It was Saturday, the first day of the week-long Thanksgiving recess.
While she had been in middle school, Sandy had looked forward to the Thanksgiving recess each year. It had been a time when she had not gone to school. She had no need to get out of bed early. She had stayed home and relaxed. She had lazed around in bed all morning until Momma Lois had woken her and had dumped some chores onto her.
In addition to the period of rest, Thanksgiving had been one of those times in the year when there had been more donations to the Girls Home. Usually, the donations had been food, rich food. Cakes, candies and puddings. Breads and buns. Sodas and chips. Green -ugh- vegetables. And turkey. Someone had always donated a whole turkey.
That year, however, Sandy was less enthusiastic about the holiday. Being at home meant that she would not meet either Connie or Annie. Neither of them would be there to offer her a job, which meant no money. In addition to that, there was a lot of holiday homework, including the 'Happy Holiday' reading assignments courtesy of Ms Redgrave the history teacher.
"You should try to grow your hair long sometime," Celeste suggested, "You'll look pretty."
"Nuh-uh," Sandy disagreed with a slight shake of her head. She was seated on a stool in their small bathroom, covered in newspaper while Celeste worked on her hair. "It's too much trouble to shampoo."
"Hold still," urged Celeste as she took hold of another lock of Sandy's brown hair to trim. A minute passed as she worked with her scissors.
"I'm bored," Sandy complained.
"Sure you are." Snip, snip.
"There's nothing to do."
"Of course," Celeste agreed, "You can't do anything. You need to be patient and hold still." Snip.
"I'm bored," Sandy repeated. "I wish I had an uncle like June does."
"Sure you do." Snip, snip.
"It's nice that she gets to spend the holiday at her uncle's place," Sandy commented.
"What's so great about that?" Celeste asked as she cut off a little more of Sandy's hair.
"She gets to live in a nice warm house with family."
"Well, we're your family now. We don't have uncles and aunts and granddads and grandmums to invite us over for Thanksgiving." Snip.
"I know." Sandy sighed. "I wish it was different somehow."
Celeste stopped working and stepped in front of her roommate. She looked straight into Sandy's brown eyes. "Look, all we have are each other. You, me, Momma Lois, little Petra. We don't have rich relatives out there to shower gifts on us. All we can do is live and work with each other for the better."
"Yeah..."
"Even June," Celeste continued, "though she has an uncle, he can't be there for her all the time. That's why she stays here. She needs us."
Sandy sighed.
Celeste's voice took an edge. "Or am I not good enough for you?"
"Huh? Um, no..."
"I'm all you're going to get for a big sister, so you best be happy with it." Celeste patted Sandy on the head as she stepped back into position.
"Okay."
"Anyway, Lisa's going to be with us this Thanksgiving, so it'll be fun." Celeste raised her scissors to continue.
"Yeah," Sandy agreed. She remembered Lisa, who had been Juneida's roommate until the previous summer, when she had moved into college accommodation.
Sandy sighed again. "Still wish I had a rich relative though."
"Dream on." Celeste continued cutting hair.
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