I don't see Darry smile that often. It was a good thing to see him joke, he's always been too firm and tough to kid around. At least not with me. He would kid around all the time with Sodapop, but never with me. Darry and I just didn't dig each other. I never could please him. Maybe this meant he was getting nicer.
Two-Bit merely turned to Georgia and stuck his tongue out, showing his mouth full of food.
Georgia turned to Johnny. "Does he usually eat like that?"
   "In public he's not this bad, but yeah." Johnny revealed as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. I was suprised to see Johnny speaking so much so early into the night.
"You're telling me he doesn't act like this over at your house?" Dallas snickered.
Georgia scoffed, "I would've killed him by now if he did."
Two-Bit turned to her. "Well I'm glad she hasn't because then I wouldn't be able to eat this delicious meal." He said with his mouth full and gravy on his chin. I could barely understand what he was saying.
Steve humorously scoffed at him, "We can definitely tell you think it's delicious."
   Georgia put her hand in front of Two-But to shield her eyes. "I'll stop by and watch the football game. What time do you guys get out?" She asked Sodapop and Steve.
"Around 4:50." Steve answered.
She nodded, "Alright, I can walk down then."
"You ain't walking by yourself." Two-Bit said, almost bewildered.
"And you ain't the boss of me." Georgia quipped back at him.
Johnny said quietly to Georgia, "Me and Pone can walk with ya. We'll come 'round to pick ya up."
Georgia's face softened and she unscrunched her nose. "That'd be nice, thanks Johnny." She said, giving him a smile.
   It was weird to see Johnny so talkative, but I didn't say anything. I knew that him and Georgia were friends. Johnny's father was always beating him up, and his mother ignored him, except when she was hacked off at something, and then you could hear her yelling at him clear down at our house. I think he hated that worse than getting whipped. He usually stayed at Two-Bit's house or at the lot to get away from his parents. I reckoned that's how him and Georgia became buds.
I was glad Georgia was getting along with the gang because I hoped she would hang around more. I wanted to get to know her. Two-Bit had talked about her before and she seemed interesting. She also liked to read and having a friend who shared the same interest as me would be good.
   I was lost in thought that I didnt know what the gang was talking about. I looked up from my plate when I heard Johnny laughing. To the right of him, Georgia was smiling and telling a story. She was as funny as Two-Bit, which was a plus side if she were to come around more. For the next half-hour the gang shared jokes and stories while eating dinner. After that, Darry asked me to clean up. While the gang moved back to the living room, I started washing the dishes.
"Do you always wash the dishes?" A voice behind me said.
I turned my head to look over my shoulder and saw Georgia standing in front of me.
I felt myself stiffen. "No." My voice was awkward. "Me, Soda, and Darry take turns making dinner and doing chores."
Sodapop walked in and grabbed a Pepsi from the fridge. "That ain't true. Pony starts dinner but wanders off and it gets burnt to a crisp. He washes the dishes."
Georgia laughed, "Well do you need any help?"
   "Uh, sure. You can dry and I'll wash." I felt a little bad for even accepting her offer but I also didn't want her to go away. It was a nice thing to do after all, offer to help.
   I wanted to start a conversation but I couldn't bring myself to speak. I didn't want to embarrass myself around somebody new. I decided to risk it. "So, uh," I cleared my throat and straightened my back, "what book are you reading?" My voice came out a bit cracked which didn't help my confidence.
Georgia looked away from drying and smiled, "Honey in The Horn. It's really good."
"That's by Harold Davis, right?"
"Yeah, have you read it before?"
"No I've just heard of it. What's it about?"
"It's about this farm boy who runs away and joins a horse trader in the south. The book's split into three parts and it skips time periods. A lot happens in a short amount of time so it's hard to keep up." Georgia explained.
"Sounds like it."
What about you? How are you liking Gone with The Wind?"
"It's good. I usually don't read history stuff but it ain't bad." By now I wasn't nervous anymore. It felt like I was talking to Soda or Johnny. It was easy.
Georgia cocked her head, "Yeah? What're you into then?"
"Well, Poetry, mostly. I also like memoirs and novels. And stuff like that"
"Really? I wouldn't think you were a poetry kind of guy. Who's your favorite?"
I blushed a little and started thinking about what kind of guy she did think I was. I wasn't used to getting attention. Never mind a girl's attention. "Robert Frost." I said before getting too deep into my thoughts, "My favorite poem he wrote is called Nothing Gold Can Stay".
Georgia returned to the dishes, "I've never heard of that one before."
"Here," I reached over and picked up my book from the kitchen table. "I use it as a bookmark." I opened the book and handed her the small piece of paper.
