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Show 110 So I did. I felt kinda holy about it, even paid the dentist, you know?" "But your grandmother expected you to eat." "We buy food stamps. Lord, Parker, I love having to tell you all this!" "Go on--" "I didn't have enough to buy the food stamps. I didn't really know how much it took. There's a minimum food stamp purchase, but when I ran out of groceries, I only had $14.36 and it wasn't enough. Besides, I had to have bus fare." "How long has that been?" "A couple weeks. But the last one's been worse." Parker whistled. "I might have made it, but now Gram's coming home and she has to eat the rest of the month. She'd kill me if I breathed a word of this to Oscar or the Mums." Parker remembered how he'd complained because he had to cook for himself, for hell's sake! He also remembered Dynais face as she watched him force down his breakfast at school that morning. "Know what I did Monday when I was absent?" she asked, as if she needed to talk about it now. Parker shook his head. "I waited for three hours at Family Services. I thought maybe they could help us. At noon, this lady sends me over on the west side to Indigent Aid." "What's that?" "I didn't know either. I had to go home and look it up after. So, anyway, they took down my whole life history, then gave me two cans of tuna, a loaf of bread and some dry beans. "You'll have to come back Friday, my dear, if you need fresh meat and vegetables," Dyna mimicked. "Cripes! A person could starve before Friday!" What could he say? He pictured Dyna relishing the food at the Burger Chalet, saw her bending intently over the cappucino. He suddenly felt very, very small. Why couldn't he have guessed something was wrong? He hadn't even asked about her grandmother, except to accuse her. How could he have been so . . . so . . . thick-headed! |