The Journey

Chapter 21

Nick

I gazed at the taxi as it disappeared down the street, carrying Elisha with it. Now what was that all about?

Newton came out the front door, carrying a small suitcase. I waited as he walked over to the car, looking around, "where's Eli?"

I shrugged, "she left. Said she had to go to her father."

He snorted, "and that's the reason why she's not able to spend a lot of time with me. She's always going to her old man. It's not like her sister can't take care of him or something. Why does she have to do it?"

"What's wrong with her dad?" I asked curiously, helping him load his case into the car.

"He got a stroke last year and it paralyzed half his body. The old man was confined to a wheelchair before another stroke put him into a coma two months ago. Now they're just sort of waiting for him to wake up or something. What the hell did you buy, dude? What is all this stuff in my car?" Newton glanced at all the pet things, shaking his head. He got inside the passenger seat.

I got in the driver side and buckled up, "Eli adopted that dog after we rescued him from a hit and run. So their father is in the hospital right now?"

"Yeah. He has all those nurses watching him day in and day out so I just don't get what the big deal is that she has to join in their vigil, right? I mean, he wouldn't want her to waste away in the hospital just watching over him all the time," Newton complained.

"It's always better to have family watching over you while you're in the hospital, Newt. That way they can be alerted when something happens, and I think something did to make her rush out of here like that," I frowned, thinking of the panicked look in her eyes when she left. "You're sure it's nothing serious at all?"

Newton nodded and relaxed in his seat, "I wouldn't have minded if it was life threatening. I mean, I would stay with her in the hospital. But a coma? And have you noticed how she's changed so much? Like her clothes aren't all the latest fashion anymore."

"I didn't notice that," I said absently, still wondering what could have made her rush off in a hurry. Maybe she didn't want to see Newton? But she was at peace with having found him. No, it was that phone call that made her run. I wondered what Marcie said to her.

"And she's gotten too thin, that's due to all her sleeping in the hospital. It's like she doesn't care how she looks anymore. You have to understand, Meredith is always dressed to the nines and when she got drunk, she was all over me and I just couldn't resist," he finished.

I scowled, "couldn't or didn't? There's a big difference, Newt. And you had a lot of nerve letting her stay in that dump she calls an apartment. Couldn't you have waited until she found a better place to live in before kicking her out of your place? And your place has no trace of her at all. It's like she never was part of your life. I would have thought seven years meant something to you."

"I had to throw out all the pictures of Eli, man. Meredith would always feel bad about us having sex in a place full of pictures of Eli and I," he said laconically.

I was floored, "excuse me? You got rid of her pictures so that you can cheat better, is that what you're saying?"

He bristled defensively, "Eli wasn't dropping by my place as often anymore so it wasn't like things were moving forward for us. She was putting her father first before us."

I couldn't believe my ears. Was this the brother I had idolized all these years?

He continued on his rant, "plus she never noticed that I had removed all our photographs. If she really loved me, she would have brought it up."

I was gripping the steering wheel so tight, my knuckles were white, "I thought you still love her."

"I do, just not like before when I thought she was so perfect. Look at her, man. She's got flaws too. I don't know, maybe I am better off with Meredith now."

My blood boiled at his statement. Who was this guy? I didn't recognize him anymore.

He laughed, "and now she's adopting a dog? She can hardly take care of herself. Her clothes will not only look so yesterday, but they'll have all that dog hair on them. Oh, man, I should thank her for not adopting a pet while we were together. She would expect me to take care of it in my apartment. Plus the shit they poop out! Whew! I'm glad I won't be doing any of that!"

That did it. I stepped on the brakes so hard, Newton jerked forward and would have hit his head if it weren't for his seatbelt. He was outraged, "dude, what the fuck?"

I turned to him furiously, "now you listen to me, you prick. Eli is the nicest, most wonderful, selfless, warmest and thoughtful person I've ever met. You should be thankful she put up with all your shit for seven years. The reason why she adopted a pet right now is only because you broke up with her and she doesn't want to feel lonely. And her clothes don't make her any less atractive. Men are still breaking her door down trying to date her. You should have seen the douchebag stalking her when I asked her to help me find you. And haul your sorry ass back home to mother, whom you selfishly left without saying a single word about where you're going or what you're doing. You're so involved in your own life that you never once considered that Eli is so worried about her father's welfare and that's why she was spending all her free time with him. If it were you having a stroke, wouldn't you want your wife or daughter to be by your side? I don't know what happened to you, Newt, but if this is how you are right now, I don't want to be associated with you any longer."

I wrenched my door open and got out of the car. Grabbing all of Mittens' things and his carrier, I hurriedly placed everything outside on the side of the road. Newton was still speechlessly watching me.

Turning to look at his astonished face, I added, "oh, and by the way, since it hasn't entered your selfish stupid brain yet, in about seven months, you won't be cleaning the poop from a dog, because you'll be cleaning up the poop of your child. Have a nice trip back home, brother." I slammed the door and hailed a taxi cab, feeling better since finding Newton.