Drown Me Gently

Ocean

It was the beginning of summer when Joe, who was sitting on his beanbag seat comfortably in the living room, after spacing out suddenly suggested that we should getaway to his family's vacation house nearby the shore. I agreed and we set out to have some fun. As Joe rambled about his family's vacation house, he paused and stared at me with wide eyes, "Hey maybe I can see that mermaid there again!" "A what now?"

"Mermaids man."

I burst out laughing, 'He saw a mermaid? In broad daylight?' Even more absurd than hearing about people wanting to storm into Area 51 and playing JoJo villian themes.

"Joe, mermaids don't exist-"

His eyes snapped towards me, so fierce a glare he burned into my eyes, bolding a conviction hid behind those eyes of his that swayed my words. His eyes held within its orbs this stubborn idea that he met a mythical creature from the books, and if I didn't know him any better than I do now, I would have thought he was crazy.

"They totally do, Jack. They definitely do."

"...You're high on sugar, idiot. I shouldn't have let you chug that box of candies. Go back to sleep."

Thus and so we were sitting in his father's car, comfortable in our seats and Joe armed with his phone to 'eat away at his boredom', as he put it.

His father spoke, saying that he would take us to our destination, leave us for a few days, and promised to come back after the 27th. Everything was ready for us at the vacation house, food, clothing, electricity, etc.

"Why bother asking for water when you have a waterbody just outside yer window? Just get out there and drink that salty water!"
His laughter was booming and loud but it wasn't deafening to my ears. It had a subtle warmth to it, a touch of humor I never understood, but I appreciate his positivity and lookout on life.

I sat in the front seat with Joe's dad, making small chat with him whilst sharing some jokes. Joe sat in the backseat of the car to 'protect our armor and weapons'. Jesus, this isn't war Joe, it's just summer. His dad was a muscular man with broad shoulders, and a beard similar to Hagrid's from Harry Potter. Meeting him for the first time then, 'A 6'2 tall buff Hagrid with honey almond eyes, and a skinny tanned sports boy? Are they actually related!?'
Well yes, they ARE blood related. Maybe Joe just got everything but his honey eyes from his mom.

Joe is a weird case, if I were to borrow some words from his dictionary to describe him. He and I just happened to become friends when we were children, then best buds, then the topic of summer and sea came up, hence how our trip started.

My eyes drifted from inside the glass pane of the car to the outside world that was still crowded with trees and the occasional critters. The entire stage was a green blur as the car travelled swiftly on the rocky gravel without a hitch, much like a gale passing by the leaves of a wisteria. By now, Joe probably has drained the battery and brooding in his corner of the backseat growing some mushrooms.

Glancing towards the rear mirror, I was not surprised to see him looking outside bored in the reflection as he fidgeted the black rectangle in his hands, twirling it with his slim fingers from time to time. Resting his chin on his hand, he leaned towards the window, pressing his cheek against its cool pane. Much to my discomfort, the words dragged out of his mouth painfully slowly for the seventeenth time.

"Are we there yet?"

"Actually my boy, yes we are."

His ears and eyes just straight up perked and he was literally beaming, his face was shining so bright I thought I would suffer from 3rd degree burns. Even after the car came to a stop infront of a home with blue roof tiles, Joe was still shaking in excitement. Shoving his phone into his pocket, he attempted to sweep up our belongings with his skinny tan arms, almost falling over when he tried to exit the car. Picking up my bag, I walked up to Joe with my medicine in hand.
"Need some help Joe?"

"Nah, its aight, just go inside the house, get your meds and prepare food or somethin'. Pops and I will settle things here. Besides, I'm dying to explore the area around the beach here man. And you'd better help me find that mermaid I was talking about!"

Seeing as how I probably would be of no use to the boy wearing flip flops and his muscular father as he took the luggages out of the car's trunk, I went inside the house. The exterior of the building looked cozy enough with its blue roof tiles and cobblestone pathway.

Beige walls and soft cushioned furnitures greeted my eyes as I opened the heavy brown door of the entrance. The entire place was a 2 story building with a staircase and an access to the roof, decorated with windows that served as backdrops with plentiful views of the beach and its residents. Dropping my bag onto one of the brown cushioned seats, I pulled open one of the big windows in the living room, the glass door sliding open as I took in the breeze of the salty air.

It was refreshing as compared to the polluted air in the constantly hustling city.

As I explored the house, there was not a single dust on the furniture nor in the house. Then I noticed the air purifiers in the corners of the rooms, and felt so thankful to Joe's dad. Inside, I also felt indebted to his father, that he would allow for us to use this area for our summer and that he knew about my illness. I made a mental note to thank him later for his generosity.

Looking back out the window, I accidentally smacked right into the wall, face colliding with bursts of pain. I groaned as the pain exploded in spurts and warm blood started to drip down my nose. Tears faintly formed at the edges of my eyes.

"AH FUCK for god's sake. My nose!" I tried containing the blood that were coming in small amounts, but I just made an even bloodier mess on my white shirt.

I figured Joe heard the commotion because once he entered the house, he immediately went to grab a tissue and brought me to settle down on one of  the brown furnitures. Joe helped me out by grabbing packets of tissues and tending to my bloody face,

"Looks bad man. It doesn't seem like it's gonna stop anytime soon." Squeezing my eyes shut from the pain, Joe gently pressed a wet cloth to my nose. "I look away for one second, and you start smacking faces into walls? Dude you're even more clumsy than I thought you were!"

"That's you Joe, not me." "Yeah but-"

"Joe! I still need you to help me!"

"Joe-" I grabbed onto his forearm, begging him to stay. "Be right back Jack! And stay right there!"

He brushed my hand off his arm gently and ran out the front door, leaving it right open. Somehow, I felt like his decision to leave his best friend alone with a bloody nose, is not the best decision that he may have made so far.

'Actually any decisions he has made hasn't been the best one yet.' The bleeding only started to make me feel more light-headed and the walls started to sway above my head. It felt like after you get off those dizzying rides at an amusement park and you feel like vomiting but you can't.

Resting my head back against the sofa, I close my eyes shut in an attempt to reduce the effects. And for a moment, it gave me the peace I wanted, a solitary confinement from the pain of reality.

And so I drifted to sleep.
With a bloody nose in hand and tons of tissues.