Innocent
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Innocents Pt. 02 free porn video
Luke woke the next morning when his room was still dark. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was a little after six. At first, he thought he needed to be at work, but then yesterday came back to him in a sickening rush. Closing his eyes, he remembered holding Chelsea’s hand in the ICU.
Luke sat up and squinted at his half-open door. He saw light drifting down the hall from the kitchen, and he could hear Doreen walking around. It was strange having someone else in the house after so many years. Strange, but not unwelcome, he realized.
Luke climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before heading to the kitchen. He found Doreen sitting at the table, a plate of casserole before her. She looked up at him and waved her fork in greeting.
He grimaced. ‘Little early for that, ain’t it? I got cereal, or you could scramble some eggs.’
Doreen shrugged. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve had home-cooked food.’
Luke frowned. Doreen was eating what looked like a broccoli and cheese concoction. ‘Did you even heat that up in the microwave?’
‘I didn’t want to wake you up. I don’t mind it cold.’
Without a word, Luke strode over to the table and picked up the plate. After placing it in the microwave and making his best guess as to how long to heat it, he turned back to Doreen. ‘We gotta go through this again? You’re not a guest. You live here now.’
Doreen took a sip of cranberry juice. ‘It doesn’t hurt to be considerate.’ She wore a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Her socks had been white at one time but were now a dingy gray.
The microwave beeped, and Luke took the plate from it and set it back on the table. ‘Now try that and see if it’s better,’ he told Doreen. She took a bite of food and nodded. ‘How are you feeling?’
She picked up a pill from the table and swallowed it with some juice. ‘I feel a little better. I think the antibiotic’s starting to work.’
‘Good.’ Luke shuffled to the counter and began making a fresh pot of coffee.
‘Tell your friend Mack that his wife is a good cook,’ Doreen said.
Luke smiled and gazed out the window above the sink. ‘It’s supposed to be sunny today, not as cold.’ He glanced over his shoulder at Doreen. ‘I need to go to the funeral home and make arrangements for Chelsea’s cremation. You want to go with me?’
Doreen hesitated. ‘May as well,’ she finally said.
‘And then we have to go by the school and update your address and get you on a different bus route.’ Luke poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down across from Doreen. ‘We also need to go to the store and buy you some new shoes.’
‘My shoes are okay.’
Luke shook his head. ‘Those sneakers are falling apart, Doreen.’ He took the first sip of coffee and let out a satisfied sigh. ‘And then we’ll go to the bank.’
Doreen scraped at the last bits of casserole on her plate. ‘I’d like to take out a couple hundred dollars from the account, so I can buy things I need.’
‘I’d prefer it if you left that money alone,’ Luke said.
She frowned at him. ‘You said it’s mine.’
He held up a hand. ‘It is yours, but if you need money, I can give you some.’
‘You’ve given me more than enough.’ Doreen stood and took her plate to the sink, where she washed it and then placed it in the dish drainer to dry. ‘Ain’t you going to eat something?’ she asked.
‘Nah,’ Luke said. ‘I never have much of an appetite in the mornings.’ He finished his cup of coffee and stretched, releasing a groan. ‘I’m going to take a shower. Help yourself to some coffee.’
Doreen shook her head. ‘Never liked the stuff.’
Luke laughed and climbed to his feet. ‘You don’t know what you’re missing.’ She stood before him, and without thinking, he reached out and ruffled her hair. Doreen flinched, and Luke started to apologize, but then she gave him a quick smile before heading to her room.
Later that morning, they drove to the school in Starkwood. Fog hovered low on the mountains, but Luke knew the sun would soon burn it away. He pulled into the school parking lot, staring at the drab brick building. He didn’t remember it looking so dismal when he was a student there. Of course, that was over twenty years ago, when the town was struggling but had more life in it. These days, those who could leave this place got on out.
‘I’d rather not go in there,’ Doreen said. Luke looked at his niece and saw the unmistakable dread on her face. ‘Do I have to go with you?’
‘No, you just stay here. I won’t be long.’ He got out of the truck and headed for the front entrance. Stepping inside, he found the halls quiet, since classes had already begun. Luke remembered where the office was, in his hell-raising days as a teenager, he’d spent enough time there sitting before the principal. Taking a deep breath, he detected the odor of mildew, similar to the way books smelled when they got wet.
