Honorable Mention in Fiction Category in the Tennessee Mountain Writers 2025 Conference
Kaneesha pushed her cold hands deeper in her pockets. In one hand she clutched a ten dollar bill and the other was curled up for warmth. Sleet stung her face and coated her uncovered head as she tucked her chin lower in the frayed collar of her jacket. The jacket did little to keep her warm but it was all she had to wear. The frigid winter wind cut through her as she walked the three blocks to the corner market. Entering the small store she paused just inside the door. Warmth enveloped her as the bell over the door announced her arrival. She wondered if the owner of the market had brought it from his home country but never worked up the courage to ask him.
Picking up a shopping basket she looped the handles over her arm. Momma was still at work and Kaneesha had left her little brother home alone. She bundled him in his favorite superhero blanket and parked him in front of the TV with strict orders to not open the door for anyone. She knew the cartoons would keep him occupied for a while but she couldn’t leave him for very long.
Kaneesha enjoyed shopping at the small grocery store. In addition to the standard food items the store carried a small selection of exotic herbs and spices but she never had the extra money to purchase any. Her Mother trusted her to buy what the family needed, which was usually just the basics. Looking around she contemplated which food items she could stretch to make the most meals. She knew from experience ten dollars didn’t buy much. Walking towards the back of the store she noted she was the only customer. Evidently no one else was desperate or hungry enough to venture out in the cold. She didn’t like leaving her little brother home alone but there wasn’t much choice as the store had started closing early and Momma didn’t get off work in time to do the shopping.
The proprietor watched the teenager on his security camera. She was familiar to him but he didn’t know her name and he didn’t remember talking to her. Most of the teenagers that came in the store were quick to take things without paying. He had never suspected her of stealing but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t. He saw she kept one hand firmly in her pocket with the basket slung over her other arm. He considered demanding she take her hand out of her pocket but knew from experience he could not accuse her of shoplifting until she left the store with pilfered goods. From his vantage point behind the cash register he monitored her movements. Lately it seemed he spent more time trying to stop thieves than he actually did selling groceries.
The bell over the door rang again as another customer entered. He frowned when he saw Mrs. George, a regular customer. She came into the store every couple of days and wondered up and down the aisles. Occasionally she purchased a few food items but for the most part just meandered around the store. She had a habit of trying to talk to other customers who ignored her. His wife said it was because the woman was lonely and he should practice compassion. Rahul thought it was because she suffered from mental issues but kept his opinion to himself. Lavani frowned on him criticizing customers.
Harriet George hated the obnoxious noise of the bell that announced every entry and exit from the store. She would have relished tearing it off the wall but knew she would be banned from shopping there if she acted on that impulse. As she paused inside the door she saw Mr. Varma momentarily cast his eyes towards her and then back to his security camera. Once upon a time he would spare her a friendly wave and a smile but he had become increasingly preoccupied with watching the monitor. Harriet brushed off a few flakes of snow from her overcoat and moved towards the back of the store where a meager selection of canned pet food was shelved.
Shuffling down an aisle she passed a teenager who appeared to be debating the merits of tomato soup versus chicken noodle. She noted the thin jacket and tennis shoes the teenager wore and shook her head at the silliness of youth. Her own heavy coat was already too warm but she wouldn’t take it off. The deep pockets were the reason she wore it when shopping.
Grimacing, Kaneesha took a can of tomato soup and placed it in her basket. She hated the flavor but it was Tommy’s favorite. He would eat it for every meal, which was a good thing considering that was usually all they had. If she thinned it down with water it would be enough to feed the three of them. Momma was always tired when she got home from work and appreciated having something warm to eat, even if it was just soup. She added a box of crackers to the basket and tallied the cost in her head knowing she didn’t have enough money to buy milk and cheese. Ten dollars wasn’t nearly enough to cover everything they needed and it had been a struggle to come up with even that much. Momma’s paycheck barely paid the rent and utilities so the little money Kaneesha earned collecting aluminum cans and scrap metal was crucial to the family.
