Page 35 of The Time Keepers
“Thank you.” Her eyes traveled over to her nephew, who was watching TV. “Okay if B?o come today too?”
Grace was mad at herself. She’d been meaning to figure out a way to include B?o on their excursions. It was on her list to see if she could take him and Anh to swim at the beach club.
“Of course. I should have thought of it myself. Molly has been asking if he can come to the beach club and go swimming. But today, let’s all just go to the store.”
Anh took the grocery list and focused on the items that Grace had carefully written in large, clear letters:
Eggs
Butter
Bread
Milk
Potato salad
“Let’s see if you can find these things,” Grace suggested as she lifted one of the plastic caddies and handed it to Anh. “If you can’t find one of them, then you can ask him.…” She pointed to Karl, who was stocking the shelves with canned goods. “Okay?”
Anh nodded and looked at B?o. “You help too,” she said, practicing her English.
His eyes traveled across the shelves. Instead of answering, he dug his hands into the pockets of his shorts and shrugged.
“Well, okay, but stay close to us,” Grace said.
The two women walked toward the deli counter. Behind the glass case, bowls of macaroni and potato salads, coleslaw, and bean salad were lined up in neat rows.
Fred smoothed his hands on his butcher’s apron. “I see we have a new customer this morning.”
“Yes, we do.” Grace smiled. “Anh is practicing her English today. Just like I needed to practice speaking American when I first got here.”
“Ah, yes.” Fred laughed. “That brogue of yours still gets me confused every now and then. How can I help you ladies?”
Grace reached over and gently touched Anh’s shoulder. “Go ahead,” she said, when suddenly she heard a commotion coming from near the store’s entrance.
“Hey, kid, put that back—you can’t just take things,” the cashier shouted.
“You little thief,” another woman added. “We pay for things here in America.”
Grace would recognize that voice anywhere.
It was Adele.
“I saw him steal it with my own two eyes!” Adele was standing next to B?o, holding on to his wrist tightly. Her pink painted nails pressed into his skin, just above his scar.
“Let go of him,” Grace said. “What is exactly going on here?”
“The boy took a Hershey’s bar from the counter without paying.…”
Grace glared at Adele. “Please let go of him. He’s with me.”
Anh stood next to Grace, her fingers still clutching the shopping list. “Miss—B?o good boy,” she said to Adele. She reached into her purse for one of the bills she’d received from the Sisters. “Please … take … here.” Her hand shook as she walked to the counter, put the money down, and pulled B?o away from Adele.
“This is just a misunderstanding,” Grace said, glaring at Adele. “I’m sure B?o was going to put it with the rest of our groceries.”
“Ma’am, he put it in his pocket. He was shoplifting.” The cashier’s chewing gum snapped like taffy in her mouth. “Mr. Kepler’s noticed a lot of stuff’s gone missing off the shelves lately.”
“Well, if it has, it’s not because of him,” Grace protested. “Today’s the first time he’s even been to this store.”
