Husk 2

first draft

Ok, I am back to this thing. I am in a little better mood now that I’ve filled my belly with Textured Vegetable Protein, caramel coloring, and highly proceed meat and cheese. Also, found my Bulbasaur Funko Pop, so that’s cool.

At any rate, the day didn’t go any better after that.

Fausts Rights the dog.

I have always liked dogs, but this thing it was wretched. It is like a tumorous rat rolled in a bed of turds and fleas and then left to train his voice on Billie Eilish albums.

Hate it.

By the time wrested myself to my feet, I saw her. She was a little Asian woman, and when I say little, I can not describe how both short and skeletal she is. I’m not a powerful guy, but I know I could toss her like a like with one hand. She couldn’t have been over five three, and every bone seemed like it might burst through her skin.

My ball sack has fewer wrinkles.

She gave the same spookish butterflies I get when I see a hairless cat. It was something like traveling head first through the uncanny valley tied on top of a bullet train. I know it sounds mean, and I’m not normally this judgmental.

However, there was just something… something that made me feel unsteady.

I don’t even want to talk about Tommy. In a place where everything was off, he was the most cattywampus thing of all.

“Are you OK?” she said as she took short wobbly steps.

She was having difficulty getting her footing on the clumps of crabgrass.

I really didn’t know, but I said yes anyway. I tried brushing the clinging dead grass off my jeans, but it stuck with the tenancies of supper glue dipped velcro. The decrepit little dog had settled down, and he was busy pushing down some of the grass to make him a little bed. He made several little circles and plopped down in to his little rat’s nest

She fused over me for far too long, and I could smell the alcohol wafting off her as she did. “My name’s Cheryl, and I hope the horrible dog didn’t hurt you. I would set it on fire, but the thing has been a live so long I think nothing can kill it.”

I gave a clipped nevus laugh, and then said, “Hi, I’m your PCA from Care For All.”

Her heavily lidded eyes looked me up and down. “Well, ain’t you something, so what all can you do?”

“Uhh, well, I can do some light cleaning, watch your husband if you need to go out, drive y’all to any doctor’s appointments, or make you some food. I got to be honest, I’m not much of a cook. But, I can do the basics. I think Care For All should have given you a list in some of the paperwork.”

“Yeah, they did. I just wanted to see if you would lie to me.” She touched my arm, her fingers cold and birdlike. “You’re honest. That’s good. Tommy needs honest people around him.” She shook her head with a slow weariness. “He needs so much, and I can’t.” She halted for a long moment, casting her eyes to the ground.

“Well, no problem, that’s why the VA and Care For All sent me out.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it. I know you’re going to work out here. You’re like going to be our little Catalonia carnival king. If you don’t mind, the first thing I would like you to do is to cut the lawn first.”

“Oh, I’m not supposed to do yard work.”

“I know, but I will love you forever if you do. We’re too far out to get any of these lazy hillbilly ignoramuses to come out this way, and neither I nor Tommy can really walk through this jungle. Just us and Tommy.” She gestured at the overgrown yard. “Both of us might break a hip. Or what if, God forbid, he has another stroke or something? How could the paramedics even get their little table-bed thing in here?”

“I really don’t know. I think there is some kind of liability thing with the company.”

“I don’t suppose me or Tommy getting hurt is a liability to them. But not you. I can tell you’re different.”

Not long after that I was filling a lawnmower older than I was with gas, and I was wrenching on the starter cord.

It took all f-ING days.