Smita grinned, proudly holding the two hangers in front of her. “Okay, Jaya Auntie. It’s showtime.”

45 | Serotina

May 17, 2015

Serotina, Jasmine and Rufus were in the basement, working on a large Greenfields order for Alaska. Sero was snipping dying leaves off the cannabis plants with miniature clippers. The memory of working on bonsai in Mrs. Galbraith’s science lab came to her, so long ago and far away, when Micah descended the stairs toward them. “How we doing, team?”

“Dude, this is the biggest order we’ve ever had,” Rufus said, gleefully. “Four pounds. Seven grand in a single transaction. Hopefully, this guy is a repeat customer.”

Micah slapped him on the back and peered at the tray Jasmine was working on. “Great work, guys. I’m really proud of what you’ve created here.” He turned back to the group. “I think it’s time to share this with everyone.”

“Oh, thank god,” Jasmine said. “I’m getting tired of not being able to talk about it outside this room.” She shared a glance with Rufus, then looked over at Sero. “I mean, no offense, but it’ll be nice to be more open about it, you know?”

“Yeah, we should share the love.” Rufus grinned. “Everyone should be able to partake in the premium Greenfields weed.”

“I’m planning something very special for tomorrow,” Micah said. “I’m going to share it with the group tonight, but you guys should start getting ready. Finish up your big order and get this space cleaned up.” He gestured to the side wall, where bags of supplies and unused equipment were stacked. “Good?”

“Yup, I’ll do it right now,” Rufus said, rising from his seat behind the computer.

Micah wandered over to Sero’s table. She anticipated his hand on her shoulder, some touch from him that she still craved, but he just leaned up against the wall next to her. “You’re very quiet.”

Sero shrugged. What could she say? There was so much bottled up inside of her, but she was afraid to let it out, lest she rouse Micah’s temper. She longed for things to go back to the way they had been a few weeks ago, before Cerise and Daphne moved in, before Justin left, before she discovered those papers in Micah’s office, which she could no longer explain away or ignore.

“Hey,” Rufus called from across the cavernous space. He’d ducked into the area under the staircase and pulled out a large plastic jug with red lettering. “What should I do with this?”

Micah took a few steps toward him and read the words printed on the jug. “Rodenticide?”

“Rat poison,” Sero explained.

“Yeah, do we need it, or what?” Rufus said.

“Not unless we want to kill off plants,” Sero said.

Micah took a few steps closer and took the jug from Rufus, turning it around to read the back.

“What are you thinking, man?” Rufus said.

“Micah?” Sero asked.

Rufus grinned. “Maybe those prize rosebushes next door?”

“Micah?” Sero stopped snipping leaves. “You can’t really—”