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them and limped across the room with his metal cane. He pushed the door open and went out into the hall. Then the caseworker, Rose Tyler, stepped into the waiting room. She was a short square dark-haired woman in a bright dress. Betty, she said. Luther. Do you want to come back?
    We just been sitting here waiting, Luther said. That’s all we been doing.
    I know. I’m ready to talk to you now.
    They stood up and followed her down the hall and entered one of the little windowless interview rooms and sat down at a square table. Betty arranged the skirt of her dress as Rose Tyler closed the door and seated herself across from them. She set a file on the table and opened it and turned through the pages, reading each one rapidly, and at last looked up. So, she said. How have you been this month? Is everything going the way you want it to?
    Oh, we been doing pretty good, Luther said. I guess we don’t have to complain. Do we, dear.
    I still got this pain in my stomach. Betty laid a hand gently over her dress as if something was very tender there. I don’t hardly sleep at night, she said.
    Did you see the doctor like we talked about? We made an appointment for you to see him.
    I went to him. But he didn’t do me no good.
    He give her a bottle of pills, Luther said. She been taking them.
    Betty looked at him. But they don’t do me no good. I still hurt all the time.
    What are they? Rose said.
    I give the doctor’s slip to the man at the counter and he filled it out. I got them at home on the shelf.
    And you don’t remember what they are?
    She looked around the bare room. I don’t remember right now, she said.
    Well, they come in a little brown bottle, Luther said. I tell her she got to take one every day.
    You do need to take them regularly. They won’t help you unless you do.
    I been, she said.
    Yes. Well, let’s see how you feel when you come in next month.
    They better start doing something pretty soon, Betty said. I can’t take much more of this.
    I hope they will, Rose said. Sometimes it takes a while, doesn’t it. She took up the file once more and looked at it briefly. Is there anything else you want to talk to me about today?
    No, Luther said. Like I say, I guess we been doing all right.
    What about that bus driver? Betty said. I guess you’re forgetting about her.
    Oh? Rose said. What’s the trouble with the bus driver?
    Well, she makes me mad. She said something to me she isn’t suppose to say.
    Yeah, Luther said. He sat forward and put his thick hands on the table. She told Betty she don’t have to wait on Richie and Joy Rae. She said she got fifteen kids to pick up.
    Eighteen, Betty said.
    It ain’t right for her to talk to my wife that way. I got a mind to call the principal about it.
    Just a minute, Rose said. Slow down and tell me what happened. Did you have Richie and Joy Rae out at the curb on time? We’ve talked about that before.
    They was out there. They was dressed and ready.
    You need to do that, you know. The bus driver’s doing the best she can.
    They come right out after she honked.
    What’s the bus driver’s name? Do you know?
    Luther looked at his wife. Do we know her name, honey?
    Betty shook her head.
    We never did hear her name. The one with the yellow hair is all we know.
    Yes, well. Would you like me to call and find out what’s going on?
    Call that principal too. Tell him what she been doing to us.
    I’ll make a phone call for you. But you have to do your part too.
    We already been doing our part.
    I know, but you need to try to get along with her, don’t you. What would you do if your children couldn’t ride the bus?
    They looked at Rose and then across the room at the poster taped on the wall. LEAP—Low-Energy Assistance Program, all in red letters.
    Let’s see then, Rose said. I’ve got your food stamps here. She produced the stamps from the file on the table, booklets of one, five, ten, and twenty-dollar denominations, each in a different color. She slid the packets