After finishing her breakfast, Charles took her plate into his motorhome to wash up. The feel of a full belly with a fresh cooked meal helped Lara feel more at ease. So far, Charles seemed like a nice man. She was starting feel less frightened by him.
Lara picked up a hot cup of coffee and slowly sat back into the folding chair. She held the cup to her lips and took a cautious sip, allowing her feet to dangle off the edge of the chair.
Charles returned outside and sat on the steps of his motorhome.
"Well, I was planning to go back inside and do some banking, and pay some bills, and then figure out what campgrounds I want to hit up next. Now, you're welcome to come inside, but to be honest, you smell pretty bad."
Lara nearly coughed on her coffee.
"But, I have a shower inside. I can turn on the water heater, and you can get all washed up. If you want to do that, you're welcome to come inside and keep me company!"
Lara felt embarrassed. She hadn't realized how dirty and smelly she was. But she nodded her head yes.
"Alright! Let me get the hot water going."
While nursing a hot cup of coffee, Lara looked out across the campground. She hadn't realized how pretty it was. She recognized the direction of her cinder block house, still about a mile and a half away. She felt certain her home was safe. Her thoughts were becoming conflicted, however.
Charles seemed like a nice man. Was there a way she could stay with him? Her intellect reasoned that living in the cinder block house might be too risky through the Winter. Even if she stashed as much food as she could, she doubted it would last. There would be no campers here during the freeze, and no trash to forage through. She probably wouldn't be able to hike to the campground in the freezing temperature.
Lara began to admire the motorhome. It seemingly offered the perfect solution. She could live in it, even shower in it. There was a way to cook meals. And when she was ready to move on, she could just drive the motorhome. But alas... She had no money to buy one, and no driver's license either.
All the luxuries came with money.
Besides, she reasoned, she was living this lifestyle not for luxuries, but to be more in touch with herself.
"Water's probably hot by now. You can go right on in and I'll show you how it works." Charles said.
Lara sat up from the chair and carefully walked up the steps to the motorhome. She was vigilant in accepting Charles' invite into his home on wheels. The last few weeks alone in the woods already made her doubtful.
She was surprised with how things looked inside! Despite the old looking exterior. Charles had managed to make the interior look up to date. Lara saw a cooktop, a refrigerator, a table with bench seats, a sink. Wow, she thought! This thing has everything she needs.
"In there is the shower." Charles pointed.
Lara walked in and was again impressed. It looked small, but it had a toilet, sink, shower all together in one.
"This is the hot and this is the cold. Don't worry about getting water on the toilet, it's all designed to get wet. I put a towel here to dry off, and there's a wash cloth over there. You're welcome to the soap and shampoo. Just take your time."
Charles stepped out and closed the door, leaving Lara inside.
She turned on the hot water and it indeed felt immediately hot. She added the cold water and stepped under the shower.
"Uhh!" She whispered to herself, relishing the feel of a hot shower.
Immediately, the water running down the drain was stained in streaks of black and gray as the dirt and grime came off her body. Lara reached for the soap and wash cloth and began scrubbing herself. She found flecks of hardened sap that had remained on her, perhaps for weeks since she left Lucy's house. She scratched them off with her fingernails.
Flecks of sand and debris began to collect on the shower floor. The wash cloth was already grayed with Lara's grime. She continued to wash and scrub, reaching every part of her body, even taking the time to scrub the soles of her feet.
She scrubbed in between her thighs, her labia and pubic mound, only to discover that her attempts at shaving inside the cinder block house were horrible. Growths of sandy blonde hair had already grown back an inch some places, and just stubble in others.
The hair on her head was a mess. After leaving Lucy's house, it hadn't been brushed at all. It looked tangled and greasy. She washed her hair twice with shampoo, working the lather deep into her long strands of locks. She used her fingers to forcibly untangle much of it, but could feel other tangles that just weren't going to come out. At her feet, the water produced a layer of foam crusted with the dirt, grime, and dead skin cells washing off her body.
The shower, however, didn't seem to last long. The water heater was perhaps too small for a long shower. Lara could feel the shower turning cold. A cold shower wouldn't bother her that much except that her skin was already adjusted to hot. She rushed to finish rinsing her hair.
The towel smelled wonderful. Just like something that came fresh out of a dryer. She missed that smell. It reminded her of being at home.
Once dried off, she carefully opened the door to the bathroom to present herself to Charles.
