Curly never would've expected to go though this much agony waiting for a date. As if that wasn't enough his mind kept going back to what he was keeping under his floorboards, he wasn't even religious but he was sure he was going to be damned to hell. He hadn't even told Jimmy about it and because of that he hadn't seen him in a while. The only thing he was even excited for was the date he was going on, he had gotten used to the hookups in Bucks rooms upstairs.
"Curls, you got a phone call." Angela says from the doorway.
He notices her standing in the doorway, she doesn't have a scowl on her face, instead she had a strange looking smile on her face, like she's about to hear the lastest gossip about Paul Newman.
"Who is it?"
"Its a girl," She yawns. "Says her name is Daisy, you home or not?"
Curly can feel his heart rate pick up and he sits up from his bed, leaning over to stub his cigarette out. "I'll be there in a second."
He starts to get even more nervous, they had about an hour before his date started and he swore she was about to cancel the date. He'd be bummed, no one had stood him up since he was 13. When Mary Bates said she'd meet him at the movie theater and he waited all day for her, Tim had to drive him home and buy him some ice cream because he was so embarrassed. As soon as he went to school he made it his business to beat her brother up.
"Hey," Curly said once he picked the phone up.
"Hey, now." She replied back in her sweet tone. Her voice was hushed like someone had their ear pressed to the wall attempting to listen to the conversation.
"Don't take this the wrong way but I gotta cancel. I'm stuck with James because Pa went out."
"Damn..are you sure?" Curly asks.
"Yeah, sorry."
Curly takes a deep breath before he turns his back to Angela who's creeping in the kitchen and huddles closer into the phone. "Well, James can come. He ain't a snitch right?" Curly teases.
He can hear her laugh through the phone and it already has him smiling, he's relieved that Angela can't see it or else she'd be telling everyone he's 'pussy whipped'. He was getting annoyed just thinking about Los Tios finding out about it, their jokes were monotonous and he was sick of it.
"Naw he ain't, you sure though?"
"Yeah, I'll be there soon." Curly says.
"Well, we'll be there at the corner of Sutton and Pickett. Thanks a lot, Curly I mean it."
"Don't mention it."
Curly hung the phone back on the wall, the sound of Angela's door closing grateful or else she'd be asking him non stop who he was going out with. He didn't put it past her, she was probably already on the phone with her slutty friends telling them his business. Curly went out searching for Tim so he could remind him about the car.
"Tim?" Curly calls.
"I'm in here." He calls from the room.
Curly stands outside of Tim's room. He could never find himself to step over the door frame and walk in. The room used to be his mothers and his old man's. It brought back memories, especially the bad ones. He could still see himself bent over the bed, Cole beating the life out of him with the buckle but refusing to cry because he didn't deserve that reaction. Tim notices Curly's srunched up face and the way he's leaning on the side of the door.
"What do you need, hermano?" Tim asked.
"I just wanted to make sure I could still borrow el carro." (The Car)
Tim turned his back towards Curly, going back into the notepad and frantically writing something down. Tim was known for journaling and keeping notes around the house. He said he always had the best ideas at night and didn't wanna forget them when he woke up.
"Mm. What do you need it for again?" Tim asked.
"I uh. I'm just going out."
There was a pause and Curly thought that Tim was gonna push him more on the subject. He was nervous, he didn't know how Tim would act knowing that Curly was going on a date during their time of distress, it was only a matter of time, maybe or week or so before Tiber noticed that the Oklahoma City kids wouldn't show up for their shipment.
"Keys on the table, be back before midnight."
"Gracias." Curly said quickly.
Curly went into his room to change before he left the house. As he pulled his shirt off he could hear Angela walk into his room and sit on her bed, squealing like a school girl.
"Curls, you going on a date?" She asks.
Curly shrugs and goes through his door and he can hear Angela jumping up and down, making the springs squeak on his bed. "C'mon twinny, gimme something. We tell each other everything!"
