Jason. Figuring that had to be
the young kid, she called him up. After talking with his mother for a few
minutes, they arranged for a few local kids to do that job. Bailey felt guilty,
only offering them two hundred dollars for doing it. But the lady seemed happy.
The phone clicked as she set it
down. The simple act drained her. She rested her head on her arm for a minute
and took a few deep breaths. After a brief moment, she stepped back and looked
at the list. Not sure why, she tore it off the wall and tucked it into her
pocket. Sighing, she forced herself to get to the work that she needed to get
done. She headed down the hall.
Time to get some things cleaned
out.
CHAPTER NINE
The single closet door opened easily. Bailey grabbed
blankets, sheets and towels and pushed them into a bag. Cleaners, shoe polish,
bug spray and stuff she didn’t want to know about, went into a box. She left
the vacuum-cleaner sitting there as she knew she’d need it later on.
Next she went into the bathroom.
Squatting, she opened the double doors under the sink. “Full” didn’t describe
it accurately. It was packed so tightly that not even another bobby pin would
have fit. Grabbing some of the soft items, she pulled on them. Several things
tumbled out. Nylons, cotton balls, pads of a brand that were no longer made,
hair spray, room freshener. Behind that were old cleaners, more hair spray,
hair products and other junk she didn’t feel like digging through. All went in
the garbage. In the back were full bottles of shampoo, lotion, hair goop and
other stuff she really didn’t want to go through, so she dumped all of it in
the bag. Her knees cracked as she stood. The toothpaste, toothbrush, soap and
containers were all used and not worth keeping, so everything on top of the
counter got thrown out. Turning she leaned over the tub and grabbed all the
rest of her mom’s products and tossed them out. She stepped into the hallway,
her immediate gaze locked on the doorway just down the hall.
“I can’t go in there yet,” she
whispered but that didn’t stop her from moving towards it, her mom’s room. The
door was wide open giving her a clear view of the immaculately made bed. She
had always teased her mom that she could have bounced a coin off the pristine
white comforter. Her mom had reminded her that there was no one to look after
her and she better remember that. It was one of the few reasons Bailey was
quite glad she hadn’t come to visit her. She’d have had to clean for two weeks
just to make it look livable. It would have taken a couple of weeks and an army
of housecleaners, to reach her mom’s standards.
There was no barrier stopping her
from walking in but she couldn’t step across the threshold. She stared into the
place that she was going to have to find the strength not only to clean out but
to enter. She wondered if people who went to visit a castle ever stood outside
the front doors and wondered if they were good enough to go in.
Spinning on her heel, she walked
to the living room. A flower-patterned love seat and rocker-recliner – which
might have looked hip in the seventy’s – and a china cabinet that held items
purchased from garage sales, were the bulk of the furniture. She stood in front
of the cabinet, looking through the glass at all the different salt and
peppers, the cream and sugar sets. All were quite nice but had no meaning for
Bailey. Her mom had collected them over the last five years. A white sugar bowl
covered with several tiny dark red roses caught her attention. She opened the
door and carefully picked it up. It really was beautiful and looked to be in
perfect condition, no cracks, no dulling of color. Something rattled as she
brought it closer. Reaching inside, she pulled out two items.
Gasping, she stared at what she
held. Both were valueless and useless. She’d been seven when she’d given her
mom the tiny, plastic rose and the clam shell she’d found on the beach. It
the young kid, she called him up. After talking with his mother for a few
minutes, they arranged for a few local kids to do that job. Bailey felt guilty,
only offering them two hundred dollars for doing it. But the lady seemed happy.
The phone clicked as she set it
down. The simple act drained her. She rested her head on her arm for a minute
and took a few deep breaths. After a brief moment, she stepped back and looked
at the list. Not sure why, she tore it off the wall and tucked it into her
pocket. Sighing, she forced herself to get to the work that she needed to get
done. She headed down the hall.
Time to get some things cleaned
out.
CHAPTER NINE
The single closet door opened easily. Bailey grabbed
blankets, sheets and towels and pushed them into a bag. Cleaners, shoe polish,
bug spray and stuff she didn’t want to know about, went into a box. She left
the vacuum-cleaner sitting there as she knew she’d need it later on.
Next she went into the bathroom.
Squatting, she opened the double doors under the sink. “Full” didn’t describe
it accurately. It was packed so tightly that not even another bobby pin would
have fit. Grabbing some of the soft items, she pulled on them. Several things
tumbled out. Nylons, cotton balls, pads of a brand that were no longer made,
hair spray, room freshener. Behind that were old cleaners, more hair spray,
hair products and other junk she didn’t feel like digging through. All went in
the garbage. In the back were full bottles of shampoo, lotion, hair goop and
other stuff she really didn’t want to go through, so she dumped all of it in
the bag. Her knees cracked as she stood. The toothpaste, toothbrush, soap and
containers were all used and not worth keeping, so everything on top of the
counter got thrown out. Turning she leaned over the tub and grabbed all the
rest of her mom’s products and tossed them out. She stepped into the hallway,
her immediate gaze locked on the doorway just down the hall.
“I can’t go in there yet,” she
whispered but that didn’t stop her from moving towards it, her mom’s room. The
door was wide open giving her a clear view of the immaculately made bed. She
had always teased her mom that she could have bounced a coin off the pristine
white comforter. Her mom had reminded her that there was no one to look after
her and she better remember that. It was one of the few reasons Bailey was
quite glad she hadn’t come to visit her. She’d have had to clean for two weeks
just to make it look livable. It would have taken a couple of weeks and an army
of housecleaners, to reach her mom’s standards.
There was no barrier stopping her
from walking in but she couldn’t step across the threshold. She stared into the
place that she was going to have to find the strength not only to clean out but
to enter. She wondered if people who went to visit a castle ever stood outside
the front doors and wondered if they were good enough to go in.
Spinning on her heel, she walked
to the living room. A flower-patterned love seat and rocker-recliner – which
might have looked hip in the seventy’s – and a china cabinet that held items
purchased from garage sales, were the bulk of the furniture. She stood in front
of the cabinet, looking through the glass at all the different salt and
peppers, the cream and sugar sets. All were quite nice but had no meaning for
Bailey. Her mom had collected them over the last five years. A white sugar bowl
covered with several tiny dark red roses caught her attention. She opened the
door and carefully picked it up. It really was beautiful and looked to be in
perfect condition, no cracks, no dulling of color. Something rattled as she
brought it closer. Reaching inside, she pulled out two items.
Gasping, she stared at what she
held. Both were valueless and useless. She’d been seven when she’d given her
mom the tiny, plastic rose and the clam shell she’d found on the beach. It
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