As soon as Luke explained to the office staff that he was Doreen’s uncle, they grew quiet and somber. Doreen wasn’t the first student to lose a parent to a drug overdose, but in a town of this small size, each untimely death rippled through the community. Luke filled out some forms and learned where Doreen would need to catch the bus to school. It was just a short walk from his house. Luke had already decided that he’d drive her to and from school when his work schedule allowed it.
The school nurse, principal, and secretary huddled around Luke before he left, offering their condolences. He thanked them even as he squirmed under their scrutiny, and now he understood why Doreen wanted to wait outside.
As he approached his truck, Luke saw her staring out at him with wide eyes. He gave her a reassuring smile, then opened the door and climbed into the driver’s seat. ‘That’s taken care of,’ he told her.
The funeral home was just a few blocks away. It had actually been converted from a dwelling, and it now had a well-maintained exterior and good landscaping. The place looked cheerier than the school, Luke realized.
They went inside where the funeral home director, Mr. Fowler, was expecting them. Luke looked around and noted the tasteful furniture and plush carpet, the paintings of peaceful nature scenes hanging on the walls. He remembered being in this building after his father died, and again when his mother passed. In his mind, the place had a residue of grief clinging to it.
Mr. Fowler ushered them into his office. Doreen chose a chair closest to the corner, as if she could sit there unnoticed.
Luke sat before Mr. Fowler’s desk. ‘I mentioned to you yesterday that I don’t have a lot of money,’ he said. ‘We don’t plan on having a service. We just want a simple cremation.’
Mr. Fowler’s sympathetic smile didn’t waver as he nodded. Then he looked at Doreen. ‘You’re named after your grandmother,’ he said, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘She and I went to school together,’ Mr. Fowler explained. ‘I always liked and respected her a great deal, and I know there are many others in this town who mourned her loss.’ He turned back to Luke. ‘Tell you what. I won’t charge you more than cost for your sister’s cremation. This isn’t something I normally do, of course, or I’d be out of business, and I’d appreciate it if you kept this arrangement between us, but your family’s had more than its fair share of loss.’
Luke’s shoulders slumped in relief as a rush of air escaped his lungs. ‘Thank you, Mr. Fowler. I sure appreciate that.’
They went over the details of the cremation, and several times Luke glanced at Doreen to see her reaction, especially when it was decided that a casket for Chelsea was unnecessary, so she’d be placed in a cheap cardboard container before being cremated. When it came time to pick out an urn, Luke turned to Doreen for her opinion, Chelsea was the girl’s mother, after all, and Doreen would be given her ashes.
Doreen shrugged. ‘Whatever’s cheapest
,’ she said.
When Luke and Mr. Fowler settled on a total, Luke was relieved to find that he could write a check and pay for everything outright rather than being forced to set up a payment plan to cover the expense.
Mr. Fowler shook Luke’s hand. ‘Again, I’m so sorry for your loss,’ he said to Doreen.
‘Thank you,’ she replied, stepping closer to Luke. He slipped an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him, letting him lead her back outside to the truck.
He sat behind the wheel, hesitating before he slipped the key into the ignition. A tremor coursed through his shoulders, as though a huge weight rested on them.
‘You okay?’ Doreen asked, her voice sounding small and faraway.
He swallowed hard and nodded. ‘I know this is a hell of a thing for a kid your age to go through.’
‘This isn’t just about me,’ she said. ‘She was your sister, and you had a lot more good years with her than I did.’
Luke winced at Doreen’s words, but he couldn’t dispute them.
They rode in silence to the bank, and once they were inside and sitting before another large desk, Luke was taken aback at just how much red tape was involved in opening an account these days. Doreen produced her identification and answered all of the bank employee’s questions, and at one point when the woman got up to retrieve yet another form for Doreen to fill out, Luke’s niece made a funny face at him. ‘Now I know why some people choose to hide all their money in their damn mattress,’ she muttered, and Luke burst out laughing.
When Doreen’s account was finally set up and Luke requested the transfer of five thousand dollars from his account to hers, he watched the girl’s face brighten with excitement and felt he’d finally done something worthwhile for her. Doreen made her first withdrawal, and as the woman counted out two hundred dollars, Luke frowned. He knew just how fast that money could disappear.
After they left the bank, Doreen thrust the cash at him. ‘It ain’t a good idea for me to be carrying this kind of money at school, and I don’t want to leave it just lying around your house. Will you keep it for me?’
Luke stopped and stared at his niece. ‘You sure?’ he asked, and she nodded. ‘Well, okay. I don’t mind holding onto it for you.’ He put the money in his wallet and patted her shoulder. ‘I promise I won’t spend it all in one place.’
