Rachel’s been furloughed; she can’t afford to have groceries delivered.

She lives with her 78-year-old mother. Her teenage daughter has asthma.

She takes a spare mask from her purse and holds it out to the young woman picking through the peaches. “Please. It’s not for your freedom; it’s for ours.”

Jennifer L Freed writes mostly poems, and sometimes writes very short stories. Please visit her website at jfreed.weebly.com.