Chapter Fifteen #2
They put on gloves and grabbed trash bags.
Like most of the house, there were things all over that looked like something from a thrift store or yard sale.
A lot still had prices on them, but unlike the living room, there was a lot more trash.
Empty two-liter Coke bottles were everywhere, as were the vodka bottles, which had stopped bothering Reese at that point, but it was boxes and wrappers of Little Debbie’s Fudge Rounds and empty bags of Munchos chips that seemed to be hitting her first.
“She really liked Little Debbies, didn’t she?” asked Matty as she stuffed a box into a trash bag.
“She liked to eat the same things. Food was a sensitive topic as I got older. We were on food stamps. Joyce stopped working when I was around ten or eleven, I think. That was when her fourth marriage tanked. My grandfather didn’t live much longer after that, and then it was just us.
She started drinking, not a lot at first, but then it picked up and never stopped.
We’d argue so much about food.” Reese was a little startled at the tightening in her chest. Did her voice just waver?
“Yeah?” Matty asked with a light tone. Not a hint of judgment.
“Yeah. She would sell the food stamps to get cash. Fifty cents on the dollar. We got about $300 a month. We’d have just awful fights because she eventually left the grocery shopping up to me. She’d drop me off with a list and the card, and I’d have to shop for us.”
“How old were you when that happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Reese paused. Did she mind? She didn’t. Which was surprising.
She rarely talked about what happened within the bungalow to anyone other than her therapist and Haley.
“I don’t mind. I guess I started shopping on my own around thirteen.
Everything she wanted was so expensive, and after she sold at least half of it, we’d have too little left.
She would get so mad at me for buying things like canned goods.
A can of white beans was so cheap, and I didn’t mind eating a bowl of them for dinner.
She wouldn’t touch them until the end of the month when we were running low. ”
“That sounds so frustrating.”
“Right? Even at a young age, I understood that if I only had $20, I needed to buy items that lasted longer than a $4 carton of Little Debbies. I could get three cans of beans and two boxes of cheap mac and cheese for that. But she would argue. She would demand that I buy what she wanted. And I would just get so mad at her because if she didn’t sell half of them, then we’d have enough to make it the month,” she spat, tossing a pizza box into a bag.
“So, she wanted what she wanted no matter what it cost you?” Matty asked, the corners of her lips tugging downward.
“Yeah, pretty much. Everything revolved around her. You know, when I graduated from college, she took my diploma from me? Said she already had a spot on the wall. When I told her it was mine, she said that she worked just as hard, if not more, for it because she raised me. My uncle had to pry it out of her hands. She was so pissed,” Reese said with a laugh.
“Reese, that’s awful.”
She shrugged, carefully placing another vodka bottle in a bag.
This one was glass. She much preferred the plastic ones since she didn’t have to be as careful with them.
“You get used to it. Or rather, you learn to shoulder it. Eventually, your life becomes constant survival. Always on alert. I never knew which mood she would be in. She had bipolar disorder and was unmedicated for most of my life. It wasn’t so bad when my grandpa was alive.
He was a good buffer, but after he was gone, between the mental illness, narcissism, alcohol, and failed relationships, I just, I never knew who I was going to deal with whenever I left my room or came home from school. ”
Matty reached her hand out, tentatively touching Reese’s shoulder. “Just because you survived it doesn’t mean you should have had to go through it.”
That hit her hard. She pushed back tears as a lump lodged in her throat.
This can’t happen. Breaking down was not on the list of things to do today.
Today was about reclaiming more of the house and spending time with a hot handywoman while doing it.
Not letting memories of the past ruin it. Even dead Joyce was getting in the way.
“I know. I really do. It’s just easier to avoid sometimes.”
The hand dropped, leaving the place cold. “It’s none of my business, and you can totally tell me as much, but have you been to therapy for this? I mean, it got so bad that you literally left town.”
Her concern warmed Reese. She smiled. “I have had a lot of therapy. I actually stopped for a while, but picked it back up when I decided to move back. It’s been helpful but slow.
I did as much healing as I could in Kentucky, and now this should be the final ride.
