dayglo_parker@yahoo.com
(2/6)
"Dammit!"
Josh stole a glance at Donna, sitting in the passenger's seat. "Still busy?"
"Even worse." When he didn't follow with another suggestion, she inclined the display of her cellphone in his direction. "No service!"
"Think it's the storm?" He punctuated the question by craning his neck at the windshield, trying to see up and through the barrage of raindrops.
"That, or that we're out in the middle of acres and acres of farm land and there's not a cellphone tower in sight!" She huffed. "I'd say that was a plausible explanation."
"I said I was sorry."
"Yes, you did, and I hate to break it to you, but sorry's not going to make that line at the ticket counter go any faster, and sorry's not to make me sleep any better in the airport terminal on those uncomfortable plastic chairs when they inform us the only flight to DC leaves tomorrow morning."
"I'm sure there'll be a flight between now and tomorrow morning."
"There was a flight, Josh, and it left an hour ago!"
"Look, we've been through this already and I said-"
"You're sorry. I know."
"So why are we still..." He purposely didn't finish.
"Just drop it, okay?" It may have been a question, but there was no doubt that it was final.
They drove in silence, with only the sound of rain of the windshield and the wipers to keep them company. It was an unbearable silence.
"I never unpack," she muttered.
"Huh?"
"I said, I never unpack," she repeated, her voice measured so she could control the impending explosion. He looked at her questioningly. "When you asked me earlier why I wasn't packing an hour before we left for our flight, it's because I never unpack."
"Fine," he said, trying not to sound as disinterested as he thought he did.
"I live out of a suitcase during the campaign."
"I never noticed."
Donna cocked her head and looked at Josh with something resembling a smile, though he doubted it was anything but sarcasm. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Okay, can I have making-fun-of-Josh-in-a-good-way Donna back?" Adding, "Emphasis on the 'fun' and 'good' parts."
She glared at him. "She had a flight to catch."
More silence.
"You never unpack?" Josh offered.
"Nope."
"I'm sure Freud would say that's an extension of a deeply rooted fear of commitment." As soon as it left his mouth, Josh wanted to take it back.
"Oh really?" she replied, sounding as if he had just suggested the sky was yellow. "As opposed to you?"
"I don't have commitment issues."
She snorted before replying, "I was talking about your packing skills."
"Oh." He focused on the road for a moment. "There's nothing wrong with my packing skills either."
"You call clothes scattered around a hotel room, a skill?"
"That's not fair! I was late for the debate prep, and the shirt I wanted to wear was at the bottom of my suitcase." Donna eyed him with skepticism. "So I'll admit I was a little hasty-"
"A little?"
"Yes."
"You were still buttoning your shirt when you jumped into the car, Josh. I think that qualifies as something slightly more than 'a little hasty.'" Her eyes sparkled. "Although..."
"What?" He was afraid of the answer.
"It was amusing to watch you shaking hands with Louis with your shirt misbuttoned."
"A-ha!" If he hadn't been driving, Josh would have pointed a finger at Donna accusingly. "You swore you didn't notice and you lied!"
Donna was shaking her head.
Josh barreled on. "You let me make a fool of myself-"
"Really, Josh, you don't need my help."
"-And now you deserve a fitting punishment."
"You mean this isn't it?"
Josh looked wounded. "Is being in a car with me really that bad?" As Donna glared at him, he added, "Wait, don't answer that."
"Josh?" she asked hesitantly.
"I said not to answer that question."
"I'm wasn't going to-"
"Just pretend I never asked it."
"Fine, but-"
"Rewind a few seconds."
"Josh!" she yelled.
His eyebrows shot up. "What?"
"Listen," and she made gestures vaguely in the direction of the engine. When they were silent, they could hear it making strange sputtering noises.
"Oh," his eyes glanced at the odometer, and he noticed they were rapidly loosing speed, "no." He pushed the brakes hard, but saw it made no difference. "No, no, no, no..."
