Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers Read Free Book Online

stiff and painful these days. Entering the small laundry room that had once been a back porch, she put a few clothes into the washing machine. She had only a little detergent left. Sprinkling a tablespoon of it over the clothes, she turned the dial to “small load.” She stood for a moment, watchingthe water pour down. It was an old machine, like her, and it could be temperamental at times. Today it was working fine.
    Thirsty for a glass of milk, she went to the refrigerator. There was enough milk left to fill half a cheese glass. She supposed she would have to go shopping again. She couldn’t put it off much longer. She had two eggs left, half a loaf of bread, and canned goods. No meat. No fresh vegetables or fruit. No cookies either, though she supposed she had enough fixings to make some.
    It was only a few blocks to the Dimond District, where she had shopped for more than sixty years. Up until a few weeks ago, she had had no problems walking and carrying back the few items she purchased at the supermarket. But the last time she went, a teenage boy on a skateboard had bumped into her. She had been crossing the parking lot when suddenly he was there.
    In a frantic effort to keep from falling down, she had dropped her grocery bag, scattering things every which way. You’d think she was to blame, the way the boy glared at her. Never in her life had she heard such cursing as came from that boy. Without shame, he spewed out a stream of four-letter words that brought heat surging into Leota’s face. Then he jumped back onto his skateboard and rattled off, leaving her shaken, mortified, and flustered. It only took a minute for her temper to rise. What was the matter with young people today? Maybe that boy’s parents had spared the rod and spoiled the child. And now he was a savage bent on running down little old ladies.
    One of the supermarket baggers bringing carts back in from the parking lot happened to notice her gathering her scattered groceries and paused to help. “Looks like a heavy bag, ma’am. You want a taxi? I call ’em for a lot of old folks living round here all the time. Doesn’t take more than fifteen minutes for one to get here.”
    Leota bristled. Maybe it was the way the girl said “old folks” that got her dander up even more. “I didn’t drop these things! Some little hooligan on one of those roller boards almost knocked me down!” She straightened her dress and squared her shoulders with as much dignity as she could muster. “Customers aren’t even safe in your parking lot anymore.”
    “He’s got no business skating cross the lot. We got signs posted.”
    “Maybe he can’t read.” Considering the public education system, it wouldn’t surprise her in the least.
    “I’ll tell the cab company to put a rush—”
    “No, you won’t. I’m not so old and decrepit that I can’t manage to walk home.”
    “Sorry,” the girl muttered, taken aback. “Didn’t mean no offense.”
    “Any.”
    “Any what?”
    “ Any offense.” Mama Reinhardt had spoken better English.
    The girl muttered something and went back to her carts, banging them together and shoving them toward the store.
    That had been a week ago.
    Leota jotted detergent on her list. At the rate it was growing, she would need two trips in order to tote everything back up the hill. She’d seen a little old man pulling a red wagon behind him and thought at the time that he was out of his mind. Now she thought he was probably being very practical. She could put two full shopping bags of groceries in a wagon and pull it home much more easily than she could carry them in her arms. And if she had to stop and rest, she wouldn’t have to put the loaded bags on the ground and then stoop over and try to heft them back up again and risk wrenching her back.
    A red wagon.
    Good idea, but where was she going to get one?
    She washed out the milk carton, filled it with water, and put it back in the refrigerator. Water would have to do until