The Firefly Field Theory

|15| Jerónimo: Part IV

PART IV:

Bravo extends her hand back, closer to the middle bench. She holds up her screaming cell phone, far enough to reach where me and Dad are seated together. I take the cell phone from her hand, and gesture for Dad to take it. "You answer it." I suggest.

"No you answer it." Dad says, not even looking down at my hand.

"No Dad. She's your wife." I protest over the 'Bang, Bang.'

"She's your mother." He retorts, taking a little peak at the phone and then back at my face. I speak up again, "That's why I'm afraid of her. You answer it."

I know who I inherited being stubborn from, "She's my wife, I'm more afraid of her." dad says.

Bravo adds her words of wisdom, "Somebody has to answer it."

"You do it." Both Dad and I jump at the chance together.

"No way, keep me out of this." She retreats. Z, sitting in the way back in between the cooler and Wall-e, laughs out a little. I take Dad's hand and place the cell phone in it. As if I just handed him a burning hot coal piece, he jerks his hand back and the phone drops.

"Oh God." I bend down to look for it,"Where did it go?"

"You dropped it?" Bravo turns around in a panic, "Dad did." I offer, my face still hanging low between the benches. The entire minivan is a boom box in motion right now, with even the metallic floor vibrating to the music.

"Find it!" Omi yells from the driver's seat, "I'm trying," desperate for the deafening screeching to stop, I force a hand under the middle bench and let it swarm around vigorously. Thanks to our disgusting sanitary habits, I fish out several plastic wrappers, empty Pringle cylinders and red bull cans; but no cell phone.

"I found it!" Wall-e yells over the music, with the blinking phone clutched in his palm. It must have slipped to the back. Dad and I both turn with a look of dread. Wall-e lowers his arm to hand the blinking phone to us and just then the ringing and the singing stops. I hear the echo of a mutual sigh of relief.

Let's just say that because of the little detour we made, we have stretched the dead line time by a good three hours. And I'm sure by now our parents are worried sick. In the pitch black night, Omi steers the minivan down the road breaking the speed limit rule as often as he can. He is breaking the law but not even Dad tells him to drive slowly.

After we got back to land, a multitude of events took place. Very varied and well, disturbing events.

Among them some stood out without any effort. I remember as soon as my first step braced itself on the muddy soil, I received a slap across the face in front of all the worried faces of people I didn't even know. The weeping, bright red, slapper was none other than Miss. Bravo. Wall-e was the one to complain, saying if I was going to jump and swim all the way there, I should've asked for his black motorcycle goggles. Z got dry clothes for me from the bag packs in the minivan, and when I got out from one of the ambulance's emergency rear he bumped a fist into my arm so hard, I'm certain I've got a bruise.

The one thing they all did apart from calling me a complete nut case; was say that I scared the life out of them. And for some reason that made me happy. You only fear the loss of someone's life when they are special to you.

In the end I didn't need to beg Dad to come with us; he had his mind set about it. He changed into dry clothes and searched the crowd for us. We head back, to the crashed ambulance in the woods, only to find Omi had it all under control. His med school skills paid off, I guess. Even Dad was impressed.

"You know you can't avoid her for that long, she's not gonna stop calling." Z says munching on Cheetos. Just then the phone starts ringing in my hands again. I groan and look at Dad, "Do something."