The Taste of Hunger by Barbara Joan Scott

Author:Barbara Joan Scott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Freehand Books
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

the very next day, Marie was back, and June rushed forward to greet her only to be cut off by Old Man Barker, who steered Marie to the counter, plunked the shoe box and the Patriot lipstick down. “Mrs.” — a slight hesitation as his jaw set and lip curled — “Barker will be returning these.” Tom hovered behind the pair with an even more anxious expression than the day before.

“Is that right?” said Taras, not best pleased. “And vhy should this be so? The shoes they don’t fit?” Olena came out of the stock room and gazed thoughtfully at Marie.

All of Marie’s sparkle from the day before had vanished. “Non, they fit mais . . .”

“But they are too extravagant for a veteran’s pay, for one thing,” Old Mr. Barker cut in. “And I don’t hold with open-toed shoes. Nor with red lipstick.”

“The lipstick ve don’t take back.” Olena pushed the tube back across the counter. “Rules of healt.”

“Anht the shoes.” Taras examined the soles, which were lightly scuffed. “These been vorn. Ve cannot sell if they already been vorn.” Old Mr. Barker’s scowl deepened and his jaw worked as though he wanted to spit, or swear, and as he jutted that jaw across the counter toward her father, June’s stomach flipped over. But June’s mother laid a hand on her father’s arm. “Perhaps ve vehrk someting out.” She smiled at Old Man Barker, though June noticed the smile did not reach her eyes. “These geerls,” nodding at June, and May who was peeking out of the storeroom, “they are young to be vehrking the store. Maybe Mrs. Barker she vehrk some hours here to pay for shoes.”

Please, June prayed, please say yes.

“She has work to do at the hardware, with Tom.” Old Mr. Barker jerked his head at his son without bothering to look at him.

“Yes, yes. But maybe vhen hardvehr is closed. Ve open late Fridays. Maybe Marie she vehrk then.”

Old Man Barker grunted his displeasure but stomped out of the store, shooing Tom ahead of him. Marie followed, throwing a nervous smile over her shoulder at Olena, who nodded. “Ve see you Friday.”

Taras glanced at Olena, looking puzzled and a bit irritated, but before he could say anything Olena said, “Only until the shoes are paid.” But June heard her mother mutter under her breath as she headed back to the stock room, “And after that we’ll see.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.