“I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“We’ll keep supper warm.”
He ended the call and stood there a little longer.
Outside, rain hammered the roof.
Inside, the pharmacy continued its busy work.
When Daniel returned to the counter, Martin was studying a stack of financial reports.
The manager looked up.
“Brooks, can you stay until closing?”
Daniel hesitated.
“How late?”
“Nine.
Mrs.
Avery will be here.
We’ve got the supply order to finish.”
Daniel looked at the clock.
He had been there since before eight.
“I suppose I can.”
Martin nodded.
“Good.”
He returned to his paperwork.
Daniel took out his phone and sent Hannah a message.
Working late.
Sorry.
Love you.
Her reply came a moment later.
We’ll save you supper.
Love you too.
There was a picture attached.
Ellie sat at the kitchen table, smiling proudly beside a drawing of a horse.
Underneath, Hannah had written:
She says this one is for your locker.
Daniel looked at the picture for a long moment.
Then he put his phone away.
The rain grew heavier after sunset.
By seven, the road outside the pharmacy shone beneath the streetlights.
Water ran along the curb in narrow streams.
The wind pushed against the glass doors, and each time someone entered, a cold draft swept through the store.
There were six customers waiting near the prescription counter.
One was a mother holding a sleeping toddler.
Another was a ranch worker still wearing his muddy work coat.
Two elderly neighbors stood together, speaking quietly about the weather.
A young woman in a grocery store uniform was checking the time on her phone.
At the back of the line stood a man who had come from a ranch nearly forty miles away.
Daniel worked steadily.
He was tired, but he tried not to let the customers see it.
Mrs.
Avery checked and released each prescription before Daniel handled the transaction.
Martin stood nearby, keeping an eye on the growing line.
“We need to move faster,” he murmured.
“We’re doing what we can,” Daniel answered.
“People don’t like waiting.”
“Neither do we.”
Martin gave him a look.
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Sorry.”
The manager sighed.
“Just keep things moving.”
Daniel turned back toward the next customer.
That was when the door opened.
A small elderly woman stepped into the pharmacy.
She paused just inside the entrance, gripping the handle with one thin hand.
Rainwater dripped from her coat.
Her gray hair had come loose from a bun, and several strands clung to her cheeks.
She wore worn black shoes, a faded brown dress, and an oversized coat that looked as though it had survived many winters.
One sleeve had been repaired with thread that did not match the fabric.
The hem was dark with rain.
In her left hand, she carried an old leather purse.
She stood still for a moment, breathing a little too hard.
Daniel noticed her before anyone else did.
He excused himself from the counter and walked toward her.
“Ma’am?
Are you all right?”
She looked up.
Her face was deeply lined, but her eyes were alert and gentle.
“Oh, yes, dear.
Just catching my breath.”
“That’s terrible weather to be out in.”
“It certainly is.”
She smiled faintly.
“I thought the rain would wait until I got here.”
Daniel glanced at her wet shoes.
“Did you walk?”
“From the corner.
Someone gave me a ride most of the way.”
He looked at the old coat.
“Come inside properly.
It’s warmer away from the door.”
She followed him a few steps.
“Thank you.”
“Would you like a chair?”
“That would be kind.”
Daniel brought a chair from near the waiting area.
She sat carefully, placing her purse on her lap.
He fetched a handful of paper towels.
“Here.
For your hands.”
The woman accepted them.
“You’re very thoughtful.”
Daniel shrugged.
“Anybody would do the same.”
She looked across the store.
Not everyone had noticed her.
Those who had were mostly busy with their own troubles.
The woman gently dried her hands.
Then she reached into her purse and took out a folded prescription notice.
“I’ve come for medicine,” she said.
“Of course.”
“My name is Marianne Fowler.”
Daniel nodded.
“I’m Daniel.”
“I know you’re busy.”
“It’s all right.”
She held out the paper.
“I was told it would be ready tonight.”
Daniel checked the information and went behind the counter.
Mrs.
Avery confirmed that the prescription had been filled and was ready for pickup.
When Daniel returned, Marianne was standing beside the register.
She had refused the chair a second time because someone else needed it.
He noticed that.
Some people who have spent their lives taking care of others find it difficult to accept even the smallest kindness.
“Here we are, Mrs.
Fowler.”
He set the sealed prescription bag on the counter.
“Mrs.
Avery has checked everything.
Your total comes to sixty-four dollars and eighty cents.”
Marianne reached into her purse.
“All right.”
She opened a small wallet.
Inside were several folded bills and a few coins.
She counted them.
Then counted them again.
Daniel watched her expression change.
At first, she seemed merely confused.
Then troubled.
Then quietly frightened.
She searched another pocket.
“Just a moment, dear.”
“Take your time.”
She found two more dollars.
Then a handful of coins.
She laid everything on the counter.
Daniel counted it carefully.
Thirty dollars.
He checked the amount again.
There was still a shortage of thirty-four dollars and eighty cents.
Marianne looked at the money.
“Oh.”
It was such a small word.
But it carried so much disappointment that Daniel felt something tighten in his chest.
She opened her purse again.
Her fingers moved through old receipts, a folded handkerchief, and a little notebook.
“I thought I had more.”
Daniel waited.
She looked at him with embarrassed eyes.
“I really did.”
“That’s all right.”
“No, it isn’t.
I’ve wasted your time.”
“You haven’t.”
She swallowed.
“I took money from the wrong envelope this morning.”
Daniel glanced at the line behind her.
