Cornerstone snippet 4

Sitrep: Goodlifeguide.com has the manuscript and said they'd have it back to me before the new year.

Still in the Christmas Gift:

Malory fought her raging emotions as she picked up her writing pad and pen. She went over to the tables and checked on the customers, topping off a few with coffee. Wally had already told them she found out, so she went to Mrs. Kringle's table with her tea when it appeared on the counter.

"Ah!" the old woman said green eyes bright with approval and mischief as she noted the tea. "On time as usual," she said.

"Well, it's unfortunately for the last time, Mrs. Kringle, Faith," Malory said with a hitch in her voice.

"Oh?" the older woman asked as she fixed her tea, pressing out the tea bag and then carefully setting it aside, then adding a packet of sugar substitute followed by cream. "Are you going somewhere?"

"It seems we all are," Malory said. She fought the tears back as the older woman looked up to her. She explained the situation, voice fogging when she finished.

"And you, with a new one on the way?" Mrs. Kringle said with a tisk tisk sound as she looked up to the other woman.

"How …"

"It shows, dear. I was never honored with my own pregnancy, but you have that glow about you," the white-haired woman said with an endearing smile Malory would miss.

"I'm hoping he or she doesn't have the same problems as Pat and Tirel," Malory said, one hand touching her baby bump to stroke it gently.

"I know the feeling, deary, I do," Faith said, "and feeding the lovelies will be more complicated now."

"Tell me about it," Malory sighed. "I've been trying to get off welfare. We finally got mostly there, though Don could do with more work. I sent him out for groceries for the week, and he bought a colony lotto ticket and crap," she scowled. She'd pawned the beer for a couple credits, which were in her pocket. That and what she got for the day …

"You don't approve of the lotto, dear?"

"I think it's another scheme of his. Don has been chasing one dream after another without putting much work into it. When he finds out what is really involved, he usually folds," she sighed.

"But you love him anyway."

"Yes. I wish he'd be more consistent."

"I know, dear," Mrs. Kringle said, patting her hand again. "Take Kristoph. I loved the man dearly, but he always did give everything away. I loved that about the man I admit, but it was quite vexing when one worried about the future."

"Yeah. I'm back to being a kid again, wondering during the A.I. war if there is going to be one," Malory said, biting her lip.

"Such heavy thoughts for one so young and full of life," the older woman murmured as another patron signaled to Malory.

"I've got to go. Thanks for the shoulder. Do you want your usual? Wally said it is on the house," she said.

"On the house?"

"We need to … clean out the food. I suppose I'll take some of it home if there is anything left. Though a couple gallons of lard doesn't feed the kids …," Malory shook herself.

"A restorative soup, dear," Mrs. Kringle said as she nodded to the skies outside the window. "It is going to snow soon I think."

"Another thing to have to worry about," Malory said as she wrote the order down and then hustled off to make her rounds.

She dropped the orders off. Wally was quick; he filled them and added extra portions and even extra crackers for Mrs. Kringle. Malory brought the soup to the older woman and then made her rounds again.