Trip: part I

I was cruising down I-80. My sunglasses were hanging on to the edge of my nose. I’d only smoked about half a bowl, just to keep my mind occupied on the road. Five hundred bucks for staying in the house for four weeks was kind of a raw deal, but I needed the time away from my parents. A girl with streaked blonde hair was driving next to me. We made eye contact and then she shifted lanes and exited into the East bay. My Knicks hat complimented my blue polo shirt nicely, I could probably hit a bar early and pick up a fairly attractive female if I wanted too.

Inside the house, my uncle Eric had left instructions on how to contact him and take care of the dog. Next to the sheet he had left a tin can with a post-it attached to it that read, it’s all yours if you want it. I checked the contents. Two separate bags holding about an eighth of weed each, a half filled vial of coke, and two and a half hits of ecstasy. I let the dog outside and spray some water in his pale. On MTV the “Real World” was having it’s finale episode. Steven and Jen were dangerously close to hooking up, but apparently no sex was involved. I started to yawn and decided to hook my computer into the DSL line. After a half hour of porn I don’t really feel like taking a shower so I go down to the kitchen to see what Eric had left for me to eat. Mostly frozen food and assorted juices. In the cabinet above the fridge he had a nice collection of liquor including a fresh bottle of Goldschlager. A Lexus blasted into the driveway and my seventeen year old cousin Sean emerged from the car with surfer style blonde hair. I watched from the kitchen window as he opened the passenger door for his tallish girlfriend. He walked in with an overly cool swagger that should have bothered me more than it did. We shook hands and he introduced his girlfriend Elizabeth to me. She immediately went into the fridge and took a diet coke then excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving Sean and I alone to chat.

“So we got the place to ourselves, huh?” He grabbed a corona from the fridge.

“Yea it looks that way. Um…how long you been with that chick?” I asked, unsure what to say to him.

“Oh her. Not to long, maybe two months. She’s pretty cool. Hey man you wouldn’t happen to have any pot?”

“I might have some by like Friday.” I said not wanting him to know I had the half decent stash his dad had given me. “I’m sure you got connections anyway, this is your town.”

He gave me a fake laugh then took a swig from the corona, “Yea of course, I just wanted to know if you had any.”

Elizabeth came out of the bathroom rubbing her nose. Sean led her upstairs to his bedroom. I heard them turn on some Jack Johnson and get into his bed. I went to the first floor and watched the end of the “Real World” then flipped over to some Lindsay Lohan movie that tried to make her into a role model. After an hour or so I had already made a good dent in the bottle of Popov Vodka. I had forgotten to let the dog in and when I open the door to the backyard I see he’s shivering. He comes in and lies down next to my feet, occasionally sneezing. Five hundred dollars was pretty pathetic for this gig, but I guess it was better than going back to school. I open the tin can and pack a bowl hoping Sean is still too preoccupied with Elizabeth to come down. I smoke two bowls and end up eating an entire bag of sun chips while watching an NBA playoff game of no meaning to me.

In the morning I see Sean and Elizabeth eating Lucky Charms and discussing some Physics exam they both have to take today. I search the fridge and find some orange juice. I desperately want to mix it with some of the Popov, but restrain myself. I ask Sean if he will be staying here mostly or with his Mom. He says he doesn’t really know, but will definitely tell me when he figures it out. I take some of the Lucky Charms and pour myself a bowl. The milk is going sour, but I don’t care enough to stop eating. I check out the sports section of the paper that’s sprawled out on the kitchen table. The Yankees are ten games behind the Red Sox. This seems immensely important to me. Sean and Elizabeth have moved down to the family room to watch some overly caffeine induced morning show, so I go down and join them. Sean informs me that he and Elizabeth are cutting their first three classes to maintain sanity. I nod back at him trying to look understanding. The morning show tells us that Paris Hilton’s prison sentence has been cut in half and the war in Iraq is not going well. The celebrity guest is Bruce Willis who has now gone completely bald. Inconspicuously I go back to the kitchen for more orange juice and this time slip some vodka into it. As Sean and Elizabeth leave, Sean leans back and tells me he’ll definitely catch me later. I remember to let the dog out and fill his tray with about a pound of dry hard circular looking food. I watch him eat it aggressively as if there was going to be a prize at the bottom of the tray. Filled with boredom I snoop around the townhouse. In Eric’s office I find a book of short stories and read one about vampires in L.A. who really like Madonna music. I flip on my computer and sign into AIM. My brother has an away message up that reads, not everyone likes to party…but I do. I think about messaging a few girls from my high school class, but am too arrogant and feel like they should come to me. I get another OJ with vodka and return to my computer screen. There’s an e-mail in my account that says I can increase my penis size in under forty days. The house phone rings and its Laura, Sean’s mom and Eric’s ex-wife.

“Hey Trip, how’s it going?”

“Um, ok?” I say hoping she can’t hear any alcohol in my voice.

“I wanted to talk to you about Sean.” I don’t say anything so she continues, “You shouldn’t feel responsible for him. So if he’s over there don’t let him have any parties or do any drugs or anything.”

“Oh, of course not. I’m with you there.” I’m distracted by an instant message that was just sent to me, but am too far away to read it.

“Anyway,” Laura keeps talking. “Sean really looks up to you, in a big brother sort of way. You know?”

“Sure. I totally get what you’re saying.”

“Oh, Tyler just got back home. Well it was nice to talk to you Trip.” Tyler was Laura’s new husband. They had just come back from a honeymoon in Hawaii.

“Bye Laura.”

I hang up the phone and make myself another drink then go downstairs to watch TV. I watch a show in which people break bones or have some type of disastrous accident. After each clip the victim of the accident always says he would have tried the stunt again. I glance outside to see the dog looking depressed. I go upstairs and put on my Knicks hat and sunglasses then grab the leash. We’re walking down Tyrella Ave. and the dog is sniffing every tree and bush along the way, abruptly stopping about every two minutes to take a piss. I spot a girl ahead of us who looks like she could lose five pounds, but okay enough to talk to. She eyes me first and then pretends she had been looking at the dog. I slow down and watch her pet the animal as I try to see if she has a nice ass. She bounces back up to eye level and smiles at me.

“You like dogs?” I say casually.

“I like when they like me…you know?”

Not sure what to say I search my pockets, “You want some gum?”

“No thanks. Have I seen you around here before?” She asks while nervously sliding her hands down the side of her miniskirt.

“Maybe,” I say coolly. “I’m house sitting for my uncle for about a month.”

“Oh, that’s cool.”

“Yea I guess.” I start getting the feeling this girl may not even be a Senior in high school yet.

She looks at her sandals then back up at me, “Well me and some friends are gonna be at this club, The Eagle, tonight. Maybe you can come by?”

“Yea maybe. That sounds cool, I might have to do something, but I’ll try to swing by.”

She grins and then continues walking. I catch a glimpse of her ass to see that it’s only average. I walk the dog about thirty more feet and then turn him around and head back to the townhouse. I drink a beer and search around for food. There’s frozen French bread pizza that I microwave too long and have to wait about five minutes to eat. I flip through my uncle’s CD collection occasionally listening to a few albums here and there. I miss albums. I download all my music illegally, but I miss when I used to listen to an entire album.