Priscilla Chapter One

Aubrey Miller arrives at Miller farms and meets Priscilla & the family. (First Draft)

"Here we are, ma'am." The taxi driver announced as he turned to face towards his baby faced passenger in the backseat. "268 Picnic Bay Road. That'll be thirty-five dollars for the ride."
After a brief pause, twenty-five year old Aubrey Miller cursed under her breath as she reached into her battered, leather bag, pulled out her equally battered brown wallet, and flipped through a couple of less than fresh dollar bills. Aubrey handed them over to the older man and he grabbed the money enthusiastically. He nodded in satisfaction as he carefully counted the currency to the desired amount. "Pleasure doing business with you." he grinned, flashing his coffee stained teeth from underneath his mustache.
Dust clouds swirled in the stilled April air as the banana colored taxi sped off back down the winding dirt road towards the city. There Aubrey stood, in her faded hand-me-down t shirt decorated with a jean jacket that was slightly too big and pair of loose denim pants to match. Her battered red high top sneakers stood out among the sea of ocean colored clothing, despite them being dulled with dirt and time. Her curly mass of wild hair was forced into a single loose braid that reached her bottom; the dark locks accentuating her sun kissed complexion and tired, dark eyes. She turns away from the road and took in the scenery before her. Grass. Tall, fluttering spring green grass. As far as the eye could see. The only thing in this unnervingly vast field of vegetation was a single family home, plain, no more than two stories tall with white paint chipping off of it all over; an unpainted barn, riddled with wood rot and haphazardly placed wooden planks nailed to the building in a random fashion; and a well. Made out of Old World multicolored cobblestone, wood, and some coarse rope. The sky was a calming bluer gray color filled with heavy, pregnant clouds floating lazy and low overhead. Aubrey shifted the bite riddled cigarette in her mouth before readjusting her bag and heading up that hill towards the lone home. The dirt and gravel crunched underneath the short girls feet as her mind began to race. The entire journey here was riding on this first impression. If things didn't go so well, she would be shit out of luck. Would probably have to hike back to the city on foot and try to find work out there. But, with the cost of living these days, there was no telling if she was going to be able to afford somewhere to lay her head at night. At least, not for the long term.

The lone wanderer let out a deep sigh as she climbed up the creaky antiqued porch steps. The weathered front door was damn near see through. Made out of wood, painted over with even more chipping white coats, but with the netting on the upper half of the door, you could just barely make out the dark ominous shapes of the furniture in the living room. Aubrey reached into the front pocket of her bluejean jacket and pulled out a neatly folded, yet lightly crumpled piece of yellowed parchment paper. Aubrey raises a fist, knocks firmly on the frame of the door three times and then waits. She shifts as quiet footsteps from inside the home can be heard approaching where Aubrey stood. Out of the house came a girl, who looked no older than a teenager, all dressed in ebony; Her floor length velvet dress, her satin hair ribbon, her worn leather boots. All black. Her long and straight dark hair tied back into a tight, slick ponytail that slightly reached past her bottom. The end of her ponytail lightly curled into endearing loose ringlets. Her skin fair, but healthy in color, peppered with barely noticeable freckles. She didn't look familiar to Aubrey at all. She was starting to wonder if she had gotten the address wrong somehow or if her cousin had moved out a while ago. Before her mind could wander any further, the girl spoke up.

"...Can I help you?" She asked in an almost, monotone voice. Aubrey clears her throat before speaking.

"Yes." she replied promptly. "I'm looking for a Kevin Miller...?"
The girl blankly blinked at Aubrey before turning her head towards the inside of the house.

"Dad!" She called out, now walking away from the stranger. "There's someone at the door for you."
The storm door clattered harshly as it slammed back against the wooden door frame, causing Aubrey to wince, just a bit.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'." An older deeper voice responded from within the recesses of the building.
Aubrey watched as a fat older-no older than sixty at least-man waddled up to the front door. His once white shirt wrinkled and stained with sweat, decorated with the washed out pair of baggy denim overalls on top. The tiny peppered hairs on his sweat glazed neck rolls stuck out like spines on a cactus. No way, am I related to this guy. Aubrey thought in disbelief, using all of her willpower to keep up her neutral expression.

