Chapter 12
SERANA
“Are all of these kids related to Zoey?” Moe whispered in terror as she looked out over the field where the guests were roaming.
Actually, a better description would be that the adults were casually roaming around looking for the perfect pumpkin, while approximately seven thousand children sprinted around screaming at a pitch that I knew would cause me to prematurely lose hearing.
“Oh, God. There are a million of them!” Fiona whispered in awe.
“Did they bus them in from other towns?” Taylor asked. “Surely they’re not all related to Zoey . . . right?”
“I recognize some of them. Okay, I recognize like ten of them, but they’re running in a pattern that makes it hard to point them out.”
“There’s a pattern?” Moe asked.
“My ovaries just started twitching,” Shivon said in shock.
“You want one of those?” Moe asked in horror.
“No! They realized it’s their job to make some of . . .” Shivon motioned toward the field and gulped before she finished, “Those things, and then they hid behind my spleen. I don’t think they’re ever going to come back out.”
“They’re just kids, you guys,” I assured them through my barely-contained laughter. “You act like we’re being invaded by zombies or something.”
“This is much more terrifying. At least I can fight zombies!”
Moe’s terror was like chocolate for my soul, and when I glanced over and saw the look on her face, I howled with laughter. Yes, there were a lot of kids running around, and yes, they were very loud, but they looked like they were having the time of their lives, and I thought that was awesome.
During our first planning meeting - before the ground was even broken on the first house out here at The Flower Patch - Zoey had shown us a diagram of her plans for the gardens.
Of course, we had the high tunnels that would help us grow throughout the cold months and the greenhouse that would always be full of seedlings, but there were also rows and rows of flowers, along with vegetables and herbs to sell at the farmers market and to use in our own cooking.
When I asked Zoey about the large plot of land that didn’t have anything dedicated to it, she explained that she didn’t want to overtax herself or any of us; therefore, she hadn’t planned to grow anything in that space.
I suggested we plant squash and pumpkins out there since their vines took up so much room, and one of the other women suggested sunflowers.
Zoey embraced the idea. Since pumpkins and squash required very little maintenance but a long time to grow and ripen, that field was the first one we planted in the hopes that we might have enough to decorate with in the fall.
We didn’t spend much time out in the “pumpkin patch,” as we’d come to refer to it.
Between our other projects and settling into our new homes, we had plenty to keep us busy, but we still watched the progression of growth over the months.
A few weeks ago, we all pulled on our gardening boots and long pants to protect us against snakes and spiders and walked through the field to see how many pumpkins we might be able to harvest.
We were amazed at the abundance those seeds had produced.
Hundreds of pumpkins were growing - all types and sizes in different colors and textures - and the majority of them were ready to harvest. As a final safety check, a few of us walked the land yesterday after finishing the goodie bags, and we found more pumpkins than we could count.
Even though I hadn’t done much more than drop a few seeds in the ground and check the water supply when it was my turn on the schedule, I was just as proud of the pumpkin patch as I was of the blooming flower fields and tunnels.
Watching the families laughing together as the kids ran around searching for their perfect pumpkin, I couldn’t help but wonder if, someday, I might be one of those parents out there.
It was a crazy thought, especially considering that Roscoe and I weren’t even officially dating and hadn’t truly kissed yet, but I found myself imagining walking hand in hand with him as our child sat on his shoulders and squealed with excitement while joining in the fun.
“What are you dreaming about right now?” Taylor asked.
“It’s clearly not the kid invasion because she’s got that sappy look on her face,” Moe chimed in before I could answer.
“I was wondering if I might bring my own kid out here someday,” I admitted.
“Yep! I knew it was sappy!” Moe said with a grin. “Haven’t even banged the good doctor, and you’re already planning for the white picket fence.”
“Do you think women like us deserve to have that?” I asked.
“Women like us who work every day to maintain our sobriety and better ourselves? Yes. I’m not going to lump all ex-cons into that group for a variety of reasons, but it’s a dream none of us should be afraid of. As far as I’m concerned, it’s something to strive for.”
I looked at Moe in shock as Taylor sputtered, “Didn’t you just call this an invasion?”
“Maybe I was wrong,” Moe admitted. “An invasion would probably be this loud, but my guess is we wouldn’t be hearing so much laughter.”
