The Outsiders: circa 1991-2012

[Deborah Jovan Reed]

Ponyboy'd found the perfect stop, one that looked just like in the movie - an abandoned stone church in the middle of nowhere - and in it's center we buried the ashes of the man, Mr. Antoine Sage, who brought us all together one dreary primary school day in February. 

We were all tough and didn't want to read some whack ass book by S. E. Hinton so we decided to boycott coming to class the next morning illiterate and unaware of the hours we wasted jumping ramps, catching crawdaddies, and talking about things like the hidden maze game within Sega Genesis' Sonic the Hedgehog.

He knew we didn't read the assignment s0 to tempt us he started the cassette player and with that first sentence school became exciting - half of us finished the book that evening - and we were all eager to finish our assignments so we could take the play deck from the Socs' in class 6C and rumble in rugby matches for supremacy of the entire school yard.

Since none of his other classes - in eighteen years of teaching - had ever taken such initiative he would always refer to us as 'His Outsiders' so, having no blood kin, when the time came we outsiders took it upon ourselves to see he was honored like royalty: Sodapop played Metallica's 'To Live Is To Die' with his electric guitar, I sang Ashanti's 'Thank You' which caused even Dally's tears to fall and then Johnny gave the eulogy.

We each thought it only fitting to bury with Sage's urn something that held great personal value: Two-bit gave his comb - the same one he'd used when he took the title; Dally, his copy of The Outsiders stating that if it hadn't been for the book, and our friendship, he probably would have ended up dead in a ghetto somewhere; Johnny gave up his faded blue jean jacket, as crisp as the day he first brought it to school and inside the front pocket a copy of the poem 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' by Robert Frost; Sodapop - the badge from his first job in the town's only gas depot; Steve, a rugby ball - not the original, which was school property - because Mr. Sage came up with the idea on a 'safer' way to rumble; Darry, baby shoes of his first son, whom he'd named Darryl.

When I revealed my tribute - the ultrasound of my baby who I decided would be named in memoriam whether as Antoine or Antoinette - Dally raised his shot of Hennessy, "Here's to Scout," he gave a roguish grin, "about time she got knocked up."

[Deborah Jovan Reed]

Thanks Gita.

[Gita]

This feels so REAL! The hooky playing, then getting turned on to a book, then burying "that" teacher. I love the love that shines out of this. Fave.

[Deborah Jovan Reed]

Thanks both of you. 6th grade was the best time in primary school because of that book. It was amazing how many characters were in our class, in a predominately white school we had a lot of dead-ringers... I made for one bizarre Ponyboy (given the title for being the only writer and best friends with 'Johnny', who is still alive and well)

[Kristine_ES]

wow! i'd never imagine this in 100 years, combining these characters and what they would bring to him in memoriam. 

[Michael J. Malervy]

Thank goodness this is fiction!