The boys must have heard us talking. They came out into the living room, yawning and stretching their arms, as sleepy children do. They were having some difficulties walking in their long, flowing nightgowns. Carlo, especially. I thought he might trip over the hem and fall, but he quickly recovered his balance.
Mrs. Penn greeted them and told them she’d been shopping for them. I don’t think either boy knew what to make of that. They stared at her, not speaking a word.
“Here,” she said. “I bought you pajamas, a pair of pants and a shirt, plus underwear. It isn’t enough to last long. We’ll plan on going shopping together tomorrow, but this will provide you with something to wear in the meantime.”
Mrs. Penn was holding out the parcels to Frances. He reached out to accept them, but his mouth was ajar in the oddest way. I guessed he’d never realized you could go to the store and buy ready-made clothes. He’d probably only had second hand clothes before, and those had looked too small and ready for a rag pile.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, after he regained his voice.
“Thank you,” Carlo echoed him. “Do we really get to keep them?”
Mrs. Penn laughed softly, then touched the younger boy’s arm. “They are yours now until you outgrow them.”
When I’d first seen Mrs. Penn, I thought she’d been calcified into limestone. She’d seemed to look down her nose at the three of us until we’d journeyed with her in the buggy. But now, I saw that she had a softer side. Her wrinkled face had laugh lines. I would have hugged her, if I’d been brave enough.
The boys stumbled off, as fast as they could walk in over-sized nightgowns that dragged on the ground and streamed out behind them. I watched them go, then smiled at Mrs. Penn.
“You are so kind. For a moment they’ve forgotten what happened. They’re so excited by having new clothes.”
I allowed my gaze to include both the officer and Mrs. Penn. I wasn’t sure where the money had come from for the boys’ clothes, but the way their faces had looked was worth every coin I’d ever earned. I desperately needed to get a job so I could not only buy the things I needed for Frey, but also for Carlo and Frances. They deserved such happiness.