𝐌𝐘 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍 :: 𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴

𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗮'𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀,

        ɪᴛ ʜᴀꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ 3 ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ᴘᴏɴʏʙᴏʏ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ɢᴏᴛ ᴍᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ, ᴛᴡᴏ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ᴡᴇ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ, ᴏʟɪᴠɪᴀ ᴄᴜʀᴛɪꜱ. ᴡᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴇɴᴛʟʏ ʀᴇʟᴏᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɴᴇᴡ ʏᴏʀᴋ ᴀʟᴏɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴅᴀʟʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴏʜɴɴʏ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ɢɪʀʟꜱ, ᴏɴᴇ ꜱᴏᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ꜰɪᴀɴᴄÉ. ᴅᴀʀʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʜɪꜱ ᴡɪꜰᴇ, ᴍᴀᴜʀɪᴄᴇ, ʙʀᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪɴ ᴛᴡᴏ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪꜰᴜʟ ꜱᴏɴꜱ, ᴘᴇᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱʜᴀɴᴇ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʟʟ ᴘᴀᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʙᴀɢꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴜᴛᴀʜ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴅᴀʀʀʏ ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴀ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴊᴏʙ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴀʏꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ. ꜱᴏᴅᴀᴘᴏᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ʜɪꜱ ᴡɪꜰᴇ, ᴘʜᴏᴇʙᴇ, ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ, ꜱᴏꜰɪᴀ, ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɪɴᴅɪᴀɴᴀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ʜᴏᴘᴇꜰᴜʟ ʟɪꜰᴇ. ꜱᴏꜰɪᴀ ᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ᴛᴡɪᴄᴇ ᴀ ʏᴇᴀʀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴠɪꜱɪᴛ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴏʟɪᴠɪᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ꜱʜᴀʀᴇ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴅᴀᴛᴇꜱ. ꜱᴛᴇᴠᴇ ꜱᴛᴀʏꜱ ɪɴ ᴛᴜʟꜱᴀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪꜱ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɢɪʀʟꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ, ᴇᴠɪᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʀᴇɴ'ᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅᴀʙʟᴇ. ᴛᴡᴏ-ʙɪᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴋᴀᴛʜʏ ᴇʟᴏᴘᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇxᴀꜱ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴛᴜʀɴɪɴɢ 19, ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇɴ'ᴛ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴋᴀᴛʜʏ'ꜱ ꜰᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘ. ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ ʜᴏᴡ ᴡᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴇᴇɴᴀɢᴇʀꜱ ɪɴ ᴀ ɢᴀɴɢ, ɴᴏᴡ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴀᴅᴜʟᴛꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴋɪᴅꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴏʙꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ᴏɴᴇ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴀɢᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ         ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴀ ʙᴜɴᴄʜ ᴏꜰ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ. ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴘᴏɴʏʙᴏʏ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ꜱᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ, ꜱᴏᴏɴ.

        i folded the note three times, gave it a peck, leaving a lipstick stain by the edges. i dropped the note into the dirt hole where ponyboy took his shovel and dug it back up, the gang stood side by side while we watched the note get buried. for the last 6 years, i forgot that note existed until olivia grabbed the 'gone with the wind' book, which reminded me that i have left a letter in there.

        i had to call up the gang where we all decided to head down to tulsa, soda and phoebe stayed with steve and evil for the weekend. to my surprise, two-bit somehow got the voice memo i left for him and he showed up, he even recalled the 200 missed calls he has from me, i felt embarrassed at first but he was glad to be back in tulsa.

        it was very weird being back since no gangs were around and kids were able to live free now that dally's gone to new york, i don't even smell cigarettes by the east side anymore. ponyboy bursted into tears when walking down memory lane, i heard from maurice that she heard sniffles next to her at night, which led to saying that darry was crying.

        i tried to visit cynthia after dad's death but she wanted nothing to do with me, i was perfectly fine with it as long as she wasn't asking for the money i inherited from him after his death.

        but i know this is where i belong...