"Can I help you?" The man asked as he leaned against the door frame.

"...You're Kevin Miller, right?" Aubrey asked, awkwardly adjusting the right sleeve of her jacket.

"Yep. That's right."

"I'm your cousin...Aubrey Miller? Our grandma was Rosa-Maria Miller."
The Farmers thick eyebrows slowly rose up to his hairline.

"Was...?" Kevin repeated. Aubrey pursed her lips together as she handed Kevin the folded piece of paper she had been holding. He took it, unfolded it, and began to read:

Dear Kevin,

If you're reading this, it means that it was finally my time to pass along. And with my passing, my grandchild and your cousin, Aubrey, no longer has a place to stay. Her parents have been gone since she was no older than a toddler and lived with me ever since. Unfortunately, my house was deemed unsafe by the city and is set to be demolished in a short couple of months. Due to some nonsense concerning asbestos and lead...something of that nature. But, with my illness getting worse, I don't think I will even live to see them tear down my precious little home. But, in this case, I wouldn't want it any other way. Honestly. With that being said, I ask that you take precious Aubrey into your home and into your hearts. Take good care of her until she can get her footing right and take care of herself. I know you haven't seen her since she was a newborn, but as my final wish, I just ask that you be there for her. That is my Final Wish. You know aside from yourself, once I'm gone, she won't have anyone else left. You two are the last True Millers remaining. She's going through a lot. I've given her $10,190, my remaining cash, to help her get a head start and get on her own two feet. Take good care of my Aubrey, Kevin.

Love,

Nana

The round Farmer would recognize that scratchy curlicue handwriting anywhere. It was legit. Nana had left this Earth and only left a jaded looking vicenarian behind for him to inherit. Kevin looks back up at Aubrey and looks her over before their similar eyes meet. The Farmer sheepishly rubs the back of his lard-like neck, letting out a deep sigh. He sure didn't foresee something like this appearing on his doorstep so suddenly.
"Well..." he sighed, avoiding eye contact. "I don't know you any different from a stranger but...if this is really Nana's final wish, then so be it. I will have Priscilla prepare you a room while I give you a tour of the land. If you're going to be staying here for free, you gotta repay me in some form of manual labor of course. Can't just have you lazing around my property." Aubrey nodded eagerly, but meekly in response. Kevin took his wooden pipe out of his mouth. "And while I'm giving you the tour, I'll have Priscilla and Olivia prepare us a nice dinner in Nana's honor. How's that sound?"

"Sounds great." Aubrey sighed, trying to hide her relief.
Not only did this go better than she was expecting, but she hadn't gotten the chance to eat all day. With traveling and all, she just couldn't find the time to stop for a bite to eat. That and she wanted to savor every dollar she inherited from Nana. Kevin nodded before beckoning Aubrey inside with a head gesture. The young stranger quickly put out her cigarette, grinding the singed tobacco into the grayed wood beneath her sneaker, before taking a step inside. Holding her one leather bag over her shoulder, Aubrey now stood awkwardly in the center of the tiny Miller living room. Even though the living room consisted of nothing more than an old polyester couch, an outdated T.V. set, a tall lamp, and a mini wooden coffee table in the center, it still felt...suffocating. With the sun hiding behind the swelling clouds, the living room was draped in an almost eerie blanket of serene blue tinted dimness. The blank white walls slathered in glossy paint contrasted harshly against the unpolished brown wooden floors. While eyeing down the walls, Aubrey noted that it was haphazardly decorated with family photos, pictures of the Lord, his Mother Mary, and crosses. Many, many crosses. Most of the religious paintings and photos being of them weeping crystal tears of sorrow or crimson droplets forming and dripping from a violent crown. It was almost as if they were all staring down the newcomer of the house with leering eyes. Watching. Judging.

