CANDY LAND

My mouth watered for a bar of English Toffee or at least a few Silver Buds but I couldn’t have them. I had to be as strong as Jack the Giant Killer, and not spend my pennies. Maybe if I kiss my big, fat, loving grandfather when I see him tomorrow he  will give me a quarter. I needed at least fifty cents more because Mothers’ Day was coming soon. I lied a little and told my daddy I needed money for school. Roz, my first cousin, play mate, friend, had no money to give me but gave me a bite of her sticky apple. It wasn’t easy getting a big enough bite but I did my best. Where am I going to get fifty cents more?

 

I didn’t buy the daily treats between school sessions. Zimmy’s confectionary store and I didn’t see each other for two whole long weeks. No pink and green sugar in tiny tin plates, no colored buttons on long white papers, no sweet water to sip on from little wax bottles, and worst of all, I wouldn’t let myself buy even half of the sourest pickles in the world. What an awful time I was having. Daddy didn’t even know what I was doing and bought me an ice cream cone on Saturday because he told me the milk and butter in it are healthy.

 

Bertha’s Dry Goods Store was two blocks from our house. It was in hers where the parlor used to be. Shelves were along the walls with all kinds of materials including the blue and pink flannelette that Mama always bought and then cut into small squares . She used the pink pieces to wash her dishes for meals that had meat and the blue ones for meatless meals.

 

As I opened Bertha’s door, a bell dully clinked, telling Bertha a customer came in. From behind a curtain made from a bolt of purple and white stripes she came out and almost didn’t see me. I figured she was looking for a big lady. Hanging on a pole in the corner were aprons, some with pockets, some with tiny flowers embroidered on the front.

Mama had plenty of aprons. I looked around and looked around, almost bought her a green glass sugar bowl but then I saw a stack of thin white boxes, the lid of the top one was off and I knew Mama would like her present. Four beautiful handkerchiefs were inside, folded perfectly, neatly to look like a star. They were all white with different colored lace on the edges. Hallelujah! That was it.

 

From my little red pocketbook I took out all the pennies, nickels, the one quarter my grandfather gave me and put them on the counter. One penny rolled off and landed under the apron pole. I found it and put it back on the counter. Bertha took it and thanked me. Sunday I gave Mama my present and she loved the handkerchiefs. My sister gave her a card she made in school and Mama liked that too.

 

The happiest person was my cousin Roz. Daddy gave me my daily penny
so I could buy my candy and not take bites from Roz’s.