Kirstin stayed at the library longer than planned, and she didn’t get home until after 7 p.m. She knew she needed an explanation for Steiner, so she stopped at a grocery store on the way home and purchased a few items.
“Where were you?’ Steiner asked when she entered the house. He was sitting in the parlor, his schoolwork before him, the radio playing lightly in the background.
“I got a few things at the store,” she said. “But I waited in line for over an hour.”
“I hope it was worth it,” he mumbled, not paying much attention.
“They had chicken,” she said as she walked into the kitchen. “There was a shortage last week.”
“Wonderful,” he called sarcastically from the parlor.
She emptied her shopping bag on the table and put the cabbage, turnips, and chicken in the refrigerator, cans of