"Priscilla!" Kevin called up from the base of the stairs. "Come down here! We have a guest."
The sound of high heeled boots stomping against the wooden floorboards could be heard overhead as someone came rushing down the creaky stairs.


"I'm coming, I'm...Oh-!" The voice laced with a silky texture suddenly cut itself off once its source came into view at the top of the visible staircase.
Priscilla Miller stared at the stranger in surprise, her mouth framed with plump lips slightly rounded in an "o" shape. Aubrey stared back, her eyes wide and doe like in pure shock. Taking this epitome of mature beauty that suddenly appeared before her all in. The first thing she couldn't help but notice was her skin. Her milk chocolate dark skin, peppered with dark coffee flakes and sparse, sweet, soft moles contrasted nicely against her cream and light blue gingham dress. The dress she wore showed nothing more but her head, hands, and hints of her bursting bust, but was overall absurdly tight. Leaving almost nothing to the imagination. The cotton fabric around her hefty hips stretched absurdly, matching with the strained buttons of her blouse. The hem of her form fitting dress floated delicately just above that unpolished floor. Her glistening eyelids hovering low in a dreamy like, but quietly sensual nature, over her deep dark pupils. Her face lightly glazed in sweat due to the lack of air conditioning, but it didn't disgust Aubrey like when she saw it on Kevin. It made her look...Cherubic. Her rounded face was dewy, almost like her face had its own glimmering halation in the gloominess of the family room. Her coily almost black brown hair, packed haphazardly in a tightish bun on top, matched her effortlessly ripened quality. Some locks of hair had escaped the rubber band however, framing her mildly weathered face. Aubrey was the one to break eye contact first, unable to hide the fact that her face that had quickly became flushed and hot to the touch. Aubrey had no idea that their cousin was married to such a bewitching woman. To put it lightly, Aubrey was smitten upon first sight. She slowly walked down to the base of the stairs and Aubrey could quickly see that she was taller than both Kevin and herself. The young girl from earlier looked a lot like her cousin...but could this really the mother? Could this woman, who could even turn Aphrodite a sickly green with envy, really be married to her fleshy blob of a cousin?

"Hello there." she greeted in a gentle voice before turning to the Blob that was Kevin. "...Honey, who is this?"
Kevin tucked his fat thumbs beneath the straps of her overalls before speaking.

"Priscilla. This here is my baby cousin. Aubrey Miller." he introduced her. "I've only met her once as a newborn some years ago...how old are you?"

"Just turned twenty-five last month." Aubrey responded.
Kevin nodded slowly in confirmation.

"Yep. Sounds about right. Never thought I'd see her again." He continued. "Anyways. Apparently she was living with our Nana up until recently...she had just passed away. Bless her heart. Lord, please welcome her with open arms and shower her with your everlasting love. I am now Aubrey's only living family member left apparently."
Priscilla brought a manicured hand up to her face in shock.

"Oh, you poor thing." she sighed a sigh dripping in sorrow. "The Lord will compensate you one day. Abundant blessing are on the way. I promise you."

"...Thanks." Aubrey responded, awkwardly shifting her weight to her other foot.
She swallowed thickly, hoping the couple hadn't noticed the misplaced action. Aubrey wasn't really much of the religious type and her difficulty with focusing on anything else right now other than recovering from the recoil of Priscilla's absurd voluptuousness was proof enough of that. The cross hanging around Priscilla's neck and the rosary wrapped around her left hand suddenly caught her attention. It was safe to say that they were both the religious type. Pious even. Nana was certainly religious too...but not to a degree like this. Aubrey was unsure if she was going to be able to adjust, but at this point, what choice did she really have? The young Millers blushing strengthened as the radiant Priscilla suddenly drew near. The faint smell of buttermilk brushed against Aubrey's nostrils as she did so.

