Boy of the Woods {hs}

Driving

The car sputtered to life, Fauve breathing in a sigh of relief. She new she couldn't walk the 135 mile drive to her grandmothers house, and she couldn't afford the bus fair either, so her piece of junk car would have to do.

She ripped out of her drive way, faster than a bat out of hell. She drove for miles, nothing but woods on either side of her, only a few tiny towns in each break of the deep green. She only stopped twice, once for a pee, and another to fill half her tank once again.

The soft tunes of whatever was playing on the radio played through her shot speakers, as the wind coming in and out of her cracked windows carried it out of the car. She was only a few minutes to her grandmas house, the basket of things she needed to give to her, laying in her passengers seat.

Her mother, her grandmothers daughter, had just passed away, and it was all up to Fauve to figure out everything. Her dead beat drunk father wasn't around much, and it was probably better that way.

She pulled into the long gravel driveway, seeing her grandmothers house at the end, happy to have finished the long 2 hour drive. She opened her rusted door, it squealing in protest. Her brown boots hit the gravel at a steady pace as she made her way to the door, the basket of goodies in her arms.

"Granny, I'm here!" Fauve called through the quiet house.

"In here!" A faint voice called back, Fauve knowing it had come from the kitchen. She hurriedly made her way through the maze of hallways and rooms till she was met with the scent of fresh baked bread and stew.

"Fauve!" Her grandma exclaimed, "I haven't see you since the funeral!" Fauve's Grandma pulled her in for a tight hug, successfully cutting off her breathing.

"I missed you too," Fauve spoke honestly. It had been a while since she had last seen her.
"Do you have time to stay for dinner?" Her Grandma's eyes shown hopeful. Man Fauve really needed to visit her more often.

Fauve smiled in response.

They both sat around her grandmothers tiny table, not needing a huge one, it just being her grandmother living there. Sometimes it bothered Fauve that her grandma was living alone in such a large house. Who knows what could happen, and who could make things happen, without her knowledge.

The only sound that was heard, was the scrape of spoons in bowls as the two ate in silence. They didn't make small talk, no need to really. Fauve knew that as soon as dinner was finished, she would be given a basket of cookies to take home, a kiss on the cheek, and a nudge for her to leave so her grandma could watch the 7 o'clock news.

Fauve honestly didn't mind, it gave her more time for when she got home, to get ready for bed and prepare for the next day at school. Man she hated high school.

Fauve was the first done with her stew and bread, sitting silently as her grandma slowly chewed hers till her bowl was effectively empty.

"Well you better get going before it's too dark," her grandma said, glance at the clock on the wall. 6:45, she definitely was kicking Fauve out for the news.

Fauve wipes her sweaty hands on her jean clad legs and stood. She grabbed the basket of belongings, and gave it to her grandma, in exchange for a basket of cookies, fresh bread, and what she hoped was left over stew.

"Thank you for dinner," Fauve smiles softly to her grandmother.

"Anytime, sweetie!" She cheerfully replied. "Come visit more often." She scowled at Fauve, making her feel slightly guilty. It wasn't her fault she lived an hour away, and she was only a high school student struggling to make ends meet.