Evelynn

Evelynn swept the dust from her shop's porch as the afternoon sun blazed overhead. She wiped a bit of sweat from her brow when she was done and walked back inside. Her general store wasn't exactly large, but it was the only one it town and she was proud of it. She swept up a bit more inside since there were no customers and straightened up a few things that had gotten knocked around on the shelves. Eventually, she finished up and put the broom behind the counter and sat back down.

No sooner had she done that, Joe came in. "Afternoon Joe." she called over to him.

"Afternoon Evelynn." he replied. He grabbed a small bag of potatoes and walked over to the counter. Could I get a pack too?

"Yeah, sure." She reached under the counter and grabbed his usual brand of cigarettes, handing them over. "How have...things been?" she asked cautiously.

Joe handed over his payment and took a moment to reply. "We'll be alright. It was...well, it was a shock to the kids of course. Hell, it was a shock to me too, but, they're young. You know how kids are."

Evelynn nodded. "How's your wife?"

"Fine, fine." he replied. "Out-of-towners, right? Always find some way to make things go bad." He sighed. "Sorry."

"No, no, it's fine." she said. It had been a surprise to the whole town. The fact it had happened on Joe's property and been found by his kids meant it was even worse for them. "Well, remember, if you need anything, just let me know. You're sure that's all you need?" she asked, trying to change the subject back. It was clear he didn't really want to talk about it, and who could blame him?

Joe looked back at his potatoes. "Yeah, yeah, just needed some for a stew tonight, thanks." He gave her a smile, strong but disingenuous, before tipping his hat. "You have a good evening Evelynn."

She smiled back, hoping it looked a bit better than it felt. "You too Joe." With that, he walked back outside, and Evelynn sighed.