The Outsiders: Before My Time Part III

School Project

Goldie's POV
April 5, 1965

On Saturday morning, I got up early and drove us over to a truck stop so I could freshen up before my first day at the DX. I needed to buy some deodorant, some soaps and shampoo, and I was finally able to take a shower. Just letting the hot water run down my back and soak into my hair helped ground myself into this new and twisted reality we are living in.

Just as I had promised, I met Steve at the DX and he showed me the ropes. Dad had the day off, so he was not there. I had the chance to talk with Steve because the DX really was not that busy. He is actually pretty cool, and really funny. I was not expecting that, considering we are from two completely different worlds. I thought I would sense some generational gap, but we really got along. I did not bring up Dad or Mom at all though. It didn't come up organically since I technically don't know them yet.

I went in on Sunday too just to pass the time, but Steve explained to me that he still has to talk with the manager in order to actually hire me. Until then, this was the only weekend I could work. He paid me under the table, he just gave me my earnings from the register. I'm not sure what Candy and Red did all weekend. My only rule was that they did not wander too far and they did not get themselves into any sort of trouble.

If I am being honest, I was really disappointed when I realized I was only making a buck fifty an hour. Back home, I cannot even get a bottle of soda for that much. I understand inflation and how minimum wage changes throughout the years, but I was still surprised and annoyed. What am I supposed to do with this?

I never told Steve about how the three of us were living in a car. Honestly, for a short term situation, it was not that bad. I brought them back day-old donuts from the DX before my shift started, they'd get burgers for lunch from some nearby joint, and hangout with the other neighborhood kids until I was off work. Neither of them can drive, so they just stuck around. I was worried that they were going to run off and get lost, or worse. Although this is our hometown, we are strangers here. We are aliens.

Monday came along quickly and Candy convinced me to go back to Will Rogers. She thinks it's a good idea that we try to befriend our parents and see if there is a way to get home from them. I know she is right, there is not much else we can do. This still took a lot of convincing, because I think it's the worst idea since the invisible AirPods.

I thank the universe every day that Candy forgot to buy her textbooks, because we would probably be living in a shoebox if she had. Textbooks in 2038 are only online, but if you want the versions that the schools physically supply, you have to pay it directly through them. It's quite complicated.

Red is too young for high school, so I'm not sure what we should do with him. I do not see a reason to drop him off at grade school if it will not help us get home. I guess we could sit him in a nearby diner until we are done with class... or keep him in the car with the windows rolled down low or put the top down.

On Sunday when my shift was over, we stopped at the clothing store again and we picked up a few more things so that we can mix and match to give the illusion that we are wearing different outfits. We will probably be here a lot longer than we had originally anticipated. I noticed that a lot of guys around here wear denim pants with the bottoms rolled up slightly, so I grabbed Red and I a couple more pairs of those. Candy bought whatever she wanted, I didn't really pay much attention to her.

I talked to Candy and we took a slightly different approach today. She was going to try to find Dad, since we haven't seen him at the school yet. My focus was on Mom since I found a class with her.

We ended up sitting Red down in a nearby diner and asked the waitress to keep an eye on him. We told her to let him order whatever he wanted, and we promised to pay for it when we got back. I told her that if he gets bored, have him wash the dishes.