Queen Serene

Meet Queen. She drives a garbage truck in Garnet, way out on the plains of West Texas. Tall and beautiful, Queen wonders what will become of her life. Her marriage did not work out. Her cold husband locked her out. He dumped her boxes in front of the house with a note. She had few job skills. Yet like a tender plant after a terrible winter, Queen puts down roots and grows. Her ex-brother-in-law gets her a job with the City of Garnet Solid Waste Disposal Department. Her boss and coworkers are all men. They tell lots of third-grade jokes, but they’ve got her back. When she makes enough money to buy a house, they help her move in. Even better, she gets to live across the street from her eighty-seven-year-old grandmother. Betty Cope needs assistance with small day-to-day things. Queen is happy to help, unlike Betty’s three daughters. This includes Queen’s own mother, Lila. When Betty makes a sudden trip to the hospital, Queen finds herself up against Lila and her Aunt Reba.