Post by Lisa Arnold on Jun 5, 2010 7:25:18 GMT -5
(model/talk show host Tara Banks posed for this picture)
HOME
By
Lisa Arnold
Rose could feel cold March wind coming in from outside. She sat up in bed and looked around for something to put on to keep her warm. She pulled the overcoat draped across her legs up to her neck. She was looking forward to spring because trying to keep warm is less of a concern in warmer weather. Also warmer weather usually brings Rose better luck at finding work. Over the years, she has found people are more generous when the weather turns warmer.
She snuggled down under the overcoat and went back to sleep. A few hours later it was time for her to wake up and start her day. She wanted to stay asleep, but she had to look for work today. Earlier in the week, she made ten dollars sweeping hair off the floor at a barbershop. The owner told her to come back in a few days for more work. The man promised her fifty dollars a week for three days work, but he warned her to come early. He stressed that the work had to be completed before he opened the shop to his customers at 8 AM. As she climbed out of bed, she hoped and prayed he had not given the job to anyone else. It would be a long walk because the barbershop was located across town and all she had in her pockets were three dimes, a quarter and lint. She would not be able to take a bus, but she was willing to walk those miles because she desperately needed the work.
For breakfast, she warmed a cup of chicken noodle soup over an open flame and crumbled a few crackers into the pan. Rose felt guilty about the crackers. Yesterday she stole them from a diner. She went in the diner, not to purchase a meal, but to use the restroom. As she passed the counter, she caught a glimpse of the packets of crackers piled in a bowl and could not help herself from stuffing a few packs of crackers in the pocket of her ragged musty overcoat.
Rose gulped down every morsel of the warm soup. It was not very satisfying for breakfast, but it did make her feel less hungry. Time was slipping by, and she knew she must hurry if she was going to get that job. She put on her best wool hat and pinched her pale cheeks hoping to give the illusion she was wearing rouge.
She peered up and saw the sun shining brightly and the sky was a beautiful cobalt blue. Rose hoped the beauty of the bright golden sun and picturesque sky were signs of better things to come. She put on several sweaters, her overcoat and a pair of patent leather boots, which were two sizes too big and two decades out of style and pushed open the flaps of a huge cardboard box, which tragically has become her home.
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©2010 Lisa Arnold All Rights Reserved [/color][/size]
every word and sentence 
and 
all
time for me 
echoes, hope you all are doing well 
