CLOSET SKELETONS;part one.2949word count

2949word count;prompt:rain.

Seventeen year old Darlene sat on the bottom steps of the staircase in her mother's home. She could hear the melancholy rain drum on the windows. Her parents had been divorced since she was nine, but had reunited this once for the sake of their daughter's health. Now, they stood in the next room arguing at full force.

'Why was her beautiful long straight sleek midnight black hair falling out?!' They had wanted to know. What was she supposed to say?

'Nothing,everything's fine.' When it obviously wasn't. She had gotten up the nerve to confess the source of her severe stress, only now Darlene really wished she hadn't.

It grew quiet and the thundering footfalls of her father's approaching boots startled Darlene. Heart pounding in her chest, she jumped to her feet just as he rounded on her. The great look of disgust on his face told the teenager everything she needed to know of him. Pointing his finger at her, Lliam roared,

"You're no daughter of mine! Don't ever come to my house again, I'll have you arrested for trespassing!"

He stormed out the front door slamming it so hard Darlene thought it would come off the hinge.

"I hate you! I'm going to grow up and be just like you! - A drunk!"

Darlene screamed after him. Red faced and chest heaving, Darlene slumped back down on the steps.

"Don't think you're welcome here either." Her mother's voice surprised her.

Darlene spun around to face her too. Reba's face was full of disappointment, she took a drawl off her menthol cigarette and continued,

"You can go pack your bags, hell is where you belong." She told gesturing up the stairs to her daughter's room. Darlene's heart broke. Her own mother. Tears stinging her eyes, blinding her, Darlene couldn't even speak. The teenage girl jumped up and ran up the stairs to do just what her mother suggested.

On the landing, Darlene nearly ran into her older brother Louie and his girlfriend Mary. Mary stared at her, giggled, and kept running down the stairs. Louie however, towered over Darlene glowering angrily. Almost fearful, Darlene stammered up at him,

"What...?"

Louie jabbed her in the chest with a finger,

"This is all your fault!" Louie growled.

Confused, Darlene just gaped up at him.

"What are you talking about Bubba?" She asked.

"Don't call me that! You're not my sister and don't act innocent! You got Momma and Daddy fighting again and Mary told me how she came up to my room the other night waiting for me to get home from work and you came in and seduced her into sleeping with you! Thanks to you we're broke up now!" He spat before running down the stairs in search of his mother.

Darlene was shocked. She didn't know what to think. It was untrue and nobody would listen to her. She couldn't believe it, her life was literally over.

As she packed her belongings into a single suitcase, a thought occured to Darlene. Her family was a firm believer in the Christian faith. Perhaps if she went to church for help it would fix everything. Hopefully excited, Darlene slung her suitcase over her shoulder and ran from the house as fast as she could. Her plan had to work, it was the church after all!

Bounding into the middle of a sermon, soaking wet and drenched like a drowned rat, Darlene announced,

"I need to speak! Please give me just a moment!" She approached the pulpit and all eyes fell on her.

The organ died down and as silence fell, Darlene faced her fears again,

"I've come here today in hopes to find help. I have sinned and pray to confess so that I may be made pure again." She spoke.

The people urged her on saying,

"Preach it sister Darlene!" And "God bless!"

Darlene took a deep breath showing all of her faith in her God and confessed,

"I am gay! And I come here today before you all asking you to pray over me so that I may be forgiven and healed."

It was an instant uproar. One church member started speaking in tongues. Many pointed at her and jeered. Darlene became afraid. Something was wrong. This couldn't be right. This wasn't how church claimed to behave. She confessed she was wrong and was asking for help. The preacher stepped toward her carrying the membership book and instructed,

"We can't have the likes of you in the church Darlene. You can take your name off the church roster or we will do it for you."

Darlene was astonished. She stared sickened at the man of the cloth. This wasn't right. The church taught to forgive and that God is the only judge, yet they treated her like this. A few church members approached Darlene, malice in their eyes. Wendy jerked the crucifix cross from it's chain around Darlene's neck. It had been a gift from her mother on her sixteenth birthday. Pinching Darlene's ear, Jolene drag the girl through the church and out the front doors, tossing her onto the muddy ground outside. The doors slammed shut and Darlene could hear them singing joyfully on the inside.

Gazing up through the raindrops on her lashes at the cross on the steeple of the church from where she lay on the ground, a scripture from the bible came to Darlene,

"Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."

God made the bible, preached by His own son Jesus. Darlene knew the church had strayed from the path of righteousness itself, to behave as it had. The people had their information wrong. Darlene knew. She had read her bible and her mother had explained it to her. God was the only judge and He still loved those who had faith in Him. How could God and Jesus hate something that loved? Darlene did still wonder though, would she go to hell anyway? Even her own mother had disowned her.