"Here, let me take this for you and show you to your new room." she offered, taking the bag before the younger woman could protest. "And afterwards, we'll make you a nice home cooked meal. Something to fill you right up and make you feel right at home."
Priscilla's maternal and radiant warmth had a calming affect on Aubrey's jittery nerves, obediently nodding in response.

"She's gonna need it." The Farmer spoke up, breaking his cousins immersion. "She's helping me on the farm first thing in the morning."

"Is that so...?" the Farmer's Wife replied. "Looks like the Lord has finally blessed you with that farm aid you've always wanted."

"Yeah...s'pose so." Kevin grunted as he plopped onto the couch. "Now just let me know when you ladies are all done. Once Aubrey is settled in, I'll give her a tour around the farm. And then we'll come back in for supper."

"Okay. Sounds good, dear." Priscilla gestured for Aubrey to follow her. "Come along now."
She didn't have to ask her twice. Her pull was magnetic. Like a moon circling it's precious Planet, it felt natural amidst Aubrey's unease.

She followed Priscilla up those same groaning steps and towards the guest room. Aubrey sheepishly cast her eyes downward to her own shoes to avoid peeking up to see all the which ways Priscilla's backside wobbled and jiggled mere inches in front of her. Down the narrow hallway to the left. Right next to the broom closet. Complete with its own over zealous religious decorum. Crosses, pictures of Jesus Christ himself, and mini figurines of the Virgin Mary decorated the small room. Both with and without child. Wonderful. Aubrey thought as Priscilla carefully put her belongings by base of the bare bed.

"This was originally a guest room." she explained, as she started wiping some somethings off of the old mattress. "But we don't have many guests anyways. Let alone ones that spend the night here so. This room is all yours now. I hope that will be alright for you, Aubrey."
The new farm aid loved the way her name sounded on the tip of this older woman's tongue already. She said it with a gentleness that she was not used to.

"...That's fine. I appreciate it." she mumbled in response.
Aubrey watched intently as Priscilla fluffed up the old pillow and pulled some white sheets from the antique ivory dresser drawer across the room. Her tight blue dress twisting and stretching as it conformed to her voluptuous shapes and curves while she moved about. Her waist to hip ratio was absurd enough to make anyone blush. The way her full breast softly drooped as she bent over to perform her menial tasks. Putting it as lightly as possible, Aubrey could not deny that her cousin got himself quite a Looker. A woman dripping in ecstasy. No idea how though. When he waddles around looking like...that. The Blob. Priscilla plopped the fresh sheets onto the mattress and patted them down before turning back towards Aubrey; suddenly taking her rough hands in her soft ones. Aubrey felt a chill run up her spine as that same milky scent filled up her nose once again, her heart in her throat. Priscilla was absurdly close, warmly smiling, her dark coils now framing both her own face and Aubrey's.

"Welcome home, Aubrey."

______________________________

Plates and silverware quietly clanked together as Priscilla and her daughter, Olivia, set the dining table. Aubrey was sitting at the far end across from Kevin, who sat at the head. Aubrey stared into space as she thought about the tour of the farm from earlier. It was a lot of information to take in though, so it was already shrouded in a dense haze as if it didn't happen earlier in the day; Testing herself to see if she was able to soak in all the crucial information despite her wandering mind. Kevin showed Aubrey the Frankensteined Barn. This was where all the animals were. The various bovine, swine, and equestrians like pigs, cows, sheep, and horses. Aubrey was expected to feed all the animals every single day and milk the cows twice a week...or was it once a week? Something like that. And sheer the sheep once it starts to get hot out. Then Kevin the Gelatinous Blob showed her the outhouse that was hiding behind the barn. Place to piss and poop. Self explanatory. Behind the house was where they all bathe. Complete with a rusted bucket, plastic stepping stool, and a scrubber with a wooden handle. Naturally, that took the pair to venture over to the well. Kevin showed Aubrey how to use it, the mechanisms of said well being pretty self explanatory. Tie the rusted bucket to the rope and crank the also rusted lever to maneuver it up and down. And finally, the Farmer showed her the absurdly large, apple green tractor. His apparent prized possession, which only he was allowed to use. Or at least until he decided to teach her how to operate it. Which would probably be the day after the day he dies. The sound of Priscilla's silky voice snapped Aubrey out of her lucid daydream.

