We ended up in that church that Darry mentioned, and hit the sack as soon as we got there. I woke up early in the morning, and saw Ponyboy out cold on the floor. I managed to smile at his peaceful sleeping face, but stopped when my stomach gave a great rumble. I gave a quick look around for food and couldn't find any. Then I remembered the pocketful of money Dally had given us yesterday. We needed to go shopping. I was going to wake Ponyboy up to get him to come with me, but looking at his face I couldn't bring myself to wake him. He looked too much like Darry. Plus the fact that two Greasers about our physical appearence are probably on Oklahoma's Most Wanted List.
Leaving a message in the dirt by Ponyboy so he didn't worry when he woke, I headed out the door and into town. I stopped at a nondescript general store, and quickly did my round, buying lots of bologna, some candy bars, and Gone With the Wind. I'd heard Ponyboy talking about it, and I wanted to know what the big fuss was about. I also bought him a special surprise. Walking back, I had time to think. About my life-no, my old life. I could never go back to that life, my life will never be the same. God Johnny, you're such an idiot! I thought to myself. But then I started to think about Darry. How he always made me feel better when I was down, how I could always trust him. I remember once, when I was maybe 10 or 11, and their house was a bustling house of joy, I had once slept on there open couch during the night. That night, I got up, and sleepwalked into Darry's room, and supposedly started yelling at him, saying my puppy was lost. Darry got up and made me chocolate cake...
I drifted out of my reverie, and saw I was on the path to the church. Not wanting to scare Ponyboy, I whistled our secret whistle. Ponyboy whistled back, and I proceeded into the church. When I went inside, I meant to postpone the news until an appropriate time, but Ponyboy rustled through my shopping bags.
"Johnny! You ain't think of cutting my hair? Your hair!"
"We have to, Pony. The cops are looking for people who look like us, not blond preps."
I don't remember much after that, I think Ponyboy broke down into manly tears-not at all what Darry would have done. Speaking of Darry, he was half the reason I was doing this-not that I would admit it. I kind of hoped that if Ponyboy cut his hair in a similar style to Darry, they would look more alike. Which would make this church torture alot better; staring at the spitting image of the manliest man I knew.
After we'd cut our hair, we were bored out of our minds. We played games, read Gone With The Wind, but mostly, I missed Darry. I thought about him all the time. How great he was at football, the way he snapped his wrist when making a pass. But everytime I let myself get lost, Ponyboy pulled me out of the Darry quicksand.
One day, Ponyboy recited a poem:
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
It touched me, deep inside. I made a mental note to recite it to Darry when we were together sometime. That's when I remembered, I wouldn't get a chance to. Because I was a murderer.
~
We ran out of good food a couple days in, but I told Ponyboy to deal with it. Soon, Ponyboy resorted to smoking all day long. I told him not to, that he might get sick-it would kill me to see Darry worry over Pony- but Ponyboy ignored my advice. And so, one afternoon he took ill. He fell asleep on the floor, and I went on the back porch to read Gone With the Wind. I was really into it, I could almost hear a man talking about how starving he was. Hey, that wasn't in the book- it was Dally!
Joy. See, Dally... well, he enjoys my company, alot. I, on the other hand, don't really enjoy his that much. I much prefer Darry's. But Dally meant money, and money meant food! I bolted into the church to find Dally and Ponyboy chatting it up on the ground. Just my luck- Dairy Queen! I love ice cream, especially having it with Darry! And once again, the thought came to me. I would never again have ice cream with Darry. I was a wanted man, a murderer, a horrible homicidal maniac.
Don't worry though, it won't be too horrible living in an old church for the rest of my life.
I remain,
Johnny Cade
I drifted out of my reverie, and saw I was on the path to the church. Not wanting to scare Ponyboy, I whistled our secret whistle. Ponyboy whistled back, and I proceeded into the church. When I went inside, I meant to postpone the news until an appropriate time, but Ponyboy rustled through my shopping bags.
"Johnny! You ain't think of cutting my hair? Your hair!"
"We have to, Pony. The cops are looking for people who look like us, not blond preps."
I don't remember much after that, I think Ponyboy broke down into manly tears-not at all what Darry would have done. Speaking of Darry, he was half the reason I was doing this-not that I would admit it. I kind of hoped that if Ponyboy cut his hair in a similar style to Darry, they would look more alike. Which would make this church torture alot better; staring at the spitting image of the manliest man I knew.
After we'd cut our hair, we were bored out of our minds. We played games, read Gone With The Wind, but mostly, I missed Darry. I thought about him all the time. How great he was at football, the way he snapped his wrist when making a pass. But everytime I let myself get lost, Ponyboy pulled me out of the Darry quicksand.
One day, Ponyboy recited a poem:
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
It touched me, deep inside. I made a mental note to recite it to Darry when we were together sometime. That's when I remembered, I wouldn't get a chance to. Because I was a murderer.
~
We ran out of good food a couple days in, but I told Ponyboy to deal with it. Soon, Ponyboy resorted to smoking all day long. I told him not to, that he might get sick-it would kill me to see Darry worry over Pony- but Ponyboy ignored my advice. And so, one afternoon he took ill. He fell asleep on the floor, and I went on the back porch to read Gone With the Wind. I was really into it, I could almost hear a man talking about how starving he was. Hey, that wasn't in the book- it was Dally!
Joy. See, Dally... well, he enjoys my company, alot. I, on the other hand, don't really enjoy his that much. I much prefer Darry's. But Dally meant money, and money meant food! I bolted into the church to find Dally and Ponyboy chatting it up on the ground. Just my luck- Dairy Queen! I love ice cream, especially having it with Darry! And once again, the thought came to me. I would never again have ice cream with Darry. I was a wanted man, a murderer, a horrible homicidal maniac.
Don't worry though, it won't be too horrible living in an old church for the rest of my life.
I remain,
Johnny Cade
2 Comments:
You'll be alright Johnny.
I know for a fact Darry misses you aswell, he cries for you everynight.
Much love,
Sodapop
Darry cries manly tears
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