Home Chapter 9

      Des pushed her shopping cart filled with empty gallon jugs to the back of the NTB store.  Like most people, she hadn't known the store's actual name until Jim told her it stood for National Tire  and Battery.  Having worked in that industry for years, Jim knew practically all there was to know about car parts and auto stores.  It's too bad he never got paid enough to get rich or get any retirement  pay from the last job he held for over 26 years.  The owner got rich and he got the boot.  But that's life, she guessed.  After filling the jugs, they pushed the carts back to just inside the woods and parked them while they walked back to the dollar store and Walmart.  Cary had a food stamp card and offered to let Destiny use it and pay her back when Social Security checks came in before the first of the month.  Cary had some tip money from her job and Destiny had some money from begging on the street.  She had to get some cold water detergent to wash and she wanted to get something good to eat for Oscar and Jim.  Jim loved chef salads and she wanted some good dog food for Oscar.  He was getting too fat from all the people food he'd been eating although she couldn't resist a pint of ice cream to share with him.  And some dollar packages of cookies that Jim liked and shared with Oscar.  Oscar loved cookies and ice cream.  Two of his favorite things.  She gathered up all the goodies and she and Cary headed back to camp.  She decided to wash tomorrow and just stay home with her family tonight.  She got Oscar's leash and took him for his day's walk out and his run back home.  Usually they went in the morning but this morning they both overslept and Des had to hurry to get to the intersection where she flew.  Homeless people refer to flying as standing beside roads or traffic lights with a homemade sign asking for help.