The Secret Billionaire At The Commune

Chapter 3

Since Alexis worked at a bakery, her alarm went off at the ungodly hour of 3 A.M. She quickly shut it off, not wanting to wake the rest of the house. Nana did have a farmer’s market that day but wouldn’t be up for another few hours so Alexis tiptoed around getting ready and let everyone else rest. She pulled on a pair of chef pants and a tight white tee shirt, slipped on her clogs that were by the door and hopped on her bike. The bakery was in town, which was only a two mile bike ride from Nana’s trailer on some peaceful backroads. She was still mad at her sister for what she said last night. Thinking about it made her pedal harder but she couldn’t help but wonder if Amber was right; that she should move on from her childhood infatuation with Jason and see what’s out there. Actually dating Jason seemed out of the question - their town was small and talk would be huge if Alexis and Jason, sister and brother, became romantically linked, despite not being genetically linked. Alexis tried to shake off the feeling as she neared the bakery. It’s not like Amber is any better, Brandon was their second cousin and Amber had baby-trapped him right out of high school. Jesus, Alexis thought, our family tree is more like a wreath.

Alexis often fantasized about running away with Jason, getting out of their hometown and starting anew somewhere else together. They had talked about it often but neither was sure if the other was actually serious about it. Nana was the one thing that held both of them back. Despite being spry for her age, she was getting older and the thought of abandoning her made Alexis shudder. She rounded the corner onto Main Street. The once thriving mining town had been decimated not only by the coal industry leaving but also by the WalMart built 10 minutes outside of town. A few well-meaning outsiders were trying to revive the once vibrant downtown and the bakery that Alexis worked at was one of those ventures. Even still, the pandemic had taken its toll on the already struggling businesses and Alexis worried about her own job. She parked her bike by the back entrance and tried the door. It was locked. She walked around front and knocked to see if her boss, Sarabeth, was there but the lights were still off. Sarabeth was one of those well-meaning outsiders who had fallen in love with the old town in the mountains but it was apparent that she was bleeding money every month on her investment. There simply wasn’t a market for a gourmet bakery in such a low-income town. Alexis knocked again and settled on the bench outside the shop, getting her phone out of her bag. She had a text from Sarabeth.

“I’m so sorry, please don’t hate me…” it read. Sarabeth could have at least done her the courtesy of calling her the night before to explain that the bakery was closing but Alexis did understand that Sarabeth was probably embarrassed by her business failing. Sarabeth had really put her heart and soul into the shop and that same energy rubbed off on Alexis. They’d both taken great pride in their confections and their cute, clean store. Although Alexis saw this coming, she still felt heartbroken over the fact that they couldn’t make their bakery a success.

Alexis checked the time. It was now past 6 A.M and she knew Nana was probably headed to the farmer’s market. Nana didn’t believe in cell phones; she always said she’d be where she said she was going to be and didn’t need to be more available past that. Alexis wished she had a phone; the farmer’s market was off the interstate by the WalMart and a good half hour bike ride away. She tried calling Jason to tell him about the bakery and it went straight to voicemail. That wasn’t like Jason to turn his phone off… Maybe he forgot to charge it last night. Alexis hoped he wasn’t still upset by what Amber had said. She began to pedal in the direction of the farmer’s market, the small, dismal town still sleepy around her.

As Alexis crested the top of the hill that looked down at the valley where the farmer’s market and WalMart were, she was surprised to see several red and blue flashing lights in the parking area. Like many small towns, the opioid epidemic was a constant presence and it was not unusual to see ambulances reviving addicts at any hour. She began to scan the rows of cars for Nana’s old pickup that she toted her vegetables in and saw it parked near where the ambulances were. As Alexis got closer, it became more and more apparent that the paramedics were working on someone right by Nana’s truck and tent. Panic began to rise in her as she threw her bike on the ground and ran over to see what was going on. She got to the other side of the truck and saw Nana on the ground, a basket of spilled apples strewn about her limp body. An EMT was pounding on her small body and Alexis leapt to her side.

“What happened,” she asked breathlessly.

“And you are…” One of the EMTs asked.

“I’m her granddaughter,” Alexis replied as she took Nana’s limp hand into her own. The EMT bent down beside her.

“She collapsed while unloading her truck,” she said, placing her hand on Alexis’ back. Alexis knew well enough that there was no reviving Nana. Her eyes no longer twinkled, her face no longer glowed. She was already gone from their realm. Fighting back tears, Alexis began to ask the EMT what to do as they tugged a clean, white sheet over her beloved grandmother. The EMT guided her up and suggested Alexis follow the ambulance to the hospital in Nana’s truck. Alexis numbly climbed into the driver’s seat and found Nana’s keys tucked trustingly under the visor. While waiting for the ambulance carrying her dead grandmother to start moving through the crowd of onlookers, she dialed Jason again. Please answer, she pleaded, I need you. It went straight to voicemail again as tears streamed down Alexis’ face. She turned the key in the ignition, the old truck roaring to life and slowly crunched over Nana’s spilled apples as she followed the ambulance to the hospital.