Adoration

Adoration

"What did you say?" bellowed the shopkeeper. He was a big man. His
voice seemed to rumble up from his belly, bang into all the walls and
ricocheted into her ears.

"Can I have a packet of cigarettes please" she repeated. The little
girl was trembling in her shoes.
Her eyes kept darting to the front door of the shop in the hope that it
would save her.

"You know that children aren't allowed to buy cigarettes, don't you?"
he growled. He could just about see her over the counter.

She looked into his eyes pleadingly, standing on tiptoes she leant
forward as best she could and whispered, "I have some money". She
uncurled her fingers one by one, to reveal a crushed up five-pound note
that was bigger than her whole hand.

The shopkeeper melted when he saw the tiny frame, "You know I can't
take that", he said softly.

She looked at the door again to see if he was watching her. He had made
her go into the shop in the first place. He was a whole year older than
her, and she thought he was lovely.