Curly rolled his eyes as he looked in the drawer. He was slightly annoyed he couldn't find anything other than a white t shirt, he really needed to expand his wardrobe. Daisy was probably tired of seeing the same damn white shirt. She always had something nice on, something that showed her legs. He wondered if she knew how nice her legs were.
"Don't ever say that shit again." Curly groans slightly. "Its not a date. We're just hanging out."
"What's she look like? I don't think I know a Daisy, where's she go to school?"
"Angel get out." Curly says as he pulls his shirt over his head.
"Curls please."
"I'll tell you when I get back. Promise." Curly says before reaching his outstretched pinky towards hers. "Lo juro por mi vida." (I swear on my life)
She quickly hooks her pinky around his, giggling as she does it. That had always been their thing, pinky promises. They started it ever since they could understand what a pinky promise was. They never knew that they'd need it, going on to be 17 but their recklessness needed to be kept a secret.
"Well you'd better."
Curly slams his door shut after she leaves and pulls on a black t shirt. It fits right and he makes a mental note to check if he's gotten any taller being that it was a hand me down t shirt from Tim. He pulls on a pair a jeans he didn't wear often, for special occasions, and his regular chucks taylors.
Curly saw Daisy where she said she'd be, standing on the corner with her little brother. He was an average kid, wearing a baseball cap and button up t shirt. He wondered if Daisy picked his outfits out, Gloriana Shepard always picked his outfits out. He never had the heart to tell her he hated how his outfit looked.
His breathing hitched as he did a double take at her. It was as if she was effortless at everything she did. Curly had forgot to park the car because he had zoned out staring at her. She was dressed in a nice blue sweater and a beige skirt. He took a deep breath before getting out the car.
"Hey." Curly said as he approached them.
"Hey, Curly! This is my little brother, James. James this is my friend Curly."
"Hey, kid." Curly greeted.
Curly liked kids. He thought they were funny and full of life and innocence. He always thought about how he'd like a few of his own, one day at least. For the most part he hadn't been around kids, he wasn't sure if his Tio's had any, and if they did they were probably bad dads just like uncles.
Curly opened the car door, James sat on the right and Daisy smushed herself between Curly and James in the middle. Curly wasn't expecting her to be so close, he could feel his heart racing at the smell of her vanilla perfume and her leg pushed against his.
"So you play any sports, kid?" Curly asks as he cranks the car on.
"I play a little baseball with my friends."
"No shit?! I used to play a little, I pitched 'cus they never expected mine." Curly said. "I hope you don't tell your old man I was cursing in front of you."
"Naw. I don't tell Pa much of nothing..You said you're a good pitcher, guess I'm gonna show you how's it done."
Curly laughs and shakes his head as they get on the highway and he notices that Daisy has a relieved smile on her face.
"One day, kid. So tell me about your sister, cus she don't tell me much." Curly teases.
"She can be a square sometimes. She sings in the bathroom a lot, she told me about you a few times too."
Daisy let's out a light shriek and pinches James in the arm, making Curly laugh. He can feel a light smile resting on his face at the thought of her mentioning him to James.
"Are you in a gang?" James asks.
"What makes you think that?"
"You've got tattoos. Daisy said people with tattoos are in gangs and Willy's got some too."
Curly can't hold in his laugh. He had random tattoos scattered throughout his body, only 2 of them were related to the Shepard Gang, the stick N poke and the crown he kept on his right bicep. The others were random ones he decided were a good idea at a point in his life.
"Maybe I am. I dunno." Curly shrugs.
"Dai keeps me away from gangs but she likes bad boys. She's such a phony." James sighed.
"Oh shut your trap, James. Don't question my ways of authority." Daisy replied before giving James another pinch in the arm.
James sucks his teeth and stares out the side window, attempting to move as far away as Daisy as he can. After a while it doesn't take him long to start talking again.
"So where we going?" He asks.
"I reckon we're going to an arcade." Curly replies.