‘Very funny,’ Doreen said, but she smiled.
It was almost noon when they headed toward Fairview, a small city thirty miles east of Starkwood. It had a few big retail stores and some sit-down restaurants. ‘I ain’t been to Fairview since I was a little kid,’ Doreen said.
Luke slipped on a pair of sunglasses. The fog had completely dissipated, and sunlight warmed the truck’s interior. ‘Well, I generally try to avoid the place. Last I heard, Kayla was living with a man in Fairview and working as a nurse’s aide at the hospital there.’
‘We don’t have to go to Fairview,’ Doreen said hurriedly. ‘I can buy shoes somewhere else.’
‘Doreen, it’s fine,’ he said, giving her an easy smile. ‘I seriously doubt we’ll run into my ex-wife today.’
Fifteen minutes later, Luke pulled into the parking lot of one of the big box stores, and after they got out of the truck, he had to hustle to keep up with Doreen. As soon as they were inside, she made a beeline for the shoes section. ‘Don’t you want to look around?’ Luke asked.
‘Nah. All I need is a new pair of shoes,’ she said.
Luke couldn’t help but laugh. The girl had certainly inherited her grandmother’s frugality. He kept close to Doreen, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans and waiting patiently as she browsed the shoes. Finally she settled on a pair of black boots and sat down to try them on. ‘Doreen, it will be summer before you know it. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have another pair of sneakers?’ he asked.
Doreen walked up and down the aisle while wearing the boots, seeing how they felt on her feet. ‘A good pair of boots will last a lot longer.’ She sat back down and took off the boots, holding them up for closer inspection. ‘These will do,’ she said to Luke.
By this point, he knew not to question her, when the girl’s mind was made up, there was no changing it. She used her own money to pay for the boots, and once she was sitting in his truck again, she immediately put them on. ‘You may as well throw those old sneakers away,’ Luke said.
Doreen shook her head. ‘They still got some use.’
He took her to lunch at a steakhouse, where she studied the menu for a good five minutes before deciding on a burger and fries. ‘I’m paying for lunch,’ she told him.
‘Oh, no you ain’t,’ he said. ‘I invited you. My treat.’ Luke chose the ribeye steak and a baked potato. After they placed their orders, he rested his arms on the table and leaned toward her. ‘I’d say it’s been a productive day, girlie.’
Doreen nodded and took several swallows of her ice water. ‘I can’t believe how much things have changed in just a day.’ She picked up her straw wrapper and began folding it between her fingers.
Luke sighed and stared out the window. ‘Seems like the biggest changes come from out of nowhere.’
As they ate their lunch, Luke watched Doreen take small bites of her burger and chew slowly. ‘This is really good,’ she said.
‘Save room for dessert,’ he told her. At first she protested, but it didn’t take much to convince her to order a chocolate brownie with ice cream. The waitress brought two spoons, and Luke took a few bites before letting his niece have the rest.
On the way back to Belmont, Doreen grew quiet, and when Luke looked over at her, he found that she’d fallen asleep, her head resting against the window. A rush of tenderness flooded his insides at the sight of her dozing peacefully. She looked like a little girl, her lips slightly parted and her deep breaths audible.
Doreen didn’t wake until Luke pulled into his driveway. She raised her head and then gave him a sheepish smile. ‘I didn’t know I was so tired,’ she said, rubbing her eyes.
‘You need the rest,’ he told her. ‘You’ve been through a lot.’
As they climbed the porch steps, Luke saw several dishes placed neatly in front of his door. Some of them had cards taped to the foil covering the plates.
‘What’s all this?’ Doreen asked.
‘I guess the neighbors have left some food for us. Looks like we won’t have to cook for a while.’
They carried the dishes into the house and set them on the kitchen counter. ‘Wow,’ Doreen said. ‘There’s another casserole, and some ham biscuits, and this looks like a strawberry pie.’
Luke opened the sympathy cards and read over them. ‘What did I tell you, girlie?’ he said, holding up the cards for Doreen to see. ‘Word travels fast around here. All the same, it’s a nice gesture.’ He nodded to the dishes. ‘We got to make sure to get those containers back to their owners.’
Doreen examined the pie plate, lifting it above her head. ‘This one has a piece of masking tape on the bottom with ‘Morris’ written on it.”
