Lux scrubs her body as the water cascades down her body. She was so happy that she managed to install an RV tankless water heater in her van. The two fifty-five-gallon plastic drums that supplied water to her van were mounted on the outside of the trailer. One held clean, clear water, while the other was her greywater tank.

Connecting the plumbing to the two tanks took some creative engineering on her part, but she managed to do it. Everything was connected by quick-connects that she could disconnect when she was ready to leave. She still used the two five-gallon water bottles for the sink, but the barrels were used for showers and washing clothes. She installed a brand-new washer-dryer combo unit in her van—this way, she doesn’t need to waste money on laundromat fees.

Her van was slowly turning into a small home on wheels. She has plans to keep the water in the tanks from freezing when winter arrives. This month, they were in Colorado performing at several small rural towns. She winces when she scrubs the right-hand side of her chest.

She was securing a new tight rope line when she fell off the platform and swung right into the support pole. She smacked the support pole pretty hard, and it left a huge bruise on the right side of her body and fractured three of her ribs. The medic who traveled with the circus had examined her injury and sent her for an X-ray.

She was on light duty, which Frank and Victor didn’t mind. Lux turns the water off and dries off. She still liked taking showers outside with her portable shower, but she liked that she could take them inside now. She moves the shower curtain aside and steps out of the shower.

The overhead fan was venting the moisture outside. She doesn’t have to worry about mold growing inside her van. She managed to find a used heating and A/C unit for her van. She had to do some repairs to it and return it to working order.

The roof was covered with the new flat solar panels. Lux’s van also had two high-wattage solar panels mounted on its side. She picked up a used generator from a pawn shop that could be fueled by propane or gasoline. Plus, she still had the extra alternator/generator she could run off the van when it was running.

Lux walks over to the hidden drawers and opens them. She pulls out her favorite oversized t-shirt and slips it on. She doesn’t bother wearing any panties. The nightshirt covered her groin area pretty well.

Once Lux had her nightshirt on, she closed the drawer and turned around to open the refrigerator. She pulls out a meal she made last night and heats it in the microwave. Once the meal is heated up, Lux sits down on her folded bed, which doubles as a sofa when she isn’t using it.

She turns the television on and starts watching The Legend of Korra on Paramount+. She got a satellite internet connection, so no matter where she is, she can watch her favorite shows or access the internet. Lux knew she needed to start saving money because all the upgrades and items she had been buying to make the van comfortable to live in were draining her savings.

The foster parents she had before she aged out of the system have been keeping in touch with her. She sent them pictures of the van and what she has been doing to it. Her foster parents were impressed with her creativity. She also told them about her job and the different places she has performed at. She sent them pictures of herself dressed up in the clown outfit she wore.

Lux has been working on a new outfit when she finds time. The outfit was almost completed. She only had a few more things to do. Once she is done with it, she’ll make a second one.

Lux places the dish she had her meal in, in the dishwasher she bought on Amazon. It was a countertop dishwasher; the only thing you had to do was hook it up to the sink faucet and run the drain hose to the sink. It only held a few dirty dishes, but it was enough for her.

Lux folds the sofa down into a bed and lies down on it. She was enjoying the temperature inside the van. The small fan she mounted in the van's cargo area felt nice. She watches several episodes of The Legend of Korra before falling asleep. She turned the television off before she drifted off to sleep.

When Lux woke up the next day, it was raining outside. She gets dressed and uses the bathroom in her van. The camping toilet she bought has come in handy.

Lux grabs her rain jacket and boots and puts them on. She exits her van, locks it, and heads towards the maintenance truck. She notices she was the first one there and starts brewing the coffee for Frank and Victor. While she is waiting for the coffee to brew, she pulls the donuts she bought yesterday out of the refrigerator and set them out.

The store she went to yesterday to do her shopping had a special on donuts. She bought two dozen for them to have with their coffee. She hears Victor as he enters the box truck.

“Morning, Victor.”

“Morning, Lux. Is the coffee ready?” Victor saw the box of donuts Lux bought yesterday.

“Yep, coffee is ready, and the donuts are out.” Lux had grabbed a crème-filled one and was enjoying it. The ones covered in bacon were already gone.

Frank and Victor loved them and ate them all yesterday. She didn’t mind, because she liked the crème-filled ones.

“Cool.” Victor fills his coffee mug and grabs two glazed donuts from the box.

“I take it that we’re not working outside today?” Lux knew Frank, and Victor hated working in the rain.

“Nope, and you’re on light duty for two weeks.” Victor saw the doctor’s note Lux gave Frank and Mr. Goldman.

“I know. I think today is going to be slow.” Lux has learned that when it rains, people don’t like coming to the circus.

Frank shows up ten minutes later. He shakes his rain gear outside as he takes it off. He looks at Victor and Lux, “I see you guys have already started.”

“Yep!” Lux raises her coffee mug towards Frank.

“I can’t function without coffee, Frank.” Victor drinks from his mug.

Frank shakes his head as he pours himself some coffee. Once he has his coffee, he grabs a glazed donut from the box and bites into it.

“So, what is the game plan?” Lux looks at Frank as he eats his donut.

Frank swallows the food in his mouth, before answering. He looks at Lux “your still on light duty. You’re working with Kevin and his people today. He needs your engineering expertise for a job he needs to do.”

“Okay. Anything else?” Lux didn’t mind helping Kevin with his project.

“Nope, if you get done early with Kevin’s project. Check with Slappy and see if he wants you performing or just helping with the props.” Frank knew Slappy didn’t like anyone under him performing while they were injured.

“Okay.” Lux has gotten on better terms with Slappy since she joined the circus.

At first, he was gruff with her, treating her like an outsider. But over time, he has softened toward her and shown her the same respect he showed all the clowns working under him. It took time, but she was glad that Slappy had softened toward her.

After breakfast and their morning meeting, Lux goes and locates Kevin. The project he was working on was going to take them until lunch. Kevin liked to focus on the job at hand rather than chit-chat. So, she helps when she can, but let him do all the work.

After lunch, she enters the clown tent and finds Slappy straightening the mess on his makeup table. She walks over towards him, “Hey Slappy. Watching you doing?”

Slappy turns around to look at Lux. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Cleaning up your makeup table. So, what do you have for me?” Lux knew Slappy could be sarcastic.

He was good with kids, but not with teenagers her age or some grown-ups. He could be rude to.

“Nothing. You’re still on medical leave, and I don’t want you making your injuries worse.” Slappy knew Lux would be willing to do whatever job he had for her.

“I can still do light work.” Lux didn’t want to take the rest of the day off.

“Until you get the clear from our medic. You’re to take it easy until then. Since it is raining outside today, you might as well take the rest of the afternoon off.” Slappy looks at Lux in his mirror.

“Okay.” Lux turns and leaves the clown tent.

She walks back towards her van and starts preparing some dinner for later. She was thinking about cooking the pork chops she bought while shopping. The antique stove she bought and installed worked like a charm and fit perfectly in her van.