Mr. Varma watched as the teenager added food items to her basket. Most of the high school kids went straight to the cooler and grabbed sodas along with chips and candy bars but the girl didn’t seem interested in the junk food. He relaxed his vigil a little as he knew the bulky items were harder to steal. As he watched Mrs. George and the girl he felt a touch on his elbow. His wife had placed her thin hand on his arm and was waiting patiently for his attention. Dressed in her customary bright sari he knew some of his customers frowned at her obvious ethnicity but she maintained the dress reminded her of the old country. The headscarf had been added to her ensemble when her hair began to fall out due to chemo treatments.
Kaneesha rounded the end of the bread aisle and bumped into Mrs. George. As she brushed up against the older woman she saw her put something in one of her pockets. Stepping back the woman muttered under her breath about rude teenagers. Kaneesha mumbled an apology as she slipped by. It wasn’t any of her business if the older woman was stealing. It wasn’t right but it wasn’t up to her to judge as Momma always said. Momma had a lot of sayings. Kaneesha figured it was her Mother’s way of explaining all of her rules to her and Tommy.
Stopping in front of the cookie shelf she hesitated. Tommy’s favorite was chocolate chip. She wished not for the first time she could surprise him with a sweet treat after a meal of thin soup. Her little brother at five years old didn’t understand the necessity of watching every penny.
As the teenager moved away, embarrassed heat flooded Harriets face. She knew the girl saw her pocket the can. Looking back towards the front of the store she checked to see if Mr. Varma was watching but he was distracted by his wife. Poor Mrs. Varma looked worse today than she did last week. e The grey pallor of sickness highlighted the dark circles under her eyes and Harriet suspected the other woman was covering up hair loss with the elaborate scarf. As a former nurse she suspected the health issue was cancer. Harriet wasn’t sure how Mr. Varma was coping as he was forced to watch his wife slowly fade away. She thought the couple to be good people but bad things happened to good people as she well knew.
Rahul Varma helped his wife slowly make her way back to their office where she patiently waited for him to close the store. He had started bringing her to work as her health declined and he couldn’t leave the store as he was by himself now. He had let his cashier go several weeks ago because he couldn’t afford to pay him for full time work. The young man had not wanted to leave him and Lavani in their time of need but had his own young family to consider. It was proving more difficult than Rahul had realized to care for his wife’s needs while also running the store.
Once he was assured Lavani was safely lying on the small couch in the cramped office, he turned back towards the store. The teenager and Harriet were still browsing. Rahul sighed. It was becoming harder and harder to make a living in the little market. At one time he had offered a wide variety of products to his customers. Filling his shelves with a mixture of American and Indian food his store had been a popular destination in the neighborhood, but as he had been forced to cut back on his inventory his sales plummeted. As Lavani’s illness became worse and the medical bills increased he worried how long he would be able to keep his store open. Now more than ever he needed the income to pay for his wife’s treatments but the more desperate he became the more the customers dwindled away.
Kaneesha mentally tallied the cost of the items in her basket. If she was correct she would have a little change left over. She had to forgo the cookies in favor of cheese but there were individual pieces of candy at the checkout counter she knew Tommy would like. After all, the cookies afforded no nutritional value while the cheese was good for a growing boy. Unfortunately, no matter how she counted, she didn’t have enough cash for a gallon of milk. But tomorrow was Saturday and as the sleet had already changed to snow she would have the opportunity to shovel sidewalks. Some people paid her but some didn’t. Hopefully, she would earn enough from the work to cover the cost of both milk and cookies.
Harriet George put her hand in her pocket and touched the small can of cat food. Slowly she eased the can out of her pocket and surreptitiously placed it on a shelf. The neighborhood feral cats were the recipients of the food but she had more than enough stashed in her pantry to feed them. It wasn’t the first time she had stealthily shoplifted from the small store and she didn’t understand why she had felt compelled to do so. Feeding the cats was something that Morty, her husband, had always done. He told her that life had been good to them so others deserved the same treatment, even if they were just cats. How ironic that his life ended up being as grueling an existence as that of his beloved felines. As she sat the can down it struck her that Morty would have been so disappointed in her when she had more than enough money to buy anything she needed.
She and Morty had been frugal over the course of their long marriage and with both of them working, their wealth had accumulated handsomely over the years. With no children on which to lavish their money they planned for a comfortable retirement. Unfortunately, they hadn’t planned for the dementia that had claimed first his mind and then his body.
