A Different Time

Every evening after supper, Ma would put the leftovers in the icebox and us kids would clean the dishes and put them in the cupboards. When Ma was finished, she would join Pa who would be out in the living room lighting the coal stove and setting up the radio to be listened to. This evening however, was different. After Tom, Em and I finished with cleaning the dishes and putting them away, we came out into the living room and Ma and Pa were nowhere in sight. The stove was not lit nor was th...