Page 27 - ThreeGiftsForFlipBook

voice betraying embarrassment. “You all share this one room?” Sam was surprised. Even with his dad out of work their home was much nicer. “My husband ran up so much credit card debt that I am still trying to pay off that I can’t afford anything else,” Mary said. “There’s just this room, a small kitchen, and a bathroom.” Sam felt ashamed of himself for saying anything. “That’s Emily’s bed over there,” Mary said, pointing to a toddler bed against a wall. Sam turned to see the bed next to an ancient crib. It wasn’t really a bed at all, but boards laid on some bricks with a foam pad and mattress on top of that. The blanket was just a large, wool coat. The crib had a gray, tattered blanket in it along with a bear that was missing one eye. The bear had been mended a few times and looked well loved. The blanket had also been mended, but looked warm. A stack of books held up the railing. The mattress looked bumpy. Sam also noticed there was no other bed so he figured that Mary must sleep on the couch. He could see only a thin, ragged blanket neatly folded on the end of the couch and knew Mary gave the warmest things to her children. 22