‘They live two houses down.’ Luke closed his eyes as he rubbed his temples. ‘I feel a headache coming on, so I think I’m gonna lie down for a bit.’
Doreen moved the dishes into the refrigerator. ‘You want me to get you some aspirin?’
‘Nah, I’ll be okay. Feel free to watch some television. There’s a nice breeze outside if you want to sit on the porch—just don’t wander off,’ Luke said, and she nodded. He studied her a moment, at a loss, feeling like he shouldn’t leave her by herself. A girl like her thought too much when she had time on her hands. ‘You all right, Doreen?’ he asked.
She gave him a quizzical look. ‘I’m fine. Why?’
‘Just making sure.’
***
Doreen sat out on the porch and watched leaden clouds settle over the mountains. New green leaves on the trees provided a colorful contrast to the gray sky. The wind strengthened, wh
ipping her hair against her face. She knew she should go inside and get her coat, but she didn’t want to be running in and out of the house while Luke was trying to sleep. He looked tired, as if the past day had taken a heavy toll on him.
Sitting back in the chair, Doreen considered her own state of mind and wondered why she wasn’t more distraught. She didn’t figure many people could blame her for not missing her mother, but Doreen had her own reasons to feel guilty about Chelsea’s passing. And yet she didn’t. She didn’t know what that said about her as a person, and she found she didn’t much care.
A car eased down the road, slowing as it passed Luke’s house. Doreen didn’t smile, but she raised her hand in greeting, and the elderly man behind the wheel waved back. She wondered if his wife had prepared one of those dishes left on Luke’s porch. Maybe the strawberry pie.
Doreen stayed outside until a steady rain began to fall and the cold made her fingernails turn blue. Luke was still sleeping, and she crept by his room, wincing as the floorboards creaked beneath her weight. In her own room, she rifled through her cardboard box and took out a novel she’d been reading. It was one she’d read many times before, but she didn’t have many books of her own, so she had to make do.
Doreen heard Luke get up a little after five, and when she left her room, she found him in the kitchen, hunched over the sink as he stared out the window at the rain still falling. ‘Did you sleep well?’ she asked.
He turned to face her. ‘Too well. Now I’ll never get back to sleep tonight.’
She heated up some casserole and a few ham biscuits for their dinner. Afterward, they both had a slice of strawberry pie, and Luke moaned his appreciation when he took the first bite. ‘You need to keep this away from me,’ he told Doreen. ‘I’m liable to eat it all.’
Later that night, she sat with him in the front room. He lounged in his recliner while she stretched out on the sofa, feeling like a kid again, drowsy and safe. Luke asked her if she’d like to watch anything in particular, but she said she didn’t care, so he settled on some action movie.
‘Luke, would you mind seeing if the college library has some books on astronomy you can check out for me?’ Doreen asked.
He looked over at her. ‘I’m sure it does. Anything specific you’re looking for?’
She sat up and shrugged. ‘I like learning about the stars, and right now, I’m trying to memorize all the constellations. Our school library has a few science books that one of the teachers donated, but I’ve read them already. I’d also like to read more about cosmology, even though I don’t understand a lot of it,’ she said. ‘But who does, really? How can we think we know anything if we still don’t understand how the universe works? And what if there’s an infinite number of us in parallel universes? What happens when we die in one of those universes? If we’re living an infinite number of lives, in an infinite number of universes, then aren’t we dying every minute—every second, even?’ Doreen realized she was rambling and fell silent, suddenly embarrassed.
Luke stared at her in surprise, and then he smiled and slowly shook his head. ‘Those are some deep thoughts, girlie. Far too deep for my brain.’ He furrowed his brow. ‘But wait, if we’re dying every second, ain’t we also being born every second, too?’
Doreen considered his words and then grimaced. ‘Well, that’s a depressing thought.’
***
The weekend passed quietly, with Luke and Doreen staying at the house. A couple of neighbors dropped by with yet more food, and Luke thanked them politely but didn’t invite them inside. Doreen stayed out of sight, not feeling up to meeting new people.
Luke seemed antsy as Saturday melded into Sunday, and Doreen realized he wasn’t used to having several days off work at a time. Though she was dreading going back to school on Monday, Doreen knew Luke was ready to return to work. It seemed they were isolated in their grieving, shut away from the world, waiting an appropriate time before they could go back to their normal routines.
Luke woke her early on Monday morning. ‘You want me to drive you to school?’ he asked, flipping on her bedroom light.
Trish
- 11.08.2020
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