Rough Road Ahead (In Progress)

Chapter 6

  

                                                                ****

           

            Looking out the window I saw that we were nearing the mountains, the over cast sky made it hard to see them clearly, but the vague shadow was still visible. They were still a few miles in the distance, but it was like seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

            If we could just get out of this car for a few hours, I felt that I could keep my sanity, even with Brad acting so invidious.

            "Another day's drive." My dad called into the back of the trailer, "just another 24 hours and we will be there." I knew the second he said it that I would be counting down those hours. Those minutes. Those seconds.

            Maybe if Brad would keep quiet for the time being it could be bearable if not enjoyable, but the second the thought passed through my mind, I knew it was too good to be true. "I need to pee." Brad declared, as if the statement meant something to us.

            "Good for you." Sam said, with a frown, not turning to face my brother.

            Brad just sat there, not even acknowledging Sam's comment. "Yo, taxi driver - when's the next pit stop?" He said, referring to our father. I couldn't remember a time he had spoke the words, 'mother' or 'father' in his life. Not even as a child. What was his first word?

            Suddenly my mind jumped back in time. Brad was sitting on the floor, a dipper wrapped across his tiny butt, a smile gracing his lips. Such innocents, how had he turned out the way he did? His mouth opened and he spoke his first word, but although I was there in the memory, I couldn't remember the word that left his lips, only the joy that filled my parents voices after it was spoken. Joy that I had never heard since then.

            "Not any that I know of. We are on a desert road." My dad called, his voice sounding distant even though he was only a few feet away.

            "Fuck." He murmured, sinking into the chair, his back arching.

            "Well if you hadn't broken the bathroom you wouldn't have to hold it." Sam smirked, crossing his arms and leaning back on the sofa.

            Brad sneered in response, "who said anything about holding it?" He sat up, his eyes scanning the interior of the trailer.

            "What are you going to do?" I questioned, leaning against the sofa with my elbows to prop myself up. Suddenly I was frightened; he had some idea, and his ideas were never a good thing.

            "Do you have a water bottle?" Brad asked leaning towards me, his thick eye brows raising. They looked like large caterpillars crazy-glued to his fore-head, wiggling around like they had a mind of their own.

            Widening my eyes I asked, "what are you going to do with a water bottle?"

            He just smirked, looking at Sam, "we guys can pee a lot easier than girls." He pushed him playfully and Sam gave him a disgusted look in response, leaning away from him. "At least now you're referring to me as a guy." He remarked and I chuckled at the sentiment, a genuine smile gracing my lips.

            Grinning I looked around; my eyes coming to rest on an empty can of coke. "Here." I said, grabbing it from the floor beside my foot and throwing it to him. It spun in the air and landed right in his left hand with the label facing me.