Linda was not an evil woman.
I want to make that clear.
But she had grown up in a family where anything unfamiliar was discussed quietly and kept at arm’s length.
She could be generous and loving.
She could also say something cruel without realizing just how cruel it sounded.
Caleb came racing downstairs carrying a shopping bag.
“Mom!”
“What?”
“I did it!”
He pulled out the red dress.
The same red dress from the store window.
I stared at him.
“Caleb… where did you get that?”
“I bought it.”
“With what?”
“My money.”
“What money?”
“All of it.”
Linda picked up the price tag.
“Forty-two dollars?”
Caleb looked proud.
“I had forty-six.”
I immediately knew something was wrong.
There was no way chores and his piggy bank had added up to forty-six dollars.
“Caleb.”
His smile faded.
“What?”
“How did you save forty-six dollars?”
He looked at the floor.
