It's a long story

Promise?

Darry had put me to bed that night. I sobbed through it, not being able to let go made me angry. I always imagined my mother coming back, wanting to be a family and we'd be happy again, and we'd get to live in the house again and have weekly bbq's at the Curtis's, That's how I imagined it, even if she came back at all. How could of this happened?  I was on top of the world yesterday, minus the letter. 

I walked out to the kitchen, that morning. I was so sick of being sore, and depressed that I felt smiling was something so taboo right now, so I let that sink it, my lips pulled back into slight smile as I watched Soda and Pony eating breakfast and watching TV. "Morning." I said, in their direction. They both waved, their eyes fixed on the TV and listening to Soda laughing so hard at the TV, I swore he popped a lung. 

I swung my head in a 180 degree angle, and saw Darry fixing me breakfast. "You don't have to do that. I can make my own breakfast." I told him, as he poured me a glass of chocolate milk. He shrugged his big shoulder. "I just thought I'd be nice." He told me, walking back in the kitchen as we sat down and ate. It was Sunday, and I had to quickly eat my breakfast so I could head to Church. Me and Pony usually went. Darry never went because he had never been to a church since his parents funeral, and Soda couldn't sit still long enough. Johnny went a couple of times, and I imagine Dally, Steve and Two-Bit didn't want to ever step foot in a church. 

I looked at Darry, who had looked so damn tired, and older, It was hard to think of him as just 20 years old. He was just a kid, with a lot of responsibility and He had seen stuff like bills and such that no other kid should have. I wondered if I ever looked that tired, when I was in the hospital. I was bored, i knew that, but I hardly ever seen myself in a mirror and I could barely use the bathroom without help.

I finished, and washed my plate, my mind still on Darry as he was still eating. I wondered if he needed a girl in his life. I wondered if maybe he needed someone to make him smile. He needed a real pretty, tuff girl. Christine had an older sister, about 19 or so. She was a cheerleader and was in some of Darry's classes. Maybe she'd be interested. Then, I remembered Christine talkin' about how how her sister was gettin' married in May. 

"Thank you..." I told Darry, as I kissed his cheek. "For what?" He said, his mouth full. I shrugged, as for I didn't really know my self. "This." I said, looking around the house, and the boys, cheering in the living room. "Giving me a second chance." 

. . . 

Me and Pony were walking down the street, on our way to Church, as he saw a bunch of Soc women, a lot of mothers, with fancy hats and pretty dresses. It made me almost ashamed of my plain light pink dress with a floral jacket. I was balancing myself on the curb, putting arms out, trying not to fall, as Pony took one last drag on a cigarette. I actually haven't seen Pony smoke in a while now. I had just thought he was trying to cut back, but he seemed to love something so much, and then regretted it instantly. We both didn't talk, we just walked. We didn't bother talking because we didn't need to. We both kept our mouths shut, and we got each other better then I had anyone else.

We noticed that Johnny wasn't home, so we figured he was out with Dallas. Their bond got real close after the windrexville thing. Johnny's eyes would go from real sad looking, to full of hope whenever Dallas was with him. Dally was also different. He was a hell of a lot kinder  when Johnny was around him. He wasn't hitting on every girl in sight and enjoyed time with Johnny. I think he realized how easy it was too lose someone that close to him. 

"Pony?" I said, jumping off the curb as we walked up to the doors. He looked at me, a way of asking me what was up. I didn't feel like asking him until after the service. I felt like just standing beside him as we walked into the sanctuary, which had a beautiful mural painted on the wall of the lake and how the sky was perfectly still. I wondered if some folks actually thought like that. That things were like that in real life, or maybe just the opposite, and that's why thy painted it. I looked at him, and shook my head. "Never mind." We took our seats in the back and we waited quietly. I liked our relationship. We weren't a touchy-feely couple who couldn't keep our hands off each other, and we didn't flirt a whole lot or tickled each other or stuff like that. We were a real couple, who talked about life and discussed things.I liked things like that, simpler. 

. . .

After the service, I gripped his arm. "What do you want to when you grow up?" I asked him. He looked at me and shrugged. "Is that what you wanted to ask me earlier?" We crossed the street as I nodded my head in reply. He studied the streets, looking around for a minute or two, but wherever his head was, he couldn't think of a thing. "I don't know. I haven't really planned it out." 

"What about Local Hero? I mean, if you can save kids once, you can do it all the time!" I said, as we both smiled. "It just doesn't pay the bills." He told me as I laughed. Even though he'd be the best man in all of Oklahoma, he'd wouldn't get any money in return, and like it or not, even greasers need a little money for a home. "What about you?" He asked. I smiled. "A writer." I told him. 

"That's a good one." He said, almost feeling dumbfounded cause he didn't think of that first. "Maybe we could right them together?" I told him, as his was got a little red and he perked up and smiled. "Alright. Promise? Cause if this hero thing don't work..." I laughed again and grabbed his hand and shook it. "I promise, Ponyboy Michael Curtis. The first book I write, we can write together, Promise?" 

He shook it back and smiled. "I promise, Jacqueline Darlene Higgins."