Closed Doors
Part One
…a few days later
"What are you doing?" Josh asked in a raised voice as he entered the garage at
midnight.
"Washing my car." Drake replied casually dipping a sponge in a green plastic bucket.
He hoped he could get that set chocolate fudge popsicle juice off the steering wheel
of his 1977 sapphire blue Pontiac Ventura.
"DRAKE! You had chemo today!"
Did his brother completely lose his mind?
"Relax, it's the non-toxic orange cleaner and it was yesterday."
He thought Josh was supposed to be a heavy sleeper? Drake couldn't wait for the
day when he could have his own bachelor apartment, of course, Josh would probably
want to live with him and be "roommate buddies".
"You should be in bed resting!"
"Will you stop raising your voice?"
"I'd feel better if I did this," Josh slapped the sponge out of Drake's hand letting it fall
into the bucket, "Why don't you sit over there in the lawn chair?"
"Don't talk to me like I'm," Drake clutched at his stomach, "a child."
"I'm sorry, bro. I just worry about you. I'll finish your car, you do what you have to do."
"Okay, but I'm coming back." Drake said in a determined way that Josh hadn't seen
from his brother in quite awhile.
"I don't think I could stop you."
Geez, Drake's car was disgusting. Candy wrappers, soda cans, paper tablets, and
what in the world?
"I told you, I'd be back, Josh." Drake did decide to sit on the yellow and green striped
lawn chair, but it was not because Josh told him to.
"You car is gross."
"I need everything in that car."
"A dead bird?" Josh didn't want to touch it, but he was going to have to be the one to
dispose of it.
"Aww…Tweeter died."
Josh bit his tongue as he rummaged through the rest of the junk.
"Bottle caps."
"Mocha Cola had a contest."
"My G-O! I couldn't listen to my music for three months. I thought it was stolen. You
didn't say you were the one who stole it."
"You didn't ask." Drake slightly turned up his lips to almost smile.
"So, why does you car have to be so clean all of a sudden? Mom's not going to let
you drive until the doctor's give you a clean bill of health."
"I know. That's where you come in."
Josh mentally rolled his eyes. "Where am I taking you?"
"Del Mar Meadows Road."
"The houses in that neighborhood cost a lot of money. What business do you have in
that section of town?"
"Someone I know lives there."
"Drake Parker stop being vague. What's her name?"
"Emme Jessica Watson."
E.J.?
"The girl in the video clip?"
"Yep."
"The one who hates you and everyone else in the support group?"
"Yes, Josh. It's an act. I'm going to see how she is on her own turf."
"So, you want to hit on her?"
Like you always do?
"No, it's not what you think. Although, I don't have to answer to you."
"You don't, but who is going to drive you on this adventure if you continue to piss me
off?"
For once Josh had the upper hand and he was going to use it.
"Is that how you treat someone with cancer?"
"Don't you even try that, Drake."
"But you are so unflappable—and to answer your question, yeah it is, when they are
acting like a jackass."
Drake yawned this was enough witty repartee for now. "After you finish up, you better
get a good night's sleep. As soon as Dad leaves for his meeting and Mom takes
Megan to the hair salon we leave. Goodnight, Josh."
"Goodnight, Drake." He sighed
Josh didn't know whether to laugh or to be mildly ticked off and concerned on top of it.
He just started another round of chemo today-okay it was after midnight, yesterday,
but why was Drake acting like Don Juan? No wonder this Emme person called him
Don Juanoma.
It's always about the women with his brother.
On one hand Josh felt he should have been a bit more grateful that his brother with his
changed appearance, a little weight and hair loss and dry skin issues would even
want to approach any females at this time.
But on the other hand, it was like that English composition that he didn't
draw from his current life situations.
Was he just trying to score? And doing it with a fellow cancer patient didn't exactly
make it right.
Drake never told him anything meaningful. He had to always beg, plead, and nag like
a 1950's sitcom wife. And according to his brother it wasn't what he thought. Bullshit,
Josh considered, it was exactly just that and Josh Nichols wanted no part of it.
Author's Note: To be continued…
I couldn't resist the little nod to Drake & Josh: Go Hollywood