Welcome to the Community

           The house next door had been vacant for months, the grass creeping upward, the ground becoming gorged with fallen leaves. It really was quite the blessing when the Fischer’s moved in, immediately the lawn was cut, the windows cleaned, and the house truly was beautiful again. Everyone expected that house to just sit and rot, or at the very least take a good month and some workers to clean it up if it ever did sell. You better believe me when I tell you Catherine almost dropped her wine glass when I told her about it, and that woman loves her wine more than her kids.

“But just last week it wasn’t even sold! How in the world did that Rebecca Barnes get it sold let alone cleaned up.”

“you won’t believe me if I told you”

“tell me Elizabeth you know you love to gossip,” she huffed indignantly into her wine glass.

“I do not I am a good Christian woman I don’t gossip,” feigning disgust hand clutched to my chest.

“well whatever you do or don’t do you ‘good Christian woman’ just tell me already!”

We were positively cackling but I couldn’t hold it back a second longer it was too good, “Last week when me and Miss Barnes had our little session she told me she hadn’t even got to show it.”

“No! How does that work?”

“Well she said these skinny young women just waltzed in her office and said they wanted the house, there were three of them and they had it all in cash, said they had found it on the google and wanted it as is.”

“My word that is so peculiar.” She sucked on the rim of her glass, leaning forward hanging on my every word, it was positively delightful. You rarely have such a good story these days everyone is just so well behaved there’s nothing to talk about.

“Isn’t it just the strangest… Well it gets better!” I leaned in and looked around as if we were being watched, Catherine was a good woman but she was a positive fool for the dramatics. “They moved in at night, one big truck load in one of those rentals, no one to help them. Somehow two days later that house was perfect, I didn’t see anyone else come or go. Even if it was just the three of them I have no idea how they got that house spotless in less than a week”

“Maybe they’re witches! I would kill for a magic spell to clean my house… But how have we not seen them around at all I should’ve noticed the new faces out and about immediately.”

“Well from what I’ve seen they don’t leave the house,” I took a nice long sip from my own glass and slyly looked over at Catherine. “Except at night.”

~~~

Considering everything we really did have a lovely neighborhood. It was far enough from the road not to hear the traffic, lots of kids and they all played together at the community park- children really don’t get out enough these days it’s a shame-, and practically everyone knew each other. Which is one of the reasons word spread so fast about the new girls in the neighborhood. A whole month later and no one had seen hide nor hair of them, we didn’t even know their names. It truly was unacceptable. Anyways, enough was enough it was time for a plan of action, and the first step was brunch.

That Sunday the women of the neighborhood convened in my kitchen, the scones were toasted, the orange was mostly champagne, and the claws were out. Even though I had only been in town a few months these ladies answered to me. All I had to do was snap; The chatter stopped, The absent minded tittering over children dropped silent, The mimosa glasses hit the tables, And every head snapped to attention.

“Good afternoon Ladies”

“Good afternoon Elizabeth” they chanted in unison.

“It does appear we have an issue. So far the new girls aren’t falling in line, they haven’t met any of the neighbors, they haven’t even signed up for a shift at the church, and lastly they did not show up to the block party on Tuesday.”

“My husband made his best steaks to impress the new neighbors, and they didn’t even bother to show up,” Mrs. Leonard leaned forward to chime in before falling back to attention.

Shaking my head empathetically for her I assured her this affront to our community cannot continue, “I know Mrs. Leonard he was so proud but they will be attending the next block party. This community has no place for the iconoclastic.

“I plan to integrate these women gracefully, perhaps they mean nothing by it, perhaps they were just raised improper. What do you Ladies think?”

“Improper, Horribly improper.” Chanted the chorus.

“Any ideas on how we bring them out of their shells a little bit to teach them?” This time all of the women sprang to life prepositioning each other and no one at the same time just happy to talk.

“How about a pie?”

“No , cookies keep better!”

“Would they like a barbeque?”

“Why would young girls like a barbeque Clarissa?”

“Brunch?”

“They are not ready for a brunch”

It continued this way for some time, with these ladies they never stop clucking until… Snap. Silence.

“So it sounds like we’ve agreed on the general idea, Miss Davis you’ll make the cookies, and a cobbler, thank you Betty that was a good suggestion on the gluten free cobbler very thoughtful. Catherine you’ll be with her invite them over you are a wonderful hostess you’ll think of something. All of you make sure you are as friendly as ever, we want to add to the family don’t we?”

“Yes Ma’am”

“With all that dreadful business sorted out these mimosas wont drink themselves! Sharon how are the kids darling?”

~~~

Miss Davis and Catherine had set out the next morning armed with Miss Davis’ famous chocolate chip cookies and  delectable apple cobbler, I couldn’t see much from my window as I peaked through the long dark curtains but I could tell the plan was working. Next thing I knew they were escorted inside by the thin figure at the door. I smiled to myself thinking what wonderful stories I would hear at their sessions next week.

By the time Wednesday came around I was positively ecstatic to invite Catherine in, I had her favorite wine picked out and her favorite pink polish on the table ready to hear about her time with the new girls. As she sat down I could tell that lady was about to overflow with information, she was bouncing in her seat.

“OH my goodness you’ll never believe it! Oh you have my signature color thank you, you always know what I want,” as she squealed as she sipped her wine quickly. “Any ways there are three girls living there, Mia, Megan, and Natalia. They’re fresh out of college, can you believe it? Me neither! All some sort of internet people, wanted some quiet, not very into the clubbing thing like when I was younger, two of the girls work at bars in town the other is a web developer or some such…” Snap. She finally went quiet poor dear was in such a hurry to get it all out I could barely understand her. Really the only thing when shes like this is a trance.

