Runs in the Family

Friday at the Drive-In

Tulsa, OK 1967

Estelle and her sister Cherry where driving through their neighborhood to the drive-in one summer night. The song "You're the One" by The Vogues was playing on he blue Mustang radio. "Do you know what the double feature is tonight?" Cherry asks her older sister.

"No idea. Some beach movie I think." Estelle said with a shrug of her light pink cardigan covered shoulders. 

"Bob and Randy are meeting us there." Cherry adds quietly. Estelle slams the break of her car at that sentence almost hitting the car in front of her in the line.

Turning to face her younger sister, she takes a deep breath to stop her anger. "Why are they meeting us? They always get drunk there." 

Cherry ducks her head and says bashfully. "Because Bob invited me and I needed a ride because my car is at DX."

"So I am basically your taxi?" Estelle mutters under her breath as she pays for her and Cherry at the ticket station.

"Sorry." Cherry said, "Oh there he is!" she then hops out of the car into her boyfriends arms. Estelle has never trusted him. 

"Hello Robert." Estelle said once she got out of her car and headed towards the snack bar. 

"Its getting dark Estelle and greasers are here, one of us guys can go with you." Bob offers. Estelle ignores him and flips him off and keep walking. She passes the greasers at that very moment and they all laugh and she gives them a smile. The oldest of them she recognized from her high school class, Darryl Curtis.

 She turns to talk to him for a moment. "Hello Darryl." he looks at her, surprise etched across his face. 

"Hey Estelle." He finally utters out, the greasers snickering behind him at his reaction "Its good to see you again."

"Good to see you as well Darryl." the strawberry blonde girl said and they both smile at each other. "Now I need my popcorn and M&Ms." she said before heading on her way again to the snack bar. 

"I'll join you." Darry said as he caught up to her. They begin catching up after not seeing each other in the past few years. He was the varsity football quarterback and he was head cheerleader. Even though they where from opposite sides of town they where friends in school. But once they graduated  they hadn't seen each other since. "I missed you." he whispered. Estelle didn't hear him as she was debating on what soda to get. She decided on a Pepsi and was about to pay when Darry stopped her and paid for them both.

"You didn't need to do that." Estelle said surprised.

"I wanted to." was his response.

"Thank you." She said as they made it back to his greaser friends. "I will see you soon?" she asks

"Of course Stelle." he said and she beams and a tint of pink appears on her cheeks at hearing her nickname once again come from his mouth. She waves to him before meeting Cherry at her car.