The Thorns Which It Bears

Do As I Say (Part 2)

A strained grunt escaped Sarah's lips as she hauled her groceries to the counter in her apartment. Pulling out the bags of candy she purchased, she poured the contents into her biggest steel bowl normally reserved for popcorn. She'd put off buying Halloween candy until the last minute like she did every year. Pickings were slim, but she was able to find a few bags of good candy to mix in with the cheap filler that was still left on the shelves at the market.

Ready for trick-or-treaters, she started prepping her lunches for the week. It was something she'd always wanted to do but never had the energy. She stood in her small galley kitchen, music on the radio keeping time as she chopped vegetables and fruit to make salads and sides to go with her entrees and sandwiches.

For the past few years, she survived on whatever was in the vending machine. Not the healthiest, but a candy bar and soda kept her going with copious sugar and caffeine. She was actually saving money buying ingredients for lunch now that dinner was provided, instead of the takeout she used to order nightly. The Happy Dumpling and Joe's Pizzeria might send out a missing person report soon.

As she tidied up the kitchen, washing her cutting board and knives, she turned down the radio, picked up her cordless phone, and dialed.

"Hello?" Karen answered, "William's Residence."

Sarah said brightly,"Hey, Karen. Happy Halloween!"

"Who is this?" Karen asked, confusion slowing her speech.

"It's Sarah." Her heart dropped a little at having to clarify. Shouldn't Karen know? She'd forgotten how easy it was to slip back into those feelings of rejection that plagued her when she was a teenager. She waited with bated breath as a pause lingered between them on the line.

"Oh! Sarah, Happy Halloween! Is everything okay?" Karen asked.

"Everything's fine. I was calling to talk to Toby and ask him about his costume before y'all left for trick-or-treating."

"Sorry, dear. He's already at a friend's house." She added with a laugh, "They're going as those turtle fighters. You know the ones with the pizza..."

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" She'd watched those cartoons with him and even took him to see the movies. She couldn't wait to see the pictures of him with his friends. He had to be so excited.

"That's it!" Karen exclaimed. "He's the orange one. Won't stop talking like a California surfer. So, how have you been? "

Sarah smiled at the thought of Toby annoying their parents with his Michelangelo impression. "I'm doing good. I finally–"

The doorbell rang through the receiver. "Sorry, Sarah, I've got to go. I'll have Toby call you and tell you all about his night."

"Oh, okay," Sarah tried not to sound too disappointed. She had called on a busy night after all. "I'll talk–

The call cut off but a knock at her own door distracted her from potential wallowing. A group of children bedecked as witches, clowns, wrestlers, and fictional characters gathered at her doorstep and yelled their magic words.

A few hours later, her bowl was empty and her apartment clean. All the projects she'd put off for months or years were finally being dealt with. In the last few weeks, she cleaned out her closet and fixed the toilet that wouldn't stop running even though she reported it to the building super multiple times. Shopping and errands were done. She even got her oil changed and tires rotated. It was amazing what a difference sleep made.

Rewarding her productivity, she soaked in the tub finally using the bubble bath Karen got her for Christmas last year, enjoying the vanilla-scented water slide over her slippery freshly shaved legs. Grooming was just another facet of getting her life together no different than finally taking care of her cuticles that she usually picked and chewed. Smooth legs had nothing whatsoever to do with the giant elephant in her brain.