Sarah sat on the floor watching her mother labor on their one, small bed. When her mother got a short reprieve from the labor pains, she looked at Sarah and smiled. Sarah smiled back at her and nodded, somewhat relieved, but still with no understanding. She pulled at a loose thread on the hem of her threadbare dress, running it through her thumb and finger until they began to feel raw.
Her mother had often admonished her to not pull on the threads, as there was precious little holding the thinned fabric still together, but it was a nervous habit that soothed her. And as her mother was preoccupied with the pain, she felt it was safe to indulge herself in the habit. What the storefront did provide, though, was heavenly smells that wafted throughout the entire building and the occasional stolen treat. Most of the women there were kind to her.
The ones not kind were simply indifferent. She liked the indifference and the kindness, and she missed both. She liked how the kind ones would sneak her treats with a wink when her mother was occupied with a gentleman and they were not.
Sometimes she was handed a hard candy, sometimes a cookie, sometimes a scrap of sausage or bread, once it was a cheap bracelet of colorful beads that was too big for her wrist. In her world, all these things qualified as treats. It was a life she had enjoyed. But their time there abruptly ended when the man in charge decided that Sarah, at almost six years old, should be entertaining men also. Upon this announcement, the indifferent ladies shrugged and walked away, uninterested as usual.
The kind ladies disagreed vehemently and loudly, scolding him with obvious disdain. You should be ashamed of your damned self! He swung at them indiscriminately, intending to connect with any of them in an attempt to assert his authority. But they were too young and fast and ducked and ran down the hallway, away from his swinging fist. They did not fear him nearly as much as he desired. Get back down to the parlor! Their plan worked, and only three days after his announcement, the two said their quiet, tearful goodbyes to the women who had gathered to see them off.
