Arcadia (Book 1): Damn The Dead by Phillip Tomasso Page B

in the entire world,” Grace said. She made no move to wipe away tears that rolled down her cheeks, cutting through dirt and leaving clean streaks.
    “I think they found a place for us to pull off the road,” Char said. She hoped Grace heard and understood her. She did not want to hear any more about Anna’s father. She did not think she could take it much more. As horrible a story as it was, it was still from a time when things were normal .
    “We were on a city bus, headed downtown to do some shopping. The school year had started, and wouldn’t you know, Anna had a growth spurt, outgrowing everything I’d just bought her? I worked as a legal secretary, making shit for a wage. The lawyers made the big bucks. You know who did all the work, though? Us secretaries, the paralegals, but we were paid only a little better than fast-food workers. I could have had me a job at a McDonald’s with half the stress and aggravation. Instead, I wanted more of a career, something that Anna could be proud of. It makes a difference. Someone ever asked her what her mother did for a living, she could tell them I worked at a big, fancy law firm, and not flipping burgers or sitting fries into a deep fryer. There ain’t nothing wrong with a job like McDonalds. That’s honest work. I just wanted more, even if it was just the perception of more. Because, like I told you, the money I made, it was only a fraction better than the pay I’d have received from a place like McDonalds. I chose to do all this work, long days, late evenings, all so the lawyers I supported could sign their names on the bottom of the research I’d conducted, the papers I’d constructed.” Grace waved a dismissive hand in the air as if wiping a memory clear.
    Tony and Sam were off their horses, waving Char their way. On the left side she saw what looked like a flat field. It seemed like a perfect place to pull over. She switched gears and used her directional. Tony shook his head.
    “I had a bit of money saved. Wanted to use it for Christmas shopping. That was a big holiday in my family. Growing up, we never had much. My mother raised seven of us on her own. We didn’t have a pot to piss in, but come Christmas there was always a gift under the tree. For each of us. Some years it was just one gift a piece. Some years there was more. Usually though, it was just one. It didn’t matter what was enclosed in that wrapping paper. The care my mother took with each gift, I figured she spent hours just doing the wrapping. She made sure the corners were perfectly creased and folded and taped down. She used bows and ribbons. I almost hated opening them. Almost.” Grace laughed. At least the memories that must have been flashing inside her mind made her happy. “But just like my brothers and sisters, when it was my turn to open my gift, I tore into that paper like there was no tomorrow.”
    Char stopped the truck. She knew not to shut down the engine. The nights got cold. She had no idea how hard it would be to start in the morning.
    Her stomach growled.
    She was hungry.
    She remembered something. The back of the rig, the trailer. It was packed full with food. Drinks. They were going to feast. She reached for the door handle.
    Grace grabbed her arm.
    Char looked into Grace’s eyes. They silently begged Char to stay, to listen.
    There was a knock on the door.
    Char lowered the window. “We’ll be right out. Give us a minute.”
    “You guys okay?” Tony said.
    Char nodded. “We just need a minute. Girl talk,” she said.
    Tony walked away.
    Char looked back at Grace. She hated to do it. She asked, “What happened on the bus, Grace?”
     
     
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    “Can I play with your phone?” Anna sat on the bench next to her mother.
    “Wait until we get onto the bus, dear,” Grace said. There were two other people waiting with them. A teenaged boy wore oversized headphones, the adapter plugged into a phone he held in both hands an inch from his face. The brim of