𝘪 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦
Maria Randle was a month away from turning eighteen when it all happened. The moment changed her entire life and she always wondered...
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iii. how can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22
TULSA, 1967. EVEN IN THE SPRING weather, Maria Randle still thought it was a little bit too hot. Especially wearing her work dress which was still the winter thick style.
She waited in line at the grocery store on the East Side of town. The AC had been broken for a week and she knew that they wouldn't get it fixed for another.
She looked down at her watch, hoping that the time would pass a little sooner. She heard someone laughing and looked out of the window to see two kids from her school holding hands and looking at the magazines.
Her heart sank in her chest. Maria worked three jobs to pay for her mothers medical care, all of that on top of school.
The jobs were short. Working at the movie theatre only on Friday nights from 6-11, then Bucks, the local bar from 11-3 on the weekends.
The grocery store was her main job, every day after school. 4-7. And here she was like she always seemed to be.
She tapped her high heeled shoes on the floor as she waited for the woman in front of her would hurry up packing her bags - most people on this side of town lacked a common human decency.
When she was gone, Maria placed the food on the counter and watched as Davie Watson, a friend of hers, checked it out.
She had just finished a shift at the grocery store and all she wanted was to be done and get home. So she placed the money on the counter, watching as he counted it up once, and then a second time to check.
"You're missing a dollar," he said in that monotone voice.
Her eyes were wide, wondering if she had misheard him. She pulled her purse out, rummaging through.
That was all the money she had.
Payday was tomorrow at the theatre and she couldn't ask for her paycheck for the grocery store for another week.
"I don't have that, can I pay you another time Davie?" She asked.
Maria looked around, noticing that some people had started pointing. She hated being the poor girl on the block who's dad ran away when she was four.
Everyone knew everyone on the East side and that was one thing she hated. The gossip mill was always running.
He shook his head, "No ma'am, you'll have to leave something here,"
She checked her purse again, hoping to see that she had missed a singular dollar or even some pennies but she hadn't.
Maria sighed. This wasn't how she was hoping this would go.
She could hear someone laughing behind her but she didn't dare turn around.
"I'll pay for it Davie," a voice said and she turned to see who had cut the line and was now standing directly behind her.
