Dear Mother and Father,

Running a corner store has been harder than I thought. Many people have lost their jobs because of something called "The Great Depression" and are struggling to make ends meet. Some are even pulling their cars behind horses because they can no longer afford gas.

I must give credit to many customers and most eventually pay the money back, even though it takes them a long time. Once, I even delivered a box of groceries to a family who could not afford to buy enough food to feed everybody and told them the bill was already paid. They were reluctant to accept it, but I think they appreciated it nonetheless.

Many farmers come from the country and give us eggs, chickens or vegetables in exchange for our goods, just like they did when I was a peddler.

We have a phone and delivery service, but since many of my customers do not have telephones, I must come personally to their homes to fill out their orders. Joe or Jim then deliver groceries to the customers on their bicycles. The boys sometimes complain, but they ususally enjoy riding their bicycles and the tips they receive - which they usually spend on movies.

The younger boys cannot wait until they become old enough to make deliveries, but they help out in many other ways: stacking the canned goods, packaging the bulk items, weighing things. There is something for everybody to do!

After seeing so many of our customers struggling, I'm grateful our family at least has enough to eat. I do hope things improve soon, though.

Your loving son,

Omar

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