The Simplicity of Being Normal by James Stryker

Author:James Stryker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: family drama, mental illness, lgbt, religion, ptsd, bullying, transgender
Publisher: NineStar Press

Thirteen

Three weeks later, things seemed to be improving for Sam. He’d started to consider that Scarlet’s basement flooding with sewage may have been a good thing. His new set of problems was more surmountable. Both his eighteenth birthday and graduation were a month away.

At the time though, it’d seemed like he was at the end of his rope and might not survive a week.

“The pipes in this neighborhood are old, sir,” the plumber had said to him.

Sam had decided to risk introducing himself as Sam Porter to the plumber. Coming off the Washington, DC, trip, he felt confident enough that he could pull it off. It wasn’t like the man would ask for identification. And Scarlet wasn’t going to interfere. When she found out he called a plumber, she’d stormed upstairs and locked herself in her room, which was fine.

“I’ve had calls to six other houses within three blocks from you in the past couple of years. Same problem. Tree root grows into the pipe up the street, forces all the waste down your lines and into your house.”

He didn’t know if it could be considered a relief that Scarlet and Stevie hadn’t been using the basement as a toilet when the sludge was really the neighborhood’s combined sewage.

“But usually people call me in before now.” The man raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve been away all week, and my mother can’t do things by herself,” Sam explained. “She relies on me to take care of her.”

Relies. Expects. Commands. It’s only semantics.

“Well, you’ve got yourself a big problem, Mr. Porter.” It was hard to not smile, exceedingly difficult. It wasn’t the time for smiles. “I can clear your lines, but it’s bad. You need a cleaning crew. A disaster team.”

“My mother was thinking I could use a wet vac.” Sam wanted to see the professional reaction, as he’d been feeling guilty after Scarlet shut herself away to throw a tantrum.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” The plumber laughed. “That’s sewage! Almost a foot of it covering the lower half of the house! Tell your mom that any time a toilet has been flushed within a two-block radius, the contents have landed in her basement. A wet vac? That’s hazardous human waste down there.”

“Hazardous human waste?”

“You bet! I’m wearing a full suit before I go in there to fix it. Head to toe. And you need a disaster crew to clean it.” His smile fell. “If you plan on trying to wet vac that mess, I’ll call the health department.”

“No, I realize it’s bizarre. Just an illustration of why I’m the one handling things.”

I made the right choice, good.

“Point taken! A wet vac? Good Lord!” The grin returned. “They’re going to have to gut that basement. Cut the drywall halfway up. They’ll have to chuck everything that’s been contaminated.”

Everything?

There was no chance of the title making him smile again. His bedroom was down there. Would everything he owned aside from the clothes he’d taken to Washington, DC, be considered contaminated? Or was it just

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