A little more pain, a little more tears, and eventually, I’ll have a new start with a clearer head. ”
“I love that. That’s a great way of viewing it. It seems we’re both starting over.”
Reese beamed at Matty. “We are.”
The hours flew by without hitting another heavy dose of traumatic memories.
During that time, they talked off and on about much lighter topics.
They discovered they both loved Italian food.
Summer was their favorite season, and neither had pets growing up.
They also discovered some differences. Matty loved milkshakes, while Reese preferred hot beverages like hot chocolate.
Neither liked pistachio ice cream, but Matty liked mint chocolate chip, while Reese maintained it tasted like sweet toothpaste.
Reese vowed butter pecan was the best, leaving Matty to call it "old lady ice cream.
" They further delved into whether "pecan" was pronounced "pea-can" or "pah-con. "
It was so refreshing to have someone to banter with. Matty’s laid-back snark kept Reese on her toes and a smile almost always on her face.
“Reese?”
“Yeah?”
“Look.”
Reese turned to find Matty motioning to her right. “I found the sink and counter.”
Reese walked over to it. It was still covered in grime from the years of neglect.
She would have to wash it all a few times before it would feel even remotely clean to her, but it was cleared off, and that was a huge start.
“I can’t believe we’ve gotten this far so fast. Do you think the sink works? ”
“Only one way to find out.”
The once-silver faucet had lost its shine and was now gray. The bowl of the sink had all sorts of brown debris she didn’t want to know about, along with some old silverware and a piece of plastic wrapper. “Maybe we put a bowl under the faucet first?”
“Good idea.”
They located a piece of Tupperware missing the lid in one of the cabinets. They were mostly empty. It looked as if Joyce had used all the dishes and silverware then just didn’t wash them again.
She set it under the faucet and then turned the handle. Water began flowing. She turned to Matty, then they high-fived, both grinning widely. Another step back to reclaiming the house.
They worked for about six hours total, only stopping long enough to have a quick lunch, which was turkey and cheese sandwiches and chips put together by Reese.
The progress they made was unbelievable.
They unearthed the counters in the kitchen and found the kitchen table under a huge pile of discarded frozen pizza boxes and paper plates.
The laundry room had been stuffed full of plastic grocery bags, dirty clothing, and bedding.
The washing machine turned on, but the heating element didn’t work in the dryer.
Matty had pulled the unit out to find the exact make and model, then showed Reese exactly what she needed to fix it.
The idea that by next weekend she could do laundry in her own home was exhilarating.
Reese walked Matty to the front door. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you home?”
“Nah, I’m good. Are we still on for tomorrow evening?” Reese didn’t miss the hopefulness in her voice.
“Totally.”
“Good. How about I make dinner?”
“You don’t have to go to all that trouble.”
“No, I want to cook for you. I mean, we might as well study on a full stomach,” she said, averting her eyes.
Was Matty nervous? Was this like a date? No, that was silly. They were just helping each other. Just friends. “Okay, that sounds good.”
“Alright, well, I’ll be heading out.”
Matty reached for the doorknob, and without thinking, Reese grabbed her arm. Matty turned to face her with a hopeful look.
“I just want to thank you. For today. I never wanted someone to see this, and you made it so I wasn’t even that self-conscious about it. We made so much progress. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” There was hesitation in her movements. As if she were waiting for something. It was then that Reese realized that they were in limbo.
Her hands were reaching for Matty before it registered.
This hug felt different from their first one.
It had been a celebration. A moment of excitement.
But this, this was something entirely different.
They were opening up. She had shared things she hadn’t even told Haley.
Never had she mentioned the food insecurities.
It was like she wanted to open up, which was insane because being closed off and in control was her coping mechanism. It was what kept her safe.
So why she pulled Matty into a tight hug was a mystery to herself, but it felt right. So right. The heat from the other woman was so inviting. The way her arms immediately went around Reese. The way she rested her chin on Reese’s shoulder.
They stayed like that for a solid minute before reluctantly letting go.
Reese smiled shyly at Matty. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yep, see you tomorrow, Reese.”