37 | Serotina

March 2015

After a tiring shift at Natural Foods Market, Serotina turned her car into the long, climbing driveway that always helped her transition to the mind-set of being back home at the Sanctuary. As she parked, she saw Jeremy and Micah standing at the edge of the drive, each holding a large shovel. She pulled two grocery bags out of her trunk and, drawing closer, saw they were digging up the interlocking paver stones that composed the driveway. A patch of about ten square feet had been cleared, with dirt, stones and grass tufts scattered everywhere. Underground pipes were exposed beneath the surface.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Problem with the plumbing,” Micah said, with a smile. “We’re trying to find it.”

Jeremy lodged his shovel under a stone and pried it up. “Tree root probably made its way into a pipe.”

“We had to shut off the water for a while,” Micah said. “But there are buckets inside.

“No problem.” Sero headed into the house, impressed with their resourcefulness.

In the kitchen, Chef Guy kissed her on both cheeks when she handed him a paper bag of fresh wild mushrooms. As she was helping to prepare dinner—grass-fed beef tenderloin with a sauce made from the mushrooms, scalloped potatoes and grilled asparagus—water suddenly sputtered out of the kitchen faucet, then began to flow freely. Everyone in the kitchen cheered.

With some time before dinner, Sero walked down to the stables. “Hey, Buddy,” she said as the horse greeted her with a low nicker. She’d been using “buddy” as a nickname but decided it was as good a name as any, so she’d made it official. She took out the curry comb and brush she’d purchased earlier in the week, stepped into the stall and began grooming his thick coat. She thought again of calling Izzy, but Sero didn’t know where to start explaining her new life, and she wasn’t sure Izzy would understand. Instead, she just snapped a photo of her with Buddy and sent it to her.

That night at dinner, Sero clinked her wineglass with a fork and waited for the conversation to settle down. She had grown into the role of Micah’s right hand, whether because of the confidential project with which he had entrusted her, their romantic relationship or both, and it was a responsibility she relished. Sero held up her glass. “A big thanks to Micah for fixing our plumbing problem.”

“Yeah, I had no idea you were so handy, Micah,” August said. “Plumbing and keyboards, man, that’s a unique combination.”

Micah smiled, shaking his head. “Well, it’s not fixed, unfortunately. I’ll have to let the landlord know. Hey, at least it’s nothing important, right? Not like we need water to survive.” Sero smiled at how positive he always seemed to be, even in the face of adversity.

* * *

After nine weeks under the twelve-hour light cycle, the first few plants Micah had originally shown Sero had grown to full height, finished flowering and were ready to be dried. She and Jasmine cut them down and hung them from the basement ceiling. Sero impatiently checked the plants every day, but just as she’d read, it took a full two weeks until they were completely dried. She trimmed the first plant herself, using small clippers to separate the buds from the stems and leaves. The largest buds could be sold at a premium price, while the smaller ones could be rolled into cigarettes, and the leftover clippings used in edible products. After she showed Jasmine how to trim, it took both of them the rest of the day to finish the batch, and Sero’s neck was sore and her fingers cramped. But she felt proud of what she’d created and hoped Micah would be too.