She took the note from my hand and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table to sit in. I sat next to her and waited. It was a short poem written in the twenties. I had shown it to Johnny one time when we were hanging out at the lot and he perfectly analyzed it, saying that he thought it was about innocence being lost. Johnny was a smart guy. A lot people, including the teachers at our school, didnt see that.
Georgia looked up and me and smiled her warm, wide smile. "That was beautiful. I really liked the metaphors of Eden, like the Fall of Man from the bible." She said, handing the paper back to me.
We shared our thoughts and talked about the deeper meaning; the soulful stuff that most people don't even think twice about. I don't know why I could talk to her; maybe for the same reason she could talk to me. The first thing I knew I was telling her about Mickey Mouse, Soda's horse. I had never told anyone about Soda's horse. It was personal.
Soda had this buckskin horse, only it wasn't his. It belonged to a guy who kept it at the stables where Soda used to work. Mickey Mouse was Soda's horse, though. The first day Soda saw him he said, "There's my horse," and I never doubted it. Mickey Mouse was a dark-gold buckskin, sassy and ornery, not much more than a colt. He'd come when Soda called him. He wouldn't come for anyone else. That horse loved Soda. He'd stand there and chew on Soda's sleeve or collar. Gosh, but Sodapop was crazy about that horse. He went down to see him every day. He may have belonged to another guy, but he was Soda's horse
"Does Soda still have him?" Georgia asked.
   "He got sold," I said. "They came and got him one day and took him off. He was a real valuable horse. Pure quarter."
She didn't say anything else and I was glad. I couldn't tell her that Soda had bawled all night long after they came and got Mickey Mouse. I had cried, too, if you want to know the truth, because Soda never really wanted anything except a horse, and he'd lost his. Soda had been twelve then, going-on-thirteen. He never let on to Mom and Dad how he felt, though, because we never had enough money and usually we had a hard time making ends meet. When you're thirteen in our neighborhood you know the score.
Georgia and I's conversation went from talking about our families to just anything that came to mind. I was surprised how easy it was talk to her—I barely knew her but I felt like I could tell her everything. That's how I feel about Sodapop, except I've known him my whole life. Soda and Georgia were just real easy to talk to.
"Sodapop was telling me that you like to draw too. What do you draw?"
I leaned back in my chair. "Mostly people and landscapes."
   "Really?"
"Mhm." I nodded. "I like drawing people from magazines. Sometimes I go to the DX while Soda's working and pick out a few to copy off of."
"Do you always draw with a reference?"
"Not all the time. I can go from my head, but it usually won't turn out real good." I said. "Two-Bit was telling us about you barrel racing the other day. You any good?"
Her face fell and she fiddled with her thumbs. "Yeah, I'd say so. I stopped riding in rodeo's though, I got hurt a while back. I fell off and hit my head real hard. I got a concussion and I'm trying to play it safe."
"Oh, sorry." I said. "Where'd you ride?"
"Buck's, actually. He has a horse that he lets me ride as long as I help out around the barn."
"Do you think you'd do good in rodeos if you kept going?"
Her tongue pushed against her cheek. "Yeah. I think I would."
I thought about how Sodapop felt when Dad made him quit after he tore a ligament. He still watched rodeos but I don't think it's the same as riding in one. I wouldn't know. The last time I rode a horse I damn near broke an arm.
Dallas hollered at as from the living room, "Are you guys done or what?" Georgia merely laughed while I rolled my eyes. Dallas didn't know when to mind his own business. As I stood up he loudly snickered something to Steve that I was glad Georgia didn't hear. Or at least it hope she didn't hear. It didn't seem like she did.
Georgia got up to finished drying the dishes and I put my book in my room. By the time I got back she was almost done so I went in the living room and sat next to Johnny on the couch, making sure to leave space next to me in case Georgia watched to watch T.V with us.
Sodapop wiggled his eyebrows. "What took ya'll so long, Pony?"
     "Stop it, Soda. We were just talking." I said defensively.
Dally took a sip of Pepsi. "Glory, your ears can get red, Ponyboy."
I hadn't noticed. "I showed her a poem I liked, that's all." I knew what they were joking about and didn't want them to assume the worst.
Steve gave me a cocky grin, "Is that all you showed her?"
The gang absolutely lost it, throwing a fit full of laughter. My face turned scarlet and I was wishing they would just shut up. I was also praying that Georgia didn't hear. But unfortunately she did and came into the room chuckling.
Johnny nudged me and pointed at her with his eyes, still laughing.
      I slouched down, trying to disappear. "Yeah, yeah I know."