Kaneesha stopped in front of a small display that was guaranteed to entice a teenage girl. She told herself to keep walking but her feet didn’t obey. She looked longingly at the pretty eye shadows and lip gloss. All the girls at school wore make up and spent an inordinate amount of time looking in mirrors and discussing the latest fashion trends. Kaneesha never joined those conversations. When she voiced the desire to look like the other girls, Momma would tell her how beautiful she was with her dark eyes, unruly curls, and smooth skin. Momma said she was as beautiful on the outside as she was on the in and that she was a blessing to both her and Tommy. But sometimes Kaneesha didn’t want to be a blessing, she just wanted to fit in. Momma promised that someday things would be better but Kaneesha thought that was her Mother’s way of trying to make her feel better.
Harriet watched as the pretty teenager stopped in front of the “frillies” as Morty used to call beauty products. A hunger was written on the girls face that had nothing to do with the basket of food on her arm. On impulse Harriet dug in her pocket and removed a twenty dollar bill. Making her way towards the girl she stuck out her hand.
“Excuse me honey, I think you dropped this.”
Kaneesha looked down at the outstretched hand and slowly up to the pale blue eyes of the grey haired lady. She was so tempted. She desperately wanted to take the money and then she could buy the cookies and milk and maybe have enough left over for something special just for Momma. But she could hear her Mother whispering in her ear that the Brown family didn’t take charity, which from the expression on the woman’s face, she knew it was.
“No ma’am. I didn’t drop any money but thank you for asking.”
Rahul Varma quizzically watched the interaction. He was surprised when the girl refused. Mrs. George stuck the money back in her pocket as the girl turned towards the cash register. Pausing, the teenager selected a small piece of single wrapped candy from the display and set her basket on the counter.
“I noticed the sidewalk out front is getting slick. Would it be okay if I come tomorrow and shovel for you?” Adding quickly before he could refuse, she continued, “I won’t charge you for the first time. If I do a good job you can pay me what you think it is worth.”
Rahul agreed hesitantly but based on the stipulation of her doing a good job. He remembered his father telling him when he left India as a young man that a person of honesty and integrity who was willing to work hard would be rewarded. Seeing the earnestness on the girls face he felt ashamed at his earlier assumption that she was a thief. He knew Lavani would urge him to practice kindness just like she had done when he relayed to her months ago that Mrs. George was stealing cat food. Lavani told him they did not know what drove the woman to take things. Perhaps she had no money to feed a pet and a little charity in the way of a can of cat food now and then would not mean their financial ruin. So he had let the matter go but chafed every time the woman left his store with the bulge of pilfered goods in her pocket. He knew when he relayed to Lavani that Mrs. George put the cat food back today she would tell him that it was as it should be.
Harriet listened as the girl offered her shoveling services to the shopkeeper. It had surprised her when the pretty teen declined her money. After the teenager left the store, Harriet inquired if Mr. Varma knew of the circumstances of her life. It occurred to her the girls choice of thin clothes may not have been due to fashion but necessity. He replied he did not but he explained she usually purchased a few food items at a time. Her offer to shovel snow was unexpected but welcome and he was hopeful she would follow through on her offer.
Making a quick decision, Harriet handed Mr. Varma several folded twenty dollar bills with the request he use the money to pay the girl for her work if he needed it. If not then apply the cash to her future purchases. Leaving the dumbfounded shop keeper staring after her she moved to the door. Turning back towards him she spoke again, “I am sorry for the things I have done that hurt you and your wife.” She saw from his face that he knew she was referring to her theft.
She continued in a rush, “I am a retired nurse and my husband no longer needs me but If you would let me, I would be happy to help with your wife’s care. Free of charge.” The bell rang once again as she exited the store. Smiling to herself she shoved her hands deep in her empty pockets and carefully picked her way down the slick sidewalk. She vowed to tell Morty the next time she visited his grave that she had stopped stealing cat food and was the good person she had once been. She felt at peace for the first time in a long time.
Rahul Varma walked over to the door and watched the woman disappear down the street in the driving snow. He still had several hours until closing time but he turned the open sign over and switched off the lights. Tonight he was going to spend precious time with his wife and share with her the story of the honest girl who would be shoveling snow for them. And of the retired nurse who had offered her help in their time of need. He knew Lavani would smile serenely and tell him it was as it should be as their lives were intertwined.