Simply a Greaser

Chapter 42

"No. I never got any letters," I said. "Did you send them to dad's house?"

"Yeah. I got his address from a friend."

I wanted to say, 'Wow, you have friends now?' but instead replied, "Dallas hasn't lived there for a long time. I just moved out about a month or two ago."

"I've been sending letters for at least six months now..."

We looked at each other and I said, "Dad's been readin' them. I bet he wrote you back, too."

"Why would he do that?" She asked.

"'Cause he's a nosy fucker, that's why."

"Don't use that language."

Ignoring her, I said, "That's how he knew you were in town."

Her face lost color. "He knows that I'm coming?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my god," she said, "I put all the details of my life into those letters. That means he knows about James."

"Who's James?"

"My fiancee."

I blinked, surprise once again rendering me speechless. Someone would marry her? And they knew about Dallas and me?

"He's why I'm staying in this hotel before I go down to see you two." Mom was picking at her nails and wouldn't look at me. "I want you two to meet him."

"Where is he?"

"He had to work and is coming down on Sunday. We're going to drive down together. We were supposed to meet both of you at your father's house."

"It's a trap," I said. "Me and Dally wouldn't go back to his house even if someone paid us. Well... Dal might, but not for anythin' good."

"Would you like to meet James?" she asked hopefully. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but..."

Sighing, I nodded. "Yeah, I guess I will."

"Good! You can stay with me until James gets here, then you can drive back with him a-"

"No. I can't do that. I have to get back to Tulsa." I didn't want to be left alone with mom because I didn't know how well we might get along, and I didn't want anyone to worry about me.

"Oh, okay."

"I can stay one night, but I'll get a separate room." I figured Darry and I could share a room, me crashing on the couch and him the bed. We both needed rest after the drive up, especially him since he had driven the whole way.

"That's great, Ava! I can pay for it and for us to eat dinner tonight."

"No, I can pay." Was I poor? Yes. Did I want her to feel like she had ever helped me at any point in my life? No. "I'm gonna go get a room."

"I'll come with you. I can get your bags."

"Okay."

We walked to the lobby in complete silence.

Darry saw us from a chair he was sitting in, some magazine in his hands. Once I pointed out his car to mom and she went to get my bags, Darry asked, "How'd it go?"

I shrugged. "Good, I guess. Coulda been worse. She's gettin' married."

"Are we stayin' a night here?"

"If that's okay with you, yeah, but we'll leave early tomorrow."

"That's fine." He stood up and reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. "I think I have enough-"

"Nope. I'm payin' for this one."

"How do you even have money? Where did you get it from?"

"A few years ago, I worked at the Drive-In. Lied about my age to get the job, and when the boss found out, I got fired. But I saved the money for an emergency."

Mom walked in with my and Darry's bags. She looked at us talking and made an odd face. I ignored it and got a room for him and me.

Before I could do anything, Darry took all the bags from mom and introduced himself. She glanced at me, then introduced herself as well. I knew she would talk to me later about him and probably how she didn't want us to sleep in the same room. She thought we were together.

Hours later, Darry, mom, and I were sitting at some restaurant down the street. I had a half-eaten burger on my plate that wasn't half as good as a burger at the Dingo. The conversation had been slow and awkward the entire dinner, and it had finally come to a stop now as we waited for dessert. I just wanted to get back to the hotel and go to bed.

Darry let the booth to use the bathroom.

Mom immediately started in with, "I don't want you sleeping in the same room as him."

"I'm not datin' him," I snapped.

"I still don't you in his room. Spend the night in my room."

"No, I'm not doin' that. Darry is my friend and I don't want to share a room with you."

"I don't care what he is, and it's not a question."

"It's up to me. I can leave now and go back to Tulsa, so don't act like you control what I do."

She faltered, then looked at the table. "Okay, fine."

Darry came back just as we got dessert.

There was a phone in the lobby, so Darry and I called his house and talked to everyone. Steve said that the cops were gonna let Dallas out in a few days because he had paid some money for some fines or something and the soc he pulled a knife on wasn't pressing charges.

We called Two-Bit at the hospital, and he said he was getting moved to his house tomorrow. He said he would get a normal cast and have to wear it for around six weeks.

"Do you think we can make it home in time to see Two-Bit go home?" I asked as we walked back to our room.

"I hope so. We'll leave around five so we can get home early."

"I'll tell mom."

Darry went into our room and I walked back to moms. She let me in and I told her when we were leaving, and the news on Dallas.

"I'm glad he's getting out early," mom said happily. "I can't wait to see him again."

"I don't know how he'll act, especially around Jack," I warned, leaving the room.

"James?"

"Yeah, him."