Curly usually went to arcades when he was bored or he wanted to hideaway from everyone, then he'd try and beat Johnny Cade's pinball score for hours on end, forgetting about the drove farther out to an arcade closer to Oklahoma City, that way they didn't have to worry about running into Brumley or trouble. The arcade was a little mixed race town who knew Curly so he didn't have to worry about him or his date being dragged out for race crimes.
Curly saw the arcade sign and pulled into a parking spot. He held the door open for Daisy and James to squeeze out, Curly handed James a dollar to play a game once they get inside the building and James was out of their sight within seconds.
"I'm sorry about my brother." Daisy said with a sheepish from.
"Hey, that's how kid brothers are." Curly grins. "What's the first thing you wanna do?"
"I bet I could beat your arcade score."
Curly looks at Daisy with a fake shocked face, holding his hand to his heart. "All right, you're on, kid." Curly teased.
Curly let Daisy go first and she stood at the pinball machine, her little hands furiously moving around the buttons and controls to the pinball game, her eyes were glued to the screen as she saved the ball countless times and skillfully pulling her hair back without losing the game.
"Looks like I'm winning." She teases.
"It ain't over til' its over yet, mami."
Curly watched her face as she lightly blushed, losing focus for a minute before saving the ball and then losing it. She let out a light scream mixed in with a giggle and turned to face Curly.
"You jerk, I was really going." She laughs, lightly pressing her finger into his chest.
Curly chuckles and grabs her hand, his heart beating quickly as he does it. Her hand was tiny compared to his, the sight of it made him laugh of how it swallowed over hers. They didn't say anything for a few seconds, indulging in the feeling it brought to one another.
"Guess it's my turn then?" Curly said after a few moments.
"Guess so..good luck."
"Thanks, kid."
Curly let go of her hand and she quickly moved her hand to touch her cross necklace. There was a red tint behind her brown complexion as she looked away, her browns eyes once again scared to meet his.
Curly turned towards the pinball machine and started a new game. His eyes watched the screen closely, his top teeth biting on his bottom lip as he leaned forward and played the game. Curly kept his on the score so he was sure not to get higher than Daisy's score, it'd be unfair to win, he'd be going on all day if he could he was the second best player in Tulsa.
"Uh oh, Shepard. Gettin' nervous?" Daisy giggled as Curly almost lost the ball.
Curly chuckled before he let the handle go, losing the ball with only a few points behind her score. He turned to face her, the game music playing in the background.
"You let me win."
"Naw.. I guess you really could beat me score." Curly laughs.
Curly led Daisy to game after game, showing her how to play them and tricks to play them. Eventually he got bored and started cheating at the games, kicking the sides to make the score go up. After a few hours they found James sitting on the stool playing checkers with an older man. They all piled in the car around 9 o' clock and ate Dairy Queen in the parking lot.
"He's out like a light." Daisy commented was Curly pulled up in front of her house.
"We had quite a day." Curly replied. "I had a damn good time."
Daisy smiled slightly while looking over at Curly, his eyes quickly scanned over her lips. All he could think about was how they would feel against his. He could imagine that they were soft. He moved back slightly and took a deep breath. It wasn't the right time to kiss her, not now.
"Do you uh.. Need help with James?"
"God, yes." Daisy sighed with relief.
Curly opened the car door and threw the small boy over his shoulder. Daisy led Curly up the stairs to her house and unlocked the front door, opening it to a dark room only lit by the lamp on the table. Daisy motioned for Curly to leave James on the couch as she stood by the door.
"Thanks again, Curly, I had a great time."
"Thanks for agreeing to a date, kid."
"Well, goodnight." Daisy said, yawning a bit.
She smiled slightly and stepped up, standing on her toes to reach Curly and presses a warm kiss to Curly's check. Curly could feel his heart skipping, he felt like he had been blessed from God himself, her lips felt heavenly and he desperately wanted to grab her face and run his hands up her legs. He felt sinful yet again, a hood like him shouldn't have thoughts about a girl like that.
"Goodnight." She whispered again.
Curly walked to the car thinking about Mary Bates. The joke was on her.