Dinner and Bath

"Oh, hey. Clementine, right?" Hosea looks back and sees Clem staring at the gas stove.

"Yes. Can I help with something?" She asks, hoping to do something. She's not used to do nothing, not ever since she learned how to protect herself.

"Dinner's almost ready, so why don't you go and make the table? You can find plates in the cabinets and silverware in the drawers." Hosea says.

"Do we need knives?" Clem asks.

"No. No fork either." Hosea nods simply.

Clementine nods and gets to work. She moves quickly. s she places each plate and spoon in its correct spot, she can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. This small task may seem trivial to some, but to her, she's just glad she can do something. Back at their temporary camping place with Christa as well, she let her go alone, and got killed. She can't help but blame herself. Sure, her job was to try and keep the fire alive by trying to finds something dry to feed the fire, but she should've known that it might be dangerous for her late friend to go alone.

Of course, it wasn't her fault, but Clem doesn't think rationally at the moment. She couldn't have predicted what happened, after all, it wasn't the first time the two split up to do different tasks.

As she finishes, Hosea smiles at her. "Good job, Clem. The table looks great."

Clem nods. "Should I call the others?" She asks.

"No need. Go and wash your hands. You can find the bathroom, it's written on the door." Hosea smiles and the child. "I'll send the others to wash their hands as well." He says and sets off to find Franklin, BJ, and Samantha.

Clementine finds the bathroom, and when she steps inside, she sees something that she never seen before. It's shaped like a drum, barell-like design, made out of some kind of metal.

She shrugs her shoulders, and goes over to the sink. She turns it on, and water starts coming out of it. She can't believe that the sinks works. Maybe she should, as they have a working gas stove!

After she was done, she was about to leave the bathroom when the door opened. It was Franklin.

"Are you done?" He asks.

Clementine nods, and steps aside so he can step inside. Once inside, Clem leaves, closing the door behind her. As she walks, she sees BJ, holding Samantha's hand coming over to the bathroom.

They walk past each other, Clem walks back to the table. She sees Hosea come out of the kitchen with a small plate.

Hosea notices the little girl staring at the plate. "It's for Bernadette. She's the baby. I mashed some carrots and strawberries for her. I know, weird combination, but beggars can't be choosers." He shrugs.

"Yeah." She nods in understanding.

"Sit down at the table. I'll come after bringing the little one over." He smiles.

Clem takes her seat at the table, her stomach growling in hunger, smelling the delicious smell of dinner. She doesn't know what it is, but she can't wait to eat.

Soon, Hosea returns with Bernadette in his arms. The baby gurgles happily as she sees Clem sitting at the table. Hosea places the small plate of mashed carrots and strawberries in front of Bernadette and gets her settled in a high chair.

Franklin, BJ, and Samantha arrives together and they sit down at the table.

Hosea heads inside the kitchen, with a pot, which he sets down in the middle of the table.

"What are we eating, Hosea?" Franklin asks, Clementine thanking in her mind, as she didn't want to be rude and ask herself.

Hosea looks at Franklin and answers, "I drained and rinsed the canned kidney beans, and combine them with sliced carrots and diced canned peaches in a pot, and cooked them." Hosea shrugs. "Can't taste bad." He chuckles.

Frank rolls his eyes but smiles. "Sure."

Hosea takes Clem's plate first, and puts the food on her plate. "You could've given me last." She says a bit shyly. "But thank you." She says.

"It's fine." Hosea says, then looks at the others. "No?"

"No problem, kid." Frank says.

"Same." BJ says.

"Eat to your heart's content." Samantha smiles.

"Coo-coo" Bernadette's sweet cooing filled the room.

Clem respectfully waited until everyone's plates were filled with dinner, and started eating. The food was delicious, warm, and comforting. Clementine savored every bite, grateful for the hot homemade meal after so long.

When Hosea saw she finished it, he filled her plate again with a smile. She felt like crying, but of course, she didn't. She just enjoyed every bite.

The kidney beans provide a hearty and earthy base, while the carrots add a subtle sweetness and crunch. The peaches add a touch of fruity brightness that complements the other ingredients.

Overall, the dish has a warm and comforting taste with a hint of sweetness from the peaches.

After dinner, they all helped clean up and wash the dishes. Hosea thanked them all for their help.

When she walked back to the living room, randomly it hit her. She left her bag in the woods! It had her lighter, drawing of Kenny, Duck, and Katjaa, thr picture of Lee!

She couldn't help but scold herself for forgetting something so important. She took a big breath, then exhaled. No use crying over spilled milk, she though, but in her own words. She can't go back. And BJ most likely wouldn't risk going back there for a bag, even if the contents in it mean a lot to her.

"Clementine?"

She hears her name being called and turns around, to see BJ calling her name.

"Clem. Wanna take a bath first?"

The question makes her heart thump wildly. Bath? They have a bath?

"You have a bathtub?" She asks.

"Yeah, didn't you see it when you washed your hands?" He asks back.

"Huh?"

"The drum bath. The barrel-like shaped metal thing. That's a drum bath. All you have to do is put water in it, heat it, and sit inside it." He explains.

"Oh!" She's surprised. "Then, yes, thank you." She accepts being the first to go.

Hearing her answer, BJ hands her a towel, and new sets of clothes. The clothes are: a blue T-shirt, a pair of grey sweatpants, white socks, and a zebra patterned pantie.

"Thanks." She says, looking over the new clothes.

"Don't mention it. Once your done, put the clothes that you have on in the basket, and we'll wash it for you." He says.

Clementine nods, and heads inside the bathroom, but before that she hears BJ tell everyone, "Clem's taking a bath, so don't go inside."

Once inside the bathroom, Clementine looks at the drum bathtub with curiosity. She fills it with warm water and lights the fire underneath to heat it up. As she waits for the water to warm up, she undresses and steps into the drum bathtub.

The warm water envelops her body, and she sighs in contentment. It's been a long time since she's had a proper bath, and the feeling of being clean and refreshed is something she's missed.

As she washes herself, she can't help but close her eyes and let the water soothe her tired muscles. The warmth of the water relaxes her, and for a brief moment, she forgets about the harsh reality of the world outside.

After she's done bathing, she dries herself off with the towel BJ gave her and changes into the new clothes. Feeling fresh and clean, she steps out of the bathroom.

Clementine heads back to the living room, feeling grateful for the small luxuries that they have in their makeshift home. As she sits down on the couch, she can't help but feel a sense of peace and comfort.

(1309 words)