The Grip

The Grip

Big Bro’s sclera stung after parting the right eyelid to magnified light vibrantly bursting from the Durango’s windshield. His closed eyes projected harshly bright red lit "floaters,” what Big Bro called strands of protein making up pupil tissue. He twists vascular arms causing them to excrete tiny beads that slowly grow then fall following veins to a plastic armrest. It was noon and every car on the block blessed with a dark paint was hot enough to fry an egg and cook a steak on its hood. He felt like a cupcake coming to rise in an easy bake and everything inside the dark blue sedan was on low broil. Big Bro contemplated spending another hour parked then they would have to leave and find some form of shade.

Lil Bro breathes deeply and takes in the sweet syrup smell of evaporated diet soda spilt in the cup holder and collected pennies lining it. A drop of perspiration rolls down his adam’s apple and into the soft dip between his clavicle bones. He sinks deeper into the reclined grey leather chair with each shallow breathe. His older sibling, Big Bro, cracks an eyelid and watches the mechanical sprinklers pop out of grass and shower perfidiously edged lush St. Augustine matted front yards. He was sure that they had made it to Arizona although this looked nothing like the desert he expected. It was a long drive across the Texas panhandle had taken longer than expected and each day spent in El Paso was one that took away from the ultimate destination.

It was a ticker tape rural Phoenix suburban neighborhood each house had two or more levels with a large green lawn. There was only one tree on the block and It was a palm. The tree reminds Big Bro of the beach and what he’d seen in the movies of California and the sunset strip. Babied flower beds stripe an inviting bright mess of colors geometrically patterned to lead up every house surrounding the cul-de-sac. Big Bro forgot the street’s name and curiosity of the baring didn’t cross his mind. All he could think of was the heat. A closer than normal Sun was now hung completely overhead without a cloud in the sky. Even with the windows halfway down it was not cool enough to keep him in deep rim rather leaving him sweltering lucid thoughts.