Liabilities Read Online Free Page B

ambrosia.
    The chatter of birds and not the sounds of honking horns and hurled curse words woke me. Not that inside Lizzy’s apartment, I would have heard such things. But once out on the sidewalk in busy Manhattan, it was more commonplace than not.
    Here, there was a gentle peace. The light spread through the single window like a beacon warning me it was much too late for my slumber. The sun was far enough in the sky to warn me that, had I been an active member of the community, I would be very late for morning chores.
    The most disturbing thing was where my fingers on my right hand were. They had found my center. I couldn’t have been more grateful that I was alone in the room and prayed that I hadn’t moaned or called out during the night. My dreams had been vivid in every way. I couldn’t help but agree with my father that staying here was not a good idea.
    With my bladder protesting, I rose to my feet. I’d had to go last night, but didn’t want to visit the outhouse in total dark. Living without inside plumbing was going to take longer to get used to.
    The house was empty when I stepped into the great room. The afghans that had been knitted by my mother rested over the side of the sofas. A plate of fruit and cheese rested on the table. Things weren’t left out by mistake. You would be inviting critters of all kinds to break bread with you if they got wind of it. Thus I knew my mother left the food for me. Most likely, it wasn’t the breakfast she’d made for the family. I could smell the remnants of that. Unsure when I would rise for the day, she had, I was certain, left things that would not fester during the day.
    The growl in my tummy was persistent, but not as much as the pressure in my bladder. I walked out the back door and several yards to the wooden structure. Opening the door, I appreciated my family’s use of natural bacteria and other things sprinkled down the hole that rested beneath the seat. It broke down the waste left behind keeping the smell to a dull yuck. It was almost odd to find a roll of toilet paper in such a place that felt so foreign after a few years gone by. Some conveniences were still used even though invented in modern times.
    When walking back, I caught sight of the shower stall that was attached to the back of the house where a well pump was shared with a hand pump inside the kitchen. So an outdoor shower was in my future. Our house did boast one extra tiny room in the house. It held a tub. I believe it was a gift from my father to my mother when he built the house. However, with no inside plumbing, it was a pain to use. Buckets of hot water had to be brought in to fill it. In the winter, we did use it more, not wanting to brave the elements outside.
    By mid-afternoon, Turner found me using the laundry bucket to rub my sisters’ dresses against a washboard. The day was warm the sun high. My aching arms had forgotten such manual use. I wanted to sink into the wash basin and dose myself with the water as my earlier shower felt like a waste of precious time. I was working on the last dress and craved another bath before my family got home from their chores of the day. However, I knew the water would be warm from the sun and, for the first time in many years, I desired a very cold shower.
    Holding my hand up to block the sunlight, I looked at Turner who had arrived and also appeared to have been working hard this day. “I thought you might be hungry,” he said in a matter-of-fact voice.
    It was then I noticed the picnic basket he carried. Getting to my feet, I rung out the last of the dresses and strolled over to the clothesline. Pinning the garment, I let my shoulders sag as my arms felt as if they couldn’t carry one more thing. My forbidden clothing that I’d hung to dry yesterday was safely tucked in the truck of my car having made a special trip before I began chores. A breeze lifted the dresses like ghostly apparitions surrounding me.
    A chuckled came close to my ear.