Page 44 of Tony

Betina was passing out cards to the other kids and Sherrie heard her say, “You can get free food here. Don’t go hungry, just come by and show this card to the manager. He’ll make sure you get something to eat.”

As the kids wandered away, Betina turned and immediately blushed when she saw Sherrie.That’s an odd reaction.Walking over, Sherrie greeted her and Betina returned her hug.

“What are you doing here?” the young teen asked, glancing around nervously.

“I came to see you. I’ve been at your house talking to your mom,” Sherrie answered, noting Betina’s wide eyed look. “She showed me your room and I have to say that I’m even more impressed with your talent.”

Betina’s face relaxed into a shy smile as she accepted the compliment. The smile left as quickly as it came as she looked at her watch. “I’ve got to get to work.”

“I’ll walk with you and you can show me the store.”

Betina’s expression gave Sherrie the impression that seeing where she worked was the last thing Betina wanted. Smiling, Sherrie threw out her arm saying, “Lead the way.”

Without a choice, Betina began to walk down the street with Sherrie right in step. A few blocks away, they came to a grocery store. Upon entering, Sherrie noticed that a couple of the kids from the school were talking to a man behind a counter to the right. As his eyes lit upon Betina, he shouted angrily, “Did you make more contacts today?”

Betina’s eyes darted to the side and Sherrie noticed that the man’s eyes landed on her just then too. His angry visage disappeared behind a small scowl before a smile took its place. Coming from behind the counter, the man made his way toward them, greeting Betina with a hug.

“Betina, who is your lovely friend?” he asked, keeping his arm around the young woman.

“She’s my CASA worker,” came the soft answer.

“Your what?” he asked, his gaze darting between Betina and Sherrie.

Stepping up, Sherrie extended her hand toward him, explaining, “Court Appointed Special Advocate. The judge in her case has assigned me to keep an eye on Betina, making sure her rights are being protected in court. I’m Sherrie Mullins and you are…?”

“Hernando Valesquez, her stepfather,” he said smoothly. “Did you come to see where she works?”

“Yes, I did. You have a lovely store here, Mr. Valesquez. May I look around and perhaps shop a little?”

“Of course. Betina, show Ms. Mullins around.” With that he moved back to the counter, continuing his conversation with the three teens.

As she and Betina walked around the aisles, she noticed that most of the workers eyed her suspiciously.Or is that just my overactive imagination.Glancing behind the butcher counter, she was surprised to see two young, teen boys handling the meat cutters. “They seem rather young to be working in the butcher section,” she commented.

Betina’s lips were tight and Sherrie noticed that her eyes continually cut over to Hernando. Wanting to prolong her visit, Sherrie grabbed a basket and began filling it with a few items as they walked. Moving to the bakery, she once again noticed very young girls working behind the counters with only one adult supervising. The woman’s white uniform was pulled tightly over her large breasts and Sherrie noted the fearful look thrown her way.

“I saw some of the kids you were talking to after school up front. Do they get some free food from here?” she asked, her curiosity overflowing after seeing the teens walk out with several bags of groceries.

“Um, yeah,” came the noncommittal answer.

“So, do you like working for your…Mr. Valesquez?” she queried.

“It’s okay,” came Betina’s clipped response along with a shoulder shrug.

“Well, your mom said that you work a lot, so I guess it’s nice to make some money isn’t it? Are you saving for anything special?”

Sherrie could have sworn she saw a sheen of unshed tears in the young woman’s eyes, before a mask of indifference fell into place.

“I’ve really got to get to work,” Betina said, looking down at her shoes.

“Of course. I’m sorry, honey. I’ve taken up too much of your time,” Sherrie said sincerely.

Betina’s head jerked up, her eyes landing on Sherrie’s. “No. No. Please come see me again sometime.” The words rushed out of Betina’s mouth as she threw her arms around Sherrie.

Hugging her in return, Sherrie promised she would. Walking to the cash register, she once again noted the stiff posture of the cashier who seemed to hurry the process along.

Once outside, Sherrie began walking to her car that was still parked several blocks over. As she passed an alley, she noticed the teens with the bags of food. They had the food out and were devouring it quickly, as though they had not had a decent meal in a while. Seeing her, they quickly hustled further down the alley.

Climbing into her car, Sherrie rubbed her head as the headache that had been building began to pound. Overflowing with conflicting thoughts, she pulled out her pad and pen and began writing. It was the only way she could organize her observations as her CASA training had instructed.

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