Page 3 of Living with Death

“One day, I won’t need this.” She stuffs the card back into her purse as little Mikey wraps her hair around his fingers.

“Nothing wrong with a bit of help,” I say.

“I know.” She sighs. “Speaking of help, though, I got an anonymous envelope in the mail the other day with some cash in it.”

My brows raise. “Well, that’s awesome. I’m sure it helped a little.”

“It paid my light bill. But I can’t think of who would have done it.”

“No rich aunt or uncle anywhere?” I ask.

“I wish. I’d tell them to send more.” She laughs.

Leigh has been coming in here since Rue was born. She got pregnant at seventeen. Her mom told her that if she had the baby, she would be alone raising it. Leigh said that she’d stay on her own then. Have to give the girl credit. She’s worked hard, graduated early, and went to tech school to learn how to weld. But she’s having trouble getting hired because she’s a woman. So, she’s been working as a server, dealing with perverts and assholes.

“Maybe you’ll get something in your field soon, and you won’t need more.”

“Maybe if I wear a baseball hat and paint a mustache on my face, I can trick the bastards into thinking I’ve got a di…” She stops herself. “…banana between my legs.”

Jason, the bag boy, clears his throat.

Rue laughs. “Mama, you don’t want a banana between your legs. That’s silly as a geese.”

Leigh smiles, touching Rue’s nose with her finger. “It’s a goose, and you’re right, baby. I don’t.” She adjusts Mikey on her hip, grabbing her hair from his little fingers. She winces. “He always goes for the hair.”

She got pregnant with him by the same guy, but she decided she didn’t want a relationship.

“I’ll see you later,” she says, pushing the cart.

“Bye.”

“Bye, Mabel!” Rue calls out.

I wave. Jason follows her out of the store with his eyes. The door lets the chilled air in and a leaf or three.

Jason has been working here since he graduated high school. He’s now going to college and earning a degree in engineering.

“Jason, stop fantasizing about Leigh and help me unload the truck,” Robbie says.

Jason’s cheeks turn a cute shade of pink. “I’ll be back, Mabel.”

“You know, all you gotta do is ask her out.”

“She’s… I…” He shakes his head. “Never mind.”

I laugh as he walks away. Sam snickers. “That boy’s got it bad.”

“And she doesn’t even know he exists.”

Chapter Two

The cloudy day keeps the sun from blinding me as I place stickers of fall leaves onto the store’s windows. Robbie, our store supervisor, comes up to me and says, “Got any plans this weekend?”

“Do I ever?” I reply.

He lifts his shoulder. “No, I don’t guess you do.”

“What about you?”

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