He Was Mine, I Was His

Moving Forward

When I woke up, it was dark outside and I knew I wouldn’t sleep well again that night. I heard a lot of ruckus from the living room so I got up to see what it was all about. To my surprise, I saw Two-Bit sitting on the floor with the gang in the living room. They were watching baseball and excited that their team was winning. I leaned on the doorway and watched as no one had noticed my entrance yet. While it was only temporary, most of them were happy. I smiled and soaked it in for a moment before entering the room.

Two-Bit hopped to his feet when he saw me. He paused for a moment before wrapping me in the biggest hug. I thanked God for that hug. That he was alive and safe and with his family. When he let go, I looked at his face which only had a small bruise on his cheekbone. I had no doubt he won the fight he got in.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Two-Bit,” I smiled.

He smiled back and sat down on the floor again. I went and sat with Soda who was on the couch. We spent the rest of the night cuddled up on the couch, watching the game. Their team won which allowed the joy to linger a while longer. But as I suspected, it was only temporary.

We held Dallas’ funeral later that week. Not many people showed up but I figured that was okay. The people that mattered were there. Looking at Dally in that casket was a disgusting feeling I wouldn’t know how to describe. I was thankful though that Johnny was able to grab Dally’s necklace before they shut it. Johnny was a mess as everyone expected. Ponyboy seemed to be the only one that could console him. I don’t think Steve or Darry unclenched their jaws that entire time. As they were beginning to lower the casket, it started to rain.

“Oh real nice, Dal,” Two-Bit joked, holding his leather jacket above his head. “Had to get us one last time.”

It started to rain even harder after he made that comment. We all laughed as if Dally was there, slapping Two-Bit in the head for that joke. After the funeral ended, we all went to Dally’s favorite restaurant. It was nice to see them all laughing and having a good time as they reflected on what a good friend Dally was. Even Johnny had cheered up and shared a few stories that just he and Dally shared. Seeing him wear Dally’s necklace, I was starting to see Dally in him. Dallas wasn’t gone. His legacy and his soul lived on in the people he loved. I knew the boys knew that without having to say it. It was a beautiful end to a sad day.

The next day, Sodapop said he had a special day planned just for the two of us. He told me to wear something nice so I put on my favorite pink sundress and some white sandals.

“You just look beautiful,” Sodapop sighed as I walked into the dining room where he was waiting for me.

“Thank you, handsome,” I replied, walking over and kissing him on the cheek. He had on a nice pair of jeans, a button up, and his "good boots". He looked very fancy.

“Have a good day, you two,” Darry said. He never lifted his head from his paper but he had a large smile on his face.

Soda and I walked out to the truck where he opened the door for me and I hopped in. Our first stop of the day was at a record store. After walking down each aisle, listening to Sodapop read which songs were on our top choices, we decided on the newest Everly Brothers album.

After the record store, Soda took me to this very nice butterfly garden. It was never something I'd imagined he would be interested in.

"You said you like butterflies," he explained when we walked inside.

It was a magical place. Butterflies of all kinds, walking with the one I love, beautiful flowers and vines climbing the walls. Soda and I both held out our hands. After a few moments, one landed on my finger.

"Do I stink or something?" Sodapop asked, looking at his butterfly-less finger.

I sniffed the air. "Only a little," I teased.

"Hey!" Soda huffed.

"I'm kidding," I laughed.

I brought his hand closer to mine and let the butterfly crawl onto his. He smiled as he examined it.

"I guess these things are pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah," I smiled at him. "They are pretty cool."

Our next stop was dinner. We went to a nice Italian restaurant and I started to wonder why Sodapop was treating me to such nice activities. He knew I was simple and definitely didn't need all of this. I kept those wonders in my head and enjoyed my time with him. It was funny seeing him try to act fancy.

"Soda, it's not like this is a five star restaurant. You don't have to eat like the president," I said as he asked me which fork was used for what.

"So what you're saying is this fork is for you?"

I laughed, "That's not at all what I said."

He continued to not listen to me and handed me his second fork so I then had three. As we ate, I looked out the window and admired the color in the clouds as the sun went down.

“That’s going to be a beautiful sunset,” I sighed happily.

“Oh crap,” Soda suddenly shouted.

Soda quickly wiped his mouth, threw some money on the table, and grabbed my hand. I think he forgot where we were eating with how much money he threw on the table.

“Soda, I don’t think that’s enough-” Sodapop cut me off as he started to drag me to the truck. I just started laughing. “What are we doing?”

We both hopped in the truck and started driving quickly out into the country.

“Are you going to tell me what we are doing now?” I asked again.

“Just you wait honey,” he replied with a smile spreading across his face. “Just you wait.”

He continued driving until we reached the spot he took me to that winter. The tree where his parents fell in love.

“Sit tight,” he said before hopping out of the truck.

I watched him through the rearview mirror as he filled the bed of the truck with blankets. I saw him pull something out of his pocket, look at it, and put it back. I couldn’t see what it was but suddenly my heart fluttered and butterflies swarmed my stomach. He came around to my side and opened the door.

"My lady," he said, taking my hand and helping me out of the truck.

I followed him to the bed of the truck where he helped me climb in. I went to sit down but he took my hands and pulled me back up. He stared into my eyes and started speaking to my soul.

"You know," he started. "I know it's been less than a year since you drove your little Corvette into my life. Over that time, I think I've fallen more in love with you than I will with anyone in my entire life. With that being said, I'm real tired of losing the special people in my life so, Marilyn Mae Rouse, will you do the absolute honor of spending the rest of our life with me?"

Overwhelming happiness and some relief came over my body as he got down on his knee and pulled out the most beautiful ring. Tears of joy started to roll down my cheeks. Sodapop laughed, reached up, and wiped them away.

"Well?" He smiled.

"I do."

"Honey, you're still not supposed to say that yet," he laughed.

"Fine, yes. Yes I will marry you!" I squealed and pulled him into a hug.

After he pulled away, he slipped the ring on my finger. Only then did I realize it was the same finger that beautiful butterfly had landed on earlier. I smiled at him, noticing that his eyes were wet too. Sodapop wasn't just my boyfriend. He was my fiancé. And he was going to be my husband.

We spent that night together, just the two of us as we watched the sun go down. Sodapop kept playing with my ring, commenting on how good it finally felt to have me wear it. When we finally went home, they boys were happy to see he had finally popped the question. I was officially going to be a part of their family.

Finally, he was mine, and I was his. Forever.