Page 21 of Driftwood Daffodil 3

My mind was a whirl of emotions I didn’t want to feel. Did Gio care? Did I? Why wasn’t I traumatized? What was wrong with me? I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Shut up.” I hissed while twisting the tap on the sink.

It didn’t work. The drips in the background continued.

Glop…

Glop…

Glop…

The incessant sounds wouldn’t stop. They continued to tick away at the back of my brain. Then something else came. Flashes of strange images that caused my brows to knit.

A table leg, dirty linoleum floor, pink pants and yellow sneakers, and a knife digging into someone’s arms as it sliced up and tore the flesh apart.

None of it made sense. I knew the shoes. When I was little, I had a pair just like them. One day, they just disappeared. I remember spending days looking for them. Kato said I outgrew them.

Glop…

Glop…

Glop…

“What’s wrong with her, Kato?”

That wasn’t Gio’s voice. Maybe I really was going insane?

Shaking the image and voices out of my mind, I left the bathroom to get a cup of coffee.

I didn’t have the patience to deal with whatever the hell that was. I barely had the patience to deal with my regular thoughts on a good day.

Grabbing the coffeepot, I pulled down my pink kitten mug, then stopped to eye Maw Maw’s bourbon. It was a good bottle. One of Whitley distilleries special editions that Maw Maw won during a poker game.

I added a shot to my coffee. Maw Maw wouldn’t miss it, and there was no better way to forget one’s troubles than to sit on the porch in the fresh morning air, while drinking away your sorrows. Which was exactly what I did. After all, it was 5 o'clock somewhere.

It was just what I needed. After spending so long stressed out, it was nice to relax for once. For once, I had nothing to worry about. No Veda freak outs, assholes or fake boyfriends, schoolwork, or Maw Maw breathing down my neck.

Even my truck was parked in her regular spot. And I wasn’t about to question how it got there. I was going to just sit back and enjoy the day. This was the life. Sitting outside with just me, the sun, and Mr. Garibaldi’s varmint war.

“I’ll git you!.” He yelled while chasing a group of raccoons with a broom.

There were three of them, and all of them were smarter than him. He'd swing his broom, and they’d dodge out of the way. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they were laughing at him while doing it. It was great. I forgot how fun it was to just watch.Pants would’ve been a nice addition though. At the very least he could’ve closed his bathrobe. That man did not have the legs for boxers.

Eventually he managed to chase the racoons out of his yard. After which he went about picking his trashcans off the ground.

“You want some help with that?” I didn’t particularly want to get out of my comfy lounge chair, but I was in a good mood.

Mr. Garibaldi tipped his head my way and arched a brow. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“Shouldn’t you be wearing pants?” I was starting to wonder if he owned any pants.

He completely ignored my comment. “Your Maw Maw know you’re not in school?”

“She heard the raccoons plotting last night, and thought you might need some backup.”

“Looks to me like you’re the one that could use backup.”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was talking about, when he tipped his chin in my direction.

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