Chapter 11

The spring came early and because of Jarrett’s hole in the ground, we had the greenhouse ready earlier. A few of our plants were ready to transplant too early in the year. Lucy and I were afraid of an early frost, so we just held them in the hundred and forty four square foot hot house.

From January until May we sold only to Ester the nurse. Even by mixing some of our dried out leaves with the bags, it was hard to stretch it out to cover our own use and have enough for Esters growing clientele.

The yard work began while the two women were starting new plants and transplanting our hot house crop. The two women stayed busy during the summer. Between work, and her new friends she was worn out most of the time. Lorrie just wasn’t getting a lot of sleep.

Lucy was on her about it most of the time. Lucy was afraid that Lorrie might be on drugs to keep her energy up. I finally confronted Lucy.

“So Lu, should we send her home?” I asked.

“She will just run away, if we send her back to the holler,” Lucy said. “She needs to go into rehab, if she is hooked on speed. She also needs to start getting more sleep whatever she is on.”

“You need to figure out what to do. She is getting to be a danger to herself and our operation,” I said. I kept remembering her confession in the waiting room of the ‘Doc in a Box’ clinic. “What do you think about her getting her off the pills by forcing her to stay home during the week at least?”

“It won’t work. If she is really hooked on them, we have to get her away from the life. Honest Tyler, I don’t know how to do it. They say if she is not willing to do the work she can’t be forced to do it,” Lucy said.

“I hope she isn’t addicted to the pills, so you talk to her and find out. First step is to get her off the pills, or whatever she is doing to keep her awake. Then we can force her to sleep, if you can figure out how. One thing for sure, she can’t keep going on two hours sleep a night. Something will have to break, and I’m afraid it will be her body,” I explained.

I knew in my heart she was on something. It was early enough for her to break away by herself, if she had the will. If not, we could get her some help, but I was determined to do something before she put my way of life at risk. Yes it was selfish of me, but the two motives dovetailed.

“The growing season ends after thanksgiving. We can send her home then, if she doesn’t clean up her act,” I suggested. “It is a threat we can follow through with. I’ll just put her scooter on the back of the Ford and drive her home period. Let Amos take care of her during the winter in the Holler.”

Life didn’t go smooth even with family. Maybe especially not with family. We couldn’t separate their private lives from the job. They had to do that for us. It had taken her about two years to get tainted by the local kids. So maybe she had been selling our pot on the streets, or at least trading it for uppers. Drugs could easily chew up the money she made working for us.

Lucy broke the news to her. “I’m not going to force you to let me strip search you, and I’m not going to force you pee in a cup. I’m going to tell you this clean up your act now, or I’m sending you home. I am not going to risk Tyler and my life for you. I love you, but we aren’t going to do that. I will send you home where the temptations are even less than here.”

“Sis honest, I’m not on hard drugs,” she said.

“Do you want to ride down to the county drug clinic, and pee in bottle for us?” Lucy asked.

“No,” Lorrie said angrily. “I’m pissed that you don’t trust me.”

“And I’m pissed that you lied to me. Stay on the farm for a couple of days and let’s see what happens. First of all I’m going to search Grandpa Harold’s place, and then I’m going to search you. Save us both the aggravation and just hand them over. I’ll toss them in the burn barrel. We know a nurse that can help you get clean. Then you are going to stay home at night and work your ass off during the days. Like you did when you first came here. You can choose to go home now, and I’ll drive you home, if you would rather. I can get your ass clean, but I can’t make you stay clean. That is totally up to you.”

“Okay, I’ll stop using the speed. I’ll even pass on the weed that we grow. I just don’t want to go back to the holler in disgrace,” Lorrie said.

“Nobody has to know about the speed, unless you tell them,” Lucy said. “That isn’t quite true, Tyler has to know. You are risking his way of life.”

“Yes, I know and I’m sorry,” Lorrie said.

“You say the right words, but let’s see if you can make it happen. Promises are cheap, especially for druggies,” Lucy said.

Lorrie slept a lot over the next two days. I watched her begin to come out of her manic stage then slip into a depression. I recognized it, since I had them almost every day myself.

“Lucy pisses me off. Sometime I just want to smack her,” Lorrie said to me after that first conversation.

“If you do, you might go home to the Holler in a box,” I said seriously.

“Yeah, or disappear,” she suggested.

“Loose lips not only sink ships, they also bury people,” I said. “I never give anyone empty warnings.”

Two weeks later she was out working the fields with Lucy. She even offered to help me with some residential lawn work. She knew how much I hated doing the trimming, so she had played the right card. During those first two weeks of drying out time, Lucy kept her phone. She didn’t take her calls, so I figured it was a kind of compromise. She could have taken the calls, then we could have scared the shit out of the callers.