Read Online Every Day After by Laura Golden - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Laura Golden
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just swept it clean.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I wiped my feet, careful to remove every last speck of dirt. If I didn’t, Mrs. Hinkle would have me sweep over the whole thing again, and I was sick of cleaning today.
She continued to eye me as I made my way over to the counter, her body not much taller, but far wider, than the broom handle she was grasping. Mrs. Hinkle has always been stern and scary; her black hair was slicked back into as tight a bun as possible, pulling the skin on her face too tight. I’d mentioned once to Daddy that I didn’t like her. Daddy only nodded. He didn’t like her either.
“Don’t let her get to you, Miss Lizzie. The missus is just flustered because I’m making her take a trip with me into Birmingham. We’re heading to the mission to help serve.” Mr. Hinkle leaned forward on the counter, ducking out of his wife’s view. His eyes twinkled. “She didn’t take too kindly to that.”
I giggled. Now, Mr. Hinkle I’d always liked. He was the closest I’d ever come to meeting Santa Claus—well, a skinny Santa. His cheeks were overly red and his eyes crinkled up at the corners like he was planning some way to break the rules—one of Mrs. Hinkle’s rules.
I handed the vegetables to Mr. Hinkle. He looked through the sack and nodded. “Why, those are some of the prettiest heads of broccoli I ever did see. I do believe your mama is the best gardener in Bittersweet. Sure wish I was.” He placed his hand over his heart and sighed. “Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Mr. Hinkle, you’re silly.” Mr. Hinkle would never guess, but it wasn’t Mama’s skill that’d kept the garden going over the past month. It was mine.
“Don’t I know it?” he said. “Now, back to business. I believe these are worth about seventy-five cents. Fair enough?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll just take a trade this time.” I handed him a list of the things I needed: more lye soap, some cornmeal, one pound of coffee for Mama, and one cake of Lifebuoy soap for bathing.
Mr. Hinkle nodded and I watched as he went aroundgathering up my necessities. He brought my items over to the counter to sack them up for me.
“We’ll be leaving for the mission just as soon as Mrs. Hinkle gets finished up and I close out the drawer. Hang around if you want to go.”
“Sure would like to,” I said, taking my bagged goods from him, “but I should probably be heading back home. Is it all right if I just look at the candy first?”
“Be my guest.”
I’d asked Mr. Hinkle if I could look at the candy, but in truth, there was only one candy I cared about. Goo Goo Clusters. I hovered over the case, breathing in the air. It smelled sweet and chocolaty and peanutty. My mouth watered. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had one. The closest I could come to actually tasting their gooey goodness was taking deep sniffs of the brown paper bag in my bottom dresser drawer. But the scent had been near sniffed out. Only the faintest wisp of Goo Goo remained. The smell rising from the case was so fresh I could feel my teeth sinking into one. I closed my eyes and leaned forward. My locket tapped against the glass.
“What in heaven’s name are you doing, child?” Mrs. Hinkle huffed as she scuttled past. “I swear, Herbert, I don’t know what possesses young people today. Standing there drooling over candy. Can’t they find some useful way to spend their time? You’d think she could at least pick up a broom or dustcloth instead of standing there idle.”
I glanced over at Mr. Hinkle. He was shaking his head, not looking up from his figures.
“And what in heaven’s name is that around your neck?”
I jerked up. Mrs. Hinkle was staring me down, one hand perched on her hip, the other gripping her trusty broom. “You didn’t steal it, did you? Lord knows, and we well know, you can’t afford a thing like that.”
“No, ma’am, I did not steal it. My daddy gave it to me. It belonged to my grandmother.”
Mrs. Hinkle
“Yes, ma’am.” I wiped my feet, careful to remove every last speck of dirt. If I didn’t, Mrs. Hinkle would have me sweep over the whole thing again, and I was sick of cleaning today.
She continued to eye me as I made my way over to the counter, her body not much taller, but far wider, than the broom handle she was grasping. Mrs. Hinkle has always been stern and scary; her black hair was slicked back into as tight a bun as possible, pulling the skin on her face too tight. I’d mentioned once to Daddy that I didn’t like her. Daddy only nodded. He didn’t like her either.
“Don’t let her get to you, Miss Lizzie. The missus is just flustered because I’m making her take a trip with me into Birmingham. We’re heading to the mission to help serve.” Mr. Hinkle leaned forward on the counter, ducking out of his wife’s view. His eyes twinkled. “She didn’t take too kindly to that.”
I giggled. Now, Mr. Hinkle I’d always liked. He was the closest I’d ever come to meeting Santa Claus—well, a skinny Santa. His cheeks were overly red and his eyes crinkled up at the corners like he was planning some way to break the rules—one of Mrs. Hinkle’s rules.
I handed the vegetables to Mr. Hinkle. He looked through the sack and nodded. “Why, those are some of the prettiest heads of broccoli I ever did see. I do believe your mama is the best gardener in Bittersweet. Sure wish I was.” He placed his hand over his heart and sighed. “Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Mr. Hinkle, you’re silly.” Mr. Hinkle would never guess, but it wasn’t Mama’s skill that’d kept the garden going over the past month. It was mine.
“Don’t I know it?” he said. “Now, back to business. I believe these are worth about seventy-five cents. Fair enough?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll just take a trade this time.” I handed him a list of the things I needed: more lye soap, some cornmeal, one pound of coffee for Mama, and one cake of Lifebuoy soap for bathing.
Mr. Hinkle nodded and I watched as he went aroundgathering up my necessities. He brought my items over to the counter to sack them up for me.
“We’ll be leaving for the mission just as soon as Mrs. Hinkle gets finished up and I close out the drawer. Hang around if you want to go.”
“Sure would like to,” I said, taking my bagged goods from him, “but I should probably be heading back home. Is it all right if I just look at the candy first?”
“Be my guest.”
I’d asked Mr. Hinkle if I could look at the candy, but in truth, there was only one candy I cared about. Goo Goo Clusters. I hovered over the case, breathing in the air. It smelled sweet and chocolaty and peanutty. My mouth watered. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had one. The closest I could come to actually tasting their gooey goodness was taking deep sniffs of the brown paper bag in my bottom dresser drawer. But the scent had been near sniffed out. Only the faintest wisp of Goo Goo remained. The smell rising from the case was so fresh I could feel my teeth sinking into one. I closed my eyes and leaned forward. My locket tapped against the glass.
“What in heaven’s name are you doing, child?” Mrs. Hinkle huffed as she scuttled past. “I swear, Herbert, I don’t know what possesses young people today. Standing there drooling over candy. Can’t they find some useful way to spend their time? You’d think she could at least pick up a broom or dustcloth instead of standing there idle.”
I glanced over at Mr. Hinkle. He was shaking his head, not looking up from his figures.
“And what in heaven’s name is that around your neck?”
I jerked up. Mrs. Hinkle was staring me down, one hand perched on her hip, the other gripping her trusty broom. “You didn’t steal it, did you? Lord knows, and we well know, you can’t afford a thing like that.”
“No, ma’am, I did not steal it. My daddy gave it to me. It belonged to my grandmother.”
Mrs. Hinkle
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