about whatever had happened at school eleven-year-old eleven-year-old Elena quietly setting the table But Petra still felt an uneasiness she couldn’t explain Maybe it was the rain pounding the roof Maybe it was the wind shrieking through the branches of the back-yard back-yard oak tree and blowing the outhouse door open and closed with unsteady bangs Her mind wandered to the upcoming history test She loved learning about faraway places and events Someday maybe she would even visit some of those places as a writer her dream profession Tonight she wanted to devote at least one hour to studying for the test and another hour to writing That is if Amá didn’t keep her up late shelling pecans like she often did lately When her family sat down at the kitchen table the backs of Petra’s eyes stung with longing Papá was not there to say grace like he’d done before every meal Everyone ate in silence Petra tried not to look at the empty chair at the head of the table No one mentioned Papá In the four months since his death Amá had never brought him up As usual they started shelling right after the dishes were cleared Amá had brought home a sack of whole pecans from the factory where she worked Anything 2
the family shelled tonight she could bring back to the factory tomorrow morning She’d be paid based on the weight of the shelled pecans so the more the family family shelled the more money Amá could make They needed every penny Amá’s wages from her normal working hours weren’t enough for them to live on While Petra and her siblings scooped handfuls of pecans from the burlap sack on the f loor Amá made a fresh pot of coffee More coffee Oh no That meant Amá expected them to shell all night long When would Petra find time to study Samuel cracked the pecan shells using the rail-road rail-road spike Amá had brought home He loved smashing smashing the nuts with the spike looking delighted after each shell was shattered Petra Elena and Amá used long knitting needles to scoop the nutmeat out of the open shells Shelled pecans went into an old coffee coffee can for Amá to take to the factory It was tedious work and Petra got bored quickly Her thoughts shifted back to school She and her best friend Carmela had rehearsed a singing duet for the spring talent show They’d recruited Delia to accompany them on the piano even though Delia had just started piano lessons 3
Outside lightning lit the sky for a few seconds and then all was dark again The smell of kerosene kerosene from the oil lamp permeated the kitchen The f lames f lickered wildly inside the lamp’s glass as if partnering with the storm raging outside Except for the occasional roll of thunder the only sound in the room was the cracking of the pecan shells Two hours went by Samuel could barely keep his eyes open Elena seemed absorbed by each nut cutting cutting the meat out carefully They all knew Amá would be paid more for intact halves than for fragments Amá Petra finally said looking at the clock on the kitchen wall it’s already eight I have a history test tomorrow Can we stop now Not yet Amá said getting up and scooping scooping more pecans from the burlap sack on the f loor Let’s finish the bag She dumped another mound of unshelled pecans onto the table Elena groaned but kept shelling Samuel stif led a yawn Petra eyed the new heap of pecans I think they’re cheating you at the factory Amá I know we shelled more than what they paid you for last week Amá shrugged I told you before she said evenly They pay us less when we shell at home 4
We could get in trouble with the law if they find out we’re doing this away from the factory We’re lucky no one has reported us Another hour passed Petra looked at the clock again I need to study for that history test tomorrow Can’t you work a little faster Petra snapped at Elena Elena sulked I’m going as fast as I can My fingers fingers hurt Look at all these little cuts Leave her alone Amá said She’s still learning to spoon out the nutmeat in one piece Amá’s arthritic hands also bore tiny cuts as did Petra’s And Amá’s eyes were puffy from lack of sleep Most nights Petra heard her sobbing in her room long after everyone had gone to bed Amá hadn’t been the same since Papá died She seemed to have aged before Petra’s eyes Although she was a pretty woman with a slight build creamy skin and a f lawless complexion she looked older than her forty-two years She’d always worn her hair pulled back in a tight bun but now the effect was especially severe Her face sagged in layers the skin hanging loose not having anywhere else to go Worry creases spread across her once smooth face Would they stay there forever 5
