October 9th 1916 Chicago
"Hey, hey are you listening? I said I don't want you around that Masen-kid anymore."
My mother was usually very nice, but when I did even the tiniest thing to let the neighbours talk, she'd scowl at me. It wasn't really smart not to respond, but I was so tired. It was just 10 o'clock in the morning, but I didn't sleep well. However, I'm not allowed to go to bed at this time.
"Oh mother, it's not like we're doing anything that might make our dear neighbours suspicious." The 'Masen-kid', or, for me, just Edward, was my best friend. I had very few friends, just some girls at school. But most of my time I spent with him. He didn't go to the same school as I did. His father didn't want him to be teached by ordinary teachers. So he went to a private school.
"Well, all right then, but don't make me tell your father, he won't like it at all!"
"Mother! You wouldn't!" "Oh yes, I would. And don't you talk to me like that young lady!"
Oh, I hated it when she told me off for talking like that. It's not like she was so much better than I. Just older... A lot. That doesn't give her the right to talk like that to me though. My father wasn't much better. How much he wanted me to marry a rich boy, he didn't want me to actually marry the boy I was friends with. That doesn't bother me though; I don't see Edward like that. He's nice and I suppose he is quite handsome -If I have to believe the other girls in town.
But he was not for me. His parents were rich, I couldn't deny that, but they didn't like me around him much more than my parents did.
"Mother, I'm going to buy some grocery's okay?"
"Why? What do we need?"
"Oh, I was planning on maybe making a stew for dinner".
"You were? Hmmm, all right then, I suppose you can.
Money is in the jar, you can take out what you think you'll need. Not too much, though."
So I took some money out of the jar on the table and got to the grocer.
"Are you looking for something dear?"
"Eh, do you have..." This was getting stupid, I couldn't even read my own writing!
"Oh, I see! Could you please get me an egg plant and a pound of carrots please? Oh and a... 2, no three..."
"What's it going to be?" He pointed towards the line of people behind me.
"Yes, sorry, an egg plant, one pound of carrots and 3 onions please"
"Oh and some pepper, too!" I added hastily.
The grocer sighed. "Anything else?"
"No that's it, thank you."
"All right, that will be 13 dollars"
Oops, I only had 10.
"Never mind about the pepper then" The family would have to just do with a very mild stew.
"Ok, that'll be 10 dollars, now hurry up, people are getting irritated." He pointed at the line behind me.
"Yes sir, here's the money."
"Thank you, now get out" He winked.
I liked the grocer, he was usually positive. He could be very grumpy and when he was mad, he'd get you running away, screaming as you'd go.
Before I went home, I thought of visiting Edward, but as my mother got very angry if I came late, I decided that wasn't the best idea.
"Mother, I'm home!" I yelled, and she walked to me.
"Oh, great dear."
"Oh, and I didn't take enough money for pepper, so we'll have to do without."
"Oh honey, you know pepper is expensive. How much did you spend?"
"10 dollars, is that all right?" I was suddenly worried, could we lose such money?
My mother must've thought the same. But she just nodded.
"I think I'll go skin the potatoes then."
"Okay". She looked a bit distracted. Or maybe that was just me.