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“I can’t SEE!”
“Pony, shh!” Soda hissed. “We’re watchin’.”
Darry snickered. “You say that like you can actually hear what’s goin’ on.”
“I can, I just gotta listen real hard.”
“Aw, I can’t hear nothin’,” Two-Bit complained.
“Soda’s just lyin’, Two, don’t you worry,” Steve said.
“I can, too, hear.” Soda shot him a look.
“Needa see,” Ponyboy whimpered, sounding close to tears. Darry looked down at his four-year-old brother, sighing as he bent down to pick him up.
“There. How’s that, baby? Canya see now?”
“Mmhm.”
The seven of them were pressed up against the glass door and windows of the only house on the block that had a television. Davy Crockett was on today, which meant every kid in the neighborhood had gathered at every transparent part of the house to watch along.
“It’s cold,” Steve grumbled, wrapping his arms tighter around himself.
“Better than it was last episode,” Dally said.
That was true. The first three episodes had aired in December, January, and February. The neighborhood kids had been freezing their socks off. They’d had to wait a long time for this fourth episode. November. Today was a big day.
“Born on a mountain top in Tennessee,” Soda began to sing.
“Greenest state in the land of the free,” Two-Bit sang through a beaming smile.
“Raised in da woods so he knew ev’wy twee,” Ponyboy continued softly.
“Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier!” the entire group finished.
Soda tugged on Darry’s sleeve. “I wanna coonskin cap for Christmas like Davy. Think we could get one? One of the boys at school has one!”
Darry smiled a little, knowing the wishes were probably futile. Maybe if he pitched in his pocket money and asked their parents real nicely, they could find enough money to get one to share. “Maybe, little buddy.”
“Look what I swiped from the five and dime,” Two-Bit proudly announced, pulling a yellow and red pin out of his pocket.
“No way!” Soda said, snatching it to look. “It’s a Davy Crockett pin!”
“Mmhm!” Two-Bit said, rocking on his feet and taking it back. “Aaaaand, it’s a late birthday present for Dally.” He pressed it into Dally’s hands. The kid’s birthday had been just a week before. And while he’d had a small celebration at the Curtis house, the rest of them knew he’d gotten nothing of the sort in his own home.
Darry didn’t miss the glow in Dally’s eyes, even as the boy tried to play it off. “I don’t want no stupid pin. Here, Johnny.” He pressed it into the hands of the boy beside him. “You can have it, if you want.”
If he wanted?! There wasn’t a kid in the whole country who wouldn’t want a Davy Crockett pin! Darry knew Johnny must be thinking this as he held the relic in his hands.
Dally fastened it on Johnny’s coat for him. “There.”
“Thank you,” Johnny whispered.
“Can you swipe one for me?” Soda asked Two-Bit, his eyes lighting up.
“Nuh-uh, little buddy.” Darry ruffled Soda’s hair, causing the younger boy to stick his tongue out and swat him away.
“Dar-ry, my hair! I’m tellin’ Mommy.”
“Tell her,” Darry said, smirking. “I’ll tell her why I did it.”
“No!” Soda’s eyes went wide. “Pleeeeease, Darry?” He blinked those big brown puppy eyes that never failed on his big brother, despite the little nuisance Soda was.
Darry sighed, unable to help his grin. “Oh, fine.”
“Shh,” Steve hissed. “I’m tryna pay attention. Crockett and Russel are doin’ somethin’.” The rest of them fixed their attention to the TV screen through the window again.
They watched in fascination as Crockett and Russel met a new character—a riverboat man—and challenged him to a boat race. Davy traversed rapids, tricks, and sabotage.
“Cwockett’s gonna win,” Ponyboy whispered, in awe as the TV program reflected in his eyes. Darry’s arms were aching from holding him for so long, but he wanted Pony to catch the end with the rest of them.
“Yeah,” Darry whispered back, growing excited, too. “I think so.”
It seemed like the whole block cheered when Crockett won the keelboat race. Everyone watched with big smiles as Crockett treated his opponent civilly after the close call.
“I woulda whallopped that guy,” Dally said, snickering.
Two-Bit scoffed. “No one was comparin’ yer ‘good deeds’ to Davy’s, man.”
Dally smirked, opting to take that as a compliment.
“Is there anovva one?” Ponyboy asked anxiously, his little legs kicking around Darry’s waist.
Darry finally set him down. “They only do one at a time, remember? The last one will be in December.”
“Aww.”
“Hey!” Soda exclaimed, bouncing on his feet. “Let’s go home and play Davy Crockett!”
“I wanna be Davy!” Two-Bit cried, taking off for the Curtis house.
“Nu-uh!” Soda yelled, taking off after him.
“Can I be Davy?” Pony pleaded, looking up at Darry with those big eyes he’d learned from their middle brother.
Darry chuckled, taking his hand. “I’m sure everyone will get a turn. Come on, let’s go home.”
“Can Mommy make Davy Cwockett food?”
“What, like beans and cornbread?”
Pony nodded excitedly.
“Yeah, we can prob’ly ask. Maybe next week.”
And hand in hand, they followed the others for their own wild frontier adventure.