When Jim entered the little apartment, he put some of the cash in the jar on the shelf. He put the rest in a white envelope.
Jim didn't sleep much that night and he left the apartment before Mae and the children woke up. The sidewalks were empty as he walked to the center of town. He joined the line inside the relief office and waited patiently.
Finally, he stepped up to the counter and nodded at the woman. He gave her the white envelope.
The woman was confused when she looked at the cash.
"So. . . you're giving us the money back?"
On the way home, Jim bought twelve roses for Mae. They were very expensive, but he wanted to apologize for not waking her to tell her about the Lasky fight. He hadn't wanted to celebrate until he had paid back the money to the relief office.
But when he got home, it wasn't the time for celebrating. Mike Wilson's wife, Sara, was sitting on the sofa with her baby girl in her arms. Her eyes were red from crying.