The bell on the bus goes off
You grab my hand as I eat the gingerbread man clutched in my small fist
I follow, watching the pink flowers on wispy trees
As you drag me through looming buildings in bustling streets,
We reach your destination,
The small blue shop with the yellow sign,
The name in bold writing, the name I was too young to read properly.
Getting pulled into the shop while you talked to the pretty lady with dark Irish curls
As I was handed a packet of chocolate buttons and given a warm smile from the pretty lady,
My price for silence,
Now you live with the pretty lady and have a young son
I often wonder if you talk to him about the shop
Or if he knows about the little girl who’s price for silence was a packet of chocolate buttons and a kind smile from the pretty lady
I should have drove a harder bargain