Chapter 56:
Waiting…
Constantine:
I take a couple of gulps of water, to wash down the sour taste. Daniel seems to be back to his happy and fluffy drunken self because he is in a staring match with Rodger. I don’t know what the stakes are, but I let them do it. It will give me some peace and quiet.
Then, a thought strikes me. Did they even call for someone to come and rescue us? Before a couple of hours ago, I would have sworn, with a hand over my heart, that both the Prime Minister and Daniel were responsible adults, and calling for help would have been their first job. But now, looking at the two of them...
I take out my phone, and see that I have five missed calls from Robin. Another ten from Ferenc. I wince at that. I think Robin might understand that I had no choice in all of this. Ferenc is so going to bite my head off. Moments after, he bites off the heads of the two drunken lots in the front seats.
I decide that my head hurts too much, for me to deal with Ferenc right now. So, I dial up Robin. I glance at Daniel, only to see that he is making faces at Rodger now. I don’t bother glancing at Rodger. Furthermore, I know for a fact that he, too, is trying to make Daniel blink anyway he can.
Robin picks up after a while, and I steel myself for the chewing out of the century.
“Where are you? The Prime Minister’s security told us you are no longer in the hotel,” Robin asks. I can hear the agitation in his voice.
“The Prime Minister took us on a Brain Scrambler,” I hiss, showing just what I hold from all of that.
“What? And you didn’t protest?” Robin says, and I gulp.
“How does one stop the Prime Minister from taking them to a Brain Scrambler?” I give him my rhetoric question.
“Never mind,” I can see that Robin wants to argue, but decides that getting us out of this mess has a bigger priority. “Where are you? In what condition is the car?”
“We are outside the domes,” I tell him, and worry slips into my voice. “We are running on a Beetle’s air tanks.”
“Shit,” Robin says, and then I can hear, by the way, the sounds on the other side get distorted, that he is moving. “What is the condition of the car? Is there any air leakage?”
“The car can’t move,” I say, then, I remember what the two drunks told me. “The engines are busted. I don’t think there is a leakage, though. I was unconscious for a long time, and awake for an hour, and there is still air with all three of us in here.”
“Are any of you hurt?” Robin asks next.
“Rodger and Daniel are drunk off their rockets,” I say, and then look myself over. “I think I am in a bit of a shock, but nothing that a blanket and a steaming cup of waloria won’t fix.”
“There is no money in our budged for waloria,” Robin says, and I wilt. “But we can get you some cocoa milk, with actual milk, instead of water.”
“Good enough. Please — come by as soon as you can. They are both driving me insane! Daniel tricked me into kissing him, just after he barfed!” I whine. I hear a chuckle from the front. For the love I bear Daniel, I decide that Rodger was the one to chuckle.
“Don’t turn off your phone. We will be there as soon as possible,” Robin says.
“Ok, just, don’t take to the air. The pillar speed bumps are activated,” I tell him.
“Well, darn. Now this is a Brain Scrambler that I would have liked to see,” Robin says, and I glare at the back of the seat in front of me. What is with everyone losing their minds, all of a sudden? “Sorry.”
“Yeah, sure you are sorry. Just get in here!” I snap, and place the phone on the seat next to me.
Rodger turns back to stare at me, and Daniel gives out a whoop of joy.
“I won! Thanks, Tine,” Daniel yells, and I want to take his ear, and tug it, until he sobers up.
“Tine, I think you are not enjoying our company,” Rodger says, and I glare at him.
“Enjoying? What is there to enjoy? I nearly died. I still might die, if the security team gets here after our air runs out!” I scream at him.
“At least the Brain Scrambler got you to loosen up,” Rodger says, and then smiles in a grandfatherly fashion. “I was beginning to think you think of me as this sort of...object. Like someone, you only talk to, when you want something.”
I don’t have any words for that. Trust a drunk man to be truthful. Do I lie now? Do I come clean? If we didn’t need Rodger’s help, we would have left him in the hotel, so he could plot his Brain Scrambler, while being watched by his own security.
“Tine doesn’t treat people like that,” Daniel defends me, and I feel grateful for that. “Although, sometimes, he likes to ride a high horse.”
Daniel is so drunk; he is mixing up the idioms. Still, I get what he is trying to say.
“I am sorry that I make you feel like that, Dany,” I tell him, trying to convey in those simple words how much I love and care for him.
“No, it is ok. I know that you didn’t plan to have me in your life. Just like we didn’t plan to take out Rod on a date,” Daniel says. Rodger looks at him.
“A date?” Rodger asks.
“Like, a Platonic, friendly, date,” Daniel is quick to clarify. “I really want to count you as a family friend. Rod, will you be my best man at my and Tine’s wedding?”
Rodger takes a moment to collect himself, or, maybe he is so drunk, he spaces out. Then, he hugs Daniel.
“I’ll be there, when the panty pooper lays eternal claim on you, buddy,” this is one of those moments, that make friendships. I wonder what it says for their friendship, that it began with a drunken car accident.
