before dejectedly
sliding two of them to the side of the counter. The cashier took the ten scrip
piece off the counter where it lay and Gaynes reached into the register drawer,
pulled out the boy’s one scrip change, and flipped it through the air between
the bars, where it sailed out and landed on the floor. The boy chased it
desperately, and Gaynes laughed as he watched the kid walk out the door
clutching the coin and the rangkors.
Aria felt her nails digging into her palms. She
tried to breathe calmly. The old woman in front of Aria stepped up to the
register and set her basket on the scanner.
“Forty-eight scrip,” the cashier said.
It appeared that the woman had underestimated her
purchases, too. She was flustered as she counted several times. “What should I
put back?” she asked. “I’ve only got forty-two.”
“Oh, no,” Gaynes’s voice was almost kind this
time. “You don’t need to put anything back,” he crooned.
Aria felt immediately on guard. Gaynes wasn’t a
kind man. He wanted something.
“But I don’t have enough,” the woman said,
confused. “Do I?”
“Well, I think we can probably work something out,”
Gaynes said. Aria followed his gaze to the woman’s frail hand, where she saw an
Earthgold ring. So that was it. “We don’t usually do trades, you know.”
Everybody knew. Trades were against the law in any company colony. Only Saras
scrip was accepted in Coriol. “You can make up the difference with that.” He
pointed to her ring.
She looked puzzled, then Aria saw the woman’s
mouth open slightly in surprise, “Why, why, I don’t know . . .
My husband gave it to me back on Earth.” She spun the ring nervously on her
finger.
Aria couldn’t stand it. She unclipped her scrip
chain and pulled off six scrip. Stepping up to the counter, she laid them
beside the woman’s hand.
The woman turned her eyes to Aria in gratitude.
Aria smiled, then met Gaynes’s narrowed eyes. The woman left the store and the cashier
scanned Aria’s items. Still, Gaynes glared at her through the bars.
The two rangkors still lay on the counter.
Without taking her eyes off him, Aria scooped them up and dropped them in her
basket.
“Fifty-four scrip,” the cashier said. Aria slid
three coins to him and narrowed her eyes to match Gaynes’s glare. Then she
looked away and reached down for her basket.
“This is my store, young lady,” Gaynes said as
she loaded the produce into her shopping bags.
Aria’s eyes flashed as she met his again. “Oh is
it, Mr. Gaynes? My husband and I will be having dinner with Mr. Saras the day
after tomorrow, and I’ll be sure to let him know you said so.” The subtle
backwards jerk of Gaynes’s head showed her she’d landed her blow. She took
Polara’s hand and walked out of the store. Just at the door, she turned and
called, “And thank you so much for the complementary apple.”
Aria’s heart was thundering as she stepped out
into the cool spring morning. She had forgotten all about Polara’s apple until
she was at the door, and she wouldn’t go crawling back to the register to give
that krech another scrip.
Polara chattered about the new blossoms on the
trees as Aria pulled her quickly down the sidewalk toward the industrial
district. Two blocks away from the store she realized the unlikelihood of
finding who she was looking for. She turned to walk back to the cab platform
when a flash of dusty red caught her eye. She almost ran across the street,
pulling Polara with her into a little alleyway between the shoe store and the
clothing store.
The young miner looked up in surprise as she
approached, then looked away to hide his tear-stained face. Polara pulled away
from her mother and ran to him. Aria watched as the little girl gently took his
hand and gazed up at him. He didn’t pull away, just looked down at her with
incredibly sad eyes. Polara, ever empathetic, put his hand to her cheek.
Aria pulled out the two rangkors and held them
out to
sliding two of them to the side of the counter. The cashier took the ten scrip
piece off the counter where it lay and Gaynes reached into the register drawer,
pulled out the boy’s one scrip change, and flipped it through the air between
the bars, where it sailed out and landed on the floor. The boy chased it
desperately, and Gaynes laughed as he watched the kid walk out the door
clutching the coin and the rangkors.
Aria felt her nails digging into her palms. She
tried to breathe calmly. The old woman in front of Aria stepped up to the
register and set her basket on the scanner.
“Forty-eight scrip,” the cashier said.
It appeared that the woman had underestimated her
purchases, too. She was flustered as she counted several times. “What should I
put back?” she asked. “I’ve only got forty-two.”
“Oh, no,” Gaynes’s voice was almost kind this
time. “You don’t need to put anything back,” he crooned.
Aria felt immediately on guard. Gaynes wasn’t a
kind man. He wanted something.
“But I don’t have enough,” the woman said,
confused. “Do I?”
“Well, I think we can probably work something out,”
Gaynes said. Aria followed his gaze to the woman’s frail hand, where she saw an
Earthgold ring. So that was it. “We don’t usually do trades, you know.”
Everybody knew. Trades were against the law in any company colony. Only Saras
scrip was accepted in Coriol. “You can make up the difference with that.” He
pointed to her ring.
She looked puzzled, then Aria saw the woman’s
mouth open slightly in surprise, “Why, why, I don’t know . . .
My husband gave it to me back on Earth.” She spun the ring nervously on her
finger.
Aria couldn’t stand it. She unclipped her scrip
chain and pulled off six scrip. Stepping up to the counter, she laid them
beside the woman’s hand.
The woman turned her eyes to Aria in gratitude.
Aria smiled, then met Gaynes’s narrowed eyes. The woman left the store and the cashier
scanned Aria’s items. Still, Gaynes glared at her through the bars.
The two rangkors still lay on the counter.
Without taking her eyes off him, Aria scooped them up and dropped them in her
basket.
“Fifty-four scrip,” the cashier said. Aria slid
three coins to him and narrowed her eyes to match Gaynes’s glare. Then she
looked away and reached down for her basket.
“This is my store, young lady,” Gaynes said as
she loaded the produce into her shopping bags.
Aria’s eyes flashed as she met his again. “Oh is
it, Mr. Gaynes? My husband and I will be having dinner with Mr. Saras the day
after tomorrow, and I’ll be sure to let him know you said so.” The subtle
backwards jerk of Gaynes’s head showed her she’d landed her blow. She took
Polara’s hand and walked out of the store. Just at the door, she turned and
called, “And thank you so much for the complementary apple.”
Aria’s heart was thundering as she stepped out
into the cool spring morning. She had forgotten all about Polara’s apple until
she was at the door, and she wouldn’t go crawling back to the register to give
that krech another scrip.
Polara chattered about the new blossoms on the
trees as Aria pulled her quickly down the sidewalk toward the industrial
district. Two blocks away from the store she realized the unlikelihood of
finding who she was looking for. She turned to walk back to the cab platform
when a flash of dusty red caught her eye. She almost ran across the street,
pulling Polara with her into a little alleyway between the shoe store and the
clothing store.
The young miner looked up in surprise as she
approached, then looked away to hide his tear-stained face. Polara pulled away
from her mother and ran to him. Aria watched as the little girl gently took his
hand and gazed up at him. He didn’t pull away, just looked down at her with
incredibly sad eyes. Polara, ever empathetic, put his hand to her cheek.
Aria pulled out the two rangkors and held them
out to
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