Dirty Laundry

It was a cold and muggy afternoon in the trailer park. The icy wind whistled through the trees as it gently shook the mobile home that Shawna, Luke, and Michael lived in.

Large puddles of rainwater were scattered across their muddy driveway and every window in their home was fogging up from the heat inside. Swinging the front door wide open, Shawna hastily stormed outside as she fanned the smoke out of her trailer.

“Motherfucker…” she groaned with a lit cigarette in her mouth. “That’s the last time I’ll be cooking brisket for those sorry sacks of shits ever again.

Shawna wasn’t shy about letting her deep southern accent come out. She was originally born and raised in Arkansas before divorcing her last husband. She moved to Pennsylvania early last year in the hope of avoiding her crazy ex and starting a new life. Within two months, Shawna landed a job as a waitress at a local Denny’s where she eventually met Michael.

The two hit it off and got married soon after. Like many guys, Michael had promised her the world…only for Shawna to later realize that he wasn’t that much better than her last husband.

Michael wasn’t necessarily a horrible person per se. He was just lazy and stubborn…with a severe drinking problem. Okay, so he’s not tall, dark, and handsome that many women would swoon for…but he did own his own trucking business and has made decent money. That might not sound like much, but to Shawna, Michael was the least toxic person she had ever been with...poor thing.

Folding her arms across her chest, Shawna closed her eyes and exhaled the cigarette smoke out through her nose. She was just about tempted to grab another pack of Menthols as she heard the ruckus echoing from inside her living room. Three grown men were all drinking, hollering, and pointing at the TV set with the football game on.

Opening her eyes back up, she softly gazed at her front yard which was littered with beat-up vehicles. The only ones that were working were her 2006 Pontiac and a 2003 Oldsmobile belonging to her husband’s cousin.

The cold wind gradually picked up and Shawna could feel goosebumps traveling across her arms. Her cheeks were bright red and after a minute or two, she eventually put out her cigarette and went back inside.

“Damn baby…you tryin’ to burn this whole dang trailer down?” her husband chuckled, downing his fourth can of Coors Light.

“Oh, shut yer damn mouth and just watch the game!” Shawna hissed while walking back into the kitchen. “And that goes for all three of y’all!”

With a quick glance at each other, the three men burst out laughing at her comment. Playfully slapping his cousin on the back, George nearly spat out his beer.

“I’m not playin’...” she huffed. “I’ve spent all morning fixin’ this big lunch for this dang football game. You assholes better appreciate it.”

“Oh relax honey,” her husband grunted. “We’re just havin’ us a good laugh.”

Grabbing a few plates of food, Shawna made her way toward the living room and set the dishes down on the coffee table. Moving the chips and salsa to the side, she picked up the empty beer cans and tossed them into a trash bag.

“While you’re up…” Michael snorted. “Could you grab me another cold one from the fridge?”

After slamming the last empty can into the bag, Shawna turned her head and pursed her lips. Watching Michael’s two guests grinning from ear to ear, she was already annoyed with their antics.

“Am I your maid too?”

“Baby…the big game is on,” he lazily defended. “You know I can’t miss this. Plus yer up already!”

Rolling her eyes, Shawna closed the trash bag and marched back into the kitchen. She could hear them snickering behind her back. She could also feel their eyes creepily rolling across her body.

In all fairness, Shawna was a good-looking woman for her age. Being just 42 years old, she kept most of her figure in shape. Rocking a white tank top and a pair of jean shorts, Shawna was damn proud of her body and had no problem showing it off.

Shawna was a southern brunette with a pretty face. Her dark eyeshadow easily brought out the vibrant blue in her eyes. While she’s had men ogle at her soft natural breasts, Shawna was mostly proud of her voluptuous ass. Her tight denim shorts perfectly accentuated her plump backside while flaunting her thick and shapely thighs.

Opening the fridge door, Shawna reached for some beer and grabbed a wine cooler for herself. Walking back into the living room, Shawna handed each of them another can of Coors Light before removing the cap off of her drink.

“Oh, Michael honey. I mean to ask…did you ever get your results back from the hospital?” Shawna inquired.

“Nah, haven’t heard a dang thing,” he scoffed. “Only junk mail for Luke though.”

“Speaking of Luke…where the hell is that boy anyways?” she said, holding the glass bottle to her lips.

“Hell if I know,” Michael grumbled. “He’s going back to college tomorrow. I figure he’s just in his room.”

As all of their eyes were now glued to the television set, Michael’s favorite team had just scored another touchdown…causing all three men to leap out of their seats and cheering obnoxiously.

After taking another swig, Shawna walked over to the other end of their living room and picked up an empty laundry basket.

“Well...while you three act like fools in here, I’m gonna do me some laundry,” she said, waiting for a response from her husband.

To no surprise, they were all glued to the television set. He, his cousin George, and their friend all mindlessly stared at the game without paying any attention to her.

“Figures…” she huffed to herself.

Grabbing the empty bin, Shawna made her way toward the laundry room on the other side of the trailer. As she went down the narrow hallway, she suddenly stopped at Luke’s bedroom door. While it was closed, she knocked three times, alerting him that she was about to come inside.

“Luke, honey…you dressed?” she hollered. “I’m coming in to get your dirty laundry.”

A few seconds went by and Shawna hadn’t heard a single sound. While side-eyeing her husband and their guests, she waited patiently for her stepson to answer. Once a minute had passed, Shawna knocked on his door once more.

“Luke, are you in there?”

Moments later, Shawna heard a low grumble from inside the bedroom. Carefully opening the door, she poked her head in only to see her stepson coughing and waving off a small cloud of smoke.

Shawna stood at the doorway and glared at the 18-year-old. She recognized that smell before.

“That’s not what I think it is…is it?” she groaned.

“What?” Luke coughed, “I don’t smell anything.”

Setting down the laundry bin, Shawna quickly marched up to him. Lifting his chin, she instantly noticed a glaze in his eyes. Her suspicion was correct. Luke was obviously high.

Staring back at her with bloodshot eyes, Luke tried his best to remain still and appear sober. His stepmother folded her arms across her chest and just stood there, waiting for an explanation.

“Okay, okay…” he murmured. “I got some weed from a friend at school. Listen, college is really stressful and I just need to take the edge off.”

“Does yer father know about this?” Shawna pressed on.

“N…no,” he meekly responded.

“Then you better not let him catch you with it,” she hissed. “You’re lucky he’s on my shit list right now. I don’t even want to deal with his lazy ass. Otherwise, I would have told him about your little habit.”

“Okay…” Luke pouted.

Opening his closet door, Shawna grabbed a bin full of Luke’s dirty laundry and set it outside his door. Walking toward his bed, she quickly began removing his bed sheets and blankets before stuffing them into the other laundry basket.

After filling up both bins, Shawna stepped out of Luke’s bedroom and closed the door behind her. Glaring at the three men in the living room, she rolled her eyes once more before making her way to the laundry room.