• The plot of the story is as follows:

    Soda brings his family down from Windrixville to stay with Uncle Ponyboy. Pony has to watch the kids because Darry is going with Soda while he participates in the Olympics. Soda's kids, Johnathan and Melissa, get curious about the city and when they go exploring end up on a train. Ponyboy gets in the train car to get them and the train takes off. The train takes them to Windrixville and Pony gets to meet some of Soda's family's friends and enemies.

    Chapter 1


    I remember those days...back then the sunset seemed brighter and it didn't hurt my eyes. Back when there were Greasers and Socs, but not anymore. I remember how Johnny and I watched intently as the sun slowly set together. Johnny was a great friend. I wonder what he's doing now. There was no time for wondering though, because just then I heard the loud ringing inside the house. I got up out of my chair on the back porch and non-chalantly strolled into the kitchen.

    It was the cake I had baked for the kids; Soda's kids. The whole family was coming down soon. Soda, Sandy, and the two kids: Johnathan, and Melissa. It all started about a month after the court hearing when Soda was going outside to meet the guys for some poker. When Soda opened the door Sandy was standing there with a huge, colorful bouquet of flowers in her hand. She apologized for leaving and explained how her grandparents were both put in the hospital diagnosed with polio. They didn't have much time and she had to rush down to Florida quickly to see them. Sandy knew that Soda felt for her and Sandy felt for him too but she had no time to tell him. After she got back they were always spending time together. Two years later Soda had saved a little nest egg and was able to buy a small, and cozy home for them in Windrixville. Darry and I live in the old house still, I had to get some money to help hold the house up. I take most any job I can find, from mowing lawns to the occasional babysitting. Soda and Sandy had twins and we all went down to see them. But that was seven years ago, we haven't seen them since.

    I hope they like chocolate cake. This one I'd made tasted great, I knew they would love it. I cleaned up the rest of the house in a very determined manner while I waited for them. I was cleaning the front yard when the taxi pulled up directly in front of me. I stood there waiting, then the rear door opened and Soda came barreling out at me. He knocked me to the ground and we rolled around struggling to get the other pinned to the ground.
    Soda shouted to the car “Come help me out you two!”.
    His kids jumped out of the cab. Melissa had a striped shirt, and Johnathan had a Star Wars T-shirt on. They ran like bullets at us, and started kicking me, sometimes missing and getting Soda in the back.

    “We can take him for you, Daddy!” Melissa said.
    “That's okay,” I said “You three already tired me out.”.
    Soda and I sat up. We started punching each other in the shoulder and almost got in another tussle but we were so tired that we couldn't even lift our arms up.

    “You all are nuts.” said a familiar voice. Sandy was standing by the road next to the suitcases still watching us. “Why don't you put some of that energy into getting these inside.”

    We each got a case except for Melissa and Johnathan who worked together to carry the heaviest suitcase there was. We walked towards the house slowly with the kids behind us and started talking about what we'd done the past seven years. Just before we reached the door we heard a loud cry come from behind us.
    “Help me, Daddy!” Johnathan yelled.
    The three of us jumped around quickly to see what was going on. Darry was standing there holding Johnathan by the ankles upside down. “Where you been, kid?!” He said playfully. The three of us smiled and I thought to myself “The family's all here...”