(Next Sunday, June 16th)
Johnny's POV:
Today was my twenty-two week appointment (I think) and something about my mom being gone is killing me today.
She left last Sunday, and for reason today it's really hitting my soul. I guess because pregnancy is when you need your mom the most.
"I know. I know." He rubbed my back like a baby for the millionth time.
"I miss her, Dad." I cried.
"I do too, baby." For the first time ever he sounds truly sad. And our sadness kinda just sits there with each other until he forms more words out of it.
"Ya'know Andie?" I look up at him, but he's talking to himself.
"I really do miss my wife." And he cries. It feels crazy and forbidden to see my dad cry, but he cries.
"All these years I watched her run away and I've just been waiting... waiting for her to come back." He smiles through his tears and for the first time ever I see his pain. Clear as day. His soul is hurt like mine. He's been abused too.
"And I think she's gonna come back this time so I'm gonna keep waiting, dammit. I'm gonna wait on her like I waited on you. I'm gonna wait on my wife like I'm waiting on my granddaughter." He proudly sniffles. And I feel his waiting sink in.
I'm gonna wait with him, but I'm passing my time with a nap.
Steve's POV:
"How was the gym?" My dad asked at dinner.
After I wiped my mouth I answered,"Better than it was this time last week." I shrugged, "I just feel so old and weak."
"You've been through a lot. I think anyone would be old and weak after this year." Branty frowned.
"Mh probably." I need to get myself together before august though. Football is not for the old or weak.
"Why didn't you take Soda?" Mom squinted.
"Figured I should learn how to do at least one thing without him."
"Smart." Dad agreed.
"What about the rest of you?" Enough about me for real.
"A lady almost died in my arms today, but I gave her to a doctor." Mom raised an eyebrow.
"Did she live?" Branty questioned.
"Yeah." Mom nodded. That's good.
"Me and my boss designed this idea of cereal called fartees." My dad shook his head is disappointment.
The rest of us shared a laugh.
"What do those do?" I grinned.
"There shit-shaped cereal, packed with vitamins, but they taste like chocolate or vanilla." He rolled his eyes.
"That's a great idea, why are you not digging it?" Mom frowned.
"Because that kind of stuff never works. Any cereal that claims to be packed with vitamins, kids say it's disgusting." He was true.
All the good cereals, have enough sugar to kill you.
Soda's POV:
Darry's been home since last Sunday when we got back, and I'm happy as hell. We ate a little while ago and now we're gonna go to the park and find trouble.
"Come on brother!" I happily call for Pony.
He slides out of his bed before I take his hand and skip away.
"You already told them where we're going right?" I stop at the door Darry was holding open.
"Yep." He answers.
"Bye!" Mr and Pony call.
"Bye!" Mom calls back at us.
"Don't do anything dumb." Dad turns around on the couch.
"We won't." But only Darry answers that.
We walk to the park because it isn't far.
Once we get there I jump on the swing and Darry pushes me until I get high enough and then jump.
I stick the landing and then clap for myself.
"I bet I can stick it better." Pony walks over to the other swing and Darry pushes him.
"You still smoking, kid?" He questions.
Pony has been smoking without our parents knowledge since the end of his eight grade year.
"Yeah, I'm gonna quit once my baby's born though. Johnny doesn't like it." He jumps off and I gotta admit, his stick was better than mine.
"Aw how's my niece?" He smiles.
"Twenty-two weeks today. She's an active little thing. If you touch her at all she does her little dance." He giggles.
We both coo at Pony. I can't wait to see her.
"What are you Dar? You got a girlfriend or anything yet?" I had been wondering that same thing, but Pony beat me to ask it.
"Actually..." He began, "I've been talking to this girl all year, I've met her family, and she's supposed to come over soon." He blushes.
"Oo what's she like?" I'm interested, Darry never has much to tell us about his love life.
"I was thinking we could go over to her house?"
I've never jumped back in a car so fast.
It's a fourth minute drive to her house.
When we get out it's 7:36pm and it occurs to me that we really just pulled up at homegirls house.
We walk up to the door and stand behind Darry like his kids.
He knocks and a fit dark bald man answers, "Hey Darry." His accent is heavy and his happy voice is deep. He sounds like mom. Straight country.
"Hey Mr. Wallace." They shake hands before Darry introduces us to him.
We shake his hand too, he's the kind of guy that seems scary but somehow isn't. He's just like Darry.
"Tracy's upstairs, I'm crazy If she's sleep." The bald man let us inside.
Darry thanks him and on our way inside I look around.
This house is huge as fuck. The upstairs has like a million rooms in it.
Thank God, Darry knows which room to go in. It's around the left side on the end by the balcony.