“Catherine, you’re a smart woman,” I said as I patted shaved off the tops of her nails and prepared the powder for her fresh set. “What are they like. What can we use.”

Her flat to the point expression was much more palatable for a time like this I let her think over it for a minute while I went to go get my other kit. By the time I came back she began slowly methodically rattling away about the neighbors, while staring blankly into space. I listened intently while cleaning the crook of her arm with a small alcohol pad.

“ They all were very thin, very pale, they don’t seem to eat a lot. The pantry was practically barren, they tore through the cookies though.”

There was a small pause as I slid a needle into her vein and her thick red blood slid down through a tube and into a plastic bag sitting in my other kit, surrounded with ice.

“Natalia seems to be the oldest but Mia is in charge. They all seem to have had bad home lives they all got fidgety when we ask about their parents, but not blood siblings. They were surprised about how close our community is, they seemed interested in the idea of a home. That seems to be why they got a house here instead of an apartment somewhere.”

A grin crept across my lips, they would fit in perfectly with my family. Everyone wants to be accepted, be a part of something and I can offer that. Just look at all my sweet little house wives, my darling friends, they are the same way. All of them have something they don’t want to worry about, and all of them want community. I slid the needle out of her arm and used it to prick my own finger before I pressed it against where I drew her blood, luckily it my blood will help her heal faster and she wont even notice the mark. Poor thing always thinks shes drowsy from too much wine when I do her nails, well I guess that’s part of it. I put away my other kit and when I came back it was time to let sweet Catherine have her fun.

“Why don’t you have some more wine before I start this hand?”

She jumped back to life her normal bubbly self, she was such a sweet heart and she always had the best stories to share, Catherine is definitely my favorite.

“Oh you are so right,” she giggled as she took a large sip of her wine and started chattering away as I started dipping my brush and pulling the acrylic powder across her nails.

~~~

Two weeks later when we had our next community block party the three young girls had made their debut, they had all dressed so nicely poor little things were all so nervous. Mia had apparently been a foster most of her life and was indeed the head of their little group, she was the most head strong. Natalia didn’t know her father but had a horrible mother and had apparently been a bit of a thug before college. And lastly little Megan, Catherine none of the women were quite able to figure out the full story but she had been badly abused the poor dear and it had made her painfully reserved and sad. Since I had had Catherine and Miss Davis pay them a visit the girls had started to warm up and visit Catherine for dinner as well as meet some of the other ladies. However, they still have not gotten to meet me, the husbands, or the children. Naturally, you don’t want to throw them into anything too fast, you don’t want to scare off such nervous creatures. I had made my way over to them part way through the night to formally meet the young girls. They had seemed reserved as I introduced myself, but soon began tittering away until I thought it was time to ask the real questions.

“It must be so nice to be part of something for once.”

“Excuse me?” Mia choked out.

“Well it seems to me that you girls are quite alone.”

“No we are not why would you say that.”

“You girls are all alone that’s why no parents obviously, otherwise you all wouldn’t be starving and you might have some furniture.”

They were shocked, especially since they had never even seen me.

“How do I know?” Their alarmed silence only deepened, “this is my community, before I got here these people barely knew each other’s names. I have eyes everywhere. I know a stray, -or three - when I see one.”

“What the hell are you talking about lady!” Cried out Natalia, she had stepped in front of Mia and Megan as if I would hurt them, how predictable.

Snap.

Heads snapped to attention, the noise that had been filling the night breaking with a single reverberating snap. The girls stared in horror as I tilted my head, why does everyone always act this way when all I do is help.

“You shouldn’t be afraid of me little girls, I know everything, and all I want to do is help. You poor girls all had it rough didn’t you? Was it your daddies? I think so. You all joined up in college thinking you could take the big bad world by storm all on your own. Not how it works. All I want to do is offer you family. Haven’t you enjoyed seeing all these lovely ladies for dinner? Have shoulders to lean on? Why don’t you join us, you can be part of the community forever.”

“Join us.” Arose from the crowd in unison.

Catherine stepped forward.

“It only takes the once with lady Elizabeth, then you’ll be happy like us.”

“I’m sure you’ve met Catherine? She’s my favorite,” I said as I stroked her hair “ she tells the best stories, when I met her you wouldn’t believe hw sad she was- really it was pathetic- Cheating husband, drinking problem, all alone.”

“Then I met lady Elizabeth, when we joined the community we were so happy. Eddy stayed home more, I got a raise, the kids had new friends to play with, I had new friends too.” Slowly the women stepped up placing their hands on my and Catherine’s shoulders.

“Y-you really help..?” squeaked the small shaking Megan hidden behind Natalia.

“Yes I do, you could think of me as a mother if you’d like.”

Megan started stepping forward slowly, looking deep into my eyes.

“NO!” shouted Mia and Natalia grasped for Megan’s arm but it was too late. She had already chosen.

Megan, the saddest, the smallest, the quietest had made her choice first. Now that surprised me, but she stepped into my open arms and let me pierce her throat as her friends watched in horror. Not my favorite part but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. She wouldn’t remember this part in the morning anyways. All she will know is that she is a happy young lady, in a lovely neighborhood far enough from the road to not hear the traffic, with lots of kids who play together outside, where practically everyone knew each other. Besides, what’s better than a lovely community?