THE WAY THINGS USED TO BE

EPILOGUE

TULSA, OKLAHOMA; 1991
" never been a liar, i'm a lilac, and you are my sun,
and every season i need you to come back."

-

The sun was peaking over the horizon, a slim sliver of gold in the dark sky. It was barely 5:00 am. I felt like getting up early today. Today just felt different. I hadn't felt like this in a while, like something was going to happen. Maybe I just felt nostalgic. I sat down on my porch, a cup of black coffee in my hand. The air was cold. I never liked the winter, I was more of a summer child. But I'm not a child anymore, I'm nearly 40 now. Winter seems better now. Calmer.

Its been a lifetime, a beautiful lifetime of mine. I stayed in Tulsa. I think I was always meant to. I stayed with Bryon too. It took me a while, and I wandered far from home, but wild souls always have a quiet place to come back to. That's what Ponyboy told me. I hadn't seen Pony in years.   I didn't think he'd come back, and I was happy for him. But I never forgot what he told me. He was the one who told me to leave, because he knew I'd be back. Seemed like Pony knew everything.

Sometimes I miss it, being young and carefree. I went everywhere, everywhere I wanted. I felt so much, maybe too much. The things I saw will always stick with me, no matter how old I get. My dearest friends, some more than friends. Of course, Jessie. My first friend. Its been years, but she'd always have a place in my heart, forever. Liv. How could I ever forget her and her bleach blond hair that was almost as bright as her eyes. She knocked on my door one day out of the blue, years ago, with the biggest smile on her face, and my vans keys in her hand.  I had given her my van years ago, but now it was in my garage, covered with an old sheet. She thanked me, but told me she wouldn't need it anymore. She was done traveling, and she was done running. I still remember the big smile she had on, I think it was the happiest I had ever seen her. She was pregnant. A well dressed brunette boy waited for her and I waved at him. They looked happy. I hope they still are.

She told me about Charlie too. I had heard about him anyways. Best selling book, by Charlie himself. Poems From The Top Of My Head. I always knew Charlie would pull something out of that messy notebook of his. Funny how life works out. His book was laying on my nightstand, opened to a chapter called, "Delilah; A Blue Sky In a Sea Of A Million Sunsets".

Reading his poem made me realize how much I had lived, and how much I had gone through. Zoe, Mila, Leah, Penny, Ross, Heath. San Fransisco, Santa Monica, California, New York, Woodstock. These were all names that had changed me.  Names of people and places.

Life for me was a summer nights dream. Zoe's attitude yet kind heart taught me to never let your guard down, and Mila's mysteriousness taught me to not care what others thought. Leah's soft soul was something I'd always remember. She was like a flower, its petals falling slowly falling to the ground. I'd never forget the look on her face that days she left with her boyfriend. I hoped she was ok, but deep down I knew she wouldn't be. She loved him too much.

Ross, Santa Monica's surfer boy. I hadn't given him much thought, until I heard on the radio one day, that he had entered the summer surfing olympics.

And Heath, or I should say James. He'd always be Heath to me. I can't say much more about him. I think there isn't any more to say, he's one of those people that you can never really figure out. I know he's happy now, even if I haven't seen him.

And Penny. Penny taught me the happiest, yet saddest lesson of all. Id never forget her. Penny was that girl you saw in the middle of the street, and thought that she just radiates sunshine. You could spot Penny from a mile away. Bright orange hair, the color of happiness with a tint of slyness. The color of fun, vibrant, warm, and welcoming. But even those who are happy are sad. A sunflower that turns away from the sun. I knew that was Penny when she told me she was leaving. Leaving was turning away, and Penny decided to turn away. From that day I wished Penny the best, and only the best, because I knew she'd find her way back to the sun one day.

I know she did now, because I have too. Even if my life hadn't been perfect, I was happy now. The troubles I had been through, the betrayals, the hurt, the hate and the things I saw were over now. I had witnessed friends leaving, and friends coming. I witnessed people breaking, but people grew too. I grew, and no matter how heartbreaking life might have been, it would always be healing too.

I take a sip from my coffee as I see the sun come up. The coffee was cool now, and the sun was nearly up. I get up once I hear birds beginning to chirp. Bryon should be up now. He'd always wake up later than me.

I shut the door behind me, and set my mug in the sink.

"Early morning coffee?" Bryon asks as he walks into the kitchen.

"I still don't know how you like it dark." He laughs. I'm about to reply, when a knock at the door interrupts me.

"Someone this early?" Bryon reads my mind.

I walk into the living room and open the door. A gust of cold air comes in, making me shiver. An slim girl with brown hair stands in the doorway, her nose and cheeks tinted a soft pink from the cold. She shivered just as I did.

"Are you Delilah Anderson?" She asks me in a soft voice.

I scanned over her face. Gentle features, and a thoughtful look. She had these eyes I had only seen on one person before. Eyes I could recognize anywhere. Soft, greenish-gray eyes. 

"Yes, I am... Who's asking?" I said slowly.

"Daisy." She smiled sweetly. "I'm Ponyboy's daughter. Daisy Curtis."