He knocks on the door frame and the pretty girl who's playing with her hair stops and lights up, "Darry!" She runs into his arms and laughs happily they kiss. She talks like those 50s movie stars.
They pull away and her attention moves to us.
"Are these your brothers?" She subconsciously shakes our hands.
"Darry's told me so much about you guys he really loves y'all." She smiles.
She looks to him, "which one has the baby and which one is engaged? Or is that the same one?" She questions.
Darry points as he speaks,"Soda's engaged and Pony's gonna be dad in October."
She cooes in awe.
"You guys have a seat, there's plenty of room." There was plenty of room. Me and Pony sat in the two chairs that were beside her leaving Darry to sit on her bed and for her to sit in his lap.
"I have three little brothers and they remind me of y'all in so many ways, but their annoying little shits. I'm sorry for cussing, but they are." She played with Darry's hands.
"They're annoying little shits." Darry laughed.
I just looked over at Pony. He was the annoying little shit.
"Aw no they seem like sweet hearts." She pouts.
"Yeah, sweet disasters." He sighs.
Just then a kid pops in with his phone and sings, "Tracy...!"
He has long skinny dreads, abs, and doesn't look much older and Pony. Maybe like he's gonna be a Junior next year.
"What?" She huffs.
He twirls over and shows her his phone.
She flinched away and covers it, "Michael." She huffs, "I didn't wanna see that."
And he skips away, "Hey Darry, and other kids."
"Hey Chael.(Kell)" Darry giggles.
Tracy turns to me and Pony, "That's Michael, but everyone calls him Chael, he's fifteen, gay and hormonal. I can't stand him. If there were three of us he'd be the middle child. He's so wild." She rolls her eyes.
"Okay so Darry has told me so much about y'all it's only fair I share some stuff about myself. I went to Weather-Bell, elementary through High. It's a private school which is how I never left. As you already know I'm the oldest, and I have three little brothers. I met Darry at school, I actually went to OBU for my first year and then transferred to OSU this past year. I majored in animal science, I got my associates degree in that while I was still in high school, so I'm just gonna do two more years so I can get my bachelors." Just as she finished another kid appeared in her doorway.
This one's younger than Michael. And a lot shorter. His dreads are thicker and he looks innocent like Pony. Only Pony is not innocent.
"I'm the man." He raises his eyebrows in pride and goes over to dap up Darry.
"You're the man, Trey." Darry smiles.
"Half man." Tracy pushes him away and out he goes.
"Traelan is the baby. He's twelve, transgender and he has a special place in my heart he really does." She pouts, "I came out when I was little and we actually switched names, his birth certificate still says Tracy. My original birth certificate says Traelan, but when I turned eighteen I got it changed. No I haven't had bottom surgery, and I don't really wanna." She shrugs.
"That's cute, y'all's name thing." I smile.
She thanks me before her third brother comes to her doorway, "Guess who called?" He smiles, he has a clean ass fade and a big curly Afro coming out the top of his head. He looks like the boy version of Tracy. Probably the same age as me or a little younger or older.
"Some ex of yours." She rolls her eyes.
"Exactly that, Harper Fusia." He puts his hands in his pockets.
"You're a slut, I hope you know that." Tracy nods at him.
"That's why you got bullied and you don't have a pussy." He folds his arms and not gonna lie I'm trying not to laugh.
Pony lets out a small giggle, Darry looks at us.
"That's why you're gonna get bullied once she realizes that you have a little dick. Now go away Little Dick Damron." Damn...
He flips her off and walks away.
She gets up and yells out her door, "If you're not mom or dad don't come in!"
"Or what, Tranny Nanny?!" Michael test.
She peers over the balcony to make sure there parents aren't in site, "I'll whoop your ass!"
"Whoop it then, bitch!" Trey shoots.
"I hope Michael and Damron throw your ass off this damn balcony!" She sasses.
"Tracy Wallace stop all that cussing at my babies!" Her dad yells up.
"Okay daddy!" She yells back down and then comes in her room and closes the door looking shook.
"I know for a fact he heard them. Had to!" She exaggerated.
"Exactly! It's like everything they do is invisible." Darry claims.
She sits down beside him with a sigh.
A knock comes on the door before it flys open, "We're going to the Strawberry patch tomorrow at 4. And that's all I can tell you." A sweet looking lady is at her door. Has to be her mom.
"All you can tell me?" Tracy smiles.
"All I can say." The woman shrugs and backs out, closing the door behind her.
"Moms do some weird stuff." She shakes her head.
Tell me about it.
-long chapter today, hope y'all like it, Tracy has a fun life ngl🥱-