Picking herself up out of the mud, Darlene wiped off her suitcase and clutched her crucifix in her hand tighter. She had a wonderful relationship with God. Darlene looked down the road. She couldn't go home. She didn't have anywhere to go. She didn't know what to do. She didn't have a job, she didn't even know what she could do as far as work went. Darlene didn't have any friends. Her family disowned her. What was she to do? She did the only thing she knew to do, she started to walk.

Since Darlene had gotten away from her parents' home and the church, she couldn't help but notice the rain differently. Though it rained, the sun still shone. The rain felt good and cool. It made the world smell fresher even. All Darlene could remember of the rain before was feeling trapped in the house with a dark and gloomy world outside. Looking toward the horizon, Darlene saw a beautiful sight. A rainbow. She couldn't help but smile. Again, she thought of God and his meaning with the rainbow. Never again would she face a day like this.

Darlene walked all day. She headed in the direction she knew to be the next town. At one point she recognized a car that passed her on the highway. In all the traffic, she knew this one car. It was her uncle. Her mother's brother. As he passed her they made eye contact. Darlene looked into her flesh and blood uncle's eyes and she knew he saw her even if for just a split second. Darlene looked back. He didn't even tap the brakes. It didn't matter. Her little heart was already broke. It couldn't hurt anymore.

Coming upon an old farm, Darlene paused. She didn't know what she was doing but she knew she had to stop and rest at some point. Preferably with shelter. Darlene decided to ask the people of the farm for help. She didn't have any money but she knew how to clean house and care for little children. She had helped her mother take care of her little brother since the day he was born seven years ago. She had often baby sat her little cousins as well. She would offer a trade. Darlene hoped they accepted her. Taking a deep breath, Darlene knocked.

Moments later, a young woman came to the door. At first all Darlene could do was gape. She was the most beautiful creature Darlene had ever laid eyes on. She was in her late twenties, Darlene assumed, with an hour glass figure, jet black wavy hair that came to her waist and porcelain white skin. Her eyes were dark brown. Remembering her manners, Darlene shut her mouth and put her eyes back in her head.

"I'm - um, my name is Darlene. I'm traveling through town on foot and I was wondering if I could stop and rest here for the night." Darlene stammered.

A blush crept up her neck and Darlene suddenly felt backward. The woman's eyes lit up. She grabbed Darlene's shoulder and pulled her into the house exclaiming,

"Oh dear me! Poor thing! Of course you can stay here!" She marched the young girl into the kitchen and sat her down at the table.

"I've just finished supper and I expect you to eat. My husband and sons are off hunting for the evening but you'll meet them later. My name is Cherie by the way." The hostess paused in stirring some pots on the stove to offer a handshake in introduction.

Darlene shook it staring around mesmerized and murmured,

"Darlene." Cherie smiled and went back to dishing out plates of food.

Hours later as Darlene helped Cherie clean up the kitchen, Cherie asked,

"So are you looking for work?" She eyed the teenager closely.

Naive, Darlene absentmindedly, rubbed a dish dry with a towel and nodding, answered,

"Yeah. I can clean, sew, cook, and do childcare from newborns up. I'd have to learn anything else."

Realization dawned on the youth and snapping her head up to look at Cherie, she demanded,

"Do you know of anyone hiring?!" Cherie smiled and scrubbed her stove top.

Giving a shrug she asked,

"Are you afraid of heights?" Darlene beamed and responded,

"Heck no! I could climb the tallest trees as a kid!"

Cherie threw her head back and laughed. Gazing at Darlene, she told,

"Good. My husband needs somebody willing to climb up in our barn to hang tobacco. I'll talk to him for you and he'll show you everything you need to know." Darlene was excited, she had a job!

"I will let you stay here until you get on your feet but I'll expect you to help me out around the house as well of course." Cherie informed.

Darlene was all too willing and agreed.

Not much longer, the door banged open, startling Darlene who noticed Cherie hadn't even flinched and for good reason. A sturdy build of a man with the scruffy appearance of a man in his late thirties, clomped in followed by two miniatures of himself. The two younger men seemed about Darlene's age. The three sat down to the table and Cherie pulled their plates from the stove and served them out. She beckoned Darlene over and upon approaching, the teenage girl noticed none of the three men had washed up before coming to the table. The older man glanced at Darlene in her rugged bell bottom jeans and red flannel shirt, grunting, he dug into his beans, meat, and potatoes. Cherie wrapped an arm around Darlene's shoulders and spoke,

"Jimmy, we have a house guest. Her name is Darlene and she'll be with us while she gets her life in order. She's willing to help you in tobacco."

