The Pecan Sheller

The Pecan Sheller — page 3
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