"I made your favorite tonight, dear." she announced, gently setting down a dish. "Smoked honeyed ham with sides of mashed potato and pineapples."
...Interesting choice. Aubrey couldn't help but to think. It was almost like Kevin could hear what his younger cousin was thinking.

"Don't knock it until you try it, Aubrey" he said, pointing a fork at her.
Aubrey stared at her plate as Priscilla leaned in close and set it down in front of her, her coils swaying playfully just mere inches from her face. A thick slice of honeyed ham, bejeweled with crystalline condensation; a curt lump of fluffy cloud like mashed potatoes, and two soaked sunny pineapple slices to the side. Aubrey reached for her utensils as Priscilla claims her seat, just to Aubrey's left. Olivia to her right. Before the starving girl could dig in, Kevin clears his throat loudly. The two cousins lock eyes for a tense moment. The only sound in the room coming from the droning buzzing of the fluorescent light-bulbs from above.

"We say grace before we eat in this household." Kevin stated, bluntly.
His stare cold and unnecessarily intense. Despite being overwhelmingly hungry and irritated, Aubrey sheepishly put the utensils down and complied. She watched as the Farmer reached for the hands of his wife and daughter, the wife and daughter in turn reaching for Aubrey's. This was all so new to her. Almost to an uncomfortable degree, but she complied. That's all she could do in these circumstances. Comply, comply, comply. Olivia's hand felt cold, but soft. And skinny. Almost clammy too. It was clear she didn't work on the farm a day in her life, but Aubrey was understanding. She didn't have the broad and strong stature of the average Miller. Priscilla's hand felt warm and soft. Almost too soft. The cold feeling of her golden wedding ring almost felt like it was burning against Aubrey's temperature high skin. Aubrey quite liked the feel of Priscilla's hand in her own. Those ridiculously feminine and velvety paws of hers. Kevin began his sermon as Aubrey closed her eyes.

"Lord...we thank you again for not only blessing us with a hot meal on our table, but also for expanding our little family just a little bit more. Lord, you brought Aubrey into our lives today and would could not be anymore grateful. Oh, Lord we ask that you bless Aubrey with the strength to adjust to this new life without Nana and give her the strength to persevere through anything with diligent and honest hard work. Lord, we..." Kevin continued on and on as Aubrey's mind began to wander again.
Just how long was this gonna go on for...? Nana used to say grace as well, but she kept it short and sweet at least. And even then, she mostly just prayed to herself. The smell of the dish in front of the young Aubrey Miller was starting to drive her nuts. Aubrey just wanted to eat as soon as possible, but Kevin continued to blab on and on about blessing this and that. The newcomer slowly opened one eye to peek around the room. Olivia had her head down and looked like she was damn near about to fall into a deep slumber. Kevin continued to pray. Sweat running down his face and staining his plain t shirt...Lovely. Aubrey's wandering eye finally landed on Priscilla, who was sitting perfectly still, her eyes closed shut. Aubrey almost felt like she couldn't look away from her gorgeous features since she was so up close. Her long, curled eyelashes. Her plump lips. The way her chest curved into her large, ripe bosom. The more Aubrey looked the more attractive she was!

Aubrey closed her eyes once again, shifting in her seat as she did so. As she did, she accidentally, but softly, squeezed Priscilla's hand. Priscilla squeezed back. Surprised, Aubrey reopened her eyes and looked over at the Farmer's wife. Her eyes were still closed, her expression unchanged. Perfectly still. Before Aubrey got the idea to do it again, the prayer finally ended.

