For the Love of Serenity Skye

Chapter Five: Cleaning, Cooking and Confrontation

Avoiding people in a small town such as Coal Valley is difficult. Serenity knew this to be true. For years, she endured the gossip about having a mother with a reputation. She had learned to ignore most of it, while some angered her. She didn't know who to be more angry with, the people of the town who talked or her mother who caused the talk. She learned to keep to herself to avoid such gossip. Working at Hank's had its fair share of difficulties. Most of her customers fully understood what she had to put up with and sympathized with her. Others looked at her like she would follow in her mother's footsteps. Serenity knew she could only be what she knew was correct and treat people the way she wanted to be treated. That may be part of the reason why she decided to be friends with Garrett. He had proven he was more than what she had seen. He was better than those they grew up with, who did nothing but make fun of her no matter how innocent she was. 

It had been two days since Garrett caught Butch Sanders attempting to steal Serenity's money. He vowed to never tell Serenity of it. She didn't need to know. As long as Butch understood what was expected of him, Garrett wouldn't have a reason to tell. Serenity woke and walked past her momma's bedroom. She wasn't there. Serenity wasn't in the least surprised. Walking into the kitchen, she realized the trailer was dirty and messy. It was disgusting. Hank had given her the day off. He said she looked tired and worried she was working too much. They had been short-handed at the diner, but he had recently hired another waitress, so it was better. Serenity didn't know how to feel. It had been a while since she had a day off. Looking around, she knew it needed a good cleaning. Although she knew it wouldn't stay that way, she couldn't stand seeing it any longer. Before returning to her bedroom, she saw a note on the refrigerator. 

Went out of town with George. Be back in a few days.

"Well, at least she had the decency to leave a note." Serenity said, rolling her eyes. She put on a pair of shorts and a tank top and slipped on flip-flops. Grabbing her purse, she left the house to grab some cleaning supplies. It looked like rain, so she knew she needed to hurry. On days like this, she wished she had a driver's license. But what good is a driver's license with no car? Her momma lost her license three years before. She got pulled over by the Coal Valley Police for a DUI. She would lose her license two more times after that. It was no use to her anyway. She always had a man to drive her anywhere she wanted to go. It didn't matter if it was a motorcycle, car, or truck; she got rides everywhere. 

Serenity walked down the road to the dollar store and grabbed a basket. She bought everything needed to get the house at least looking and smelling better. She even bought a few candles. She never bought candles. They seemed to belong in houses where it was happy; hers wasn't. But she bought a few anyway. They smelled like fresh peaches. She loved peaches, and these made her happy. She purchased a bottle of bleach, paper towels, all-purpose cleaner, scrub brushes, dish soap, a large bottle of degreaser, bathroom cleaner, and candles. She paid for the items and walked to the Braxton's Grocery Store. The parking lot wasn't full, which made her feel relieved. If there was any place where people stared, it was Braxton's.   She walked inside and saw Mr. Braxton standing near the door. "Hi, Mr. Braxton." Serenity said. "Hi there, Serenity. Looks like rain." He said, looking through the windows. "Yep, sure does. Can I put this bag up here 'til I'm done shoppin'?" She asked. "Of course." He smiled and walked away. Serenity pulled a shopping cart from the line of carts next to the entrance. She pulled out a list she wrote before leaving. As she pushed the cart slowly, she reviewed her list. Before she knew it, someone snuck up behind her, hiding her eyes. "Guess who?" The voice asked, whispering. "I don't know. Let me think." She joked. She pushed the hands away and turned to find it was Garrett. "What are you doin' here? Ain't you supposed to be at work?" She looked around, keeping her voice low. "Got off early. What 'bout you? Didn't see you at Hank's this mornin'." He smiled. "Day off." She shrugged. "Well, looky at you gettin' the day off. Special." He nudged her. "I guess." She rolled her eyes. "You gettin' food for you and your momma?" He asked. "No, just me. She is "out of town" for a few days. I don't know." Serenity looked down at her list once more. "Want some company?" He asked. Serenity wasn't ready for that. The trailer was a mess, and she was embarrassed. But what she didn't know was Garrett had already been there for the first time and saw the conditions of the trailer. He couldn't tell her that. She would question it all, and he would be forced to admit what he knew about Butch. "Maybe we can meet up later?" She said politely. "Um, okay. Whatever you want." He shrugged. He knew why she didn't want him there. He didn't push the issue. "Well, alright. How 'bout I cook dinner, and you come over at seven?" She said. Garrett was surprised by her recanting but was happy she did. "I'll be there." He smiled, grabbing a carton of milk and walking away. He paid for the milk and left. She continued walking through the store. She had to think of what to cook. She knew how to cook but wasn't sure what to make. She decided on spaghetti. It was easy and not expensive. Hopefully, Garrett liked spaghetti. What man didn't like pasta?