Read Online The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cindy Woodsmall
Ads: Link
wondering what the day would bring and where they’d sleep tonight. Longing for basic human comforts, she missed having a toilet, shower, and clean clothes.
As she stood and knocked musty hay and dirt off herself, her tiny, pathetic apartment in the South Bronx took on a luster it’d never had before. It had hot water. A kitchen. A bathroom. A front door with keys that said she had the right to be there. She pulled a black beetle from her shirt. And the bugs stayed mostly on the floor during the night, not in her bed.
Trying to think how best to handle today, she slipped out the back of the barn through a narrow hole where a couple of vertical slats used to be. The cool May air smelled of rain. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep or maybe from the layer of moldy dust that covered her. A desire to go to the creek and wash up pulled at her, but she stayed put. The sun slowly climbed over the horizon. Birds sang. Dew covered the field. She’d never seen a sunrise like this. Rays of light danced on the droplets of water that covered the fields.
When she heard a noise, she squeezed through the opening again and saw a young boy standing next to Lori and holding a pup.
“I got to hide ‘em,” he whispered. “My brother’s gonna sell ’em at the auction today.”
Cara moved forward. “He’s on his way here?”
The boy turned. “Not yet. He’ll probably wait till they start selling livestock to come get ‘em.”
“We gotta hide them, Mom. Simeon said they’re too young to leave their mama.”
In spite of her inclination to get out of there quickly, something about this scenario felt familiar—the boy’s straw hat, collared shirt, suspenders, dress pants.
Simeon pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and laid it on the ground before unfolding it. The mama dog wasted no time gobbling up the tidbits of food.
“What’s an auction?” Lori asked.
“It’s where you can buy all sorts of things. We always have it at our place because we’re the only ones with enough parking space and a huge building to keep the rain out. We got whopper tents with just roofs and no sides set up, too, so some of the selling can go on there while some’s going on inside the shop. And there’s enough food to feed everybody.” Simeon told where he lived and where his brother’s house was, and he rambled about a meeting that would take place at his house tomorrow night and how his brother lived alone. He went on and on as if he’d forgotten what he’d come here to do.
“Simeon!” a male voice hollered.
The little boy’s eyes widened. “That’s my brother.”
Cara grabbed Lori’s arm, scooped up the backpack, and hurried into the silo. While closing the door to it, she placed her index finger over her lips, hoping Simeon wouldn’t tell.
The boy jerked the door open. “What about hiding the puppies?”
“They’ll make too much noise.” She closed the door, but the scowl on his face made her wonder if he’d give them away.
“Simeon Mast.”
She recognized the man’s voice. Simeon’s brother and Heartless Man were one and the same. Cara held her breath. Trespassing and loitering were punishable by law. It wouldn’t be much of a crime, but it’d be enough that the officials would start digging into her life and soon discover she had no money, no place to live, and a daughter in tow.
“Mom,” Lori whispered, “there’s food at the auction, and I’m hungry.”
Cara gently placed her hand over Lori’s mouth. “Shh.” How could she explain that lack of money, not lack of supply, stood between them and the goods? After buying food and clothes at that store in Shippensburg, they had thirty-two cents left. If she dug through Lori’s backpack, she might find enough change to buy her a little something.
The dark, dank hole crawled with creepy things. What was she doing living like this?
The question made her long to get back at Mike. He’d dogged her moves off and on for more than a decade. He should
As she stood and knocked musty hay and dirt off herself, her tiny, pathetic apartment in the South Bronx took on a luster it’d never had before. It had hot water. A kitchen. A bathroom. A front door with keys that said she had the right to be there. She pulled a black beetle from her shirt. And the bugs stayed mostly on the floor during the night, not in her bed.
Trying to think how best to handle today, she slipped out the back of the barn through a narrow hole where a couple of vertical slats used to be. The cool May air smelled of rain. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep or maybe from the layer of moldy dust that covered her. A desire to go to the creek and wash up pulled at her, but she stayed put. The sun slowly climbed over the horizon. Birds sang. Dew covered the field. She’d never seen a sunrise like this. Rays of light danced on the droplets of water that covered the fields.
When she heard a noise, she squeezed through the opening again and saw a young boy standing next to Lori and holding a pup.
“I got to hide ‘em,” he whispered. “My brother’s gonna sell ’em at the auction today.”
Cara moved forward. “He’s on his way here?”
The boy turned. “Not yet. He’ll probably wait till they start selling livestock to come get ‘em.”
“We gotta hide them, Mom. Simeon said they’re too young to leave their mama.”
In spite of her inclination to get out of there quickly, something about this scenario felt familiar—the boy’s straw hat, collared shirt, suspenders, dress pants.
Simeon pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and laid it on the ground before unfolding it. The mama dog wasted no time gobbling up the tidbits of food.
“What’s an auction?” Lori asked.
“It’s where you can buy all sorts of things. We always have it at our place because we’re the only ones with enough parking space and a huge building to keep the rain out. We got whopper tents with just roofs and no sides set up, too, so some of the selling can go on there while some’s going on inside the shop. And there’s enough food to feed everybody.” Simeon told where he lived and where his brother’s house was, and he rambled about a meeting that would take place at his house tomorrow night and how his brother lived alone. He went on and on as if he’d forgotten what he’d come here to do.
“Simeon!” a male voice hollered.
The little boy’s eyes widened. “That’s my brother.”
Cara grabbed Lori’s arm, scooped up the backpack, and hurried into the silo. While closing the door to it, she placed her index finger over her lips, hoping Simeon wouldn’t tell.
The boy jerked the door open. “What about hiding the puppies?”
“They’ll make too much noise.” She closed the door, but the scowl on his face made her wonder if he’d give them away.
“Simeon Mast.”
She recognized the man’s voice. Simeon’s brother and Heartless Man were one and the same. Cara held her breath. Trespassing and loitering were punishable by law. It wouldn’t be much of a crime, but it’d be enough that the officials would start digging into her life and soon discover she had no money, no place to live, and a daughter in tow.
“Mom,” Lori whispered, “there’s food at the auction, and I’m hungry.”
Cara gently placed her hand over Lori’s mouth. “Shh.” How could she explain that lack of money, not lack of supply, stood between them and the goods? After buying food and clothes at that store in Shippensburg, they had thirty-two cents left. If she dug through Lori’s backpack, she might find enough change to buy her a little something.
The dark, dank hole crawled with creepy things. What was she doing living like this?
The question made her long to get back at Mike. He’d dogged her moves off and on for more than a decade. He should
Similar Books
