TACENDA // Sodapop Curtis

Fathers can dream

"You staying' another night?" Soda asked me as I pulled up to the side of the road by his house. "I feel like i'm overstaying my welcome," I told him, he nodded. "Im just gonna grab my stuff and go, ill be by the DX tomorrow." I told him. He nodded and hopped out of my car, walking to the house with me.

"Darry aint home yet," Ponyboy told Soda as we walked in. "you get a car Maddy?" Two Bit asked, looking out the window. "Yep! Nice right?" I asked. "Real nice." he winked at me and I playfully flicked him in the head. I like the little swirly bitch.

I grabbed the drawstring bag and walked out the door with Soda on my tail. "Hey," he looked at me. I turned around and faced him. "If he does anything to you, you come over." he told me. I smiled. "Yeah, I will." I smiled as he looked back towards the window to see if anybody was watching. Nobody was, so he gave me a short kiss and ran back to the house.

-

As I walked back into my family's house, my eyes grew cold and my face hardened. My dad's face lit up as I walked in, so did my mothers. Vivians looked at me with pleading eyes, but I couldn't help her at all. She didn't have a choice to go with mom. She just went.

I ignored the dinner they were eating and walked to my room, aggressively slamming the door. I dont understand why she had to stay. Why couldn't she just stay in New York with her rich boyfriend and live happily there? My is my dad so fucking important to her?

"Madeline?" My door opened and shut, then my sister came to sit on my bed. "What do you want?" I asked, opening the window and lighting a cigarette. Maverick stayed over at the Curtis house, I was afraid my mom was gonna do something to him. I mean, she's done shit before. Plus Ponyboy and Soda wont mind at all.

"Look, I ain't happy about coming back either." She looked at me. "I worked back in New York and saved some money up for a place of my own, it can be anywhere you want. I just want you to stay with me." she said. I just looked at her then blew smoke out the window. She took it as 'i dont want you here'. She sighed. "I heard there was a movie playing at the nightly double, wanna go?" like hell id pass up a movie.

"Where are you girls going?" My mother asked, we didn't answer. It was weird going out with Vivian. She was dressed in a red dress with nice shoes and stuff. Me? I was in jeans, a t shirt and a leather jacket. She had black hair, I had blonde hair, both natural. We were polar opposites.

"Dont pay, thers a shortcut." I lit another cigarette and walked to the chain link fence in the back. I slid under it, then Vivian looked at me in disbelief. "Afraid of getting your dress dirty?" I joked as she carefully slid under the fence. "No." she wiped herself off. "Whatever." I sat down. She looked at me funny, then sat down beside me.

"How much do you have saved?" I asked. "About four thousand dollars." that made me laugh a bit. "I have about 44 thousand." I told her, her eyes widened. "How?" she asked. "Well, while you and Monica were having a grand ole time in New York, I was stuck here selling horses and training them." I looked at her. "While you were working a salary, I was getting it per job." I blew the smoke out of my mouth.

"Theres an old ranch down 75, about 10 miles deeper on the west side of town. About 100 acres, they wanna sell it for 42 thousand." I told her. "Big house, all new barns, great pasture, nice fencing, its perfect." I told her. "Tomorrow I have some big shot's looking for a new stud, thats gonna be an extre two thousand on my part." I told her. "Then ill get some hired help, I got a couple guys that would be interested." I told her my plan, she seemed to be on board with it.

"I gotta say, I actually missed the ranch life, Madeline." she told me. "I missed watching you go to rodeo's, I missed the baby colts, I missed the little heifers, I missed waking up at the crack of dawn to milk cows, and honestly, I missed seeing you get pissed when something didn't cooperate correctly." she smiled at me. God, I remember the little hissy fits I threw.

"Well if it ain't the blondie watchin' a movie!" Oh I knew that voice from a mile away. "Hey Keith!" I said sarcastically. My sister turned around and watched Two Bit, Pony and Johnny come our way. Then Maverick jumped in my lap, I was real happy about that.

"Who's this beauty?" Two bit hits on my sister. "My sister." I mumbled, looking my dog in the eyes. His eyes were so pretty. "Ya know, Maddy, I always thought you were like Soda. he could never sit through a movie." Ponyboy told me. I smiled. "Vivian and I just came here to talk, i'm not really one for movies." I replied. He smiled. That boy could read me like no other.

"Pony, do you think it would be alright if I stopped by the house to grab something? I left something there." I told him. He nodded. "Yeah, Dally would walk ya there." he pointed to the man beside him, wet with Pepsi. "Whatever." Dally said. "Ill make sure she gets home safe," Two Bit winked at me. I just rolled my eyes.

"Your sister matured up." Dally lit a cigarette. "She's 18, I would hope so." I mumbled. "I ain't one to pry into other people's business, but what's goin' on?" he asked. "Well you know, Monica had to come back." I kicked a rock out of anger. "Vivian and I have enough money saved for our own place." I told him. "So youre gonna give up the place you have?" he asked. "Nope, I have enough for a place of my own. I aint gonna give up my future that quickly." he just nodded at that.

I walked in, grabbed my stuff and left. Soda was in bed, so was Darry. Dallas just stole a piece of cake from the table, eating it on the sidewalk. "Whats that?" he asked. "Registration." I told him. He nodded. The rest of the walk was just silent, nothing important said.

"Hey Maddy," he looked at me as I walked up to the porch. "Yeah?" I answered him. "Even though you're usually a pain in my ass, I still like ya." He told me, making me smile. "I dont think you hear that enough." he added. "Thanks, Dal." I said. "Yeah, youre the gang's little sister." he lightly flicked me in the head and went off on his own way.

-

I walked in and set the piece of paper in front of my father. "Sign it." I told him. He looked up at me, the green eyes watery. "What is it?" he asked. "Its making the horses fully mine, not half and half." I said, keeping my tone calm. I couldn't keep it calm when little ole Monica walked in.

"Madeline, those aren't yours." she told me. "Just shut the hell up would you?" I asked her, handing a pen to my dad. "What are you going to do with them?" My dad asked. "Im getting my own place." he just laughed at that. "You cant afford your own place." yes I can, and I will.

"Im not signing these." he put the pen down, then my temper broke. "Ive worked for you for 13 goddamn years, making you money, helping you, putting up with your bullshit, having you not kill yourself when this bitch walked out," I looked at my mother. "Ive done it all for fucking free, and you cant do this one simple fucking task for me? You cant sign a goddamn paper saying my shit belongs to me?" I asked. He sighed, making eye contact with me.

"You know you didn't want this when she walked out. You've been doing other people's work while ive been stuck here cleaning up your goddamn messes, dad. Whens the last time you've put hay out? When's the last time you watered a horse? When is the last time you picked up a goddamn rope and went to a rodeo with me? Hmm?" I asked. "Two fucking years ago, dad." He seemed sorry about that part. My voice was about to break.

"If I sign these, I want you gone in a month." he told me. "I want you and your sister gone in a month." he said, I nodded. "Choosing her over us?" I asked as he wrote his name. "You've proven to me that im not worth your time. I dont want to take that from you. You can be better than I ever was, Madeline." A single tear fell from his eye. "I want you to be happy." he handed the paper to me and I walked off to my room.

I couldn't help but feel a little guilty for what my father was feeling. He had been there most of the time for me, but I usually ended up fending for myself. He took my out of school to help him with the ranch. I didn't have a choice in that. He hit me, I definitely didn't have a choice in that. Then he smothered himself in alcohol, I didn't have a choice in that either. I hope I made the right decision, there's no going back now.