Walker: Wish To Be A Walker

Chapter 2

Her father was gone from the house again before the sun was up, Maddie getting a few more hours of sleep before she stumbled out of bed. With the TV blaring late into the night the only time she'd been able to sleep was after his truck roared out the driveway. Sleepily she rubbed her eyes before taking her clothes from the drawers. A faded old tee-shirt and an old pair of jeans replaced her pajamas then she took a moment to see what she had that was suitable to wear to dinner at the Walkers. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone shopping for clothes. When she needed more her father would frequent a local thrift store and purchase a bag or two of things he thought might fit her.

'Good thing we're not going to a restaurant.' She mumbled beneath her breath as she thought over the clothes she had. Dresses had been her favorite thing to wear when she lived with her mother but she hadn't owned a nice dress in years. Finally she settled for a dark pink buttoned blouse that was decorated with embroidered flowers and her best looking pair of jeans. Her best belt and hat were laid on the bed with them then she stepped out of her room and walked down the hallway.

She sighed heavily, surveying the mess in the living room. Empty beer cans littered the carpet, glass too from a broken whisky bottle. Carefully she stepped around the broken glass, found the vacuum cleaner and quickly cleaned up the mess. Dad's on a binge again... She thought as she picked up the cans to place in the bin. It was nothing she hadn't dealt with before, her fathers habits weren't anything new. Every few weeks this would happen, her father hitting the bottle hard. It was during these times she'd learnt well enough to give him a wide berth. When he was drinking there was no telling what kind of mindset he was in.

After cleaning the living room she went into the kitchen, shaking her head when she opened the fridge door. The fridge was filled with beer, he'd obviously filled it after she had gone to bed. Not surprisingly there wasn't any more food and she sent him a text to remind him that he needed to do a grocery shop. With having served him up up the last ready meal the night before, the only thing left for breakfast was the cake that Abeline had bought her. A thin slice went down with a big glass of water then she headed out into the garden.

There were quite a few things that were ready to be harvested and so that was what she set about to do. Some tomatoes and cucumbers were ready, as well as some carrots and watermelons. The strawberries weren't quite ready yet, nor were the rest of the plants. The lettuce could stand to loose a few leaves, the spinach too and she decided that with what was ripe she could make up a salad of sorts to contribute to the meal.

Hours slipped by as she worked in the garden, afternoon arriving before she'd noticed. A message notification was what stirred her from her thoughts and she stood as she pulled her phone out. Her father had finally said he'd do a shop, much to her relief. While there was the garden, it wouldn't be able to provide her fully with food. At least it was something though, when he hadn't the time to shop.

Sending him a message of thanks she went back into the house to get herself ready. A quick shower and wash of her hair made her feel like a new person, Maddie smiling to herself as she dried her hair. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been invited someplace, though felt somewhat nervous at the same time. People asked questions, questions she didn't particularly like to answer though. The thought of messaging to decline the invitation crossed her mind but she strongly dismissed it. She could do this, she had always been good at lying when it came to those uncomfortable questions being asked.

Once she was ready to go she went back into the kitchen and cut up the fresh produce from the garden for the salad. Checking her watch she decided it was time to go, hopefully Abeline didn't mind if she showed up a little early. The salad went into a container then she headed out to the barn and pulled out the bicycle she had found. She'd found it earlier in the week and had cleaned it up in case she needed to use it.