Girl Unbroken by Regina Calcaterra

Author:Regina Calcaterra
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-10-18T04:00:00+00:00

A couple of weeks later, Norm, Colton, and I were in Sheryl’s Shop playing Pac-Man when I noticed Sheryl with a blonde woman whose body was swollen and soft, like a marshmallow in slacks and a blouse. They stood on the customer side of the counter and appeared to be talking about me because they looked in my direction every couple of seconds. I wondered if the woman was a social worker from New York who had caught up with us—something that would be either terrifying if it led to another foster home like the Callahans’ or a relief if it led me back to my sisters. Her thick blonde hair appeared more done-up—frozen in a swooping wave—than that of most social workers I’d seen, so this made me wonder if she was from the Mafia, searching for me so she could “extinguish” me, as my mother had said. I realized that couldn’t be the case as she seemed to know Sheryl well and, other than her swooping hair, she had that pretty, wholesome, milk-fed look of many of the locals.

Sheryl caught me watching them and waved me over.

“This is my friend Betsy,” she said. “She wants to talk to you for a second.” Sheryl winked at me and then went behind the counter where the cash register was. I stood next to the candy and packs of gum with Betsy.

“What’s your last name?” Betsy smiled, but it looked painful, an unhappy smile.

“Brooks.” I glanced back at Norm and Colton. They were so engrossed in Pac-Man that Betsy could have been holding a machine gun to my head and neither one would have noticed.

“Is your mother Camille Brooks?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “Everyone calls her Cookie.”

“Cookie?” That smile again. I felt my mouth mirror hers and was swept with a flush of sadness.

“Like the food.”

“Do you know where your mom is now?” Betsy asked.

I looked at Sheryl behind the counter. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to answer this or not. Sheryl nodded her head at me, as if to tell me to trust Betsy. “Next door at the Rodeo Express,” I said.

Betsy gave that pained smile again and put a handful of quarters in my hand. “Thanks, honey. You go play some games now, okay?”

“Okay.” I looked toward Norm, who still hadn’t turned away from his game, and then shoved the quarters in my pocket. I had a feeling Cookie shouldn’t know I took money from this woman.

Betsy left, and I looked back to Sheryl.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “She’s a nice lady. But listen—” Sheryl paused for me to answer.

“Yeah?”

“You and your brother can spend as much time as you want here, okay? If you ever need a meal or anything like that, just come on over and Sheryl’s got you covered.” She leaned over the counter, picked up a Snickers bar, and handed it to me. “Share that with your brother now.”

I had a pocket full of quarters and a Snickers bar. If Gi was right, and

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