From the day
Perspective: The Anxious Local · Tactile
I gripped the rough, stuffed edges of a Charlotte Clark Mickey Mouse in the shop window, wishing I could afford such a swell distraction for the kids while the newspapers scream about Magistrate Vitale’s corruption. My palms felt clammy against my cheap wool coat, especially since a loaf of bread now eats up nine cents of a shrinking paycheck. The tinny melody of *Happy Days Are Here Again* wheezed from a nearby radio, sounding like a cruel joke while the city's foundations rot with graft and scandal. I smoothed my damp crepe dress, nervous that the only thing "here again" is another day of wondering if the law is as crooked as the back-alley loans they’re investigating.