Chapter 56:
Waiting…
Constantine:
I take a couple of gulps of water, to wash down the sour taste. Daniel seems to be back to his happy and fluffy drunken self because he is in a staring match with Rodger. I don’t know what the stakes are, but I let them do it. It will give me some peace and quiet.
Then, a thought strikes me. Did they even call for someone to come and rescue us? Before a couple of hours ago, I would have sworn, with a hand over my heart, that both the Prime Minister and Daniel were responsible adults, and calling for help would have been their first job. But now, looking at the two of them...
I take out my phone, and see that I have five missed calls from Robin. Another ten from Ferenc. I wince at that. I think Robin might understand that I had no choice in all of this. Ferenc is so going to bite my head off. Moments after, he bites off the heads of the two drunken lots in the front seats.
I decide that my head hurts too much, for me to deal with Ferenc right now. So, I dial up Robin. I glance at Daniel, only to see that he is making faces at Rodger now. I don’t bother glancing at Rodger. Furthermore, I know for a fact that he, too, is trying to make Daniel blink anyway he can.
Robin picks up after a while, and I steel myself for the chewing out of the century.
“Where are you? The Prime Minister’s security told us you are no longer in the hotel,” Robin asks. I can hear the agitation in his voice.
“The Prime Minister took us on a Brain Scrambler,” I hiss, showing just what I hold from all of that.
“What? And you didn’t protest?” Robin says, and I gulp.
“How does one stop the Prime Minister from taking them to a Brain Scrambler?” I give him my rhetoric question.
“Never mind,” I can see that Robin wants to argue, but decides that getting us out of this mess has a bigger priority. “Where are you? In what condition is the car?”
“We are outside the domes,” I tell him, and worry slips into my voice. “We are running on a Beetle’s air tanks.”
“Shit,” Robin says, and then I can hear, by the way, the sounds on the other side get distorted, that he is moving. “What is the condition of the car? Is there any air leakage?”
“The car can’t move,” I say, then, I remember what the two drunks told me. “The engines are busted. I don’t think there is a leakage, though. I was unconscious for a long time, and awake for an hour, and there is still air with all three of us in here.”
“Are any of you hurt?” Robin asks next.
“Rodger and Daniel are drunk off their rockets,” I say, and then look myself over. “I think I am in a bit of a shock, but nothing that a blanket and a steaming cup of waloria won’t fix.”
“There is no money in our budged for waloria,” Robin says, and I wilt. “But we can get you some cocoa milk, with actual milk, instead of water.”
“Good enough. Please — come by as soon as you can. They are both driving me insane! Daniel tricked me into kissing him, just after he barfed!” I whine. I hear a chuckle from the front. For the love I bear Daniel, I decide that Rodger was the one to chuckle.
“Don’t turn off your phone. We will be there as soon as possible,” Robin says.
“Ok, just, don’t take to the air. The pillar speed bumps are activated,” I tell him.
“Well, darn. Now this is a Brain Scrambler that I would have liked to see,” Robin says, and I glare at the back of the seat in front of me. What is with everyone losing their minds, all of a sudden? “Sorry.”
“Yeah, sure you are sorry. Just get in here!” I snap, and place the phone on the seat next to me.
Rodger turns back to stare at me, and Daniel gives out a whoop of joy.
“I won! Thanks, Tine,” Daniel yells, and I want to take his ear, and tug it, until he sobers up.
“Tine, I think you are not enjoying our company,” Rodger says, and I glare at him.
“Enjoying? What is there to enjoy? I nearly died. I still might die, if the security team gets here after our air runs out!” I scream at him.
“At least the Brain Scrambler got you to loosen up,” Rodger says, and then smiles in a grandfatherly fashion. “I was beginning to think you think of me as this sort of...object. Like someone, you only talk to, when you want something.”
I don’t have any words for that. Trust a drunk man to be truthful. Do I lie now? Do I come clean? If we didn’t need Rodger’s help, we would have left him in the hotel, so he could plot his Brain Scrambler, while being watched by his own security.
“Tine doesn’t treat people like that,” Daniel defends me, and I feel grateful for that. “Although, sometimes, he likes to ride a high horse.”
Daniel is so drunk; he is mixing up the idioms. Still, I get what he is trying to say.
“I am sorry that I make you feel like that, Dany,” I tell him, trying to convey in those simple words how much I love and care for him.
“No, it is ok. I know that you didn’t plan to have me in your life. Just like we didn’t plan to take out Rod on a date,” Daniel says. Rodger looks at him.
“A date?” Rodger asks.
“Like, a Platonic, friendly, date,” Daniel is quick to clarify. “I really want to count you as a family friend. Rod, will you be my best man at my and Tine’s wedding?”
Rodger takes a moment to collect himself, or, maybe he is so drunk, he spaces out. Then, he hugs Daniel.
“I’ll be there, when the panty pooper lays eternal claim on you, buddy,” this is one of those moments, that make friendships. I wonder what it says for their friendship, that it began with a drunken car accident.
