Stepping Stones to my Heart (Sodapop Curtis Love Story)

Chapter 35: It Ends with a Bang

“Your change is seventy-six cents.” I said handing the man coins.  He was walking out when I noticed seven guys walking down the street.  I rushed outside behind the man and greeted the one with the baby in his arm.  “Hi pookie!” I said giving May a big kiss on her peach fuzz head.

Steve and Darry were shifting on their feet looking antsy.  “Can we please go inside? I’m starving for a cheeseburger.” Steve said swiftly.

“Sure anything for you doll,” I gave him a smirk, “A booth just opened up.” I said letting out a few giggles. 

Everyone piled in the diner and we made our way to the empty booth.  I had to sit on Sodapop’s lap with May on mine and we all squeeze ourselves in.  I placed an order for seven burgers before we got settled, so the food came out in a matter of minutes. 

“I heard from Tom Myers that he flowered Judy Marsh.” Two-Bit said with a mouthful of food.

“That ninth grade chic?” Steve asked taking a swish of his Coke.  “The one with the curls and curves?” Two-Bit nodded back at Steve. “Go Tommy,” he whispered. 

Judy Marsh was a ninth grader with auburn brown hair that she always curled.  She was as thin as a stick, but somehow she was really curvy and a good rack.  Every greaser in school wanted to get his hands on her because she was one of the “best” looking girls in school.  I personally thought she was a tease because all the girls knew she’d never go that far with a boy.  Her father was a priest and her mother stayed at home.  Being the priest’s daughter, she didn’t want anything to do with us.  Judy wasn’t a soc she was the middle class.  This shocked me though because she avoids those guys, but that led me to believe that Tom made it up. 

“Speak of the devil,” Sodapop chimed in.  Judy Marsh waltz into the diner with a couple of her friends. 

Two-Bit whistled at them as the walked by to another booth.  “Whew Hoo, look what the cat dragged in.  How’d you like to be with a real man instead of little Tom?" 

Judy spun around on her heels and shot him the dirtiest look I’ve ever seen.  “What did you say hood?”

“Wanna take a ride?” Two-Bit shot back with a grin on his sharp face.  She turned a bright shade of crimson red. 

“How dare you talk to me like that you dirty greaser!” she practically screamed. 

Two-Bit kept his cool and played along on her emotions.  I almost felt bad for her, almost, “Is that what you said to Tom?” She kept turning different shades of red and her friends tried pulling her along, but she wouldn’t budge so Two-Bit continued, “Tom’s just a boy. He ain’t got no balls, why don’t you be with a real man.”

“You leave Tommy out of this!” She shouted back at him.  The diner stopped its chitchat and slowly started to grow louder again. 

“Judy c’mon don’t waste your time dealing with this dirt,” her friend Cynthia said loud enough for us to hear. 

“Go to hell, Keith Matthews, go to hell.” Judy said as she turned around and walked to her table.

“I’ll see you there!” he said waving back at her.

We all cracked up in laughter.  The roar of laughter from our table was interrupted by a crack from outside, the sound of a gunshot.  The gang got up and tumbled outside the Dingo’s door to the sight of blood and a body.  Soda stood in front of me as I had May wrapped tightly in my arms.  A boy with bleached blonde hair and a jean jacket layed on the asphalt of the parking lot with his head propped up by the brick wall of the diner.  He had a gunshot wound in his left ribcage.  There was ruby red blood stained the brick and the ground.  Blood surrounded the boy’s body and kept pouring from his side. 

Two men came to the boy’s side pulling out white bandanas that quickly turned red.  The man who shot the boy was running and by the time I looked over at the guy, I saw it was the same guy who I had given the seventy-six cents to.  I never got a good look at his face, but he seemed to be the family man, not a murderer.

I was holding May’s head close to my chest trying to keep her glued to me.  Dally and Johnny started running after the guy, but quickly stopped after the man was out of sight.  Darry was helping the other men and the rest of us stopped dead in our tracks, frozen with astonishment. 

May was in her crib and I was pacing around our room.  Sodapop had himself against one of the walls.  “What are we going to do? Huh?” I asked him. “I don’t know if we can stay here for god’s sake a boy died today.  It’s not safe for May.”

He pushed his hair back and it fell right back, “I’ll admit it’s not the safest place for her at the moment, but we grew up here and look at us now.” 

“Yes, but that was back in the fifties.  That was before the Socs and the crime—“ I said waving my hands around. 

“There was crime back then.” Soda broke off.

I stopped and lowered my voice realizing the gang was out in the living room, “All I’m saying Soda is that it’s not the best environment for a baby right now.  Yes when she gets older it’ll be better to the point where she can defend herself, but until then…" 

“I know what you’re going to say and I don’t want to hear it.  Babe, we’ve lived here our whole lives—“

I cut him off this time. “I know, but just hear me out.  Maybe we should move to the country for a little while just until things cool down and May grows up a little and we can visit and everything.”

Soda came closer to me and put his hands around my waist and pulled me closer.  He looked down at my eyes, “We should have a date night.”  

I looked away trying to hold back a smile. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.” 

“Why not?” 

“We don’t have a babysitter and May’s so young right now she really needs her mom.” I said countering him. 

“We got six of them in the living room as we speak.  You need a night out and who knows one thing could lead to another and we could be popping more out.” He said trying to sound sexy. 

“Carry it for nine months and get back to me,” I said smirking and he smiled in victory.  We walked out of the bedroom greeting the gang.  

“Who wants to babysit tomorrow night?” Sodapop asked enthusiastically.  

They all looked around at each other.  “We’ll do it,” Darry said finally. 

Dally spit back into a bowl he was eating out of, “What the hell is this? It’s like swallowing puke.”

“That’s pureed baby food, Dal.” Ponyboy answered.  Another conversation brewed in the gang.   

“What the hell were you thinking?” Two-Bit questioned. 

“I was hungry and one would think that food in a kitchen is actual food.” He replied hastily. 

“Yeah, but there was a label,” Ponyboy pointed out. 

“Shut up Ponytail.” Dally said as Ponyboy eyed him.  Whenever were mad at Pony we call him Ponytail and he hates it, so of course we keep on calling him that.

I whispered over Sodapop’s shoulder, “This is what we’re leaving May with?”