"Well, Jeez. Why don't you get a job?" Cheryl said. And though Cheryl only meant to sound sympathetic, Laura looked frightened as if she were being attacked.
"I do have a job."
"Where?"
Laura shrugged apologetically.
"Knutson's. Egg gatherer."
"What's wrong with that? You should get you some jeans with your paycheck."
"I suppose I could ask my mom."
Cheryl walked away after that. No way in HELL would Cheryl ever ask her mommy what she could do with her pay. Laura went on her way and Cheryl carried on with her work, but she thought about Laura. What a cute girl she could be, if she'd do something with that hair and if she'd stand up and face the world for once. Laura was part of the reason why Cheryl hated Goshen so much. The kids were stupid!
After work, Mom came to pick Cheryl up. First, though, they went shopping around town. Cheryl was curious about Goodwill. She'd never shopped in a thrift shop before. They went in and right away Cheryl could smell the dust and rancid layers of dead skin oil on everything. She saw the dolls with ragged hair and dirty plastic skin, the ugly furniture, the saggy, faded, pilled up clothes, and she felt pity for Laura. Why would people shop here? It was Cheryl's version of hell.
Unfortunately Cheryl's mom actually liked the place. She went looking around, brightly showing against all the dullness in her polester print blouse, with her fresh highlights and gleaming frosty pink nails. She went to the toy section, picked up a Hopalong Cassidy hat and said,
"Hey, I had one of these when I was a little girl."
Cheryl didn't want to listen to her mom's nostalgia trip so she explored another area--nicknacks. There were some colored glass figurines that Cheryl wanted, so she picked them up and then wandered over to the book section. Some of the same books she had gotten from mail order were sitting on the shelves here for a quarter. Nice, racy authors like Sidney Sheldon and Joanna ___. Cheryl picked out a couple of titles.
At the checkout counter Cheryl laughed a little when the cashier said,
"Thank you for being a Goodwill shopper."
Outside in the car, Cheryl said,
"I'm a Goodwill shopper now, Mom."
"Oh, no you're not," she said.
"I do have a job."
"Where?"
Laura shrugged apologetically.
"Knutson's. Egg gatherer."
"What's wrong with that? You should get you some jeans with your paycheck."
"I suppose I could ask my mom."
Cheryl walked away after that. No way in HELL would Cheryl ever ask her mommy what she could do with her pay. Laura went on her way and Cheryl carried on with her work, but she thought about Laura. What a cute girl she could be, if she'd do something with that hair and if she'd stand up and face the world for once. Laura was part of the reason why Cheryl hated Goshen so much. The kids were stupid!
After work, Mom came to pick Cheryl up. First, though, they went shopping around town. Cheryl was curious about Goodwill. She'd never shopped in a thrift shop before. They went in and right away Cheryl could smell the dust and rancid layers of dead skin oil on everything. She saw the dolls with ragged hair and dirty plastic skin, the ugly furniture, the saggy, faded, pilled up clothes, and she felt pity for Laura. Why would people shop here? It was Cheryl's version of hell.
Unfortunately Cheryl's mom actually liked the place. She went looking around, brightly showing against all the dullness in her polester print blouse, with her fresh highlights and gleaming frosty pink nails. She went to the toy section, picked up a Hopalong Cassidy hat and said,
"Hey, I had one of these when I was a little girl."
Cheryl didn't want to listen to her mom's nostalgia trip so she explored another area--nicknacks. There were some colored glass figurines that Cheryl wanted, so she picked them up and then wandered over to the book section. Some of the same books she had gotten from mail order were sitting on the shelves here for a quarter. Nice, racy authors like Sidney Sheldon and Joanna ___. Cheryl picked out a couple of titles.
At the checkout counter Cheryl laughed a little when the cashier said,
"Thank you for being a Goodwill shopper."
Outside in the car, Cheryl said,
"I'm a Goodwill shopper now, Mom."
"Oh, no you're not," she said.