"Amen." The Farmer punctuated.

"Amen." everyone else repeated in unison.
Immediately, everyone began to dig in. Aubrey tore into the honeyed ham first. She was so hungry, anything would have tasted great right about now, so it was hard to say if Priscilla's cooking was actually phenomenal or not.

"How's the food, Aubrey?" Priscilla spoke up, lowering her fork.
Aubrey swallowed the food in her mouth before responding.

"It's great." she answered, making minimal eye contact. "Thank you."
Priscilla just smiled in response and returned her attention to her own plate. Kevin leaned on the table with his ashy elbows and wiped his mouth with a pristine napkin.

"So Aubrey," he began. "What did you do before Nan's...uh. Passing?"

"No elbows on the table." his wife warned in a stern voice.
Kevin begrudgingly obliged after a significant pause.

"I was working at the corner shop to make myself a little bit of money." Aubrey answered. "But, I was mainly going to school to become a uh, writer."

"Oh...college. You know...getting degrees are a waste of time. You know that, right?" Kevin retorted almost immediately. "Why waste money getting a piece of paper that says...what? You're smarter than other people? Besides, no God dwells in a place like that. They take our youth away from the Lord. It ain't right. Isn't that right, honey?"

"You know best, dear." Priscilla responded in a docile yet uninterested manner.
Kevin nodded in satisfaction.

"Listen, Aubrey. All you need is good and honest hard work." The Farmer stressed. "Take my Olivia here. She finally finished that damn mandated public school about a year ago. Now she's learning how to be a wonderful house-maker just like her mother. Maybe marry her off to that nice Wilson boy down the road within the next year or so. Isn't that right, dear?"

"That's right, darling." Priscilla answered obediently again.
Olivia didn't look up from her plate even once. She continued to eat her supper, as if she was eating dinner all by her lonesome.

"...I see." Was all Aubrey mumbled in response.

As supper carried on, Kevin continued to rant passionately about how hard work and God was all humans needed. It was the first night and all this "God" talk was already becoming grating for the young Miller. When supper finally ended, and the Farmer and his daughter dispersed from the table, pretty Priscilla quietly beckoned a dish holding Aubrey over to the sink. Like before, the new farm aide approached her with little hesitation and she gently took her plate from her.

"Would you be a dear and help me with the dishes tonight?" Priscilla asked. "I decided to give Olivia a little break since we have an extra pair of hands tonight. I'll wash and you help rinse."
Aubrey silently nodded, rolling up her feeble denim jacket sleeves to avoid any potential water-log. Already mentally lecturing herself to stay focused on the task at hand and not to ogle her cousins bride like a Heat-stricken animal in the springtime. Aubrey stood at the sink next to the towering woman and washed the suds off of the china as the Mother scrubbed the dirty plates down. After getting over her initial nervousness, Aubrey began meditating on everything that Kevin had brushed over during dinner amidst his pious scatterbrained rambling. The blob expects her to be up by 6 am every morning, including Sundays since the church was pretty far from the house. Despite that, the only day they don't do farm work was Sundays. Aubrey had never been more grateful that today is a Thursday.

"Don't mind Kevin too much." Priscilla suddenly spoke up, pulling Aubrey out of the depths of her thoughts. "He's a devote man to God who believes what he believes is best for everyone. He's just a little overzealous about it. That's all."
Aubrey nodded slowly in response, not believing her sugarcoated words at all.

"...It doesn't bother me much." Aubrey fibbed, not looking up at her. "Clearly, college wasn't meant me anyways. I've already come to terms with that."
Priscilla smiled down at Aubrey.

"The Lord has better things in store for you, Aubrey." she replied, handing them another soap covered plate. "You'll see."
I sure hope so... she thought as they took the plate from the tall Matriarch. Right now, Aubrey was just thinking about how to make enough money to get out of here as soon as possible.