Using whatever speed they had left, Josh managed to maneuver the vehicle to one side of the road as the engine continued to sputter. Absently, he checked the rearview mirror for oncoming traffic, but they had been alone on the road for the entire trip. Finally, the car came to a slow and rather pathetic stop.
"Come on," he urged as he turned the ignition key in vain. "Come on!" After several tries, he leaned against the headrest and shut his eyes. "This," he exhaled, "is not my day."
They sat in silence. As if on cue, the rain began to fall harder.
"What do we do now?"
Josh opened his eyes. "Call a tow truck?" As a reminder, she held up her out-of-service cellphone.
"Right," he sighed. "Well, then, I'm out of ideas."
"Mr. Resourceful," Donna muttered.
"Hey! What do you expect me to do?"
"Open the hood and fix it?"
"And I'm supposed to know how to do this...how? Do you see me and think, 'Oh, a guy. He can fix a car. No problem?'"
Instead of glaring at him, Donna wriggled between the seats. In the backseat, she grabbed the small umbrella. Satisfied, she opened the passenger door.
"What are you doing?"
Donna glanced outside first before answering. "If you won't help," she stated matter-of-factly, "then I'm going to flag someone down who can." With that, she jumped out of the car and opened the umbrella, slamming the door behind her.
After a minute, her statement registered in Josh's brain. "Donna, wait!" he yelled, even though he was sure she couldn't hear.
He jumped out of the car, and slammed the door. Only then did it occur to him he didn't have an umbrella. "Definitely not my day," he muttered.
Josh spotted her under the umbrella about five feet from the car. Yet in those five feet he managed to get soaked.
"Don't stand so close," she remarked. "You'll get me all wet."
"It's a small umbrella, Donna. I can't help it."
"Just don't get me wet, okay?"
"Don't cheesy horror movies start out like this?"
"I ask myself that everyday."
"I wonder if the rental car company'll give me my money back," he mused. "For giving us a defective car and all."
Donna, however, was ignoring him. "Look! I see light coming this way."
"I see it."
"Maybe it's a car."
"I said, I see it."
"Well, he's not going to see you if you don't start waving your arms to get his attention."
"I may be desperate, but I will not wave my arms in such a fashion."
"Come on, just wave your arms."
"I will not."
"Do you want me to kill you?"
"Fine." After a moment, "Donna?"
"Yeah?"
"How come the light doesn't seem to be slowing down?"
"It's the rain. It warps your perception. Don't stop waving."
"Donna?"
"Yes, Joshua?"
"He didn't stop."
"No, he didn't."
"Ten bucks says he's a Republican."
Donna sighed. "Now what?"
"Don't we have a second umbrella?" Josh said, looking back at the car.
"Yes, but..." Donna hesitated. "It's in my suitcase."
Josh, however, was oblivious. "So? I'll just get it out of the trunk." When he saw the look on her face, he asked, "What?"
"My suitcase isn't, uh, isn't in the trunk."
"Where is it, then?"
She bounced nervously. Meekly, "Air Force One?" When Josh eyed her skeptically, she sighed. "CJ took it back for me."
"I should have known!" Josh replied. "The Sisterhood strikes again."
This remark did not earn much else from Donna other than a small glare. "Need I remind you who's holding this umbrella?"
"And you're doing a fantastic job," he muttered as he examined his sleeve, which didn't seem to fit underneath the umbrella's cover.
"We can't stand here all day."
"I know. If only we could make the rain stop, we could use the cellphone."
Her eyes were wide with sarcasm. "If only."
"And I'm sure you have a better idea?"
In the distance, she glanced toward a formation of lights resembling a building. "A house?" Josh asked.
"Aren't you clever."
He sighed, knowing full-well they couldn't stay here and wait out the storm. "Onward, ho," he muttered halfheartedly.
And even if he didn't mean it the way it sounded, it still earned Josh a swat in the arm from Donna.
TBC