Jimmy offered his hand for Darlene to shake and once she had, grinning from ear to ear in the process, he went back to eating. Cherie turned to Darlene and continued,

"The other two are my sons, Jimmy Jr or Jay as some call him and Charley." Darlene and the boys nodded at each other.

Jimmy agreed quickly with what Cherie told him and to Darlene he informed,

"I'll take ya out to the fields with me in the morning 7 o'clock sharp." Darlene nodded vigorously at him, stoked to be working.

Jimmy then proceeded to change the subject and turning to his wife suggested,

"There's a eight point buck in the garage with a dozen catfish in the cooler for you to process when you get time. I took out the deer with my bow and Charley tracked him for me while Jay caught all those fish."

Cherie patted her husband's shoulder and beaming proudly at her sons, said,

"I'll get started on them now. It'll make a fine week's worth of suppers!"She beckoned Darlene to accompany her, with the plan to show her how to process deer and fish. It was this moment Darlene realized she didn't like fish. With their eyes and gills. They gave her the heebie jeebies!

A month later, Darlene was still staying at Cherie and Jimmy's home. She was working in tobacco with Jimmy and helping Cherie around the house. She slept on their sofa and lived out of her suitcase. She had made a friend while working in the fields, an old codger named Ed. He was a bachelor in his mid fifties. He didn't seem to bath and he seemed hung over most times but Darlene enjoyed talking to him about work and he was fascinated by the fact that a young woman could do man's work. Finally, one day during lunch break, Ed had a favor to ask of Darlene. They munched baloney sandwiches with potato chips and slurped cold drinks when Ed broke the silence,

"Darlene, will you do something for me?" Obliging, Darlene said,

"Sure Ed, what is it?"

Ed hung his head and inquired,

"Do you care to drive my drunk and run me to the liquor store tonight after we leave here?" Darlene cringed,

"I don't mind Ed, but I don't know how to drive." She confessed.

Ed chortled loudly,

"That ain't no problem! I'll show ya but you gotta run me to the store."

Darlene's heart swelled,

"Sure thing Ed!"

The two went about their lunch like usual and a few hours later as everyone tromped off the field, Darlene approached Jimmy,

"Jim! I wanted to let you know I won't be riding home with you tonight. Ed asked me to drive him someplace." Jimmy gave a nod and Darlene bounded back to where Ed waited for her in the passenger seat of his Dify single cab truck. She hopped in the driver seat and ignoring the seat belt, looked around at all the controls and buttons. Ed pointed everything out and then told Darlene to 'go'. Darlene did too. Shakily at first but she quickly got the hang of it.

After buying five big bottles of alcohol, Ed showed Darlene where he lived. He settled in for the night and Darlene sat with him and talked some more. Ed asked Darlene if she'd ever drank before and when she said no he offered her a glass of what he had bought earlier and invited her to go to a bar with him the following weekend. Curious and thinking about her promise to her dad, Darlene accepted two glasses of the drink and the invite to the bar outing. She was starting to enjoy her new life. No one to answer to and she could do whatever she wanted.

However, the next morning Darlene had such a headache upon being woke for work, she was making deals with God if he took the bad feeling away she'd never drink again. Deep down Darlene knew she was lying to herself. She'd had too much fun. Not to mention she was keeping her promise.

When Darlene informed Cherie that she was going out for the weekend, Cherie insisted on joining her. Despite the fact that it was to a bar and with Ed, Cherie seemed to look forward to the outing with Darlene. Darlene was surprised by the fact that Jimmy didn't mind his wife going partying.

Darlene ordered whiskeys for herself while Ed put away a keg of beer on his own and Cherie ordered dacquiris. Darlene and Cherie played the jukebox and Cherie danced with a few men here and there. Darlene wondered what Jimmy would think if he saw her. Ed made catcalls to women and gambled at cards. Darlene munched peanuts and watched Cherie. The more Cherie drank the more flirtatious she got with the men. The more Darlene drank the more she realized she had a crush on Cherie. Around midnight, Ed passed out drunk at a table.

Finally, by the time Cherie came back to sit at the table with Darlene, she was wore out from all the dancing. Darlene had stopped drinking for the night but was still nicely buzzed. Cherie giggled at Ed and Darlene spoke,

"Cherie, I have to ask, what would Jimmy do if he saw you dancing with all those men tonight?" She quizzed. Without missing a beat, Cherie answered,

"Nothing. He knows I do this. I do it occasionally in fact." She shrugged. Darlene was speechless. Rolling her eyes, Cherie confessed,

"Jimmy lets me do what I want to make me happy. Otherwise, our marriage would never work out. Honestly, we have an open relationship. At least on my end anyway." Cherie chortled. Darlene gawked. She couldn't believe it!

"Why?!" She wanted to know. Smirking slightly, Cherie told her,

"I'm bisexual. I like men and women." Darlene's jaw dropped.