Chapter 1: The $34 Shoes
“I’m not wasting thirty-four dollars on you.””
Vanessa said it so casually that, for one strange second, Maya thought she had heard her wrong.
The shoe store was bright enough to make everything look new. White ceiling lights reflected off polished floors. Music played softly overhead. Around them, colorful displays rose in neat rows, and the checkout counter was buried beneath shoe boxes and shopping bags.
Maya stood beside the counter, staring at the simple white-and-blue sneakers she had been holding.
$34.
She had checked the price three times.
They weren't fancy. They didn't have a famous logo. They weren't even the pair she really wanted.
But they were new.
Maya slowly reached for them.
Vanessa's hand shot across the counter.
She snatched the sneakers away.
The box scraped against the counter as Vanessa pushed it aside.
“No,” Vanessa said.
Maya blinked.
“But, Vanessa—”
“I said no.””
Vanessa turned back toward the mountain of boxes Noah was standing beside.
Noah, six years old, grinned beneath his curly hair as he hugged three shoeboxes against his chest. One box was bright red. Another had a silver logo. The third was nearly as big as his torso.
Vanessa picked up another box.
“This one too,” she told the cashier.
Maya looked at the boxes.
Then she looked down.
Her sneakers were gray with dirt. One lace was frayed nearly in half. The rubber along the toe had separated from the sole, and when she moved her foot, she could feel the floor through the opening.
She quietly tucked her toes underneath herself.
The cashier glanced at her.
Vanessa didn't.
“Can I at least try them on?”” Maya asked.
Vanessa sighed.
“Maya, you're making this difficult.””
“I just wanted to try them.””
“You already have shoes.””
Maya stared at the floor.
Noah bounced beside the counter.
“Mom, can I get the blue ones too?””
Vanessa smiled immediately.
“Of course.””
Maya's eyes lifted.
Noah pointed toward another display.
“I like those.””
“Then we'll get them.””
Maya swallowed.
She didn't say anything.
A few seconds later, Vanessa placed another box on top of Noah's pile.
“There,” she said.
“Now stop asking.””
Maya looked at her own worn sneakers again.
She pressed her lips together until they stopped trembling.
Behind them, the store entrance opened.
Maya didn't notice.
Marcus did not speak when he walked in.
He had been across the mall making a phone call, and when he returned, he expected to find his family finishing their shopping.
Instead, he saw Maya standing alone beside the counter.
He saw her face.
He saw the shoes on her feet.
Then he saw the $34 sneakers Vanessa had pushed away.
“Maya?””
Maya turned.
Her expression changed instantly.
“Dad.””
Marcus walked closer.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, his shoulder-length dreadlocks pulled loosely behind him. His navy shirt was slightly wrinkled from the heat outside.
He looked at Maya.
Then at Vanessa.
Then at the boxes.
“What's going on?””
Vanessa gave him a quick smile.
“Nothing. We were just finishing up.””
Marcus picked up the rejected sneakers.
He turned the box over and read the price.
“Why can't she have these?””
Vanessa's smile tightened.
“She already has enough.””
Marcus looked down at Maya's feet.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Maya wished he would.
She wished someone would.
Finally, Marcus crouched slightly.
“Maya, are these the shoes you wanted?””
She nodded.
“Yes, Dad.””
Vanessa stepped in quickly.
“Marcus, she doesn't need another pair.””
He looked at Vanessa.
“She doesn't?””
“No.””
Marcus pointed toward Maya's shoes.
“Those look pretty worn.””
Vanessa folded her arms.
“She grows so fast. There's no point wasting money.””
Maya's eyes dropped again.
Marcus's jaw tightened.
Before he could answer, Noah tugged Vanessa's dress.
“Mom, are we getting all of mine?””
Vanessa looked down at him.
“Of course we are.””
Marcus glanced at the stack.
“One, two, three, four…”
Vanessa said nothing.
Marcus looked back at Maya.
His voice softened.
“Why didn't you tell me your shoes were this bad?””
Maya opened her mouth.
Vanessa answered for her.
“She didn't need to bother you with it.””
Marcus slowly straightened.
“That's not what I asked.””
Vanessa's face hardened.
“Marcus, we're in public.””
He held her gaze.
“So am I.””
The cashier suddenly became very interested in the register.
Maya could feel people nearby looking over.
Vanessa grabbed two shopping bags.
“Come on, kids.””
Noah followed immediately.
Maya hesitated.
Marcus handed her the sneakers.
“Hold these.””
Maya took the box.
Vanessa turned sharply.
“Maya, you're carrying the bags.””
Maya looked at Marcus.
He frowned.
“What bags?””
Vanessa pointed toward a huge stack near the counter.
“These.””
Maya's arms filled quickly.
One bag.
Then another.
Then another.
Noah walked beside Vanessa carrying nothing but his new shoes.
Marcus watched Maya struggle.
“Vanessa,” he said quietly.
She didn't turn.
“Let's go.””
Maya followed.
The store's glass doors opened ahead of them.
Marcus remained behind for one second.
Then he noticed something sticking out of the top shopping bag.
A receipt.
He pulled it free.
His eyes moved down the list.
Noah's shoes.
$129.
Another pair.
$149.
Another.
$119.
Then his eyes stopped.
Maya's shoes.
$34.
*VOIDED.*
Marcus stared at the word.
Then he heard something fall in the hallway outside.
A box hit the floor.
Then another.
Then another.
May you like
Marcus looked toward the exit.
And suddenly, he understood that the shoes weren't the only thing Vanessa had been making Maya earn.
