He Was Mine, I Was His

Regaining Happiness

    News about Soda and Sandy spread like a wildfire. I guess that's how it is in tight communities like this. The boys and I tried everything to help Sodapop feel better. He would tell me how people would come into the store whispering about it. That hurt him a lot. It took us nearly two weeks before we could get him to go anywhere besides work and the grocery store. 

    "Soda, you're coming. Now get in the truck!" I heard Two-Bit yell from inside. Steve, Evie, and I were sitting in Two-Bit's truck waiting to go cruise the strip. That was something they did every weekend and this was the first time they asked me to tag along. 

    Soon enough, Two-Bit and Sodapop emerged from the house. Steve howled in celebration. Soda got in the back with me. "Hey there sunshine," I smiled. He looked like he hadn't slept in a day or two. I felt really bad but made it my mission to make tonight great for him. 

    "Hey man, are you guys headed up to the strip?" A guy asked as he walked toward the truck. 

    "Holy shit. Am I lookin' at a ghost or is that Dallas Winston?" Two-Bit joked. "Where you been man?"

    "Bummin' around man. You headed up there or what?"

    "Yeah we're going up there. Hop in. Plenty of room."

    This Dallas kid hopped in the back with Soda and I. It was an awkward amount of time before Soda finally introduced me. "Hey Dally, this is Marilyn. Moved here about three weeks ago. Marilyn, this is my buddy Dally."

    "Oh when you think you've met the whole group, they throw one more on you. Nice to meet you." 

    "You too baby," Dally replied, smirking. "Hey Soda, heard about you and Sandy. Sorry 'bout that."

    Soda's face fell, "It's cool man."

    "You sure caught yourself another good one, though." Dally threw his arm around me. Soda and I chuckled but his smile fell again shortly afterwards.

    Soda stayed in that state until we got to the strip. Dally had left to go find some chicks. The strip was crowded with people. There was laughter and music. This was definitely what both Soda and I needed. 

    I stood up in the back of the truck and let the wind ripple through my clothes and hair. Soda laughed at me but hey, I got him to smile. I grabbed his hand and pulled him up with me. 

    "Doesn't this feel nice?" I asked. 

    It felt like a dream to me. I felt free. The wind, the music, the people. It was amazing. That was until Two-Bit brake checked us and we both almost went flying out. 

    "You suck!" I yelled as I reached in and hit his arm. Of course, he was laughing so hard he almost wrecked. 

    "Oh Two!" Evie piped up. "Go park over there!" She pointed to an open space on the side of the road. Two-Bit pulled in and Steve and Evie got out. 

    "I'm going to go grab a bite. You two want anything?" Two-Bit asked.

    "No thanks," I replied. 

    "Grab me a Pepsi will ya?" Soda asked. 

    "Sure thing," Two-Bit yelled as he walked off. 

    I looked around, taking everything in. They never had anything like this in Destin. There were kids leaning out car windows yelling at each other. People sitting in fast food parking lots smoking and drinking. Kids cruising the streets. Across the street, there was an empty lot where people were dancing to music coming from someone's car. 

    "Do you want to go dance?" Sodapop asked, noticing me staring at the dancers. 

    "Really?" I asked. 

    "Yeah why not?"

    "Sure. Let's go."

    Soda got down from the truck and took my hand. We weaved in between cars to get to the lot. People would yell Sodapop's name to say hi. He was quite popular. In the Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett was playing. 

    Soda was a great dancer and an even better teacher. I wasn't the worst at dancing but I definitely wasn't the best. Dancing with him gave me that same feeling I had in the back of Two-Bit's truck except there was no brake checking on the dance floor. 

    We danced for a while before Soda suggested we go back to the truck. Two-Bit and Dally were sitting in the back watching cars drive by. We sat with them for a while. People would come up and talk to the guys which led me to meet more people. Some of their friends were real characters. 

    We spent the rest of the night listening to music, talking with random people who came up to us, and cruising the streets. It was one of the best nights I had since I moved here. 

    By midnight, we were all tired so we went back home. On the ride home, Doo Wah Diddy came on the radio. Two-Bit started singing along. One by one we all joined in until we were all yelling the lyrics. Sodapop's smile had returned by the end of the night and it looked to me like it was there to stay. Mission accomplished. 

    I was the last one that Two-Bit dropped off. "Thanks for tonight. I think we fixed Soda," I joked. 

    "We sure did. Goodnight Marilyn."

    "Night Two."

°°

    "So how'd it go last night?" Elizabeth asked at breakfast the next morning.

    "It was really good. We all had a really good time."

    "And Sodapop? He's doing okay?"

    "He's getting there. Day by day."

    "You know his birthday is coming up right?"

    "What? No. When is it?" I asked worriedly.

    "Next Friday. The 8th."

    "Wow that's close. I've got to find something to do for him."

    "You should talk to Ponyboy. Plan something big to get his spirits high."

    "Yeah. I'll see what I can work out."

    So I did. That Monday at school, I talked to Ponyboy about what Soda would want for his birthday. He told me a story about Soda and a horse he used to have named Mickey Mouse. He said Soda and that horse were best friends until it was sold. I didn't know he liked horses that much but Ponyboy made him sound crazy about them. That's when the idea came. 

    Elizabeth had a friend out in the country who had a lot of horses. She took Ada out to ride the other weekend. I knew it wasn't Mickey Mouse but it was a horse. It would be nice to go out and ride for an hour or two while they guys set up a party back at the house. 

    That night I asked Elizabeth about the idea and she loved it. We got permission from Wade, who owned the horses, and the plan was a go. 

    All week, I coordinated with the gang and people around town. I loved throwing parties for people and this one was especially important. Throughout the week, Soda had been through a rollercoaster of emotions. We had to give him something big to cheer him up for good.