“I want that for myself. I want it for us.”
“If you burst into song and start twirling around while birds land on your outstretched arms, I’m going to stick a broom up your ass and turn you into a scarecrow.”
Moe’s threat lightened the mood, and Taylor and I burst out laughing while Moe just grinned.
“I am aware that it’s fantastic, and I know you’ve been admiring it for years, but you better stay away from my ass.”
“Bitch, please,” Moe scoffed.
“So, what do we do now?” Taylor asked.
“Let’s double-check the tables and make sure everything is ready for the kids to start painting,” I suggested.
“We’re gonna need to hose everyone off by the time they’re done,” Moe said with a scowl as she watched a little girl throw a dirt clod at another, who retaliated by pushing her to the ground.
“I had no idea that family day at The Flower Patch would be the biggest threat to my sobriety I’d faced so far.
I could really use a drink right about now. ”
“Garvey walked into the office carrying a big bag of chocolate truffles this morning, and I know where he hides his candy stash,” Taylor said cheerfully.
“It’s not vodka, but chocolate will do in a pinch,” Moe said as she hooked her arm into Taylor’s and put her other one out for me.
I linked arms with her, and we took off toward the office together, all three of us smiling at the laughter echoing around us.
“You know what? A year ago, I would have never imagined that I’d be this happy, free as a bird, and living in my own home surrounded by my friends. ”
“Same,” Taylor said. “I kind of like you two.”
“I’ve grown fond of all the women here, which is easy to say since Jill and Margie are finally gone.”
“Thank God. I’m glad they fucked up on their own and got sent away. It saved me from another long sentence because if I’d had to deal with either of them for much longer, I’d have lost my shit and we’d have had to use this field to bury a few bodies.”
“You know what? I had that same thought myself and wondered if either of you might help me dig the hole,” I admitted.
“You don’t bury a body this close to your home, dumbass!” Taylor said in exasperation. “You carefully transport it to an alternate location - preferably somewhere remote with a lot of animal activity - and then take a different route home so no one can track you.”
“I’m going to pretend we never had this conversation.”
“Me too,” Moe agreed. We were almost to the edge of the parking lot when Moe asked, “Do you think we’re going to be exhausted by the time this little event is over?”
“I’m not going to bingo with you, Moe,” Taylor said firmly.
“Come on! It’s not going to kill you!”
“I’ve got dinner plans,” I announced. Just because I knew it would irritate her, I added, “And even if I didn’t, I’d pretend I did just so I wouldn’t have to go to fucking bingo.”
“I take back everything I said. I don’t like either of you at all.”
◆◆◆
“If you add up all the times I’ve laughed in the last ten years, it wouldn’t be a fraction of how much I’ve laughed today,” Taylor admitted as she lifted her side of the plastic sheet we’d used to cover one of the folding tables.
I lifted my side, and we folded them together, trapping all the glitter and globs of wet paint inside in the hopes of leaving the table clean.
We had learned our lesson after the first table ended up covered in streaks of the mess.
I smiled when Taylor looked at her hand and grimaced at a streak of black paint across her knuckles.
“Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m completely traumatized by the chaos and will need at least three days to recover.”
“I will, too, but it was worth it to see how happy all the kids were,” Fiona chimed in as she dragged a large trash bin toward us. “I wonder if Zoey has any ideas about how we can do this again.”
“I’m going to talk to her about starting a kids’ gardening club,” Fallon said as she put the plastic tablecloth she and Shivon had folded into the bin. “I’ll wait until her friends are gone, though.”
“I’m going to say goodbye to Holly and Damien,” I told the women as I started to walk away.
“I’ll come with you. I want to talk to Lynn about taking the girls for pedicures,” Moe said as she caught up to me.
“I think it’s funny that you were traumatized while all of the kids were running around, but you’re seeking out Lynn’s granddaughters for some one-on-one time.”
“I’m not a fan of any kind of people in large groups, children or otherwise,” Moe admitted. “Although I have to say, even though they were wild and crazy, they were really good kids. And the people I met were great.”
“You didn’t add the last part, but I know you were thinking it just like the rest of us.”
“The fact that they were all nice to us even though they know who and what we are?” Moe asked.