Then the young mother ordered dinner.
“Just the children’s pancake plate, please,” she told the waitress, glancing at the prices before adding, “And could we have a glass Of water?”
When the waitress returned with a stack of pancakes, a small carton of milk, and a glass of water, the mother carefully cut the food into bite-sized pieces and pushed the plate toward her daughter.
“Go ahead, sweetheart. Eat while it’s warm.”
The little girl studied the plate before looking up.
“What about you, Mommy?”
Her mother smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair away from the child’s forehead.
“I already ate earlier, honey. I’m not hungry.”
Arthur looked down at the woman’s hands, resting quietly in her lap, and remembered the coins she had counted so carefully.
There had been barely enough for one meal.
