After the lunch crowd my mom would come upstairs to the apartments. As she climbed up the steps we heard the faint jingling of coins. My brother and I would jump up with joy running to get hugs!! As mom sat down at the kitchen table with her two sisters to compare notes of what the day brought she would pull out wads of dollars from her uniform pockets dividing it out equally between the three of them. My brother, my cousins, and I would often sit quietly near watching this daily ritual. Sharing was so easy between the sisters. While my mom worked the sisters would take care of the children. They were all in it together.
It didn’t happen every time but sometimes my mom would scoop up her change and my eyes would widen as she poured her fist full of change into my cupped hands. I was the oldest and I was entrusted with the important task of dividing the change amongst all the children. As soon as the kids observed this transaction everyone ran to get the piggy banks. This next part I remember quite vividly. I am almost blushing as I think back. Although I counted out the coins evenly I kept the shiny silver ones for myself while my younger brother and cousins got the brown coins. Placing the coins in our piggy banks my coins kerplinked while everyone else’s coins kerplunked!”
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